I haven't been able to accomplish much recently due to a faltering computer (not to mention its faltering operator), but I did get this enjoyable set by Les Brown in the can.It's organized around colors, a common motif for record sets then and now. The most common theme over the years has probably been travel, followed by colors and women's names, I would guess.
So no prize for originality, nor are the song choices anything special, although "Red Wing" and "Azure" aren't all that well known.
But, as I said, the program is a good one, played by Brown's superb band, which was a working unit at the time, I believe. Among the soloists are pianist Jeff Clarkson and guitarist Tony Rizzi; the featured tenor sax is probably Dave Pell, and the trombonist is likely Dick Noel.
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| Frank Comstock |
The smooth arrangements are by Frank Comstock, who had been on Brown's staff for a few years and then continued to write for him for many years thereafter. Comstock later made some LPs under his own name, backed the Hi-Los and other singers on their records, and wrote and arranged for films and television (I fondly remember his Rocky and Bullwinkle themes.)
This set dates from 1951 and is Brown's first LP (a 10-incher) on Coral, which he had joined from Columbia. I transferred two of his Columbia LPs previously, which can be found here and here. The sound on the Coral disc is vivid.
LINK to remastered version in ambient stereo (June 2025)
