In 1971, Hans Georg Brunner-Schwer, the founder of Germany's MPS Records, had an idea. Two questions surely crossed his mind: Why would a prominent American arranger like Nelson Riddle be reduced to composing, arranging and conducting an album for The 101 Strings released a year earlier? And why would he be asked to record originals that strained to be with-it? Listening to the album's tracks, Brunner-Schwer knew the project was a bad fit.
The reason for Riddle's 101 Strings album was simple: For the first time in 25 years, he was without a contract, he wanted to stay busy and he needed the income. Brunner-Schwer's big idea was to bring Riddle to MPS's Black Forest studio and have him record an album of material that would match the arranger's sophisticated swing.
To cut the turnaround time for release, he'd have Riddle just arrange and conduct. All of the songs recorded would be by many of the hippest German writers of adult contemporary music at the time, which in Europe then was a lot sexier and cooler than the cloying "beautiful music" pouring out of FM radio stations in the U.S. So Brunner-Schwer reached out to Riddle and made his pitch.
Riddle loved the idea and set to work arranging what would become the first of two MPS albums, Communication. To sweeten the deal, Claus Ogerman and Willi Fruth produced. The personnel was never disclosed on the album jacket, but I'm guessing the players were leading German radio big-band and studio musicians. Communication was released in late 1971, and it was spectacular. [Photo above of Nelson Riddle]
The tracks are
- Born Happy (composer: Frank Pleyer)
- A Night of Love (Franz Grothe)
- Uptown Dance (Claus Ogerman)
- Time and Space (Erwin Lehn)
- Dedication (Georg Haentzschel)
- Volcano's Daughter (Rolf Hans Müller)
- Romantic Places (Willi Fruth)
- It's Your Turn (Heinz Kiessling)
- Rachel (Horst Jankowski)
- Greenwich Village (Rolf Cardello)
Here's Nelson Riddle's Communication (1971) without ad interruptions. The album is so elegant and in the pocket, the score could have easily been used as a movie soundtrack...
Other ad-free Backgrounders in my series:
- Zoot Sims Plays Bossa Nova, go here.
- Lee Morgan: Lee-Way, go here.
- Bossa Nova for Swinging Lovers, go here.
- Leon Spencer: Louisiana Slim, go here.
- Bossa Nova Modern Quartet: Bossa Nova Jazz Samba, go here.
- Bill Evans & Luiz Eça: Piano Four Hands, go here.
- Ray Brown Trio: Don't Get Sassy, go here.
- Os Tatuis: Os Tatuis, go here.
- Waltel Branco: Mancini Tambem É Samba, go here.
- Jack Wilson Plays Brazilian Mancini, go here.
- Conjunto Copacabana Bossa: Bossa, go here.
- Ella Fitzgerald: Ella Swings Lightly, go here.
- Charles Earland: Charles Earland, go here.
- Kenny Burrell: Crash! w/ Jack McDuff, go here.
- Jack McDuff: The Heatin' System, go here.
- Horace Silver: Horace-Scope, go here.
- Antonio Carlos Jobim: Wave, go here.
- Sonny Stitt: Sonny Stitt Plays, go here.
- Sonny Stitt with Bennie Green: My Main Man, go here.
- Johnny Hodges and Earl Hines: Stride Right, go here.
- Lionel Hampton: Bossa Nova Jazz, go here.
- Johnny Hodges & Ben Webster: Cellar Session, go here.
- Bill Evans: Solo Sessions Vol. 1, go here.
- Frank Wess: Trombones & Flute, go here.
- Presenting the Buddy DeFranco & Tommy Gumina Quartet, go here.
- Ernest Ranglin: Wranglin', go here.
- Dave Pell Octet: Plays Rodgers & Hart, go here.
- Milt Buckner: Block Chords Parade, go here.
- Roberto Menescal: A Nova Bossa, go here.
- Count Basie: Have a Nice Day, go here.
- Freddie Green: Mr. Rhythm, go here.
- Leny Andrade: Leny Andrade, go here.
- Johnny Alf: Ele é Johnny Alf, go here.
- Dodo Marmarosa: Dodo's Back, go here.
- Freddie Redd: The Music From the Connection, go here.
- Nicola Stilo & Toninho Horta: Duets, go here.
- Urbie Green: Persuasive Trombone, go here.
- Johnny Richards: Something Else, go here.
- Wayne Shorter: JuJu, go here.
- Hampton Hawes: All Night Session!, go here.
- Shorty Rogers Plays Richard Rodgers, go here.
- Chet Baker: Pretty/Groovy, go here.
- Sonny Stitt: The Sensual Sound of Sonny Stitt, go here.
- Gil Mellé: New Faces, New Sounds, go here.
- Herbie Mann and Charlie Rouse: Just Wailin', go here.
- Bobby Hackett: Memorable & Mellow, go here.
- Tina Brooks: Back to the Tracks, go here.
- Sonny Rollins Plays for Bird, go here.
- Red Garland: A Garland of Red, go here.
- Grant Green: Gooden's Corner, go here.
- Eumir Deodato Plays Marcos Valle, go here.
- Horace Parlan; Movin' & Groovin', go here.
- Russ Garcia: Four Horns and a Lush Life, go here.
- Vic Lewis: Plays Bossa Nova at Home and Away, go here.
- Buddy Collette's Swinging Shepherds, go here.
- Frankie Laine: Jazz Spectacular, go here.
- Dizzy Gillepie: Gillespiana, go here.
