Since the
Billy May
approach to arranging was often capable of blowing all but the strongest vocalists out of the room, a collection of his studio orchestra's unaccompanied recordings is welcome indeed. The two-disc set
Studio Recordings 1951-1953
reissues 50 sides, most of them closer to
big-band
jazz
than the type of
easy-listening
pop
churned out by
Jackie Gleason
or
Ray Conniff
.
May
's arranging chops were unparalleled, and he compensates for the lack of vocals by adding plenty of parts for the more lyrical of his orchestra voices.
Standards
from the American songbook, such as
"Lulu's Back in Town"
and
"When I Take My Sugar to Tea,"
make for most of the highlights, though originals like
"Mayhem"
"Fat Man Boogie"
illustrate that
's composer skills were impressive as well. ~ John Bush