VTG 36 SELF-RECORDED CASSETTES OF RALPH LA POLLA WHO PLAYED WithMANY TOP BIG BANDS

December 8, 2024 admin 0 Comments

FROM RALPH LA POLLA’S PRIVATE COLLECTION. HE PLAYED WITH MANY TOP BIG BANDS. He was a talented clarinetist who played with many of the top big bands of all times, such as Les Brown Band of Renown, Artie Shaw, Bennie Goodman, Jerry Gray, Sam Donahue, Tex Beneke, Ray Anthony, Nelson Riddle, “Doc” Severinsen, Miguelito Valdez, Mitchell Ayres, Claude Thornhill, the Rhode Island Philharmonic and the Newport Rhode Island Symphony Orchestra. These cassettes are a must-have for any jazz or swing era music lover. Remember that these are one-of-a-kind cassettes, they have not been duplicated, and most probably never been heard, as far as I can tell. Experience the magic of listening to self-recorded live recordings by the artist himself, from some or all of these full orchestra instrumentals. He self-recorded many of the live events he played at, as well as some rehearsals. Some of the cassettes have written information as to where and when those events took place, most of the dates I see are in the 1980’s. Others have date of rehearsals only, others have no information whatsoever. I have no idea what exactly are on theses cassettes, what band he was playing with when the recording took place, or when or where it was recorded. I don’t have access to a tape recorder in order to listen to what is recorded. I have, however, listened to the bands that he played with, and they are awesome. I still have many of their albums, some of them still unopened. Some history here: While playing with Les Brown Band of Renown, Mr. La Polla was the featured solo clarinetist in most of the songs and recordings. They traveled all over the world for many years with the famed “Bob Hope Christmas Show” entertaining the servicemen abroad. He has backed up such well-known stars as Frank Sinatra, Ann-Margret, Sammy Davis, Jr. Peggy Lee, Johnny Mathis, Raquel Welch, Connie Stevens, Paul Anka, Bill Cosby, Glenn Campbell, Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gormé, Carol Lawrence, Dick Haymes, Barbara Eden, Frankie Lane, Elaine Dunn, Barbara McNair, among others. This is from my own home. Time for another family to enjoy it. I have taken pictures of some of the cassettes, 16 to be exact, you can zoom in to read the descriptions. They have all been kept in the three-drawer cassette case that Mr. La Polla originally stored them in, which is in great condition. However, the listing price will remain the same. The case measures 15.5″ x 12″ x 4 and with the 36 cassettes inside, weighs 7 lbs. Please look very carefully at all pictures as it depicts the entire item with full details, and it is part of the description. Other than what I have disclosed above, everything seems to be in great shape. This would make a wonderful addition to anyone’s collection. It will also make a great gift for someone special. I take a lot of pride in describing my items and add many pictures of the item(s) to my listings so you can judge for yourself. Please note that I only visually inspect each item and my grading is based on that examination. AND DON’T FORGET THIS IS FREE.