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Friday, October 15, 2010

White Satin - George Shearing

Laura (ST1334)
White Satin
The George Shearing Quintet And Orchestra
Orchestra Conducted by Billy May
Produced by Dave Cavanaugh
Capitol T1334 - ST1334
1960

From the back cover: George Shearing and the Quintet with a choir of strings and woodwinds create beautiful music that caresses the ear with a rich, lovely smoothness like the touch of White Satin.

Your Name Is Love
Dream
Laura
There's A Small Hotel
Old Folks
How Long Has This Been Going On
Love's Melody
An Affair To Remember
There'll Be Another Spring
Moonlight Becomes You
I'll Take Romance

Thursday, October 14, 2010

Nostalgia - David Rose

Nostalgia

Nostalgia
David Rose And His Orchestra
M-G-M Records E3134
1954

Nostalgia
Our Waltz
Return To Paradise
Violin
Under The Stars
The Bad And The Beautiful 
Joey' Theme from "Little Fugitive"
Stardust
Vienna Sings Again
All I Desire
Harlem Nocturne 
September Song

Midnight On The Cliffs

Blue Mirage

Midnight On The Cliffs
Les Baxter And Orchestra
High Fidelity Recording T843
1957

From the back cover: Les Baxter's delicate and knowing touch is reflected throughout all twelve of these great songs, each one unashamedly – brazenly – romantic in mood.

Most of the selections offered here emanate from highly popular motion picture soundtracks. Midnight On The Cliffs was repeatedly heard as Doris day frantically attempted to avoid being murdered by Louis Jourdan in the unforgettable and highly dramatic Julie. The composer, Leonard Pennario, is the piano soloist with the Baxter orchestra (as he was on the film soundtrack) and he again is featured at the Steinway in the closing Dream Rhapsody track, a lovely reading of a melody based on a Franck symphonic theme.

The selections heard in between the superb Baxter-Pennario collection are equally melodic and ideal for the listening hours. Wake The Town, Blue Mirage, Unchained Melody and The Medic Theme are recalled as recent Baxter hits. Vocal choruses are by Sue Allen, Bill Kennedy, the Notables and the vibrant Baxter chorus. Les scores again!

Midnight On The Cliffs
Wake The Town And Tell The People
End Of Spring
Take My Love
The Shrike
Blue Mirage
Unchained Melody
The Medic Theme
Suddenly
If You Were Mine
When You're In Love
Dream Rhapsody

Pipe Organ And Percussion - Pirouette

Song Of India
Fabulous Sounds Of The Pipe Organ And Percussion
Pirouette Records RFM 64

Serenade In The Night
Stars Fell On Alabama
La Cucaracha
Barcarolle
For Me And My Gal
Stars Of Love
Song Of India
Who's Sorry Now
Something Cool
Love Song
Pan Americana 
When You're Smiling
Dig-A Diga-Doo

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Fantasy Pipe Organ And Percussion

Dance Macabre

A Stereo Fantasy In Pipe Organ And Percussion
George Montalba at the Mighty Wurlitzer with Percussive Accompaniment
Somerset SF-8400
1958

Danse Macabre (Saint-Saens)
Mazurka From Masquerade (Khatchaturian)
March Fantasy (Hunter-Emig)
Theme From Scheherazade (Rimsky-Korsakov)
Ritual Fire Dance (Manuel de Falla)
Polovisian Dances (Borodin)

Que Mango! - 101 Strings & Les Baxter

Tropicando

Que Mango!
101 Strings
Arranger and Conductor: Les Baxter
Supervised by Jack Dorsey
An Alshire Production
Alshire STEREO S-5204
Recorded in London, January 1970

Que Mango!
Tropicando
On A Warm Night
Flight In The Andes
Felicia, My Love
Affair To Arruba
Jungle Montuno
Soolaimon
Boca Chica
Come Back To Paradise
Night In Buenos Aires
Morning Of The Meadow

1969 Northern Kentucky Select Bands Vol. II

Incantation and Dance
1969 Northern Kentucky Select Bands

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Ros At The Opera

Cavalleria Rusticana - Intermezzo

Ros At The Opera
Edmundo Ros And His Orchestra
From Edmundo Ros' Club London
London LL 3104
1958
Made In England

From the back cover: It is now over twenty years since a completely unknown young man arrived in London from Venezuela to study harmony, composition and orchestration at the Royal Academy of Music. In 1937 few people anticipated what the future held or its significance and the young music student from South America certainly had no inkling that he was to become the undisputed king of Latin American dance music in Europe and many other parts of the world.

