Mel Torme Quartet (May 2, 1964) - Jazz Casual 

Mel Torme speaking is more musical than most singers singing.

I've been getting into jazz singing lately and just discovered this guy. His pitch is out of this world.

Mel will forever be a national treasure. Incredible talent!

The 'the velvet fog' himself, was quite the singer. Had a fabulous range, was a great 'scat' vocalist also! RIP Mr. Torme, and thanks for the outstanding memories!

I love when he talks about cold tones and the fact that true jazz singers often aren't loaded with vibrato. It's so nice listening to the older greats like Ella that don't do all those vocal gymnastics that seem to so impress modern audiences.

Probably the best jazz-singer of all times. And the most manysided one. Used his voice as a musical instrument.

The velvet fog! Listened to him while I was learning vocal singing in High School. I had the pleasure of seeing him twice in Seattle in his later years. After his concert, my friend and I waiting by the backstage door. Even though he was just getting over a cold, he kindly came out and greeted those who were waiting. I ended up with a signed drumstick! I’m surprised anyone would have thought that he was not a jazz singer in the early 60’s!

A masterclass of jazz singing... maybe in a couple of lives, I could get to half his level. One can dream.

My favourite jazz singer. Master of scat

Laying it down, throwing shade, and jazzicizing semanticizing baby! Yeah!

I was introduced to Mel Torme at 11 years old through Judge Harry Stone.

Mel Torme could sing the phone book and it would be unforgettable. Plus, his enunciation was spectacular.

Pianist Gary Long is just one of many guys you probably never heard of and who probably never made it big, but the guy plays some beautiful chords. Would have loved to have heard more of him.

Excellent!

This guy´s tonal transitions are amazing!, what a mastery of a correct way using his built in resources!!!

He had a regular gig at the Carlyle Hotel back in the 80s, caught him there more than once. Great singer.

this is a gem.

Met him once after a show at Michael's Pub on Third Ave in mid 80's. Waited for him with my girlfriend and he eventually showed up in a windbreaker, looking for his driver. We ambushed him inside near the entrance and he looked nervous, but answered some of our questions about my favorite TV movie: The Comedian. He was elusive and probably exhausted. Then suddenly he leaned forward and passed gas loudly. Strange moment.

Mel Torme was a music scholar as well as an amazingly talented musician and singer. What a fine TV show. Wish this type of programming was more prevalent today. I always admired Ralph J. Gleason and have learned so much by reading his comments.

Better than Sinatra, I would say! The voice itself is smooth and lovely, and his sense of jazz, impeccable. He's a true musician!

this is excellent! a rare opportunity (for me) to hear Mel Torme talk about his craft...wonderful music

I was born only a couple months before this video was recorded, and growing up, I was aware of Mel, mainly from appearances on TV... I discovered the magic of the younger Torme later in life - what a supremely talented singer he was... What it must be like to be a person too young to have known of him while he was alive, and now just discover through the Internet... We do have some gems these days, but nothing, it seems to compare with these talents from the midst of the 20th century...

Mr. Pavel Voronin, your channel is a real treasure!!!

Beautiful voice 🥰 I love his style. His voice is so dreamy 🥰 it's such a shame such amazing talent does not exist in this world anymore 🥺

i love how much respect this guy has for the genre. almost unreal, this man's voice.

A true legend ... underrated !

Insane vocal precision from a man w perhaps a two-octave range. Mezzo-Baritone close description (then grapple w Sinatra there). The patron saint of Harry Anderson's 'Night Court', The Velvet Fog was gifted w a thing in his throat that only added and never subtracted from his internal math. Clearly, he knew he was a different singer than what audiences expected at the time. Props to Ralph Gleason. Need more 'Jazz Casual' !

such casual excellence & genius

Oh this is so good and informative. Mel was the best.

Man, he is so articulate and literate. And I just discovered him today after watching An Education. And I like to think I have a vast musical culture. How about that...

Great thanks to Pavel for posting this! Listening to Mel I felt like I was getting an academic seminar in jazz voice. Then there were the extraordinary vocals. Much to love here.

he plays so many instruments well and sings like a boss.

Wow, this is unreal!!!!

Perfection. Class. Talent.

Thank you Pavel Voronin for putting this treasure on RU-vid!

Fukking love this. Love you Mel.

Mel is 39 in this video. I love this style of music and TV.

I belive Mel knows more songs than any other singer, maybe Ella next.

