The Heritage of Broadway, Vol. 3: The Music of Lerner & Loewe/Rodgers & Hart

Combining two previously released LPs, this album presents instrumental treatments of the music of, first, Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe (including selections from My Fair Lady, Camelot, Gigi, and Brigadoon), and then Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart (including such hits as "Where Or When" and "Blue Moon," and standards like "My Funny Valentine" and "The Lady Is A Tramp"). The first half originally was released in 1964 as And Then I Wrote Lerner And Loewe (Time 2160), by Maury Laws, who arranged it and conducted the orchestra. Laws's arrangements are in the familiar Percy Faith/Ray Conniff style of 1950s and 1960s easy listening music, ranging from neo-swing charts with horn-led big band instrumentation ("I Could Have Danced All Night") to string-filled orchestrations that emphasize Loewe's Viennese waltz-inspired melodies ("If Ever I Would Leave You") and even playful near-contemporary styles (the guitar-led "Get Me To The Church On Time"). The second half originally was released in 1960 as Percussion & Strings (Time 2015) by the George Siravo Orchestra. As that title suggests, Siravo opted for an approach similar to the then-popular Enoch Light style, using a full orchestra but supplementing it with distinctive drums and other prominent percussion effects. Both Laws's and Siravo's charts sound a little dated 30+ years later (except for those lounge music fans who will appreciate them as kitsch), but the music remains indestructible.