Uploaded May 2015 | Updated September 2026, 30 minutes ago
LETS TALK ABOUT (BIG BAND) MUSIC - 6 - COUNT BASIE
" Any musical pioneering that a bandleader feels he must do can be sandwiched in between those numbers that the public wants and demands . . . Showmanship is important, but must not be forced and should be suitable to the leader's personality."
FELIX SLATKIN
Felix Slatkin was an American violinist and conductor.
He began studying the violin at the age of nine with Isadore Grossman. He began working professionally at the age of ten and won a scholarship to the Curtis Institute, where he studied violin with Efrem Zimbalist and conducting with Fritz Reiner.
At age 17 he joined the St. Louis Symphony and formed a chamber orchestra of young musicians. In 1935 he won a competition which included a solo appearance with the Hollywood Bowl Symphony Orchestra and Jose Iturbi. Around this time he met cellist Eleanor Aller, also of Russian Jewish extraction whom he later married. During the Second World War, he served his country as a musician at the Santa Ana Air Force Base and as a conductor of the Army Air Force Tactical Command Orchestra, an organization that raised over 100 million dollars in war bonds.
He settled in Los Angeles and accepted the post of Concertmaster for Twentieth Century Fox Studios, performing numerous violin solos in motion pictures such as How Green Was My Valley and How to Marry a Millionaire. In 1939 he founded the highly acclaimed Hollywood String Quartet, which produced over 21 albums for Capitol Records and toured the United States, Europe, Australia and New Zealand, including a special appearance in 1957 for the Edinburgh Festival. In 1958, the quartet won a Grammy Award for Best Classical Performance-Orchestra from the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences for its performance of the Beethoven Late String Quartets.
His conducting career included his founding of the Concert Arts Orchestra and appearances with the Hollywood Bowl Symphony Orchestra. He was Frank Sinatra's concertmaster and conductor of choice during the Capitol years of the 1950s. He made over 25 recordings with these orchestras, also on the Capitol label, including a recording of Offenbach’s Gaîté Parisienne (a ballet arranged by Manuel Rosenthal), which won a Grammy Award in 1958. He also made over a dozen recordings for Liberty Records establishing “The Fantastic Strings, Fantastic Fiddles, Fantastic Percussion, and Fantastic Brass of Felix Slatkin.” In 1962, his recording entitled Hoedown won a Grammy nomination.
ON THE STREET WHERE YOU LIVE
"On the Street Where You Live" is a song with music by Frederick Loewe and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner, from the 1956 Broadway musical, My Fair Lady. It is sung in the musical by the character Freddy Eynsford-Hill, who was portrayed by John Michael King in the original production. In the 1964 film version, it was sung by Bill Shirley, dubbing for actor Jeremy Brett.
The most popular single of the song was recorded by Vic Damone in 1956 for Columbia Records. It reached Nbr 4 on the Billboard charts and 6 on Cashbox magazine's chart. It was a Nbr 1 hit in the UK Singles Chart in 1958.
MHO
Highly romantic version of the famous My Fair Lady hit with the strings of Felix Slatkin in a superb shape. The rhythm in the background gives the song a solid base and it intensifies the pulsating sound of the orchestra. "On The Street where You Live" - written by Frederick Loewe - must be one of the most beautiful melodies ever written. Hence, whether performed vocally or instrumentally, it's always a delicious piece of ear candy !
Enjoy.
LETS TALK ABOUT (BIG BAND) MUSIC - 6 - COUNT BASIE
" Any musical pioneering that a bandleader feels he must do can be sandwiched in between those numbers that the public wants and demands . . . Showmanship is important, but must not be forced and should be suitable to the leader's personality."
FELIX SLATKIN
Felix Slatkin was an American violinist and conductor.
He began studying the violin at the age of nine with Isadore Grossman. He began working professionally at the age of ten and won a scholarship to the Curtis Institute, where he studied violin with Efrem Zimbalist and conducting with Fritz Reiner.
At age 17 he joined the St. Louis Symphony and formed a chamber orchestra of young musicians. In 1935 he won a competition which included a solo appearance with the Hollywood Bowl Symphony Orchestra and Jose Iturbi. Around this time he met cellist Eleanor Aller, also of Russian Jewish extraction whom he later married. During the Second World War, he served his country as a musician at the Santa Ana Air Force Base and as a conductor of the Army Air Force Tactical Command Orchestra, an organization that raised over 100 million dollars in war bonds.
He settled in Los Angeles and accepted the post of Concertmaster for Twentieth Century Fox Studios, performing numerous violin solos in motion pictures such as How Green Was My Valley and How to Marry a Millionaire. In 1939 he founded the highly acclaimed Hollywood String Quartet, which produced over 21 albums for Capitol Records and toured the United States, Europe, Australia and New Zealand, including a special appearance in 1957 for the Edinburgh Festival. In 1958, the quartet won a Grammy Award for Best Classical Performance-Orchestra from the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences for its performance of the Beethoven Late String Quartets.
His conducting career included his founding of the Concert Arts Orchestra and appearances with the Hollywood Bowl Symphony Orchestra. He was Frank Sinatra's concertmaster and conductor of choice during the Capitol years of the 1950s. He made over 25 recordings with these orchestras, also on the Capitol label, including a recording of Offenbach’s Gaîté Parisienne (a ballet arranged by Manuel Rosenthal), which won a Grammy Award in 1958. He also made over a dozen recordings for Liberty Records establishing “The Fantastic Strings, Fantastic Fiddles, Fantastic Percussion, and Fantastic Brass of Felix Slatkin.” In 1962, his recording entitled Hoedown won a Grammy nomination.
ON THE STREET WHERE YOU LIVE
"On the Street Where You Live" is a song with music by Frederick Loewe and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner, from the 1956 Broadway musical, My Fair Lady. It is sung in the musical by the character Freddy Eynsford-Hill, who was portrayed by John Michael King in the original production. In the 1964 film version, it was sung by Bill Shirley, dubbing for actor Jeremy Brett.
The most popular single of the song was recorded by Vic Damone in 1956 for Columbia Records. It reached Nbr 4 on the Billboard charts and 6 on Cashbox magazine's chart. It was a Nbr 1 hit in the UK Singles Chart in 1958.
MHO
Highly romantic version of the famous My Fair Lady hit with the strings of Felix Slatkin in a superb shape. The rhythm in the background gives the song a solid base and it intensifies the pulsating sound of the orchestra. "On The Street where You Live" - written by Frederick Loewe - must be one of the most beautiful melodies ever written. Hence, whether performed vocally or instrumentally, it's always a delicious piece of ear candy !
Enjoy.
