Reprinted from http://jazzwax.com
I listened extensively to the Boyd Raeburn Orchestra over the weekend while writing. I'm always awed by the band and how sophisticated it was as early as 1944. Nearly all of the musicians who played in the Raeburn bands turned out to be exceptional. The list includes Johnny Mandel, Hal McKusick, Al Cohn, Don Lamond, Pinky Savitt, Earl Swope, Serge Chaloff and on and on. As for the Raeburn arrangers, they included George Handy, Johnny Mandel, George Williams, Ed Finckel, Dizzy Gillespie, Juan Tizol, Ralph Flanagan, Ralph Burns and others. [Photo above of David Allyn at Dizzy's in New York in 2010 by Marc Myers]
Raeburn also featured David Allyn, perhaps the era's best modern jazz singer and one of my favorites. David was an influence on Jackie Paris, Chet Baker and many others who embraced a cooler, more relaxed, romantic sound. The song that stopped me over the weekend was a little-known tune called When Love Comes, which David recorded in September 1949 with the Johnny Richards Orchestra. [Photo above of Boyd Raeburn by William P. Gottlieb]
Written by Phil Moore (above), When Love Comes is virtually unknown today. In fact only two jazz artists have ever recorded the song—David Allyn and Michael Abene in 1984 for his first solo album, You Must Have Been a Beautiful Baby. David recorded the song with Richards for Albert Marx's Discovery Records. Interestingly, Moore recorded for the label earlier that year with Mary Ann McCall.
Allyn recorded four sides that day: It Never Entered My Mind, Wait Til You See Her, I Can't Be Wrong and When Love Comes. David was backed by an orchestra that included Paul Smith (p) and Harry Bluestone (vln). What makes When Love Comes so pretty are its unusual chord changes and the romantic orchestration, which marries the quirky Raeburn approach with Richards' streamlined sound and signature French horns. [Photo above of Johnny Richards by William P. Gottlieb]
David touched on the session in his autobiography, There Ain't No Such Word As Can't...
"John and I decided on the instrumentation and concept we would use, according to budget. We used four French horns, three woodwind players, all doubling on flute; clarinet, bass clarinet; oboe and bassoon; harp; one violin and the usual four-member rhythm section.... In three days the sketches for the charts were finished and a date was set at Radio Recorders through Albert Marx, in two weeks. [Photo above of David Allyn]
"I was about out of morphine and arrived back in Hollywood in time to get an advance on the session 
and score. Funny thing about those few weeks, as long as I had my opiate, I managed to function well, that is, I did exactly what I had to do, as long as I didn't abuse it. But the problem, as with all addicts, is to sustain the control. There is no consistency for any length of time; therefore an 'ex' like myself must offer extra effort in the forward straight ahead approach, at an even pace.
and score. Funny thing about those few weeks, as long as I had my opiate, I managed to function well, that is, I did exactly what I had to do, as long as I didn't abuse it. But the problem, as with all addicts, is to sustain the control. There is no consistency for any length of time; therefore an 'ex' like myself must offer extra effort in the forward straight ahead approach, at an even pace.
"The recording date at 3 p.m. was beautiful."
Indeed is was.
David died in 2012. For my multipart interview with him, go here.
JazzWax tracks: You'll find When Love Comes on David Allyn: Where You At 1941-63 (Hep) here and here.
JazzWax clip: Here's David Allyn singing When Love Comes in 1949 with the Johnny Richards Orchestra...
Used with permission by Marc Myers
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