Published on Jan 31, 2003
The death of Rosemary Clooney on June 30 of last year in many
ways was the end of an era. Her smoky, expressive voice was a
hallmark of the swing generation, with a career spanning from her
first hit record in 1951 all the way to the present day. Along the
way, she worked with Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra, headlined with
Tony Bennett and Bob Hope, and starred in movies and television.
She was truly an original, the ‘girl singer’ who started singing
duets on Cincinnati radio for $20 a week and ended up a star.
Due to a happy accident, her last public performance on November
16, 2001 was captured on this magnificent recording. The Honolulu
Symphony Pops, in an attempt to get a recording contract, recorded
their entire 2001 season for record company consideration, and one
of those concerts happened to feature Clooney, having some fun at
the end of her vacation performing a concert with the orchestra. As
fate would have it, soon after this concert Clooney’s long battle
with lung cancer took a turn for the worst; so this is the swan
song, and it’s a recording to be proud of.
This is a magnificent recording. The sound is crisp, clear, and
uncluttered; the live recording is perfect, making it feel like
Clooney and the Symphony Pops are right in the room with you. The
orchestration is rich and lush, paying attention to such details as
the chiming vibraphone on “You Go To My Head” and a gorgeous
saxophone solo on “Happiness Is A Thing Called Joe.” More wondrous
is the fact that Concord Records made a brilliant decision in
leaving Clooney’s between-song patter in, featuring her wry and
funny commentary on her famous nephew George and her memories of
working with Bing Crosby.
Highlights include “Sentimental Journey”; Clooney’s smooth and
dusky take on Hoagy Carmichael’s “Rockin’ Chair”; and a post-9/11
version of Irving Berlin’s “God Bless America” that frankly blows
Celine Dion’s out of the ballpark.
We are poorer for no longer having Rosemary Clooney, but this
recording is a worthy close to a great career.