Verlye Mills had done one LP as part of an exclusive contract with the HIFI label (perhaps best known for
Arthur Lyman). Her friend
Billy May decided he wanted to work with her, and HIFI paid
May to moonlight from Capitol. In any case, Harp with a Beat is just that; it has a pulse and life. Some of the many names playing on the date include trumpeter Manny Klein, trombonist
Si Zentner, guitarist Al Hendrickson, and
Buddy Collette. The cover of
Raymond Scott's "In an 18th Century Drawing Room" is fine, as is the
May-
Mills original, "Carlsbad Caper." The closer, "C Sharp Minor Beat," is the pick in this wonderful, singular collaboration. ~ Tony Wilds