Customer Reviews

Dance the Bop / En Espanol

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In 1957, the bop was a "Hot teen-age dance". Ray Conniff had been making waves with his new style of music for a couple of years. It's too bad that "DANCE TO THE BOP" didn't make it big when it was first released by COLUMBIA RECORDS, but this re-issue is better than I remember. This swingin' collection is still very danceable and it's obvious that Conniff got his inspiration from Country, Rock'n Roll and Rhythm and blues of the era. Ray's trombone is heard throughout the arrangements and he can be heard (on a couple of cuts) singing with his own playing. This effect produced a new and fascinating tonal color for the era that is still very vivid today. This CD also included Conniff "En Espanol". This album was recorded in Mexico in 1966. It's fun to hear "Days Of Wine And Roses" in Spanish. What sells this CD are the first 12 cuts. I recommend this CD highly to anyone that loved the early Conniff sound.

DANCE THE BOP IS TOPS! Ray did his share to influence the musical tastes of teenagers in the late 1950s and this C.D. is a tribute to those efforts! Very pleasant to listen to after 47 years. En Espanol is also a delight to hear the Spanish version of some of Conniff's early works! Great stuff!!

Dance The Bop, the first album on this CD, is not bad at all, but as a whole, it sounds generic and repetitive. It's a 50's dance record, antiquated, but still mildly enjoyable. Conniff wrote all the songs for Dance The Bop, some of which are funky in a 50's way. But, it's no lost classic. En Espanol is much, much better. I thoroughly enjoyed it. He used Mexican singers with wonderful voices: the guys panned far left, girls on the right. This is a simple and clear vocal arrangement that I wish he'd used more often on other records. I didn't understand much of the Spanish, but it doesn't matter - it's all beautifully sung, and the songs are mostly recognizable standards with Spanish titles. 'Days Of Wine And Roses' is a standout; it has a remarkable, somewhat jazzy vocal arrangement that really knocked me out. It's one of the best songs I've ever heard Conniff do, and it alone is worth the price of the CD. En Espanol is a wonderful record, but it probably shouldn't have been paired with Dance The Bop. Be that as it is, you can't go wrong with this CD if you are a fan of sophisticated vocal arranging.