In the 1980s
Ray Conniff's release schedule of three to five albums per year slowed down considerably; and he increasingly turned to Latin music, making a number of albums that were not released in the United States. The Perfect 10 Classics is one of his few albums given U.S. release in the '80s, and features a return to the classical music with which he dealt on early-'60s albums like Rhapsody in Rhythm and
Concert in Rhythm, Vols. 1 & 2. Like the Concert in Rhythm series, The Perfect 10 Classics contains improvisations as well as compositions by
Ravel,
Beethoven, and
Mozart. Aside from the cult of
Conniff, it is hard to imagine an audience for this album; classical listeners will be offended by Conniff's pure pop approach, and pop music lovers don't necessarily care about classical melodies.
Conniff's arrangements are much more pop-oriented on The Perfect 10 Classics than were his earlier classical albums, and in keeping with the ultra-slick sound he developed in the '70s. ~ Greg Adams