Mel Tormé Early Years 1944-47 3-CD Collection, 61 Tracks

For listeners seeking Mel Tormé’s early recordings, this collection focuses on the years 1944–47, before he was 23. It offers a way to explore a formative period rather than a survey of his entire career.

The set contains 61 tracks across three CDs, bringing together recordings made with vocal groups and orchestras as well as performances under Tormé’s own name.

Would a focused look at this period be more useful than another collection centered on later hits? That is the main choice this release helps you make.

Strengths

The appeal here is its defined historical scope. The recordings cover Tormé’s work leading the Mel-Tones and his appearances with other artists and ensembles, offering more context than a collection limited to solo performances. The set also draws from recordings made for Decca and Musicraft, including tracks with Bing Crosby and Eugenie Baird, and work associated with Artie Shaw and Sonny Burke’s orchestras.

For listeners building a collection around classic vocal jazz, the range of collaborators and recording settings gives this set a clear purpose. It can also suit someone exploring how an established singer’s career began, rather than looking only for familiar later-era selections. It’s a great fit if you want a substantial group of Tormé recordings from a specific early stretch.

Highlights

The 1944–47 span includes recordings with the Mel-Tones, performances as a featured vocalist with Artie Shaw’s orchestra, and tracks with Sonny Burke’s orchestra. Later recordings in the set involve the orchestras of Walter Gross and Hal Mooney, as well as the Page Cavanaugh Trio. The collection therefore follows several changes in setting and billing within a short period, rather than presenting one continuous band lineup.

Tormé wrote “The Christmas Song” during this era, but the product description notes that he did not record it himself. That distinction matters for anyone shopping specifically for his version of the song. It might not be a great match if your priority is a later-career overview or a collection built around that particular recording.

Usage tips

Think of this as an archival, period-focused set. It makes sense for a listening session centered on early vocal performances, or for comparing Tormé’s work as a group leader with his later appearances alongside orchestras. If you are choosing between this and a broad career anthology, the latter may be more suitable when you want selections from multiple decades, this set is the more targeted choice for 1944–47.

The description identifies the release as a three-CD set with 61 tracks. Track-by-track details and the sequence are not provided here, so the confirmed appeal is the era and range of recording contexts rather than a specific song list.

Before you decide

What years does the collection cover? It focuses on Mel Tormé’s recordings from 1944 through 1947.

How many recordings are included? The set is described as containing 61 tracks on three CDs.

Does it include Tormé singing “The Christmas Song”? No. Although he wrote the song during this period, the description says he did not record it himself.

Is it worth it?

This set is worth considering when the goal is to hear a concentrated selection from Tormé’s early career, including work with the Mel-Tones and several orchestras and collaborators. Its value as a purchase depends on whether that specific period is what you want: it is not presented as a full-career collection, and the song that Tormé wrote during these years is not included as his own recording. For a listener who wants the early material and the context around it, the 61-track, three-CD format gives the collection a defined role in a jazz or vocal music library.