Percy Faith Bon Voyage/Carefree CD

There is no doubting that Percy Faith was one of the great arrangers in contemporary American music, but the nice side of the two-fer Bon Voyage/Carefree is that it not only explores Faith's delightful arrangements, but also showcases his clever compositions. Of the two records, combined here on one CD, it is Carefree where the too often overlooked Percy Faith as composer is explored. Every song in this section is a soundtrack for happy walking through the park on a beautiful snowy day. The first section of the disc, the album Bon Voyage, is a bit more serious, with Faith's renditions of several complex and challenging themes by a slew of composers, but no less cinematic. In fact, the whole 68 minutes serve as a magical aural theme park perfect for conducting imaginary orchestras while driving to and from the grocery store. Bon Voyage/Carefree is a fun listen. ~ Gregory McIntosh

Pianist Percy Faith, a pioneer of the Easy Listening genre, had a successful and lengthy career as the in-house conductor and arranger for Columbia Records. Faith was renowned for his musical interpretations of Broadway and motion picture music. 2 on 1 reissue from Collectables, originally released in 1960 & 1961, features 23 tracks clocking in at 68 minutes. 2003.

Originally released on Columbia.

2 LPs on 1 CD: BON VOYAGE (1960)/CAREFREE (1961).