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Betty Johnson - the Bell Recordings
Betty Johnson was not among the most famous vocalists of the 1950s, but she was popular on radio and television and made many good records.Today's post collects her first 15 pop recordings, made for...
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Mitzi
When Verve issued her first LP in 1959, Mitzi Gaynor was so well known that the only name necessary on the cover was "Mitzi." (The striking cover photo helped identify her as well.) The famed...
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Remembering Jack Jones
Considering that Jack Jones has long been one of my favorite singers, his neglect on this blog is a bit odd - just one post devoted to him, four years ago.Now I will make amends with two more of his...
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A Schubert Mass from St. Paul
When Nonesuch issued this recording of Schubert's A flat Mass in 1977, it had no competition in the catalog. The composer's liturgical works just weren't all that popular - or even known - back then.So...
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More from the Spencer-Hagen Orchestra
Herbert Spencer and Earle HagenBack in 2018, I devoted a post to the Spencer-Hagen Orchestra, a lush orchestral outfit started by two veterans of the Hollywood studios - Herbert W. Spencer and Earle...
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The Charles Ives Sesquicentennial
The 150th anniversary of Charles Ives' birth was just a few weeks ago. This post revisits the many early recordings of his music that have appeared here over the years.The sound of all the six LPs has...
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Patricia Travers' Final Recording
This disc in Columbia's Modern American Music Series of the early 1950s is significant not only for the music it contains (works by Paul Bowles and Norman Dello Joio) but because it represents the...
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Lee Wiley - The RCA Victor Recordings
If you asked me to choose my favorite Lee Wiley records, her various circa 1940 songbooks would be the winners. But these 1956-57 discs would not be far behind.Today's post includes all the 26 songs...
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Hanson Conducts Piston, Riegger, Hovhaness and Cowell
Howard HansonComposer-conductor Howard Hanson was legendary for his devotion to American music, as exemplified in the "American Music Festival Series" of LPs he conducted for Mercury in the...
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Helen Ward - 1950s Recordings
Helen Ward (1916-98) was a very good singer who made her name with the Benny Goodman band, then worked to regain that prominence for the rest of her career.This post is devoted to songs she recorded in...
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A Homesick Thanksgiving
We have another one of Dave Federman's holiday compilations for you today, this one called "A Homesick Thanksgiving."Let me mention that Dave has included a bountiful 45 selections in this collection....
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Jack Jones at Christmas
Many listeners - me included - enjoyed the Jack Jones albums I posted recently. So let's start off the Christmas season with a survey of Jack's holiday records. The post will encompass four sets, as...
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Christmas in Coventry Cathedral
This fine album comes from Coventry Cathedral and 1986. It contains a fairly typical program for an English cathedral choir, but is nonetheless notable because it is well performed and recorded despite...
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Eddie Fisher and Tennessee Ernie - 1954 Christmas Seals Shows, Plus Celeb Promos
The Christmas Seals people had an active promotional program for many years that included special programs that they would send to radio stations, hoping for airtime. Today we'll hear two of the 1954...
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Schütz's Beautiful 'Christmas Story'
The Christmas Story by Heinrich Schütz (1585-1672) is a glorious work from the early Baroque period, here, appropriately enough, performed by the Heinrich Schütz Choir and a starry group of singers and...
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Christmas with Kaempfert
Records by the German arranger-composer Bert Kaempfert (1923-80) are by no means unusual, but I did want to present this one because it is a favorite of mine.Admittedly, it's a nostalgic choice. Bert...
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Two Views of Britten's 'Ceremony of Carols'
Benjamin BrittenBenjamin Britten wrote his A Ceremony of Carols in 1942, for boys' voices and harp. Today we have two recordings of this gorgeous work, from two distinguished choirs - the women's...
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Hanukkahmas 2024
Here from the indefatigable Dave Federman is his contribution to the holiday season - 46 tracks in all. And here's Dave to introduce the proceedings:Thankfully, Christmas and Hanukkah coincide this...
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Ray Anthony, Billy Eckstine and Christmas Seals for 1954 and 1957
A Christmas Seals appeal from 1954Here's a second set of holiday materials from the Christmas Seals people, from both 1954 and 1957. From the former year, we have bandleader Ray Anthony in a Christmas...
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A 18th Century Czech Christmas
A Prague staging of Ryba's Christmas MassThe most famous Czech musical tradition for the holiday is Jakub Jan Ryba's Christmas Mass, an enchanting work dating from 1796 that is still widely...
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