1974 Grammy for Best Choral Performance:
André Previn (conductor), Arthur Oldham (choir director), and The London Symphony Orchestra and Chorus
Walton: Belshazzar's Feast
Thursday, September 30, 2021
Tuesday, September 21, 2021
The Nashville Brass • The Nashville Brass Play The Nashville Sound [1968] RCA Victor LSP-4059
The Nashville Brass midwifed country music's transformation from the earthy grit of honky tonk to the lush sophistication of the Nashville sound, introducing the tenets of big-band swing to create a distinctly modern and radio-friendly interpretation of traditional American roots music. The Nashville Brass was the brainchild of trumpeter and bandleader Danny Davis, born George Nowlan in Dorchester, MA on May 29, 1925 -- as a teen he played with the Massachusetts All State Symphony Orchestra, and briefly attended the New England Conservatory of Music before leaving to sign on with famed jazz drummer Gene Krupa's orchestra. Stints behind bandleaders including Art Mooney, Vincent Lopez, Freddy Martin, Sammy Kaye, Les Brown, and Bob Crosby followed before Davis settled in New York City in 1958 to go to work as a staff producer for Hal & Mariam Weiss' fledgling Joy Records label -- a few years later, he moved to MGM Records, helming a series of pop hits for Connie Francis as well as signing British Invasion group Herman's Hermits. Davis joined RCA in 1964, continuing to work with Francis on an album of country duets that paired the singer with Hank Williams, Jr. Over the course of the project he made several trips to Nashville, befriending composer Fred Rose and producer Chet Atkins. After Atkins offered him an A and R executive position, Davis relocated to Nashville in 1968; he soon scored with Don Gibson's "Rings of Gold" and Waylon Jennings' Grammy-winning rendition of "MacArthur Park," records that hinted at the signature sound Davis would soon perfect.
Monday, September 20, 2021
Werner Müller and His Orchestra • Wild Strings [1963] London Records FFrr The Sound of Strings PS 302
Wild Strings, a similarly far-out subversion of more traditional favorites -- though not quite so over the top in its stereo gimmickry as Percussion In The Sky, the album retains its predecessor's disdain for conventional sound and structure, stretching compositions like "The Breeze and I," "Lady of Spain," and "Hora Staccato" far past their breaking points.
Werner Müller and His Orchestra • Percussion In The Sky [1961] London Records Phase 4 Stereo SP 44008
Seriously whacked-out space-age bachelor pad music from one of Müller's good days. Under the ropey theme of the sun, sky, and stars, Müller works on twisting 12 standards, throwing in whistling, meteors, cowboys on the attack, and much more lunacy. "You Are My Lucky Star" keeps upping the tempo and throwing in new instruments; on "I've Got the Sun in the Morning" he processes the backing vocalists through some sort of strange early delay effect, doubling them back on each other. This is one record worth searching out in the thrift store bins -- the arrangements bring a smile to the face.
(This is one of a group of LPs I bought at 3 for a dollar in Branson! That brought a smile to my face!)
Sunday, September 19, 2021
The Art Van Damme Quintet • Martini Time [1955] Columbia Records CL 630
Born April 9th, 1920 in Norway, Michigan, and brought up in Chicago, Art Van Damme took up the piano accordion in 1929 at the age of nine and was classically trained before discovering jazz as a teenager – inspired by the recordings of Benny Goodman. In 1941 he joined Ben Bernie's band as an accordionist, then from 1945 to 1960, he worked for NBC, performing on ‘The Dinah Shore Show’, ‘Tonight’, ‘The Dave Garroway Show’, and other radio and TV shows with Garroway.
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