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Friday, September 20, 2013

From Russia With Love - Si Zenter

The Man With The Golden Arm (stereo sample)
From Russia With Love
Si Zentner And His Orchestra
Producer: Snuff Garrett
Arrangements by Bill Holman and Ernie Freeman
Cover Design: Studio Five
Liberty LST-7353 (stereo)
Liberty LRP-3553 (mono - cover pictured above).
1964

From the back cover: If there ever was a "Si Zentner kind of music," this is it – music of great intensity and drive, just right for Si's big-band style. The Bond themes seem to have been made for Si's band, as do the all-time swinging themes like "Peter Gunn" and "Mr. Lucky".

From Billboard - May 23, 1964: The Zentner modern big band is a first-rate vehicle for the equally modern and intense themes for the equally modern of our more popular detective thrillers. Complimenting each other are Si Zentner and themes from "From Russian With Love," "Golden Arm," "Dragnet" and "Mr. Lucky," to mention a few.

The James Bond Theme
Burke's Law Theme
Mr. Lucky
Dragnet
The Third Man Theme
Peter Gunn
From Russia With Love
My Squad Theme
Charade
Bond's 007 Theme
The Man With The Golden Arm
The Fugitive Theme

The Dynamic Jack McDuff

Carpetbaggers
The Dynamic Jack McDuff
The Brother Jack McDuff Quartet
With The Big Band Of Benny Golson
Prestige Records ST 7323
1964

Jack McDuff - organ, Red Hollway - tenor sax, George Benson - guitar and Joe Dukes - drums

From the back cover:

Jack McDuff – Born and raised in central Illinois – No formal musical training – taught self to read music and play piano while in Navy – toured with various R&B bands 1948 - 54 – formed own jazz group 1954 – broke group up 1957 and quit music shorty after – returned to jazz 1958 as bass player – began playing organ same year and soon joined Willis Jackson's combo when regular organist left – formed own group 1959 and has stayed with the quartet format ever since.

Benny Golson – Born and raised in Philadelphia – Studied music at Howard University – toured with several bands during the early 1950s – Joined Dizzy Gillespie's big band in 1956 and played throughout the world – began writing and arranging extensively during this period – wrote I Remember Clifford, Stablemates and Whisper Not, 1957 – Joined Art Blakey as arranger and saxophonist in 1958 – Stayed with him till late 1959 when he formed JAZZTET with Art Farmer – First recording date with group made his tune, Killer Joe, national hit – JAZZTET disbanded in 1962 – Has devoted bulk of time since to writing and arranging.

The Main Theme From The Carpetbaggers
You Better Love Me
The Theme From The Pink Panther
Rail Head
What's New
Bossa Nova West

Thursday, September 19, 2013

Happy Heart - Nick De Caro

Caroline, No
Happy Heart
Nick De Caro And Orchestra
Art Director: T. Wilkes
Photography: G. Webster
A&M Records SP 4176
1960

From Billboard - April 12, 1969: Producer-arranger-composer Nick De Caro offers a most beautiful album that should quickly bring him to the top. Three of his recent singles, "Amy's Theme," "If I Only Had Time" and "Happy Heart" are included here, along with lush, sensitive treatments of "Lullaby From Rosemary's Baby," and "Hey Jude," and De Caro's vocal work on "I'm Gonna Make You Love Me" is a standout.

Happy Heart
Hey Jude
I'll Forget You
Love Is All
Quiet Sunday
Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da
I'm Gonna Make You Love Me
Amy's Theme
Caroline, No
If I Only Had Time

Truck Stop

Diesel Smoke & Dangerous Curves
Truck Stop
Nashville Country Singers
Mountain Dew Records
7066

Old Home Fill'er-up, And Keep On-A-Truckin' Cafe
I'm A Truck
King Of The Road
By The Time I Get To Phoenix
I'm A Truck Drivin' Son Of A Gun
Diesel Smoke & Dangerous Curves
Six Days On The Road
I'm Riding High And Living Free
Girl On The Billboard
Giddy-up Go

Wednesday, September 18, 2013

Music From Peter Gunn - Arron Bell

Fallout!
Music From Peter Gunn
The Arron Bell Orchestra featuring Aaron Bell on bass
Produced by Eddie Heller
Lion L70112
1959

Super jazzy cover of Mancini's Peter Gunn featuring the throbbing bass beat of Aaron Bell.

