Customer Reviews

Hollywood in Rhythm / Rhapsody in Rhythm

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This 2-on-1 disc features two of Ray Conniff's best instrumental albums. Both were previously issued on their own CDs in 1988 but were deleted a few years ago.

Recorded in 1958, HOLLYWOOD IN RHYTHM never sounded right on Lp. There was something wrong with the mix and the chorus was barely audible. Thirty years later the correct mix was finally released on CD and fans could finally hear the album the way it was supposed to sound. Fortunately, that same mix was used on this reissue.

The album starts with a brassy arrangement of Love Is A Many Splendored Thing which Conniff still performs at concerts. The sound is a bit harsh and it really isn't his best work. The rest of the album is terrific, particularly Easy To Love, Cheek To Cheek, My Heart Stood Still, and Love Letters.

RHAPSODY IN RHYTHM from 1962 is one of the few Ray Conniff albums featuring strings and he did a wonderful job. It is Conniff's favorite album and he considers Malaguena his best arrangement. Listen to Moonlight And Roses, Love Walked In and Kiss Of Fire and you'll wish Ray had recorded more albums with strings.

The CD itself includes the original liner notes and record dates but not the back cover photos from the Lps. As with many Collectables reissues, the pairing is a bit odd but still acceptable given the quality of the albums.

Ray Conniff was recalled to me recently when I heard his music playing at a thatched-roof bar in a small town in backwoods Mexico. The bartender told me Ray Conniff was very popular in Latin America and, after a beer or two, I decided to re-acquire some Conniff music.

Well, Conniff hasn't lost his appeal. This CD consists of two albums from the 1960s. Hollywood in Rhythm is typical Conniff with massed horns, an infectious shuffle beat, and a wordless chorus. The style is unmistakable. Rhapsody in Rhythm is one of the few albums Conniff made with strings and it has a classical, Latin feeling. All, in all I prefer the typical Conniff of Hollywood in Rhythm -- although his version of "Malaguena" on Rhapsody is one of his all time best. It'll make you want to hop up on a table and click your castanets.

Forty years along many of the songs are still irresistible. "Love is a Many Splendored Thing" is indeed splendored as are other standards such as "Cheek to Cheek" and "It Might as Well be Spring" and "Love Walked In." There's hardly a weak song among the 24 here. Ray Conniff's music and unique arrangements hold up well.

Smallchief

Here are two classic Ray Conniff albums from the fertile period of the first decade of his career as an arranger and conductor of popular standards. Hollywood in Rhythm was recorded in 1958, only two years after his first recording sessions as a bandleader in his own right. The feel of the music is much the same as on S'Marvelous, with brass, rhythm section, and wordless chorus--with a special complement of saxophones that would be weeded out of his arrangements in the future. As a friend who was a young adult when these LPs were first issued has said to me, Ray Conniff was great for dancing to and wasn't bad to listen to, either. The 1962 sessions for Rhapsody in Rhythm are more of a listener's treat. This is the only Conniff album I know of that features a full orchestra. The arrangements perhaps do not have the distinctive Conniff sound one is used to, but the total effect is still very engaging. The perky take on Moonlight and Roses is a recording I first heard as a child in the '60's, and it remains an absolute delight. This CD is definitely recommended to people who aren't embarrassed by a full throated take on American popular music.