The Paul Weston Collection 1935-61

Paul Weston was one of those hugely influential musical figures who thrived in the immediate post-war decades as their skills as musicians, arrangers, conductors and composers helped shape the popular music of the time and promoted the careers of some of the popular and successful vocalists of that era. This great-value 103-track 4-CD collection follows others in this series devoted to the likes of similarly important personalities like Billy May, Nelson Riddle, Percy Faith, Hugo Winterhalter, Ray Conniff and Neal Hefti. Paul Weston was also well-known as the husband of the hugely successful singer Jo Stafford, with whom he worked consistently over the years, so unsurprisingly she figures prominently among the many artists featured. The selections trace Weston’s career from his early recordings as an arranger with Tommy Dorsey in 1935, through his work for the Capitol and Columbia labels during the next quarter of a century, arranging and conducting for a host of major stars, including Dinah Shore, Rosemary Clooney, Ella Fitzgerald, Frankie Laine, Doris Day, Dean Martin, Judy Garland, Margaret Whiting Gordon McRae and many others, as well as his work with Jo Stafford and some innovative top class recordings with his own orchestra in the formative years of the easy listening stereo era. It is a thoroughly entertaining set, providing an insight into the career of a largely unsung but significant artist.