Mel Torme was a singer, songwriter and arranger who was prominent throughout the post-war decades, enjoying chart hits into the 1960s, but who came to the fore in his late teens during the early as leader of the vocal group The Mel-Tones, having been an entertainer since his childhood. Born in 1925, he started singing professionally at the age of 4, acted on radio, was in the Chico Marx Band in 1942 and appeared in Frank Sinatras first film in 1943. He formed the Mel-Tones the following year, modelled on the Pied Pipers and with future star bandleader Les Baxter as a member.

This 61-track 3-CD set comprises Tormes recordings for Decca leading the Mel-Tones as they recorded both under their own name and with artists like Bing Crosby and Eugenie Baird and on Musicraft as featured artists with Artie Shaws orchestra, and in their own right with Sonny Burkes orchestra, before Torme began recording solo with Shaw and Burke, and then with the orchestras of Walter Gross and Hal Mooney as well as the Page Cavanaugh Trio. During this time he wrote The Christmas Song, a big 1946 hit for Nat King Cole, but did not record it himself. The anthology includes the large majority of the recordings he made during this era before he was even 23 years old, and it demonstrates the maturity and breadth of the talent which made him one of the classiest vocalists of his generation.

REVIEWS

“Mel Tormé reissues are few and far between these days, so this 61-track 3CD set is very welcome. It is not complete, nor does it claim to be, but nevertheless this is an excellent overview of the singer's early years which laid the foundation for his later success which hopefully Acrobat will explore with future issues at a later date.”  –   Gerry Stonestreet (In Tune Issue 333)

“Mel was a prodigious talent, playing piano and drums, composing and arranging, it was little surprise he almost didn't know what path to pursue. However, most of us will remember him as a singer of romantic ballads with a voice as pure as any... A truly brilliant vocalist, musician, composer and arranger, Mel Tormé is heard here through his tentative steps to 'make it' as a solo performer. His struggle to please everyone somewhat echoes the path followed by Nat Cole, who found he had to leave his first love, jazz, in favour of the pop of the day. This is something they both managed brilliantly.”  –  Barry Clare (Just Jazz Issue 261)

“Tracking Tormé's career when he was aged 19-22, this shows what an accomplished singer he was as a former child star, both with the close harmony Mel-Tones and emerging as a solo talent with Artie Shaw and Sonny Burke. ”  –  Alyn Shipton (Jazzwise Issue 248)

“Star vocalist, arranger, composer, drummer, pianist and film actor, Tormé was nothing if not highly talented and versatile. This window on his earliest recordings reveals exceptional musical skill and maturity in a young artist who went on to rank with the top male vocalists in the post-war American entertainment world. Detailed notes and discographical details are supplied in the booklet.”  –  Hugh Rainey (Jazz Journal Winter 2019)

“Torme is always immaculate in phrasing and intonation and there is some wondeful stuff… Here the ballad material is really strong, from But Beautiful and A Cottage For Sale to Love Is The Sweetest Thing and a highspot of the jazzier tracks id Torme's spectacular scat on Night And Day.” –  Ron Simpson (The Jazz Rag 158)