USTA Contest Twirling Album

Kiefer's Special

USTA Contest Twirling Album
Purdue University Band
Al G. Wright - Conductor
Fidelity Sound Recordings - Redwood City, California
LPS-1267

The Shearing Spell - George Shearing

The Man I Love (Duophonic)

The Shearing Spell
The George Shearing Quintet
Capitol Records T648 & DT 648
1955 / Duophonic reissue 1959

This is a terrific mid-50s set. Thielemans gets a mention on the back cover as well as the billboard review, so I thought that I share a his sample, but there are many high points to listen to, including my favorite, Cuban Fantasy.

From Billboard - November 5, 1955: The pianist's shift in labels, after all these years, is not accompanied by any radical change in style. Indeed, if anything stands out here, it is simply that he is saying what he has been saying a long time – but with greater refinement. A new high, in terms of his own idiot, is the subtle, chastely conceived "Moonray." Shearing's most significant experimentation continues to be in Afro-Cuban stylings of standards: "Out Of This World" and "Strange" are particularly successful essays. The work of Jean Thielemans on guitar and harmonica once more must be specially singled out in this rich well programmed package. Easy sales are predicted.

From the back cover: Sharing melodic honors with George and his piano is Johnny Rae and his vibes. Vibes have been used before as a solo jazz instrument, but they have rarely been so successfully integrated into a jazz group. Johnny brings to his music a background of training at the Boston and New Englan Conservatories as well as professional experience with various jazz combos around the country.

Armando Pedraza at the bongos and conga drum, and Willie Bobo at the timbale, form a duo whose flashing percussive effects have been closely identified with Shearing's style. With this unusual instrumentation George directs his group into the varying jazz colors and excitement of the Afro-Cuban idiom.

A special word must be spoken for Jean "Toots" Thielemans, guitar and harmonica. A native of Belgium, he was discovered by Benny Goodman during one of the latter's European tours. Encouraged to come to America, he took over the important guitar chair with Shearing, periodically stepping out as a harmonica soloist. His work on The Man I Love, one of his rare recorded efforts, proves what in-person listeners have realized for some time, that "Toots" Thelma is a jazz harmonica virtuoso.

Autumn In New York
Strange
Yesterdays
Out Of This World
Goodnight, My Love
Moonray
Cuban Fantasy
Midnight In The Air
The Man I Love

Sticks And Strings In Hi-Fi - Marty Gold

Laura

Sticks And Strings In Hi-Fi
Marty Gold And His Orchestra
Arranged and Conducted by Marty Gold
Recorded at Webster Hall, New York City, November 13, 15 and 16, 1956
Recording Engineer: Ray Hall
Produced and Directed by Herman Diaz, Jr.
Gown by Kasper of Arnold and Fox
Vik/RCA LX-1082
1957

One of Gold's better projects and a prefect entry for the 1957 mood music market that was filled with "exotic" sounds. The jacket features vibrant cover art that nicely sets the tone for Gold's soft sounding arrangements that shimmer with percussion and flow from one track to another without breaking the spell he brews up in this package.

From the back cover: The man responsible for the original approach heard in this collection, Marty Gold, is a New Yorker who made his debut in a recital at Town Hall at the age of twelve and decided then and there that music was to be his career. He is an arranger, composer and conductor whose talents have been sought and used by Vaughn Monroe, Sarah Vaughan, Patti Page, Charlie Barnet, Ben Bernie, the Four Aces and Georgia Gibbs. Since 1948, he has been associated with the Three Suns and he has worked on all of the Three Suns and Orchestra albums. – John S. Wilson

Summertime
Bewitched
Dancing On The Ceiling
Smoke Gets In Your Eyes
Bali Ha'i
I'll Remember April
The Nearness Of You
I Didn't Know What Time It Was
Mad About The Boy
April In Paris
Laura
September Song

Popular Dance Time

Clarinet Boogie

Popular Dance Time
All Time Parade Of Hits
National Dance Orchestra
Halo 5059

Enjoy a well played sample from a budget compilation mess that features a few uncredited vocal numbers on side A and a set of old fashioned "dance" numbers on the flip side that might have actually been record behind the Iron Curtain by a group calling themselves the National Dance Orchestra.

Boogie Woogie
To A Wild Rose
Clarinet High Jinxs
Barcarolle
Clarinet Boogie
Oh Marie
Golden Wedding
Stars And Strips Forever
Serenade For Strings Air
Pathetique Air
String Quartet Air
Tschaikowsky 5th Air
Flight Of The Bumble Bee
Tschaikowsky Piano Concerto Air

Gershwin, Shavers And Strings - Charlie Shavers

I've Got Rhythm

Gershwin, Shavers And Strings
Charlie Shavers
Orchestra Conducted By Sy Oliver

Cover: Burt Goldblatt
Bethlehem Records BCP-27
1955

From the back cover: Charlie Shavers was delighted at the prospect of displaying his trumpet in such a musically astute setting. Despite the fact that he never knew Gershwin, Charlie has the greatest respect for this man who seemed to sense the rigid requirements of a musician's music, and dipped his pen accordingly. It isn't so much that the combination of Charlie Shavers with strings lends itself to a successful venture, as that Charlie Shavers the musical is able to interpret in his own lyric way the composition of a man who has gained the respect of music lovers the world over for his sincerity and devotion to his art. – Joe Quinn

I've Got A Crush On You
Someone To Watch Over Me
Somebody Loves Me
The Man I Love
It Ain't Necessarily So
Liza
Embraceable You
I've Got Rhythm
Summertime
But Not For Me

Great Movie Music - Elmer Bernstein

Laura

Great Movie Music
Elmer Bernstein
Hamilton HLP 108
1960

From Billboard - May 14, 1960: Composer-arranger-maestro Elmer Bernstein well known for his "Mand With The Golden Arm," background score, leads a big, lush Hollywood type work on a selection of memorable screen themes. Highly listenable background set.

Around The World
Katsumi, Theme From Sayonara
Laura
Serenata Mexicana, From Viva Zapata
A Place In The Sun
Blanche, From A Street Car Named Desire
For Whom The Bell Tolls
The View From Pompey's Head
Love Theme From Raintree Country
Love Like Ours (The Men)
Fugue For Tinhorns (Guys & Dolls)

Themes From The James Bond Thrillers - Vol. 3 - The Roland Shaw Orchestra

Let The Love Come Through

Themes From The James Bond Thrillers
Volume 3
The Roland Shaw Orchestra
Produced by Tony D'Amato
Engineer: Arthur Lilley
London Records LL 3514
1967

From Billboard - July 8, 1967: The musical wallop inherent in the music from the James Bond movies gets an added punch from Roland Shaw's stirring orchestral delivery.

Also see James Bond Thrillers and More James Bond Thrillers

You Only Live Twice
Capsule In Space
Gypsy Camp
Teasing The Korean
The Wedding
Casino Royale
The Look Of Love
Bond Below Disco Valante
Thunderball
Jump Up
Chateau Fight
Let The Love Come Through