Can't get much cooler than......Bobby Troup:
Scott Miller and I discovered Mr. Troup while working together at City Hall Records, way back in the day. Many folks will remember him mainly as an actor, along with his ultra cool wife - Julie London - from the 70's TV show Emergency.
But it's his music that gets me excited. Aside from being a great songwriter (which includes the above tune), he's a master of cool jazz phrasing that can throw you for a loop. Check out how he can string along a word up until the point you think he can't anymore, but then concludes the line with a hard consonant that borders the cheese tightrope, but always falls on the cool side.
He's playful and cool. His song Hungry Man is an ode to good food -"shish kebab, shish kebab....one of my fav-o-rite...snacks." The Three Bears tells the story of Goldilocks in a swinging way - "bear-baba-re-bare said the little wee bear, someone has broken my chair". And then there's the coolest version of Do-Re-Mi that I've ever heard. The hills are alive alright, but this time it's the Hollywood Hills.
It's about cool, it's about swinging. La Dolce Vita L.A. style. I'm so there.
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3 comments:
I just got back from a road trip on Rt. 66, and I've never heard Bobby Troup's original version of the tune before.
Your trip sounded fantastic, Steve. Someday I want get my kicks on Rt. 66.
Great song. I sometimes wonder if this type of music is gone forever. I hope not.
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