THE BRASS RING: "The Flight Of The Phoenix"

Original released on LP Dunhill DS 50008

(US, 1966)

Although once considered the height of sophistication, by the mid-'60s, instrumental pop - known to some as "space-age bachelor pad music," "space age pop," "beautiful music," and/or "elevator music" - had all but met its match on the charts and radio airwaves. The rise of rock and folk initially complemented combos such as the Brass Ring - a group of studio professionals led by the incomparable Phil Bodner. His career boasted stints with Benny Goodman and as a co-founder of the Metropolitan Jazz Quartet. However, it was his contributions to Enoch Light's "Persuasive Percussion" platters that became the impetus for a modernized version that blended concurrent songs with a lighter and non-threatening sensibility. Bodner chose selections inspired by or lifted from tunes on the silver screen for the Brass Ring's debut long-player "Love Theme from the Flight of the Phoenix". The two non-cinematic exceptions being the midtempo bossa nova vibe that flavors the pop standard "Love Is a Many Splendored Thing" and a saxophone-led reading of "My Foolish Heart" that is set to a steady doo wop backbeat. Hammond B-3 enthusiasts will revel in "Secret Love" and the solos on "Moment to Moment" as they capture the almost obligatory "mod" mid-60s sound. The interpretations of "Unchained Melody" and Henry Mancini's classic "Moon River" are particularly notable for their seemingly incongruent upbeat arrangements. This emerging "inspiration"quickly became one of the Brass Ring's primary assets. While the album landed just shy of the Top 100 (number 109) chart, the "Phoenix Love Theme (Senza Fine)" would be the Brass Ring's highest scoring single, topping out at number 32 in April of 1966. (Lindsay Planer in AllMusic)