From the back cover: The "most" on a bass, Aaron is known in the jazz field as a dedicated perfectionist. His playing and arranging have always been characterized by good taste and its quality of being able to reach everybody. A veteran of such top American combos as those of Teddy Wilson, Andy Kirk, and Lester Young, he recently appeared on The Embers and The Left Bank in New York City, drawing ratings by fans and musicians as one of the top bass men around today. He also appeared on Broadway in the stage version of "Compulsion". The musicians Aaron chose to appear with him in this album were chosen for their flexibility and inventiveness and are considered to be among America's top musicians.

Dreamsville
Peter Gunn
Fallout!
A Profound Gass
The Brothers Go To Mothers's
Session At Pete's Pad
The Floater
Brief And Breezy
Sorta Blue
Soft Sounds

Soul Cowboy - Memphis Soul Band

That's Me Boy (I. Hoffman)
Soul Cowboy
Memphis Soul Band
Arranged By Ingfried Hoffman
Minit Records LP 24028

That's Me Boy
Testify
Sweet Cherry Wine
What Does It Take
Good Morning Starshine
Oh Happy Days
Proud Mary
Mrs. Robinson
Soul Cowboy
Who's Making Love
Get Back
Midnight Cowboy

Georgia Gibbs Sings

The One I Love
Georgia Gibbs Sings
Halo 50240

I believe that is Gibbs on the cover. Released several times on Halo, as well as other budget labels featuring different cover art.

Ballin' The Jack
Old Man Mose
Wrap Your Troubles In Dreams
The One I Love
I Feel So Smoochie
You Keep Coming Back Like A Song
Feudin' And Fightin'
Necessity
How Are Things In Glocca Mora
Put Yourself In My Place Baby
As Long As I'm Dreaming
Fool That I Am

Tuesday, September 17, 2013

Harpo In Hi-Fi

Yesterdays

Harpo In Hi-Fi
Mercury MG 20232
1957

From the back cover: The intriguing background for Harpo In Hi-Fi is provided by the Freddy Katz Orchestra. Katz, while musical director for the Seventh Army Headquarters in Europe, backed touring artists such as Lena Horne, Vic Damone, Mindy Carson and other luminaries. As a cellist, he worked with the National Symphony, the Acolian String Quartet, and even the Chico Hamilton Progressive Jazz group.

Co-featured is Bill Marx, 20 year old son of Harpo, and currently a student at Juilliard. Young Marx arranged and conducted That's All and scored Lullaby Doll and They Say It's Wonderful. His work here predicts a brilliant future. The remainder of the arrangements were artfully written by Katz.

The eight piece orchestra includes drums, one reed man doubling flute, clarinet and piccolo; bass;' guitar; cello; vibraharp and two pianos doubling celeste.

Also from the back cover: Despite the ever increasing competition in the ranks of show business, Harpo Marx has made his mark year after year by being unorthodox. No other comedian would ever have thought to make a success of a deaf mute performance, garbed in a mop-like wig, a ragged gabardine coat, a battered silk hat and a honk-honk cane. Harpo's harpists are just as original because he never had a music lesson. Harpo even tunes his harp differently than the standard harp. Today he was having a teacher-pianist play them on the piano while he transposes on the harp. In the grooves of Harpo In Hi-Fi, you will find again a very distinctive and individual treatment of the harp and background orchestra. Few realize that Harpo's pantomime presentation also is a complete reversal of form in that he worked until World War I with his brothers, singing bass in a quartet and doing verbal banter with them. Harpo is currently under contract to the National Broadcasting Company, doing six shows a year of the Spectacular type with major stars. Outside of his commitment to NBC, Harpo works only a few weeks a year, primarily in nearby Los Vegas. The remainder of his time is spent in social and charity work which he started heavily during World War II, touring camps and hospitals throughout the United States. He still manages to average about four hours a day of practice on the harp.

From Billboard - May 13, 1957: This brace of standards has a refreshingly new sound because we don't often hear the harp – "Harpo In Hi-Fi" – is no gag. Cello and string bass really woof while the harp hits the higher frequencies. Sample, for example, "My Funny Valentine" in which harp and solo cello are spotlighted. Disk departs from the usual Mercury one-mike technique, according to the liner notes. No less than four mikes were used in a tiny studio. It makes for pleasant background music. Spoof cover is an eye-catcher.

Also from the back cover: Hi-Fi Information

This recording was made in a Los Angeles recording studio. The studio itself was approximately 14' x 24' with a '15 ceiling. Because of the intricacies of the arrangements and the necessity for individual highlighting of each instrument, a number of microphones were utilized. They included: harp (telefunken U47); cello and stringed bass (Altec 639); piano and drums (Telefunken 201); reeds (RCA 770X)

The tape was run on an Amex tape recorder No. 350 at 15 ips (inches per second). The tape was mastered at Mercury Records Sound Engineering Studios, New York, by Douglas Hawkins, on a Scully variable lathe.

