Two new entries in the Verve Records 'For Lovers' series
offer a look at two vocalists who are often overlooked. Hartman
For Lovers features Johnny Hartmann, best known for the album
he recorded with John Coltrane, and Astrud Gilberto, best
known as the singer on "Girl From Ipanema" and other
bossa nova recordings featuring former husband Joao Gilberto
and saxophonist Stan Getz. Both of these singers have more
to offer than their best known works, as these collections
ably demonstrate.
Johnny Hartman's smooth baritone voice has sometimes been
compared to that of Billy Eckstine, and Eckstine's popularity
may have prevented Hartman from becoming more popular in his
day. Following a stint in the army, Hartman worked with Earl
Hines, Dizzy Gillespie, Latin bandleader Perez Prado, and
the trio of pianist Erroll Garner. In 1949 the singer struck
out on his own, playing clubs and occaisionally appearing
on television, where his good looks helped to sell him, even
to a white audience.
In 1963 the album John Colatrane and Johnny Hartman
put his voice in front of a new generation and got him labeled
as a jazz singer, though he preferred to think of himself
as simply a singer. That's appropriate, too, because what
Hartman brings to a song is a deep appreciation for the song
itself, an appreciation that pulls in the listener in ways
that showy vocal technique or scatting pyrotechnics cannot.
When Hartman sings a love song, the lyrics resonate deeply
with the listener because they seem to resonate deeply with
the singer. That's a rare thing, and it has no doubt contributed
to the fact that Hartman's stock has risen steadily since
his death in 1983.
Hartman for Lovers features two tracks from the Coltrane
collaboration, the opening "You Are Too Beautiful"
and "My One and Only Love." Of course, they are
sheer perfection, with the singer and saxophonist matching
each other perfectly. For Coltrane, it was an opportunity
to silence critics who were outraged by his work over the
previous two years with Eric Dolphy, demonstrating that he
could still play in a traditional setting. But Hartman worked
with many outstanding musicians during his career. He works
with another great tenor saxophonist, Illinois Jacquet, on
"Stairway to the Stars" and Duke Ellington's "Don't
You Know I Care (or Don't You Care to Know)" from the
excellent album I Just Dropped By to Say Hello. Both tracks
also feature the trio of pianist Hank Jones, bassist Milt
Hinton, and drummer Elvin Jones. The trio, sans Jacquet, also
backs the singer on the title song ("I Just Dropped By
to Say Hello"), and the results are nothing short of
soulful.
Selections from the album The Voice That Is! include "My
Ship," a sublime reading of "These Foolish Things"
and a swinging "Let Me Love You." The first two
feature Jones at the piano again, with guitarist Barry Galbraith,
bassist Richard Davis, and drummer Osie Johnson. "Let
Me Love You" adds the flute of Dick Hafer and percussionist
Willie Rodriguez. Rounding out this outstanding collection
are performances of "The Very Thought of You," "For
the Want of a Kiss," and "Unforgettable" from
the album Unforgettable. These tracks feature a large orchestra
backing Hartman with arrangements by Gerald Wilson and an
amazing cast of musicians that includes, on various tracks,
Conte Candoli, Plas Johnson, Mike Barone, Herb Ellis, Shelly
Manne, Stan Levey, and Oliver Nelson, who arranged the final
track, "For the Want of a Kiss."
Those that are big Hartman fans will likely already have
the individual albums from which these tracks come, but for
the vast majority of listeners who do not, this collection
will provide an excellent introduction to Hartman, an introduction
that will assuredly lead to a deeper relationship with this
underrated singer who is only now getting his due.
