Splendor in the Brass + Jazz Pops (2 LPs on 1 CD);

2 LPs on 1 CD
24 BIT
DIGITALLY REMASTERED
STEREO
Chuck Sagle was a widely experienced arranger and conductor when, in 1962, he joined the a&r department at Reprise Records in Los Angeles. Among the first projects he produced for the label was his own album Splendor in the Brass. His tasteful arrangements skillfully juxtaposed various small instrumental combinations with each other and with the full orchestra, with deftly voiced French horns and saxophones revealing his fertile imagination and versatility. Garnishing these well-conceived performances are solos by such luminaries as Lou Levy, Shorty Sherock, Cappy Lewis, Buddy Collette, Bill Perkins and Emil Richards.
The second album on this set, Jazz Pops, also a Reprise release, is by another big band, this time under the direction of arranger, composer, trumpeter and bandleader Neal Hefti. While his arrangements here are of a different order to his early work for Woody Herman and Count Basie, they still bear the mark of his considerable talent. His writing is economical and unpretentious. The soloists, moreover, include Joe Maini, Jack Sheldon, Ted Nash, Larry Bunker and Conte Candoli.
In all, two highly satisfying big band albums of similar approach and spectacular sound, solidly heavily conceived and arranged and brilliantly performed.