The Best Voices Time Forgot
Collectible Albums by Top Male Vocalists
· Collector's Edition
· 2 LPs on 1 CD
· Original Cover Art
· Complete Personnel Details
· Original liner Notes
· Stereo Recordings
· Newly Remastered in 24-Bit
David Allen (1919–2012), formerly billed as David Allyn, was widely regarded as a singer’s singer—an artist admired not only by audiences but by his fellow vocalists. Indeed,many of the best singers in the business counted themselves among his most devoted admirers.
Allen first attracted attention during a brief but brilliant period with the Boyd Raeburn Orchestra between 1945 and 1947. After that promising beginning he slipped from the spotlight and retired from performing. Nearly a decade later he returned to recording at a moment of change for Pacific Jazz Records. Under the direction of Dick Bock, the label broadened its scope and became World-Pacific Records, opening the door to a wider range of vocal and popular releases.
Allen’s return came with A Sure Thing: David Allen Sings Jerome Kern, beautifully arranged by Johnny Mandel. The album was greeted as the welcome reappearance of a remarkable vocalist. Writing in Down Beat, critic Dom Cerulli praised Allen’s voice as “the richest, mellowest, smoothest baritone you ever heard,” adding that his phrasing and breath control were “phenomenal.”
The second album presented here, Let’s Face the Music and Dance, finds Allen in equally distinguished form. Supported by the superb orchestra of Bill Holman, he brings warmth, subtle swing, and deep understanding to a thoughtfully chosen group of songs—many of them refreshingly underperformed.
Together these recordings reveal the qualities that made David Allen so admired among singers themselves: a warm baritone, impeccable musicianship, and a rare and unmistakable feeling for a lyric.
—Jordi Pujol
Tracklist
01. Sure Thing (Kern-Gershwin) 3:05
02. Dearly Beloved (Kern-Mercer) 3:22
03. I'm Old Fashioned (Kern-Mercer) 2:34
04. Lovely to Look At (Kern-McHugh-Fields) 2:17
05. The Way You Look Tonight (Kern-Fields) 3:36
06. The Folks Who Live on the Hill (Kern-Hammerstein II) 4:16
07. Long Ago And far Away (Kern-Gershwin) 2:51
08. I've Told Every Little Star (Kern-Hammerstein II) 2:40
09. All in Fun (Kern-Hammerstein II) 2:44
10. In Love in Vain (Kern-Robin) 2:39
11. Hooray For Love (Harold Arlen) 1:59
12. Shake Down the Stars (Van Heusen-DeLange) 2:35
13. You Send Me (McHugh-Adamson) 2:45
14. Impossible (Steve Allen) 2:51
15. I Like the Likes of You (Duke-Harburg) 2:22
16. Can't Help it (Fisher-Segal) 2:17
17. Sittin' on Top of the Worl (Lewis-Young-Henderson) 2:09
18. They All Laughed (Gershwin-Gerhswin) 2:21
19. Life is Just a Bowl of Cherries (Henderson-Brown) 2:02
20. I've Got The Sun in the Morning (Irving Berlin) 2:15
21. Yours Sincerely (Rodgers-Hart) 2:20
22. Let's Face the Music and Dance (Irving Berlin)2:22
Album details
Sources:
Tracks #1-10, from the 12-inch LP “A Sure Thing -David Allen Sings Jerome Kern”
(World Pacific WP-1006)
Tracks #11-22, from the 12-inch LP “Let's Face the Music and Dance!”
(World Pacific WP-1250)
David Allen, vocals
Orchestra Arranged and Conducted by Johnny Mandel [#1-10]
Tracks #2, 5, 7 & 9: Stu Williamson (tp, v-tb), Herbie Harper, Dave Wells, Marshall Cram (tb), Dale Issenhuth (Frh), Bud Shank, Abe Most, Jules Jacob (reeds), Jimmy Rowles (p & celeste), Howard Roberts (g), Red Mitchell (b), Shelly Manne (d), Stella Castellucci (harp).
Recorded at Capitol Studio, Hollywood, November 18, 1957
Tracks #4 & 8: Jimmy Rowles (celeste), Howard Roberts (g), Red Mitchell (b).
Recorded at Capitol Studio, Hollywood, November 18, 1957
Tracks #1, 3, 6 & 10: Vince De Rosa (Frh), Bud Shank, Abe Most, Jules Jacob (woodwinds), Jimmy Rowles (p), Howard Roberts (g), Red Mitchell (b), Shelly Manne (d), Stella Castellucci (harp).
Recorded at Capitol Studio, Hollywood, November 26, 1957
Bill Holman's Orchestra [#11-22]
Arrangements by Bill Holman (#11, 17, 18, 22), Johnny Mandel (#12, 14, 16, 20)
and Jimmy Rowles (#13, 15, 19, 21)
Tracks #11, 12, 14, 16, 17, 18, 20 & 22: Jack Sheldon, Lee Katzman, Ed Leddy, Al Porcino (tp), Dave Wells (tb), Harry Klee (fl, as), Bill Perkins, Med Flory (ts), Steve Perlow (bs), Jimmy Rowles (p & celeste), Al Hendrickson (g), Joe Mondragon (b), Mel Lewis (d).
Recorded at Capitol Studio, Hollywood, July 1 & 3, 1958
Tracks #13, 15, 19 & 21: Harry Klee (fl), Jimmy Rowles (p), Al Hendrickson (g), Joe Mondragon (b), Mel Lewis (d).
Recorded at Capitol Studio, Hollywood, July 5, 1958
Original recordings produced by Dick Bock
This compilation produced for CD release by Jordi Pujol
© & ℗ 2026 by Fresh Sound Records
Stereo · 24-Bit Digitally Remastered
Blue Moon Producciones Discograficas S.L.
