It's the Season! 2025 Edition

It's the Holiday Season!  Christmastime is here again!  We wish you...  oh, you get it 😊  

The holiday season 2025 is here, and my blog is slowly waking up.  Welcome back everyone, and I hope to make your visits here this year enjoyable and merry!

Between now and Thanksgiving, I have a few posts in mind that I'll call "Der Bingle's Holiday Shopping Guide".  I'll be featuring the work of Kansas City-based creators of many different artistic genres, all of them with their works available via the wonders of the internet.  So if you're a KC local reader, you can visit these wonderful people in person, and if you're visiting Merry & Bright! from points distant, you can find lovely gift ideas that will be delivered directly to your door.  

After Thanksgiving I'll be featuring a few vintage Christmas music shares, and also the wonderful new music that has come my way.  And who knows what else?  Not me, not yet, that's for sure :-)  Could be a wacky ride this year.

Stay tuned, and I hope you enjoy the Christmas musings from ol' Der Bingle once again!

Good Intentions, Ya Know...

Well folks, that Teresa Brewer/June Christy/Sonny Stitt thing didn't really get off the ground.  I've found it difficult to maintain the holiday season energy post-January when it comes to sharing records.  Maybe next year I'll get a few more out there.

But now we're heading toward the 2025 holiday season, and I'm mulling about some content for this year.  I'm planning to feature some local Kansas City independent businesses for your holiday shopping consideration.  They are all here in KC, but their products are all available via their websites.  So, a little holiday shopping guide, as it were. 

That, and all the usual stuff.  Need to hit the thrifts and see what vinyl I can find...

See you in November!

Teresa Brewer Sings Goldfinger

My first featured album from Teresa Brewer is the oddly titled Teresa Brewer Goldfinger, Dear Heart & Other Great Movie Songs.  Well, it is an accurate title, but hardly rolls off the tongue.  This 1964 release is similar to what many other artists released during this time period - a collection of hits from the current movies of the day.  Take songs that are already popular, record them with your own personal flair, and you have an album of instantly recognizable and beloved tunes.

This record is honestly a great collection of pop songs from the movies, and Teresa Brewer's vocal style is perfect to tackle these tunes.  She's not Shirley Bassey but does a perfectly fine "Goldfinger".  She's no Julie Andrews (who is?) but Teresa's "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" is splendid.  "Super..." is one where she (and/or her arranger) take a few more liberties with the original record, while still sticking to the heart of the song.

Fave songs:

"Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" from Mary Poppins

"A Hard Days Night" from A Hard Days Night

Earworm alert:  "Never on Sunday"

Philips PHS 600-163 (stereo)

Philips PHM 200-163 (mono)

1-1  Dear Heart from Dear Hear

1-2  A Hard Day's Night from A Hard Day's Night

1-3  Smile from Modern Times

1-4  Never on Sunday from Never on Sunday

1-5  I've Grown Accustomed To Your Face from My Fair Lady

1-6  Goldfinger from Gold Finger

2-1  Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious from Mary Poppins

2-2  Moon River from Breakfast at Tiffany's

2-3  Hi-Lili, Hi-Lo from Lili

2-4  More from Mondo Cane

2-5  Three Coins in The Fountain from Three Coins in The Fountain

2-6  theme from Lilies of the Field (AMEN)

Download and enjoy Teresa Brewer Goldfinger, Dear Heart & Other Great Movie Songs

A note on the download:  Track 1 (Dear Heart) has several skips that I was unable to remedy. 

June's Got Rhythm

My first featured album by June Christy is June's Got Rhythm.

June's Got Rhythm, released in 1958 on Capitol, features June with her husband Bob Cooper and a great lineup of swinging musicians.  Bob "Coop" Cooper arranged the songs, directed the sessions, and accompanied on tenor sax and oboe.

June is in great vocal form on this album, which includes, as the title suggests, several tunes to a swing beat, but also some ballads, where June always shines.

My favorites:  "It Don't Mean a Thing", the Duke Ellington classic, and "Blue Moon" by Rodgers and Hart.  The arrangement of "Blue Moon" is very unique and striking, with June and a reserved rhythm section only for the first half of the song.  Most definitely a fave.

Capitol T-1076 (mono)

Capitol ST-1076 (stereo)

1-1  Rock Me To Sleep
1-2  Gypsy in My Soul
1-3  I'm Glad There Is You

1-4  They Can't Take That Away From Me

1-5  It Don't Mean A Thing

1-6  My One and Only Love

2-1  When Lights Are Low

2-2  I Can Make You Love Me

2-3  Easy Living

2-4  Blue Moon

2-5  All God's Chillun Got Rhythm

The Players

Russ Freeman, piano

Monty Budwig, bass

Shelly Manne, drums

Mel Lewis, drums

Laurindo Almeida, guitar

Red Callender, tuba

George Spelvin, alto, tenor, flute

Ed Leddy, trumpet

Frank Rosolino, trombone

Bob Cooper, tenor, oboe

As June's Got Rhythm is widely available via CD and on streaming platforms, I am unable to share a download file.  You can enjoy June's Got Rhythm on Spotify, here:  June's Got Rhythm