Frankie Carle - Collection 1940-49 (2020)

Frankie Carle was a pianist, composer and bandleader, whose orchestra racked up a string of hits during the 1940s in what was called the “sweet” style of dance band easy listening music. He came to fame in 1938 with his composition “Sunrise Serenade” which he recorded as pianist with Glen Gray’s Casa Loma Orchestra, and which was a hit for Glenn Miller, after which he became well-known and popular as the pianist with Horace Heidt’s Musical Knights, playing on several of their hits before starting to make solo recordings and launching his own band at the start of the ‘40s. Having his first hit with “Charmaine” in 1944, he had thirteen more hits through the decade, enjoying a landmark year in 1946 when he had No. 1s with “Oh! What It Seemed to Be”, which he co-composed, and “Rumors Are Flying”, his last hit coming with the No. 8 “Cruising Down The River” in 1949. This great-value 49-track 2-CD set comprises selected A and B sides of his Columbia releases during these years, naturally featuring all his career hits with his own orchestra, of which ten were Billboard Top 10 entries. The recordings include many performances by his featured vocalists, most notably his daughter Marjorie Hughes, but also including Paul Allen, Phyliss Lynne, Gregg Lawrence, Nan Wright, and Bob Lochen. It’s a nicely representative overview of his primary career, and an entertaining showcase for his fine piano technique and his orchestra’s distinctive style.