Mel Torme- april showers

[guyfrosty]

Nice! Good sound, too. Too bad the end is chopped off. Why does this happen to so many YouTube clips?

[kingoliver45]

Excellent! Thanks a million for sharing!

[GirGrunny]

Radio sings this in TBLT...

[TheProlematic7]

Bugs bunny sings it better haha..

[junkyardphilosopher]

Thanks for this. I adore both Mel and Page.

[priapus56]

Was the argument about who is the guitarist finally settled? Whoever he is, he is one hell of a cool dude player.. Superb touch, phrasing and style.

[pdppX]

@priapus56

Al Viola

[jmlpaulin]

does anyone know what this is from?

[fabimezzo]

gotta love the dimples!

[Tommyfazz]

hahaha you're both wrong (above) I like his tie.

[spacitydrummer4JC]

Too bad there isn't talent like this anymore. All "entertainers" do these days is just grind on each other and rap. Where has the class gone?

[79mojorisin]

does anybody know the name of the movie he made about a motorcycle gang

[terrybeaton]

The man Had to sing extra good. He was probably the only one in the genre who wasn't selling sex appeal with the songs. All those crooners were matinee idols.

[layde1]

@terrybeaton Yes, he had to be extra good because he did not have the looks. His amazing talent carried him.

[WytZox1]

APRIL SHOWERS 1st recorded by AL JOLSON long before Mel recorded it. I remember when my 3rd grade class sang it at a school assembly and we practically got laughed off the stage. We just weren't as cool as Mel.

[Jolson1950]

April Showers a nearly unknown song????

[kwmv]

@Jolson1950 I was thinking the same thing. This is a Standard!

[Jolson1950]

@kwmv The song April Showers was published in 1921 and introduce in the Broadway musical Bombo by the great Al Jolson. As you say - the song is a Standard and has been recorded and performed by many of the biggest names in show business over the past 90 years.

[generaldud]

what a shock he can even drum awesome didn't know that very talentent

[SabrinaMM123]

so good :-) very beautiful voice

[yorugua97]

I have heard Eddie Cantor sing My Baby Just Cares For Me.

[tooslimnc]

Any one have Mel's version of My Baby Just Cares For Me?  I just heard it on XM radio today, very early Mel.....it was wonderful.

[archy2frank2]

@tooslimnc I just heard Mel Torme version of My Baby Just Cares For Me and your right it was fantastic.

[UncleVicEsq]

There's a cut at 1:36 that must be tossing out a solo or just combining two takes on this. The facial expressions on Mel are great. No offense meant, but they remind me of Ella Fitzgerald and her style. Check that out, if it suits you.

[PhilGeissler]

Simply the best!

[cwinter]

So hot it's cool!

[ptillen]

...although I would hardly call this a nearly unknown song. "April Showers" is a standard by Silvers & DeSilva, introduced in 1921 by Al Jolson.

[MelissaTicky]

awe his voice is so smooth .... everyone else has said it but... god it just needed to be said once more. Mel Torme .... SMOOOOOOTH voice

[KateDzh]

Great!

[PoutinePete]

Smoooooooooooth! The Jews & the blacks

really contributed a lot to the great Jazz standards.

[acfinney]

@PoutinePete So did the Irish and Italians...

[blacklavoux]

nobody sings like this anymore.

[castrato1]

@blacklavoux I am tryin! I promise! I think he is the greatest and though I will never be as good he is a wonderful role model!!

[padleynj]

The only one that I can think of that has a similar voice and range is the lead singer from Simply Red. He has just started to perform cole porter, et al.

[wenglishsal]

@padleynj .... the name you are looking for is Mick Hucknall ( not sure of the spelling of his surname sorry)... But you are right he has a fantastic voice... :0)x

[MrPennysdad]

There isn't music like this anymore..too bad

[wilburbonzo]

Where can I get a tie like that?

[priapus56]

Jermyn St. London.

[waynedeaton]

o man

[11777766]

What a talented guy! He was able to sing pop songs ,play jazz, scat, and had a vocal range that got deeper and better during his long career. Mel R.I.P.

[meredith21846]

Love Torme, he sang with such subtlety and well honed vocal technique. A master of classic popular song.

[bcearthangel]

I love this mans voice, he melts my heart every time I hear him sing.

[edaugusts]

This is a very familiar melody to someone who's in their 50's or 60's, but this upbeat, jazzy version is a new one for me -- but a lot of fun! I'm more used to the Al Jolson / Judy Garland versions. "Nearly unknown song"... does that description even go with this Mel Torme footage? It looks like a mistake of some kind...

[lastcrazyhorn]

I like the sound of voice best when he was younger.

