A Vocal Group at the Top of Its Class...The Four Freshman

[Pretty Funky]

Some paper called 'The Wall Street Journal' 

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121919345492355201.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

Music
A Vocal Group at the Top of Its Class
By WILLIAM H. SMITH
August 20, 2008; Page D9

Widely known for basketball, the Indy 500, and a plethora of covered bridges, Indiana also proudly claims The Four Freshmen as its own. The legendary vocal/instrumental group will celebrate its 60th anniversary at a reunion, sponsored by The Four Freshmen Society, of band members past and present -- there have been 23 lineups to date -- at the Sheraton Indianapolis City Centre, Aug. 21 to 23. Commemorative concerts continue to air across the country during PBS fund-raising drives, and a highlight of 2008 will be the Freshmen's Oct. 25 performance before Russian fans at the prestigious Great Hall of the Moscow Performing Arts Center.

 Although not the first successful vocal group, The Four Freshmen was, without question, the most innovative. Inspired by Artie Shaw's Mel-Tones with Mel Torme, as well as by The Pastels, a five-voice group with Stan Kenton, the Freshmen soon developed their own unique style of harmony -- singing a five-part sound with four voices and playing instruments as well. Every vocal group that followed -- except for those that sang with no or minimal chord structure -- was influenced by the Freshmen, including The Lettermen, Manhattan Transfer, Take Six, the Beatles and the Beach Boys. (At The Four Freshmen's Jan. 14 performance at Palm Desert, Calif.'s McCallum Theatre, I sat in the audience next to the Beach Boys' Brian Wilson -- one of the Freshmen's most enthusiastic fans, who listened to their records as a teenager and wanted to emulate their unique sound in his arrangements.)

The close harmony of this unique quartet had its genesis at Butler University's Jordan Conservatory in Indianapolis, when Hal Kratzch, along with Don Barbour and his brother Ross, formed "Hal's Harmonizers." In an interview at his home in Simi Valley, Calif., Ross Barbour recalled that "we tried a few lead singers, but it was only after our cousin Bob Flanigan, with his strong high voice, joined the group that we started getting that Freshmen sound." The four went on the road in 1948 as The Toppers, but the name was soon changed to The Four Freshmen. (Both Ross Barbour and Bob Flanigan, the only survivors of that quartet, received honorary doctorates at Butler this May.)

Stan Kenton heard the Freshmen in March 1950 at the Esquire Lounge in Dayton, Ohio, and gave them their first big break by introducing the group to his own recording label, Capitol Records. The Freshmen had developed their trademark sound by structuring chords much like the trombone section of Kenton's own band, and Mr. Barbour maintains that the success of one of their biggest-selling albums, "Four Freshmen and Five Trombones," can in a large way be attributed to Pete Rugalo, the arranger the quartet and Kenton shared.

The Four Freshman's signature tune is "It's a Blue World Without You," released in 1952, a song that continues to send chills up and down the spines of audiences as soon as the first a capella chords resound. But the Freshmen gained their first national exposure when they appeared on CBS's "Steve Allen Show" on Christmas Day in 1950, and their popularity lasted not only through the decade that later gave birth to rock 'n' roll but into the mid-1960s -- the era of Bob Dylan and the Beatles -- and beyond. Despite this generational change, the Freshmen continued playing universities around the country and, according to Mr. Barbour, "the multitude of college kids remained loyal fans."

Over their 60 years of performing throughout the U.S. and abroad, the Freshmen have recorded some 45 albums and 70 singles, and have received numerous honors, including six Grammy Awards. Down Beat magazine awarded the quartet the Best Jazz Vocal group honor in 1953 and again, 57 years later, in 2000, an example of the quartet's timeless appeal. The present lineup placed No. 1 in this same category in the 2007 JazzTimes Readers Poll.

"The Four Freshmen have endured for the simple reason that they are top in their class," said Charles Osgood, anchor of "CBS Sunday Morning," when a profile of the group aired in August 1994. Steven Cornelius of the Toledo Blade put it this way in April 2005: "There is no Dorian Gray youth potion at work, just a healthy retirement system." When a member leaves, he is replaced with an equally talented musician.

