On February 28 or March 2, 1961, guitarist Mundell Lowe recorded an easy-listening jazz album for RCA's Camden division In New York. The album was After Midnight, featuring "Mundell Lowe with Mood Guitars." But the album, arranged by Mundy, was never released on vinyl. Instead, it came out only on a 4-track, 7 1/2-ips reel-to-reel tape. On the back of the box, no personnel was provided. What's more, the album has never been included in jazz discographies.
For those not fully familiar with magnetic tape, here's a primer. Cassette tape reels turn at 1 7/8 ips (inches per second). Reel-to-reel tape turns at 3 ¾, 7 ½ and 15 ips. The more tape that's used to record and play back the music, the better the quality of sound. Think of the music on a high ips tape as an image with much more picture detail and color sharpness. So, a 4-track tape reel turning at 3 ¾ ips will produce decent sound. At 7 ½, twice as much tape will be used, resulting in much better fidelity. At 15 ips, four times as much tape will be used as the 3 ¾ speed for the best possible sound.
Why in 1961 would RCA Camden, a budget line, be in the business of marketing a high-end easy-listening recording on reel-to-reel tape? There are several possible reasons: With the advent of stereo at the tail end of the 1950s, labels dabbled in formats that delivered increasingly improved fidelity as high-end demand increased. In addition, with the surging popularity of Playboy magazine and the bachelor lifestyle, long-playing music that didn't force you to get up and flip over a vinyl LP had marketing merit. And finally, American makers of reel-to-reel tape recorders/players such as Ampex, Viking, Sony, Crown, Concord and others were beginning to market more affordable units in 1961 as a shift to expand beyond dictation recorders.
I first heard about this phantom Mundell Lowe tape a month ago from Pierre-M. Hellenbrand-Le Conte of the Jazz Discog Corner in Paris (go here). Pierre came across it while he was working on Mundell Lowe's discography. I tried to help him piece together the complete personnel by reaching out to Local 802 of the AFM in New York without much success. They've been purging their boxes of office paperwork and I'm afraid the studio contract sheets that listed who played on specific dates may have been a victim. I also called Betty Bennett, Mundy's widow, to see if he kept a gig book. She had no recollection.
Here's what Pierre knows about the personnel...
3 unknown (cl,b-cl,fl); prob. Eddie Costa (p,vib,mba); Mundell Lowe; 2 unknown (g) George Duvivier (b); prob. Ed Shaughnessy (d). According to Pierre's notes, the reed and flute players may have been Phil Bodner, Walt Levinsky, Ray Beckenstein or Al Klink. The other guitarists may have been any two of the following: Barry Galbraith, Don Arnone, Al Caiola, George Barnes and Howard Collins. And the French-hornist was likely Ray Alonge or Jimmy Buffington. [Photo above of Eddie Costa courtesy of Eddie Costa's Facebook page]
The songs recorded with that personnel are Why Don't You Do Right, I've Heard That Song Before, Sweet Sue—Just You, With the Wind and the Rain in Your Hair and Out of This World.
According to Pierre, the personnel on the next batch of songs includes unknown (Fr-h); unknown (oboe,fl); prob. Eddie Costa (p,vib,celeste,chimes); Mundell Lowe; 2 unknown (g); George Duvivier (b) and prob. Ed Shaughnessy (d). The songs with this lineup were Soon, You Leave Me Breathless, Moments Like This, There Will Never Be Another You and I Remember You. [Photo above of George Duvivier]
Most interesting of all, I notice on the back of the tape box that the album was produced by Ethel Gabriel. She had quite a distinguished career at RCA. She convinced the label to sign Perez Prado and along with her boss, Steve Sholes, signed Elvis Presley. By 1961, Gabriel was in charge of the label's highly profitable Living Strings recordings. She was a force in the easy listening category. Sadly, she had a miserable stretch in the 1980s when her retirement fund was grifted by a former U.S. Treasury Secretary. [Photo above, from left, of Alan Dell, Ethel Gabriel and Don Wardell, co-producers of The Tommy Dorsey/Frank Sinatra Sessions at the 1983 Grammy Awards, courtesy of EthelGabrielDoc.com here]
For my interview with Mundell Lowe, go here.
As Pierre notes, this 1961 recording was Mundy's last for RCA. Mundy died in December 2017.
JazzWax tracks: At the moment, the only way you'll be able to hear this rare album is to track down a copy of the tape. Hopefully someone will upload at YouTube or RCA will release it as as a digital download.
JazzWax clips: Here's You Leave Me Breathless...
Here's Moments Like This...
And here's Sweet Sue—Just You...
