Ray Conniff: Hey (AMAZING VIDEO!!!)

[JSngry]

So many parallel universes peacefully coexisting here, none of the even remotely relevant to or even approximately similar to mine (or maybe yours either?).... the mind reels at the ability of the universe to host all this.....this at once...

[Dave James]

At this specific point in time, it's possible that Julio Iglesius was the most uncomfortable man in the world.

[chewy-chew-chew-bean-benitez]

for such conservative music ray sure looks pretty liberal....

[Larry Kart]

Profoundly frightening. The CIA could have used this instead of waterboarding. The passage of time excruciatingly almost ceases (Iglesias clearly feels that to be the case; he's like a trapped animal).

Who did Ray's hair?

IIRC he played some pretty good trombone solos with Artie Shaw.

[marcello]

At this specific point in time, it's possible that Julio Iglesius was the most uncomfortable man in the world.

I'm sure that Julio was thinking: "I wonder how many of these backup singers can fit in my jet and take back to my home at Star Island?".

When they started the first song, I thought they were going into "Greasy", by Walter Davis Jr.!

[Brad]

What's scary is that you were surfing for Ray Coniff

[jazztrain]

Conniff did some nice writing and arranging for Shaw as well. Check out, for example, Just Kiddin' Around, Kasbah, Lucky Number, and especially Lament. Lament is superb.

Conniff is also quite good on a small group Art Hodes session for Blue Note.

I remember being surprised repeatedly over the years that the same Ray Conniff who I avoided like the plague due to the string of easy listening records by the Ray Conniff Singers played a fine trombone and helped create some memorable sides with Shaw.

Profoundly frightening. The CIA could have used this instead of waterboarding. The passage of time excruciatingly almost ceases (Iglesias clearly feels that to be the case; he's like a trapped animal).

Who did Ray's hair?

IIRC he played some pretty good trombone solos with Artie Shaw.

[DMP]

My introduction to Billy Butterfield was on one of those Columbia Conniff LP's (which has been reissued on CD, hard to believe), a lot of shuffle rhythms and wordless vocals. Anyone have any good Butterfield recommendations?

[alocispepraluger102]

My introduction to Billy Butterfield was on one of those Columbia Conniff LP's (which has been reissued on CD, hard to believe), a lot of shuffle rhythms and wordless vocals. Anyone have any good Butterfield recommendations?

likewise-i think it was called BRASIL--

lovely cover.

i have it here somewhere.

[jazztrain]

There are four LPs on Essex that have Butterfield leading a small group:

Billy Butterfield at Princeton

Billy Butterfield Goes to N.Y.U.

Billy Butterfield At Amherst

Billy Butterfield At Rutgers

Despite their titles, some of us suspect that they are all from the same concert.

There also was a duo recording that he made with Dick Wellstood (originally on 77, reissued elsewhere on cd).

For earlier material, hep issued a cd (Pandora's Box) of sides by his big band from 1946 and 1947.

My introduction to Billy Butterfield was on one of those Columbia Conniff LP's (which has been reissued on CD, hard to believe), a lot of shuffle rhythms and wordless vocals. Anyone have any good Butterfield recommendations?

[DMP]

Thanks! I'll look for some of those!

[BruceH]

Actually, in a weird way I kinda liked that.

[JSngry]

What's scary is that you were surfing for Ray Coniff

Not exactly....I was blog-cruising & this one "lounge legends" blog that I always check out just for the oft-bizarre album covers had this video embedded, so I watched it. It's every bit as freaky-surreal as that one with the Russian guy singing the syllables, I think. Nothing about it is real, and yet....there it is anyway!

The mix of awe, terror, laughter, and befuddlement this video stirs in me is indescribable.

[Ted O'Reilly]

My introduction to Billy Butterfield was on one of those Columbia Conniff LP's (which has been reissued on CD, hard to believe), a lot of shuffle rhythms and wordless vocals. Anyone have any good Butterfield recommendations?

That's "Conniff Meets Butterfield"... Really good trumpet work with just a rhythm section; for the most part, and great tunes.

I think I learned a whole bunch of great standards and not-so-standards, by listening to Ray Conniff's earliest (mid-50s) albums like S'Wonderful / S'Marvellous / S'Awful Nice, etc. He started doing covers of current pop stuff in the '60s, but the earlier LPs were very good orchestra albums, an extension of the big band era. In fact, Billy Butterfield was usually his lead trumpeter, and his drummer was usually Osie Johnson!

Don't knock Conniff in front of me...grrrrr

[.:.impossible]

"i'm one handsome bastard."

[Harold_Z]

There's an Art Hodes Blue Note date with Ray Coniff blowing some solid tailgate. IIRC Max Kaminsky and Rod Cless complete the front line. Good stuff! It's on the Mosaic Hodes set and I have a blue note 45 that came in a cardboard jacket with a session photo as the cover.

Coniff is a fine musician - he just took the commercial route when it became an option. An option that many musicians wish they could have.

[Teasing the Korean]

Parts of it reminded me of 70s Euro-sleeze that I love so dearly, but it never quite reached the heights of, say, Horst Jankowski's MPS albums or Paul Mauriat, to say nothing of Michel Colombier.

[crisp]

Do any of the Conniff fans (I know there aren't many) on here know what this is?

The label is listed as Masterworks, which should be Sony, but on Amazon.de it's Pid, on Amazon.fr it's Mis. I just want to make sure it's not one of those Andorran/EU public domain monstrosoties before I order.

[JSngry]

his drummer was usually Osie Johnson!

I missed this the first time around. For real? Osie Johnson? I've long wondered who that was playing on those records, the drumming always had a little "personality".

[JSngry]

Do any of the Conniff fans (I know there aren't many) on here know what this is?

The label is listed as Masterworks, which should be Sony, but on Amazon.de it's Pid, on Amazon.fr it's Mis. I just want to make sure it's not one of those Andorran/EU public domain monstrosoties before I order.

Looks like it might be...

http://www.systemrecords.co.uk/advanced_search_result.php?manufacturers_id=23606

[crisp]

Yeah, but only four releases and one is of Universal material (the Billie Holiday), whereas Conniff is Sony. It's beginning to look a lot like PD...

But, Osie Johnson. Yes, that's interesting. Most of Conniff's sides end with the same drum lick. Interesting if it's him doing them.