Media Condition: Near Mint (NM)

Sleeve Condition: Near Mint (NM)

Condition Notes: Super clean copy still in shrink.

Jackie Barnett Presents Jimmy Durante's Way Of Life by Jimmy Durante.

By 1965, Jimmy Durante had already lived several lifetimes as a vaudevillian, bandleader, and beloved entertainer, and this Warner Bros. release frames his gravelly charm as a kind of personal philosophy set to music. Presented by Jackie Barnett and produced by Jimmy Hilliard, the album is less a straightforward jazz date than a warm testament to a performer whose instrument was, above all, his unmistakable voice. Stan Cornyn's liner notes and the illustration by William George, packaged under Ed Thrasher's art direction, round it out as a thoughtful artifact of its era.

Musically, the record rests on the lush sophistication of Gordon Jenkins, who both conducted and arranged, leading his orchestra and chorus with the sweeping, string-laden sensibility that made him one of the great arrangers of American popular song. The contrast is the whole appeal here: Jenkins's polished, cinematic settings cradling Durante's rough-hewn, conversational delivery, so that every phrase feels half-sung and wholly sincere. The chorus swells behind him, giving the material a reflective, almost valedictory grandeur.

For the collector, this is a characterful pairing of two distinct talents rather than a generic easy-listening outing. It rewards unhurried, late-night listening, where Durante's warmth and Jenkins's elegance meet. A desirable piece for anyone drawn to mid-'60s Warner Bros. productions or to the enduring personality at its center.

Pressing Details:

Track Listing:

A1. A Way Of Life

A2. My Wish

A3. As Time Goes By

A4. Make Someone Happy

A5. I'll Be Seeing You

B1. When Day Is Done

B2. When I Lost You

B3. If I Had You

B4. Once To Every Heart

B5. I'll See You In My Dreams

Credits:

Ed Thrasher - Art Direction

Gordon Jenkins - Conductor, Arranged By

William George (3) - Illustration

Stan Cornyn - Liner Notes

Gordon Jenkins and his Orchestra and Chorus - Orchestra

Jackie Barnett - Presenter

Jimmy Hilliard - Producer

Artist: Jimmy Durante

Format: 1LP

Genre: Jazz

Label: Warner Bros. Records

Catalog Number: WS 1577

Release Year: 1965

Country: United States