Bill Kirchner sent a description of his next program in the Institute of Jazz Studies “Jazz From The Archives.†He will feature a vocal group with close ties to jazz, that for more than a decade reached a wide audience with its rich series of recordings and continues to amass new fans. Here’s Bill’s announcement.
Between 1971 and 1982, The Singers Unlimited (pictured left to right, Bonnie Herman, Len Dresslar Gene Puerling, Don Shelton)
recorded fifteen albums, mostly with varied instrumental backups. The innovative vocal writing by Puerling featured extensive studio overdubbing using as many as 27 voices; for this reason, the group never appeared live. They performed rich, difficult harmonies flawlessly and were a major inspiration for the popular vocal group Take 6.
We’ll hear several of The Singers Unlimited’s albums: one a cappella, and others with instrumental arrangements by Robert Farnon, Clare Fischer, and Rob McConnell.
The show will air this Sunday, August 26, from 11 p.m. to midnight, Eastern Daylight Time.
NOTE: If you live outside the New York City metropolitan area, WBGO (88.3 FM) also broadcasts on the Internet at www.wbgo.org.
To further whet your interest, here’s a sample, with orchestral accompaniment by Farnon and a video biographical sketch of the composer, a certain Velvet Gentleman. If Mr. Kirchner includes it in his program, perhaps you won’t mind hearing it again.