Together Again: For the First Time


Together Again: For the First Time is a 1978 studio album by Mel Tormé and Buddy Rich. Originally recorded and released as a direct-to-disc LP album, it was re-issued in 1999 as When I Found You by Hindsight Records with two additional Buddy Rich Big Band instrumental tracks from the same era.
Though they had been friends for a long time, Tormé and Rich had not recorded together until this album.

Direct-to-disc recording session

In the book Traveling Music, Neil Peart stated that each side of the album was recorded in a single take directly to the master LP, which was a throwback to recording techniques of an earlier era. Not only did the mixing need to be correct, but if a musician would make a mistake, they had to re-record from the first song. Occasionally, the musicians would hear the command "take it from the top" and start the song they had been playing, instead of starting from the first song. This restart occasionally caused some confusion among the musicians who normally respond to that command by restarting the song instead of the album.

Reception

DownBeat gave the album 4.5 stars. Reviewer Chuck Berg wrote, "Torme, whose nonpareil musicality and mellow grittiness put him at the top of his league, turns in remarkable performances as singer and arranger... Adding their own superb embellishments are altoist Phil Woods and pianist Hank Jones. It's a class act all the way round".

Track listing

Original LP

Side A
  1. "When I Found You" – 3:18
  2. "Here's That Rainy Day" – 4:56
  3. "Blues in the Night" – 8:05
Side B
  1. "Bluesette" – 3:30
  2. "You Are the Sunshine of My Life" – 4:30
  3. "I Won't Last [a Day Without You]" |Roger Nichols], Paul Williams – 3:56
  4. "[Oh, Lady be Good!" – 4:37

    CD re-issue, ''When I Found You''

  5. "When I Found You" – 3:14
  6. "Here's That Rainy Day" – 4:55
  7. "Cape Verdean Blues" – 6:12
  8. "Blues in the Night" – 8:02
  9. "Bluesette" – 3:42
  10. "You Are the Sunshine of My Life" – 4:41
  11. "Funk City Ola" – 4:27
  12. "I Won't Last a Day Without You" – 4:28
  13. "Oh, Lady Be Good" – 4:12

    Personnel