Growing up in the rarified collegiate church music atmosphere at Oxford or Cambridge, the all male sextet The King's Singers, who would go on to re-define a cappella choral perfection, made their debut in London in 1968. In 1970 the acclaimed Viennese-born composer Joseph Horovitz wrote "Captain Noah and His Floating Zoo, a vocal work in 10 parts for chorus and lead singer, piano, bass and drums. Similarly, British arranger/composer Chris Hazell wrote the music and lyrics for "Holy Moses," an accompanied jazz-pop cantata, in 1971, telling the story of Moses leading the Israelites out of Egypt. The King's Singers were invited to make the first recordings of these two new works in 1972, which were issued on either side of an lp issued by Decca/Argo. The group's ability to adapt their vocal approach to new rhythmic frameworks is clear here, and they prove to be the perfect choice to record this spirited, whimsical material. Listen to "The People of Fun City," "It Looks Like Rain," "Forty Days and Nights," "Oh What A Wonderful Scene," "The Bull Rush Song," "The Promise," "The Chase" and "Freedom," all new to us, to see how listeners of all ages continue to love this recording. And we see a whole new facet to one of our all-time choral group favorites, the King's Singers! |