[jalex11]

Wonderful! Thank you for sharing, but I would hardly call April Showers "nearly unknown".

[missionalgirl]

Oh how I love Mel Torme!!

[thatgirlbill]

Mel's a monster....none like him.

[meclaudine]

thanks for sharing this real rare footage.

[Teezer44]

OHHHHHHHH MYYY DAYSSSSSSSSSS...WOW. WOW.WOW..WHo is this man, coz his voice is INCREDIBLE..i think he is the greatest male singert i have ever ever ever heard. Im only 19, so im not too familiar with this style of music, but why was he not as famous as sinatra and co? He certainly has greater voice. WOW. I AM BLOWN AWAY. I REALLY CAN NOT DESCIRBE IT. THANK YOU SOOO MUCH 4 UPLOADIN. I NOW NEED 2 GET THIS GUYS ALBUMS AND DISCOVER GREAT MUSIC!

[BudmanPackfan]

Youth.......... HIS NAME IS IN THE TITLE!!!!!! Mel Torme. and he IS almost as famous as Sinatra and Martin. His nickname is the Velvet Fog because he is so smooth!

[Teezer44]

OH YEAH! state the obvious why dont you! when i said 'who is this man' i was refering to more than his name! Its a figure of speech, and infact a rhetoric. Your dumb answer 'his name is in the title' make u look stupid!

[BudmanPackfan]

I bow to your omnipotence

[Gunnifunz]

It feels great to realize my all time favorite appeals to the young too ....

;-)

Isn't he incredible

[Gunnifunz]

you should hear him scat .........

[herminestover]

you are so lucky to discover not only this incredible man, but this whole world of music! I would say I envy you, if I had not imprinted on this kind of music, probably before your parents were born! of course I also love PUNK! Mel had a very long career and actually he is not even as good as he will get in a few years!

[donnajazz]

I feel the same like you but I am a bit older. You will find more Mel Tormes on YT. Listen to All god's children got rhytm, And all the other famous beauties.

[odeonpacific]

I sooo much agree. Not only could this guy sing, but play the drums and the piano.

He wrote a number of songs as well, one of which is the famous Christmas Song. long live Mel !!!

[ShepAussie]

I belive this is one of the songs my 3rd grade teacher had us sing. Mrs. Zubrod at Faylane Elementary School in Garden Grove, CA.

[ThirdTimeChangedKBA]

This is wonderful.

[ThirdTimeChangedKBA]

This was used in the Little Audrey cartoon "Audrey The Rainmaker". Knew that?

[Rodelu10915]

What a great talent! Under-rated I think.

[jfktwo]

Ah, The Velvet Fog, I miss you so much.

[hosemanrds]

Again I ask, who is the guitarist? It is NOT Tommy Tedesco. This is NOT the Page Cavanaugh Trio. Assuming Al Pellegrini put together this group. WHO IS ON GUITAR?

[saxtuck]

i think the guitarist is Al Viola.... he worked with Cavanaugh until 1949 then became a studio player.... GREAT player

[hosemanrds]

Thanks for trying, but this isn't Page Cavanaugh backing up Torme. It's a group put together by Al Pellegrini. If you go to the classicjazzguitar website, you can see several pics of Viola, and this isn't him. Keep trying to help me! Who is this guitarist? He must have been well known.

[saxtuck]

try Allan Ruess... he worked some with Pellegrini classicjazzguitar website has a picture page of him,... the pic on the bottom right looks alot like the guy in the video and it even looks like the same guitar

[hosemanrds]

It's not Ruess. I'm not sure if he ever took a solo. I know him from his years with Goodman. Rhythm player like Freddie Green. Thanks, but this guy looks Italian, and must be somewhat well known. I've checked all the pics on classicjazzguitar and can't find this guy.

[TheClassicCrooners]

love it!

[TheAlmightyBoner]

the velvet fag

[ryanz06]

Jealousy brings you nowhere.

[robbieloler]

wow he looks so young! how old was he in this video?!

[darcyarcy]

To be honest, I don't know. I have heard of him all my life tho', even tho he is 30 odd years older than me. I believe he was a prolific song writer. Nat King Cole had a hit with Mel's Christmas Song. He was just so cruizy to listen to. You will hear alot of jazz influence cause that's what he wanted to be originally.

[musiclov3r2]

what are mel torme's most famous songs

[kevinherbert]

musiclovr3r2: Mel's most famous song is the last one I heard him perform.....take a look at "More than you Know' with Marty Paich in Japan in 1988 on Youtube...he OWNS the stage......NO ONE COMPARES TO MR T...he's a one of....

