Four Freshmen - Collection 1951-62 (2019)

During the heyday of the vocal groups of the early ‘50s, when a number of groups enjoyed lengthy strings of chart hits by adapting the traditions of barbershop quartets for the mainstream pop market, one group stood apart from the others as innovative and highly distinctive performers who not only sang but played a variety of instruments and expanded the vocal group idiom to encompass challenging jazz-influenced styles . They were The Four Freshmen. Founded in 1948, they developed a sophisticated stage act which attracted the attention of many figures in the jazz world, notably bandleader Stan Kenton, who introduced them to his record label Capitol. The fact that their music was highly sophisticated and made few compromises towards the middle ground of comfortable early ‘50s pop meant that they did not make too many visits to the chart – they had five hits, the biggest of which was a No. 17 with “Graduation Day” in 1956 – but they became highly successful album sellers in the early days of the vinyl long-player. This collection comprises the A & B sides of their singles for Capitol during this era, mainly of which were featured on their albums at the time, plus selected further titles from their albums “Voices In Modern”, “Four Freshmen and 5 Trombones”, “Freshmen Favorites”, “4 Freshmen and 5 Trumpets, “Voices In Latin”, “In Person”, “Voices in Love, “Freshmen Favorites Vol.2”, “Love Lost”, “Voices And Brass”, “First Affair”, “The Freshman Year”, “Voices in Fun”, “Stars in Our Eyes” & “The Swingers”. It’s an enlightening overview of their work during this key era of their career, and a great showcase for their unique style and technique.