The present lineup of this multifaceted, ultratalented quartet of vocalists and instrumentalists now comprises Vince Johnson, baritone, playing bass and guitar; Bob Ferreira, bass voice, playing drums; Brian Eichenberger, lead voice, playing guitar and bass; and Curtis Calderon, singing second part, and playing trumpet and fluegelhorn. Although the other three Freshmen joke about it, Mr. Johnson accompanies his bass with some of the best whistling since Bing Crosby.

Bob Flanigan -- introducing the current quartet on their recent DVD, "The Four Freshmen Live From Las Vegas" -- vows that "this group is the best Four Freshmen of all time." On the DVD, Mr. Flanigan, reflecting on his 44 years with the Freshmen, remembers all the "Bad roads . . . Bad food . . . Good and Bad Hotels . . . and millions of air-miles in DC3s to 747s."

Long live The Four Freshmen. May they never graduate!

Mr. Smith writes about jazz and the big-band era for the Journal.

[Surfer Joe]

I've got a lot of their stuff, and I have great respect for their excellent work and their huge contribution to the Beach Boys' basic identity, but I've never entirely warmed to them since hearing their condescending and smarmy "Surfer Girl" skit from their live show in the sixties.  Obviously, like Phil Spector, they didn't feel flattered by the Beach Boys' vocal tributes to them, as in each case the student quickly surpassed the master.  I'm sure they wised up and changed their stance later since Brian Wilson became, at some point, their main claim to relevance.

[gxios]

I like the Hi-Lo's better- their harmonies are more Beach Boys sounding.

[Surfer Joe]

Really...?  I don't hear that at all...the Beach Boys took a couple of note-for-note arrangements from the Freshmen. The Hi-Los are more ordinary-sounding, or maybe I should say "standard",  to me.  I'll give them another listen soon and reconsider.

[Bean Bag]

The Four Freshman were awesome, no doubt.  Mosaic Records did a incredible box set of them, which is now sold out, but it had all of the their 50s Capitol albums.  9 Discs, all remixed from the original masters -- amazing sound!!!

Definitely worth tracking down.  Though it will be pricey.

[John]

but I've never entirely warmed to them since hearing their condescending and smarmy "Surfer Girl" skit from their live show in the sixties. 

Can you tell me a little bit about this? I've seen it mentioned but never referenced as smarmy and condescending before.

[Surfer Joe]

Sure.  It's on about a 1967 live album, and I think it has cover art by "B.C." cartoonist Johnny Hart. It was in print and available for a long time.

The Freshmen lead up to a brief parody performance of "Surfer Girl" by telling a made-up comic story about meeting the Beach Boys- whom they portray as Big Daddy Roth-type hillbilly characters who don't know nothin' bout readin' no music. It's really snarky. Maybe someone else here doesn't find it so, I don't know; if so I'll leave it to them to give the other POV. 

Wish I could give you more detail, but it's been fifteen years exactly since I've heard it.

[John]

Thanks. Wow, that does sound patronising. Especially when you consider how far the Beach Boys had progressed from "Surfer Girl" in 1967.

[Surfer Joe]

...and how far beyond the Freshmen they were in 1967...(think: "Can't Wait Too Long")

[brianc]

I think it is from 1971, without holding the LP in my hands. I'm at work, but have it at home. It was recorded with the Stan Kenton Orchestra.

For the record, I've spoken with several members of the original Four Freshmen over the years, including a letter correspondence with Ross Barbour, who once wrote me a letter saying that Brian Wilson ripped the Four Freshmen's sound off, but he was never capable of getting their unique blend right. I also spoke with their '60s producer, Bill Miller, and he said that Brian's harmonies were always flat, and that they used to feel bad for him when he'd invite them to a listening session. He (Brian) wanted to impress them, but they always found something to criticize, so they stopped saying anything. The whole thing seemed kind of smarmy and condescending to me, and maybe a little bit jealous. But I just chalked it up to the fact that these guys didn't like rock 'n' roll at all.

