When Meredith Willson's The Music Man made its Broadway bow on December 19, 1957 at The Majestic Theatre (today the home of Phantom of the Opera), the composer-lyricist-librettist had already enjoyed a long and prolific career. Willson, born in Mason City, Iowa - the inspiration for The Music Man's River City - had played flute and piccolo in the orchestras of John Philip Sousa and Arturo Toscanini; became the musical director of NBC Radio in Hollywood; received Academy Award nominations for
Welcome to The Weekend Stream, a relaxing weekly review of notable digital-only catalogue titles. There may be no CD or vinyl, but there's plenty of great new/old music to discover! Today's your chance to dive deep on an alternate history of Miles Davis or some mid-'60s classics by The Ventures, among other cool picks; pull up a chair after your Record Store Day Drop visit and queue up some good stuff! Miles Davis, Early Minor: Rare Miles from the Complete In a Silent Way Sessions / Double
2022 marks 100 years of The Hollywood Bowl. The famous amphitheater nestled in the Hollywood hills has hosted luminaries of every genre of music from classical to rock in its instantly familiar bandshell (actually two bandshells, as the first one from 1929 was demolished in 2003 and replaced with a larger model). The Bowl has been featured in movies including the original A Star Is Born, Double Indemnity, Xanadu, and Beaches and cartoons starring Bugs Bunny, Tom and Jerry, and The Pink
Welcome to The Weekend Stream, a relaxing weekly review of notable digital-only catalogue titles. There may be no CD or vinyl, but there's plenty of great new/old music to discover! From hard-rockin' brothers to non-stop dance vibes, you've got quite a selection this week. Nelson, Imaginator / Silence is Broken / Brother Harmony / Life / Like Father, Like Sons / Before the Rain / Perfect Storm (After the Rain World Tour 1991) / Lightning Strikes Twice (Stone Canyon/UMe) Imaginator: iTunes
Natalie Cole lost her father, Nat "King" Cole, when she was just fifteen years of age. But a little more than a quarter-century after his untimely passing, Natalie paid the ultimate tribute to Nat when her studio album Unforgettable...With Love celebrated his rich oeuvre. Anchored by a virtual duet with him of his classic "Unforgettable," the album was Natalie's first to embrace her legacy. The 1991 LP and duet went on to earn a collective seven Grammy Awards, reach No. 1 on the Billboard
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up! R.E.M., New Adventures in Hi-Fi: 25th Anniversary Edition (Craft Recordings) 2CD/1BD (now due November 19): Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 2CD (now due November 12) : Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 2LP (Original album only; out today): Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada Craft Recordings is continuing its ongoing R.E.M. reissue series with a 25th anniversary edition of the Georgia band's tenth studio album New
Although he's one of the voices most closely associated with Christmas, Nat "King" Cole only recorded one full-length Christmas LP in his lifetime. Now, Capitol Records and UMe are out to change that with a "new" yuletide album from the legendary vocalist who died in 1965 at just 45 years of age. A Sentimental Christmas with Nat "King" Cole and Friends: Cole Classics Reimagined arrives October 29 on CD, vinyl, and digital platforms. In addition to reorchestrated solo performances, the album
Can it be? Christmas season already? It seems like just yesterday it was March! Well, a time-bending pandemic isn't going to keep holiday cheer away, at least not when it comes to new yuletide reissues! Real Gone Music has a trio of them coming your way in November and December. We told you about Season's Greetings: The Fantastic Strings of Felix Slatkin back in July when it was issued as an online-only product. If you missed out, fear not! The Vatican-endorsed Christmas classic will
The first voice you hear on Resonance Records' exhilarating new box set Nat King Cole - Hittin' the Ramp: The Early Years (1936-1943) isn't that of the famous artist. Rather, it's his older brother and bassist Eddie Cole warbling teenaged Nat's sprightly composition "Honey Hush." Nat, of course, is the one tickling the ivories with confidence, grace, and an already sure sense of swing. Although he hadn't yet formed his famous trio (and the lineup here credited as "Eddie Cole's Solid Swingers" is
Have you caught the Christmas spirit yet? If not, things are very likely to change on Saturday, November 16. That's when TJL Productions debuts a new special on PBS that's sure to get you ready for the holiday season. A Classic Christmas, part of T.J. Lubinsky's acclaimed My Music series, presents an array of yuletide favorites from an all-star roster of legendary artists. Hosted by Marion Ross (Happy Days) and Gavin MacLeod (The Mary Tyler Moore Show, The Love Boat), A Classic Christmas is
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up! Bob Dylan featuring Johnny Cash, Travelin' Thru, 1967-1969: The Bootleg Series Vol. 15 (Columbia/Legacy) 3CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 3LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada Columbia Records and Legacy Recordings chronicle Dylan's 1967-1969 recordings in Music City - including those made with a very special guest - on the latest volume of the artist's long-running Bootleg Series. Bob Dylan (featuring Johnny Cash) -
The career of Nat "King" Cole has been exceedingly well-represented in the CD era, whether via numerous, expanded original album reissues or the hefty box sets released by the Bear Family and Mosaic labels. But one period of King Cole's career has been rather overlooked: the recordings he made prior to signing with Capitol Records, the label with which he would spend more than two decades. Now, Resonance Records is addressing that situation with a remarkable, comprehensive new box set that
