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Friday, May 7, 2021

Fiesta At The Waldorf - Los Chavales de Espana

Pepe Bandera

Fiesta At The Waldorf
Los Chavales de Espana
RCA Victor LPM-1095
1958

From the back cover: From the beginning in Barcelona in 1940, Los Chavales de Espana has been a cooperative venture. With no real leader, the group produces all its arrangements, both vocal and instrumental, by a combined effort in preparation. From these elven men (all Spanish) comes an incredible variety of sounds, for almost every member plays at least three different instruments.

Los Chavales play without written music of any kind – each member has about four hundred arrangements entirely in his head. Disciplined, precise, ereating dazzling colors without parallel, this flawless group is not limited to the Spanish music which is its specialty. These Continental artists perform in a variety of tongues – three of which are heard on this recording.

The content of this album might well be described as a musical tour of Spain, Portugal and France, and is typical of the group's program at the Waldorf-Astoria. In the opening medley, entitled Spanish Fiesta, Luis Tamayo sings an excerpt from the musical comedy "La Verbean de la Paloma," following it with a description of the beauties of Madrid. Luis Bona then tells of Pepe Bandera, the Spanish singer for whom all men are mad, and the medley closes as Pepe Lara sings the charms of Granada.

Trini Reyes lends castanets and heel-tapping to a portrait of Granada's gypsy quarter in Scromonte; Dos Cruces, which follows in a vocal by Pepe Lara, tells of a lover who is reminiscing about his lost amours. El Embrujo del Fandango ("The Magic Of The Fandango") marks the return of dancer Reyes, after which Luis Tamayo takes us to Portugal in Lisboa Antiqua. The first side concludes with Retablo Espanol, which contains a vocal version of Granados' Danza Espanola No. 5 (by Pepe Lara) and the instrumental Jota from the musical comedy "La Dolores."

On Side Two we are treated to more Jotas–Quisiera, fearing Senores Lara and Tamayo, and Ebro, a fiery dance by Trini Reyes. Taking a short trip into France we hear Luis Tamayo sing "Aimer come je t'aims, and our immediate return to Spain is greeted by the brilliant bull-fight music of Gallito. Luis Tamayo then returns to sing "Sous le Cielo de Paris and Pepe Lara follows with a rendition of Manuel Palos' composition, Three Roses. The side ends with a medley called Alegria Espanola ("Spanish Happiness") – an excerpt from the musical, "La Revoltoas", the ever-popular Malaguena La Tana, the tale of an Andalusian gypsy's unrequited love (with Tamayo, Bona, Lara and Palos); and finally Pepe Lara's sining of everyone's favorite, Valencia.

Spanish Fiesta 

La Verbena de la Paloma
Madrid
Pepe Bandera
Granada
Sacromonte
Don Crues 
El Embrujo del Fandango
Lisboa Antiqua

Jotas Tipicas

Quisiera, Ebro
Aimer comme je t'aime
Gallito
Sous le ciel de Paris (Under Paris Skies)
Three Roses

Alegria Espanola

La Revoltosa
Malaguena 
La Tana
Valencia

Songs Of Naples - Giuseppe Di Stefano

 

Core 'Ngrato

Songs Of Naples
Giuseppe Di Stefano
Album 1
Angel Records - Electrical & Musical Industries (U.S.) Limited
35469
1966

From the back cover: Born in Catania, Sicily (birthplace of Bellini) on July 7, 1921, Giuseppe Di Stefano studied singing in Milan with Luigi Montesanto. He made his Scala debut in 1947 in Manon. The following year he made his Metropolitan Opera debut in Rigoletto. Since then he has shuttled back and forth across the Atlantic, starring at the San Francisco and Chicago Opera Houses as well as at the Metropolitan. He has also filled guest engagements in Rio De Janeiro and Mexico. A recent honor was a gold "Orfeo" from Mantua, an Italian award similar to America's "Oscar" with which the birthplace of opera pays tribute to the great singers and conductors of today.

'O Sole Mio
Marechiare
Dicitencello Vuie
Tu, Ca Nun Chiagne!
I' Te Vurria Vasa
Core 'Ngrato
Torna A Surriento
Silenzio Cantatore
Chiove
'O Paese D' 'O Sole
Santa Lucia Luntana

Ross Senior High School Symphonic Band 1971

 

California Dreaming / Monday Monday

Ross Senior High School Symphonic Band 1971
Hamilton, Ohio
R. M. Kerestan Conductor
QCA - Queen City Album - Cincinnati, Ohio
104130

Sunburst 
House Of The Rising Sun
Holiday, Fanfare And March
Symphonic Marches
Masque
Theme And Rock-Out
California Dreaming / Monday Monday

Freakout U.S.A.

