Bobby Darin Arranger Roger Kellaway receives French Jazz Academy Award

Bobby Darin's friend and arranger, Roger Kellaway, will receive the "Best Record Of The Year" award in the "Classic Jazz" category from the French Jazz Academy at a ceremony on Monday, January 7, 2008 at the Grand Foyer of the Châtelet Theater in Paris, France. The award is for the Roger Kellaway Trio album "Heroes."

Kellaway is best known to Bobby Darin fans as the arranger behind Darin's brilliant "Sings Doctor Dolittle" LP. He was also Darin's musical director from 1966 to 1968.

Kellaway's "Heroes" is a tribute to the great piano/bass/guitar trios of the past, including those led by Art Tatum, Nat Cole and, particularly, the great Oscar Peterson. "Heroes" is the second record from the Roger Kellaway Trio, the first being 2005's amazing Darin tribute, "Remembering Bobby Darin."

The prestigious French Jazz Academy Awards were first created in 1955. The college of voters is made up of 60 independent journalists, photographers, writers, and radio and TV producers.

Kellaway had this to say about the upcoming event:

"What a great honor it is to receive Le Prix du Jazz Classique for my latest IPO CD, Heroes. My guitarist, Bruce Forman; bassist, Dan Lutz and I give a warm and heartfelt thank you to the French Jazz Academy and its members. Now, of course, Heroes becomes a memorial dedication to the late and great pianist, Oscar Peterson. My thanks to Guy Chauvier and his Classical Jazz Committee. Also, my thanks to Academy President, Francois Lacharme, for his hospitality. I look forward to renewing our friendship. I will see you all in Paris for the January event!"

Get the Roger Kellaway Trio CD 'Heroes' at Amazon

Get the Roger Kellaway Trio CD 'Remembering Bobby Darin' at Amazon

Hear Samples from the Roger Kellaway Trio CD 'Remembering Bobby Darin'

Bobby Darin sings "I Will Wait For You" (mp3)

A romantic Bobby Darin number to heat up a chilly weekend...check it out at the DarinLand page on MySpace:

http://www.myspace.com/darinland

--Michael M

Bobby Darin sings “Night Song” (mp3)

There's a new song up on the DarinLand page at MySpace:

Check out Bobby Darin's breathtaking rendition of "Night Song" from his 1966 LP "In A Broadway Bag."

Use this link...

http://myspace.com/darinland

Interview: Bobby Darin arranger Perry Botkin

When you hear Bobby Darin swinging Count Basie-style on the "In a Broadway Bag" LP, this is largely thanks to arranger/conductor Perry Botkin. Botkin came into the project in the spring of 1966, with an intense desire to emulate the great Basie recordings he admired so much. One listen to the first five tunes on "Broadway Bag," all Botkin charts, confirms he succeeded beautifully.

"The Basie band always made me smile and often shout out loud," says Botkin. "I think Bobby felt the same way."

Bobby's rousing rendition of the Jerry Herman tune "It's Today" (from the Broadway show "Mame") is a fine example of Botkin's Basie-influenced approach. It is also one of Botkin's personal favorites on the album.

"It was the first song we did on the session," he explains, "and Bobby told me in the recording booth, 'Go out there and get the band swingin'. When you're satisfied with it, I'll come out and fit in.' Fit in? No singer ever told me they'd come out and 'fit in!' I ran the chart down a couple of times while Bobby listened in the booth. When everything was together, out came Bobby. Dave Hassinger said 'take 1,' I counted 8 beats, and off we went. Holy sh--! Bobby sounded like he'd been performing the song in Vegas for two months. He even duplicated what I wrote for the brass on 'Throw confetti, yeah.' Without question this was the highlight of my arranging career."

READ THE FULL INTERVIEW at DarinLand.com

Bobby Darin CD Profile: Aces Back to Back

Bobby Darin: Aces Back to Back (Hyena TMF 9324, 9/14/2004)
Producers: Joel Dorn, Jimmy Scalia
Format: CD (1 Disc) / DVD (1 Disc)

Tracks:

CD:
1. This Could Be The Start Of Something Big (Steve Allen)
2. Can't Take My Eyes Off You (Bob Crewe)
3. Song Sung Blue (Neil Diamond)
4. All I Have To Do Is Dream - [with Petula Clark] (Boudleaux & Felice Bryant)
5. A Quarter To Nine (Al Dubin/Harry Warren)
6. Alone Again Naturally (Raymond O'Sullivan)
7. Beyond The Sea (Charles Trenet/Jack Lawrence)
8. I'll Be Your Baby Tonight (Bob Dylan)
9. If I Were A Carpenter (Tim Hardin)
10. Simple Song Of Freedom (Bobby Darin)
11. Up A Lazy River (Sidney Arodin/Hoagy Carmichael)
12. Jive (Bobby Darin)
13. Rainin' (Bobby Darin)
14. Long Time Movin' (Bobby Darin)
15. Dream Lover (Bobby Darin)
16. Blue Skies (Irving Berlin)
17. Moon River (Henry Mancini/Johnny Mercer)
18. All The Way (Sammy Cahn/James Van Heusen)
19. Mack The Knife (Marc Blitzstein/Bertolt Brecht/Kurt Weill)
20. The Curtain Falls (Sol Weinstein)

