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Route 66: That Nelson Riddle Sound
Erich Kunzel, Cincinnati Pops Orchestra
Route 66: That Nelson Riddle Sound
Genres: Jazz, Classical
 
  •  Track Listings (18) - Disc #1

The "Riddle sound" was a launching pad for the most popular singers of the 1950s and early 60s--Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Judy Garland, and Nat "King" Cole. Like the Eisenhower era from whence it came, Riddle's arran...  more »

     
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CD Details

All Artists: Erich Kunzel, Cincinnati Pops Orchestra
Title: Route 66: That Nelson Riddle Sound
Members Wishing: 0
Total Copies: 0
Label: Telarc
Original Release Date: 1/25/2000
Release Date: 1/25/2000
Genres: Jazz, Classical
Styles: Swing Jazz, Symphonies
Number of Discs: 1
SwapaCD Credits: 1
UPC: 089408053221

Synopsis

Amazon.com
The "Riddle sound" was a launching pad for the most popular singers of the 1950s and early 60s--Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Judy Garland, and Nat "King" Cole. Like the Eisenhower era from whence it came, Riddle's arrangements were brash but breezy, brimming with an amiable optimism and sense of adventure. Though they were considered music for "swingers," they remained a bit square and sweetly string driven for maximum commercial viability. On Route 66, with horn solos replacing the vocal parts, Riddle's charts fit nicely with the middlebrow savoir faire of Erich Kunzel's Cincinnati Pops. Shiny melodies like "Night and Day" and "Let's Face the Music and Dance" billow and compress with good-natured gusto, while Riddle's dynamic treatments of "I've Got You Under My Skin" and "Get Happy" are given their full range of expression. Listeners familiar with the material will inevitably miss the singers (particularly Sinatra on "Summer Wind"), but the horns nearly compensate, led by former Woody Herman trombonist Jim Pugh and supple tenor saxophonist Ken Peplowski. Finally, Will Friedwald's liner notes eloquently state the case for Riddle's mostly unsung artistry. --Britt Robson

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CD Reviews

Finger snapping, hum along fun
05/31/2000
(4 out of 5 stars)

"Kunzel and Cincinnati Pops have made a terrific CD. They have put an new twist on the swing music of Nelson Riddle, using instrumentals in place of the vocals. I have listened to this one over and over. This is a fun CD."
Go with Nelson playing Riddle arrangements
DJ Rix | NJ USA | 01/13/2009
(2 out of 5 stars)

"It's a fine concept, probably made for a wonderful pops theme concert, & these arrangements would be delightful encores for any orchestra. But it doesn't "get" Nelson Riddle. Riddle's sound was also built on the ace Hollywood studio musicians he used - veterans of the big bands. Riddle was known to tailor arrangements to individual players. Then there was the studio craft of the Capitol Record engineers; in the later recordings that sound featured lots of reverb & a fat bass guitar. Riddle went to the studio with an ear to recording hit instrumental singles, & he had a number of them in addition to many releases that didn't chart. Albums were assembled around them. Everything got the Riddle studio treatment, from classics of the Great American Songbook to TV themes & corny novelties. Riddle was a pop artist. So there's no strong reason to have this album when Riddle's Capitol recordings are available in their original LP form & in compilations."
I think Nelson would be proud of this cd
Philip Scott | U.S.A. | 10/26/2001
(3 out of 5 stars)

"When I read of this project, I was very excited about buying this cd and listening to an updated version of the Nelson Riddle sound. I must say that I have not been disappointed. I feel like who ever did the re-arranging did a good job of remaing as close as possible to Nelsons' sound.I feel like Nelson, where ever he might be, is looking down with a giant smile on his face and saying BRAVO, you did a good job in paying a tribute to me and my music. THANKS A MILLION!Recommendation: Any fan of Nelsons' will have to have this cd, so go on and buy it."