egroj world: Shelly Manne & His Friends • Bells Are Ringing

Tuesday, December 6, 2022

Shelly Manne & His Friends • Bells Are Ringing

Review by Scott Yanow

When Shelly Manne and His Friends (a trio starring pianist André Previn) had a surprise hit with their interpretations of melodies from My Fair Lady, it started a trend toward recording jazz versions of scores from plays. For this LP, Manne's trio (with Previn and bassist Red Mitchell) perform nine songs from the play Bells Are Ringing. Although seven of the pieces remained obscure, "The Party's Over" (which is heard twice) and particularly "Just in Time" caught on. As is always the case with this group, Previn's piano is the lead voice and his virtuosity, good taste, melodic improvising, and solid sense of swing are chiefly responsible for the music's success.

https://www.allmusic.com/album/bells-are-ringing-mw0000615741

///////

Reseña de Scott Yanow

Cuando Shelly Manne y sus amigos (un trío protagonizado por el pianista André Previn) tuvieron un éxito sorprendente con sus interpretaciones de melodías de My Fair Lady, se inició una tendencia hacia la grabación de versiones de jazz de partituras de obras de teatro. Para este LP, el trío de Manne (con Previn y el bajista Red Mitchell) interpretan nueve canciones de la obra Bells Are Ringing. Aunque siete de las piezas permanecieron oscuras, "The Party's Over" (que se oye dos veces) y particularmente "Just in Time" (Justo a tiempo) se hizo popular. Como siempre es el caso de este grupo, el piano de Previn es la voz principal y su virtuosismo, buen gusto, improvisación melódica y sólido sentido del swing son los principales responsables del éxito de la música.

https://www.allmusic.com/album/bells-are-ringing-mw0000615741

Tracklist:
1 - I Met A Girl - 3:18
2 - Just In Time - 3:34
3 - Independent (On My Own) - 5:11
4 - The Party's Over (Ballad Version) - 5:46
5 - It's A Perfect Relationship - 3:43
6 - Is It A Crime? - 3:06
7 - Better Than A Dream - 5:54
8 - Mu-Cha-Cha - 4:23
9 - Long Before I Knew You - 4:10
10 - The Party's Over (Up Tempo Version) - 4:00

Credits:
    Bass – Red Mitchell
    Composed By – Jule Styne
    Drums – Shelly Manne
    Piano – André Previn
    Producer, Liner Notes – Lester Koenig
    Recorded By – Howard Holzer, Roy DuNann