DVD:
1. This Could Be The Start Of Something Big (Steve Allen)
2. Can't Take My Eyes Off You (Bob Crewe)
3. Song Sung Blue (Neil Diamond)
4. All I Have To Do Is Dream - [with Petula Clark] (Boudleaux & Felice Bryant)
5. A Quarter To Nine (Al Dubin/Harry Warren)
6. Alone Again Naturally (Raymond O'Sullivan)
7. Beyond The Sea (Charles Trenet/Jack Lawrence)
8. Mack the Knife (Marc Blitzstein/Bertolt Brecht/Kurt Weill)

Lost Documentary Footage:
1. Weeping Willow (Bob Shane/Nick Reynolds/John Stewart)
2. One of Those Songs (Gerard Calvi/Will Holt)
3. You're Nobody 'Til Somebody Loves You (James Cavanaugh/Russ Morgan/Larry Stock)

Comments: "Aces Back to Back" is not a Bobby Darin hits collection, but something much better. Producers Joel Dorn and Jimmy Scalia have put together a wonderful set of previously uncollected live recordings, alternate takes, and clips from Darin's TV variety show. There is also footage of Darin working on a new song in the studio, playing with his son Dodd, slamming away on the drums, and talking about his fears, feelings, and goals. The demo version of "Dream Lover" alone would make this a must-have for any Darin fan. But this is only one of many gems on the CD part of the set: A gentle, unique and intimate rendition of "All the Way," a heartwarming and tender reading of "Moon River," a jaunty and kickin' take on "Blue Skies," an absolutely electrifying performance of "Quarter to Nine" -- "Aces Back to Back" is a bottomless treasure chest of Darin goodies.

Bobby Darin CD Profile: Sings the Shadow of Your Smile/In a Broadway Bag

Bobby Darin Sings The Shadow of Your Smile (Atlantic 8121, April 1966)
CD Release: Edsel EDSS1012, 07/10/2007; Disky HR 902614, 12/14/2004
Recording Dates: December 13-15, 1965, Los Angeles, CA; February 4, 1966, Las Vegas, NV; March 23, 1966, Los Angeles, CA
Producer: Bobby Darin
Engineer: Walt Payne
Arrangements: Richard Wess*, Shorty Rogers**
Musicians:
DEC 13-Richard Wess (cond); Conte Candoli, Don Fagerquist, Al Porcino, Clarence "Shorty" Sherock (tp); Urbie Green, Lew McCreary, Dick Nash, Tom Shepard (tb); Plas Johnson, Wilbur Schwartz, Bud Shank (sax); Bill Hood (sax, cl); Israel Baker, Harry Bluestone, James Getzoff, Jack Lee, Alfred Lustgarten, Erno Neufeld, Ralph Schaeffer, Marshall Sosson (vln); Louis Kievman, Milton Thomas (vla); William Van Den Berg, Harold Schneier (cello); Jimmy Rowles (p); Bill Pittman, Tom Tedesco (g); Max Bennett (b); Jack Sperling (d); Milt Holland (cga); Sam Kaplan (string dir).

DEC 14-Richard Wess (cond); Bud Brisbois, Pete Candoli, Don Fagerquist, Lee Katzman (tp); Gilbert Falco, Urbie Green, George Roberts, Lloyd Ulyate (tb); Plas Johnson, Ronald Langinger, Jack Nimitz, Wilbur Schwartz (sax); Jimmy Rowles (p); Bill Pittman, Howard Roberts (g); Max Bennett (b); Jack Spering (d); Emil Richards (cga); Jack Lee (string dir).

DEC 15-Richard Wess (cond); Aubrey Bouck, Sinclair Lott, Richard Mackey, Alan Robinson (frh); Harry Klee, Wilbur Schwartz (sax, fl); Norman Benno (sax, cl); Howard Terry (sax, bcl); Alex Beller, Harry Bluestone, Sam Caplan, Jacques Gasselin, Anatol Kaminsky, Nathan Kaproff, William Kurash, Carl Lavagna, Erno Neufeld, Wilbert Nuttycombe, Nathan Ross, Ralph Schaeffer (vln); Louis Kievman, Gary Nuttycombe, Robert Ostrowsky, Milton Thomas (vla); William Van Den Berg, Nathan Gershman, Joseph Saxon, Harold Schneier (cello); Bill Pittman (g); Max Bennett (b); Jack Sperling (d); Emil Richards (per, mallets); Jack Lee (string dir).

FEB 4-Julian C. Matlock (cond); Archie LeCoque, Eddie Miller (sax); Joe Venuti (vln); Stan Wrightsman (p); Henry Levine (b); Nick Fatool (d); Russell P. Black, Robert Paul Morgan, Edmund J. Scarazzo (unknown inst.)

