Marterie,Ralph Singles Collection 1950-62 CD

Trumpeter and bandleader Ralph Marterie was born in Naples, Italy in 1914, his family emigrating and settling in Chicago when he was a child. He learnt trumpet and first played professionally at the age of 14. He first led a band while in the US Navy in WWII and then had his own orchestra working for ABC Radio, leading to a contract with Mercury. He played commercial, middle-of-the-road big band music, his repertoire ranging from lush pop ballads to Latin and swing-influenced material, readily embracing rock 'n' roll styles as the '50s progressed. His skill at understanding popular taste and willingness to tailor his music to what the broad swathe of middle America enjoyed listening to brought him a string of hits through the mid-1950s. This great-value 55-track 2-CD set comprises selected A & B sides for the Mercury label and for United Artists in the early 60s - he recorded prolifically, so this is very much a cherry-picked selection, which we hope gives an entertaining cross-section of his work. It features all his career chart entries, including most notably the 1954 Top 3 hit "Skokiaan" and his other Top 10 hits "Pretend" and "Caravan", not to mention his No. 13 cover version of Bill Haley's "Crazy Man Crazy". Ralph Marterie's music is tailor-made for lovers of quality orchestral music with a stylish pop flavour, and this collection offers substantial slice of it

1. I'll Never Smile Again 2. So Long 3. Castle Rock 4. September Song 5. Alice Blue Gown 6. Tenderly 7. Perdido 8. Autumn Leaves 9. Boulevard of Broken Dreams 10. In a Persian Market 11. Street Scene 12. Peanut Vendor 13. Running Slow 14. Pretend 15. After Midnight 16. While We Dream 17. Caravan 18. Crazy, Man, Crazy 19. Go Away 20. The Moon Is Blue 21. Warsaw Concerto 22. The Creep 23. Love Theme from "The Glenn Miller Story" 24. Dry Marterie 25. Bumble Boogie 26. Skokian 27. Crazy 'Bout Lollipop 28. Kiss, Crazy Baby 29. A Dig That Crazy Santa Claus 30. Blue Mirage 31. Chicken Boogie 32. Ciribiri Mambo 33. One Fine Day (Un Bel Di Vedrema) 34. Maybelline 35. Dry Marterie with An Olive 36. John and Julie 37. Misirlou 38. Theme from "Picnic" 39. Yes Sir, That's My Baby 40. Guaglione (Little Boy) 41. Tricky 42. Travel at Your Own Risk 43. Bop a Doo - Bop a Doo 44. Shish-Kebab 45. Hesitation Hop 46. College Man 47. Night Stroll 48. Compulsion 49. Wampum 50. Thin Man 51. Trumpet Soliliquy 52. Diga Diga Doo 53. Moonlight Becomes You 54. Bacardi 55. Lili Marleen