Howdy Folks! Check out my Atomic Age Vinyl Finds! If there are copyright issues or a problem with any post, just contact me and I will make corrections. I'm here to have fun and hope you will share in my process of discovery!
Love Eyes The Moods Of Romance Dominic Frontiere and His Orchestra Columiba CL 1427 1960
Available from online vendors so I will not be posting a sample. Presented here to share the cover art and Billboard review.
From Billboard - April 11, 1960: Frontiere offers tasteful instrumental treatments, ranging from exciting jazz-flavored arrangements to lushly romantic interpretations of original themes. Selections include "Jealous," "Innocent," "Sensuous." "Wistful," etc. Spinnable mood wax. Effective cover.
My Kind Of Groove Herbie Mann Supervision: Nesuhi Ertegun Recording Engineers: Tom Dowd & Phil Lehle Cover Design: Marvin Israel Photos: Morton Shaprio Herbie Mann's clothes are by Sidney Arnold of Philadelphia Atlantic 1433 1965
Available from online vendors so I will not be posting a sample. Presented here to share the cover art and jacket notes.
On Blues In The Closet & Morning After Carnival, the personnel is: Herbie Mann, flute; Dave Pike, vibraphone; Attila Zoller, guitar; Don Friedman, piano; Jack Six, bass; Willie Bobo & Carlos "Potato" Valdez, percussion; Bobby Thomas, drums.
On the other tunes: Herbie Mann is accompanied by larger groups. On Vikki, Soul Guajira & Saudade de Bahia, Herbie Mann plays the melody on bass flute, and the improvised solo on concert flute. He plays concert flute on the other tunes except Morning After Carnival on which he plays bass flute only.
From the back cover: When Herbie Mann finished recording one of the tunes in this album, he turned to the other musicians in the studio and remarked with obvious satisfaction, "that was My Kinda Groove." What Herbie meant was that the music was happy and swinging. This feeling prevailed at all of the recording sessions for this album. The fact that it was this way is attributed to Herbie Mann himself. When Herbie Mann plays, he establishes a happy and swinging groove, and other musicians pick it up from him. At a later date there was a discussion as to what to call this album and someone remembered what Herbie said in the studio. All agreed that the right title was My Kinda Groove.
On one will ever have to write a thousand page book on the life and times of Herbie Mann. Whatever anyone would like to know about him can be heard in his music. Mann is as articulate with flutes as a Rhodes scholar is with words. For the flutist, music has always been a very adequate means of self-expression. (In the vocabulary department, he is no slouch either. A recent article in Time Magazine, full of Herbie Mann quotable, will attest to that.)
An impressive number of first-rate talents contributed to the success of this album. The distinguished big band leader and arranger Oliver Nelson supports Herbie Mann on two of the tracks, Vikki and Saudade de Bahia, with a full contingent of jazz names including members of Herbie Mann's own group. Guitarist Attila Zoller is featured on Saudade de Bahia and Dave Pike is the vibes soloist on Vikki.
Saudade de Bahia is a reminder that Herbie Mann has popularized music from other parts of the world. The song is a Brazilian composition and is one of tunes that Herbie Mann added to his repertoire before the bossa nova swept the country.
On Mushi Mushi Clark Terry, one of the most delightful personalities in jazz today, is featured on flugegelhorn. Morning After Carnival was written by Herbie Mann and is played by his regular group. He sets the mood of the piece by switching to a bass flute. Blues In The Closet is a composition of the late great bass player Oscar Pettiford. Spanish Girls and Soul Guajira are by a Latin big band and Herbie's flute is completely at home in these surroundings. It is hoped that the music Herbie Mann plays in this album is also your kinda groove. – Bob Altshuller Blues In The Closet Morning After The Carnival Vikki Mushi Mushi Soul Guajira Spanish Girls Saudade de Bahia
Soft And Warm
Piano Solos Composed and Played by Josef Myrow
Decca Records DL 5404
1952
From the back cover: The title of this collection is self-explanatory. The mood is mellow; the tone is suave and velvety; the music communicates that "soft and warm" feeling which lulls the mind and eases the heart. Composed and played by Josef Myrow, such numbers as "Moon Of Jade," Autumn Nocturne," "Aphrodisa," and the other selections, as well as the title-number, cast their spell over every listener.
