Bing Crosby’s comment that ‘these guys are so good they can whisper in harmony’ was indicative of the vocal quartet the Hi-Lo’s stature among music’s elite. Frank Sinatra, and Mel Torme were hard-core fans, and Herbie Hancock studied their sophisticated harmonies; their music influenced Manhattan Transfer, Take 6, and the Beach Boys. The Hi-Lo’s heyday spanned the mid 1950’s thru the beginning of the 60’s. The group stopped performing in 1963, but at the request of festival producer Jimmy Lyons, they made a special appearance at the 1978 Monterey Jazz Festival; the performance was a triumphal return to the spotlight, and in response, MPS had the sense to produce this 1978 recording, the Hi-Lo’s first in several years. Accompanied by a 19-piece orchestra, the quartet is in top form. The set features sophisticated renderings of such evergreens as Life is Just a Bowl Full of Cherries, Latin-flavored versions of I Remember You, My Funny Valentine, and Misty, jazzed up versions of Seems Like Old times and Come Rain or Shine, beautiful balladic treatments of When Sunny Gets Blue, Everything Must Change, Then I’ll Be Tired of You, and the sumptuous end to this Hi-Lo’s outing, Georgia on My Mind. Interspersed between the refined vocals are some crack instrumental solos. A very special album, indeed!
