One of Hallmark Records' typical budget-priced but thoughtfully put together compilations, A SUMMER PLACE is an excellent inexpensive introduction to the underrated work of the easy listening pioneer Percy Faith. Faith, a Toronto-born orchestra leader/arranger/producer, is best known today for his lovely "Theme From A Summer place," one of the most beautiful movie themes of the early '60s and the biggest hit in his long and varied career. The rest of A SUMMER PLACE is heavy on the movie songs-"Moon River" from BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY'S, "The Windmills of Your Mind" from THE THOMAS CROWN AFFAIR, etc.-but it shows Faith's facility in a variety of styles. If you like this sort of thing-even if you don't admit it to others-A SUMMER PLACE is a handy precis of one of the greats in the field.
