Right on My Way Home

Editorial Reviews
New York Times
[Bob Dorough is] his own peculiar species: a Southern be-bop hipster lost in the joy of writing and performing his cheerfully eccentric tunes.... [B]est known as the voice of "Schoolhouse Rock," [now] he's seeking a wider audience.

Right on My Way Home, Music, Bob Dorough, Bop, Jazz, Jazz Music, Pop, Vocal Jazz, Vocalese

Average customer rating:

A National Treasure ...

A totally uniqe artist

Not quite worthy of a true original.

Attention Schoolhouse Rockers...

Together for forty years!

Right on My Way Home
Bob Dorough
Manufacturer: Blue Note Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Bebop General | Bebop | Jazz | Styles | Music
General | Jazz | Styles | Music
Vocal Jazz General | Vocal Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music
Vocalese | Vocal Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music
General | Vocal Pop | Pop | Styles | Music
Blue Note Records | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music
General | Jazz | Indie Music | Stores | Music
Vocal Jazz | Jazz | Indie Music | Stores | Music
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Too Much Coffee Man

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Devil May Care

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Complete Recordings

ASIN: B000005HA1
Release Date: 1997-10-21

Moon River
Whatever Happened To Love Songs?
Right On My Way Home
Walk On
I Get The Neck Of The Chicken
Zacherly
Something For Sidney
Hodges
Up Jumped A Bird
Spring Can Really Hang You Up The Most

Customer Reviews:

A National Treasure ..........2005-07-13

"Too Much Coffee Man" is still my favorite, but this is a close second. He's got a great band behind him, and none of them taking themselves too serious--Grady Tate and Billy Hart on drums, Christian McBride on bass, and Joe Lovano never sounding better on sax. It's like Lovano was able to relax and not prove anything. But the best part, as always, is Dorough's songs, which are always surprising and humorous. This is not serious jazz, but it's not jazz lite either. Great stuff. Bob Dorough is a true national treasure!

A totally uniqe artist.......2000-09-15

Bob Dorough is a very special artist. He cannot really be compared to anyone and still do him justice. It's the voice of course and the music. He always picks the best standards to record and makes them "his" always. His original songs are like no other song writer. A unique combination of heart and humor. He gives new life to "Moon River" on this CD. I did not think I could ever listen to that song again but Bob's arrangement is awsome. My personal favorite, (this week) is, "Up Jumped A Bird" a fast paced beauty that speaks deeply to the heart and is damn hard to sing. I've tried. I hope he lives forever. The world needs more artists like him. He is irreplaceable and he has done far too little recording.

Not quite worthy of a true original........2000-05-07

I first discovered Bob Dorough when I heard his album, "Devil May Care," which he made for Bethlehem records in the middle 1950s (the title song was quickly picked up by Miles Davis and placed in the repertoire). It remains to this day one of my favorite albums, warm and witty, profoundly hip, raw enough around the edges to immediately deter many first-time listeners but an inexhaustible treasure to any listener who loves an unadorned, unpretentious approach to melody and a direct route to the very heart of American popular song. Over 30 years later I caught Dorough live at Gregory's in Manhattan, where he was mostly being ignored by the clientele (with the exception of Jerry Stiller and Ann Meara, both of whom seemed to appreciate Dorough's extraordinary talent the more I pointed it out to them!). Unfortunately, none of the recorded efforts I've heard from Dorough made in the last 25 years captures the spirit of the man or the essence of his music. They're uneven, frequently distracting with performances that sound more "hep" than hip and treatments that sound contrived. But this man is an immensely gifted artist, a survivor like Shirley Horn and no less important despite his comparative neglect. If you can't find the early albums or catch him live (how I wish he could get a club date in Chicago or Milwaukee), his current recorded product will have to suffice.

Attention Schoolhouse Rockers..........1999-12-20

My Hero, Dorough... The voice that charmed Saturday morning ears is still alive and well. This straight-ahead jazz album is not more of the funky rock tunes from Schoolhouse Rock, but you will be moved in the same way by his voice and playful spirit. Bob Dorough has compiled some great songs on this album that reflect his character and musical ability. As he sings and plays jazz piano, he pays homage to some of the giants of jazz and he tickles the funny bone. To round out the album with a cathartic effect, he ends on a blue note singing Spring Can Really Hang You Up The Most. But then, life is bittersweet too, n'est-ce pas? Last year, I had the pleasure of seeing the Bob Dorough trio performing some of these numbers. (And of course he also did a few Schoolhouse Rock sing-alongs at the end of each set.) Joining Dorough on this album are his old friends (bassist and right-hand man) Bill Takas and drummer Grady Tate. (Tate lent his distinctive voice to several of the Schoolhouse Rock tunes.) Also aboard are contemporary hard-working jazzmen like Christian McBride, Joe Lovano and Billy Hart. If this album resonates with you as it did with me, look for his earlier works too. Bob Dorough was active in the New York jazz scene in the 1950's and 1960's. Of special note are his collaborations with Miles Davis. Blue Xmas, a cynical and comical Bebop tune, is one of my favorites. Well, I could say tons more, but I'll leave you with a final thought. Darn, that's the end.

Together for forty years!.......1999-11-04

Bob and I wrote one of the songs on this CD ("Whatever Happened to Love Songs?") a few years ago and listening to it makes me glad to have received gifts from the muse. He sings another of my lyrics ("Better Than Anything") every time he appears in person: he's recorded it twice! Although I have no objectivity about this rendition, it certainly sounds pleasant enough to remember.

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