Bob Dorough and Miles
Michael E. Brichford
kind of curious as to who Bob Dorough was and just exactly how popular he was
in the 60s. All I've heard of him are two recordings: The first, a Gil Evans
arrangement called "Nothing Like You" from Miles Davis' "Sorcerer" album, and
the second, a "Christmas" arrangement called "Blue Christmas" with Miles Davis.
I don't know what it is about this guy's voice that I find intriguing. Maybe
the way Miles backs him does something to help me ignore his annoying twang.
Anyway, I was listening to "Sorcerer" recently and I was curious as to who Bob
Dorough was.
Hope everyone has a Happy Thanksgiving.
Michael E. Brichford
A.R. Watts
with his partner Stu Scharf. He can be reached at the follow address,
where you can buy his excellent albums:
Scharf/Dorough Limited
Box 667
Stroudsburg, PA 18360
Their wonderful catalog costs a dollar.
Thank you
Alan Watts Preparation is everything. Less is more.
Trane222
Maybe
the way Miles backs him does something to help me ignore his annoying
twang.
Anyway, I was listening to "Sorcerer" recently and I was curious as to who
Bob
Dorough was>>>
He's still around, as far as I know, gigging occasionally, or so I've
heard. I used to be very perplexed and intrigued at how Miles used him on
"Sorcerer," too--until I heard "Grand Guignol" by John Zorn's Naked City.
Now I'm completely confused. Dorough sings on Zorn's arrangement of "The
Cage" by Charles Ives. That really caught me off guard. I saw the name in
the liner notes, thought it looked familiar, and immediately hit my Miles
collection after I heard the voice. That's him, all right. It's
baffling. I have no idea what this guy's deal is. I don't know if Zorn's
your cup of tea, but "Grand Guignol" is one of the better Naked City
releases.
Nkyin kyin
only album I have of HIS, is "Yardbird Suite" (Bethlehem #BCP-6023,
1976) on which he does:
Yardbird Suite
Baltimore Orliole
I Don't Mind
Devil May Care
Midnight Sun
Johnny One Note (Fabulous)
Old Devil Moon
It Could Happen To You
I Had the Craziet Dream
You're the Dangerous Type
Ow, and
Polka Dot and Moonbeams
This is a guy who can take the corniest ballad and turn it into a jazz
masterpiece. Although I can't remember which, I know he was feature
onthe soundtrack of a recent movie, something unlikely like "Unstrung
Heroes" or something. This cat is definately worth looking up. He's
still alive and performing.
In <494bl8$8...@newsbf02.news.aol.com> tran...@aol.com (Trane222)
writes:
Tom Chester
Dearie (sp?). I also remember a song called Multiplication Rock for a
kids TV show! <g>
Keitho
: He's still around, as far as I know, gigging occasionally, or so I've
: heard. I used to be very perplexed and intrigued at how Miles used him on
: "Sorcerer," too--until I heard "Grand Guignol" by John Zorn's Naked City.
I'm not sure but I believe that "Nothing But You.." the song at the
end of The Sorcerer, was from a different session and that Columbia
tacked it on to to the record. Not that it wasn't Mile's choice to use
Dorough, but I don't believe it came from the same record date.
Perhaps someone else can clear this up.
Keith Saunders
Andy Jack
>Aside from being a composer, lyricist and vocalist,
>Bob Dorough is also decent piano player.
I first heard Bob Dorough, umm, 31 years ago! A friend had an LP of poetry and
jazz with various personnel. If my memory serves me right after all those
years, Dorough performed "Dog" by Lawrence Ferlinghetti, "Tract" by William
Carlos Williams and another poem which began
"When I get to be a composer
I'm gonna write me some music
About daybreak in Alabama."
He had a very quirky style, half-singing half-recitation but I loved it then
and would dearly like to find it again. Not much chance, I fear.
Anybody recognise the "Daybreak in Alabama" poem?
------------------------------------------------------------------------
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2 jazz pagans
>I also remember a song called Multiplication Rock for a
>kids TV show! <g>
FWIW, it was from Sesame Street.
There's also "I'm Hip," co-written with Dave Frishberg.
- JRB
Michael Mann
> I'm not sure but I believe that "Nothing But You.." the song at the
> end of The Sorcerer, was from a different session and that Columbia
> tacked it on to to the record. Not that it wasn't Mile's choice to use
> Dorough, but I don't believe it came from the same record date.
I don't have my Jack Chambers bio handy to check this, but it seems
that I remember Nothing But You was recorded in the early 60s at the
same sessions that produced Blue Xmas and Devil May Care (which I
think was written by Dorough although he doesn't sing on it).
Michael Mann
Glenn Brooks
Hall) wrote:
: Bob Dorough is also responsible, for the most part, for those great
:Schoolhouse Rock TV spots on ABC's Saturday Morning Cartoons. Written
:during the '70s, they still hold up and are shown today. (here in the US).
:There was even an off-off Broadway play done to depict the little stories
:and lessons about the Constitution, counting, and other neat topics
:addressed in the shorts.
:
: Dana Hall
:
:PS anyone know where I can get a chart of "Nothing Like You"? That Gil
:Evans arrangement on _The Individalism of Gil Evans_ is pretty killin'!!
I believe Stuart Sharf was also involved with Schoolhouse Rock, and he and
Dorough, along with Fran Landesman in various combinations, wrote songs
for, of all folks, Spanky & Our Gand (the group, not the movies). He and
Landesman did "Without Rhyme or Reason," a pretty good song, and he also
wrote or co-wrote a cute round called, if I remember correctly, "1-3-5-8"
whose lyrics were essentially the number values of the notes:
"1-3-5-8-7-6-5-4-3-5-2-3-4-sharp-5-etc." Fun stuff, but miles away from
where this thread started, of course.
