Al Anthony
Swingin’ Hi-Fi
Liberty LRP 3090, 1958

Al Anthony is a multi-instrumentalist, though the focus here is on his easy swinging organ playing. This copy of Swingin’ Hi-Fi has some wear that wasn’t easily removed; it’s quite listenable, but you’ll notice patches where surface rubs make several rotations.

Original liner notes:

Al started playing the organ in a Waukegan, Illinois church at the age of twelve. After graduating from high school, he attended college in Minneapolis, studying music and playing football. Deciding his future lay in the music field, he left college and formed a trio which won him popularity in supper clubs in Chicago, New York, Las Vegas and eventually the West Coast.

Al spent the entire 1956 winter season laying at the Hotel La Paz in Palm Springs, California, where he won the title of “Palm Springs’ Most Popular Entertainer”… and the summer seasons of ’56 and ’57 gaining new fans in Paris, Copenhagen, Rome and other European resorts. Guest appearances on Hollywood television shows followed and led to his own West Coast TV show, motion pictures, a recording contract and now, his first and very exciting Liberty album—“Swinging’ Hi-Fi.”

Al Anthony’s musical diversity is well displayed in this album… clever tricks and a crazy humor in “You’re Driving Me Crazy”… an authentic Latin touch in “Baia” and “Tropical Merengue”… spectacular wind, storm and even sea gull effects are produced by the Hammon in “Ebb Tide”… his obvious love for progressive jazz in “Ev’rything I’ve Got Belongs to You”… a “rockin’” arrangement of “I Can’t Believe That You’re in Love With Me,” happily dedicated to his teenage fans… and, if you are lucky enough to have this album in stereo, you’ll swing back and forth from speaker to speaker in the Al Anthony original “Swingin’ Hi”… actually written during one of the recording sessions.

Here, in your hands, is the musical personality of Al Anthony… filled with musical enthusiasm and closely integrated with Howard Roberts’ guitar, Mel Lewis’ drums and Buddy Clark’s bass—and all Swingin’ Hi to the fresh arrangements of the gifted Al Anthony.

Side 1
Vanessa (Doris Fisher, Fred Fisher)
Carmelita (Percy Faith)
I Can’t Believe That You’re in Love With Me (Sammy McHugh, Clarence Gaskill)
Camptown Races (Foster)
Tropical Merengue (Rafael Munoz)
Baia (Ray Gilbert, Ary Barrosa)

Side 2
Sabre Dance (Aram Khatchaturian, Arr. Al Anthony)
You’re Driving Me Crazy (Walter Donaldson)
Ebb Tide (Robert Maxwell)
Ev’rything I’ve Got (Belongs to You) (Rodgers, Hart)
Swingin’ Hi (Al Anthony)
Eleanora (Arendo)

Producer: Ted Keep
Cover Art: Bill Pate
Engineer: Ted Keep

Transistorized Spectra-Sonic-Sound… The Ultimate in High Fidelity

1/1 #waukegan (320kbps, 69.8MB)