What am I here for (André Previn) (LP 614)

 

André Previn A Touch Of Elegance (Vinyl, CBS Coronet, 1960) ** 

Genre: Piano jazz 

Places I remember: My father's record collection. I can distinctly remember the cabinet that housed this and dad's other  records in our house at 18 Korma Ave., Royal Oak, Auckland, NZ, Earth, The Solar System, The Universe. The long, narrow cabinet was used to house dad's stereo and records at one end (on a bottom shelf) and was also used as a drinks' cabinet on the top shelf. At some point the small bottle of purply/red bitters must have fallen over and leaked and was then soaked up by some record covers. Mr Previn's album has tell tale signs of this stain some 60 years later (and a very faint bitters smell). The pristine vinyl was unaffected. Phew.

Back cover and stains on display!

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: It Don't Mean A Thing

Gear costume: Sophisticated Lady   

Active compensatory factors: Dad loved Duke Ellington and so I guess this album was a sought after purchase for him in 1960 as the album is an excuse to cover a whole lot of his songs. I was 3 years old so I only know this album from a distance.

André Previn employs his orchestra to bolster his piano playing and it's all pretty schmaltzy apart from the more up tempo song I've featured (ironically the only one on the set and as the song goes - it don't mean a thing unless it's got that swing!).

Sidebar #1: this long playing album was clearly still a bit of a novelty back in 1960 as it makes sure listeners set their turntable speed at 33 and a third by telling them that THREE TIMES on the back cover!

Sidebar #2: I've just bought a copy of Duke Ellington/John Coltrane and it is in a different stratosphere to the André Previn set. Recorded in 1962, it's almost a contemporary of Previn's Elegance but clearly dad wasn't interested in it if he even knew it existed. Duke's piano playing is amazing and there is only ever going to be one John Coltrane but dad preferred the orchestral version. 

Where do they all belong? Another album I'll never get rid of because those stains on the cover are priceless!