"Take It Easy" by Guy Lombardo and His Royal Canadians (2001 Import: UK)1 Sealed

Description: Guy Lombardo: Guy Lombardo formed "The Royal Canadians" in 1924 with his brothers Carmen, Lebert, and Victor and other musicians from his hometown of London, Ontario, Canada. Lombardo led the group to international success, billing themselves as creating "The Sweetest Music This Side of Heaven." Original Members:Guy Lombardo - conductor, violinCarmen Lombardo alto sax vocalsLebert Lombardo trumpetVictor Lombardo soprano and baritone saxJames Dillon, trombonist;Fred Higman, saxophonist - vocalist;Larry Owen, saxophonist - arranger;Fred Kreitzer, pianist;George Gowans, drummer.Guitarist - vocalist Bill Flannigan Gaetano Alberto "Guy" Lombardo (June 19, 1902 – November 5, 1977) was a Canadian and American bandleader, violinist, and hydroplane racer who's unique "sweet jazz" style remained popular with audiences for nearly five decades. Lombardo formed the Royal Canadians in 1924 with his brothers Carmen, Lebert and Victor, and other musicians from his hometown. They billed themselves as creating "the sweetest music this side of Heaven". The Lombardo's are believed to have sold between 100 and 300 million records during their lifetimes, many featuring the band's lead singer from 1940 onward, Kenny Gardner. Royal Canadians:Subsequently, Lombardo's orchestra recorded twice for Brunswick. The first session took place in Cleveland in late 1926 but the recording was rejected. The second recording was accepted for the Vocalion label in early 1927. Lombardo's ensemble left the Cleveland area in 1927 for Chicago, where it appeared at the Granada Cafe and broadcast on the radio station WBBM. Soon thereafter, several lucrative recording contracts emerged. Between 1927 and 1931 Lombardo made forty-five recordings on 78's for the Columbia label. These were followed by forty additional recordings upon his return to the Brunswick label in 1932 which lasted until 1934, when he joined forces with Decca (1934–35). By late 1935 an opportunity with Victor records emerged and Lombardo stayed with the label until the middle of 1938. Subsequently, he returned to Decca until 1957. Total sales from Lombardo's recordings exceeded 300 million copies by the early 1970s and supported his reputation as the leader of the most popular dance band of his era. Between 1941 and 1948, Lombardo's sister Rose Marie, the youngest of all seven Lombardo siblings, also joined the band as its first female vocalist. In 1929, Lombardo began a series of appearances at the Roosevelt Grill in the Roosevelt Hotel which lasted for over three decades. He also performed in Los Angeles during the 1930s and became a naturalized citizen of the United States in 1938. He continued to tour in major cities within both Canada and the United States after leaving the Roosevelt Hotel in 1962. Yet, despite his success as a recording artist, some jazz critics described Lombardo's "sweet" big-band style as "boring, mainstream pap." The legendary jazz trumpeter Louis Armstrong disagreed and often described Lombardo's band as his favorite orchestra. In fact, Lombardo's band enjoyed remarkable broad appeal which crossed racial boundaries. While performing at the famed Savoy Ballroom in Harlem his band even set a new attendance record in 1930. After Guy Lombardo's death in 1977, his surviving brothers Victor and Lebert took over the Royal Canadians, though Victor left the band early in 1978 over creative differences. From 1980, the name was franchised out to various band leaders. Lebert died in 1993, passing rights to the band name to three of his six children. The band was revived in 1989 by Al Pierson and remained active as of 2021. Performance style: Over the decades, performances and recordings by Guy Lombardo's Royal Canadians Orchestra were reviewed by critics in such noted magazines as: The Billboard, the New York Times Theater Reviews. and the New York Herald Tribune Book Reviews. Lombardo was cited for his skillful use of muted drums, trumpets and clarinets, bright tempos and smooth, flowing melodic lines. While emphasizing a sedate performance style, Lombardo also discouraged the use of solo improvisations, rifts and driving swing rhythms in his arrangements. He also adopted the use of the tuba instead of the double bass in a harmonic role. In a 1973 interview with CBC radio, Lombardo credited his brother Carmen with utilizing his talents as a self-taught flautist to develop a unique "round" sound for the saxophones as well as the influence of Paul