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... Won't you join me? (Love that version of "Harbor Lights", standard which has been heard in many versions in our series.)
Randy Van Horne and His Swinging Choir
"Clef Dwellers"
https://youtu.be/jDoTFajI32U
https://youtu.be/o69A9cBv-aY
The Los Angeles team of Van Horne and Peirce put this album together,
but unfortunately, Peirce has retired to the music room to listen to
some old Lunceford records and has left me (Van Horne) to do the
liner notes.
As Peanuts Hucko once said (or was it Bumps Myers?), "It don't
mean a thing if it ain't got that swing." Bad grammar, perhaps, but
there's a lot of truth in that old bromide.
Dick Peirce, one of RCA Victor's West Coast recording directors, is.
like myself, a fan of the late Jimmie Lunceford's orchestra. So is Bill
MacDougald, who does the swinging band backgrounds. It isn't surprising,
then, that Jimmie's influence is felt throughout this album.
Music has been defined as a series of tones and rhythmical variations
creating a sound that is pleasing (or otherwise) to the ear. I don't have
any technical definitions, but my viewpoint is that if it swings, I like it.
It's a Good Day — Designed as a closing sign-off for a radio station in
Paduca, Indiana.
The Love Nest — Time for this one to be revived. Maybe this
will help.
Harbor Lights — I feel this really tells a story. You can almost
feel the fog.
Dinah — She's a swingin' chick and she's all dolled up in a
Lunceford outfit.
Stairway to the Stars — Dig that crazy escalator. Seriously,
though, it is a beautiful song and the choir really does it justice.
That Old Gang of Mine — Truly one of the "Good Old Songs."
The arrangement was inspired by a bad case of the hiccups.
Dream of You — Catch that unison in the first eight bars!
Are You Havin' Any Fun — Obviously, we were. If you have an
upstairs neighbor who refuses to drop the other shoe, here's
your chance to get even ... turn up the volume.
Where Are You — Started to be a ballad, but we just couldn't
control it. It had to swing. Tasty trumpet solo by Lou Oberg.
Do It Again — Everybody's doin' it- swingin', I mean. A "Fun Song"
from start to finish. The surprise effect in the second 8 bars
was by Marni Nixon.
It's Only a Paper Moon — Anybody for swingin'? MacDougald
wrote the perfect background.
Just Friends You and me... he and she... we and they...
or, "I'll never love again until next time."
Home — Meanwhile, back at the... All kidding aside
... the word means a lot to me.
-- Randy Van Horne
---------------
Harry Randell Van Horne Jr. (February 10, 1924 – September 26, 2007) was an American singer and musician. Van Horne's musical group, the Randy Van Horne Singers, performed the theme songs for many classic Hanna-Barbera cartoons ...
Harry Randell Van Horne Jr. was born on February 10, 1924, in El Paso, Texas. Van Horne dropped out of high school during World War II and enlisted in the United States Army. He returned to school after the war and attended the Peabody Conservatory of Music in Baltimore, Maryland, and the University of Texas at El Paso to study music.
Randy Van Horne's career began in the late 1940s as a Los Angeles studio musician. He formed his first musical group, the Encores, in the early 1950s with three other musicians. The Encores broke up in the late 1950s.
He went on to create the Randy Van Horne Singers in the late 1950s following the breakup of the Encores. Several members of the Randy Van Horne Singers would eventually become successful solo recording artists, such as Marni Nixon. The group was known for its easy style of music and remained predominantly a studio musical group. However, the Randy Van Horne Singers did make occasional television performances, such as on The Nat King Cole Show in 1957.
The group recorded the theme songs for several high-profile Hanna-Barbera cartoons, including The Flintstones and The Jetsons. They were hired by Hanna-Barbera's music composer, Hoyt Curtin, to complete the theme songs. However, the group also continued to record for commercials and radio station spots and jingles. Many of the jingles were written by Randy Van Horne.
The Randy Van Horne Singers also recorded several albums including Other Worlds Other Sounds in 1958 with Juan García Esquivel, a Latin musician famous for his "space age pop" style of music, and the winter-themed LP Sleighride (1960, Everest).
The Randy Van Horne Singers officially disbanded in the early 1970s but Van Horne reincarnated the group after 2000, which was led by Alan Wilson as of 2018. ... -- W.
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Previously, on Great Instrumental Music ...
https://washingtondc.craigslist.org/nva/rnr/d/are-these-concertos/7776246895.html
https://washingtondc.craigslist.org/nva/rnr/d/latino/7776232384.html
https://washingtondc.craigslist.org/nva/rnr/d/swinging-party/7776229119.html
https://washingtondc.craigslist.org/nva/rnr/d/east-meets-west/7776091322.html
https://washingtondc.craigslist.org/nva/rnr/d/happy-hammond/7775696436.html
.. ... ...
Live your best life: "Increased Listening leads to Increased Enjoyment" ...
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