Josef Myrow was born in Russia, February 28, 1910, but came to America as a child, Educated in Philadelphia, he studied in the local schools and at 13 was a student at the Philadelphia Conservatory of Music where he was instructed by Hendrick D. Ezerman, a pupil of Franz Liszt. Two years later young Myrow entered the Curtis Institute of Music as a charter student. He was recognized as a child prodigy and, in his teens, gave concert recitals throughout the East and Middle West.
His first contact with popular music occurred when he was conducting a musical comedy stock company at His Majesty's Theatre in Montreal, Canada. Shortly thereafter he became musical director of two radio stations in Philadelphia, at about which time he wrote his first song hit.
Myrow's first venture into the motion picture field was in 1945 when he collaborated with Mack Gordon on the score for the 20th Century Fox production, "Three Little Girls In Blue"; success of this film won him a long term contract and he was identified with many hit scores, including "Mother Wore Tight," "Wabash Avenue," "When My Baby Smiles At Me," "The Girl Next Door," and others. In his youth, Myrow spent many of his summers in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Consequently he was elated when, in 1947, he received as award in the form of a plaque, and was informed that his "On The Boardwalk" was accepted as Atlantic City's official song.
It is interesting to note that three of the compositions included in this collection ("Autumn Nocturne," "Aphrodisia," and "Exotica") were direct results of improvisations which he played during relaxed hours at home. His wife was fond of listening to his improvisations and had made it a point to record several of them without his knowledge. After Myrow listened to the playback, he elaborated the melodies, made certain revisions, and shaped them into the finished compositions which have been esteemed by thousands of listeners.
From Billboard - July 26, 1952: Josef Myrow, who has written many well-known pop songs as well as the scores for such movies as "Mother Wore Tights" and "Three Little Girls In Blue," plays some of his own compositions in this new set. The tunes are all in the same mood, soft and mellow, they are each distinctive compositions. Of the eight tunes in the set, "Velvet Moon" and "Autumn Nocturne" are familiar viva performances by bands, pianists, etc., on records and on the radio. Some of the other mood pieces, such as "Moon Of Jade" and "Aphrodisia," have a lovely, haunting quality. The composer plays the selections with skill and feeling with instrumental accompaniment, the recording is fine. Set should appeal to those who enjoy mood music, and want to relax and forget the cares of the day.
Soft And Warm
L'Affaire
Autumn Nocturne
Aphrodisia
Vevet Moon
Exotica
Moon Of Jade
Three-Quarter Blues
RCA Victor Presents New Directions In Music
The Sauter - Finegan Orchestra
RCA Victor LPM 3115
10 inch LP
1952
From the back cover: Not so long ago Hollywood's favorite axiom was: "The mental age of the average movie-goer is twelve years." At about the same time the popular music business was offering the same public works of musical genius like "Three Little Fishes" and "The Music Goes Round." Apparently Tin Pan Alley's estimate of its clientele's mental prowess was no different than Hollywood's.
Fortunately, the past ten or fifteen years have seen the beginning of a move toward maturity in both Hollywood and New York. In the film industry the names that stand out as sponsors of better things are Kramer, Stevens, Mankiewicz, Huston and a few more. In the music business Sauter and Finegan are two of the chief proponents of a new direction for popular music.