MAR 23-Shorty Rogers (cond); George Roberts (tb); John Cave, James Decker, William Hinshaw (frh); Dorothy Colton, Louis Kievman, Virginia Majewski, Paul Robyn (vla); Norman Benko, Paul Bergstrom, Justin DiTullio, Ann Goodman, Ray Kramer, Emmett Sargeant, Joseph Saxon, Eleanor Slatkin (cello); Pete Jolly (p); Laurindo Almeida, Don Peake (g); Joe Mondragon (b); Larry Bunker, Earl Palmer (d).

Original LP Sequence:

Side 1:
**The Shadow Of Your Smile (Johnny Mandel/Paul Francis Webster) (March 23)
**The Sweetheart Tree (Henry Mancini/Johnny Mercer) (March 23)
**I Will Wait For You (Jacques Demy/Norman Gimbel/Michel Legrand) (March 23)
**The Ballad Of Cat Ballou (Mack David/Jerry Livingston) (March 23)
**What's New Pussycat? (Burt Bacharach/Hal David) (March 23)

Side 2:
*Rainin' (Bobby Darin) (February 4)
*Lover Come Back To Me (Oscar Hammerstein II/Sigmund Romberg) (December 13)
*Cute (Neal Hefti/Stanley Styne) (December 14)
*After You've Gone (Henry Creamer/Turner Layton) (December 13)
*It's Only A Paper Moon (Harold Arlen/E.Y. "Yip" Harburg/Billy Rose) (December 14)
*Liza (George Gershwin/Ira Gershwin/Gus Kahn) (December 15)

Bonus Tracks Added to the CD:

We Didn't Ask To Be Brought Here
Funny What Love Can Do
The Breaking Point
Silver Dollar

________________________________

Bobby Darin: In a Broadway Bag (Atlantic 8126, June 1966)
CD Release: Edsel EDSS1012, 07/10/2007; Disky HR 902614, 12/14/2004
Recording Dates: March 24, 1966, NYC ("Mame" only); May 10, 1966, Los Angeles, CA
Producer: Bobby Darin
Engineer: David Hassinger
Arrangements: Shorty Rogers*, Perry Botkin Jr.**
Musicians:
Shorty Rogers (cond), other details unknown.

Perry Botkin Jr. (cond); Allan Reuss (g); Pete Jolly (p, organ); Lyle Ritz (b); Irv Cottler (d); Richie Frost (d) ("Mame" only); Larry Bunker (per); Pete Candoli, John Audino, Frank Beach, Ray Triscari (tp); Harry Betts, Joe Howard, Lloyd Ulyate, George Roberts (tb); Ronnie Lang, Wilbur Schwartz, Plas Johnson, Bob Hardaway, John Lowe (sax).

Original LP Sequence:

Side 1:
**Mame (Jerry Herman)
**I Believe In You (Frank Loesser)
**It's Today (Jerry Herman)
**Everybody Has The Right To Be Wrong (Sammy Cahn/Jimmy Van Heusen)
**Feelin' Good (Leslie Bricusse/Anthony Newley)
*Don't Rain On My Parade (Bob Merrill/Jule Styne)

Side 2:
*The Other Half Of Me (Stan Freeman/Jack Lawrence)
*Once Upon A Time (Lee Adams/Charles Strouse)
*Try To Remember (Tom Jones/Harvey Schmidt)
*I'll Only Miss Her When I Think Of Her (Sammy Cahn/Jimmy Van Heusen)
*Night Song (Lee Adams/Charles Strouse)

Bonus Tracks Added to the CD:

Walking In The Shadow Of Love
Who's Afraid Of Virginia Woolf?
Merci Cherie

Comments: "Sings the Shadow of Your Smile" signaled Bobby Darin's return to his old label, Atlantic, after a 7-album stint at Capitol. Continuing in the vein of his last two swingin' Capitol LPs, Darin brings in "Shadow" as a glorious salute to the great songwriters, with entries from such luminaries as Johnny Mercer, Burt Bacharach, "Yip" Harburg, and the Gershwins. The Darin magic infuses every one of these tracks, from the tender and warm title tune, to Darin's passionate and dramatic reading of "I Will Wait For You," to the playful and snappy "Cute." His own composition, "Rainin'," fits in beautifully, casting a very special kind of lazy day spell.

"In a Broadway Bag" is just what the title suggests: Darin puts his stamp on many of the Broadway hits of the time. The narcissistic "I Believe in You" gets flipped on its head, and becomes a sweet pledge of support for a lover or friend. "Everybody Has the Right to Be Wrong" is pure, jaunty Darin joy, delivered with his trademark vocal wink. His heartwarming and effective rendition of "Once Upon a Time" is a classic, and is only overshadowed by the final cut on this record, his indescribably powerful and haunting version of "Night Song." In this one, he uses every bit of his legendary acting skill, to draw out every ounce of heart-rending truth from the lyrics. Breathtaking.