A professional singer at the age of three, Mel Torme was a genuine musical prodigy. As a teenager, he played the drums in Chico Marx's band and earned the nickname "The Velvet Fog" because of his smooth, mellow high baritone voice. In the 1940s, he formed his own group, the Mel-Tones, one of the first jazz-influenced vocal groups...See full bio »
1944Pardon My Rhythm
(music: "Drummer Boy" / lyrics: "Drummer Boy")
1943Higher and Higher
(performer: "It's a Most Important Affair" 1943, "Disgustingly Rich" 1940, "You're On Your Own" 1943, "Minuet in Boogie" 1943, "Minuet in G, Op.14, No.1" 1887)
One of the joys of a jazz singer is to try to keep a dimension of constant improvisation in relation to what he sings. But - and it's a big but - only if you never lose sight of the original musical value which the composer put in it. And above all, if you don't sacrifice the most important element of a popular song: the words.
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Trivia:
Inducted into the Big Band and Jazz Hall of Fame in 1990.
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