Martin in the 1943 film Stage Door Canteen
Backgrou… Read Full Bio ↴Freddy Martin
Martin in the 1943 film Stage Door Canteen
Background information
Born December 9, 1906
Origin Cleveland, Ohio, United States
Died September 30, 1983 (aged 76)
Genres Jazz
Occupations Musician, bandleader
Instruments Saxophone
Frederick Alfred (Freddy) Martin (December 9, 1906 – September 30, 1983) was an American bandleader and tenor saxophonist.
Early life
Martin was born in Cleveland, Ohio.[1] Raised largely in an orphanage and with various relatives, Martin started out playing drums, then switched to C-melody saxophone and later tenor saxophone, the latter the one he would be identified with. Early on, he had intended to become a journalist. He had hoped that he would earn enough money from his musical work to enter Ohio State, but instead, he wound up becoming an accomplished musician. Martin led his own band while he was in high school, then played in various local bands. After working on a ship's band, Martin joined the Mason-Dixon band, then joined Arnold Johnson and Jack Albin. It was with Albin's "Hotel Pennsylvania Music" that he made his first recordings, for Columbia's Harmony, Velvet Tone, and Clarion 50 cent labels in 1930.
Early career
Martin in 1943
After a couple of years, his skill began attracting other musicians. One such musician was Guy Lombardo, who would remain friends with Martin throughout his life. After graduation from high school, Martin accepted a job at the H.N. White musical instrument company. When Lombardo was playing in Cleveland, Martin tried giving Lombardo some saxophones, which proved unsuccessful. Fortunately, Lombardo did get to hear Freddy’s band. One night, when Guy could not do a certain date, he suggested that Freddy’s band could fill in for him. The band did very well and that’s how Martin’s career really got started. But the band broke up and he did not form a permanent band until 1931 at the Bossert Hotel in Brooklyn.
At the Bossert Marine Room, Freddy pioneered the "Tenor Band" style that swept the sweet-music industry. With his own tenor sax as melodic lead, Martin fronted an all-tenor sax section with just two brasses and a violin trio plus rhythm. The rich, lilting style quickly spawned imitators in hotels and ballrooms nationwide. "Tenor bands", usually with just the three tenors and one trumpet, could occasionally be found playing for older dancers well into the 1980s.
The Martin band recorded first for Columbia Records in 1932. As the company was broke and signing no new contracts, the band switched to Brunswick Records after one session and remained with that label till 1938. Afterwards Martin appeared on RCA's Bluebird and Victor Records. The band also recorded pseudonymously in the early '30s, backing singers such as Will Osborne.
Martin took his band into many prestigious hotels, including the Roosevelt Grill in New York City and the Ambassador in Los Angeles. A fixture on radio, his sponsored shows included NBC's Maybelline Penthouse Serenade of 1937. But Martin’s real success came in 1941 with an arrangement from the first movement of Tchaikovsky’s B-flat piano concerto. Martin recorded the piece instrumentally, but soon lyrics were put in and it was re-cut as "Tonight We Love" with Clyde Rogers' vocal - becoming his biggest hit.
The success of "Tonight We Love" prompted Martin to adopt other classical themes as well, which featured the band's pianists Jack Fina, Murray Arnold and Barclay Allen. At this time Freddy enlarged the orchestra to a strength of six violins, four brasses and a like number of saxes.
Musical style
Freddy Martin was nicknamed "Mr. Silvertone" by saxophonist Johnny Hodges. Chu Berry named Freddy Martin his favorite saxophonist. He has also been idolized by many other saxophonists, including Eddie Miller. Although his playing has been admired by so many jazz musicians, Freddy Martin never tried to be a jazz musician. Martin always led a sweet styled band. Unlike most sweet bands that just played dull music, Martin’s band turned out to be one of the most musical and most melodic of all the typical hotel-room sweet bands. According to George T. Simon, Freddy's band was,
"one of the most pleasant, most relaxed dance bands that ever flowed across the band scene."
Martin was probably one of the most respected tenor saxophonists of the dance band era.
He used the banner "Music In The Martin Manner." Ironically, Russ Morgan used a similar banner when he finally landed a radio series with his own band in 1936. (Morgan’s title was "Music In The Morgan Manner"!). Russ had been playing in Freddy’s band and the two were good friends for years. Russ even used some of Freddy's arrangements when he started his band. Did Martin let the "Music In The ------ Manner" and the arrangement thing go? Yes. "Freddy Martin is such a nice man," said Larry Barnett. "He’s almost too nice for his own good."
Later career
Martin also had a good ear for singers. At one time or another, Martin employed Merv Griffin, Buddy Clark, pianists Sid Appleman and Terry Shand, saxophonist Elmer Feldkamp, Stuart Wade (his most impressive male singer), violinist Eddie Stone, and many others. Helen Ward was a singer for Martin just before she joined Benny Goodman's new band.