[darcyarcy]

Within the industry and especially his peers - Mel Torme's voice is known as "pitch perfect"

[jackdugan1987]

well amigo sorry to break the news to you but Barrack did win

[AirandSun80]

Singing is an art, not a sport. Mel Torme's style is so different from Sinatra's it's ridiculous to say one is better than the other.

[beriflor]

hey kimbalina, take it easy man, believe me, i like millions liked mel torme, what a talent and voice, but amigo, you can't put him anywhere near francis's level, i saw them both in person many many times....it's like comparing john mccain versus barack obama, there's no comparison....and hopefully after tuesday's election john and sarah can have a wonderful legacy in the way they ran their platform.....torme, a terrific jazz singer...

[kevinherbert]

beriflor: subjective dross...Torme was a musical genius..he arranged amazingly, wrote hit tunes, sang across 4 octaves,played drum at virtuoso level + another 4 instruments professionally, was an amazing live performer...Sinatra was once a '40's pop singer who danced professionally & acted passably, but who turned into just another worn out celebrity....go back to your pipe & slippers,man....your talking with authority about something you just don't understand.

[algabal]

If you look on here, you can find a video of legendary arranger Pete Rugolo discussing Mel Torme's extreme arrogance about his own abilities, and about Torme giving drumming advice (!) to Shelley Manne. He dismisses Torme as being a guy who "sold a lot of records." Yet Rugolo had nothing but praise for Nat King Cole, June Christy etc..

Personally, I love Mel, and was shocked by this.

[kevinherbert]

algabal: I've seen it & Rugolo hardly puts him down..he says Mel was young & infers he was egotistical...& as those who've worked with Mel have said e.g drummer Donny Osborne, he knew exactly what he wanted from a band...& he expected it.

Most geniuses are driven & egotistical...I'll forgive Mel that.trait given the AMAZING body of work he wrote,sang, played & arranged..but then again, I didn't have to live with him !!!!!

[ludwig222]

Truly amazing performance. And with out pitch correction !!

Mel, Just like Buddy were one of a kind, never to be seen again.

A great loss to the music world.

I miss them both dearly.

[Scepisle]

Mel... simply the greatest jazz vocalist ever.. I encourage you all to check out his work in his later years...... Mel I love you !

[Babyhowdy233]

@Scepisle

I totally agree!!! :D

[Babyhowdy233]

@Scepisle

I agree!!! :)

[AirandSun80]

It's strange that Mel Torme isn't as well-known as other male singers from his era. He's got such an incredible voice. Is it because his voice was a high tenor? Anyway, it's a joy to listen to him. I love Tony Bennett and Frank Sinatra, but Mel's voice is the one that most amazes me.

[DeanMartinFollower]

listen to Dean Martin.

[kevinherbert]

AirandSun80: he is better known than most singers in the world...he's a musical genius...a cut above the other great US stylists...he was the complete all round music master

[donnajazz]

Yessss,

[hosemanrds]

And the guitarist is not Allan Reuss. Please, someone identify the guitarist, and don't say it's Tommy Tedesco.

[ejworthy]

The Velvet Fog...Super talent..

-Emile

[mettanc]

he was the best.

[sf4lifetna]

What a voice! It is impossible to be sad while this song is playing. I adore it and this is my favorite version.

[dollydarko78]

just beautiful

[1BATMASTERSON]

Not bad for guy who hung around a drugstore on the southside of Chicago.Thanks Fog

[hosemanrds]

First of all, to "fromthesidelines", that's not Page Cavanaugh. It's supposed to be Al Pellegrini on piano. The question is, who is the guitarist?

[DDAL2]

I'm not sure but I think it may be Allan Reuss (played with Goodman in the 30s and early 40s)

[KnockelII]

Elegant stuff. For a number like this, you could call him a white man's Nat King Cole.

[padleynj]

Absurd! Race has nothing to do with talent and the gifted..Cole was a gifted pianist first and singer second. Torme was gifted not only with an incomparable voice but in writing and arranging from childhood. He could out-swing and out-scat cole, remember we also had Lambert, Hendicks, and Ross on the scene then.

[gothits08]

Don't waste your music wisdom on someone unschooled. I doubt Knockelll knows much about either musician. (smile)

[mel1001]

A nearly unknown song? Nonsense. It was a big hit for Al Jolson around the time Torme sang this. But I suppose you've never heard of Jolson either...

[bruced47]

That was very nice. Mel is almost as smooth on the brushes as he is with his voice.

[fromthesidelines]

If I'm correct, this was during the period {c. 1950} when Bob Morgan replaced Page's original guitarist, Al Viola, and Charles Parnell played bass. I don't know who the harpist was...

[hosemanrds]

who is the guitarist?

