The Ray Conniff Hi-fi Companion

2015 collection. One of the best trombonists of the big band era, he played with Bunny Berigan and Artie Shaw/Ray Conniff burst onto the 1950s scene with recordings based on the tonal combination of mixed choir with the swing of the big band. This blend of musical colors and textures, women's voices and trumpets, men's voices and trombones, was organized with a geometric precision and really caught the public ear. His debut album " 'S Wonderful", inhabited the USA Top 20 for nine months. His breakthrough had come in 1956, with his arrangement for Don Cherry's hit ballad 'Band Of Gold. ' Conniff substituted a chorus of voices for a string section; they were wordless, purely instrumental, smooth, and an instant success. He went on to arrange many hits for the likes of Guy Mitchell, Marty Robbins, Johnnie Ray and Rosemary Clooney before Columbia gave him the chance to record with his own orchestra.