Stanley Freeman (April 3, 1920 – January 13, 2001) was an
American composer, lyricist, musical arranger, conductor, and studio musician.
Although he only released a handful of recordings of his
own, Stan Freeman was a near-omnipresent fixture on the New York jazz scene as
a soloist, accompanist, and session musician for much of the 1950's and early
'60s. Additionally, he attracted attention as a composer, comic writer, and
raconteur, and also served as an arranger from the 1960's thru the 1980's for
Marlene Dietrich and Michael Feinstein. And for a time in the early 1950's, he
helped spearhead a momentary and unexpected revival of the harpsichord as a
popular instrument.
Born in Waterbury, CT, in 1920, as Stanley Freedman, he
studied classical piano and later graduated from the University of Hartford. He
played in Glenn Miller's U.S. Army Air Force Band during World War II and moved
on to Tex Beneke's band after the war, when he dropped the “ d” from his surname.
He recorded duets with pianist Cy Walker, in addition to recording with Lee Wiley and Mabel Mercer as an accompanist. During the early '50s, he became a successful nightclub entertainer in his own right, as much for his comical asides and commentary as his piano playing.
He recorded duets with pianist Cy Walker, in addition to recording with Lee Wiley and Mabel Mercer as an accompanist. During the early '50s, he became a successful nightclub entertainer in his own right, as much for his comical asides and commentary as his piano playing.
Freeman's first taste of recognition outside of the professional music world came in 1951 when he played a session with Rosemary Clooney where an unusual novelty record was cut -- the result, "Come On-A My House," was an international smash
and a career-maker for Clooney, and Freeman's accompaniment on the harpsichord made him into enough of a celebrity that Columbia Records released an album of his work entitled Come On-A Stan's House that same year. The harpsichord became a particular specialty of his over the next few years and Freeman brought the instrument to the music of Percy Faith, among other band leaders, on various recordings during the first half of the 1950's. Faith's "Delicado", was a no. 1 hit in 1952.
Freeman's solo recordings include Piano Sweethearts, Piano
Moods, Come on-a Stan's house: Stan Freeman at the Harpsichord, Fascination,
Manhattan, At the Blue Angel, and Everybody's Twistin'.
During the 1960's, he cut one album, Fascination, for Enoch
Light's Project 3 label and kept busy as an accompanist. He became the
successor to Burt Bacharach as Marlene Dietrich's musical director and
collaborated in the composing of a pair of Broadway musicals. He was a favourite
composer of special musical material for television as well, particularly for
Carol Burnett and Mary Tyler Moore, and won an Emmy Award for his work as
composer of "Hi-Hat," a Fred Astaire parody that was done with
Burnett.
His activities scarcely slackened in the 1970's and the
1980's, when he became an arranger for Michael Feinstein. He also indulged his
lifelong admiration for George Gershwin and his interpreter Oscar Levant,
writing a tribute to Levant, a well-known raconteur as well as musician,
entitled "At Wit's End."
As late as 1997, when he was in his late eighties, Freeman took on the new role of theatrical performer (as well as being the music director) in an off-Broadway revue entitled Secrets Every Smart Traveler Should Know.
(Edited from Wikipedia and mainly AllMusic bio by Bruce Eder)
6 comments:
For “Stan Freeman – Fascination” (1967 Project 3 Total Sound) go here:
https://www.upload.ee/files/9783435/Stan_Freeman_-_Fascination.rar.html
1. Fascination
2. Take Me In Your Arms
3. When I Look In Your Eyes (From The Film Dr. Doolittle)
4. The Gentle Rain
5. I've Got A Crush On You
6. Strangers In The Night
7. This Is My Song (From The Countess From Hong Kong)
8. Autumn Leaves
9. The Night Is Young And You're So Beautiful
10. It's The Talk Of The Town
11. My Fooling Heart
12. My Sin
A big thank you to Jose Sandoval @ A Walk In The Black forest blog for original post.
Bob,
All I knew about Stan Freeman was three big hits: "Come On-a My House" (1(4)-August 1952,"Delicado" (3(1)-July 1952) and "Botch-A-Me" (3(2)-August 1952) until you made this surprising, delightful, elegant album available to us. I immediately purchased a down load of his 1951 10" album "Piano Moods" (Columbia CL 6158). If you should find anything else by him it would be also appreciated, thank you. :-)
Bob,
I forgot, your post got me looking for more Stan Freeman, and on a Lee Wiley album "The Complete Fifties Studio Masters 1950-1954" I found three songs where Stan Freeman is accompanying her on piano. "More Than You Know" bw "Rise 'N Shine" (on the 45) and "Time On My Hands". And The "More Than You Know" recording is absolutely the most beautiful pop song you will ever experience. Thank you :-)
hello HP, any chance of posting the lee Wiley album. Regards, Bob
BOB,
I could send it to you.
Yes please, I use upload ee. You can use it without signing up. Just send me the link.
Regards, Bob
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