Search - Fred Astaire :: Jazz Time

Fred Astaire a jazz singer?

J. Weinberger | New York | 12/19/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The short answer is: yes. A surprisingly good set at an affordable price."

1952 re-recordings of Fred's greatest songs

Peter Durward Harris | Leicester England | 12/30/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Some people will never accept re-recordings, assuming that the originals are always best (they often are, but not always) and that any re-recordings are made just to make money (sometimes true but not always). There have been many reasons for re-recordings but one of them, particularly in the first half of the twentieth century, was to take advantage of superior recording technology. Fred recorded the original versions of most of these songs in the twenties and thirties using technology far more primitive than that available in 1952 (which was still primitive by modern standards). But if you can't accept re-recordings, don't buy this.



Charlie Shavers (trumpet), Flip Phillips (tenor sax), Oscar Peterson (piano), Barney Kessel (guitar), Ray Brown (bass) and Alvin Stoller (drums) accompanied Fred on the 1952 sessions.



Fred may not have been the best singer of his generation but he knew his limitations and how to work within them. He had a pleasant voice and had a good feel for a song. His other talents, particularly as a dancer, made him ideal for Hollywood musicals and it was through that medium that Fred became the original singer of many popular classics.



Fred had number one hits in America with Night and day, Cheek to cheek, I'm putting all my eggs in one basket, The way you look tonight, A fine romance, They can't take that away from me, Nice work if you can get it and Change partners. He also made the top ten with many other songs including I love Louisa, New sun in the sky, No strings, Top hat white tie and tails, Isn't this a lovely day, I'm building up to an awful letdown, Let's call the whole thing off, They all laughed, A foggy day and I used to be color blind. Fred re-recorded all those songs in 1952 but he seems to have missed out some important songs including Let yourself go and Let's face the music and dance, which were both huge hits in 1936 (they were actually two sides of the same single) and remain among the most popular songs of the era.



There are other songs here that are indelibly associated with Fred but were not hits for him including S'wonderful, Putting on the Ritz, The continental, Stepping out with my baby, Dancing in the dark, Fascinating rhythm and the song that started it all for him, Oh lady be good.



With extensive liner notes describing Fred's career, this double-CD provides a great introduction to his music."