Guys and Dolls Medley – 1989
Mel Torme & George Shearing
The remarkable Torme sings a medley of 8 songs
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Singer Mel Torme (1925-99) and pianist George Shearing (1919-2011) first came together later in their careers, teaming up in 1982 and recording seven albums during the next eight years.
At the 1989 JVC Jazz Festival, with support from bassist Neil Swainson and drummer Donny Osborne, Torme (who is assisted both instrumentally and vocally by Shearing) performed what he humorously called “the entire score to Guys and Dolls.”
While that was not quite true, he runs through eight songs, capturing the essence of each, varying the tempos and moods, and sounding quite dazzling and inventive.
-Scott Yanow
Ella Fitzgerald