The Intimate Miss Christy is a 1963 album by June Christy.

Review by Nick Dedina

On June Christy's excellent run of albums for Capitol Records the vocalist was most often backed by Pete Rugolo's complex orchestral charts or by small, freewheeling jazz groups led by her husband, Bob Cooper. So The Intimate Miss Christy is a special treat for her fans as it finds the cool blonde singer backed only by Al Viola's guitar and Don Bagley's bass (though a flutist sits in on a few tracks). This guitar/bass-only approach was first popularized by Julie London and went on to be utilized by many other singers during this era. The backing not only suits the laid-back, cool jazz approach of June Christy perfectly, but it also means that the singer is never forced to strain too hard, as she sometimes did when working with the experimentally inclined Pete Rugolo...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rmjf374xxUM&list=OLAK5uy_nBUJByWmYxvR8rjELOJsavIZ21qtuCgTk&index=1

#JuneChristy #VocalJazz #Jazz #Music #AlViola #BudShank #JazzFlute

Welcomed sleep and greeted the new day after my swim with Guitars Vol 2 by Al Viola released in 1959 on Liberty.

"...hard-earned versatility is reflected in these late-50s recordings, in which he is a one-man guitar orchestra, performing and arranging all the parts himself. He recorded the rhythm and bass guitars separately on one tape for the basic rhythmic pattern.

On another, the amplified or gut-stringed guitars were used for fills (in which the guitars were the equivalent of a brass, string or reed section). The first two tapes were then combined and the single-fingered solos were added on a third tape. Viola put them all together with judicious balancing, and gave each of the twelve standards its own individual treatment, with varied instruments used to provide the special effects. The fruit of his hard work and unquestioned ability is stunningly revealed in The Guitars."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xGMf6zR6MCw

#alviola #jazzguitar #overdubbing #1959inmusic

Ended yesterday and started today after a swim with Guitars by Al Viola released on Liberty in 1959. He was an American jazz guitarist who worked with Frank Sinatra for 25 years. He played the mandolin on the soundtrack of the film The Godfather

"..he is a one-man guitar orchestra, performing and arranging all the parts himself. He recorded the rhythm and bass guitars separately on one tape for the basic rhythmic pattern.

On another, the amplified or gut-stringed guitars were used for fills (in which the guitars were the equivalent of a brass, string or reed section). The first two tapes were then combined and the single-fingered solos were added on a third tape. Viola put them all together with judicious balancing, and gave each of the twelve standards its own individual treatment, with varied instruments used to provide the special effects. The fruit of his hard work and unquestioned ability is stunningly revealed.." Fresh Sounds

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cgFrribGidk

#alviola #jazzguitar #jazz

Al Viola / When You're Smiling

YouTube