A number of years ago Angela Hagenbach became a fan of the sound of jazz legend Sarah Vaughan, and it inspired her to make an abrupt turn in her own musical career. Although the former model had already had some success as both an instrumentalist and a pop singer, she decided that she would dedicate herself to becoming a jazz vocalist.
She has done that. The Kansas City-based songstress has generated a string of successful albums leading up to her latest, The Way They Make Me Feel, now out on the Resonance Records label. It’s a collection filled with the music of three of her favorite composers — Henry Mancini, Michel Legrand, and Johnny Mandel — and once again proves that she’s for real, with a vocal range that covers everything from smoky and sexy to soft and sweet.
Although she’s the star and her vocals take center stage, there are a lot of strong instrumental solos here too. She’s backed by a large group that includes strings — and even accordion on some of Legrand’s pieces, to give them a “French” feel. In fact, the album’s title is a play on his “The Way He Makes Me Feel” (from the soundtrack of Yentl), and it’s one of the better listens here. Although Angela’s sultry treatment presents a completely different sound than Streisand’s original, it’s a delight. So too is her take on “I Will Wait For You,” which also features some strong instrumental interludes from several members of the orchestra, most notably accordionist Frank Marocco.
Another track I liked a lot was Mancini’s lush “Slow Hot Wind,” which features Angela’s smokiest voice used to perfectly evoke the intended mood. She also does a good job with “Charade,” the familiar theme song from the movie of the same name, giving it an added zest via some skillful scat singing.
Mandel’s music is also a big part of the album’s eleven tracks — four of them to be exact — and the best range from the soft ballad “Close Enough For Love,” to the Latin-flavored “Cinnamon And Clove.” The former features a soft melodic intro from clarinetist Steve Wilkerson, while the latter is a piece that is normally performed as an instrumental, most notably by an old favorite of mine, sax legend Zoot Sims. It’s a strong instrumental piece here too, but with the addition of Angela — who has some solid experience in Latin jazz — it becomes very special indeed.
The same could be said about the entire album — very special, and highly recommended.
Thinking about the approach of Winter weather always reminds me of the title of one of my favorite songs. Even though the subject matter of Tony Joe White’s “Cold Fingers” has nothing to do with frigid weather and the numb digits it creates, the song still seems to pop into my mind whenever I start shivering.
This isn’t the first time I’ve featured Tony. The Louisiana blues legend also made an appearance over three years ago, when I wrote about pokeweed and how Tony had turned the rural staple into his best-selling record, “Polk-Salad Annie.” (Video below.)
In that piece I reminisced about childhood trips to the country, but it was during the time of the year when wild greens are gathered for food. For some reason I don’t remember us making so many jaunts when the weather turned cold. Maybe because we stayed inside and tried to keep our fingers warm.
In a recent piece about Sixties pop star Vic Dana, I mentioned that he’d performed for a while as a fill-in for Gary Troxel of the Fleetwoods, but the group itself deserves a little more attention. Long before Vic Dana came along, the Fleetwoods had some hugely popular hits that not only topped pop charts, but crossed over to the R&B side too.
It all started in the late Fifties, when Olympia, Washington, high-school friends Gretchen Christopher and Barbara Ellis formed a singing duo, and then decided to add fellow student and trumpeter Gary Troxel to the mix. Troxel soon started singing too and the smooth-sounding threesome began to find some success performing in local spots.
They also put their heads together and came up with a song that combined parts of earlier efforts, and began performing it in their act. “Come Softly to Me” was something special, and it didn’t take long for a record company to sign the group to a contract. It also didn’t take long for the song to catch fire after its 1959 debut. It soon shot to the top spot on the pop charts and very near the top of the R&B charts — rare for an all-white group.
The Fleetwoods didn’t stop with “Come Softly To Me.” Later the same year they again hit the top of the charts with “Mr. Blue,” another silky-sounding song — and one that would later provide the background for a classic scene in the 1983 movie, Vacation. (See video below.)
Unfortunately trouble was on the horizon. Troxel was drafted and for a while was replaced in live shows by Vic Dana, and the group did continue to hit the recording studio from time to time. But even though the Fleetwoods did sell some records in the early Sixties, the handwriting was on the wall and the group finally dissolved.
In the decades since then, the original members of the group reunited occasionally for oldies tours, but Barbara Ellis eventually retired from music. Both Gary Troxel and Gretchen Christopher maintain websites celebrating the Fleetwoods, while keeping fans advised of what they’re doing these days.
As I understand the term “snowbird”, it applies to a Northerner who maintains a home in Florida and spends the entire Winter there soaking up the sun. My friend has the house but just uses it periodically, hence the “semi”. In any case, I have to admit that the approach of cold weather makes me (along with a lot of other people) envy him a little, and dream about getting away to warm and exotic places.
