Lulu's Back in Town
When Mel Tormé was still in kneepants, he was already a star. Tormé was in show business by age four as a feature act with the Coon-Saunders Orchestra at the Black Hawk in Chicago. That was just the beginning of a singing career that has lasted from 1929 until his debilitating stroke in August of 1996. On June 6, 1999, Tormé died after being hospitalized for respiratory problems. After flirting with bobby-soxer idolatry early in his career, he teamed up with arranger Marty Paich to explore the full range of his artistic potential. Together they conceived the idea of a 10-piece instrumental backing ensemble they dubbed the "Dek-tette." On this reissue of 1956's Lulu's Back in Town (Bethlehem), Tormé is found singing with one of those Dek-tettes. Our featured track is the song that would become a Tormé trademark, "Lulu's Back in Town."--- JAZZIZ MagazineCopyright © 2000, Milor Entertainment, Inc.--From Jazziz