Review
by Al Campbell
This edition of Lonehill Jazz's two-fer series features a pair of LPs by trumpeter and bandleader Ray Anthony: Plays Steve Allen and Like Wild, originally issued in 1958 and 1959. Collectors should track this down for the four bonus tracks originally released as singles, "Stockholm Blues," "Dreamsville," "The Bunny Hop," and "The Hokey Pokey."
https://www.allmusic.com/album/plays-steve-allen-like-wild-mw0000829745?1638445152222
Biography
by Matt Collar
A popular swing-era trumpeter, Ray Anthony built upon his success with the Glenn Miller Orchestra in the '40s, transitioning into his role as a bandleader and actor in Hollywood during the '50s. Blessed with a big, warm tone and supple, swinging style, Anthony drew favorable comparisons to trumpet icon Harry James and enjoyed decades of success on tour and in the studio. Many of Anthony's post-Miller albums were of the commercial variety and spawned a bevy of hits for the trumpeter, including "The Bunny Hop," "Harbor Lights," "Peter Gunn," and more.
Born Raymond Antonini in Bentleyville, Pennsylvania in 1922, Anthony grew up in a large musical family in Cleveland, Ohio. Introduced to the trumpet by his bandleader father at age five, he progressed quickly and soon joined his family's Antonini Orchestra. By his teens, he was leading his own group and making his professional debut playing with the Al Donahue Orchestra. It was during this period that he caught the attention of trombonist and bandleader Glenn Miller, who hired him as his first-chair trumpeter. From 1940 to 1941, Anthony toured and recorded with Miller, during which time he appeared as a member of the band in the musical film Sun Valley Serenade. He also spent several months with Jimmy Dorsey's big band before enlisting in the Navy during World War II. Stationed in the Pacific, he was assigned to a service band that he led for the duration.
After his discharge in 1946, he formed his own Ray Anthony Orchestra and toured across the United States. In the early '50s, he signed with Capitol Records and achieved almost immediate success with recordings like "The Hokey Pokey" and his most famous song, "The Bunny Hop," which kicked off a dance craze. More hits followed, including a 1952 take on Glenn Miller's "At Last" (from I Remember Glenn Miller) and his hugely popular 1953 version of the Dragnet TV show theme song. Throughout the '50s, Anthony toured often and issued a slew of well-received albums for Capitol. With his popularity came other film and television work, including accepting the musical director position for the TV show Top Tunes and hosting his own short-lived variety show. He also began acting, showing up first as himself in several films, and then taking on character roles such as playing Jimmy Dorsey in The Five Pennies and appearing with his then-wife, actress and legendary sex symbol Mamie Van Doren, in 1958's High School Confidential and 1959's Girls Town.
Although Anthony's acting career waned in the '60s, he remained a popular trumpeter, working regularly on the Las Vegas circuit and releasing a steady stream of mood music albums like Dream Dancing Medley. He also formed the pop-oriented Ray Anthony & His Bookend Revue, which featured the trumpeter flanked by two female singers. During this period he released a handful of pop and rock covers albums, including The Twist, Swim, Swim, C'mon Let's Swim, and the country & western Worried Mind. He kept active throughout the '70s, playing live and releasing yet more albums like Direction '71: My Sweet Lord, which featured an instrumental cover of the George Harrison song.
In the '80s, Anthony was a major proponent of the big-band resurgence, touring alongside other swing icons like Buddy Rich, Les Brown, and Harry James. He also formed an organization that supplied big-band charts to school band programs. Since then, he has remained active, continuing to make live appearances and release albums on his own Aero Space Records label, including 2004's Dream Dancing, Vol. 6: The Sinatra Songbook and 2005's Dream Dancing, Vol. 7: The Harry James Songbook. A longtime friend of the late Hugh Hefner, he regularly performed on New Year's Eve at the Playboy Mansion, and appeared on the E! reality series The Girls Next Door.
https://www.allmusic.com/artist/ray-anthony-mn0000405113/biography
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Revisión
por Al Campbell
Esta edición de la serie de dos discos de Lonehill Jazz incluye un par de LPs del trompetista y director de orquesta Ray Anthony: Plays Steve Allen y Like Wild, publicados originalmente en 1958 y 1959. Los coleccionistas deberían seguir la pista de este disco por los cuatro temas extra publicados originalmente como singles, "Stockholm Blues", "Dreamsville", "The Bunny Hop" y "The Hokey Pokey".
https://www.allmusic.com/album/plays-steve-allen-like-wild-mw0000829745?1638445152222
Biografía
por Matt Collar
Ray Anthony, un popular trompetista de la época del swing, se basó en su éxito con la Orquesta de Glenn Miller en los años 40 y pasó a ser director de banda y actor en Hollywood durante los años 50. Dotado de un tono grande y cálido y de un estilo flexible y oscilante, Anthony fue comparado con el icono de la trompeta Harry James y disfrutó de décadas de éxito en las giras y en el estudio. Muchos de los álbumes de Anthony posteriores a Miller fueron de tipo comercial y dieron lugar a una serie de éxitos para el trompetista, como "The Bunny Hop", "Harbor Lights" y "Peter Gunn", entre otros.
