Adventure In Sound - Danny Guglielmi

Out Of Nowhere

Adventure In Sound
Multiple Instrumentation By Danny Guglielmi
Vocals By Dena
Tops Musical Enterprises
Jackets fabricated by Globe Albums, New York, N.Y.
L1580

Sweet concept package, solid from jacket art through the creatively arranged and engineered set.

From the back cover: On the morning of October 8, 1955 Danny and Dean Guglielmi were awakened by the insistent jangle of the telephone in their San Fernando Valley home. Still befogged with sleep, Danny lifted the receiver and mumbled, "Lo, who is it?" He was convinced he was still dreaming when the voice at the other end identified itself as that of Col. Robert L. Schult, military aide to Dwight D. Eisenhower, President of The United States. Expressing the enthusiastic appreciation of the President himself and those in attendance on the chief executive who was bedded after a serious heart attack, Col. Schultz confided to the dumbfounded Danny, "Everybody... has been enjoying your music. We've played it over and over. Ti's very soothing to President Eisenhower".

That this experience was far from a dream fantasy had been confirmed by the arrival of the following letter:

Dear Mr. and Mrs. Guglielmi,
It was indeed kind of you to think of the President with a gift which I know will be most welcome to him.

Your tape recording arrived safely, and I am sure it will bring much pleasure and relaxation to the President. 

With many thanks, and best wishes to you,
(signed) Mamie Down Eisenhower

The tape gratefully acknowledged in the First Lady's letter consisted of eleven multi-tape recordings arranged and played by Danny Guglielmi, with vocals by his wife, Dena. In this Tops album, Adventure In Sound, the same exciting multiple process is employed by Mr. Guglielmi in a selection of cherished standards and clever original compositions showcasing his superb musicianship and electronic wizardry.

In layman' terms, the multi taping process consists simply of recording one "track of sound on top of another, all on the same strip of tape. It's like a lofty layer cake with the different layers applied one atop of another to make up the entire concoction (or shall we say, confection). Thanks to the marvel of tape recording, and the great talents of Danny Guglielmi, we have a finished product of orchestrated music – an entire band, if you will – with every instrument played by the same musician.

In Danny's case, however, "every instrument" consists in toto of bass, guitar, piano and violin. Yet, with these four instruments he manages with the aid of electronic trickery to achieve the sound at times of a 40 piece orchestra. When one considers that the bass and guitar are played by Guglielmi for rhythm alone, the piano figures only for purpose of occasional color, it's nothing short of a new wonder of our age that the rest of the orchestra is comprised solely of one violin.

In the hands of Danny Guglielmi, the violin is a eloquent voice indeed. Though he plays all the string family, the violin is his main instrument and has been since he started playing at the age of seven years. When it became obvious that music was the only career for Danny, he quickly mastered the violin, supplementing his technical work with courses in arranging and composition. As he became more and more involved in the writing end of music, he forsook the violin and concentrated on arranging.

It was as arranger that Danny broke into the musical Big Time. As staff writer for the Lucky Strike Hit Parade, he remained three years with Al Goodman's orchestra. Prolific Danny arranged for the famous Glenn Miller Army band; for Carl Hoff (who bestowed on him the name of "Danny Gool") with whom his stayed six years.

Danny's other arranging credits include stints with Harry Sosnick, Buddy Clark, Lenny Ross, Johnny Green and his MGM Studio Orchestra, Kay Thompson, Connie Boswell, Kay Starr, Dinah Shore, Tony Martin, Ray McKinley, Jerry Gray, Eddie Cantor and Frank Sinatra.

Dena has become almost as well known for pipe smoking as for singing. When the Eisenhower -Guglielmi story broke in the nation's newspapers, a picture of Dena, pipe in mouth, inevitably accompanied the news account of the Guglelmi's gift to the President. Dena is most certainly one of the world's loveliest pipe smokers and, as singer, who is second to none. For years a "ghost " voice for some of Hollywood's most glamorous stars in many motion pictures, she also has to her credit considerable experience in radio work with NBC and CBS. During that period, incidentally, she was known as Berna Deane". This was after she had served an auspicious term with the orchestra of Rudy Valee. Dena is a native of Kansas City, Missouri.

For the record, Danny cites as his earliest violin idols Joe Venuti and Stuff Smith. Indeed, their influence is apparent in the solo segments of the tunes in this album and accounts for his very definite latter, don't miss the humorous dialogue between Danny and himself. Again, on the Shiek Of Araby, Danny reflects yet another influence – Stefan Grappelly of the quintet of the Hot Club of France. This is especially noticeable in the first chorus why the rhythm bass and guitar (played by Danny, of course) manage to achieve a very definite "Hot Club" feel.

It's So Peaceful In The Country
Cherokee
I Don't Stand A Ghost Of A Chance
Jealous
A-E-I-O-U
Georgia On My Mind
Na-Wa-Da-Ha
I'll Remember
April
Mosquito Festival
Out Of However
Bullfrog
Firelight Reveri
Hot Scottish
The Sheik Of Araby