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Billy May was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He played trumpet professionally in big bands such as those of Charlie Barnet starting in 1939, but became best known as a talented arranger. His arrangement of the Ray Noble composition "Cherokee" became a major hit of the swing music era. During the Barnet days May revealed a significant flair for satire on a composition titled "The Wrong Idea" that ridiculed the bland Mickey Mouse style of "safe" big band music with specific musical mockery of bandleader Sammy Kaye known for his swing and sway trademark. May's caustic lyrics to the song called it "swing and sweat with Charlie Barnet".
May worked as an arranger for the bands of Glenn Miller and Les Brown before being hired as staff arranger first for the NBC radio network, then for Capitol Records. His charts often featured brisk tempos and intricate brass parts. One distinctive feature of his style was his frequent use of trumpet mute devices; another, a saxophone glissando widely known as his "slurping saxes". However, May was also an accomplished writer for strings. Good examples of this aspect of his work include his string arrangements for Peggy Lee's "Pretty Eyes" and Nancy Wilson's "Tender Loving Care". Both albums can be found on this blog.
Not much can be said about this album other than it was typical of the brassy big band stuff May was contracted to do for Capitol in the '60s. Apart from "I've Never Been In Love Before" reed "slurping" is conspicuous by its absence which suites me fine. Plenty of biting brass though and the engineers got the stereo just right -- brass right, reeds left and rhythm center. And how about that cover showing Billy, center of attention, teaching the guys a thing or two by parading as a vendor selling chestnuts to the lovely ladies of the cast!
Side 1:
01) The Girls Against The Boys
02) My Darling
03) If I Were A Bell
04) Where Did We Go, Out
05) Guys And Dolls
06) Rich Butterfly
Side 2:
01) Heart
02) Old Fashioned Girl
03) Till There Was You
04) Girls And Boys
05) I've Never Been In Love Before
06) I Gotta Have You
1 comments:
I agree with your comments about this being a middle of the road album, not as good as "plays for fancy dancing" (IMO) but a couple of corkers on this one - Old Fashioned Girl and Guys and Dolls being the two I enjoyed - still 3 out of 5 ain't bad. Mac
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