Gene Puerling, Singers Unlimited/Hi Lo's

[Gordo]

Thanks for the great link Gordo.

will cost me some more Euros to get some missing albums

Willie

 

>
> Just heard from a Songbirds lister that Gene Puerling died last night

http://www.singers.com/jazz/singersunlimited.html

Sad to see that. Great vocal arranger -- yeah, it is sorta devastating to think how exemplary he was. I like Singers Unlimited even more than his work with the Hi-Los, but both great!

__,_._,___

[MDB1...@hotmail.com]

As a fan of the SINGERS UNLIMITED for three decades, this is very sad
news for me. They recorded only 15 albums -all of which I own- during
their years together, but what great works of art they were.
Especially the four 'a capella' albums.
In addition to his work as arranger for the 'Singers Unlimited' and
the 'Hi-Los', Puerling also arranged for the 'Manhattan Transfer' on a
few occasions, winning a Grammy award in 1982 for that groups' a
capella rendition of the song "A Nightingale Sang In Berkeley Square"
and a Grammy nomination for their first Christmas Album. He also
arranged backings on a few tracks for Gloria Estefan's Christmas album
and the Carpenters' 'Passage' album.
If his d.o.b. as 3/31/1929 is correct, he would have have 79 on
Monday.

There were many fine vocal-group arrangers in the 1950s-'60s, among
them Anita Kerr, Harry Simeone and Ray Conniff. But Puerling really
stretched his intricate harmonies to maximum levels not heard before.
He formed 'Singers Unlimited' in 1967, and thanks to a jazz pianist
who discovered them in 1971, they were signed to the MPS jazz label
and their popularity grew, as did Puerling's always brilliant
creativity. That pianist, btw, was Oscar Peterson, who passed just 3
months ago...