Arthur Young's settings to the words of four of the Bard's songs are a case in point. Cleo recorded all four with the Dankworth Seven back in the early fifties and again in the sixties on the aforementioned album. Then of course there was Duke's Such Sweet Thunder and the jazz related film All Night Long with Tubbs, Brubeck and Mingus among others putting Othello into a jazz scenario.
However, today's 78 is by Bob Crosby's Bobcats' recorded in 1939 with Marian Mann singing It Was a Lover and his lass backed with Oh Mistress Mine - the former from As You Like It and the latter from Twelfth Night. Shakey may have frowned at Ms Mann's 'Youth's a stuff will not endoare (endure)' but she has a nice voice, reminiscent of Lee Wiley, and with solos from Irving Fazola, Sterling Bose and Eddie Miller it gave me a lot of pleasure - still does. It also encouraged me to read Shakespeare as well catching the RSC when they were at the Theatre Royal even though I hated Shakespeare at school!
Of further interest (maybe) the cover, I don't think sleeve was used in those days of yore by the record industry, Finlay and Co. Ltd, Musical Instrument Dealers, 44 Mandale Rd., Thornaby-on-Tees. What is it now I wonder? Lance
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