The Old Music Master, Flapper's collection of Johnny Mercer material, appears in the label's "Songwriter Series," a very subtle pointer to the fact that not all of the performances here are actually byJohnny Mercer. Even the most intrepid record-buyers must wait to open the booklet before finding out that only four of the two dozen songs feature Mercer at all. After opening with the pleasant novelty song "Pardon My Southern Accent,"Mercer appears only on "Here Come the British,""Fare-Thee-Well to Harlem" (with Jack Teagarden), and "Mister Meadowlark" (with Bing Crosby). And though the roster of artists interpreting Mercer's songs is of the first rate, many of these versions have the quality of radio transcriptions. This collection is recommended only for Mercer fans who've already heard the Capitol songbook, in which case these versions -- "Jeeper Creepers" (by Louis Armstrong, from the 1938 film Going Places), "Day In-Day Out" (Artie Shaw with Helen Forrest), "I'm Old Fashioned" (Fred Astaire), "Blues in the Night" (Peggy Lee with a Benny Goodman sextet), and "Fools Rush In" (Frank Sinatra with the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra) -- may be worthwhile. ~ John Bush, All Music Guide
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