If I Were King/I Remember the Bing

by Herb Jeffries

Overview

Herb Jeffries, a fine ballad singer with a strong voice, will always be remembered for his early-'40s stint with Duke Ellington's orchestra and for his hit of the period, "Flamingo." Through the decades, Jeffries retained his strong voice (even in 2003 at the age of 92) while being content to sing pretty straight. If I Were King/I Remember the Bing reissues a pair of albums that Jeffries recorded for the tiny Dobre label in 1978 when he was just 67. Accompanied by pianist Lou Levy, bassist Fred Atwood, drummer John Dentz, and (on the first set) guitarist Joe Diorio, Jeffries performs eight songs associated with Nat King Cole and ten in tribute to the recently deceased Bing Crosby. Jeffries does not try to sound like either singer (other than on Crosby's theme, "Where the Blue of the Night (Meets the Gold of the Day)") and instead just sings in his own style. While the Nat Cole songs were all hits of his, a few of the Bing numbers such as "I'll Wind," "What's New," "Poinciana," and "I Apologize" (the latter is actually a Billy Eckstine hit) are not as closely associated with Crosby, but they all work well in this context. This single CD two-fer gives listeners a strong sampling of Jeffries' singing. ~ Scott Yanow

Product Details

Release Date:	04/04/2003
Label:	Audiophile Legends / Audiophile Records
UPC:	0762247231721
Rank:	134373

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Herb Jeffries   Primary Artist,Vocals
Lou Levy   Piano
John Dentz   Drums
Fred Atwood   Bass
Joe Diorio   Guitar

Technical Credits

Ernie Burnett   Composer
Frank LaVere   Composer
Don Snyder   Engineer
Lorenz Hart   Composer
Sam M. Lewis   Composer
Nat Simon   Composer
Roy Turk   Composer
Ray Evans   Composer
Arthur Johnston   Composer
Richard Rodgers   Composer
Lew Douglas   Composer
Al Hoffman   Composer
Buddy Bernier   Composer
Harry Barris   Composer
Herb Jeffries   Producer
Victor Young   Composer
Gary Crosby   Text
Johnny Burke   Composer
George H. Buck, Jr.   Producer,Liner Notes
Thel Arthur   Cover Design
Manuel Lliso   Composer
Wendell Echols   Production Coordination
Parker Dinkins   Mastering
Sharon Wendel   Cover Graphics
Jeff Lawrence   Cover Design
George Norton   Composer
Ed G. Nelson   Composer
Eden Ahbez   Composer
Harold Arlen   Composer
Bob Haggart   Composer
Bing Crosby   Composer
Irving Gordon   Composer
Fred Burch   Composer
Clifford R. Burwell   Composer
Cliff Parman   Composer
Gerhard Winkler   Composer
Al Goodhart   Composer
Gordon Clifford   Composer
Marijohn Wilkin   Composer
Carl Sigman   Composer
Ted Koehler   Composer
Fred Rauch   Composer
Fred E. Ahlert   Composer
Donald Heywood   Composer
Jay Livingston   Composer