Swings Shubert Alley, the 1960 album from acclaimed jazz vocalist Mel Tormé, is coming back to vinyl as part of the Verve Vault Series. Considered one of the essential recordings in a discography already full of essential recordings, Swings Shubert Alley sees Tormé take on some of the most acclaimed tracks in the Broadway song book, tackling tracks from musicals like My Fair Lady, Gypsy, Bells Are Ringing, Damn Yankees, Oklahoma, and many more. The album is available for preorder now.
Like the rest of the Verve Vault Series, Swings Shubert Alley is pressed on 180-gram vinyl from all-analog tapes and cut from original master tapes by Ryan K. Smith at Sterling Sound. The high-quality vinyl captures Tormé’s voice, one of the best of all time, at the peak of its powers, blending showtunes and jazz like only he could. A lifelong performer, Tormé held a deep appreciation for the work on Broadway composers and lyricist, in both the technique and personality they were able to bring to their work.
“If you’re singing three-chord music, there’s not a lot of chance for feeling,” Tormé later said when discussing his love of classics like those on Swings Shubert Alley, praising those tracks “thought, wit, humor and insight.” He continued, “That’s why I fall back on the writings of the great craftsmen — Cole Porter, George Gershwin, Irving Berlin, Johnny Mercer — those who elevated the popular song to an incredible pinnacle.”
Cole Porter is certainly represented on Swings Shubert Alley, with “Too Darn Hot” from Porter’s 1948 musical Kiss Me, Kate appearing toward the end of the tracklist. Other highlights include Tormé’s swinging rendition of “On The Street Where You Live” from My Fair Lady, the Latin-infused take on “Whatever Lola Wants” from Damn Yankees, and a crooner-style take on Bells Are Ringing’s “Just In Time.” Swings Shubert Alley highlights some of the biggest Broadway composing duos of the 20th century, including Lerner and Lowe, Comden and Green, and Rogers and Hammerstein.
