Wikipedia
Porgy and Bess (Sammy Davis Jr. and Carmen McRae album)
Porgy and Bess is a 1959 album by Sammy Davis Jr. of selections from George Gershwin's opera Porgy and Bess co-starring Carmen McRae. Davis is accompanied by orchestras conducted by Buddy Bregman and Morty Stevens, sometimes supported by the Bill Thompson singers. McRae is featured on three of the ten songs, "Summertime", "My Man's Gone Now" and the only duet, "I Loves You, Porgy", all three backed by an orchestra directed by Jack Pleis.[1][2] "The record is piled to the sky with strings, harps, choruses, and pillowy orchestration," writes Tim Sendra on Allmusic, but "credit[s] Sammy and Carmen for holding up their end of the deal."[3]
| Porgy and Bess | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1959 | |||
| Recorded | 1958 | |||
| Genre | Jazz, opera, Broadway musical | |||
| Label | Decca DL-8554 | |||
| Sammy Davis Jr. chronology | ||||
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| Carmen McRae chronology | ||||
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Track listing
- "Summertime"
- "A Woman Is a Sometime Thing"
- "My Man's Gone Now"
- "I Got Plenty o' Nuttin'"
- "Bess, You Is My Woman Now"
- "It Ain't Necessarily So"
- "I Loves You, Porgy"
- "There's a Boat Dat's Leavin' Soon for New York"
- "Oh Bess, Oh Where's My Bess"
- "Oh Lawd, I'm on My Way"
All music composed by George Gershwin, with lyrics by DuBose Heyward and Ira Gershwin.
Personnel
- Sammy Davis Jr. - vocals (on all tracks but 1 and 3)
- Carmen McRae - vocals (1, 3, 7)
- Jack Pleis - conductor (1, 3, 7)
- Buddy Bregman - arrangerref?, conductor (2, 5, 6, 9)
- Morty Stevens - conductor (4, 8, 10)
- The Bill Thompson Singers - choir (2, 6, 10)
References
- ^ Cf. images of the Porgy and Bess LP labels on Discogs.
- ^ The recording sessions with Carmen McRae took place in New York on October 29, 1958, and the duet was recorded in Los Angeles on December 8, 1958, according to the Carmen McRae 1950s sessionography on Jazzdiscography.com
- ^ Porgy and Bess at AllMusic