Thank God she got out of Mitch Miller's* clutches at Columbia. Had she not switched labels we probably would not be talking about her! brm
Clyde Otis and John Hammond were responsible for Aretha at Columbia. Mitch had nothing to do with her. And many of those Columbia recordings are excellent, different in style from her work at Atlantic but brilliant nonetheless.
Did Mitch similarly ruin Miles Davis, Thelonious Monk, and Dave Brubeck?
Maybe the "Frank" part of "Franklin" confused her with Sinatra in your brain.
How involved was Miller with the jazz side of Columbia? I would think that jazz artists would have been supervised by Teo Macero.
And George Avakian.
Mitch's involvement with the jazz albums was minimal, aside from crossover artists like Tony Bennett. Tony's first 12" Columbia album was done with all jazz musicians, and apparently Mitch treated it like Tony Bennett's folly. "OK, we'll let you do your jazz album."
My Dad was involved with Columbia for a while in the early 60s. One day Mitch took him by the arm and said, "Come on, You gotta hear this." He took him to a control room where a recording session was in progress in the adjacent studio. Mitch was rolling his eyes and shaking his head in disbelief. "Can you believe this? John Hammond is responsible." It was a session for Bob Dylan's first album. Mitch didn't get it.
On the other hand, Mitch was involved with both Alec Wilder and Machito, so that somewhat redeems him in my eyes. And I love his arrangements on Erroll Garner's "Other Voices" album.
My Dad was involved with Columbia for a while in the early 60s. One day Mitch took him by the arm and said, "Come on, You gotta hear this." He took him to a control room where a recording session was in progress in the adjacent studio. Mitch was rolling his eyes and shaking his head in disbelief. "Can you believe this? John Hammond is responsible." It was a session for Bob Dylan's first album. Mitch didn't get it.
If only Bob had been recording "The Times They Are a-Changin', or "The Ballad of a Thin Man" when Miller uttered those words.
My Dad was involved with Columbia for a while in the early 60s. One day Mitch took him by the arm and said, "Come on, You gotta hear this." He took him to a control room where a recording session was in progress in the adjacent studio. Mitch was rolling his eyes and shaking his head in disbelief. "Can you believe this? John Hammond is responsible." It was a session for Bob Dylan's first album. Mitch didn't get it.
If only Bob had been recording "The Times They Are a-Changin', or "The Ballad of a Thin Man" when Miller uttered those words.
Thank God she got out of Mitch Miller's* clutches at Columbia. Had she not switched labels we probably would not be talking about her! brm
Clyde Otis and John Hammond were responsible for Aretha at Columbia. Mitch had nothing to do with her. And many of those Columbia recordings are excellent, different in style from her work at Atlantic but brilliant nonetheless.
Did Mitch similarly ruin Miles Davis, Thelonious Monk, and Dave Brubeck?
Maybe the "Frank" part of "Franklin" confused her with Sinatra in your brain.
Nine million - selling singles : on Atlantic! 'Nuff said brm
Nine million - selling singles : on Atlantic! 'Nuff said
Most if not all of your favorite film scores did not sell as well as Aretha's Columbia albums, so I guess by your logic, we can agree that you have terrible taste in music.
