Rodger & Hart Percussion & Strings - George Siravo

My Funny Valentine

Rodgers & Hart
Percussion & Strings
Arranged and Conducted by George Siravo
Artist & Repertoire: Bob Shad
Original Engineers: Frank Abbey & Bob Arnold
Re-Recording Engineer: John Cue
Mastering: Hal Diepold
Liner Notes: Leonard Feather
Album Coordination: Arpena Spargo
Album Design: Burt Goldblatt
Typography: The Composing Room, Inc.
Recorded August 10, 22, 1960
STEREO Series 2000
Time S/2015
1960

Personnel and Instrumentation

Violins:

Mac Ceppos
Jack Zayde
Paul Winter
Alvin Rudnitsky
Harry Melnikoff
San Rand
Paul Wolfe
Max Hoffman
Alex Cores
Leo Kahn
Julius Brand
Felix Orlewitz
Abram Bell
David Novales
Stan Kraft
David Montagu
Harry Cykman
David Nadien
Sylvan Shulman
Harry Katzman
Julius Schacter
Harry Urbont
Max Hollander
Paul Gershman
Avram Weiss
Felix Giglio
Ira Finkstein
Charles Libove

Violas:

Isidore Zir
Ted Adoff
Leon Frengut
Sidney Brecher
Howard Kay

Celli:

Maurice Brown
Seymour Barab
George Ricci
Maurice Bialkin
Alan Shulman

French Horn:

John Barrows

Piano, Celeste, Keyboard Glockenspiel:

Henry Rowland

Trombones:

Urbie Green
Frank Rehak
Chauncey Welsch
Dick Hixon
Louis McGarity

Guitar:

Barry Galbraith
George Barns

Drums and Percussion, bongos, xylophone, vibraphone, triangle, tympani (2 sets), tambourines, temple blocks, bells, chimes, orchestra bells:

Don Lamond
Ted Sommer
Sol Gubin

Accordion:

Dominic Cortese

Harp:

Margaret Ross

From the inside cover: Siravo was born (and still lives) in Staten Island, New York. There were no musicians in his family: "I was the only one who got off on the wrong track," he observes. Studying saxophone, clarinet and flute, he made his professional debut very early. He played in, and helped to organize, the original Glenn Miller orchestra in 1937.

For several years Siravo lived on the West Coast, brightening the studio scene for Ray Heindorf of Warner Brothers, Johnny Green of MGM and others for whom he orchestrated diligently. His experience as a background writer for vocalists has also been extensive; two of his best known associates are Frank Sinatra and Doris Day.

For the present album George employed an orchestra that included some twenty violins on the right channel; four violas, four celli, four trombones (and on some tracks one French horn) on the left; a regular four-piece rhythm section (piano, bass, guitar and drums) stretched across the landscape, plus two additional percussion men, one on each channel; a harpist, and, on one track only, an accordion.

From Billboard - October 17, 1960: Another of an interesting number of recordings where the emphasis lies principally in sound, with the song material merely a device for showing off the sound. In this disking, a tremendous compliment of strings (29 violins, 5 violas and 5 celli) were used against French Horn, trombones, guitar, accordion, harp, bass and a large assortment of percussion and drums. The sound is topnotch with the only possible drawback being an overemphasis on percussion on the kind of melodic material that doesn't require that kind of treatment. Fine tunes include "Blue Moon," "Spring Is Here," "Funny Valentine," etc.

Where Or When
My Funny Valentine
Blue Moon
Bewitched
Falling In Love With Love
I Married An Angel
Spring Is Here
The Most Beautiful Girl In The World
The Lady Is A Tramp
You Are Too Beautiful
I Didn't Know What Time It Was
My Heart Stood Still