Enoch Light - Persuasive Percussion (1959) [2011 SACD]

Enoch Light was a classical violinist, bandleader, and recording engineer. He is credited with being one of the first musicians to go to extreme lengths to create high-quality recordings that took full advantage of the technical capabilities of home audio equipment of the late 1950s and early 1960s, particularly stereo effects that bounced the sounds between the right and left channels (often described as "ping-pong"). He arranged his musicians in ways to produce the kinds of recorded sounds he wished to achieve, the first to do so. The first of the albums produced on his record label, Command Records, Persuasive Percussion, became the first huge hit based solely on retail sales. His songs received little or no airplay on the radio, because AM radio, the standard of the day, was monaural.

"What sets ... Persuasive Percussion (1959)... apart from the plethora of other easy listening combos was Light's innovative use of technology. Most notably, experiments in extreme stereo mixing that took advantage of what was then considered an audiophile-only novelty. He also became one of the pioneers to document audio on 35 millimeter film rather than magnetic-based audio tape. Not only did this allow for a broader range of frequencies to be captured, it greatly increased the stability of the playback. Undoubtedly, that is one reason the fidelity of his analog masters sound better and more animated than those made nearly a half-century later. This title, Persuasive Percussion (1959), was the first in the series and is often cited with helping usher in the ultra-cool space-age pop genre." - Lindsay Planer, allmusic.com


Tracks:

Persuasive Percussion Volume 1:
1. I'm In The Mood For Love
2. Whatever Lola Wants
3. Misirlou
4. I Surrender, Dear
5. Orchids In The Moonlight
6. I Love Paris
7. My Heart Belongs To Daddy
8. Tabu
9. The Breeze And I
10. Aloha Oe
11. Japanese Sandman
12. Love Is A Many-Splendored Thing

Persuasive Percussion Volume 2:
13. Blue Is The Night
14. Blue Tango
15. Miami Beach Rhumba
16. Yours Is My Heart Alone
17. In A Persian Market
18. Mambo Jambo

Personnel:

Enoch Light, bandleader, producer
Dominic Cortese, accordion
Dick Hyman, organ, piano
Jack Lesberg, bass
Art Marotti, percussion
Tony Mottola, guitar
Willie Rodriguez, bongos, percussion
Terry Snyder, drums
Todd Sommer, drums
Stanley Webb, woodwind