Martin’s popularity as a bandleader led him to Hollywood in the 1940s where he and his band appeared in a handful of films, including Seven Days' Leave (1942), Stage Door Canteen (1943) and Melody Time (1948), among others.
In the 1950s and 1960s Martin continued to perform on the radio and also appeared on TV. Untroubled by changing musical tastes, he continued to work at major venues and was musical director for Elvis Presley’s first appearance in Las Vegas. Still in demand for hotel work, Martin entered the 1970s with an engagement at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles. In the early 1970s, he was part of two tours of one-nighters that were known as The Big Band Cavalcade. Among the other performers on the show were Margaret Whiting, Bob Crosby, Frankie Carle, Buddy Morrow, Art Mooney and George Shearing. When the tours ended, Martin returned to the West Coast. In 1977, Martin was asked to lead Guy Lombardo’s band when Lombardo was hospitalized with a heart condition.
Martin continued leading his band until the early 1980s, although by then, he was semi-retired. Freddy Martin died on September 30, 1983 in a Newport Beach hospital after a lingering illness. He was 76 years old.
The 1947 song "Pico and Sepulveda" was recorded by Martin under the alias of "Felix Figueroa and his Orchestra" and was frequently featured on Dr. Demento's syndicated radio show.[2] It was also featured in the surrealist film Forbidden Zone.
All or Nothing at All
Freddy Martin Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Half a love, never appealed to me
If your heart, never could yield to me
Then I'd rather (rather) have nothing at all
All or nothing at all
If it's love, there is no in between
Why begin then cry, for something that might have been
But please don't bring your lips so close to my cheek
Don't smile or I'll be lost beyond recall
The kiss in your eyes, the touch of your hand makes me weak
And my heart may go dizzy and fall
And if I fell (I fell) under the spell of your call
I would be, caught in the undertow
So you see, I've got to say no, no
All or nothing at all
The lyrics to "All or Nothing at All" by Freddy Martin convey a strong sentiment of wanting complete commitment and devotion in a romantic relationship. The singer expresses a clear preference for a love that is wholehearted and all-encompassing, rather than settling for a half-hearted or lukewarm love. The idea of accepting only all or nothing is emphasized throughout the song.
The first verse explores the concept of half-hearted love. The singer states that a love that is not fully yielded by the other person is not appealing to them. They desire a love that is reciprocated wholeheartedly, where both hearts are fully invested and devoted. The singer suggests that if their love interest is not able or willing to give their heart fully, they would rather have nothing at all.
In the second verse, the singer reinforces the idea that there is no middle ground when it comes to love. They believe that love is an all-or-nothing experience and there is no room for ambiguity or indecisiveness. The singer questions the purpose of starting a relationship if it will only lead to disappointment and heartbreak. They would rather abstain from entering into such a situation and instead choose to have nothing at all.
The third verse delves into the vulnerability and temptation that the singer feels in the presence of their love interest. They ask their love interest to maintain a certain distance, avoiding physical intimacy such as a kiss or a smile, as it might lead them to lose control and fall under their spell. The singer acknowledges that the allure of the person's eyes and the touch of their hand can weaken their resolve and make their heart dangerously susceptible to love.
Finally, the singer concludes that if they were to succumb to the allure and temptation of the other person's call, they would be "caught in the undertow." This suggests that they would be swept away in the intensity and unpredictability of their emotions, losing control in the process. However, recognizing this, the singer firmly states that they have to say no and maintain their stance of desiring all or nothing at all in love.
Line by Line Meaning
All or nothing at all
I am someone who always goes all in, never settling for less
Half a love, never appealed to me
I am not interested in a love that is only partially given
If your heart, never could yield to me
If you are unable to fully open your heart to me
Then I'd rather (rather) have nothing at all
I would prefer to have no love at all if it is not complete and reciprocated
If it's love, there is no in between
Love is a binary emotion, there is no middle ground
Why begin then cry, for something that might have been
It is pointless to start a relationship and then be disappointed with what could have been
No I'd rather (rather) have nothing at all
I would choose to have no love at all instead of settling for less
But please don't bring your lips so close to my cheek
Do not tempt me with your affectionate gestures
Don't smile or I'll be lost beyond recall
Your smile has the power to deeply affect me and I may lose control
The kiss in your eyes, the touch of your hand makes me weak
The passion and tenderness in your eyes and your touch has a powerful hold over me
And my heart may go dizzy and fall
My emotions may overwhelm me and I may become infatuated
And if I fell (I fell) under the spell of your call
If I allowed myself to be captivated by your allure
I would be, caught in the undertow
I would be trapped in the powerful force of my feelings for you
So you see, I've got to say no, no
Therefore, I must decline any romantic involvement
All or nothing at all
Once again emphasizing that I only accept complete love or none at all
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Royalty Network
Written by: Arthur Altman, Jack Lawrence
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind