Autumn in New York [PA]

Performer: Jo Stafford
Producer: Will Friedwald (Reissue)
Distributor: E1 Distribution (USA)

Notes: Personnel: Jo Stafford (vocals). Liner Note Author: Will Friedwald. Singer Jo Stafford is one of those vocalists who falls on both sides of the jazz and pop divides. Like her peers Rosemary Clooney, Frank Sinatra, and Pearl Bailey, she recorded mostly pop material and was generally not thought of as a jazz artist, yet jazz was a major component of her style. While none of the songs on AUTUMN were hits for Stafford, they're nonetheless durable, classic Broadway tunes and she gives them the classy treatment they deserve. The arrangements (by husband Paul Weston) might be somewhat dated, but fine singing never is. An early LP for Jo Stafford (and the LP format itself), 1950's Autumn in New York assembled a dozen standards set at ballad tempo and arranged with crying strings by Stafford's primary arranger (and husband), Paul Weston. Most of them were show tunes, some dating back to the '20s, and all seemed tailor-made for Stafford's sweet, pure tone and way with a lovelorn lyric. The title song and "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes" earned pride of place, but there simply wasn't a deficient tune in the bunch -- "Sometimes I'm Happy," "Some Enchanted Evening," "Just One of Those Things" -- and Stafford treated them all with the reverence and devotion they deserve. The LP was released in several formats, including a collection of 78-rpm EPs, while a 2009 reissue by DRG boasted 11 bonus tracks, including a few previously unreleased songs as well as a pair of big hits: "Jamboree Jones" (featuring Johnny Mercer) and "Tim-Tayshun (Temptation)" (Stafford's cornpone sendup of the Bing Crosby standard). ~ John Bush

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