Negative Positive
Title: among his best
Review: Even though I'm a big Torme fan, I resisted buying this cd for a while, because I assumed his Atlantic recordings weren't as superb as the earlier stuff on Bethlehem and Verve, and because the concept of "songs of New York" didn't grab me. But this is an exceptional album, one of Torme's best. Though there are several arrangers, the songs flow together nicely, and every chart is bright and sharp. Torme is in great voice, improvising effortlessly without drowning the lyric; listen to how he subtly alters the refrain of the phrase "autumn in New York" or works in a very exciting scat before the instrumental break of "Let Me off Uptown." Get the Bethlehem cd of "Mel Torme and the Marty Paich Dek-Tette," and you can compare his earlier version of "Lullaby of Birdland" to the one here; both are unique and terrific.Even if you wouldn't live in New York for a million dollars, this is an indispensable cd from one of the immortal singers.
Is the review positive or negative? 