Customer Reviews

Norman Luboff Remembered

5 star:		(5)
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3 star:		(2)
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1 star:		(1)

 

 

...I want to thank Almeda and Jackson Berkey for helping to keep Norman's legacy alive and Soli Deo Gloria Cantorum is wonderful.

This CD is a Nebraska product, and a fine one it is! The director of the choir, Almeda Berkey, has combined with her husband, composer and professional pianist, Jackson, to produce this nostalgic look at the wonderful arrangements of their former mentor and employer, Norman Luboff. The liner notes in the accompanying booklet tell of the surprising association of Omaha's Chip Davis as a singer in the Luboff choir, along with Almeda. The choir is superb, well balanced, displaying beautiful voices and a thoroughly professional sound equal to that any of the Luboff choirs on the twelve LPs this author owns...Good variety in programming is a plus, as folk songs, pop songs, folk hymns and spirituals are all presented. Congratulations to the Berkeys, Recording Engineer Clete Baker and all involved on a first-rate recording!"

1000 word review for Amazon:
"...Clearly a labor of love. The disc, a superb tribute to a man who gave so much to so many, groups some of Luboff's best-loved arrangements...performed on this recording by...singers who toured and performed with Luboff for more than a decade. The choir is led by an insightful Almeda Berkey and is accompanied with sensitivity by Jackson Berkey. The Berkeys, who met at a Luboff choral workshop, credit him as a primary influence on their musical careers.

The arrangements are quintessential Luboff, thick and rich in texture and harmony. The liner notes provide a wealth of information about each song....A `hidden' track, Underwater Mandolins, illustrates the joie de vivre that Luboff bequeathed to his singers...Chip Davis, composer for Mannheim Steamroller, also contributes his recollections of Norman Luboff. Norman Luboff Remembered is a powerful reminder of Luboff's love for his art and his fellow man, and his profound influence upon generations of musicians."

March 2003 Choral Journal
American Choral Directors Association

Absolutely beautiful!!! So taken with it! Absolutely gorgeousl!!!

Betty Davis
(mother of Mannheim Steamroller's Chip Davis)

I agree with the first reviewer. At age 56, I heard these guys live, and the arrangements were sublime. The vocals were amazing. Here, the instruments almost drown out the choir! Perhaps the pianist and bass player were relatives of the producer?? I would recommend almost any other Luboff CD over this one, even the ones reproduced with pops and hisses from the LP.

"Colorado Trail" is OK. "Shenandoah", one of the Choir's signature songs, is totally messed up.

Very disappointing, I'm sorry.

Just close your eyes and listen to Almeda Berkey's masterful direction of Soli Deo Gloria Cantorum through amazing crescendos and phrasing that lift you up and take you back to the sounds of the Norman Luboff Choir. This CD is glorious! I love "Dream" and "Fools Rush In" and the wonderful variety of music, from Folk songs to Jazz to Gospel to Oldies. Jackson Berkey's addition of piano and instrumental accompaniment is unbeatable as usual.
LOVE THIS CD!!!

A very poor recording,almost amateurish. The voices seem to be adequate but the recording is so poor it is difficult to tell. This recording goes into my "I heard it once and that's enough" pile. The purchase was a mistake.

As a Norman Luboff Choir fan, I was extremely pleased to hear that a modern high fidelity remake was available of some of Mr. Luboff's works. Thank you to Mr. Berkey for resurrecting Mr. Luboff. I hope more discs are in the works or planned without the following shortcoming.

Unfortunately, the disc was disappointing because of what may appear to some to be a silly reason but not to me. The recording engineer probably did everything right except establish the presence of the choir relative to the instruments. Listen to a Norman Luboff Choir vinyl album or re-release on CD to hear what I mean.

In the original records, the choir is acoustically featured while in this CD, it's just another choir with equal emphasis placed on the orchestra. I hope that in future releases if any, the producer demands the same emphasis be placed on the choir voices as was originally applied in the recordings. After all, it is the Norman Luboff Choir voices I want to hear.