Mix a young singer and piano player with a canny veteran composer/arranger/big-band conductor and blend with an abundance of talented, experienced instrumentalists, many of whom have been around for a while, and the result is an exciting (for the most part)
Textures in Hi-Fi. This is West Coast denizen
Robert Hick's second album and is considerably more adventurous than the first. Instead of relying strictly on classic standards, the program consists of a couple of originals and songs penned by the likes of
Jimmie Rodgers,
Freddie Slack, and, especially,
Pete Rugolo himself -- good music that listeners don't hear often enough. The band's cast of characters has played with virtually every major West Coast big band of the last 30 years, including
Stan Kenton,
Henry Mancini,
Woody Herman,
Buddy Bregman, as well as
Rugolo's. The arrangements quickly bring to mind the material
Rugolo wrote backing such singers as
June Christy,
the Four Freshmen, and
Billy Eckstine either when he was with
Kenton or later when he went out on his own. The singer does not let this outstanding supporting cast go to waste.
Hicks sports a pleasant enough voice, light and lilting, with flickers of
Chet Baker,
Harry Connick, Jr., as well as some of the high-note endings to songs that
Mel Torme used so effectively over the years. He is clearly much more at ease and effective with medium to up-tempo material rather than with ballads. His work with the two ballads, "Interlude" and "Out of the Shadows," is constrained by arrangements cluttered with strings and French horns. Instead of being romantic, his voice comes out lackadaisical and bored. Contrast that with the joyful renderings of such tunes as "It's Crazy" and "Rika Jika Jack." The
Rugolo arranged "You Stepped out of a Dream" recalls his 1955 recording of that lovely tune with
the Four Freshmen and is a highlight of the session. Like his voice,
Hick's piano reveals a light, uncomplicated style showing some familiarity with boogie-woogie on "That Was the End of Me."
Hick's voice is good now and will no doubt get better. This album is recommended. ~ Dave Nathan