[Surfer Joe]

Thanks, Brian- you must be right about the year, because you're certainly right about Stan Kenton- I just looked it up a while ago, and the album was recorded at Butler University.  Don't know where my first guess on the year came from.

The Freshmen's nasty reaction to Brian Wilson is an ongoing disappointment, to go along with Phil Spector's.

[John]

Ross Barbour, who once wrote me a letter saying that Brian Wilson ripped the Four Freshmen's sound off

This sounds like the Shirelles whining on the "Dancing in the Streets" rockumentary that the Beatles "ripped off" their sound.
Like that's the only component of what they did. The Four Freshmen sound like jerks, to be honest. Brian had more in his arsenal already, like Denny's Dion fascination which gave 'em the doo-whop-whop backing vocals, Carl and Dave's Chuck Berry / Dick Dale thing, Mike's Drifters bass vocal insipration and Al's folky feel. The Four Freshmen thing is just one element of what they did, and it's the one which in my eyes dated the quickest and did the BBs the most harm, since it's so irredeemably square. 

The Four Freshmen (and their sound) always reminds me of the snooty frat in National Lampoon's Animal House.

[brianc]

Well, I think the vocal beldn is what made the Beach Boys unique as a group. Brian's writing and producing would have been genius, no matter what. But what he did with THAT band was unique because of the way they sang together.

I didn't mean to imply that the Freshmen were jerks. The guys I spoke with were charming and fun to talk with, until you brought up Brian Wilson or the Beach Boys. They were condescending and weird about it. That's their thing, though. Mostly, we just talked about Hollywood and Capitol and the great sound that came out of that building, which was walking distance from where I'd lay my head each night. The sound of Capitol in the '50s and '60s has put me to sleep many a night. My only thing I would say to the Freshmen people was that the Beach Boys had a family blend that could only come from being a family. I know it firsthand, as my girlfriend and her siblings sing together. Swear to god... they could never have performed a song together, but they each know the words and melody. They start singing together and it's pitch perfect, like they'd been doing it together for years. These are people that shared a bedroom together, went on road trips together, sang at family holidays and in church together.

[Pretty Funky]

I have just read (finally) X-Ray by Ray Davis of 'The Kinks'. He makes mention of how annoyed he was when he first heard 'The Who' as he thought they had copied their style but soon realised that he too had been influenced by other artists.

Any artist who does not credit a style and claims they were unique is dreaming IMO.

[Bean Bag]

One thing I've noticed, as you get older, the newer groups sound sour.  I don't think it's just "getting old." I would argue that music quality -- as was previously known and defined --- declines, and is redefined.  The newer groups aren't perfecting the things that their "forefathers" were focused on.  Did Zeppelin care about perfect singing?  Did the Bee Gees care about rocking out?

If the Four Freshman thought the Boys sounded flat, I surely wouldn't argue with them.  As for singing like the Freshman, nobody did it better than the Four Freshman.

As for Brian, you're right, that was a big foundation of his style and musical interest, but it wasn't his ultimate goal, all the time.  And I agree about the family-blend.  That can't be duplicated.  The tone of their voices is what made them sound like...a wide open sea of cool, sweet ocean water.

[Pretty Funky]

You have just got me thinking of one of the reasons The Beach Boys were so popular both on record and in concert.
The records sounded great and could be replicated onstage but the group could rock with the best of them as well. The official song order at Knebworth may differ from the release but good vocals on 'Lady Linda' and 'Surfer Girl' are followed a rocking 'Help Me Rhonda'.
Same with 'In Concert'. 'Don't Worry Baby' followed by 'Surfin USA'. The variety and mix of the band during their career meant you had the perfect vocal/ rock and roll group.

The Four Freshman, while being very good, were just to bland for my taste. After listening to some of their work over the last few days I keep getting the visual of a Fred McMurray, Jimmy Stewart, or Murry Wilson type, sitting around the gramophone in suit and tie, reading the paper and smoking their pipes.