Nelson Riddle Conducts The 101 Strings

Nelson Riddle Conducts The 101 Strings was recorded in London in 1970. Nelson Riddle had been without a recording contract for the first time in more than 25 years. It had been two years since his Liberty Records contract ended. That year, he flew to London and recorded an album with the 101 Strings Orchestra. Produced by Jack Dorsey, it was released on Marble Arch Records.

Riddle biographer Peter J. Levinson offered a sober assessment of the project.[1]

Nelson was completely out of his element in this album, trying to sound contemporary with the combination of keyboards, Fender bass, and guitars backed by the large string orchestra. He also wrote four instrumentals for the album, but none had any appreciable melodic content.

Nevertheless, the liner notes attributed to Riddle reflect his satisfaction with the album.[2]

The versatility of the "101 Strings" Orchestra was most gratifying to me; the muted trumpet tidbits in "Latino Sentimental" are by Kenny Wheeler; the bass trombone solo in "Nelson’s Blues" is played by Bill Geldard, and the Jazz Organ colorations in "Twilight on The Mall" are the work of Kenny Salmon. The brass section is headed by Stan Roderick; the marvelous rhythm section is sparked by Terry Jenkins and the woodwinds are inspired by the sound of Christ Taylor’s flute. These wonderful sounds are cushioned by as fine a string section as anyone could wish for – with Sydney Sax as the Concertmaster.

The rhythmic innovations which are an inseparable part of contemporary music are coupled with my own particular tastes in melody and harmony – in other words, I have tried to combine the "Now" sound with my own sound.

Alshire LP album release

The album went through several re-issues on the Alshire label: Nelson Riddle Arranges and Conducts 101 Strings (1970); Bridge Over Troubled Water (1971); and, in four-channel stereo, Swingin' Songs (1972) (minus "Bridge Over Troubled Water").

A compact disc version of the album was released in France in 1984 on the Vogue Records label.

In 1987, Alshire released its compact disc edition, titled Nelson Riddle With The 101 Strings – The Sound of Magnificence. The album included the 12 tracks of the original release, plus "Finesse" and "Queen of Hearts" from Love Is a Game of Poker.

(All compositions by Nelson Riddle, except where noted)