Music To Break Any Mood - Dick Schory's New Percussion Ensemble

Caravan

Music To Break Any Mood

Dick Schory's New Percussion Ensemble
Arranged and Conducted by Dick Schory
Produced by Bob Bollard
Recorded in Orchestra Hall, Chicago
Recording Engineer: Lew Layton
Notes: Bob Bollard
RCA LPM-2125
1960

From the back cover: This record is for people who are: (check one or more) - Too happy. Too sad. Too romantic. Too Platonic. Too Stimulated. Too Tranquilized. Too Much.

You have to love that Schory posed for the cover art. ...and the man in the leopard skin is a fraud. We had to use a much heftier fellow and no one with glasses would dare stand that close

Also from the back cover: 

Who Did It

Lew Layton, the engineer who's responsible for some of our most glistening symphonic recordings from Boston, Chicago, Rome and New York, said he felt as if he had a souped-up jet job under his instrument panel. We trust his experience with Walkin' My Baby Back Home will have no untoward effect on his next Beethoven cycle.

Every selection was a completely new production with different microphoning, new scrimmage formations for the players – even new instruments (percussionists double on everything). Modern recording musicians are used to music they've never seen before. In this case they'd never seen some of the instruments before either... a musical steel oil drum from Trinidad, for example. There were, in all, over one hundred instruments, known and unknown, put to hard use during the two days and nights spent in making this album.

We flew in Phil Kraus specially from New York for the sessions. He's the vibe solo on I'll Remember April, the timpani melody on Caravan, the bongos on Safari Anyone? Dave Black was already in Chicago appearing with Bob Scobey's band. He's the dance beat on rhythm drums most of the way, with a special contribution on Fly Now, Pay Later. Frankie Rullo stars of vibes, xylophone, bongos, cow bells, rhythm drums – Hubert Anderson, Earl Backus, Jose Bethancout, Russell Crandell, John Frigo, John Gray, Donald Knapp, Martin Rubenstein, Robert Weissberg and David Poskonka.

From Billboard - January 25, 1960: In spite of the title this is a very attractive new mood set featuring the Dick Schory crew performing a group of standards in many moods. Some of the moods are wild and swinging, others are soft and caressing. Tunes include "Caravan," "Speak Low," " Walkin' My Baby Back Home" and "A Foggy Day." Tunes were waxed in Chicago's Orchestra Hall, and a lot of hi-fi bugs will be interested in hearing some of these occasionally frantic sounds.

Caravan
Speak Low
South Rampart Street Parade
Walkin' My Baby Back Home
Fascinating Rhythm
Safari Anyone?
A Foggy Day
Autumn In New York
Fly Now, Pay Later
I'll Remember April
Tortilla
Stranger In Paradise