Mel Tormé (1925 – 1999) was a supreme entertainer who worked steadily at his craft for more than half a century, beginning in the 1940s with his hit “Careless Hands.” Tormé was an expert vocalist who contributed several originals to the Great American Songbook. McPartland calls the prolific songwriter “the man of all parts,” considering that the star was also a drummer, pianist, arranger, author, and actor. On this 1992 Piano Jazz, Tormé talks about his early years with clarinetist Artie Shaw and demonstrates his remarkable range and smooth sound on Cole Porter’s “Dream Dancing.”
Full episode: https://www.npr.org/2008/08/08/93381723/mel-torme-on-piano-jazz