At Long Last

Performer: Rosemary Clooney
Artist: Barry Manilow
Engineer: Leslie Ann Jones; Peter Doell
Distributor: Universal Distribution

Notes: /Count Basie Orchestra. Personnel: Rosemary Clooney (vocals); Grover Mitchell (conductor); John Oddo (arranger, piano); Alyn Ferguson, Peter Matz (arranger); Barry Manilow (vocals); John Kelson (alto saxophone, flute); Brad Leali (alto saxophone); Doug Miller (tenor saxophone, flute, clarinet); Kenny Hing (tenor saxophone, clarinet); Gary Foster (tenor saxophone); John Williams (baritone saxophone, bass clarinet); Michael Williams, Scotty Barnhart, Shawn Edmonds, Bob Ojeda (trumpet); David Keim, Clarence Banks, Alvin Walker II (trombone); William Hughes (bass trombone); Terence Conley (piano); Will Matthews (guitar); James Leary (bass); Butch Miles (drums). Producers: John Oddo, Allen Sviridoff, John Burk, Aaron A. Woodard III. Recorded at Skywalker Sound, Nicasio, California from November 1997 to June 1998. All tracks have been digitally mastered using HDCD technology. Personnel: Rosemary Clooney (vocals); Will Matthews (guitar); Doug Miller (flute, clarinet, tenor saxophone); Kenny Hing (clarinet, tenor saxophone); John Williams (bass clarinet, baritone saxophone); Brad Leali (alto saxophone); Scotty Barnhart , Michael Williams, Bob Ojeda (trumpet); Clarence Banks, Alvin Walker II (trombone); William Hughes (bass trombone); Terence Conley, John Oddo (piano); Butch Miles (drums). Audio Mixers: Bob Levy ; Leslie Ann Jones. Recording information: Skywalker Sound, Nicasio, CA (11/1997-06/1998). Director: Grover Mitchell . Illustrator: Mary Peterson. Photographers: Teri Bloom; Bruce Burr. Arrangers: John Oddo; Allyn Ferguson; Peter Matz. When Rosemary Clooney recorded for Concord in the '80s and '90s, her voice was noticeably thinner than it had been in the '50s. This isn't to say that she sounded bad -- despite her limitations and the fact that she didn't have the range or chops of her youth, Clooney could still win you over with her sensitive interpretations of lyrics. And Concord deserves credit for generally providing her with talented arrangers and musicians, as well as tasteful material (as opposed to the type of novelty items she was often given at Columbia in the '50s). On At Long Last, the singer is united with the Count Basie ghost orchestra, which is directed by trombonist Grover Mitchell. Although Clooney was a jazzy pop singer rather than a true jazz singer, the Basie band is definitely a jazz band, and it definitely swings hard on familiar standards like "Old Devil Moon," "Willow Weep for Me" and "Just in Time." Gershwin's "I Got Rhythm" is especially revealing -- a demo of a young Clooney singing that standard in 1946 serves as an introduction to Clooney's late-'90s version, and one hears the contrasts between how she sounded in the '40s and how she sounded 50 years later. While the young Clooney obviously had stronger chops, Clooney at 69 or 70 wasn't without her charms. At Long Last is a likable project that united Clooney with solid musicians -- even if she was past her prime. ~ Alex Henderson Her voice has deepened, matured--she sounds more like a blues singer at times than a "pop" singer--but Rosemary Clooney still has "it." Backed by one of the great jazz big bands, under the direction of trombonist Grover Mitchell, she serves up a piping hot platter of tunes, baked with recipes from The Great American Songbook. And the Basie band still practices its patented easygoing-but-assertive swing with style. The Basie band could make almost anyone sound good--here they don't have to try, as Clooney can carry a torch song with the best of them, sounding like a woman who's been around the block more than a few times. Fans of Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Dinah Washington, Sarah Vaughan and Mel Torme, as well as those who venerate the standards and big bands, will have a swell time AT LONG LAST.

An iconic American vocalist, Rosemary Clooney often blurred the line between pop and jazz, occasionally even venturing into country and international styles. She started out as a singer with the Tony Pastor band in the 1940s, and her solo career started taking off at the end of the decade. Under the stewardship of Mitch Miller, she had numerous novelty-oriented '50s hits, but later on she dedicated herself to more serious, jazzier work, making some of her finest albums, like 1956's BLUE ROSE. Clooney was also active in films and TV (for a time she had her own television show), and continued performing and recording tirelessly until her death in 2002.

Click Here for Shipping Options and Policies

Shipping or Dimension weight in pounds: 0.25