A versatile and commercially successful composer, arranger, and producer, Alan Lorber has had a hand in thousands of recordings, ranging from pop (Neil Sedaka's "Breaking Up Is Hard to Do," Mike Clifford's "Close to Cathy") to R&B (Chuck Jackson's "I Wake Up Crying," Jackie Wilson's "Baby Workout") to psychedelic rock (Ultimate Spinach,... [+] Read More

A versatile and commercially successful composer, arranger, and producer, Alan Lorber has had a hand in thousands of recordings, ranging from pop (Neil Sedaka's "Breaking Up Is Hard to Do," Mike Clifford's "Close to Cathy") to R&B (Chuck Jackson's "I Wake Up Crying," Jackie Wilson's "Baby Workout") to psychedelic rock (Ultimate Spinach, Orpheus). He was busiest throughout the 1960s and wasn't merely a hired hand. In 1964, for instance, he put together the Mugwumps, a group notable for having featured future members of the Mamas & the Papas and the Lovin' Spoonful. (Lorber produced the latter's first Top Ten single, "Do You Believe in Magic.") During the late '60s, he established and developed the Boston (or Bosstown) Sound, a marketing concept that morphed into a full-blown rock scene. He has also released many of his own recordings, beginning with 1967's The Lotus Palace -- an orchestral pyschedelic album, consisting mostly of pop covers, that incorporated Indian music -- and continuing through the early 2000s, with a prolific run of releases credited to Alan Lorber 21st Century Orchestra. ~ Andy Kellman [-] Hide

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Bandleader Dick Jurgens was a prominent figure in the sweet style of swing music, achieving his greatest popularity in the late '30s and early '40s. He was credited with co-writing several hit songs, among them "Careless," "Elmer's Tune," and "One Dozen Roses." The son of Dietrich Heinrich Jurgens and the former Clara Matilda Erath, Jurgens... [+] Read More

Bandleader Dick Jurgens was a prominent figure in the sweet style of swing music, achieving his greatest popularity in the late '30s and early '40s. He was credited with co-writing several hit songs, among them "Careless," "Elmer's Tune," and "One Dozen Roses." The son of Dietrich Heinrich Jurgens and the former Clara Matilda Erath, Jurgens showed an early interest in music, studying with Henry E. Marvin, Robert Fenton, and Harry Wills. He was dismissed from his high school orchestra for playing popular music and jazz, but that only encouraged him to organize his own dance orchestra, which he first did in 1928 while still in high school. (He always worked closely with his brother, Will Jurgens, who eventually became his personal manager.) In 1933, he graduated from Sacramento Junior College (he also attended the University of California at Berkeley) and immediately turned to bandleading full-time, earning his first important engagement at the St. Francis Hotel in San Francisco. He was signed to newly formed Decca Records and had his first recording session on October 22, 1934. Singer Eddy Howard, who would be an important part of Jurgens' band during his 1934-40 tenure with it, first recorded with him on the 1935 Decca single "The Martinique."

From the mid-'30s to the early '40s, the Jurgens band played extended residences at such venues as the Casino Ballroom on Catalina Island in southern California, the Elitch Gardens in Denver, and the Aragon and Trianon ballrooms in Chicago, all bastions of sweet swing music. By 1938, Jurgens was recording for the Vocalion label, and in 1939 he began to make some impact as a record seller, first getting into the rankings on the Your Hit Parade radio show that October with "It's a Hundred to One You're in Love With Me" (co-written by Jurgens and band member Ronnie Kemper), which featured Howard on vocals. Jurgens, Howard, and band arranger Lew Quadling collaborated on "Careless," which they submitted to the Irving Berlin publishing company. The story goes that Berlin didn't like the lyrics, but hesitated to offend a major bandleader, so he wrote new words without taking credit. The Jurgens band recorded the song with Howard on vocals, but their version was outpaced by a cover recorded by the vastly more popular Glenn Miller -- not the last time such a thing would occur -- and no problem for Jurgens, who pocketed the publishing income. Meanwhile, Jurgens was scoring his biggest hit yet with a song he did not write, "In an Old Dutch Garden (By an Old Dutch Mill)," which, with another Howard vocal, spent 11 weeks on the hit parade starting in February 1940. Howard then left the band to start his own outfit, but Jurgens found a worthy replacement in Harry Cool, who sang on the band's next hit parade entry, "A Million Dreams Ago" (music and lyrics by Jurgens, Howard, and Quadling) in October. (The single also marked the band's switch to OKeh Records.) The same month, Jurgens got into the best-seller charts with an instrumental recording of another song he had co-written, "Elmer's Tune" (music also by Elmer Albrecht). Once again, Glenn Miller outdid him, taking a vocal recording that featured Ray Eberle and the Modernaires all the way to number one, and, once again, Jurgens had no reason to complain; he had even responded to Miller's request by hiring Sammy Gallop to write lyrics. He and Harry Cool were back in the hit parade in November with "The Bells of San Raquel," and the band scored another chart entry in April 1942 with "Happy in Love" (which marked a switch to Columbia Records). But Jurgens' biggest song on Your Hit Parade came with "One Dozen Roses" (music by Jurgens and Walter Donovan, lyrics by Roger Lewis and Country Washburn), which was sung by Buddy Moreno. Premiering on the radio show in May 1942, it rose to number one in July and stayed on the chart for 14 weeks.

