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".
