Customer Reviews

And All That Jazz

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If you're looking for the definitive West Coast Cool instrumental and vocal sound of the 1950's, go no further. This is it. The Gene Puerling vocal arrangements, mixed with Marty Paitch's instrumental arrangements define, while perfectly complementing one another, the idiom you seek. The Hi Lo's had a reputation for not missing a note of Puerling's sometimes complex voicings. Listen to this album, and you'll hear why. They are flawless. Paitch's choice of musicians, and notes, is a study in correct. They came to the date to create a classic, and that's what they did.
TONY HOROWITZ

I had this in LP form as a kid, and man, did it swing. What a great, great record. Too bad it's unavailable, because I'd love to hear it again. The Hi-Los are backed here by the incomparable Marty Paich Dek-Tette, who provide the perfect accompaniments. If memory serves me, the tunes include some well-known stuff like Hoagy Carmichael and Frank Loesser's "Small Fry," the Gershwins' "Fascinatin' Rhythm," and "Something's Comin'" from West Side Story, as well as lesser known gems such as "Love Locked Out," "Then I'll Be Tired of You" and "Moon-Faced, Starry-Eyed," a wonderfully catchy tune by Kurt Weill and Langston Hughes from the 1940's musical, Street Scene. The Hi-Los were unique for their impeccable vocal skills both individually and as an ensemble, and for the interesting way they arranged their music. The modern male harmony group Take Six owes a huge debt to the Hi-Los. I'm a big fan of Take Six, and my appreciation of them grows straight out of having heard and loved the Hi-Los first. Note to whoever is holding the rights to this album: Please rerelease it. It's a classic record that deserves to be restored to its rightful place in the ears of appreciative listeners of the American Songbook and 20th vocal and instrumental jazz.