Personnel: Perry Botkin and His Orchestra, Allu¡sio Antunes "Lulu" Ferreira, Sam Herman (guitar); Sam Freed, Mischa Russell, Henry Hill , Jacques Gasselin, Harry Bluestone (violin); Milton Thomas (viola); Cy Bernard (cello); Warren Baker, Phil Shuken, John Hacker, Larry Wright, Matty Matlock (reeds); Hymie Schertzer (alto saxophone); Babe Fresk (tenor saxophone); Harry Vasco de Almeida (trumpet, percussion); Doc Severinsen, Bobby Guy , Art Tancredi, Ziggy Elman, Charlie Shavers (trumpet); Ted Vesely, Sam Hyster, Johnny Amoroso, Eddie Kusby, Nick Dimaio, Tommy Dorsey (trombone); Buddy Cole (piano); Jackie Mills, John Cyr (drums); Jos‚ Ferreira Soares (pandeiro).
Audio Remasterer: Robin Cherry.
Liner Note Author: Malcolm MacFarlane.
Recording information: Los Angeles, CACherry, Robin (09/07/1950-02/05/1951).
Photographer: Ron Bosley.
In 2006 and 2007, Sepia Records issued two Bing Crosby compilations, Good & Rare and Good & Rare, Vol. 2, that brought into the CD realm commercial recordings made by Crosby between 1949 and 1955 that had fallen into out of print obscurity, never having achieved much popularity to begin with since they were released at a time when the singer's popularity was in decline. The albums were enthusiastically received by Crosby collectors, and as of 2008, Sepia agreed to take over the long-running series The Chronological Bing Crosby that had been undertaken by the tiny Jonzo Records label and, running to 51 single-CD volumes, traced Crosby's commercial recording career from 1926 to 1950. (Neither the Jonzo nor Sepia releases are authorized; they take advantage of the 50-year copyright limit on recordings in Europe and are remastered from old 78-rpm records with audio restoration techniques applied. In the U.S., copyright continued to be claimed by Universal Music, successor to Crosby's main record label, Decca, and others.) With Through the Years, Vol. 1: 1950-1951, Sepia renames the series and starts the counter over at one, but for all intents and purposes, this album might as well be called The Chronological Bing Crosby, Vol. 52. It picks up the story at a time when Crosby was the country's top pop recording artist (he is ranked number one for the calendar year 1950 by Billboard chart researcher Joel Whitburn), as well as one of the top Hollywood film stars and radio show hosts. But change is in the air as tastes in music and movies are in flux, and television is supplanting radio. The 47-year-old Crosby is slow to adapt, and that can be seen in his recording sessions here, which produced only one chart single, the holiday-themed "A Marshmallow World," number 24 in Billboard for a single week. But that only became apparent later. Between September 1950 and February 1951, Crosby did what he usually did in the studio, recording songs from upcoming Broadway shows (including numbers from Guys & Dolls and Call Me Madam); Christmas music, much of it with his longtime partners the Andrews Sisters; a big-band swing session with the orchestra led by his old friend Tommy Dorsey; Irish music in anticipation of St. Patrick's Day, 1951; and, finally, a Latin American date with the Bando da Lua. There may only be one minor hit, but there are standards in the making, including "Autumn Leaves," "If I Were a Bell," and "Silver Bells." And whatever the material or the backing, Crosby maintains his calm assurance and light touch. ~ William Ruhlmann
