Perry Como, 1944:
You didn’t expect to see him on JAZZ LIVES, but he deserves the attention. People of my generation will remember him as a completely relaxed television presence, wearing a sweater before Fred Rogers, comfortable and warm. As a young singer, he did his own very convincing version of Bing, which is not something I would chastise him for. Here’s an early vocal on a Ted Weems record — to complete the Bing-ness, there’s whistling by Elmo Tanner:
But this blogpost isn’t a return to the fairly sweet sounds of yesteryear. When I visited Dan Morgenstern last June, I think we’d planned to talk about a variety of jazz notables . . . but I’ve learned to start the camera and trust the teller.
What Dan recalled is, to me, memorable: it says, “There ARE righteous people”:
One of the righteous is Dan himself. But you knew that.
May your happiness increase!
