The Ultimate Performer

The very latest release from the Odeon camp this showcases 23 of Matt's greatest television performances including the shows of Tony Bennett, Liberace, Jimmy Tarbuck, Dave King and David Frost
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paul jh
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Post by paul jh » Wed Mar 04, 2009 7:06 pm

Great that you are getting recognition for your fine work, Richard. I am completely non-technical, so I understand very little what you write. But I read it all.

What kind of 'technical' questions can you answer? I have mentioned the following often in this forum and no one has offered any insight into the matter.

Did Matt Monro come up with his own brilliant improvisation of the melody line (e.g., on Blue Moon, Fly Me To The Moon, The Shadow of Your Smile), or did someone suggest the altered melody and write it out for him or taught it to him? (I'm thinking George Martin was very involved in these decisions based on what I've heard on Radio 2 about his role with The Beatles recordings.)

Do you know the answer to my question, Richard?

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Gray
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Post by Gray » Wed Mar 04, 2009 7:43 pm

Good question, Jeff.
It's similar to my query regarding Matt's inspiration when singing ie did he have to get into a 'zone' to be able to convey all that emotion?

Also, Richard, please can I ask how tricky is it to record an orchestra and then convert it into a mix?
Any 'artificial' increases to bass or treble is moving it away from the actual sound as recorded, therefore, is recording an orchestra a doddle!? :)

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Rmoore
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Post by Rmoore » Wed Mar 04, 2009 9:02 pm

Hi Paul,

Many people don't understand what I say, even when not talking technically, so you are not alone!

What I meant technically speaking was about recording technology, Matt's (or others) recording sessions, studios etc. That sort of thing, but as a musician and combined with the above I think I can answer that too - as long as I can do it clearly (It's sometimes hard to put these things across easily. I know what I mean but putting it into words isn't always easy!)

Matt's interpretation was dependant on two things:

1. He would go with the feel for the song, so how the song was sung was his decision, yes he would have a lead sheet with the melody written down but if he felt that a line should be sung in a particular way he would go with it, he probably didn't even think about it too much and just went with the feel of the song - but this of course would be dictated by the arrangement. If what he sang didn't work, he would change it on the next take, but I don't believe this would have happened much.

2. The arrangement may sometimes have been written with the altered tune as part of the arrangement. I doubt this happened often but something like Hava Nagila or Spanish Eyes may have had a vocal arrangement too but I can’t say for sure.

George Martin would not have had much to do with this process with Matt, unless he'd arranged the song, in which case he may have had the odd suggestion, but how Matt sang was nothing but his own work. As a producer George may have suggested things if Matt was having trouble with a song, but he wouldn't have told him how to sing it! His job was to get the best performance from Matt not dictate how.

You must remember that the Beatles in their early days often needed guidance from George not just as a producer but as a musician. The brilliant thing about George as a producer was that he didn't put any pressure on his artists, he let them take their own direction with a gentle guiding hand and let their talent shine through.

He was just the right person for Matt as a producer, unlike dick Rowe at Decca who insisted Matt sung exactly as written and not to imprint his own style on the song.

Dave Cavanaugh at Capitol was another good choice, having worked with Nat Cole before Matt.

But to see just how good George was as a producer just listen to John Burgess produced Matt, he was nowhere near as good at finding the perfect performance.

Apologies for the digression. I hope this helps!
Last edited by Rmoore on Thu Mar 05, 2009 12:01 am, edited 2 times in total.

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ROBERT M.
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Post by ROBERT M. » Wed Mar 04, 2009 11:21 pm

Enjoyed the informative and interesting read up Richard :)
"My Tears Will Fall Now That You're Gone,
I Can't Help But Cry, But I Must Go On" :(

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Rmoore
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Post by Rmoore » Thu Mar 05, 2009 12:09 am

Hi Gray, Sorry I missed the last question.

I can't really say if Matt had to be in "the Zone" as such I'm not really the best person to answer that as you can't really tell this from his recordings or any information about his sessions that I have.

However I somehow doubt it. Matt very rarely recorded anything sub par performance wise, recording sessions were booked many weeks in advance so it's not like he could just record when he was "in the zone"!

As for recording an orchestra, i'd need quite a bit of space and i'm sure i've taken up more than enough of the review section already.

Perhaps there should be an "Ask Richard" section!

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paul jh
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Post by paul jh » Thu Mar 05, 2009 12:39 am

Thanks for the response Richard. I hope this information is in the upcoming book. This is what interests me the most.

:?: Now, should I ask my additional questions here, or are you able to move these postings to an "Ask Richard" thread? It would be nice to have all this consolidated in one place. :idea:

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Gray
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Post by Gray » Thu Mar 05, 2009 7:18 am

I would welcome an 'Ask Richard' thread please!
Has one been set up?
I'll check and if I cannot find it, I'll put it in Site News.
Thanks very much, for the above info, Richard - really, really interesting.

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Marian
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Post by Marian » Thu Mar 05, 2009 8:07 am

I did start one yesterday Gray but I didn't know quite where to put it so I deleted it again. I think Richard needs his own section on the forum really.
I see you've added yours to Site News.
Marian :wink:

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Gray
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Post by Gray » Thu Mar 05, 2009 9:50 pm

Hi Marian

I find the process of:
i) A song being written
ii) Then performed
iii) Recorded
iv) Played by us on our many different sound systems
so fascinating.

This combined talent of so many people then makes us, happy or sad, or nostaligic or hopeful, or so on and so forth.

Music is for sure a gift from God and I love to learn how we humble, human beings pull it all together! :)

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