tracks

I'm Throwing A Ball Tonight
That Black And White Baby Of Mine
Looking At You
(I Love You) Samantha
When In Rome
I've Got Your Number
Bojangles Of Harlem
Something To Live For
Sand In My Shoes
And Her Mother Came Too
Gimme A Pigfoot And A Bottle Of Beer
On The Amazon
All Of You
Staying Young
Children In The Carousel
Season's Greetings
Isn't He Adorable
Bad Is For Other People
You Should See Yourself
Sweet Talk
Why Did I Choose You
Jenny Rebecca
Lazy Afternoon
Confession
The 59th Street Bridge Song
Here's To Us
My Personal Property
Isn't It A Pity
I've A Shooting Box In Scotland
Chicago, Illinois
Before I Kiss The World Goodbye
Summer Is A-Comin' In
Round About
Sweet Bye And Bye
Medley: A. What Is There To Say B. This Is Romance C. Now
Not A Care In The World
In My Old Virginia Home, On The River Nile
I Can't Get Started
I Like The Likes Of You
Not A Moment Too Soon
Boys And Girls Together
Both Sides Now
Love Is Blue
Mama's Little Girl
Wait Till We're Sixty-Five
I See It Now
Down In The Depths
The Best Is Yet To Come
The World Today
These Foolish Things
Days Gone By
I'm Not Giving Up
Good Night

notes

2 LPs on 2 CDs: AT TOWN HALL (1968)/2ND TOWN HALL CONCERT (1969).
Personnel: Mabel Mercer (vocals); Bobby Short (vocals, piano); Jimmy Lyon, Buddy Barnes (piano); Beverly Peer (bass); Dick Sheridan (drums).
Recorded live at Town Hall, New York, New York on May 19, 1968 & May 18, 1969. Originally released on Atlantic. Includes liner notes by Rex Reed and Roger Whitaker.
In May 1968, Mabel Mercer and Bobby Short, both known for their club performances, shared the bill at a concert at New York's Town Hall. The sixtysomething Mercer was, of course, a major influence on the fortysomething Short, but their styles were different enough to make for a lively combination. The show as a big success, leading to a double album released on Atlantic Records, and the whole thing was done over again with an all-new repertoire -- a year later. This double-CD set combines the two original two-LP sets for a wonderful collection of Mercer and Short. The headliner, of course, is a peerless song stylist, and her two extended segments are full of brilliantly performed, sophisticated, and funny songs that delighted her listeners in the hall and should do so at home, too. The first show contains many of her old favorites, while the second show features many songs about getting old but triumphing over the aging process. Short turns in more varied sets, accompanying himself on piano and using a rhythm section, his sets including the material he is known for by composers like Cole Porter, George Gershwin, and Cy Coleman. In his second set, he devotes the last half of the show to songs by Vernon Duke, who had died recently at the time of the concert. The two performers only share three songs, two at the end of the first disc and one at the end of the second, and those sound off-the-cuff. So, one might wish for more of Mercer and Short actually singing together rather than simply being on the same well-chosen bill. But this is a lot of fantastic cabaret music for the money. ~ William Ruhlmann

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