Midnight Sun
That Celestial Feeling
Herm Saunders And His Celestial Music
Arrangements by Frank Comstock
Cover Photo" Bob Fisher/Hal Adams
Warner Bros. WS 1269
1960
From the back cover: Herm Saunders has had a severn year itch to make an album featuring the music of the celeste. It started back in his night club days when he was playing at the Beverly Hills Cock. During that time he kept his own private celeste right next to the piano and developed not only a talent but an inordinate fondness for the instrument.
Most pianists merely tolerate a celeste. They use if for periodic effects, playing in its upper register and letting the "tinkle-tinkle" be the sound of falling moonbeams or toy soldiers. Herm, however, has a different approach. To begin with, he plays in the more mellow lower register, and the style he has developed enables him to take full advantage of the values of the celeste without being frustrated by its limitations.
And limitations it does have. The celeste is a small instrument with a three-octave keyboard. Unlike a piano, however, the hammers do not strike wires, they strike metal plates. And the whole thing is constructed along relatively archaic lines, being put together with wood and leather and bits and pieces. It is, in fact, a mechanically imperfect instrument. Which is one of the reasons why a performer has to be only only talented but affectionate toward his instrument.
The celeste, in classical music as well as popular, is used most often as an orchestral color, not as a solo instrument. But there have been other before Herm Saunders who heard something special in its delicate tones. While Tchaikovsky was writing his subsequently famous "Nutcracker Suite" in Paris in the latter part of the last century, he happened to hear this strange newly-invented instrument and took a fancy to it.
Arrangeer Frank Comstock has assembled a very interesting orchestral group, with half the arrangements employing a trombone quartet and the other half a woodwind section. Using highly talented musicians he was able to write parts for bass flute, contra-bass clarinet, French horn and other relatively uncommon instruments.
With the orchestral backdrop and Herm Saunders up front with the celeste, the result is a delicately double-barreled delight. It's music for the easiest of listening, but is also has a dancing beat for anyone in the mood for tripping a light fantastic. This is gentle, quiet excitement. This is "celestial music." For discriminating earth people.
Stella By Starlight
Shooting Stars
I Saw Stars
Softly, As In A Morning Sunrise
Pennies From Heaven
Oh, You Crazy Moon
Moonglow
Rain
All This And Heaven Too
Clouds
Midnight Sun
When The Wind Was Green
A much better album by Saunders, in my opinion, was his solo piano album "A Tinkling Piano In The Next Apartment" (also Warner Bros), but unfortunately spoiled by irritating sound effects of sea sounds throughout.
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