The Bloch Party - The Singles Collection 1945-56

Ray Bloch was a pianist, composer, conductor, arranger and bandleader who is best known for being the arranger and conductor on “The Ed Sullivan Show” in the USA for its entire run from 1948 to 1971. With a steady and lucrative career like that, his recording activities were not necessarily his main priority, which explains why he is not particular widely known as a recording artists and did not have a long string of hits to his name. However, for aficionados of the orchestras of the ‘40s and ‘50s who played the popular easy-on-the-ear music of the times, comprising both new material and Great American Songbook classics, and featuring top class male and female vocalists and vocal groups, his music is up there with the best of them. This 47-track 2-CD set comprises selected A & B sides from his releases on the Majestic, Signature and Coral labels from this era, often featuring songs that were hits for other artists, and including his US Top 20 hit “Kate, Have I Come Too Early”. It includes performances by his featured vocalists Monica Lewis, Larry Douglas, Jeffrey Clay, Alan Dale, Jimmy Saunders, Warren Covington, Lily Ann Carol, Buddy Nee and Ronnie Deauville. Representing an archetypal slice of what many nostalgia buffs call “the golden age of popular music”, this is a rarely-heard showcase for one of pop’s most accomplished backroom boys.