Big Band Pops - Box Set

Big Band Pops
The Miracle Of Stereo Sound In Motion
10 disc box set
Design: Burt Portnoy
Directional Sound
Premier Albums, Inc.

10 record Premier box set that assembles, in one collection, some of the label's better projects which were also sold as single albums (some or all of them in were produced in book-fold jacket designs) but marketed together in a "series" (Directional Sound). To tie the group of projects together Premier borrowed jacket design from similar graphic work done at Command Records. The "percussion" concept was also innovated by Command. However, none of the albums are "percussive" in the "Command-style" and although there are a number of great space age recordings in this set the cover art for the most part, is misleading. The series seems to have been produced to showcase Premier's range of "stereo" releases but rather comes across as a "space age percussion" set, which it is not.

Jazz & Swinging Percussion
Bill Berry Quartet
Design: Sam Sullman
K-1091 (DS 5002)
1961

Dream Street

From March 20, 1961 Billboard: A handsome package, in book format, with modern design. Berry is an accomplished trumpeter, and with him are Alan Dawson on drums; Alex Cirin on bass and pianist Bob Freeman. Latter has written six originals for the package.

Excellent small combo jazz. The set is presented without the early 60s "percussion" gimmicks as advertised on the jacket. The engineering is very good.

Dream Street
Almost Like Being In Love
Manhattan Blues
Times Square
Broadway And 10th
Schubert Alley
Old Devil Moon
June Is Busting Out All Over
Broadway By Night
How Do You Speak To An Angel
Blow Gabriel Blow
The Night Was Made For Love

Percussive Sounds Of The Big Band
John Evans And The Big Band
K-1092 (DS 5003)
1961

Peter Gunn


Bright and sometimes sexy big band set.

Personnel:

Leader – John Evans

Bass – Clement Mayer
Coordinator – Charles Goldberg
Design – Sam Suliman
Drums – Armand Van Der Walle
Guitar – Freddy Saunder
Piano – John Evans
Production Manager – Sam Suliman
Saxophone – Benny Couroyer, Frank Church, Guy Dossch, Jeff Verhagen, "Prezz" Creado
Trombone – Al Mertens, Paul Annee
Trumpet – Charlie Knectel, Ed Harnie, John Cortois, Louis Hays

St. Louis March Blues
Blue Skies
American Patrol
Kings Cross Climax
Peter Gunn
Habanera
Strike Up The Band
Jungle Drums
As Time Goes By
Trumpet Blues
Peanut Vendor

Exotic Percussion And Brilliant Brass
John Evans And The Big Band
K 1095 (DS 5006)
1961

An Occasional Man


This particular album is good fun if you are familiar with "exotica." Many songs copy the Martin Denny/Arthur Lyman style of arranging, complete with bird calls. The "exotica" titles are interesting but there is nothing new to hear. Supporting those tracks are more straight forward Lyman-like Latin/jazz tracks. These tracks carried the album and are pretty cool.

Bad And Beautiful
Temptation
Eso Es El Amor
Mambo Inn
An Occasional Man
Cuban Caper
Quite Village
Caravan
Return To Paradise
Mambo Italiano
Lisbon Antigua
Cool Mambo

Potent Percussion
Don Catelli And The All Stars
K 1099 (DM 5010)
1962

This album is one of the better LPs in the series. Tracks can be purchased by digital download, so I won't be posting a sample. There is a consistent smooth, smoky, ping-pong lounge vibe to be enjoyed on this set.

I Love Paris
Manhattan
So In Love
Lady Of Spain
Old Cape Cod
I've Got You Under My Skin
In The Still Of The Night
Always True To You
Small World Isn't It
Glow Worm
Balling The Jack

Brass Band Bash
The Regimental Band Of Windsor Guards
K 1097 (DS 5008)
1961

Guadalcanal March

Straight marching band brass. Whose idea was it to include this LP in the series?

Gualdalcanal March
Stars And Stripes
Spirit Of Liberty
El Capitan
Semper Fidelis
Colonel Bogey
Service Midely
King Cotton
Liberty Bell
Hands Across The Sea
On The Mall
Washington Post

Passionate Percussion
Don Catelli And The All Stars
K 1098 (DS 5009)
1961

Taboo

Solid and playful covers of many of your exotica favorites.

From Billboard - March 20, 1961: The Don Catelli group tears right into his LP of Latin-American warhorses. Each of the tracks can be judged a Latin-American standard. The music and musicians have been given depth by stereo recording. The small group under Catelli's baton performs admirably.

Brazil
Taboo
La Machicha
The Breeze & I
Malaguena
Mama Inez
Jungle Drums
Say Si Si
South Of The Border
Miami Beach Rhumba
Cha Cha #5
Amapola

Percussion & Piano Honky Tonk
Mike Di Napoli and Trio
K 1094 (DS 5005)
1961

Hot Time In The Old Town Tonight

Here's another disc in the set that doesn't fit the theme of the series if you are going to judge a book by the cover.

Hot Time In The Old Town Tonight
Under The Bamboo Tree
Turkish Honky Tonk
School Days
Honky Tonk Serenade
Kentucky Babe
Meet Me In St. Louis
Mozart Sonata
Merry Oldsmobile
Toreador Song
In The Shade Of The Old Apple Tree
La Donna E Mobile

Latin Brass
John Evans And The Big Band
K 1090 (DS 5001)
1961

Gualione

Good big band Latin, but lacks the punch needed to help the set stand out in the early 60s "space age" market.

April In Portugal
Patricia
Everyday Is Ladies Day
Gualione
Mamo Jambo
Teach Me Tonight
Tequila
Barrippi Mompo
It Ain't Necessarily So
Kiss Me Again Cha Cha
Old Man River Cha Cha
Cha Cha Amigo

Percussion Classics
Karl Reiner Conducting The Hamburg Philharmonic
K 1093 (DS 5004)
1961

More series filler and not, by any means, "percussive".

Ravel's Bolero
Tchaikovski's 1812 Overture
Sizzling Strings Castanets Percussion
Don Luis Quintero and The Madrid Festival Orchestra
Mario Valero Group with Jose Alvarez on Guitar
K 1096 (DM 5007)
1960

Not sizzling or space age.

Granada
Espana
Fiesta Trianera
La Paloma
Viva Navarra
Capriccio Espanol
Ravel's Bolero
Seranata Espanola
Solea Canastera―Soleares
Estudiantina