The arranger and bandleader who gave pop standards a lush, accessible sound.
For a quick sense of his approach, listen to 'Mack The Knife' or 'Alexander's Ragtime Band.' They're the same songs, just dressed in Conniff's signature sound.
Conniff took songs everyone already knew and gave them a new orchestral life. His version of 'Mack The Knife' is a good example, it's still that same tune, but wrapped in his full, polished sound. He did the same with 'Somewhere My Love' and 'Bésame Mucho,' making them feel both familiar and freshly arranged.
He started as an arranger for Glenn Miller's orchestra in 1940. After the war, he formed his own orchestra and found success with albums like 'Twelfth Street Rag,' then spent decades touring and recording those orchestral versions of popular songs.
Keep it compact: a lyric you come back to, a live memory, or the part of the catalog you would point someone toward first.
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