I saw Dorough a couple of times in person. He's very low-key and
ingratiating (I don't mean that condescendingly). Personally, I think he's
a better writer than performer, although "Just about Everything" is one of
my favorite vocal albums - definitely his best, imho. I have never been
crazy about his work with Miles.
Glenn Brooks.......Jelly Music Magazine......http://www.jellyroll.com
..It must be Jelly, 'cause jam don't shake like that! - Fats Waller..
spb...@ocvaxa.cc.oberlin.edu
>
>: He's still around, as far as I know, gigging occasionally, or so I've
>: heard. I used to be very perplexed and intrigued at how Miles used him on
>: "Sorcerer," too--until I heard "Grand Guignol" by John Zorn's Naked City.
>
>end of The Sorcerer, was from a different session and that Columbia
>tacked it on to to the record. Not that it wasn't Mile's choice to use
>Dorough, but I don't believe it came from the same record date.
>
You're right. "Nothing But You" was recorded in 1962 (possibly '61),
well before the rest of Sorcerer. This session (which also produced the
tracks "Blue Christmas," Miles's rather strange contribution to a Columbia
jazz xmas album, and "Devil May Care," which was included on the compilation
Basic Miles) was from around the same time as the Gil Evans collaboration
Quiet Nights.
Whose decision it was to include "Nothing But You" on Sorcerer remains
a mystery, at least to me.
Pat Buzby
Oberlin, OH
Jill Goodwin
>Let's not forget his great recording of It's Cold Outside w/Blossom
>Dearie (sp?). I also remember a song called Multiplication Rock for a
>kids TV show! <g>
Multiplication Rock was a series of songs which teach the
multiplications tables. "Naughty Number Nine" sung by Jack Sheldon is
a particular favorite of mine. "Figure Eight" was sung by Blossom
Dearie, Bob sang "Three is a Magic Number" and several others. The
album was really great - released originally by Capitol Records, I
think. Eventually, the songs were used on the soundtrack of cartoons
that were run on Saturdays in between the programs children were
watching on ABC. Bob also produced the music for most of the other
Scholastic Rock cartoons (History, Grammer, et al), but only
Multiplication Rock was released as a record. Some of them are out on
video now.
Bob is a well respected songwriter/producer/pianist/singer who lives
in Mt. Bethel, Pennsylvania and still works here and there although I
am sure his songwriting royalties are what he really lives on. He is a
magical performer, especially in person, and is still writing songs
and producing records and soundtracks.
Michael E. Brichford
>From: tko...@well.com (diagonal flying)
>Subject: Re: Bob Dorough and Miles
>Date: Fri, 01 Dec 1995 16:25:51 GMT
>com...@mindvox.phantom.com (Keitho) wrote:
>>: He's still around, as far as I know, gigging occasionally, or so I've
>>: heard. I used to be very perplexed and intrigued at how Miles used him on
>>: "Sorcerer," too--until I heard "Grand Guignol" by John Zorn's Naked City.
>> I'm not sure but I believe that "Nothing But You.." the song at the
>>end of The Sorcerer, was from a different session and that Columbia
>>tacked it on to to the record. Not that it wasn't Mile's choice to use
>>Dorough, but I don't believe it came from the same record date.
>> Perhaps someone else can clear this up.
>> Keith Saunders
>Just as an aside, I reread the Miles bio recently, and Miles did not
>have good things to say about Dorough. I think the term was
>"lame-ass", or was that Steve Miller?
Then again, Miles got so bitter that he just as well may have said that about
anyone. Too bad that such a musical genius was so infused with bitterness.
Michael
diagonal flying
Hillary Brown
m...@jellyroll.com (Glenn Brooks) wrote:
> I believe Stuart Sharf was also involved with Schoolhouse Rock, and he and
> Dorough, along with Fran Landesman in various combinations, wrote songs
> for, of all folks, Spanky & Our Gand (the group, not the movies). He and
> Landesman did "Without Rhyme or Reason," a pretty good song, and he also
> wrote or co-wrote a cute round called, if I remember correctly, "1-3-5-8"
> whose lyrics were essentially the number values of the notes:
> "1-3-5-8-7-6-5-4-3-5-2-3-4-sharp-5-etc." Fun stuff, but miles away from
> where this thread started, of course.
>
And Dave Frishberg wrote "I'm Just a Bill" for SchoolHouse Rock, which was
sung by Jack Sheldon.
--
"I think that if people are having trouble communicating, the least they can do is shut up." -- Tom Lehrer
Jan Robert Klincewicz
says...
>
>
>>I also remember a song called Multiplication Rock for a
>>kids TV show! <g>
>
>
>There's also "I'm Hip," co-written with Dave Frishberg.
>
>- JRB
>
I thought there was a whole educational kid show for which Bob Dorough
was musical director.. had tunes like "Conjunction Junction" etc.
I think Joe Raposo did most of Sesame Street's main themes.
Randy Cox
ABC-TV produced a series of 3 minute specials under the heading of
"School House Rock." They played a few times on Saturdays between
cartoons. Bob Dorough was the music director, but they also featured
Blossom Dearie, Jack Sheldon and I believe Dave Frishberg. They were
educational items, about how a bill becomes a law, or what a verb is
etc. I believe ABC has brought them back, and they air just before
10am on Saturdays.
--Randy Cox
Jo3n
he worked the New york scene often with Blossom Dearie and Dave Frishberg,
with whom he wrote "I'm Hip." I"ve seen/heard him play in San Francisco
quite a few times, but not recently. He used to have a newsletter about
his comings and goings, but I haven't seen it for a couple of years. I
think his singing and playing are both great, and he's a lot of fun in
person.
Jon Brooder