Word: hammond
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...Dave Hammond opens the show with a repertoire of show tunes. This could be grim, but Hammond is from Dudley House and knows where it's at when it comes to Broadway. He isn't about to sing of hills alive with the sound of music. Rather, he launches into some of the great obscure and near-obscure songs of our time...
...Hammond has a rich, resonant barritone that isn't always at home with his material. About half of his songs have more emotional meat than nearly any stylist can handle, and even this Dudley House gentleman cannot always get to the heart of the matter. At times he tends to be stiff in voice and movement; I wish he would let himself go more than he does. He obviously loves his stuff, and he would do his audience a favor by sharing this love more. Still, I'd walk a mile just to hear some of his tunes on Muzak...
...particularly loves Harold Arlen and tells us so. In this case explanation aren't needed, for his rendition of "Sleeping Bee" makes his affection abundantly clear. When Hammond sings Arlen, he lowers his voice considerably and we understand. He shows us that the last lines of the song ("A Sleeping Bee done told me/I will walk with my feet off the ground/When my one true love I has found.") are special to him. He makes them special for everyone listening as well...
...WHEN Hammond turns to up-beat territory that his stiff demeanor undercuts his enthusiasm. His "Johnny One Note" lacks flair, even though he does well with all the tricky Lorenz Hart lyrics. When he tries a peppy "Not Since Nineveh" (a Kismet item that should be cut anyway), it falls sadly flat...
...Capitol is preparing a record album by the Denny McLain Quintet, with Denny playing such standards as Lonely Is the Name and a new song, Extra Innings, that he says has "a dirty beat." There is an eight-week nightclub tour in the offing. There are personal promotions for Hammond's new $6,000 X-77 organ, which Denny says "is a helluva lot better than the old B-3." He ought to know; he owns one of each. "Music has always been the No. 1 thing in my life," he typically exaggerates. "Baseball is a means...