It’s the kind of feeling that probably had a lot to do with the popularity of a certain Sixties song, recorded by a group known as Sounds Orchestral. It was a British studio ensemble put together by a record company and fronted by pianist John Pearson, drummer Kenny Clare, and bassist Tony Reeves. They recorded a tune that had been written by respected jazz pianist and composer Vince Guaraldi, who had recorded it himself a couple of years earlier and had won a Grammy for Best Original Jazz Composition. However, it would be Sounds Orchestral’s 1965 version of “Cast Your Fate To the Wind” that would hit the charts in a big way.
After the success of that song, Sounds Orchestral continued to record for a few years but never had another record approach the success of their big one. Eventually they all went their separate ways, although they did try comebacks from time to time through the years.
Guaraldi died in 1976, just 47 years old. He’s remembered as a talented artist and composer, not only for the ultimate snowbird song and other jazz work, but also as the man behind much of the delightful soundtrack music for Charlie Brown and the Peanuts gang.
A lot of performers have had multi-layered careers with success in a wide variety of musical areas. One singer who successfully navigated her way through several would be Joanie Sommers, who has been everything from a teen idol to a familiar voice in TV commercials, but eventually became a respected jazz vocalist.
Joanie Sommers (real name Joan Drost) began singing as a child, and even won a talent contest in her home city of Buffalo, New York, before her family moved to California. While still in her teens she was signed by Warner Brothers and soon made a couple of acting appearances on the TV show, 77 Sunset Strip. Before long she was paired up musically with one of the stars, Edd “Kookie” Byrnes, who had become the idol of countless fans. He’d had a huge hit with his “Kookie, Kookie (Lend Me Your Comb),” a novelty song that played on his character’s famous pompadour. Although his partner on that song was Connie Stevens, Joanie and Edd sold some records with “I Don’t Dig You” and “Hot Rock,” before they went their separate ways.
Joanie soon began to find some individual success with her first solo record, 1960’s “One Boy,” but it took a couple of years for her to strike it rich with what would be her biggest, “Johnny Get Angry.” Its popularity helped her keep working steadily, not only in the recording studio and on TV guest shots (see below) but even with the occasional acting job.
Throughout the Sixties, Joanie continued to do guest shots on TV variety shows, including those of Dinah Shore and Dean Martin, and kept a busy recording schedule too but didn’t have another mega-hit. However, she enjoyed another kind of success by singing in a series of Pepsi-Cola TV ads — even becoming known for a time as “The Pepsi Girl.” She also began finding more and more success — and appreciation by critics — as a jazz singer, with standards like “Baby It’s Cold Outside,” “April In Paris,” and “I Concentrate On You,” among her best.
By the Seventies, Joanie Sommers — by then the mother of three — was ready to leave the business behind for a while. After a number of years in private life she again began to make some occasional appearances, but it now looks like the Pepsi Girl has retired.
For a lot of years, one of the hottest tickets in Cajun/Zydeco music has been the live show of Wayne Toups and Zydecajun. Toups himself is almost worth the price of admission, not only for his flamboyant shirts, flowing hair, and lively squeeze-box play, but also for his searing vocals. He’s backed by an outstanding group that includes guitarists Tony Ardoin and Chevy Foreman, keyboardist Don Hayes, drummer Matt Janise, and several other talented veterans of the South Louisiana music scene
Toups and his boys put on quite a show, but for those of us who can’t make it to a live performance, the next best thing might be their latest album, Live 2009, now out on the Swallow Records label. It’s a 13-track collection of their best pieces, and includes everything from slow Cajun ballads to rip-roaring tunes like the opening cut, “Zydecajun Train,” which invites you to climb aboard for a pulse-pounding ride.
That’s just one of several rollicking performances on the album, some of them newer pieces and others traditional, such as the always enjoyable “Johnny Can’t Dance.” Another that will make you itch to get to the dance floor is the aptly-named “Two-Step Mamou,” and if your dancing hunger still needs fed, give it “Sweet Jolene,” which is much more rambunctious than it’s title might suggest.
For something completely different, try “Please Explain,” drummer Janise’s explosive tour-de-force. But if you’re in a softer and slower mood, “Take My Hand” has some nice moments as Toups turns down the intensity a notch and proves to be a pretty good crooner. The same is true for the piece that closes the album, “I Should Have Never Fell In Love.” It’s spotlighted on the cover and described as a crossover country hit, and it does have echoes of honky-tonk.
Good bayou sounds from Wayne Toups and the boys — highly recommended.
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Thinking about the approach of Winter weather always reminds me of the title of one of my favorite songs. Even though the subject matter of Tony Joe White’s “
TV show, 77 Sunset Strip. Before long she was paired up musically with one of the stars, Edd “Kookie” Byrnes, who had become the idol of countless fans. He’d had a huge hit with his “Kookie, Kookie (Lend Me Your Comb),” a novelty song that played on his character’s famous pompadour. Although his partner on that song was Connie Stevens, Joanie and Edd sold some records with “I Don’t Dig You” and “Hot Rock,” before they went their separate ways.
album, Live 2009, now out on the 
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