Dick Hyman was a jack-of-all trades keyboardist throughout much of the 1950s and 1960s, recording both
jazz and
easy listening albums on various keyboards before eventually focusing primarily on the former. This 1960
Everest LP clearly falls in the
easy listening camp, with
Hyman's lush piano backed by a large string orchestra, conducted by
Jules Schacter. Even though there are two
jazz compositions included (
"Caravan" and
"Sugar Blues") on the album, as well as several
standards favored by
jazz musicians (
"Willow Weep for Me" and
"I'll Never Be the Same")
Hyman never takes the opportunity to show his true capabilities at the piano, as that might have overwhelmed the intended audience for this recording. His one original for this date, the Hawaiian-like
"Kaipuala" was a jaunty vehicle written for a television sequence featuring
Arthur Godfrey, for whom he served as music director for a time. While this is pretty music, most fans of
Dick Hyman will prefer his
jazz-oriented dates to this less adventurous record. ~ Ken Dryden