Long before the eight arrangements gathered here were recorded, Eddie Sauter and Bill Finegan were individually gaining yardage in the scrimmage with banality. Sauter scored his first advance in the music game when he switched from the trumpeter's chair to the arranger's desk in the Red Norvo band in 1937. Almost from the beginning the conservative element in the business began to whisper that "Sauter just ain't commercial." The whisper grew to a battle cray when he went from Norvo to Goodman, to Artie Shaw, to Woody Herman. By 1946, when he began to write for the controversial Ray McKinley band, the resistance to his ideas grew to such a pitch that when he fell ill a few years later there were some who claimed his critics were responsible.
While Sauter was thus engaged Bill Finegan was achieving a similar measure of success. In 1938 Bill met Glenn Miller, who was forming his band. Finegan became Miller's chief arranger, and remained so throughout the entire civilian career of the Miller band – four years. Many experts are of the opinion that it was Bill Finegan who was largely responsible for not only the general popularity of Miller's music, but also for the favor that Miller found among the most discriminating followers of popular music. When Glenn joined the Army in 1942 Bill went to work for Tommy Dorsey and, for the next ten years, produced arrangements that increased the reputation of both Dorsey and Finegan.
Bill and Eddie met in 1939. When they finally got together in 1952 there were some serious doubts about their chances for success. Even their closest friends and supporters were aware that music might prove uncommercial. When first Doodletown Fifers, then Moonlight On The Ganges hit, everybody, and especially Bill and Eddie, breathed a proverbial sigh. The typical music business reaction to the Sauter-Finegan direction in popular music is summed up in the words of the music editor of one of the country's leading slick magazines. The editor, a man accustomed to evaluating the most erudite forms of music, listened to Midnight Sleighride and asked, "Shouldn't this be on the Red Seal label? What I mean is, is the average record buyer willing to sit down and give this music the attention it deserves?"
Which seems to indicate that the average buyer, the man who goes to the movies and buys popular records, has a mind that is somewhat more mature than the twelve-year old mentality he was once believed to posses.
Doodletown Fifers
April In Paris
Midnight Sleighride
Rain
Azure-Te
Stop! Sit Down! Relax! Think!
Moonlight On The Ganges
When Heart Are Young
Ted Heath At The London Palladium
Volume 4
Recorded - August 21, 1955
London Records LL 1379
Personnel:
Trumpets - Bobby Pratt, Duncan Campbell, Bert Ezard, Eddie Blair
Trombones - Wally Smith, Don Lusher, Jimmy Coombes, Ric Kennedy
Altos - Roy Willox, Les Gilbert
Clarinet, Tenor - Henry Mackenzie
Tenor - Danny Moss
Baritone - Ken Kidder
Piano - Frank Horrox
Bass - Johnny Hawksworth
Drums - Ronnie Verrel
Tenor (added for My Funny Valentin and I Didn't Know What Time It Was) - Don Rendell
From the back cover: All good things must come to an end sometime and the long series of Ted Heath Swing Sessions which started in 1945 closed with the One Hundred and Ninth concert on August 12, 1955. The march of events had decreed that the new Independent Television service would be using the London Palladium on Sunday evenings and the Swing Sessions, which had made this famous theatre their home, made way for a weekly variety show. As London had already recorded the music at three previous Palladium concerts it was only right that the last in the series should form the subject of a long-playing record.
Memories not only of the past Swing Sessions but also of the Heath band's history were uppermost in the mid of the regular patrons. Since its debut over ten years previously, Ted Heath and his Music had witnessed some exciting musical events. Several of the musicians who had passed through the ranks had become band-leaders themselves; men such as Kenny Baker, Tommy Whittle, Ronnie Scott, Johnny Gray, Jack Parnell and Basil Kirchin. Amongst the American guest artists who made their appearance at past Session were Ella Fitzgerald, Ray Brown, Herb Jeffries and the Deep River Boys as well as many new and established British bands, instrumentalists and singers.
