Leis of Jazz: Jazz Sounds of
Originally released in 1959, LEIS OF JAZZ takes the sultry standards of smoke filled 40's clubrooms and gives them an uplifting twist, not to mention that it enabled Arthur Lyman to fulfill his jazz roots. Though he was riding the charts with his TABOOs, not many fans or critics knew of his early training in jazz. Time magazine educated the masses in their August 17, 1962 issue:"Arthur's introduction to music was on a toy marimba. Each day after school, Arthur's father put some old Benny Goodman records on the phonograph and locked Arthur in his room with orders to "play along with the records for the rest of the day." Arthur "hated it" but he also learned: "I mastered every [Lionel] Hampton solo."By the time he was 14, Lyman was good enough to play with a combo in a Honolulu jazz cellar: from there he graduated to the Martin Denny Trio…"Indeed, Lyman routed Hawaiiana through jazzy avenues, but it took LEIS OF JAZZ for him to fully explore his musical foundation. From "My Funny Valentine" to "Body & Soul," Arthur Lyman delivers traditional jazz with crisp chime and polished perfection. These are versions like you've never heard them, the kind that will leave you humming in the sunshine rather than pining over bourbon on the rocks.