Mel Tormé

He wrote that Christmas standard in about forty-five minutes as an escape from California heat and later called it his annuity rather than a favourite. As a singer he brought swing-era roots and bebop ease to ballads and up-tempo numbers, with clear diction, subtle rephrasing of the melody and free scat that treated the voice like a horn. He often arranged his own material and fronted the Mel-Tones, among the first jazz-influenced vocal groups. Later work with Marty Paich and George Shearing kept the same cool, precise blend on record and on stage.