😊Talk about the “Jazz Police”! 🔥His top notch professional vocal precision is so stunning that I can totally understand why he would publicly call out the intonation inconsistency of Anita O’Day. His scat articulations and pitches were unbelievably spot on!

One word: class

Bless youtube again. Ralph's cardy is in a museum.

Wow ! What a talent

It's worth noting that even though Mel had a somewhat narrow interpretation of vocal jazz, that didn't mean he looked down on more traditional pop or blues singers. Sinatra, for example, was someone he had immense respect and admiration for, at one point calling him the best singer in the world and even narrating a PBS documentary on Sinatra before his death.

Ralph Gleason seems a cool and nice guy, never seen him talk before just knew his rep

Muchas gracias from Madrid for this Pavel. Fantástico!!!

Excellent voice, hi is a artist not just a entretener

I love this guy!

Wow, thanks for posting this show.

Evergreen!!

Very talented is Mel Torme

Totally innovative!

I love this man!Thank you!

The Bob Dorough he's talking about went on to do Schoolhouse Rock.

Probablement le plus grand crooner. Exceptionnel mel.

He was at his best

Torme is in really good voice here. But it's funny to hear Torme and Ralph Gleason spending ten minutes discussing what a jazz singer is. All these years later, the distinction between jazz singers, pop singers, and blues singers seems really unimportant.

Mel was clearly a perfectionist. He was perfect, and he knew it. I hope he wasn't hard to work with.

Great job, Man. Thanks🍺

Correction here: Mel said "Dat Dere" was written by Oscar Brown,Jr. Bobby Timmons wrote the tune in 1960.Oscar Brown penned the lyrics a few years later.

Molto bravo

Check out his scatting on "Route 66" in the last minute of this clip. Wild.

very interesting when Mel starts talking about what is a jazz singer

Love his voice! Thank you so much for posting this. Was this a regular TV show? Mel sang so many of my favorite songs! I loved the simplicity and the conversation. I believe my first introduction to Mel was the movie A Man Called Adam starring Sammy Davis, Jr.

The shadows behind the great Torme quartet remind me of Dali painting s

Hello Sweet Pea I didn't forget! 🦙

Bravissimo

good singer.

I love Tommy Meatballianno

The interviewer wants him so bad to mention Sinatra

Teddy Wilson also recorded Sid's Soliloquy.

Night Court led me here…

Ouch - poor Anita O'Day.

THE VELVET FROG!

The Velvet Fog. Unlike Frankie Snotrot Mel could improvise. And unlike MOST PEOPLE he knew what he was talking about. Mel also knew about textual declamation, something only a few songwriters and composers knew about. Today's singers and songwriters, it's a safe bet, have never heard of such a thing.

I wonder if this is out on DVD. It would be nice to have it OFF this thing and on hand with better picture and sound. Mel is great in this!

An archaic instrument called the uke...and it's a baritone like he is!

1:04

👍

Is this program available on a dvd? So little Torme is available.

Unfortunate tape edit at 23:38....wonder what they edited out of his story....this was on PBS, 60 years ago, so he couldn't have said anything risque.

24:18

Mel Torme's voice always reminds me of Stan Getz' tenor. But I disagree with him strongly about Mark Murphy. That guy was definitely a jazz singer.

Hello Sweet Pea when you coming home?

What music does it say that it has grown up listening to? It's just that he has such a closed accent that I don't understand it.

Does anyone know which two male singers he's referring to @5:00?

Need the lyrics to dat derre

13:25

20:05

He did NOT just dis Anita O'Day AND MARK MURPHY on the air! Wow, I love you Mel, but DAMN, you're wrong, wrong, WRONG!!!!

주펄작가님 때문에 여기까지 오게되다니 ㅋㅋ

LOL, what about Louis Armstrong?

Love Mel but that's jazz that sounds "white"!!...

Really you and Jesse 😑

He was a way better singer and much more versatile than Sinatra ever was. But he sadly lacked the sex appeal that Sinatra had in abundance, so it was Sinatra that made it to super stardom and not him.

What ia this need for conceptual hygiene.

Not too many great male jazz singers. I will add Al Jerreau and Bobby McFerrin. Women, for some reason, outclass and outnumber the men excepting these three.

Very good singing and playing...I thunked Mel was a complete bore when I heard him as a teen...but he's the bee's knees , most interesting, a word he uses a lot , and a very likeable personality..

Is he a jazz singer? What a stupid question.