Stage Door Records' five volumes of Lost West End have sampled numerous rare musicals that have played London over the years. Now, the U.K. label is turning its sights across the pond to the Great White Way to launch a new series: Lost Broadway. The first volume focuses on the year 1961, when composer-lyricist Jerry Herman made his Broadway debut with the successful Milk and Honey; some of the brightest stars included Barbara Cook, Jerry Orbach, Elaine Stritch, and Alfred Drake; the venerable
March 17, 2019 would have been Nat "King" Cole's 100th birthday. While the man born Nathaniel Adams Coles only lived to the age of 45, he more than earned his royal moniker over his three decades of performing. He paved the way for African-American artists as the first black man to host a nationwide television variety show, and quietly but devotedly crusaded for civil rights. At the time of his death, at the height of Beatlemania, he was selling some seven million records a year. The Cole
Yesterday, March 17, 2019, would have been Nat "King" Cole's 100th birthday. While the man born Nathaniel Adams Coles only lived to the age of 45, he more than earned his royal moniker over his three decades of performing. He paved the way for African-American artists as the first black man to host a nationwide television variety show, and quietly but devotedly crusaded for civil rights. At the time of his death, at the height of Beatlemania, he was selling some seven million records a
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up! Nat King Cole, Ultimate Nat King Cole (Capitol/UMe) CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada To celebrate Nat King Cole's centennial and his legacy of enduring music, Capitol/UMe has partnered with the Nat King Cole Estate for a number of exciting projects. Among them are two new collections that showcase Cole's remarkable talents -- both available today Ultimate Nat King Cole arrives on CD and digital, with a 2-LP configuration to
All hail the King! The velvet voice of Nat "King" Cole is coming this weekend to Public Television as TJ Lubinsky's My Music series premieres a centennial celebration of the late singer-pianist born March 17, 1919. My Music: Nat King Cole's Greatest Songs includes full performances of his greatest hits, most beloved classics, and favorite standards including the timeless "Mona Lisa," "Unforgettable" and "When I Fall in Love," the cool "Route 66," and jubilant "Those Lazy-Hazy-Crazy Days of
To celebrate Nat King Cole's centennial and his legacy of enduring music, Capitol/UMe has partnered with the Nat King Cole Estate for a number of exciting projects. Among them are two new collections that showcase Cole's remarkable talents -- both due out on March 15. Ultimate Nat King Cole will arrive on CD and digital, with a 2-LP configuration to follow on June 14. It features 21 tracks, including all those aforementioned classics, and a new duet version of "The Girl From Ipanema" with
Unforgettable...that's what he is. This year marks what would have been the 100th birthday of one of America's finest performers of popular song: Nat "King" Cole. In his decades-long career, Cole blazed the trail for many entertainers to come, influencing the likes of Count Basie and Ray Charles along the way. Universal Music Group will celebrate his milestone centennial with a pair of retrospectives this spring, plus a digital expansion of another vocal icon paying tribute to the
On December 7, Verve/UMe will release The Founder, a 4-CD box set in honor of Norman Granz's centennial earlier this year (August 6, 1918). The collection will also be available as a digital download and on streaming services. The set includes 44 tracks, some appearing on CD for the first time ever. It presents a chronological overview of the first two decades of the jazz impresario's impressive career by way of recordings of the musicians he recorded. The booklet includes new liner notes by
Verve/UME celebrate the career of a jazz impresario for the ages. As founder of the Clef, Norgran and Verve labels, Granz helped bring jazz to the masses and launched the careers of many of the genre's brightest stars. The 4-CD set includes 44 tracks, some appearing on CD for the first time ever. The booklet includes new liner notes by Tad Hershorn, author of Norman Granz: The Man Who Used Jazz For Justice. On the discs, you'll find incendiary performances by the likes of Coleman Hawkins
Real Gone Music has had some of its most expansive collections released this winter. Today, Randy takes a look at three of them, from The Mamas and the Papas, King Curtis, and Nat "King" Cole! "You gotta go where you wanna go, do what you wanna do, with whoever you want to do it with..." From their very first single, 1966's "Go Where You Wanna Go," The Mamas and the Papas spread their singular brand of California sunshine. The group's songs espoused the
Well, this is it - the final big release week of the year! While next week will see releases slow to a trickle, this week is packed with exciting box sets and much more! Bruce Springsteen, The Ties That Bind: The River Collection (Columbia) 4-CD/3-DVD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon Canada 4-CD/2-BD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon Canada This 4-CD/3-DVD or 4-CD/2-BD set celebrating The Boss' seminal album The River features a treasure trove of previously unreleased material across its 53 audio tracks
It may be Friday the 13th, but today's choice releases are hardly scary, with box sets, archival releases, new music from veteran artists, and much, much more! Aretha Franklin, The Atlantic Albums Collection (Atlantic/Rhino) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.) This 19-CD box set brings together 16 of the Queen of Soul's Atlantic albums as previously released on CD including the deluxe 2-CD Live at Fillmore East, the 2-CD Rare & Unreleased Recordings From The Golden Reign Of The Queen Of
Real Gone Music has just announced its December release slate, and the label is closing out 2015 with as dizzyingly eclectic a line-up as ever - from the proto-punk clamor of The Dictators to the velvet vocals of Nat "King" Cole. Real Gone previews its December 4 offerings on Record Store Day - Black Friday, November 27, with a special 10" EP from The Dictators featuring previously unreleased tracks unavailable anywhere else! Then, the following week comes an expanded edition of the band's The