Mosura 1961

Passport To Romance (1956). Come aboard the S.S. Percy Faith for a simulated cruise to the romantic and exotic sites of Europe via Passport to Romance and its 12 orchestral pop instrumentals. Faith, our musical tour guide, leads us through the bright, enticing scenery of the Old World, pointing out tourist attractions with one hand while conducting his orchestra with the other. You'll see the "Heart of Paris," see "The Portuguese Washerwomen" at work, and enjoy a fine "Madeira." Passport to Romance was Faith's first charting album, and made use of the extended format to create a theme of travel in music, which later became a hallmark of 101 Strings albums. Faith's orchestrations are cheerful and varied, evoking sunny days and happy times; the music conjures film images of cafés, gondola rides, and tango dancers…

The fourth studio album from the Ventures, 1961's Colorful Ventures was the first in a long line of releases the band built around album title themes. Here the theme is colors, and so listeners get such songs as "Blue Moon," "Yellow Jacket," "Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White," and so on. Conceptual themes aside, the album featured more of the group's recognizable instrumental rock & roll, surf rock, and country twang.

Arranged by Billy May, Come Swing with Me! was Frank Sinatra's final swing session for Capitol Records. The album falls somewhere between the carefree Come Fly with Me and the hard-swinging Come Dance with Me!, borrowing elements of the humor of Fly and the intense, driving rhythms of Dance. Recorded without strings or saxes, the brass-heavy sound of the album was noticeable, but it wasn't nearly as distinctive as the ping-ponging stereo effects of the album…

The title of this album is misleading for, although Cannonball Adderley produced the session, no "tribute" takes place. Adderley could always recognize talent and he was wise to get the veteran tenor Don Byas (who had not recorded since 1955) back on record. Teamed in Paris with trumpeter Idrees Sulieman, pianist Bud Powell, bassist Pierre Michelot and drummer Kenny Clarke, Byas proved to be in prime form on a variety of jazz standards including "Just One of Those Things," "Cherokee" and "Jeannine."