Suddenly, It's the Hi-Lo's

Reprinted from http://jazzwax.com

As far as jazz-pop male vocal groups of the 1950s go, I always favored the Four Freshmen. Albums by the Hi-Lo's, their chief rivals, seemed a bit flat. Song choices on the Hi-Lo's early Columbia albums were often corny and stiffly arranged instrumentally by Frank Comstock, while vocal arrangements for the Four Freshmen's Capitol dates, many by Pete Rugolo, were crafty and swinging.

But recently, my position on the Hi-Lo's has evolved, particularly after watching them on newly uploaded YouTubes. While their albums may have been mostly unintersting, the group was far more charismatic and fun to see on TV, especially when the arranger was Nelson Riddle. Here are five Hi-Lo's videos from Rosemary Clooney's TV show from the late '50s with Riddle's charts that will make any Four Freshmen fan reconsider... 

Here's Tomorrow Mountain...

Here's Have You Met Miss Jones?...

Here's Lulu's Back in Town...

Here's September in the Rain...

And here's Paper Moon...

Used with permission by Marc Myers