 

Poisons In My Body

Freakout U.S.A.
Cover Photo: Capitol Photo Studio / Ed Simpson
Sidewalk DT 5901
1967

Freakout U.S.A. - The Aftermath
Psychotic Reaction - Hands Of Time
Yellow Pill - Mom's Boys
Poisons In My Body - International Theatre Foundation
I'm Losing It - The Glass Family
Up And Down - Mom's Boys
Season Of The Witch - The Mugwumps
Number 1 Lover - Everybody's Children
Don't Try To Crawl Back - Jesters
I Like The Way You Freakout - Hands Of Time

Little Marcy Talks With The Animals

 

Never Smile At A Crocodile

Little Marcy
Talks With The Animals
Word Wonder World Series
Word Records K-705
1968

Talk With The Animals
Old MacDonald Had A Farm
Never Smile At A Crocodile
I Love Little Pussy
Smokey The Bear
Oh Where Has My Little Dog Gone?
What Kind Of Animal?
Flu-Ma-Ru
Three Little Kittens
It's Morning Again
Swinging On A Star
Baa Baa Black Sheep
When The Red Red Robin

Percussion Italiano! - Vico Anthony

Mambo Ravioli

Percussion Italiano!
Vico Anthony and His Percussion Paesanos
TOPS L 1711
1960

From the back cover: Italian-born and Boston-raised, Vico Anthony reflects in his music what he is in real life – a young man who remembers and loves the music of his native land but who conceives and plays it with modern jazz over-tones. In this particular album he has taken a variety of Italian favorites, old and new, and given them an equal variety of instrumental and rhythmic interpretations. As the title suggests, however, there is an additional accent on percussion, a sharp, bright provocative approach to a multitude of tones and timbres.

Arrivederci Roma
El Choclo
Donnina 
Vita
Guaglione
O Solo Mio
Cielo Napoli
Torna A Surriento
Tango De La Rosa
Tico Tico
Finiculi Finicula
Mambo Ravioli

Tuesday, May 4, 2021

Latin Hits I Missed - Edmundo Ros

 

Cuban Love Song

Latin Hits I Missed
Edmundo Ros And His Orchestra
Musical Arranger: Roland Shaw
Recording Directed by Rodger Bain
Engineer: Arthur Lilley
Phase 4 Stereo
London Records SP 44094

Carnival
Ole Mambo
Spanish Flea
The Peanut Vendor
Cuban Love Song
Tico Tico
Pablo The Dreamer
Whipped Cream
Solamente Una Vez
It Happened In Monterey
Baia
La Bamba

Sunday, May 2, 2021

Life - Bobby Stevens And The Checkmates, LTD.

 

Poem: What You Don't Know Won't Hurt You Is A Lie - All Goin' Down Together

Life 
Bobby Stevens And The Checkmates, LTD.
Horn and String Arrangements by John True
All Rhythm Arranged by Bobby Stevens and The Checkmates, LTD.
Album Design: Dean O. Torrence - Kittyhawk Graphics
Recorded entirely at Wolfman Jack's Studio, Los Angeles
Rustic Records RR2001
1971

None of us are what we want to be
Very few of us are what we think we are
Yet... fewer of us are what we could  be
Se we try
And this, The trying is called... Life

Drums: Sweet Louie/Russell Lee
Bass: Clint Mosely
Guitar: Joseph Ramirez 
Piano and Acoustic Guitar: Michael Jarrett
Horns: Cat Anderson, Paul Lopez, Thruman Green, Teddy Edwards
Strings: William Henderson, Ken Yerke, Ron Folsom
Congo: Albert Steen

Poem: Life - My Girl
Poem: Criticize: Marry Was Born On The Bayou
Poem: Will I Ever Love Again - Turn Back The Hands Of Time / God, Love And Rock & Roll
Poem: What You Don't Know Won't Hurt You Is A Lie - All Goin' Down Together
Poem: You Never Said You Love Me - All That I Am
Poem: Reminiscing - Walk On By / MacArthur Park / I Am A Said
Monologue: Nice & Easy - If You Were My Woman
Monologue: Peace Talk - Sweet Caroline