We're kicking back this Labor Day weekend and enjoying some great music. Last week it was the varied sounds of the incomparable Declan McManus a.k.a. Elvis Costello. This week it's the equally incomparable Raymond Scott.
Much Raymond Scott material I had never heard before has been released in recent years. The albums are available on YouTube and all the streaming services, albeit apparently not on DVD or vinyl.
There is a rather amazing YouTube channel featuring tremendous music by Scott, including playlists for the Quintettes and his Orchestra.
The latest on these releases from Raymond Scott.net: "A new series of five 20-track digital compilations presents remastered recordings — many never previously released — of Raymond Scott's Works for Orchestra. Spanning 1935 to 1957, these 100 tracks highlight Scott's adventurous and eclectic approaches to composing and scoring for large ensembles.
Most tracks were transferred from discs in the Scott collection at the Marr Sound Archives, with digital restorations produced by Scott historian/curator Irwin Chusid.
The five sets include dozens of Scott originals — including some early Quintette titles arranged for orchestra — and a handful of cover versions. These collections are available on Spotify, Apple Music, and all digital retail and streaming platforms."
"Raymond Scott: Quintettes or Less presents two 20-track digital (only) collections of mostly previously unreleased Scott recordings featuring the composer working with bands of less than seven players. Scott's original 1937–1939 "Quintette" actually had six members, so we're going with Raymond's math in curating these sets.
"Lots of surprises, including RSQ alternates and early versions, crisp radio performances, and previously unheard 1940s quintets and sextets. Curated and restored by Irwin Chusid. Both sets are available on Spotify, Apple Music, and all digital retail and streaming platforms."
Do we at Way Too Damn Lazy To Write A Blog have a single favorite musical composition to ever appear in a cartoon? Well, there may be a 45-way tie, but, without a doubt, atop the list would be Raymond Scott's "The Toy Trumpet."
Paramount among the particularly outstanding interpreters of Raymond Scott's music: Jeff Sanford's Cartoon Jazz Septet.
We've missed Jeff and the group a great deal since leaving California for upstate New York in 2016. Happy to see a new release from them. Happy Labor Day Weekend!
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