Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » The Four Freshmen: Celebrating 50 Years

141

The Four Freshmen: Celebrating 50 Years

By

Sign in to view read count
The Four Freshmen: Celebrating 50 Years
The Four Freshmen were extraordinarily popular during the 1950's and 60's when they worked with Woody Herman and were part of those elaborate Stan Kenton road shows. Not only did they feature extra close harmony, but they were unique in that they were also pretty good instrumentalists as well.

The occasion for this performance was a massive jazz concert in Clearwater, FL in 1971 which had Stan Kenton and Woody Herman, as well as other jazz artists on the bill. This iteration of the vocal group had three of the original members plus Bill Comstock who had replaced Don Barbour a few years after the group was formed.

would be so nice to report that they sounded just like they used to and the listen will be swamped with waves of happy nostalgia. The fact, however, is they are off form in this concert and actually wander from the pitch from time to time as on "Misty Roses" and on "Girl Talk." That harmony that used to enthrall, now sounds more like four middle-aged men trying to stay in tune and together. In fairness, they apparently had a long trip from LA and just made the Clearwater gig which may have thrown them off. Also, the session is marred by exaggerated self congratulation antics after each tune. There are still some good instrumental solos, like Bob Flanigan's trombone on "Day by Day" and Ken Albers' trumpet on "Route 66". But most of the time the singing sounds as if they are doing a parody of themselves.

The warm memories Four Freshmen fans have of this group as well as the esteem of the group itself, would have been better served if the tape of this concert stayed in the can.

Track Listing

Day in, Day out; Freshmen Introduction; Misty Roses; Bird Avenue; Girl Talk; Day By Day; Come Back to Me; In This Whole Wide World; Angel Eyes; Route 66; I Can Sing a Rainbow; Poinciana; Candy; Teach Me Tonight; Graduation Day; Beautiful Friendship; Sweet Lorraine; Polka Dots and Moonbeams; It's a Blue World; We'll Be Together Again

Personnel

The Four Freshmen
band / ensemble / orchestra

Ross Barbour - Vocals/Drums/Trumpet; Bob Flanagan - Bass/Trombone; Ken Albers - Bass/Trumpet/Flugelhorn/Tambourine; Bill Comstock - Guitar

Album information

Title: Celebrating 50 Years | Year Released: 2001 | Record Label: Hitchcock Media Records

Comments

Tags


For the Love of Jazz
Get the Jazz Near You newsletter All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who create it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

You Can Help
To expand our coverage even further and develop new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for a modest $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination will vastly improve your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.

More

Sensual
Rachel Z
Over and Over
Tony Monaco Trio
Love Is Passing Thru
Roberto Magris

Popular

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.