The Astaire Story

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
In 1952 Fred Astaire joined Oscar Peterson and some of Verve's best sidemen to lay down 38 jazzy, laid-back versions of songs he had made famous in his Broadway and film career. (Seventeen were compiled as Steppin' Out: Astaire Sings.) While Astaire was not blessed with great vocal chops, the best American songwriters including George and Ira Gershwin, Irving Berlin, and Cole Porter loved him for his unerring sense of rhythm and sympathetic treatment of lyrics, qualities that are well displayed here. Tony Bennett hit the pop mainstream with his 1994 album of jazzy Astaire standards. Here's the original. --David Horiuchi

Tracks:

Isn't This A Lovely Day
Puttin' On The Ritz
I Used To Be Color Blind
The Continental
Let's Call The Whole Thing Off
Change Partners
'S Wonderful
Lovely To Look At
They All Laughed
Cheek To Cheek
Steppin' Out With My Baby
The Way You Look Tonight
I've Got My Eyes On you
Dancing In The Dark
The Carioca
Nice Work If You Can Get It
New Sun In The Sky
I Won't Dance
(Ad Lib) Fast Dances

Tracks:

Top Hat, White Tie And Tails
No Strings
I Concentrate on You
I'm Putting All My Eggs In One Basket
A Fine Romance
Night And Day
Fascinating Rhythm
I Love Louisa
(Ad Lib) Slow Dances
(Ad Lib) Medium Dance
They Can't Take That Away From Me
You're Easy To Dance With
A Needle In A Haystack
So Near And Yet So Far
A Foggy Day
Oh, Lady Be Good
I'm Building Up To An Awful Letdown
Not My Girl
Jam Session (Instrumental)

Amazon.com

In 1952 Fred Astaire joined Oscar Peterson and some of Verve's best sidemen to lay down 38 jazzy, laid-back versions of songs he had made famous in his Broadway and film career. (Seventeen were compiled as Steppin' Out: Astaire Sings.) While Astaire was not blessed with great vocal chops, the best American songwriters including George and Ira Gershwin, Irving Berlin, and Cole Porter loved him for his unerring sense of rhythm and sympathetic treatment of lyrics, qualities that are well displayed here. Tony Bennett hit the pop mainstream with his 1994 album of jazzy Astaire standards. Here's the original. --David Horiuchi

Customer Reviews:

the stars were aligned perfectly.......2004-07-06

Fred Astaire was at his peak. You could not ask for better musicians supporting him. The songs were classic. Astaire delivers these songs in an intimate setting with a small jazz band -- such as you'd hear at a small jazz club. All the musicians, including Astaire, sound like they were having the time of their lives -- each playing off the others' artistry. This recording captures a moment in time when events coalesced to make the conditions for a perfect recording. "Heaven, I'm in heaven..." That pretty much says it all. This set is a classic for the ages.

a labour of love.......2004-06-07

for some time fred astaire passionately wanted to make a recording with a group of jazz musicians. he wanted a sense of spontainaity, he wanted to introduce many of the numbers with a brief narrative and he wanted to include a couple of dancing jam sessions.
in 1953 he got his wish. the musicians are an exempelary group, which included oscar peterson and the result, called the astaire story, is a labour of love.
upon its release some critics harped on the fact that astaire wasnt a great singer.
thats a given, but he is an interesting singer and shares that special category with notables like dean martin, sammy davis, al jolson, and even hank williams sr.
the astaire story withstands the test of time and i must personally rank as one of my most valued posessions in my collection.
from the first track to the last this is something special.
the extreme standouts are steppin out with my babay, oh lady be good, i love louisa and of corse top hat, white tie and tails. but, every track is pure joy.
it really does come together as a conceptual valentine to making music.
the astaire story is out of print and has been released under various titles, one being steppin out with my baby which is a massively condensed disc and not recommended. the other titles i have not heard, but if like the steppin out release, they omit the intros, then i would hold out for this.
astaires intros are heartwarming and valuable.

"A Fine Romance".......2002-06-18

Of all my albums, this is the one to which, sooner or later, I always return. It's one of those instances where the whole is greater than the parts. Mr Astaire's phrasing and intonation are their usual perfection, but everybody making music here both solos and harmonizes in a way that must be heard to be appreciated. The backup is cool jazz with Oscar Peterson and other period greats. Astaire does all his standards, talks a little, dances a little and there's a charming brochure. It was a big deal when it was released around 1953, and listening to it today, the collaboration is still a marriage made in Heaven.

A Dream Session.......2001-02-15

Fred Astaire distills a lifetime of perfect timing in this album. It is the result of a labor of love, produced by Norman Granz, who persuaded Astaire to work in an intimate setting to put together swinging (and well-recorded) versions of many of the songs he introduced on stage and in films. His tone won't blow you away -- his voice is as thin as the plots of many of his movies -- but his respect for the lyric, impeccable phrasing, and consummate feel for the way a song should go make him the equal of anyone in interpreting these classic numbers.

This was a chance for Astaire to work with a small group of excellent jazz musicians, including Oscar Peterson, to make an album that is fun, musical, and intimate. And it's not just for aging fans of Fred. My 10-year-old daughter plays it, too.

Incomparable interpretations.......2001-02-06

In an album that could well be called the Great American Songbook as it contains so many of the finest songs ever written by Berlin, Porter, Gershwin and others, Fred Astaire proves that it phrasing and timing, and not voice, that make a great singer. This is a truly remarkable CD in all aspects. The sound quality, considering it was recorded in 1952, is superb. Astaire is in incomparable form, with the songs sounding much better than some of his earlier versions (this is the DEFINITIVE version of Puttin on the Ritz, for example). And the sextet supporting Astaire, including the marvelous Oscar Peterson at the keyboard, is as fine as any. Not to be missed for anyone who loves this genre.

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