No Minor Chords

Many notable birthdays this date, including Andre Previn's. We have been listening to Previn since the mid-1940s, when his recordings were often played at noon on CKCK Regina. We still have an album from that period, a photograph of the very boyish pianist on the cover; the 78s within have, sadly, disappeared.

Jurgen Gothe was a Previn fan. His favorite Previn album was "King Size." Ours is "Give My Regards to Broadway," with Red Mitchell and Frankie Capp, but a close second is "Old Friends," with Ray Brown and Mundell Lowe. Previn's most popular album was "My Fair Lady," in a trio under drummer Shelly Manne, including bassist Leroy Vinnegar. It was an enormous success, and led to a stream of jazz albums reworking Broadway musical scores. Perhaps the most surprising jazz albums Previn made were two with Itzhak Perlman ("A Different Kind of Blues").

Previn has worked with many classical artists, but some of the most memorable performances have been with singers--Kathleen Battle, Frederica von Stade, Eileen Farrell, Sylvia McNair, et al. And he had a curious collaboration with playwright ("Rosenkrantz and Guildenstern are Dead," "Shakespeare in Love") Tom Stoppard on a music theatre piece they called "Every Good Boy Deserves Favour."

And then there has been Previn's long run as a conductor, principally with the London Symphony Orchestra, where, among other achievements, he revived interest in the music of Frederick Delius and other somewhat neglected English composers.

But what initially established Andre Previn was his time as music director of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, begun when he was just out of Beverly Hills High School. He tells his Hollywood stories in a cleverly entertaining memoir called "No Minor Chords." The title came from a memo issued by the studio president. Hearing some music he found sad, he complained to an aide, who told him, "It's based on a lot of minor chords." The studio boss immediately had a memo sent to the MGM music department: "No minor chords."

And no minor chords for Andre Previn, who today turns 88--just like the keys on a piano.