[willywonka88]

If The First Lady of Song were born a man she would have been Mel. CRAZY GOOD!

[jamierourketen]

it sounds like a loud whisper!fantastic,nearly as good as jolson...

[gm0618]

Mel was the Singers Singer....and this is NOT an unknown song...not to us old folk..ha

[Lana1937]

He must be a teenager here...great...thanks for sharing. I heard him live in late 1990s...he was still velvet then, too.

[somnium23]

Beautiful... thank you for sharing!

[kimbalina]

Mel Torme kills Sinatra dead. He swings and scats like blue eyes never could, his phrasing and his time are to die for...

god bless the ole' velvet fog.

[harryspal]

Don't bash Frankie....they are two different singers. I am confident Mel was a favorite of Frankie's and he appreciated his musicality. For me...Frank is the best.

[attabuoy]

E-A-S-Y describes this. Tempo and delivery are just right. Experts, please confirm the great accompanists. Thanks.

[johnherr35]

April Showers was first popularized by the Greatest song and dance man of all time, Mr. Al Jolson. Sometimes called the First Man of Song, and the first to do a "talkie"

[NJDolphin23]

I haven't heard enough of Torme's music to compare him to Sinatra or Cole. I still don't think there's a voice comparable to Mr. Marvin Gaye though, listen to him sing "Hello Young Lovers" if you can find it.

This was a nice clip though, thanks for posting. I alllways enjoy the artists in their youth so much more..

[sophiebaby765]

him and nat king cole had voices like velvet,,, sinatra couldn't even compare,??thank you for posting that little bit of treasure

[zevcha]

Thanx Max for posting this sweet bit of the Velvet Fog..would you happen to have Mel singing Don't Get Around Much Anymore? My favourite of his.

[fmbighair]

this cat can swing AND sing, lol!!!

[kaburto1966]

So smooth!

[robinliveshere]

wow!!! He's got the voice of an angel. I heard he was singing professionally at the age of four. He's a true musical genious. Better than Sinatra. More range and soul in his music.

[11777766]

Young Mel shows his talent so clearly in this early outing. He had enough starpower even then to have brought down the rain during that gig! In fact, April Showers itself soon became a standard.

[ambreec28]

Great clip! Mr. Torme in his prime! Thanks for sharing...

[edarem]

His effortless style was very appealing.

[fromthesidelines]

This was probably one of the Snader "Telescriptions" he appeared in, produced around 1951. The Page Cavanaugh Trio also appeared in several of their own, and with Bobby Troup as well.

[hosemanrds]

you are right. it is snader. but, who is the guitarist?

[sicilianbabe8]

This is great! So young and sweet and swinging. I forgot he is a drummer. Nice contrast to his smoking later years 'cause he just got better and better. Where Sinatra just stood still . My opinion has always been Tome was better than Sinatra just because he had so much more range and that smoking scat he does makes me want to dance naked with abandon. He is great.

[janellemariejones]

I used to listen to this song by Al Jolson when I was little on 10" vinyl!

[zunathanzu]

thats not a nearly unknown song! my mom has this record, I used to play it all the time before I broke the record player

[dcfanuk]

LOVE THIS SONG

[genekrupajr]

Who is the harpist?

GKjr

[QUANTUMLORD18]

HARPO MARX .... after "the opperation", that is.

[donnajazz]

Is there a nicer voice?

[mendoncacorreia]

I think not... Why, then, was he always under the shadow of Sinatra, Bennet and the likes? It beats me!...

[AchillesShield]

Personally, I prefer Sinatra, but Mel is definitely better than Bennet! It's a mystery to me why this guy isn't better known.

[eppursimuove64]

Dear Achilles: I´ve to recognize that I´ve met this extraordinary voice now. Of course Sinatra is better known. What happened with  this guy? Here in Buenos Aires, Argentina, I´ve never saw any cd of him. Greetings.

[eidetic]

his voice is absolutely amazing.

[danrose]

sweet-can anyone identify the spacy microphone?

[SoulQuest7]

I have several other videos in this same series with Mel-- must be as early as 1949-1951, used for empty spaces in early TV. Great jazz guitar solo too. Thanks SO MUCH for posting this!

[QUANTUMLORD18]

Any chance of posting the above mentioned!? If they're anything like this one they'd be swell!

[SoulQuest7]

I don't know how to post videos; I don't even know if I have the capability with this computer, since you need to transfer the video into a digital form.

[FORMATERMAN]

it's so easy to post a video !

look at the top of your home page you will see upload click on it. you can do it,believe me i did it too

michael

have a great day

[rsmard]

ABSOLUTELY. PLEASE POST

[hosemanrds]

who is the guitarist?

[faustorigoni]

billy bobo