The S'Wonderful Ray Conniff: The Big Band Years, 1939-1947

The collection opens with a swinging riff tune composed and arranged for Bunny Berigan and his Orchestra. "Little Gate's Special". While this item is a typical swing era jump number, the first of the Artie Shaw recordings which follows illustrates a much more mature approach to swing music. "Prelude In C Major". Our next selection, Ray's original composition "To A Broadway Rose", by a similar size Shaw orchestra now well established with the listening and dancing public.

"Who's Excited?"; an Artie Shaw song and Ray Conniff arrangement, the number is played with zest and a very strong ensemble sound. The romping "Easy" gets our James-Conniff first segment off to a flying start."Moten Swing"is taken at a slower, mid-tempo that is very effective. "The Beaumont Ride" evokes memories of a young Harry James. In the selection on this disc we hear first "Featuring The Boys", Ray Conniff produced a most attractive arrangement for his original opus, "The Lion And The Mouse" By contrast, "Savage" is a sultry piece.

"These Foolish Things". Ollie Wilson's fine toned trombone opens the piece which develops a gorgeous, warm mellow sound in which Artie's clarinet is magical. "Needlenose", "Jumpin' On The Merry-Go-Round" is a lively rhythm tune with solos by Shaw, Dodo Marmarosa, Barney Kessel. Conniff produced another excellent original with "Lucky Number". Rounding out the Shaw-Conniff collaboration is "Just Kiddin' Around".

The Kurt Weill standard "September Song" has attracted many performers through the years and in an instrumental vein, but none surpassed Ray's brilliant conception for the James band-book. The pace and mood of the arrangement is perfect and the superb melody is enhanced by the scoring and by the playing of the orchestra. Harry James liked to play the blues and his version of "East Coast Blues" arranged by Conniff this February 1947 cut is big band blues par excellence. James penned "Friar Rock" and with Ray's assistance he wrote "Redigal Jump". "The Last Mile", a very attractive Conniff melody is the penultimate item in this collection and wraps up the James-Conniff sides neatly. Competing with "September Song" for the best Conniff arrangement is "S'Wonderful".. Ray Conniff excelled himself with his inspired treatment of "S'Wonderful.