Bing Sings Whilst Bregman Swings

About Bing Sings Whilst Bregman Swings

Bing Sings Whilst Bregman Swings was Bing Crosby's sixth LP, his first album for Verve, recorded and released in a mono format in 1956. Bing Sings Whilst Bregman Swings was a stylistic departure for Crosby, marking the first time he recorded an album with an orchestra similar to Songs for Swingin' Lovers! by Frank Sinatra, an album recorded with Nelson Riddle and released earlier the same year by Capitol Records. The songs are also among the few that Crosby had never recorded. Buddy Bregman contributed the orchestrations, conducted a hand-picked group of Hollywood's foremost musicians, and came up with the idea of the album. In an interview with In Tune International magazine in 2001, Bregman said, "Yes, this was my idea. Bing was at the end of his long contract with Decca, and although he re-signed, it was on a non-exclusive basis, which meant he was free to record with whom he chose. I'd recently worked with Gary Crosby on a Decca session and become friendly with him and I had Bing's private home telephone number so I rang him to ask about doing an album with me at Verve. I went over to the house and played some things over to him on the piano. He agreed to do it and a deal was worked out, and I was given carte blanche with the arrangements and musicians. He didn't even insist on his regular pianist Buddy Cole being on the date. The only thing Bing stipulated was that he had to record at nine o'clock in the morning, because his voice was best at that time of day."The album was released on CD by Verve in 2001. more »