Bruno Gerussi – Morning High (Fuzzy Love, 1971)
This offbeat collaboration by two Canadian entertainers and a reclusive poet was borne out of the CBC radio show Words And Music hosted by actor Bruno Gerussi in the early 1970’s. The weekly show featured interviews, music and monologues done before a live audience in a small theater. Tommy Ambrose was a regular singing guest. “We had an instinct for each other’s work” Gerussi said. “I would read a monologue and Tommy would come up with a song to follow it that fit perfectly into the mood we established.” The monologues were written by Gary Dunford, a former Toronto newspaperman who became a recluse by choice in the Toronto wilderness. His pieces covered a wide range of emotions but all of them offered wit, immediacy, and a sense of slightly crazy, slightly surreal truth. The album is pretty hit-or-miss but in the delightfully whimsical “Morning High”, Duford’s poetry, Gerussi’s delivery, and Wilken’s musical arrangement all come together perfectly.