Many arrangers had written specifically for the band, inspired by its efficiency and its stimulating appeal. Pianist Tadd Dameron wrote Lyonia and re-arranged his previous work So Easy for Ted Heath. George Shearing scored Tadd's Ladybird while Johnny Dankworth was responsible for the transcription of Denzil Best's Move. Ed Finkel composed Turn On The Heath and Sy Oliver contributed Big Ben Bounce. John Lewis sent in some arrangements while he was in Europe with Dizzy Gillespie during 1948 to be added to manuscripts by such local arrangers as Wally Scott, Alan Bristowe and Reg Owen.
In later years the brunt of the staff arranging has fallen to the lot of Johnny Keating although Ted has still commissioned occasional outside composers. At the time of the last Swing Session Stan Kenton arranger Bill Russo was completing his English Suite for Ted Heath while earlier in the year Kenny Graham had written the Australian Suite in honor of the band's tour of that Continent. In the present album all the arrangements are by Johnny Keating with the exception of The Nearness Of You, Devil And The Deep Blue Sea and Nola scored by Frank Horrox, Alan Roper and Johnny Hawksworth respectively. Reg Owen penned the opening ensemble chorus of Prelude To Percussion while Johnny Hawksworth sketched out the routine for the small group Hallelujah.
From Billboard - March 31, 1956: The Heath band is due in this country soon, and excellent LP's like this one are bound to benefit from its appearances. The big modern-swing band is eclectic, but it swings powerfully and suavely, performs with a high degree of precision, and boasts several excellent modern soloists. This LP was recorded at an actual concert, with guest tenorman Don Rendell featured on two specialties, and he impresses as a topnotcher. Ditto for clarinetist Henry MacKenzie and trumpeters Eddie Blair and Bobby Pratt. Herman-Les-Brown-Kenton fans can accept this band on comparable terms.
The Great Lie
The Boogie Blues
My Funny Valentine
Between The Devil And The Deep Blue Sea
The Nearness Of You
Short Stop
Prelude To Percussion
King Porter Stomp
Nola
Wood Chopper's Ball
Hallelujah
Manhattan
I Didn't Know What Time It Was
Listen To My Music
Red Roses For A Blue Lady
Fancy Pants
Jim Collier (Trumpet)
Wyncote STEREO W 9093
1965
Fancy Pants
Miss Daisy Delight
Yeah Yeah
Happiness Is A Thing Called Fun
Anymore
Red Roses For A Blue Lady
One Little Kiss
Night Life
Go Tell My Baby
Soft Touch
A Special Something
The Ray Charles Singers
12 Big Beautiful Songs
Musical Arrangements: Ray Charles
Originated and Produced by Loren Becker and Robert Byrne
Recording Engineer: C. R. Fine and George Piros
Stereo and Monaural Mastering: George Piros
Art Director: Daniel Pezza
Command Records RS 914 SD
Grand Award Record Co., Inc.
1967
From the inside cover: Ray Charles, who always writes the arrangements for his Singers, also wrote the orchestra arrangements (except for Cabaret: Dick Hyman wrote this arrangement based on a sketch by Ray Charles). Ray took on the orchestral assignment with a little trepidation.
"The last time I wrote for an orchestra was in 1943 when I was in the Navy." he said. "I know the figures that I want to hear but I'm not always certain what instruments they should be played on. But," he added with a philosophic smile, "maybe that leads to freshness."
From Billboard - July 1, 1967: Here's another winner for the Ray Charles Singers. The combination of full orchestra and voices, lushly blended, provides real easy listening. There's the usual assortment of show tunes, and the recent pop hit, "California Dreamin'," all done in the smooth Ray Charles style.
Music To Watch Girls By
Theme From "The Sand Pebbles" (From "And We Were Lovers")
Little By Little And Bit By Bit
Sunrise, Sunset (From "Fiddler On The Roof")
Bless Your Heart
A Big Beautiful Ball (From "Not With My Wife, You Don't)
Step By Step
California Dreamin'
Cabaret (From "Cabaret")
Walking Happy (From "Walking Happy)
Alfie (From "Alfie")
Birds Of A Feather (Yeh-Yeh-Yeh)
Cover Design: Hobo Arts, Inc.
