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Dorothy LoudonDorothy Loudon was an explosion of talent - comedienne extraordinaire, accomplished actress and singer nonpareil. Over a period of nearly half a century that explosion resonated on and off Broadway, sideswiped television and found a happy and appreciative home in too many supper clubs and cabarets to count. The woman had a lot to give and she gave it full volume, as witness her bench-mark performance as Miss Hannigan in “Annie”, her appearance opposite Katherine Hepburn in “West Side Waltz”, her many Tony, Drama Desk, Theatre World awards and nominations, not to mention her side-splitting turns at such fabled rooms as Le Reuben Bleu, the Blue Angel and the Persian room of the Plaza Hotel. |
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| Dorothy Loudon | |
But
it’s Dorothy Loudon, singer, that we’re involved with
here and I’m happy to have been a small part of the story, because
it was on my syndicated radio program, “Jim Lowe and Company”,
that she met Bruce McNichols and the Smith Street Society Jazz Band.
Well, it was love at first sound, and that sound had CD written all
over it. It happened a little later than projected, because Dorothy was not in
good health, but she and OKOM music were destined to start and finish
this collection. The album is laced with highlights, but I have isolated a few of my favorite solos and embellishments: on the first number, the great old Sophie Tucker classic “Some of These Days”, Dorothy lets the band establish itself before taking charge and its uninhibited joy serves as a sort of commercial for the whole project. into “Back Home Again In Indiana”, you can almost smell the new mown hay on the banks of the Wabash. And Tallulah Tuba makes a strong statement therein. In “Ain’t She Sweet”, the leader man, Bruce McNichols, shelves his banjo momentarily in favor of a penny whistle, adding to the overall happy flavor and fun. “Is It True What They Say About Dixie?” is one of the “mammy” type songs spoon fed to Al Jolson in the 1920’s and 30’s, sometimes written by songsmiths who had seldom - if ever - been south of Greenwich Village. It contains one of my favorite lines in popular music, “Do people keep eating possum like they never ate before”? Dorothy sings the song with the proper sense of glee and irony. It also contains a very nice trombone passage by Herb Gardner. He turns up strongly again in “Please Don’t Talk About Me When I’m Gone”, in which Dorothy makes a little plea for love and understanding, followed by a yelp at the end. The fine clarinetist Joe Licari takes a nice solo on “Them There Eyes”. Wonderful pianist Dick Voigt hits his stride in “Pennies From Heaven”, during which trumpeter Randy Reinhart makes his presence known with his solo. And, Dorothy turns the classy number, “Sunny Side of the Street”, into what feels like a familiar sermonette. The CD was recorded in the OKOM studios in Lafayette, New Jersey, in 2003. We titled the collection “Something To Remember Me By” because Dorothy completed it shortly before her death. Did she know that she hadn’t long to live? Beyond a doubt. She realized that this was her final statement. She passed away just weeks after the last session, on November 15, 2003. Dorothy Loudon. Yes, she had so much to give, and she gave it all, right to the end. Jim Lowe - 2004 |
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