Cuban pianist and arranger Jose Melis gained fame as the bandleader on The Tonight Show when Jack Paar took over as host from Steve Allen in 1957. Melis and Paar continued on the show until 1962.
Melis also carved out a recording career for himself, first on the Seeco label, which issued mainly Latin recordings, and then on Mercury.
Jose Melis Plays His TV Favorites was issued towards the end of his tenure on The Tonight Show. From it comes You Stepped Out of a Dream.
You Stepped Out of a Dream
Melis's star faded rapidly once his time on The Tonight Show was over. He suffered from vision and hearing problems in later years and died of a respiratory infection -- at age 85 -- in 2005.
Some of Melis's Seeco recordings are available from iTunes and other download sites. Although I haven't sampled them, I suspect they may be dubbed from vinyl. Listen before you buy.
None of Melis's recordings are available on CD.
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