Musically Mad (RCA Victor, 1959) by Bernie Green and the Mad-Men is an extension of the brand of musical satire popularized by Spike Jones and His City Slickers in the 1940s and '50s. But make no mistake: Despite the Mad magazine-inspired cover (the mag apparently commissioned this LP), this is an album of first-rate big band jazz, albeit one with a sense of humor.
A few jazz fans take their music far too seriously, which probably accounts for the negative online reviews that Musically Mad sometimes receives.
Bernie Green's background was mainly in television (he was musical director for The Garry Moore Show) and he conducted the orchestras for the Miss USA and Miss Universe pageants. Perhaps that accounts for the cinematic nature of his arrangements on Musically Mad.
Listen to Give Me That Good Old Progressive Jazz. As the album notes put it: "If you have stereo you'll hear the drummer actually move across the bandstand [to kill the chimes player.]" That's Phil Kraus banging the kit on this one.
Give Me That Good Old Progressive Jazz
Musically Mad made a brief appearance on a European CD in 2004 but copies of that are now selling for $50 and up. A much better buy is the download ($9.99) on iTunes and elsewhere. Online reviews indicate it's very good quality, but make sure you get the version from Sony Music. Other companies are also marketing this album and the quality may vary.
Here's another bit of musical madness from Bernie Green.
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