When I was a kid in the 60s, my father played this album on his Hi-Fi just about every day. When I started playing trombone in the 70s, he gave it to me and I also played it almost every day. Long since worn out it's been replaced with the cd. Next to listening to Dad's Urbie Green albums, this one has had the most influence on me as a trombonist.

Years later I backed up The Four Freshmen on their farewell tour and spent the gig playing next to Bob Flanigan who was the last original member of the group and a heck of a trombonist himself. My musical life had gone full circle.

“Four Freshmen and 5 Trombones” is a 1956 album by The Four Freshmen. It reached number six nationally and resided on the charts for over eight months.

It was the first album bought by Brian Wilson, who would be greatly influenced by the Four Freshmen when starting The Beach Boys. Later, the Four Freshmen were acclaimed as "the most innovative and imitated jazz vocal quartet ever to grace vinyl". Straddling vocal jazz and pop music, they were inducted into the Vocal Group Jazz Hall of Fame in 2001. The five trombones were:

Frank Rosolino, Harry Betts, Milt Bernhart, Tommy Pederson, and George Roberts.

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This is a wonderful album that I just discovered last year. I really love the Angel Eyes arrangement (but also love that tune). Lovely story, too!

It's a terrific album, and it says something for the quality of the whole that the great trombone playing might still be one of the less interesting elements... the vocal section Kenton never had.

I've owned that album since it was new and always thrill at how innovative it was for the time. I love the place where the Freshmen shout out "Pete Rugolo" as a tribute to the arranger of all the tunes on the album !