New York born but London stationed, Elisabeth Welch was the grande dame of cabaret singers. She could claim that title on the basis of longevity alone. Her career spanned seven (!) decades by the time she finally decided to retire at the age of 92. Her consummate grasp of the cabaret style also gave her the right to that designation. This album of Irving Berlin songs was recorded in London when Welch was a sprightly 83 years of age. Most of it is standard Berlin material. But there are so...   [ read more ]

CD $31.33

This 25-track compilation of Irving Berlin songs from Hollywood musicals was taken from the original soundtrack performances, spanning the dawn of talkies ("Blue Skies," sung by Al Jolson from {#The Jazz Singer}) to the mid--'50s (Marilyn Monroe's "After You Get What You Want, You Don't Want It"). Several well-known classics are on board, like "There's No Business Like Show Business," "The Hostess with the Mostes'" (sung by Ethel Merman), "Anything You Can Do" (by Judy Garland...   [ read more ]

CD $18.03

The songs of Irving Berlin are I-beams in the towering edifice of 20th century popular music. This sampler of predominately pop recordings from the Capitol catalog may serve as both a grab bag of enjoyable entertainments and a useful introduction to some of this composer's nicest tunes. Each of the 25 tracks perfectly illustrates the essence of a given song, and would be especially useful for anyone seeking to learn the rudimentary contours. Jazz is only marginally represented here, in spite of...   [ read more ]

CD $11.38