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| Johnny Mercer | |
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| Topic Started: Aug 18 2009, 07:16 PM (83 Views) | |
| panzer the great & terrible | Aug 18 2009, 07:16 PM Post #1 |
Mouth Breather
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When I was a little kid I was in a bar with my parents in the old Ritz Carlton in NYC and Johnny and Ginger Mercer were at the next table. I asked my parents if I could ask for his autograph. My Mom said "How do you know about Johnny Mercer?" and I said, "He's my best friend." Somebody at his table heard that and it got into his first biography. My claim to fame. But ya know, he's still my best friend. His lyrics deal with the world I live in, and his singing has influenced mine more than anybody but Sinatra. I love the guy, and I still have the autograph. It's on the sheet music of "My Sugar Is So Refined." The signature is very faded but you can still make it out. Mosaic has released a 3-CD set of some of his recordings, the ones that "lean towards jazz," and that's fine because all of his best Capitols are here, including his wonderful version of Clarence Williams' "Ugly Chile" and "He Should Have Flipped When He Flopped" with Cootie Williams, both of which have been MIA since Political Correctness reared its head. I got it from Collector's Choice, but you can get it direct from Mosaic. If hep cats interest you, this guy was the real deal: he was surely the coolest white music executive of all time, and his position allowed him to make records with people like Cootie Williams and The Pied Pipers, including Jo Stafford, backing him up. Some hugely influential El Lay music here. The Beach Boys could never have happened without this stuff. |
| We Wear Short Shorts Flying Purple People Eater | |
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| JazzGuyy | Aug 19 2009, 02:21 AM Post #2 |
Balcony Gang, Foist Class
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As a long time Mercer fan too, I second Paul on this one. It is a wonderful collection. I acquired it as soon as it became available and it is quite wonderful. A plug for Mosaic. If you like jazz or jazz-influenced music at all, you owe it to yourself to become familiar with Mosaic. They but out limited edition sets and some re-issue. They run everything from single discs to collections of a dozen or more discs. They have been responsible in recent years for sets with Count Basie, Mildred Bailey, Benny Goodman, Duke Ellington, Artie Shaw and others. Most of it is rare stuff or things that have been out of print for years. Some of the material has never seen release. They usually come with very thorough, well written and informative booklets. Their stuff isn't the cheapest around, but usually worth it. (www.mosaicrecords.com) |
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| George Kaplan | Aug 19 2009, 01:56 PM Post #3 |
Balcony Gang, Foist Class
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The Mercer set really is a delight. He had a relaxed, unaffected, utterly personal singing style that seemed to stamp each recording as definitive, no matter how many great renditions of his songs you may have heard by Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Nat Cole, Mel Tormé, Peggy Lee, The Boswell Sisters, The Mills Brothers, Ella Mae Morse, Annette Hanshaw, Hot Lips Page, and others. I know exactly what prompted kid Panzer to say "He's my best friend." When you hear Mercer sing, that's how he makes you feel. Jazzy's right--Mosaic is in the quiet forefront of history-minded U.S. jazz labels. I have only one of their large box sets--the Mildred Bailey, ten discs of heaven--but I can testify to the exceptional quality of several three-disc collections, which are kinder to the wallet: Bud Shank/Bob Cooper, Gerry Mulligan, Onzy Matthews, Duke Pearson, Carmell Jones, Curtis Amy, and the Pacific Jazz Piano Trios (Russ Freeman, Richard Twardzik, Jimmy Rowles, and Clare Fischer). Lovely sound throughout. |
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| panzer the great & terrible | Aug 20 2009, 08:39 AM Post #4 |
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Mouth Breather
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It's the beautiful sound quality that makes the Mosaics stand out. I had only heard much of this Mercer material on 78s before this release, and these new releases sound like they were made yesterday. I have the Nat King Cole box, the Johnny Hodges, the Mildred Bailey, the Stuff Smith, and the Odds and Ends one with the "lost" Billie Holliday cut that came out again a few years later. They're all great listening. |
| We Wear Short Shorts Flying Purple People Eater | |
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| mort bakaprevski | Aug 20 2009, 10:03 AM Post #5 |
Soony Roony!
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When I was in high school, Johnny Mercer lived on Lido Isle, which was right across the bay from where I lived. My best friend (who was a MUCH better musician than I) knew Mercer & was on friendly terms with him. We were down on the island one day & my friend suggested we drop in on Mercer. Well, turns out he wasn’t home… but I did meet his wife. So, unfortunately, I have zero anecdotes to relate about him. On the other hand, I have the following advice given to Mel Torme by Glenn Miller from Mel’s autobiography: “What you want to do, Mel, is to avoid writing ‘moon-June-tune’ rhymes. Anyone can do that. Pick up every lead sheet you can lay your hands on with a Johnny Mercer lyric & study the hell out of it.” “Mercer is the very best of all!” Mel, later goes on to say, “Mercer was, and still is, my role model as a lyric writer. His range absolutely astonished me.” Me too!! Edited by mort bakaprevski, Aug 20 2009, 06:09 PM.
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| “You’ve got to take the bitter with the sour.” | |
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| JazzGuyy | Aug 20 2009, 11:38 AM Post #6 |
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Balcony Gang, Foist Class
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Agreed. The only other lyric writer of that era who comes close is Ira Gershwin but Ira wasn't as hip as Johnny was. To me the Arlen-Mercer tunes are the cream of American songwriting in the '40s. Mercer, like all writers, did have his bad moments. His lyrics for Ellington;s "Satin Doll" are about as bad as lyrics get. |
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| panzer the great & terrible | Aug 20 2009, 05:39 PM Post #7 |
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Mouth Breather
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That, alas, is so -- one of my least favorite lyics by anybody -- but the songs were throwaways then. "Eeeny Meeny Miney Mo" is less than perfect too -- but there's always "Early Autumn," "I Wonder What Became of Me" and "I Thought About You" to counterbalance them, not to mention the sublime songs about aging like "Ah, the Apple Trees," "Whistling In the Dark," "Days of Wine and Roses," and "Summer Wind." Mercer will always be the one lyricist who really gets me where I live, though I admit that sometimes Ira Gershwin can do it too, and don't even get me started about Steven Sondheim. His Into the Woods has the best lyrics of any musical, ever, though they are a tad citified for this hillbilly.
Edited by panzer the great & terrible, Sep 10 2009, 09:16 PM.
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| We Wear Short Shorts Flying Purple People Eater | |
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