Mel Tormé - The Mel Tormé Collection 1944-1985 (1996) 4CD Box Set
EAC | FLAC | Tracks (Cue&Log) ~ 1.36 Gb | Scans ~ 230 Mb | Time: 05:08:54
Genre: Vocal Jazz, Swing, Vocal Pop | Label: Rhino | # R2 71589
EAC | FLAC | Tracks (Cue&Log) ~ 1.36 Gb | Scans ~ 230 Mb | Time: 05:08:54
Genre: Vocal Jazz, Swing, Vocal Pop | Label: Rhino | # R2 71589
Up until he suffered a stroke at age 70 in 1996, singer Mel Tormé continued to improve with age and seemed to have inexhaustible energy. This four-CD set from Rhino does a fine job of covering Tormé's pre-Concord output, although the omission of his Concord work of 1986-1995 is unfortunate for that catalog contains many of Tormé's most exciting recordings. In general, the earlier selections (some of which were with his vocal group the Mel-Tones) feature Tormé on hip (for the period) swing tunes and ballads. Things greatly improve once the singer reaches the year 1975 and there are enough high points throughout the set to justify its purchase by Tormé's many fans. Three previously unreleased selections (best is "Walkin' Shoes" with Shorty Rogers in 1962) are a plus and the colorful 84-page booklet is quite definitive.