Arguably, Jurgens was at the peak of his career in mid-1942. Just then, the recording ban by the American Federation of Musicians prevented him from making further recordings, and at the same time, he disbanded and joined the U.S. Marine Corps to participate in World War II. He remained with the service through the end of the war in 1945, serving as musical director for Marine shows. He reorganized his band in 1946 and went back to work, albeit in a musical climate that was less conducive to his kind of musical approach. Nevertheless, he continued recording for Columbia through the early 1950s, later switching to Mercury. From July to September 1948, he had a half-hour weekly radio berth on CBS, the Summer Spotlight Revue. He married Miriam Davidson on December 6, 1948.

As the popularity of swing diminished, he continued leading his band until 1956, when he gave it up and started an electronics business in Colorado Springs, CO with his brother, though he continued to perform occasionally at the local Broadmoor Country Club. In 1965, he relocated to California and began to make occasional appearances. By the late '60s he had reformed his band, and he played with it part-time until 1976, even making some new recordings in the early '70s. Then he left the music business again, returning home to Sacramento, where he got into real estate. In 1986, he sold the rights to his band's name to singer Don Ring. He died of cancer at 85. ~ William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide [-] Hide

French composer/conductor Paul Mauriat is a classically trained musician who decided to pursue a career in popular music. His first major success came in 1962, as a co-writer of the European hit, "Chariot." In 1963, the song was given English lyrics, renamed "I Will Follow Him," and became a number one American hit for Little Peggy March.... [+] Read More

French composer/conductor Paul Mauriat is a classically trained musician who decided to pursue a career in popular music. His first major success came in 1962, as a co-writer of the European hit, "Chariot." In 1963, the song was given English lyrics, renamed "I Will Follow Him," and became a number one American hit for Little Peggy March. Mauriat is best remembered for his 1968 worldwide smash, "Love Is Blue."

Mauriat's ancestors were all classical musicians and he originally planned to follow in their footsteps, studying the music as a child and enrolling in the Conservatoire in Paris when he was ten years old. As a teenager, he became infatuated with jazz and popular music, which made him stray from his initial career path. At the age of 17, he formed an orchestra and began touring concert halls throughout Europe. These concerts earned him the attention of vocalist/songwriter Charles Aznavour, who hired Mauriat as an arranger and conductor. Through Aznavour, he began working with a variety of other French artists. For the remainder of the '40s and the '50s, he worked primarily as an arranger for other musicians.

Mauriat began a solo career in the early '60s, recording a series of instrumental albums that were distinguished by their sweeping, melodic strings and gently insistent contemporary rhythms. Using the pseudonym Del Roma, he co-wrote "Chariot" which became a hit for Petula Clark in 1962. The following year, the song was given a new, English lyric by Arthur Altman and Norman Gimbel and recorded by Little Peggy March as "I Will Follow Him"; it became a number one hit in the U.S.

Throughout the '60s, Mauriat continued to record his pop instrumental albums, which became more popular as the decade progressed. His popularity peaked in 1968, when his version of "L'Amour Est Bleu" ("Love Is Blue"), which was Luxembourg's submission to the 1963 Eurovision Song contest, became an international hit, reaching number one on a number of charts, including America. The single was supported by Blooming Hits, an album that featured a selection of '60s pop hits; the album was massively popular and it is estimated that it sold in excess of two million copies worldwide. Mauriat became an international recording star, touring North and Latin America, Europe and Japan, and making television appearances in several countries.