Whiteman's band on his style. His "sweet" jazz style frequently incorporated lilting arrangements, much to the dismay of "serious" jazz devotees who favored "hot" jazz. Ironically, even the executives at Columbia Records were inclined to reject a sample recording submitted by Lombardo's band in 1927 on the grounds that it lacked the fast staccato tempo popularized by dance bands in the 1920s and was therefore not suitable for dancing. Nevertheless, even Lombardo's detractors praised his orchestra for the skill and musicianship of its members. In fact, Lombardo's band was highly respected throughout the industry for its professionalism. Milt Gabler of Decca Records praised the band as "the most completely responsible band I ever knew." The legendary Louis Armstrong even singled out Lombardo's band as one of his favorites. While Benny Goodman insisted that sweet music in general was "a weak sister incapable of holding its own in any artistic encounter with the real music of America", Lombardo's style continued to reign as the dominant influence among dance bands from the late 1920s until the arrival of the Swing Era in the mid-1930s and served as the foundation for the styles developed by Hal Kemp, Kay Kyser, Freddie Martin (who studied technique on the saxophone with Carmen Lombardo) and Sammy Kaye. In fact, Lombardo's smooth, mellow, lyrical style never quite disappeared even after World War II ended and helped to influence the subsequent development of various musical genres including easy listening. The music critic Winthrop Sargeant brushed aside all doubts about Lombardo's music In his Jazz: Hot and Hybrid (1959:53) by asserting that it was "unquestionably a variety of jazz, a hybrid variety that has come as close as anything does to being the folk-music of the great mass of Americans". In the final analysis, Lombardo's simple direct interpretation of easily understood melodies continued to consistently attract huge audiences both in the dance halls and concert halls of America in a manner which remained popular with the public for five decades. Guy Lombardo And His Royal Canadians – Take It EasyLabel:Vocalion – CDUS 3022Format:CD, Compilation, RemasteredCountry:UKReleased:2001Genre:Jazz, Latin, PopStyle:Big BandTrack list1Doll Dance2:282Take It EasyVocals – Lombardo TrioVocals – Lombardo Trio2:553Make BelieveVocals – Mert CurtisVocals – Mert Curtis2:374Dancing In The DarkVocals – Stuart FosterVocals – Stuart Foster2:425Begin The Beguine3:186At DawningVocals – Tony Craig (2)Vocals – Tony Craig (2)2:597The Band Played OnVocals – Kenny Gardner (2), Lombardo TrioVocals – Kenny Gardner (2), Lombardo Trio2:378I'll Dance At Your WeddingVocals – Don Rodney, Lombardo TrioVocals – Don Rodney, Lombardo Trio2:339It's Love - Love - LoveVocals – Lombardo Trio, Skip NelsonVocals – Lombardo Trio, Skip Nelson2:3210Time On My HandsVocals – Skip NelsonVocals – Skip Nelson3:1511Orchids In The MoonlightVocals – Tony Craig (2)Vocals – Tony Craig (2)2:5412ThoughtlessVocals – Don RodneyVocals – Don Rodney2:2613My Gal SalVocals – Kenny Gardner (2), Lombardo TrioVocals – Kenny Gardner (2), Lombardo Trio3:0114Our Little Ranch HouseVocals – Kenny Gardner (2), Lombardo TrioVocals – Kenny Gardner (2), Lombardo Trio2:5315The Moon Of ManakooraVocals – Skip NelsonVocals – Skip Nelson2:3916Smoke Gets In Your EyesVocals – Tony Craig (2)Vocals – Tony Craig (2)2:4017The Echo Said "No"Vocals – Don Rodney, Lombardo TrioVocals – Don Rodney, Lombardo Trio2:4518Swanee River2:1119Don't Tell MeVocals – Don RodneyVocals – Don Rodney2:4220Hawaiian ParadiseVocals – Tony Craig (2)Vocals – Tony Craig (2)2:5021Speak LowVocals – Billy LeachVocals – Billy Leach2:4922The Irish Washerwoman2:0423The Very Thought Of YouVocals – Rose Marie LombardoVocals – Rose Marie Lombardo2:5124When Day Is DoneVocals – Tony Craig (2)Vocals – Tony Craig (2)2:4325St. Louis Blues3:19Companies, etc.Phonographic Copyright ℗ – VocalionCopyright © – VocalionManufactured By – Kdg – 851.251CreditsCompiled By, Liner Notes – Bob Francis (6)Design – PevaRemastered By – Michael Dutton*NotesPlaying time 68'53 Recorded between 1939-1950 Made in Austria • Printed in GermanyBarcode and Other IdentifiersBarcode (Text): 7 65387 30222 1Barcode (String): 765387302221SPARS Code: ADDRights Society: MCPSMastering SID Code: ifpi L171Matrix / Runout: manufactured by kdg 851.251.003.022.0 ♯1

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Location: Simi Valley, California

End Time: 2025-01-21T17:48:22.000Z

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