Search - Ray Noble :: 1935-1936

Ray Noble's great all-star American ochestra in hi-fi!

11/11/1998

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Here are rare radio transcriptions of Ray Noble's American Band. The band that Glenn Miller put together for Ray's engagement at the swanky new Rainbow Room "36 stories to the stars", on top of Rockefeller Center in New York. Al Bowlly is on hand to sing and his way of crooning is a perfect compliment to the band's arrangements. Since these were transcriptions intended for radio only, the sound is truly wonderful. Especially for 1936. By the way, Glenn Miller's fine arrangements (especially the ballads) give the listener a taste of what was to come with Miller's own band. Get this CD!"

Disastrous Acoustics!

Dean Carter | Iowa, USA | 06/29/2001

(2 out of 5 stars)

"You'll wish you could have been there when they recorded these sessions.... Not so much because of the potent troupe of swing-era greats that formed Ray Noble's American orchestra (all my favorites: Glen Miller, Will Bradley, Claude Thornhill and Charlie Spivak) or the music they produced, but because YOU COULD HAVE ACTUALLY HEARD IT! It literally sounds as if the session took place in a long, narrow room outfitted with one microphone. The disastrous acoustics frustrate what was probably an all-time great performance. Of all the Big Band CDs I bought, this one had the greatest promise, but it was a promise unfulfilled. Still, the sidemen and the tunes deserve at least a two-star rating. What I wouldn't give for clear recordings of even half the 19 tracks!"