Nacido como Raymond Antonini en Bentleyville, Pennsylvania, en 1922, Anthony creció en el seno de una gran familia musical de Cleveland, Ohio. Su padre, director de orquesta, le introdujo en el mundo de la trompeta a los cinco años, y progresó rápidamente y pronto se unió a la Orquesta Antonini de su familia. Al llegar a la adolescencia, dirigía su propio grupo y debutó profesionalmente tocando con la Orquesta de Al Donahue. Fue durante este periodo cuando llamó la atención del trombonista y director de orquesta Glenn Miller, que lo contrató como su primer trompetista. De 1940 a 1941, Anthony realizó giras y grabaciones con Miller, durante las cuales apareció como miembro de la banda en la película musical Sun Valley Serenade. También pasó varios meses con la big band de Jimmy Dorsey antes de alistarse en la Marina durante la Segunda Guerra Mundial. Destinado en el Pacífico, fue asignado a una banda de servicio que dirigió durante todo el tiempo.
Tras su licenciamiento en 1946, formó su propia Ray Anthony Orchestra y realizó giras por todo Estados Unidos. A principios de los años 50, firmó con Capitol Records y consiguió un éxito casi inmediato con grabaciones como "The Hokey Pokey" y su canción más famosa, "The Bunny Hop", que inició una moda de baile. Le siguieron más éxitos, como la versión de 1952 de "At Last" de Glenn Miller (de I Remember Glenn Miller) y su popularísima versión de 1953 del tema del programa de televisión Dragnet. A lo largo de la década de los 50, Anthony realizó muchas giras y publicó una serie de álbumes muy bien recibidos para Capitol. Con su popularidad llegaron otros trabajos en cine y televisión, como aceptar el puesto de director musical del programa de televisión Top Tunes y presentar su propio programa de variedades de corta duración. También comenzó a actuar, apareciendo primero como él mismo en varias películas, y luego asumiendo papeles de personaje como el de Jimmy Dorsey en The Five Pennies y apareciendo con su entonces esposa, la actriz y legendaria sex symbol Mamie Van Doren, en High School Confidential de 1958 y Girls Town de 1959.
Aunque la carrera de actor de Anthony decayó en los años 60, siguió siendo un trompetista popular, trabajando regularmente en el circuito de Las Vegas y publicando un flujo constante de álbumes de música ambiental como Dream Dancing Medley. También formó el grupo Ray Anthony & His Bookend Revue, de orientación pop, en el que el trompetista aparecía flanqueado por dos cantantes femeninas. Durante este periodo publicó un puñado de álbumes de versiones de pop y rock, como The Twist, Swim, Swim, C'mon Let's Swim y el country & western Worried Mind. Se mantuvo activo a lo largo de los años 70, tocando en directo y publicando más álbumes como Direction '71: My Sweet Lord, que incluía una versión instrumental de la canción de George Harrison.
En los años 80, Anthony fue uno de los principales defensores del resurgimiento de las big bands, realizando giras junto a otros iconos del swing como Buddy Rich, Les Brown y Harry James. También formó una organización que suministraba gráficos de big-band a los programas de bandas escolares. Desde entonces, se ha mantenido activo, continuando con sus apariciones en directo y publicando álbumes en su propio sello Aero Space Records, como Dream Dancing, Vol. 6: The Sinatra Songbook de 2004 y Dream Dancing, Vol. 7: The Harry James Songbook de 2005. ¡Amigo desde hace mucho tiempo de Hugh Hefner, actuaba regularmente en Nochevieja en la Mansión Playboy y aparecía en la serie de telerrealidad The Girls Next Door, de E!
https://www.allmusic.com/artist/ray-anthony-mn0000405113/biography
Tracklist:
1. A Lavender Mood
2. Baby But You Did
3. Indubitably
4. Every Dog Has His Day
5. You're The One For Me
6. You Gotta Get Lucky Sometime
7. South Dakota
8. Why Should I Worry
9. Why Don't You Want To Come Home
10. Mr. Moon
11. This May Be The Time
12. Roll 'Em Around
Credits:
Bass – Don Simpson
Drums – Alvin Stoller
Guitar – Bobby Gibbons
Leader – Ray Anthony
Piano – John Banister
Producer – Lee Gillette
Saxophone – Med Flory, Plas Johnson, Bob Hardaway, Ronnie Lang, Skeets Herfurt
Trombone – Frank "Ace" Lane, Lew McCreary, Tommy Pederson
Trumpet – Conrad Gozzo, Gene Deurmeier, Jack Lauback, Pete Candoli, Ray Anthony
Notes:
Recorded in Hollywood, June, 1958.
Label: Capitol Records – T-1086, Capitol Records – T1086
Released: 1958
Genre: Jazz
Style: Big Band, Swing
https://www.discogs.com/release/9017164-Ray-Anthony-Ray-Anthony-Plays-Steve-Allen
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