Feb 18 2025 52 mins
... was the arranger and soloist of the Artie Shaw Bigband in the swing area; there he created his typical sound, which is unique as Glenn Miller, perfectionated with his own orchestra.
Conniff was born November 6, 1916, in Attleboro, Massachusetts, . and learned to... play the trombone from his father. He studied music arranging from a course book.
After serving in the U.S. Army in World War II (where he worked under Walter Schumann), he joined the Artie Shaw big band and wrote many arrangements for him. After his stint with Shaw, he was hired in 1954 by Mitch Miller, head of A&R at Columbia Records, as the label's home arranger, working with several artists including Rosemary Clooney, Marty Robbins, Frankie Laine, Johnny Mathis, Guy Mitchell and Johnnie R. He wrote a top-10 arrangement for Don Cherry's "Band of Gold" in 1955, a single that sold more than a million copi. Among the hit singles Conniff backed with his orchestra (and eventually with a male chorus) were "Yes Tonight Josephine" and "Just Walkin' in the Rain" by Johnnie Ray.
Between 1957 and 1968, Conniff had 28 albums in the American Top 40, the most famous one being Somewhere My Love (1966).
(except Wiki)
These here are some highlights of his career, incl
an excerpt of a rare concert with the RIAS BERLIN BIGBAND,
conducted by Ray Conniff
playing in the typical Ray Conniff treatment:
On the Street Where You Live,
and typical German melodies, incl.:
Berliner Luft
Ich hab mein Herz in Heidelberg verloren
Hoch auf dem gelben Wagen
also at the begining:
Johnnie Ray & Ray Conniff: Yes Tonight Josephine and Just Walking inn the Rain
Somwhere My Love
S' Wonderful
Gentle On My Mind
and very early mono recordings:
Cross Over
Up Above My Head (Johnnie Ray & Frankie Laine)
Walking and Whistling
Playout: Ray Conniff live in concert, Ray sings " My Way"