Mercury Records Collection: Wing MGW-12148: Miyoshi - Singing Star Of Rodgers And Hammerstein's Flower Drum Song

MGW-12148: Miyoshi - Singing Star Of Rodgers And Hammerstein's Flower Drum Song / Miyoshi Umeki

Label Type :	blue Wing type B
Matrix Number :	SIDE-A	MGW-12148-A4 MS-IV F-S
	SIDE-B	MGW-12148-B3 MS-III F-S

Comments

Re-issue of Mercury MG-20165, but several songs replaced.

A-1 and B-1 play rather noisy, unfortunately.

Inside The Groove

Miss Umeki's rare album full of Orientalism :)

Personal Impression (and brief notes)

Miyoshi Umeki, also known as Nancy Umeki, get several attention in 1948-1950, as a Jazz vocalist in Japan. However she made her mind to go to the United States to enter a new world. Since then, she recorded several albums, and even got popular as an actress, for she won the Academy Awards (performance by an actress in a supporting role).

This album is a re-issue of her 1st album “Miyoshi Sings For Arthur Godfrey” (MG-20165), but some tunes are replaced with others: A-1, B-6 is firstly appeared on this album, while “S' Wonderful” is omitted.

A-1 “Sayonara” is written by Irving Berlin, and is a title tune for the movie “Sayonara”; on the movie in 1957, which she won the Academy Awards.

Most tunes on this album are covered with “Orientalism”, compared with her 2nd album (with orthodox Jazzy moods) “Miyoshi” (MG-20568). For example, you can hear Japanese narration between English lyrics such on B-1 and B-2. I can't imagine how people in the US of that time hear and think of such kind of sound.

You say you like some Orientalism or Exisotism in this album? But wait, if it's exotic for you, it's NO exotic for us Japanese :-P The word "Exisotism" is, such a vague word. Yes you, European or American, created such term long long ago.... Anyway, the orientalism on this album is rather “strange” kind for most of us Japanese :)

Strictly Personal Rating (to what extent I could enjoy this album)

7 out of 10

Track Listing

SIDE-A
A-1	15154	Sayonara (from “Sayonara”) (Irving Berlin)	2:22
A-2	13884	If I Give My Heart To You (Jimmie Crane, Jimmy Brewster & Al Jacobs)	3:03
A-3	13886	China Nights (Shina No Yoru) (Sil Sedores)	2:08
A-4	13885	I'm In The Mood For Love (Jimmy McHugh & Dorothy Fields)	2:22
A-5	13887	My Baby's Comin' Home (Leavitt, Grady & Feller)	2:18
A-6	12184	How Deep Is The Ocean (How High The Sky) (Irving Berlin)	2:30
SIDE-B
B-1	13888	Slowly Go Out Of Your Mind (Jack Carrington)	2:45
B-2	13889	Teach Me Tonight (Gene De Paul & Sammy Cahn)	3:01
B-3	12187	Hanna Ko San (Dees, Schelb & Clinton)	2:30
B-4	12185	Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man (Oscar Hammerstein 2nd & Jerome Kern)	2:40
B-5	13892	Over The Rainbow (Harold Arlen & E. Y. Harburg)	2:35
B-6	13200	The Little Lost Dog (Paul Misraki, Eddie Marnay & Saul Parker)	-

Personnel

Personnel/recorded date/master numbers confirmed with the Ruppli's discography.
(“The Mercury Labels - A Discography” by Ruppli and Novitsky, Greenwood Press, 1993)

A-6, B-3, B-4:
Miyoshi Umeki (vo) with Hugo Peretti Orchestra.
Recorded in New York City, 1955.

A-2, A-3, A-4, A-5, B-1, B-2, B-5:
Miyoshi Umeki (vo) with Hugo Perreti Orchestra.
Recorded in New York City, 1956.

B-6:
Miyoshi Umeki (vo) with David Carroll Orchestra.
Recorded at Universal Recording Studios, Chicago, IL maybe in 1956.

A-1:
Miyoshi Umeki (vo) with unknown orchestra.
Recorded in New York City on November 29, 1957.

The Artist Also Appears on...

Miyoshi Umeki (vo) :

Mercury MG-20165 : Miyoshi Sings For Arthur Godfrey
Mercury MG-20568 / SR-60228 : Miyoshi
Wing MGW-12148 : Miyoshi - Singing Star Of Rodgers And Hammerstein's Flower Drum Song