Funtime Children's Records BR-5008
Old Macdonald Had A Farm
Froggie Went A Courting
Peas Porridge Not
Cassey Jones
Hey Diddle Diddle
Little Tommy Tucker
Did You Ever See A Lassie
Brother John Twinkle Twinkle Little Star
Sing A Song Of Six Pence
Magic Train
Follow The Leader
All Around The Mulberry Bush
Happy Birthday To You
Jackie Gleason Presents Lover's Rhapsody Desire - Flirtation - Temptation - Enchantment Capitol Records LCA 336 - H366 The young lady on the cover is Jane Easton Photographs by Sid Avery 10" LP Disc 1953
Available from online vendors so I will not be posting a sample. Presented here to share the cover art and jacket notes.
From the back cover: To complement this intriguing work of Jackie Gleason and C. Dudley King, a group of sentimental ballads are universal favorites have been chosen - When Your Lover Has Gone, Tenderly, I'm Through With Love and Dark Is The Night (C'est Fini)
Like the tunes in his successful debut album, Music For Lovers Only, these selections (featuring trumpeter Bobby Hackett) clearly demonstrate Gleason's excellent musical taste. For he is a young man whose entertainment talents extend far beyond the borders of the television comedy field in which he has achieved his fame. And his remarkable show-business versatility finds full expression in this appealing album designed for your most romantic listening moments.
The Big Beat
A Rock Blast
By Frank Garlock
Double Record Set
Musical Ministries - Greenville, S.C.
Artists' Records 710526
From the back cover: Frank Garlock, one of America' best-known authorities on the dangers of rock music, has been heard by thousands of young people as well as adults throughout the nation as he has emphatically stated, "Chirst is the Answer." His popular message has been given as often as six times a week to high school assemblies, youth rallies, summer camps, colleges, music clubs, civic clubs, and other groups.
Mr. Garlock is a favorite of young people because he is in tune with young people and their needs. He is the father of two teenagers; a faculty member at Bob Jones University, America's largest fundamental Christian school; a regular speaker at The Wilds, a Christian youth camp; and the teacher of a young adult Sunday school class at Southside Baptist Church in Greenville, S.C., where he is minister of music.
His lecture has produced lasting results, with as many as 100 decisions for Christ being made in single services. After hearing him speak, young people have broken their records of rock music and youth groups have been transformed.
Mr. Garlock is a man of varied talents – an educator, conductor, composer and arranger, tenor soloist, trombone artist, guest lecturer at music conventions, and preacher of the Gospel.
He was born into a musical family of nine children and began playing the trombone at the age of five. By the time he was graduated from high school, he had already played in several symphony orchestras and had been solo trombonist with the New Jersey All-State High School Orchestra and Band.
After receiving his bachelor's degree from Bob Jones University, he earned the master's degree from the Eastman School of Music and has done further postgraduate work, including study with the famed Robert Shaw.
Mr. Garlock is chairman of the music theory department and director of brass ensembles at Bob Jone University. In 1967 he was selected to appear in the publication, "Outstanding personalities in the South." His brass ensembles have received national recognition in recent months. They received a standing ovation at the Southeastern Regional Convention of the Music Educators' National Conference at Daytona Beach, Florida, in May of 1971. His trombone choir was also invited to perform at the first National Trombone Workshop in June of the same year.
Recorded live at the Wick Road Baptist Church in Taylor Michigan. Groups came from as far away as 100 miles to this rally in the Detroit area where 1200 people, mostly teenagers, were crowded into a church which usually seats 800. Because of the overwhelming response to the invitations at the close of the rally, it was impossible to get an accurate count of the decisions made. However, at least 60 teenagers came forward, either to trust Christ as their personal Savior, or to make Him the Lord of their lives. We are praying that many others will make similar decisions as a result of this recording.
