ROSEMARY SWINGS WITH PRADO

Original Released on LP RCA VICTOR LPM 2133 (mono)
(US, March 1960)

This is a hard item to find 'cause it only came available on a japanese limited edition some years ago. Rosemary Clooney and Perez Prado should've been recorded extensively but unfortunately were not; so this is the only recorded musical jewel of the time when they joined their superb talents at the recording studio. On paper, this unlikely pairing of Clooney (who nearly defined the 1950s as a stylist) and Cuban percussionist and bandleader Pérez Prado seemed to be a disaster in the making. The end result is quite the opposite. Recorded during two sessions in July and August of 1959, this is simply one of the loveliest albums in either artist's catalog. The music is lively and colorful but retains Clooney's smooth and mellow character, and Prado's trademark arrangements and experiments with percussion, texture, and harmony. Apparently, Clooney had some trouble with pronunciation initially, but was coached by her husband, Puerto Rican actor Jose Ferrer (who wrote the original album's liner notes) and became a quick study. This merging of Latin and American standards is a tour de force that features some of the hottest session players in the biz including drummers Leo Acosta and Earl Palmer, as well as horn players Paul Horn and Ollie Mitchell. Highlights of the set include "Mack the Knife", "Sway", a pair of Cole Porter tunes - "Bali Hai" and "You Do Something to Me" - as well as highly original readings of "Corazon de Melon", "Cu-Cu-Rru-Cu-Cu Paloma" and "Adios".