D's Hall of Fame Albums

Those of you who graduated high school in the 90s may remember the brief return to mainstream popularity that Mel Tormé enjoyed before his death. Or maybe you don't. Here's a refresher if you're in the latter camp:

Or maybe you'll remember this:


Whether you remember those or not, they made a large enough impression on me to do a music class report on Mr. Tormé. To help facilitate the report, my music teacher lent me an LP of his work entitled Mel Tormé and friends, Live at Marty's. I was lucky enough to find this on CD (after years of looking) despite it's limited pressing and have enjoyed it ever since. It's a great live set from a great performer with some great guests. So, as I'm sure you can guess, I think this disc is fantastic. My copy has been through plenty of wear, tear and restoration so I was glad to hear that the disc has been made available through iTunes and Amazon's MP3 service. It's worth checking out even if you haven't heard the "Velvet Fog" before. Recommended tracks are: "New York State of Mind," "Silly Habits," "Mountain Greenery," and "Love For Sale."