To many in the VC audience, Mel Torme is probably most famous as the object of Judge Harry Stone’s fascination in the 80s TV sitcom hit “Night Court.” When you think Mel Torme, you probably think of schmaltzy recordings that no one could possibly listen to seriously. Here’s the thing: Although Torme did in fact participate in many schmaltzy or even campy performances (cough), he is actually one of the most gifted jazz singers. Catch him in the right setting, and Torme’s talent is simply astonishing.
Here’s an example of Torme in the right setting: with a jazz trio, in 1964, singing “We’ve Got a World That Swings” for Ralph Gleason’s Jazz Casual program. Check it out.
Great stuff, isn’t it? What a voice. If you want to to hear more, be careful out there: watch out for the schmaltz. My recommendation is one of my all-time favorites, Mel Torme Swings Shubert Alley, with the Marty Paich Orchestra. Terrific stuff, no schmaltz.
Finally, some random trivia about the song. The original lyrics were from the 1963 movie “the Nuttty Professor,” as performed by Jerry Lewis. There’s a line in the song, presumably about the Cuban Missile crisis, that goes “atom bombs, Cape Canaveral false alarms.” After Kennedy was assassinated, however, LBJ renamed Cape Canaveral “Cape Kennedy.” Singing just a few months later, Mel updates the lyrics by singing “Cape Kennedy” instead of “Cape Canaveral.” Cape Kennedy later reverted back to Cape Canaveral, so more recent versions of the song (such as the one by They Might Be Giants) use the original lyrics.
UPDATE: Scott Johnson had an interesting post on Torme a while back here.