What fun! This magnificent 'twofer', issued in 1990 by the Australasian arm of EMI could as easily have been titled Dixie Done Right ... The "best in the business" - doing what they liked doing best - making joyous jazz music. The CD contains the complete (stereo) contents of sessions recorded, (obviously multi-track), before most of us had even heard stereo!! (The material was originally issued in mono, on vinyl EP and LP, then later on stereo LP). The sound quality of the re-mastered stereo, (thankfully now preserved in digital format), matches the astounding quality of the content.
Better check for a pulse if you're not humming or tapping along after the first few minutes listening to these treasures.
"That Travelin' Two-Beat" is perhaps the happiest of several Crosby/Clooney collaborations. Ms. Clooney was the perfect female match for Crosby, in both voice and temperment. Together they gleefully send up most anyone and everyone with tongue-in-cheek, nonsensical lyrics by Ray Evans stitched over a variety of time-honoured melodies, updated 'Dixie-style' by Jay Livingston. The 'bigband+' arrangements by veteran jazzman Billy May and his crack team of session instrumentalists are the icing on the cake.
Roamin' in the Gloamin'
"Bing and Satchmo" contains classic tracks by this famous duo, who obviously enjoyed performing together, (again with top-drawer arrangements and music from Mr. May & co.). Legendary songwriter Johnny Mercer, (founder of Capitol Records, subsequently purchased by EMI), even contributed a couple of new songs. No youngsters, even when originally recorded, back in 1960, (Armstrong 59, Crosby 57), the pair's seemingly effortless vocals and Satchmo's horn riffs show why these guys had already been musical celebrities for decades.
Sugar