There is no doubt now that Edmundo Ros occupies this unique throne. During the space of more than twenty arduous, eventful years, he has scaled the heights of his chosen vocation and today finds him the leader of a world-famous orchestra, the proprietor of a popular West End club which is a Mecca of entertainment for foreign visitors as well as Londoners and a well-established success in spheres other than show business to boot.

Edmundo was born in Caracas, the capital of Venezuela on December 7, 1910. His mother was Venezuelan, his father Scottish-Canadian, and Edmundo was the eldest in a family of four children. His parents originally intended him to enter the legal profession, but it was eventually decided that he should embark on an Army career. Edmundo entered a military academy to study for this objective, and lost no time in joining the academy's military band as a percussionist to indulge his already keen musical inclinations.

The young embryo officer found that his activities with the academy band afforded as much satisfaction as his military curriculum, and, by the time his training period had expired, Edmundo was determined to make music his career. He secured the post of timpanist with the Venezuelan State Symphony Orchestra, thereby gaining a regular income and considerable opportunity to pursue his musical studies. He joined the Venezuelan Musician's Union, and rose to become a member of its committee.

Prior to his spell at the academy, Edmundo had won a State scholarship without availing himself of its advantages now he sought and obtained permission to utilize its financial benefits by journeying to London to complete his studies at the Royal Academy of Music and thus began the road to his present eminence. 

In common with most students of every generation, Edmundo soon discovered that the terms of his scholarship grant were insufficient to support him without another source of income. Consequently he joined Don Marino Barreto's pioneer Latin American group, which was seeking to establish authentic tropical rhythm as an integral part of the British entertainment scene. Progress was slow and disappointments numerous at first, but the Barreto band gradually won favor and support, especially after it was booked into the Embassy Club. Edmundo sang and drummed with the group until 1940 when he formed his own band for the first time.

He commenced by emulating the Barreto policy of playing and recording only genuine scores by Latin composers, but he quickly realized the limitations of such ridge authenticity. He evolved his present style of playing familiar and uncomplicated tunes and melodies in the various Latin rhythms with a genuine percussion section, and this compromise has paid handsome dividends ever since. His long association with famous West End night-spots advanced the cause of Latin American dance music as well as enhancing the reputation of the clubs and Edmundo and his orchestra, and also obligated him to conclude his Academy studies through pressure of work.

Carmen - Toreador's Song
Rigoletto - The Quartet
Cavalleria Rusticana - Intermezzo
Rigoletto - Caro Nome
Faust - Flower Song
La Traviata - Drinking Song
The Marriage Of Figaro - So, Sir Page
The Barber Of Seville - Una Voce Poco Fa
Martha - Soft And Pure
Carmen - Habanera
Rigoletto - La Donna E Mobile
Lohengrin - Bridal March

Meyer Davis Plays Redhead For Dancing

Pick-Pocket Tango

Meyer Davis
Plays Redhead For Dancing
Arrangement by Deac Eberhard (except The Right Finger Of My Left Hands and Pick-Pocket Tango by Elliot Jacoby)
Produced by Bob Bollard
Gwen Verdon in a scene from "Redhead"
Photo: Philippe Halsman
Recorded in Webster Hall, New York City
Recording Engineer: Bob Simpson
Show Tunes For Dancing
RCA Victor LPM-2039
1959

Overture: Look Who's In Love / I Feel Merely Marvelous / The Uncle Sam Rag / My Girl Is Just Enough Woman For Me
Just For Once
I'll Try
I Feel Merely Marvelous
I'm Back In Circulation
The Uncle Sam Rag
My Girl Is Just Enough Woman For Me
The Right Finger Of My Left Hand
Look Who's In Love
Two Faces In The Dark
Pick-Pocket Tango
Finale

Sunday, October 10, 2010

Misty - J. J. Jones

J. J. Jones At The Organ

Misty
J. J. Jones
Wyncote SW-9170
1967

Misty
So Much In Love
Love Letters In The Sand
On Little Kiss
Louis, Louis
Imagination
Funky
All Of Me
Envy (In My Eyes)
Somewhere

The John Noble Story & SLAVE 1-E-241 - John Noble

The John Noble Story
His Voice - His Message
The Bible Society Of America, Inc.
1961

SLAVE 1-E-241
John Nobel

Noble spent his life, after having survived the horrors of the worst socialist systems of modern times, warning people against traveling down the "red" carpet. This (Slave 1-E-241) recording was made sometime after the release of his book: I Was A Slave In Russia.