Gordon Jenkins

The Gordon Jenkins Collection

We continue our series focusing on the great arrangers and conductors of the pre- and post-war eras with an anthology devoted to the work of Gordon Jenkins, a fine pianist and composer as well as a noted arranger, who is especially associated with lush string arrangements which accompanied some of the great singers of the time. This great value 87-track 4-CD set comprises examples of his work from a period of over a quarter of a century spanning WWII, featuring recordings made with a host of top flight male and female vocalists during his long tenures as house arranger for Capitol and Decca, as well as his performances of the several orchestral suites which he composed and recorded under his own name over the years. Included are recordings by artists like Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong, Billie Holiday, Dick Haymes, The Andrews Sisters, Frank Sinatra, Peggy Lee, Nat King Cole, Judy Garland, The Weavers, Marlene Dietrich, Benny Goodman, Artie Shaw, Ethel Merman, Danny Kaye, Burl Ives and many more, so it provides a fascinating trawl across the spectrum of popular music as well as an insight into the techniques and talents of one of the industry's hugely talented backroom boys. Compiled and with extensive booklet notes by former national newspaper showbiz writer and photographer Geoff Wilding, creator of previous anthologies in this series.