Della Reese – It Was a Very Good Year
Miss Della Reese
Listen/Download – Della Reese – It Was a Very Good Year
Greetings all.
How’s by you?
All is as well as can be expected on my end of the interwebs.
The weekend was relatively uneventful, and despite anything the calendar says, Spring has yet to arrive in any real way.
I should mention that I have a couple of very groovy DJ gigs in the pipe, details to follow soon.
I’m not going to be able to make it to the Allentown 45 show this year, but I don’t really mind.
The vinyl gods have been good to me these last few months, bringing in all manner of cool stuff, including a couple of longtime white whales, as well as a bunch of low priced, but uniformly excellent groovers.
I’ve also been edging up to the second big push in the reorganization of the Funky16Corners Record Vault and Podcasting Nerve Center, which always yields cool stuff from deep in the crates that had been unjustly neglected.
I just dug out a groovy Northern 45 last week that I had either forgotten about – or more likely – had not listened to closely the first time I found it. I like when stuff like that happens.
The tune I bring you today is one of the aforementioned white whales, which I chased like Ahab for a long time before finally landing it late last year.
When you mention the name Della Reese to folks, the reaction you get depends on generational variables.
Folks my parent’s age remember her career as a pop/jazz vocalist that produced a couple of big hits in the late 50s.
Younger folks will remember her mainly as a TV actress, on shows like ‘Touched By an Angel’.
Sit down with a couple of hip DJs, and you very well may hear tell of a lesser known, but truly interesting part of her career, when despite a lack of commercial success she managed to make some very soulful, very danceable records.
Back in the early days of the blog (2005) I featured one of these sides, Ms. Reese’s excellent take on Gene McDaniels’ soul jazz epic ‘Compared to What’, recorded for AVCO in 1969.
The tune I bring you today hails from 1966, and like that session was made with jazz trumpeter Bobby Bryant (search the F16C Podcast Archive for some of his groovier tracks) and his band.
The tune ‘It Was a Very Good Year’, was written in 1961 by Ervin Drake. It was originally recorded by the Kingston Trio, but the song will forever be identified with Frank Sinatra, who recorded – and had a hit with the song – in 1966.
The Sinatra version is a doleful lament, sung by an old man looking back on his life.
Della Reese’s version is a radical reworking of the song, both lyrically (she embellishes the verses) and stylistically. Arranged by Bryant, the song is recast as a funky, hard charging cri de coeur, less wistful than the musical equivalent of a fist in the air. Reese sings the song like someone who despite a colorful past, is looking forward to bigger and better things.
Her vocal is powerful, often sounding as if she was testing the limits of the recording equipment.
The band is on fire, with a pumping Hammond and remarkable drums. The recording has a very hot sound, and the snare and kick drum are – next to Della – the loudest things on the record.
This is one of those records that would have languished in obscurity, had it not been revived by DJs on the jazz dance scene in the UK. It has become increasingly popular with funk and soul DJs, and was reissued by the Jazzman label (with a live version on the B-side).
As far as I can tell, this version is not in print on CD and the 45 can be quite expensive, so unless you need one to play out, slip the ones and zeros on your pod-like-thingy and dig.
See you on Wednesday.
Peace
Larry
Also, make sure that you check out the POAC link below (click on the logo), in regard to the April 2nd walk. The whole Funky16Corners gang will be walking in support of autism services, and any contribution you could make would be greatly appreciated.
If you want one of the new Funky16Corners stickers (free, of course) click here for info.
Check out the Funky16Corners Store at Cafe Press
PS Head over to Iron Leg for some late period British Beat.
Cover Songs, Digging, Funk, Funk 45, Funky16Corners, Jazz funk, Soul, Soul 45, Soul Jazz
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Funk, Funky16Corners, Soul, Soul Jazz
Themocracy
That’s a bit special..keep an ear out for the new Bongolian album out in May, got an advance copy last week. A rocking scorcher…
https://www.myspace.com/thebongolian/music
I want to get a version of this for my friend as she loves it. I can’t find this version for sale anywhere, either as vinyl or MP3 – any suggestions please.
Many thanks
Berni
Bernadette
If you click on the link right under the picture of the 45 label you can download the MP3.
Larry
thanks for getting back to me. when I click on link it opens new window and I can listen to the track but I can’t download it. Thanks Berni
If you’re on a PC, right-click on the link and select “save as”, this will allow you to download it.
Ah. I work off a Mac, although I can right click, but I don’t get a save as option. I’ll try it again on a PC – thanks very much.
Berni
Good luck!
Bernadette,
I work off a Mac.
It’s – Right Click and Select “Download Link File As…”
Hope this helps, if so enjoy the many gems to be had on this cracking site!
Hi Larry,
Any chance of getting this still?!? The link’s not there any more!
Thanks,
MP