I too loved my 78s, mostly inherited from my dad. Lots of Benny Goodman, Louis Armstrong, and Duke Ellington.
What I loved about Fred was his smoothness. “Smooth” is the word for Astaire, particularly when compared (as he often was) with the athletic Gene Kelly. Fred made it all look easy. Vocally, he had a 3-note range, but the songs still worked. I still have a problem counting him as a jazz performer, but I’ll always love watching him dance.
Oddly, my dad was tone-deaf and played no music in the house. He only acknowledged music in my presence one time that I can recall. I was playing the soundtrack to Lone Star at a holiday party at my house. When Conjunto Bernal's Mi Unico Camino came on, he looked at me and said, "No that's music." I never knew him to care for Latin music - but that I inherited from him.
I too loved my 78s, mostly inherited from my dad. Lots of Benny Goodman, Louis Armstrong, and Duke Ellington.
What I loved about Fred was his smoothness. “Smooth” is the word for Astaire, particularly when compared (as he often was) with the athletic Gene Kelly. Fred made it all look easy. Vocally, he had a 3-note range, but the songs still worked. I still have a problem counting him as a jazz performer, but I’ll always love watching him dance.
Oddly, my dad was tone-deaf and played no music in the house. He only acknowledged music in my presence one time that I can recall. I was playing the soundtrack to Lone Star at a holiday party at my house. When Conjunto Bernal's Mi Unico Camino came on, he looked at me and said, "No that's music." I never knew him to care for Latin music - but that I inherited from him.
Thanks for riding along with us, C.L.