The first album that launched their career, the trio of Jon Hendricks, Dave Lambert and the English Annie Ross pioneered the use of voices patterned on instrumental parts. The daring of this group creates a giddy excitement, which can be heard on tracks such as "It's Sand, Man," whereby the three voices (accompanied by piano, bass and drums) gain altitude in a series of ascending patterns that thrill the senses. Though Ross in particular possesses a fine voice, the attraction is not in the prettiness of the sound as much as the interplay of the voices, and the utter originality of their interpretations. Every song is enchanting.

Listen to It's Sand, Man in Real Audio.

To listen to this trio reveals what a great influence this group has been on so many artists, in terms of choice of material and style. The most sophisticated and hip vocal treatments - Hendricks was a foremost developer of the vocalese technique - they change moods on a dime and are impossible to predict. Ross takes the lead on "Midnight Indigo," a sultry trickle of sweat on the back of the neck. "Moanin'" mixes up roadhouse blues with the sweetest of refrains. "Summertime" is just on the inside of a discordant wail, an eerie lament. Also included: "Cloudburst" and "Centerpiece."

Listen to Cloudburst in Real Audio.

The Modernaires are considered by music historians to be one of the most influential and innovative vocal groups in popular music. Their music is a microcosm of the romantic melancholy and elegance in the face of adversity that was present in the WWII years. Backup singers for the Glenn Miller orchestra during the first half of the decade, a few of their hit recordings with Miller would be reprised by the Modernaires after Miller was lost over the English Channel in 1944. Paula Kelly, the girl singer for Artie Shaw and Dick Stabile, joined Miller in 1940 and became Mrs. Hal Dickenson (The Modernaires' unofficial group leader) soon after. Still associated with Miller in the public's mind, their July, 1946 single "Salute to Glenn Miller," a medley of 4 Miller standards, was a top 20 hit for the group. There are 20 hits here, from heartstring-tugging romantic love songs like "There, I’ve Said It Again" (the first top 20 release for the group, in 1945) and "The Night is Young and You’re So Beautiful," to jive and swing numbers like "Juke Box Saturday Night" and "La Cucaracha;" and novelty numbers like "The Dummy Song." "To Each His Own," a landmark number 3 single for the group in 1946, became a hit for the Platters in 1960. Excellent and recommended.

In 1946 The Modernaires (male quartet with Paula Kelly) were one of the most popular groups in the USA, having been part of the most successful Big Band in the country, the Glenn Miller Orchestra. It was a long way from when they were called "The Wizards of Ozzie" in New York, singing with bandleader Ozzie Nelson. In 1939, unofficial group leader Hal Dickinson saw a billboard advertising a new cleaning process, "modernizing," and the group christened themselves the Modernaires. Ubiquitous on the radios and jukeboxes of the era, the group was as adept at lush, romantic ballads like "Santa Catalina (Island of Romance)" and "Pennies from Heaven" as they were at jive, swing and novelty numbers, like "The Jingle Bell Polka," "The Stanley Steamer" (with Dinah Shore), and "I CanÕt Get Offa My Horse," that were the meat and potatoes of any dance band's repertoire. 20 songs, from favorites like "Connecticut" and "It's a Lonesome Old Town (When YouÕre Not Around)," to silly, fun ones like "One Hour (The Puppy Love Song)" and "Say It With a Slap", this collection takes us right back to the 40's.

The Modernaires phenomenal half century career began as a trio of high school singing pals from Buffalo N.Y. who went to New York City where they soon added a fourth voice. Early bands with which they sang were led by George Hall and Ozzie Nelson. They were employed by Paul Whiteman, "The Dean of American Music" and recorded with him for Decca, frequently with collaborator Jack Teagarden. In 1941 they joined Glen Miller and participated in the original recordings of "Chattanooga Choo Choo," "Kalamazoo," "I Know Why" and "Juke Box Saturday Night." Paula Kelley joined the group at this time, after marriage to Hal Dickinson, and they continued on for almost another fifty years! Songlist

The four man, one woman swing/jazz group The Modernaires, who rode their distinctive bright, jazzy vocal style from the big band era of the 40s, up into the vocal jazz nightclub sound of the 60s, are featured on another wonderful EMI compilation of two lps. The lps are a tribute to two of their Swing Era contemporaries, bandleaders Tommy Dorsey and Glen Miller, giving us 24 wonderful jazz band-accompanied winners: "Tuxedo Junction," "A String of Pearls," "Sunrise Serenade," "Pennsylvania 6-5000," "In The Mood," "Little Brown Jug," "Stardust," "Boogie Woogie," "Song of India," "Yes, Indeed," "I'll Never Smile Again"Éwe could go on and on, but let us just say that each song is a classic and a hit. The Modernaires had timeless class, style, humor and the kind of tight, sweet harmonies that put their own stamp on songs we thought we'd heard before. A great gift for two kinds of people: anyone who was lucky enough to have been there to listen and dance to this great music when it came out, and anyone who wasn't! Import

Listen to "Marie" in Real Audio.

