Mel Tormé had artistic -- if not commercial -- success with his vocal group the Mel-Tones in the mid-'40s. After its breakup in 1946, when
Tormé was persuaded to go solo, the Mel-Tones were occasionally regrouped by
Tormé for special projects. These 1959 dates, which have been reissued in full on a Verve CD, were the group's final recordings, and they make for an interesting comparison with their earlier sessions. In addition to remakes of their two hits, "What Is This Thing Called Love" and "It Happened in Monterey," the arrangements (mostly by
Marty Paich) have many quotes from jazz songs and are heavily influenced by
Count Basie's Orchestra of the 1950s. The Mel-Tones, which at the time also included
Sue Allen,
Ginny O'Connor,
Bernie Parke and
Tom Kenny, swing throughout and sing attractive harmonies without really improvising. However, the concise solos of
Art Pepper on both alto and tenor and trumpeter
Jack Sheldon work well with the singers, making this a recommended set to fans of jazz vocal groups, of which the relatively short-lived Mel-Tones ranked near the top. ~ Scott Yanow