Although Mauriat's popularity dipped in the early '70s -- he only had two other U.S. hit singles, "Love in Every Room" and "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang," which were both minor -- he continued to sell respectably thorughout the world, particularly in Europe. He continued recording into the '80s. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine & Kenneth M. Cassidy, All Music Guide [-] Hide

The lushest of all Conniff albums, this one features the theme from Dr. Zhivago. ~ Cub Koda, All Music Guide

The lushest of all Conniff albums, this one features the theme from Dr. Zhivago. ~ Cub Koda, All Music Guide [-] Hide

Not as well-known as his older brother, Larry Adler, Jerry Adler has had a successful career as one of the rare virtuosos of the harmonica. In addition to his performing, the younger Adler has scored themes for such well-known films as Shane, The Juggler, and The James Dean Story, and has worked with numerous TV and show personalities. This... [+] Read More

Not as well-known as his older brother, Larry Adler, Jerry Adler has had a successful career as one of the rare virtuosos of the harmonica. In addition to his performing, the younger Adler has scored themes for such well-known films as Shane, The Juggler, and The James Dean Story, and has worked with numerous TV and show personalities. This album has Adler in his favorite venue, performing with a symphony orchestra, this time the Abilene Philharmonic, before a large, appreciative audience. The play list reveals the scope of his repertoire, running the gamut from well-known patriotic songs through classic standards to blues and jazz pieces, and even offering a nod to the classical with an excerpt from "Rhapsody in Blue." A showman as well as virtuoso, he has the audience's attention when he holds his breath for what seems like forever during the playing of the "Al Jolson Medley" and as he gives and takes with the Philharmonic's clarinet, which seems to be his favorite instrument to work with. The orchestra's lead clarinetist does very well in accommodating his/her playing to Adler's on such cuts as "Sophisticated Lady." Sometimes Adler has the full orchestra backing him. But most tracks are more intimate presentations, with just a small group drawn from the Philharmonic members, giving the playing a jazzy feel. This gambit is used to great effect on such tunes as "Our Love Is Here to Stay" and "Mood Indigo." Here and elsewhere, the mouth organ master demonstrates his facility for moving between octaves, apparently using the chromatic harmonica, which has two sets of reeds. Unlike his brother's extensive discography, this release is Adler's first as a soloist. But it is a very good one and worth having. ~ Dave Nathan, All Music Guide [-] Hide

Featuring most of his biggest hits, including "Somewhere, My Love" and "Love Is a Many Splendored Thing," 16 Most Requested Songs offers a good overview of Ray Conniff's career. Though it isn't as comprehensive as some other discs, it is easy to find and has a representative track selection, making it a good introduction to Conniff. ~ Stephen...

Featuring most of his biggest hits, including "Somewhere, My Love" and "Love Is a Many Splendored Thing," 16 Most Requested Songs offers a good overview of Ray Conniff's career. Though it isn't as comprehensive as some other discs, it is easy to find and has a representative track selection, making it a good introduction to Conniff. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide [-] Hide

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Conductor-arranger Percy Faith made his greatest direct impact on popular music during the 1950's, and fully half of this 16 song collection represents the highlights of his output from that decade, from the spritely "Swedish Rhapsody" and "Moulin Rouge" through his instrumental of "A Summer Place." Highlights of this very nicely mastered... [+] Read More

Conductor-arranger Percy Faith made his greatest direct impact on popular music during the 1950's, and fully half of this 16 song collection represents the highlights of his output from that decade, from the spritely "Swedish Rhapsody" and "Moulin Rouge" through his instrumental of "A Summer Place." Highlights of this very nicely mastered compilation include "Delicado," which features Stan Freeman's rippling harpsichord, and the ethereal "Baubles, Bangles and Beads" . Faith and other makers of pop instrumental music were put on the defensive by rock 'n roll, to the point of fighting a rear guard action in the 1960's, but it had its virtues -- the articulation of the individual instrumental voices is rather bracing for the listener who can appreciate those attributes, and Faith does manage to capture the essence of the original material, no more so than in "A Summer Place." One of Max Steiner's final triumphs as a composer, the instrumental came to richer, more vibrant life in Faith's hands, so much so that the composer relinquished the baton to Faith at a recorded live performance in 1963. The 60's material here is more uneven -- "I Will Follow You," adapted from the Petula Clark/Peggy March hit, fares very nicely in the hands of Faith's string section, reeds, and winds. "The Girl From Ipanema" is nothing to write home about, however, and it's clear by the mid-1960's the conductor-arranger was selling tracks like "MacArthur Park" by emphasizing sides of the song that were markedly different from their chart hit renditions. The sound is superb and the annotation is excellent, although one wishes that more information about specific songs were included. ~ Bruce Eder, All Music Guide [-] Hide