In the 1940s, in comparison to the rest of the world, Americans had it all—nylons, chewing gum and harmony groups like the Merry Macs, Modernaires and the Pied Pipers. Originally an octet when first hired by Tommy Dorsey, they were fired when his sponsors disapproved of "Hold Tight—Want Some Sea Food Mama" as unsuitable broadcast material (this is the first we've ever heard of this—possibly it had a hidden sexual connotation?). In any case, they reduced to a quartet and were on the verge of disbanding when they were hired back by Dorsey to join his new solo vocalist Frank Sinatra. With Sinatra the Pipers recorded quite a few hits including "I'll Never Smile Again," which was the very first #1 record on Billboard's Best Selling record chart, which began in 1940. The group's Jo Stafford also had solo hits, including "Yes Indeed." After an argument with Dorsey the group left for Hollywood and signed to newly-formed Capital Records. "Deacon Jones/Pistol Packin' Mama" was the first of a string of hits on their own and with Johnny Mercer and other solo artists, including "Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate The Positive," "Personality," "Winter Wonderland," "The Trolley Song," "In The Moon Mist," "My Happiness" and "Dream." All songs are Swing-band accompanied. This is one of those 2-CD, 50-song collections we love so well because they are such a bargain and have so much great music. The Pipers were one of the most popular harmony groups of the Swing Era, and this is their "greatest hits" collection. What a treat from one of our favorite eras in American music!

Listen to My Happiness in Real Audio.

Pied Pipers were the resident vocal group on Frank Sinatra's radio show Songs By Sinatra, which is where tracks one through six were recorded. Other highlights include the Duke Ellington song "Just A Sittin' and A Rockin'" along with a bright and lively arrangement of "I've Got The Sun In The Morning" a classic, originally recorded by Irving Berlin. A must have collection for vintage harmony enthusiasts. 25 great tracks

Listen to There's A Boat dat's Leavin' Soon For New York in Real Audio.

Considered by many to be the finest vocal harmony groups ever the Singers Unlimited were Don Shelton, Len Dresslar, Gene Puerling and Bonnie Herman. Founded by Puerling in Chicago in 1967 the group signed with MPS Records in Germany with whom they recorded fourteen albums over the next seven years. This CD is a collection of some of the best of those recordings and features nineteen tracks including a cappella classics such as My Romance and Clare which are great examples as to why Puerling is often lauded as a genius for his work. Puerling created a unique style based on rich and bold harmony, delicate contrasts in timbre and differentiated formal arrangements.

A Classic Reissued! Legendary vocal group The Singers Unlimited, for their third album on Germany's MPS label, recorded a collaboration with the Oscar Peterson Trio. Grammy-winning arranger Gene Puerling wrote the charts and the musicians recorded this remarkable session in 1971 at the storied Villingen studios in the Black Forest. The-then latest breakthroughs in studio technology, and the masterful engineer and MPS Records owner Hans Georg Brunner-Schwer, allowed the artists to overdub vocals creating the layered vocals the Singers Unlimited are famous for. Using a sixteen-track deck Brunner-Schwer had bought for the occasion, the group layered on chords, melody lines and solos which we often sung in four or eight part pieces that were later assembled almost magically. The CD sleeve includes rare photos from the session plus both the original LP liner notes and extensive new notes, including many new quotes from Puerling, by noted jazz musicologist James Gaven. A gem of a recording!

Listen to Sesame Street in Real Audio.

This 1972 recording continues to set musical precedent almost thirty years later. The combined voices of Don Shelton, Len Dresslar, Bonnie Herman and Gene Puerling are a sound so distinctive and recognizable that they have yet to be improved. From the six Alfred Burt carols to "Deck The Halls," "Good King Wenceslas" and Oh, Come All Ye Faithful," each song is beautifully constructed, a marriage of the traditional with the inimitable personality of Gene Puerling's arrangements. The result is accessible enough for the mainstream listener, and will also satisfy those hungry for heartier fare. Bonnie Herman frequently assumes the lead vocal duties, as on "Carol For Russian Children," her warm tone a sunbeam on a wintry day - listen to the pedal note (uncharacteristically in the treble part) she holds during the coda - amazing color and control. One of our most recommended selections.

