Thomists sound off with CD

The Thomists pose in front of George Martin Hall.

In the early years of the Thomists, it seemed that bandleader Harry Rigby and the band released a new LP every year. Having recorded nine albums over the years—intended primarily as souvenirs to be sold at dances and various campus outlets—The Thomists are adding a tenth item to their catalogue of material.

Coalescing their classic Big Band sound with current technology, their CD, entitled Ninety and Zero, is now on sale.

Harry explained the reason behind the production of the new CD: “We’ve been talking about doing one for several years now, so finally we said if we don’t do one now, we probably never will, so hang the cost and let’s do it.”

A long drought exists between now and the last Thomists recording. While the records served as great memories for the musicians, dance fans and alumni, continuous production of albums became impossible.

“It was a tremendous amount of work,” Harry says. “The costs involved eventually became prohibitive for us. It took a considerable amount of extra practice, and we had to transport the whole band and all of our equipment to Halifax or Montreal to a studio that was large enough to accommodate us, and find an engineer who was experienced in recording such a large group. We would record the whole thing in a day and stay up half the night mixing it until we were as satisfied as we could possibly be, given the circumstances.

“Once the eighties arrived, money became much tighter, and we had to be a lot more careful about how we spent it. Operating a band this size is very expensive. We were constantly concerned about having enough money for instrument purchase and repair, clothing, transportation and vehicle maintenance, and purchasing new arrangements. It was a case of setting priorities.

“Advances in recording technology have made it a lot easier for us as well,” he continues. “I think we ended up with a very good product that is representative of what we are. We have 18 numbers which will readily be recognized as swing era classics, with a few newer arrangements mixed in. We think they are the numbers that people look forward to hearing when they attend our dances. We’re quite pleased with it, and I think everyone else will be too.”