A Life In Rhythm: The Ray Conniff Story

As a kid fascinated with music, my mother played a lot of music in the house, some of which was Ray Conniff’s massive output of beautifully blended voices performing the hits of the day. Decades later when I met Ray’s daughter, Tamara, who was the editor of Billboard Magazine, she wrote a story on the Britney Spears starred film “Crossroads” that I helped create/produce while at Jive Records/Zomba Films. I had no idea these two powerhouse people were even related until years later when we started to host and produce a visual podcast together called "The Weekly Comet.” After she saw the first two documentaries that I directed she asked if I would direct a film about her dads epic 65-year career. I was very excited about the prospect and my production team and I dove in deep for almost for four years (Covid slowed our flow a bit). In interviewing EDM artists like Big Gigantic and DJ NGHTMRE as well as music legends like Clive Davis and Mavericks lead singer Raul Malo, I realized how much Ray was a trailblazer and helped change music forever. From arranging for big band legend Artie Shaw in the early 40s to becoming a jazz/rock star in Latin America, touring massive venues as a senior citizen are just a few of the interesting twists in turns in Ray’s career. I am excited for people to learn about Ray and the life in rhythm that he lived. Enjoy.