More than two years after recording his first-ever concert LP, Live at the Crescendo for Coral, Mel Tormé returned to the Los Angeles nightclub for the Bethlehem release At the Crescendo, cut February 22, 1957. Backed by a small combo comprised of pianist/arranger Marty Paich, trumpeter Don Fagerquist, vibraphonist Larry Bunker, bassist Max Bennett, and drummer Mel Lewis, Tormé approaches familiar material like "One for My Baby," "It's Only a Paper Moon," and "I'm Beginning to See the Light" with a matchless combination of sensitivity and sass -- as always, Paich's nimble arrangements inspire Tormé's most adventurous vocals, and the sheer imagination and soulfulness on display throughout the set laid to rest any lingering question of whether he was a jazz artist or merely an easy listening balladeer.
At the Crescendo
Mel Tormé
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At the Crescendo Review
by Jason Ankeny
Track Listing
| Sample | Title/Composer | Performer | Time | Stream | |||
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| 1 | Mel Tormé | 03:22 | Amazon | ||||
| 2 | Mel Tormé | 03:55 | Amazon | ||||
| 3 | Mel Tormé | 04:47 | Amazon | ||||
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Mel Tormé | 02:32 | Amazon | |||
| 5 | Mel Tormé | 02:53 | Amazon | ||||
| 6 | Mel Tormé | 01:32 | Amazon | ||||
| 7 | Mel Tormé | 02:29 | Amazon | ||||
| 8 | Mel Tormé | 02:58 | Amazon | ||||
| 9 | Mel Tormé | 02:43 | Amazon | ||||
| 10 | Mel Tormé | 02:50 | Amazon | ||||
| 11 | Mel Tormé | 03:26 | Amazon | ||||
| 12 | Mel Tormé | 02:23 | Amazon |
![Mel Tormé's California Suite [Bethlehem]](https://rovimusic.rovicorp.com/image.jpg?c=Yg-dx04NzQykSKVjNCQk3B_TZlp6n_cq-Emr2zx15tU=&f=1)
![Mel Tormé and the Marty Paich Dek-Tette [Blue Note Japan]](https://rovimusic.rovicorp.com/image.jpg?c=htO4uiIIuJaHFiYjXhK5eB_TZlp6n_cq-Emr2zx15tU=&f=1)