Listen to Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas, Ah Bleak & Chill the Wintry Wind and It Came Upon A Midnight Clear in Real Audio.

Something of a genre-bender, this all-white teenage group from Pittsburgh featured a female singer with a naturally true high range, mostly original material written by their equally talented lead singer Jimmy Beamont (in conjunction with their producer), and a sound that was equal parts Four Freshmen and fifties R & B. One of the first 'rock' groups of the era to record with full orchestra, songs such as the justifiably famous 'Since I Don't Have You,' 'This I Swear,' 'Lonely Way' (the latter a favorite of the Manhattan Transfer) are surprisingly mature and complex for voices so young. This CD culls material from their early releases on the Calico label, as well as a couple of cuts added for this album: 'Stardust' and 'Blossoms In The Snow.'

Minnesota-based Swing/Pop/Jazz quartet 3 Hits and a Miss, founded in 1995, really come into their vocal power with "Mixing," their third excellent CD. Return with us now to the 1940s (covers of the Turtles' "Happy Together," the 5th Dimensions' "Up, Up and Away/Aquarius," the Mamas and the Papas' "California Dreamin'" and Lennon/McCartney's "Nowhere Man" and "Got to Get You Into My Life" notwithstanding)--this is wonderfully crafted "high-fidelity" harmony. The afore-mentioned covers fit in beautifully because they have the kind of beautiful melodies that could have been hits in the 40s. All accompanied, these 12 hits just keep on comin': "Bounce Me Brother with a Solid Four/Four," "Pop Goes the Weasel," "Goody Goody," "Glow Worm," "Dream" and bonus track, Woody Guthrie's "This Land is Your Land." This CD is big fun from start to finish, and 3 Hits and a Miss are having it--they prove that they can sing with the best of any musical period!

Best known as conductor of his massive orchestral and choral group in the 1940s that kept the Decca/Brunswick and Capital catalogs going for decades, Fred Waring got his start in music much earlier, forming a more-than-merely-competent dance band called the "Banjazztra" with his younger brother Tom in 1921, with Waring on banjo. Graduating from Pennsylvania State U he found his music much more in demand, so he and Tom enlarged the Banjazztra and changed the name to the Collegians, which became the Pennsylvanians. Recording in the 1920s in a pastiche of styles aimed at pleasing the largest possible public, the versatile Pennsylvanians launched into show business with Broadway appearances in "Hello Yourself" (1928) and Cole Porter's "New Yorkers" (1932). For ten years after that Waring refused to make any more records until the radio stations paid to play them on the air. He first formed the Glee Club at the 1939 NY World's Fair, which led to the popular Chesterfield radio show and the Pennsylvanians becoming the first band with their own TV show, for General Electric. Waring then got seriously into the business of recording, training choral directors and publishing his own compositions, choral and band arrangements, music magazines, etc. He also created and marketed the famous Waring Blender at this time. But "Memory Lane" focuses on his early stuff, 24 of Fred and the Pennsylvanians' most popular hits from 1923-1932, all band-accompanied. From their theme song "Sleep," "Collegiate," "I Scream, You Scream," We All Scream for Ice Cream," "Laugh, Clown, Laugh" and "Button Up Your Overcoat" to "Little White Lies," "Love for Sale" (from the "New Yorkers"), "I Found A Million Dollar Baby," "Dancing In The Dark," "Let's Have Another Cup of Coffee" and "How'm I Doin'?," this is classic pop/jazz, "flapper" music from the Roaring 20's—sexy, silly, romantic, energetic, and danceable. Fun stuff from a giant of popular music!

Mandatory for fans of vintage vocal jazz, this delightful collection also documents the musical evolution of the genre with great groups such as the Mills Bros., Andrews Sisters and Dandridge Sisters, as well as many less famous but still important ensembles. "Caravan," "Tuxedo Junction," " Java Jive" and "Stormy Weather" are included, but it's equally a treat to hear "That's My Weakness Now," (The Rhythm Boys, who had Bing Crosby as a member) or the silly humor of "The Girl In the Little Green Hat." All tracks are accompanied. Songlist