I love Leroy Anderson (1908-75). His 1958 score to ''Goldilocks,'' with lyrics by Jean and Walter Kerr and Jean Ford, is full of gems.
''I Never Know When,'' which Elaine Stritch originally sung, is a beauty. Every now and then, it pops up in a cabaret act. Tom Andersen does a wonderful rendition, and Karen Akers has recorded it, too. ... Years ago, I threw a cabaret party at Eighty Eight's and asked my N.Y. Daily News colleague, theater critic Howard Kissel, to sing a song, and he did a delightful job with ''Shall I Take My Heart and Go?'' from ''Goldilocks.''
But most of all, I adored the musical miniatures that Anderson wrote for pops orchestras. They only lasted a few minutes but created a whole world of whimsy and wonder. Among my favorites: ''The Waltzing Cat,'' ''Bugler's Holiday,'' ''The Syncopated Clock,'' ''Sleigh Ride,'' ''Belle of the Ball,'' ''A Trumpeter's Lullaby,'' ''Forgotten Dreams,'' etc. His hypnotic ''Blue Tango'' earned him a No. 1 spot on the Billboard charts in 1951 and was the first instrumental recording to ever sell a million copies. As a writer, I was especially tickled by his clever piece, ''The Typewriter,'' a nostalgic novelty number written for the clackety-clack of a typewriter's keys and bell; it still pops up on concert programs around the world. (See YouTube.)
You can't listen to Anderson's light and bright music without smiling, and his melodies were lovely and lilting. |
