The Contemporary Composer In The USA - Mario Davidovsky & Barbara Kolb

Solitaire For Piano, Vibraphone and Tape

The Contemporary Composer In The USA
Mario Davidovsky & Barbara Kolb
Turnabout Vox TV-S 34487
1972

Most selections have enough structure to them for folks who don't like to stray into environmental or other more abstract sound. Side two of this album, by Barbara Kolb, blends natural instruments with "electronic" sounds to create a variety of dreamy soundscapes that are sometimes somber and other times glittering.

Thematic Music Volume 3

Man From Aunty

Thematic Music
Studio G
LPSG 3003 Volume 3

This was an interesting find in the record bin at a Northern Kentucky thrift.

This is a stock music LP that was apparently marketed only in England and Australia.

The record is a neat blend of short and groovy 60s light pop themes.

Reminisce With Larry Ferrari

Reminisce With Larry Ferrari
RCA Victor LPM-1850
1958

You can find this album for sale by digital download so I will not be posting a sample.

Is this an obscure recording? No. Ferrari is a household name on the East Coast area having hosted a television show named after him which was seen in the Delaware Valley (WPVI-TV Philadelphia) for 43 years on Sunday mornings.

He produced several albums in the late 50s for RCA.

There is a very nice cover of Ebb Tide on this album.

Hai Karate Cologne Cardboard Record

Sounds Of Self Defense
Auravision/Columbia

6 inch 33 RPM cardboard record promotional record.

Best Of Friends The Smurfs

Dance With The Reggae Smurf

Best Of Friends The Smurfs
Sessions ARI-1072
1982

Bailando Con Malando

Andalucia

Bailando Con Malando
Malando And His South American Dance Orchestra
With Vocal by Francisca Deschamps
Philips P 08040 L

A Philips South America release in Columbian for Industrias Fonoton LTDA.

This album (from the cover) appears to be an early to mid-60s release. Searching for Malando returns a EP collection of Tangos with a photo that looks like it was taken in the 50s with the band leader playing an accordion. No accordion to be found on this album. I would assume that this is the same band(?).

The songs are pleasant, well executed and vocal treatments are nice and the band covers one of my favorite tunes, Andalucia. There is also a nice cover of Poinciana (another exotica favorite).

The Mystic Moods Orchestra - Nighttide

Summertime

Nighttide
The Mystic Moods Orchestra
Phillips PHS 600-213
1970

Nighttide

The Mystic Mood Orchestra

Warner Bros. Records BS 2593

1972

Produced by Brad Miller

A Mobile Fidelity Production

Recording Engineers: Leo Kulka & Stan Ross

Conductor and Musical Director: Don Ralke

Location Sound Recordings: Brad Miller

Soundbird
SB7502-1

Hawaiian War Chant - Tommy Dorsey And His Orchestra

Hawaiian War Chant
Tommy Dorsey And His Orchestra
RCA Victor LPM-1234
1956

Terrific cover. I don't know enough about Dorsey or swing to fathom why RCA decided to go with a "hawaiian" theme for this compilation. Hawaiian War Chant is on this album, but was buried on the B side.

It could be that RCA wanted to appeal to the Tiki culture crowd (Hawaii became the 50th state in 1959).

The track is available for download on Amazon but you don't get this cover.

Hawaiian Dream - Joe Maize

Beyond The Reef

Hawaiian Dream
Joe Maize And His Cordsmen
Decca DL 8817
1959

This is the second album I've found by Maize, an obscure artist that features fine steel guitar on his set the features exotica/space age touches. This record has that Three Suns sound. Isle Of Dreams (Decca 1965), the other Maize record I have is also a great exotica recording.

From the back cover: Joe Maize and the boys have appeared at many of the leading hotels and nightclubs in America and the Hawaiian Islands (The Mocombo in Hollywood, The Desert Inn in Las Vegas, The Latin Quarter in New York, among many others). They have appeared on their own show and many local TV shows emanating from Salt Lake City, and they have done guest spots on shows such as Patti Page's.

The only real info on Maize comes from spaceagepop.com: 

Will Louviere described Joe Maize and his Cordsmen as a "cross between the Three Suns and the Three Stooges," and that about sums it up. Maize was a versatile console steel guitar player, ala Alvino Rey, and like Rey, he unashamedly used his instrument for melody, percussion, and sound effects. The group performed in night clubs ranging from the Boulevard in New York City to the Mocambo in Hollywood, with an occasional gig at one of the hotels on Waikiki, but most of the time they were based in Las Vegas and Reno. The spirit of their act was not unlike that of the better-known Mary Kaye Trio, which played some of the same venues, such as the Painted Room of the Desert Inn: moving back and forth between instrumentals, vocals, and comic skits and often combining all three.

Presenting Joe Maize and his Cordsmen is a classic Space Age Pop album, complete with the obligatory standards such as "Misirlou"and "The Third Man Theme", lots of string wizardry by Joe, and nice jazzy accordion work, always a favorite of mine.

Brass & Percussion - Morton Gould

Stars And Stripes Forever

Brass & Percussion
Morton Gould
Sousa-Goldman-Gould

Cover Photo: Murray Laden
RCA Victor LSC-2080
1958

The album cover art & title are somewhat misleading as to suggest that this set is a period "pop percussion" entry. The tunes are arranged as straight forward marches

Side One

Band 1

Sousa - Stars And Stripes Forever

Gould - Parade (for Percussion)

Sousa - On Parade

Band 2

Sousa - Semper Fidelis

Goldman - Jubilee

Band 3

Gould - Fourth Of July

Sousa - Hands Across The Sea

Band 4

Gould: Battle Hymn (Based on "Battle Hymn Of The Republic" by Steffe)

Bagley - National Emblem (Cornet Solo by James Burke)

Side Two

Band One

Goldman - On The Mall

The Thunderer

Band Two

Gould - American Youth March

Goldman - The Chimes Of Liberty

Band Three

Goldman - Happy Go Lucky

Sousa - Washington Post

Band Four

Sousa - The Gladiator

Sousa - El Capitan

Electronic Music

Avni: Vocalise - Pnina Avni, Soprano

Electronic Music
Turnabout TV 34004S
1966

Terrific electronic music album.

Lewin-Richter: Study No. 1; Mimaroglu
Le Tombeau - d'Edgar Poe by Stephane Mallarme - Erdem Buri Speaker
Intermezzo, Bowery Bum (Study after Jean Dubuffet
Avni: Vocalise - Pnina Avni, Soprano
Carlos: Variations for Flute and Electronic Sound
Dialogues for Piano and Two Loudspeakers

It was hard to choose a sample for you. Variations for Flute and Electronic Sound and Dialogues for Piano and Two Loudspeakers are great pieces and are found, listed as the first works, on Walter/Wendy Carlos (Switched-On Bach) wiki page. Le Tombeau features spoken word (French) which adds to the minimalist quality of the piece. I chose the piece I did because I'm a sucker for how soprano vocals are used like an instrument in this type of music.

Enjoy!

Pearly Shells - Billy Vaughn

Caravan

Pearly Shells
Billy Vaughn
Dot DLP 25605
1964

Some Vaughn albums don't do it for me and some do. This is one is a great album for exotica lovers. I think he may have take a cue from exotica artists like Martin Denny when he worked on this project. The music is a nice blend of smooth jazz, hints of exotica (covers include A Taste Of Honey and Caravan) and light pop. He still manages to work in his sax on occasion without creating a dated sound that I sometimes refer to as "Lawrence Welk".