One of the founding fathers of easy listening, Canadian conductor Percy Faith was a child prodigy who might have become a concert pianist had he not suffered burns in a domestic fire whilst still a teenager. His bravery saved his sister's life but damaged his hands so badly that he was unable to play the piano for nine months. Far from getting the better of Percy Faith, the accident only spurred his interest in arranging, composing and conducting. Early in the 1950s he became musical director at Columbia Records under the auspices of Mitch Miller. The most fastidious musical craftsman, Faith would record dozens of concept albums for the label over the next 25 years. His arrangements also salvaged the failing careers of Tony Bennett and Rosemary Clooney and returned Johnny Mathis, Doris Day and Guy Mitchell to the charts. Andr Previn and Quincy Jones claim him as an influence. Karen and Richard Carpenter could be counted among Percy Faith''s greatest admirers. Faith was certainly one of the chief beneficiaries of technological development in recorded sound that came with the advent of Hi- Fidelity, and Malaguena - trumpets blaring and powerful trombones to the fore - is heard in early widescreen stereo, while his exquisite 1954 recording of Kismet, so skilfully shaded and so full of exotic vistas, is presented here in its original pristine mono.
