"As A Thousand Violins Begin To Play.."by Medvegas

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September 03, 2009: This album ranks among the best produced in all of the ballads genre of the time. Starting with Johnny Mathis' most famous and enduring song, "Misty," one can get a sense of the visual semblance and imagery in each note. As the song begins, "Look at me, I'm as helpless as a kitten up a tree," for anyone who knows of the preciousness and also precociousness of a small kitten, this will really hit home. Progressing from this we have, "waaalk my way, as a thousand violins begin to play," one can imagine what this metaphor must be like in praxis, a thousand violins all playing at once (without the cacophony of such music in other genres), in harmonious balance with each other, each reinforcing the next and so on, with an endless Heaven-like quality. This song is my favorite of his and will always be special to me, as I first heard it on a long drive from Vegas to LA at 3 in the am, tired, seeing nothing but the white lines of the road, hearing such beautiful music playing, I awakened my senses beyond just smooth jazz, and into a realm of pure beauty. Each of the songs in this album are as unique as they are gorgeous, and "Chances Are," "It's Not For Me To Say," "When Sunny Get's Blue," and of course, "A Certain Smile," will go down in historical musical records for many years to come. Johnny Mathis ranks with all of the greats, Nat King Cole and his daughter, Frank Sinatra, and the contemporary Michael Buble.

Michael Wade