Ray Anthony: "Golden Horn"

Released in 1955.

If you ask an average American these days

to list "famous" Big Band Leaders,

Ray Anthony is not generally

a name that will top the list.

(Sorry, Ray!)

Folks would gravitate to Glenn Miller (whose band Ray played in),

Tommy Dorsey, Benny Goodman, Artie Shaw, Woody Herman, Harry James, Les Brown...

Ray Anthony fully deserves to be among them!!

Ray is still slingin' the tunes, too!

Read about him HERE.

Jackie Gleason: "Romantic Jazz"

Released in 1955

(my birth year!)

Frank Sinatra: "In the Wee Small Hours"

With a career and catalog like Frank Sinatra's, it is pretty near impossible to settle on any one recording as "the best."  I'd have to say this recording, released in 1955, would certainly find its way to the top few of most reviewers and fans lists.

Not sure what I can say about Frankie - "Ol' Blue Eyes" - "The Chairman of the Board" - "King of the Crooners" - "The Voice" - Chief of "The Rat Pack." 

Some say the best thing ever to come out of Hoboken. 

If you do not already know and love (or at least appreciate) his talents, you've got a lot of reading, listening, and watching to do.  And trust me, you will enjoy every second of all of it.

A bit more detail about this album HERE.

Louis Armstrong: "Satch Plays Fats"

This is one absolute gem of a recording.

Released in 1955, this is Satchmo at his best.

Fats Waller's great tunes

wrapped in Louie Armstrong's expressive voice

and incomparable trumpet.

It is available on CD.

You should totally grab a copy

(by which I mean "legally purchase from an authorized retail supplier")

Ahem.

This LP went to a collector in Connecticut.