"ROSEMARY CLOONEY RARE & UNRELEASED"
$ 16.95
(Click the icon above to see track listings)
This very unique CD is unlike anything else on the market in regard to Rosemary Clooney. It features stellar vocals, most of which you have never heard before, showcased in tasteful new musical settings that compliment Rosey's exquisite voice for a fresh, contemporary sound!
These extraordinary recordings have remained locked up and unavailable to fans until this year! Yet they constitute such an important part of Ms. Clooney's musical history.
A lot of younger people probably just know Rosemary as actor George Clooney's aunt, or remember her from 1954's "White Christmas," co-starring Bing Crosby. But Rosey was a phenomenal singer with a rich voice, perfect pitch, and smooth style. She could sing anything from ballads to rousing, Big Band numbers. Contemporary artists like Michael Feinstein, Diana Krall and Bette Middler adore her.
The pristine fidelity on these tracks far surpasses the quality of Rosey's commercial releases from the same period. That's because the producer has used the tools of the digital age to expertly remaster Clooney's tracks to impart a warmth, presence and more natural ambiance than they originally had.
It was also fortuitous that for most of these recordings, Rosemary sang only with a piano or trio.This enabled the new producer to add gorgeous new instrumental backings (lush strings, oboe, sax, clarinet, flute, trombone, new percussion, more piano), including by some world-class musicians, among them alumni of the Atlanta jazz scene. They now sound more complete.
Rosey was at the height of her vocal powers when most of these songs were taped. The CD surveys three distinct musical periods and Clooney's fans will be delighted to discover this includes new songs she never recorded commercially! The first five tracks are from her early Big Band days, culminating in 1951-52. The mono originals have been transformed into stereo with the addition of strings, new percussion, etc. for a rich, exciting sound. Then there's a touching narrative that has not been commercially available in decades.
The next 16 are very sophisticated light jazz/pop offerings that were sung between 1955-61, when Clooney was in the best voice of her life. These splendid performances have been expertly overdubbed with wonderful new music that sparkles with a rich luster.
The album concludes with 8 enervating live performances that have never seen commercial release and feature Ms. Clooney backed by the Russ Morgan and Ray Coniff orchestras respectively!
To read an interesting article about how this unique CD came about, CLICK HERE.
To hear audio samples, click below:
Click button below to read reviews of this CD:
Share this item: