Jazz
Billy May - Arranger, Director, Trumpet, Vocals
Al Cohn - Saxophone
Al Friede - Strings
Al Hendrickson - Guitar
Al Klink - Reeds
Alec FILA - Trumpet
Alfred Ramsey - Trumpet
Allan Reuss - Guitar
Alvin Stoller - Drums
Alvino Rey - Director, Guitar
Arnold Ross - Piano
Art Wagner - Piano
Arthur Fleming - Reeds
Artie Shapiro - Bass
Barney Kessel - Guitar
Ben Hall - Trombone
Benjamin Simon - Strings
Benny Carter - Reeds
Bernie Privin - Trumpet
Bill Ainsworth - Reeds
Bill Conway - Guitar
Bill Miller - Piano
Bill Robertson - Trombone
Bill Seckler - Group Member
Billy Robbins - Trumpet
Bob Crosby - Director
Bob Dawes - Saxophone
Bob Keene - Clarinet, Director, Trumpet
Bob Lawson - Reeds
Bob Poland - Saxophone
Bob Swift - Trombone
Bobby Burnett - Director
Bobby Hackett - Cornet, Guitar, Trumpet
Bobby Nichols - Trumpet
Brian Belton - Liner Notes
Bud Estes - Saxophone
Buddy Cole - Piano
Buddy Yeager - Trumpet
Bus Etri - Guitar
Carl Loeffler - Trombone
Carmen Mastren - Guitar
Charles Green - Trumpet
Charles Griffard - Trumpet
Charles Preble - Trombone
Charlie Barnet - Saxophone
Charlie Derenoe - Saxophone
Charlie LaVere - Piano
Charlie Teagarden - Trumpet
Chuck Peterson - Trumpet
Chummy MacGregor - Piano
Clarence Willard - Trumpet
Clark Dick - Reeds
Clark Yocum - Guitar
Cliff Hills - Bass
Cliff Jackson & His Crazy Cats - Reeds
Cliff Leeman - Drums
Conn Humphries - Saxophone
Conrad Gozzo - Trumpet
Corky Corcoran - Reeds
Cy Bernard - Strings
Dale McMickle - Trumpet
Danny Hurd - Piano
Dave Barbour - Guitar, Orchestra Director
Dave Bowman - Trombone
David Robbins - Trombone
Deane Kincaide - Saxophone, Trombone
Del Porter - Ocarina
Dick Gould - Trombone
Dick Nash - Trombone
Dick Rollins - Saxophone
Don Lamond - Drums
Don McCook - Saxophone
Don Ruppersberg - Trombone
Don Whitaker - Bass
Donald Anderson - Trumpet
Eddie Ehlert - Trumpet
Eddie Kusby - Trombone
Eddie Robertson - Bass
Eddie Rosa - Reeds
Eddie Safranski - Bass
Edward Mihelich - Bass
Elmer R. Moe Schneider - Trombone
Elmer Smithers - Trombone
Ernie Caceres - Reeds
Ford Leary - Trombone
Frank Beach - Trumpet
Frank d'Annolfo - Trombone
Fred Falensby - Reeds
Freddy Guera - Saxophone
Gene Cipriano - Reeds
Gene Kinsey - Saxophone
George Davis - Reeds
George Duvivier - Bass
George Esposito - Trumpet
George Seaberg - Trumpet
George Van Eps - Guitar
Gerald Joyce - Strings
Glenn McGaha Miller - Trombone
Gordon Green - Reeds
Gurney Bell - Group Member
Hal McIntyre - Reeds
Hank Freeman - Saxophone
Harry Betts - Trombone
Harry Brainard - Trombone
Harry James - Director, Trumpet
Harry Lawson - Saxophone
Hayden Causey - Guitar
Heine Beau - Reeds
Herbie Haymer - Reeds
Herbie Steward - Saxophone
Howard Gibeling - Trombone
Howard Hudson - Group Member
Irvin Shulkin - Trumpet
Irwin Berken - Trumpet
Jack Dumont - Reeds
Jack Ferrier - Saxophone
Jack Gootkin - Strings
Jack Lathrop - Guitar
Jack Mayhew - Saxophone
Jack Sewell - Strings
Jack Steele - Trumpet
Jake Gerheim - Trumpet
James Campbell - Trumpet
James Skiles - Trombone
James Troutman - Trumpet
Jerry Preshaw - Group Member
Jesse Heath - Trombone
Jim Harwood - Trombone
Jimmy Pratt - Drums
Jimmy Priddy - Trombone
Jimmy Rowles - Piano
Joe Ferrante - Trumpet
Joe Kretcher - Saxophone
Joe Mondragon - Bass
Joe Triscari - Trumpet
Joe Yukl - Trombone
John Cyr - Drums
John DeVoogdt - Strings
John Haliburton - Trombone
John McClanian Best Jr. - Trumpet
Johnny Cyr - Drums
Johnny Hayes - Saxophone
Johnny Mandel - Trombone
Johnny White - Reeds
Joseph Krechter - Ocarina
Juan Tizol - Trombone
Jules Jacobs - Reeds
Jules Kinsler - Reeds
Julius Toldi - Strings
Kurt Bloom - Saxophone
Larry Hall - Trombone
Lawrence Kurdjie - Strings
Leo White - Saxophone
Leonard Mach - Trumpet
Les Robinson - Reeds
Lloyd W. Hildebrand - Reeds