Thinking Of You
Guardian Angel
Yesterdays
My Funny Valentine
The Ash Grove
Tenderly
Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man
Lullaby Doll
They Say That Falling In Love Is Wonderful
Autumn Leaves
Honeysuckle Rose
That's All

Funny Girl - Pete King

Who Are You Now?
Funny Girl
Pete King Chorale And Orchestra
Pickwick SPC-1313

Original issue: Capitol ST 2119.

You Are A Woman
People
The Music That Makes Me Dance
If A Girl Isn't Pretty
Don't Rain On My Parade
Cornet Man
I Want To Be Seen With You Tonight
Who Are You Now?
Henry Street

Monday, September 16, 2013

An Organ And Mort Lindsey

Siboney
An Organ And Mort Lindsey
Dot DLP-3027

From the back cover: Mort Lindsey was on his way to becoming a professor of music when his education was interrupted by World War II. After three years in the Air Force, he returned to complete his Master's Degree at Columbia University. However, he never got to teach a class because on the day of graduation he accepted a position as staff pianist with the National Broadcasting Company in New Your City.

Mort stayed at N.B.C. for three years during which time he played an average of twelve fifteen minute programs weekly, working under conductors such as Lyn Murray, Roy Shield, Norman Clotier and Milton Katins and with artists including Morton Downey, Jane Pickens, Paul Winchell, Eddie Albert and many others.

He then left to free lance and in a short while was playing the organ for three weekly quiz shows, helmed by John Reed King, Joey Adams and Don Ameche, respectively. In addition he managed to handle the piano chores on Jerry Lester's "Broadway Open House," and a daily TV show headed by Andy and Della Russell.

It was at this point in his career that Mort decided he wanted to be more than just a pianist and he promptly gave up his many radio and TV shows, and proceeded to study singing. In order to finance his studies and to remain in the background he went to work as an arranger on the Arthur Godfrey program working under Archie Bleyer's direction.

When he felt ready to make the transition from pianist to singer-painist, Mort embarked on the supper club circuit. He made several records and had on of the top novelty records of 1953 - his own composition, entitled "Scratch".

It was while he was appearing at the "Ruban Bleu", in New York City, that Mort was offered the position of singer, orchestra leader and musical director of the George Skinner Show, which was heard five times weekly on WCBS-TV.

Mort makes his home in Nutley, New Jersey, and is married to Judy Johnson, the lovely television singing star.

Tiger Rag
Sioux City Sue
Moonlight Serenade
Dardanella
Siboney
Makin' Whoopee
Waltz Of The Roses
Hawaiian War Chant
Sentimental Rhapsody
Dot And Dash Boogie
Doodle Doo Doo
Together

The Electrifying Guitar Of Walter Raim

Love Is For The Very Young
The Electrifying Guitar Of Walter Raim
Mercury Records MG 21021
1965

Splendid! Raim creatively blends mood, space age pop and jazz. His inventive arrangements are guaranteed to keep you engaged. Superior stuff!

From the back cover: Walter, at 29 years old, is one of the most formidably accomplished guitarists around. He was born in Bronx, New York and attended high school and City College there, obtaining a Master's Degree in instrumental music from Columbia University. Walter started his music career as leader of his own quartet, working the club areas of New York and Los Angeles

Walter is known widely for his significant, influential work in the folk music field as performer, annotator, arranger and musical director. He served as assistant conductor and first accompanist for the Belafonte Singers for two years. Walter's ever-widening musical horizons have increasingly led him into broader areas of musical expression. He plays electric and classical guitar, celeste, and piano as well. He met Bobby Scott, pianist and Mercury A & R director, when he was working on an album for Bobby Darin on which Bobby Scott played piano. That meeting led to a rewarding friendship between the two inventive musicians.

Walter's talents are not limited to the musical field as he is also an expert skier and tennis player. He has traveled extensively throughout Europe, the islands and Canada.


Session musicians include: Russ Sakakus - bass, Alvin Rogers - drums, Hank Jones - piano, Don Elliot - vibes and percussion, Phil Kraus - vibes and percussion and Bobby Scott - piano.

And I Love Her
La Ronde
The Teacher
Toys In The Attic
Love Is For The Very Young
Durango
There's Music
I Will Wait For You
Theme From The Amourous Adventures Of Moll Flanders
Breakfast At Tiffany's
A Love Like This
Amen