Putting a message of love into music: an interview with Ray Conniff

By Charles N. Filbert II

FOR almost six decades Ray Conniff has been a professional musician, working as a conductor, trombonist, and arranger. He and his orchestra and chorus are known throughout the world, and he is one of the top-ten album sellers. Charles Filbert talked with Ray Conniff recently about the role prayer has played in his career.

Charles Filbert: How did you get started in a career in music?

Ray Conniff: I played in high school with a little band, and when I graduated, word was beginning to get around that this kid playing trombone from Attleboro, Massachusetts, was pretty good. Calls would come in and I'd play with groups that were around. I went into Boston and began to play the Boston area for about a year, and then the fellows said, "Don't stay around Boston. Go to New York City where everything's happening." I did that, and I went through a period of working with bands like Bunny Berigan and Artie Shaw, Bob Crosby, Harry James, and the like. That led me to the West Coast.

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