Uploaded May 2015 | Updated September 2026, 2 hours ago
LETS TALK ABOUT (BIG BAND) MUSIC - 10 - LIONEL HAMPTON
"Kids take to music so naturally . . . teach young kids the rudiments that they need to add to that natural rhythm and joy in music."
THE 101 STRINGS ORCHESTRA
The 101 Strings Orchestra was a brand for a highly successful easy listening symphonic music organization, with a discography exceeding a hundred albums and a creative lifetime of roughly thirty years beginning in 1957. 101 Strings had a trademark sound, focusing on melody with a laid-back ambiance, most often featuring strings. Their LPs were individualized by the slogan "The Sound of Magnificence", a cloud logo and sepia-toned photo of the orchestra. The 101 Strings orchestra included 124 string instruments (all male players except for the harpist) and was conducted by Wilhelm Stephan. The orchestra's famous official photograph was taken in the Musikhalle Hamburg.
Following the rise of mood music (practitioners Mantovani and Jackie Gleason Presents), record label mogul Roger Miller subcontracted the Orchester des Nordwestdeutschen Rundfunks Hamburg (the Northwest German Radio Orchestra of Hamburg) conducted by Wilhelm Stephan to play in-house arrangements of popular standards. The first three 101 Strings albums were released in November, 1957, and 12 more titles were released in 1958 (many of which featured recycled material from earlier albums attributed to the New World Orchestra, Rio Carnival Orchestra, and other light music orchestras).
His core staff arrangers were Monty Kelly, Joseph Francis Kuhn and Robert Lowden. All three proved adept at penning original compositions that were stylistically consistent both with contemporary hit songs and each other. Miller placed these on 101 Strings albums to provide additional publishing revenues.
Kelly’s earliest successes were Latin and Spanish travelogues (such as the Soul of Spain series) although, following the British Invasion, he became 101 Strings’ ‘Now Sound’ specialist. Kuhn concentrated on radio-friendly numbers in the ‘Pops’ orchestral manner ("Blues Pizzicato," etc.) which provided Somerset its initial catalog of originals. Lowden penned lounge ballads (such as "Blue Twilight"). Their body of early 1960s work would be recycled via re-release throughout the next twenty years.
In 1964, Miller sold the franchise to Al Sherman, a successful record label distributor, who renamed the label Alshire (based in Los Angeles, California) and moved recording to London. Sherman retained Miller as a partner to oversee production and A&R. The Alshire era is characterized by large-scale expansion of product, attempts to branch out into younger markets and, beginning in 1969, eventual stagnation (although late efforts by Les Baxter and Nelson Riddle were released under the 101 moniker in 1970). Output decreased from 1974 on. A tribute to John Lennon (composed of earlier Beatle tribute material) in January 1981 marks the final 101 Strings effort.
The 101 Strings sold over 50,000,000 records worldwide.
APRAY VOO
Taken from the "Big Band Hits volume 1" album and composed by L. Jefe and M. Huckridge. The arrangement was written by the 101 Strings "house arrangers", Monty Kelly and Robert Lowden.
The album was released by Allshire in 1974.
MHO
While many music critics are of the opinion that the Strings' best material was recorded at the end of the 1950s/early 1960s, there are, in MHO, some exceptions to that "rule".
The Big Bands album for example from which this track was taken. And what a bright and cheerful track this is ! For me, these are the 101 Strings at their best : a great arrangement, an extensive orchestration and a solid "full body" sound that grabs the listener's attention from the very first notes and that maintains musical joy up to the song finale. Enjoy !
LETS TALK ABOUT (BIG BAND) MUSIC - 10 - LIONEL HAMPTON
"Kids take to music so naturally . . . teach young kids the rudiments that they need to add to that natural rhythm and joy in music."
THE 101 STRINGS ORCHESTRA
The 101 Strings Orchestra was a brand for a highly successful easy listening symphonic music organization, with a discography exceeding a hundred albums and a creative lifetime of roughly thirty years beginning in 1957. 101 Strings had a trademark sound, focusing on melody with a laid-back ambiance, most often featuring strings. Their LPs were individualized by the slogan "The Sound of Magnificence", a cloud logo and sepia-toned photo of the orchestra. The 101 Strings orchestra included 124 string instruments (all male players except for the harpist) and was conducted by Wilhelm Stephan. The orchestra's famous official photograph was taken in the Musikhalle Hamburg.
Following the rise of mood music (practitioners Mantovani and Jackie Gleason Presents), record label mogul Roger Miller subcontracted the Orchester des Nordwestdeutschen Rundfunks Hamburg (the Northwest German Radio Orchestra of Hamburg) conducted by Wilhelm Stephan to play in-house arrangements of popular standards. The first three 101 Strings albums were released in November, 1957, and 12 more titles were released in 1958 (many of which featured recycled material from earlier albums attributed to the New World Orchestra, Rio Carnival Orchestra, and other light music orchestras).
His core staff arrangers were Monty Kelly, Joseph Francis Kuhn and Robert Lowden. All three proved adept at penning original compositions that were stylistically consistent both with contemporary hit songs and each other. Miller placed these on 101 Strings albums to provide additional publishing revenues.
Kelly’s earliest successes were Latin and Spanish travelogues (such as the Soul of Spain series) although, following the British Invasion, he became 101 Strings’ ‘Now Sound’ specialist. Kuhn concentrated on radio-friendly numbers in the ‘Pops’ orchestral manner ("Blues Pizzicato," etc.) which provided Somerset its initial catalog of originals. Lowden penned lounge ballads (such as "Blue Twilight"). Their body of early 1960s work would be recycled via re-release throughout the next twenty years.
In 1964, Miller sold the franchise to Al Sherman, a successful record label distributor, who renamed the label Alshire (based in Los Angeles, California) and moved recording to London. Sherman retained Miller as a partner to oversee production and A&R. The Alshire era is characterized by large-scale expansion of product, attempts to branch out into younger markets and, beginning in 1969, eventual stagnation (although late efforts by Les Baxter and Nelson Riddle were released under the 101 moniker in 1970). Output decreased from 1974 on. A tribute to John Lennon (composed of earlier Beatle tribute material) in January 1981 marks the final 101 Strings effort.
The 101 Strings sold over 50,000,000 records worldwide.
APRAY VOO
Taken from the "Big Band Hits volume 1" album and composed by L. Jefe and M. Huckridge. The arrangement was written by the 101 Strings "house arrangers", Monty Kelly and Robert Lowden.
The album was released by Allshire in 1974.
MHO
While many music critics are of the opinion that the Strings' best material was recorded at the end of the 1950s/early 1960s, there are, in MHO, some exceptions to that "rule".
The Big Bands album for example from which this track was taken. And what a bright and cheerful track this is ! For me, these are the 101 Strings at their best : a great arrangement, an extensive orchestration and a solid "full body" sound that grabs the listener's attention from the very first notes and that maintains musical joy up to the song finale. Enjoy !