Lou Singer - Drums
Louis Mucci - Trumpet
Lyman Vunk - Trumpet
Mack MacLean - Group Member
Manny Klein - Trumpet
Marion Hutton - Vocals
Mark Warnow - Orchestra Director
Marvin Charles Bailey - Group Member
Matty Matlock - Reeds
Max Sobolewsky - Strings
Maynard Ferguson - Trumpet
Mel Powell - Piano
Meyer Rubin - Bass
Milt Bernhart - Trombone
Milt Holland - Drums
Moe Purtill - Drums
Morton B. "Morty" Friedman - Saxophone
Murray McEachern - Trombone
Murray Williams - Saxophone
Nappy Lamare - Guitar
Nick Fatool - Drums
Paul "Scooby" Smith - Piano
Paul Geil - Trumpet
Paul Tanner - Trombone
Pauline Burns Hudson - Group Member
Peanuts Hucko - Saxophone
Perry Botkin - Guitar
Peter Beilman - Trombone
Peter Ellis - Strings
Phil Stephens - Bass
Ralph Clark - Trumpet
Ralph Tilken - Drums
Ray Anthony - Trumpet
Ray Linn - Trumpet
Ray McKinley - Drums
Ray Michaels - Drums
Ray Toland - Drums
Raymond Thomas Hagen - Drums
Remo Belli - Drums
Robert Goodrich - Trumpet
Rocky "Cole" Coluccio - Piano
Roger Ellick - Trumpet
Ronnie Perry - Reeds
Sam Caplan - Strings
Sam Drugan - Guitar
Sam Freed - Strings
Sam Levine - Trombone
Sam Skolnick - Trumpet
Sam Weiss - Drums
Si Zentner - Trombone
Skeets Herfurt - Reeds
Stan Fishelson - Trumpet
Steve "Supe" White - Reeds
Stewart Bruner - Saxophone
Ted Vesely - Trombone
Teddy Lee - Reeds
Tex Beneke - Director, Reeds, Saxophone, Vocals
The Sportsmen - Performer
The Starlighters - Vocals
Tino Barzie - Reeds
Tommy Pederson - Trombone
Trigger Alpert - Bass
Uan Rasey - Trumpet
Ulysses Livingston - Guitar
Vern Yocum - Reeds
Vic Hamann - Trombone
Vince Carbone - Saxophone
Vince Degan - Group Member
Vincent Terri - Guitar
Walter Edelstein - Strings
Warren Smith - Trombone
Wayne E. Songer - Ocarina
Whitey Thomas - Trumpet
William Days - Group Member
Willie Schwartz - Reeds, Saxophone
Willie Smith - Reeds
This two disc collection is a celebration of good music, Billy May's music. His genius as an arranger of top quality popular music is showcased throughout the 48 recordings he made between 1939 and 1952. You will hear music that swings with a beat that is bold and vibrant, music that respects the melody and, very notably, music that has imagination and humour. That last ingredient is so typical of Billy May the man because he was a fun person who looked at life with a twinkle in his eye and a smile on his face.
Billy May
Active Decades: '40s, '50s, '60s, '70s and '90s
Born: Nov 10, 1916 in Pittsburgh, PA
Died: Jan 22, 2004 in San Juan Capistrano, CA
Genre: Jazz
Styles: Big Band, Orchestral Pop, Instrumental Pop, Swing, Traditional Pop
The last of the great arrangers who wrote regularly for Frank Sinatra, Billy May had several varied careers in and out of jazz. His first notable gig was as an arranger/trumpeter with Charlie Barnet (1938-1940), for whom he wrote the wah-wah-ing hit arrangement of Ray Noble's "Cherokee." Later, he worked in the same capacities for Glenn Miller (1940-1942) and Les Brown (1942) before settling into staff jobs, first at NBC studios, then at Capitol Records, where he led his own studio big band from 1951 to 1954. His arrangements for Sinatra, beginning with Come Fly With Me (1957) and ending with Trilogy (1979), are often in a walloping, brassy, even taunting swing mode, generating some of the singer's most swaggering vocals. May also did extensive scoring for television, film, and commercials. Although May was largely inactive in the '80s and '90s , he unexpectedly surfaced in 1996 with some typically bright big band charts for comic Stan Freberg's The United States of America, Vol. 2 (Rhino), 25 years after his contributions to Vol. 1. The veteran arranger died quietly at home on January 22, 2004 at the age of 87.
---Richard S. Ginell, All Music Guide |
