Piano Magic at Cocktail Time

Clair De Lune

Piano Magic At Cocktail Time
Favorite Music For Cocktails & Conversation
The Relaxed And Romantic Moods Of Pietro Dero
Somerset SF-26200
Somerset SF-312 (box set, second image)
1967

Dero uses an odd rhythm technique for much of the record. It sound like a guitar strum on the upbeat and a bass note on the downbeat. The technique seems a bit overused and almost robotic. However, Dero leaves out all but the bass line in the sample track above. Beautiful!

The box set, SF-312, for some reason, substitutes SF-26200, side 2 (sample above) with different material.

SF-26200 track list:

Medley:
Grieg Piano Concerto In A Minor, Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto in B Flat, Tchaikovsky's Fifth, Rhapsody D'Amour, Romeo And Juliet, Boston Concerto, Tchaikovsky's Sixth, American Concerto, Theme From Dvorak's New World Sym., Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto # 2

Medley:
Clair De Lune, Moonlight Sonata, The Swan, Pavanne, Reverie, Romance (Rubinstein), On Wings Of Song, None But The Lonely Heart, Romance (Tchaikovsky), Schubert's Serenade

Box Set Track List:

1A (2 track bands)
La Violetera, Humoresque, Greensleeves, Songs My Mother Taught Me, Serenade, Esterllita, Guantanamera, Tango Continetal, Tango Elena
1B (2 track bands)
Berceuse, Skaters Waltz, Santa Lucia, Juanita, I Love You Truly, Dolores, Frankie And Johnny, Bill Bailey

2A (single track band)
Shine On Harvest Moon, When You Were Sweet Sixteen, Mary's Grand Old Name, In The Good Old Summertime, You Tell Me Your Dream, My Old Gal, In The Evening By The Moonlight, Cuddle Up A Little Closer, Jeannie With The Light Brown Hair, Beautiful Dreamer, Mighty Lax A Rose, In The Gloaming, I'll Take You Home Again Kathleen
2B (single track band)
Sidewalk's Of New York, While Strolling Through The Park, Bill Bailey, Down At The Square, Sweet Adeline, And The Band Played On, Hoop Skirts, When Irish Eyes Are Smiling, The Bowery, Bicycle Built For Two, Little Annie Rodney, After The Ball

3A (single track band)
Villa, Merry Widow, Gyspsy Love Song, Toyland, Gold And Silver, Kiss Me Again, In Old New York, Sweetheart Waltz, Moonbeams, Isle Of Our Dreams
3B (single track band
Greig Piano Concerto In A Minor, Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto In B Flat, Tchaikovsky's Fifth, Rhapsody D'Amour, Romeo And Juliet, Boston Concerto, Tchaikovsky's Sixth, American Concerto, Theme From Dvorak's New World Symphony, Rachmanioff's Piano Concerto #2

Puchito - El 23 Vapor

El "23" (Vapor)
Del Tropicana Night Club
Puchito 138

A 78 rpm record connected somehow to the famous mob run Tropicana Night Club in Cuba.

Taiwanese Soundtrack

As best that I can make out this is a 60s vintage Taiwanese movie soundtrack album. There are B&W movie stills on the back that make the film look like it was marketed towards teenagers.

This is the second Taiwanese soundtrack album I've found. This music has been very unique and it doesn't matter that I can't understand a word of it.

I've strung together a few songs for your enjoyment.

Dance To The Swing Organ

Shangri-La

Dance To Swing Organ
The Mustang
Plays The Swingin'est Hammond For Your Dancing Or Listening Pleasure!!!
Somerset SF-22300
1965

The Mustang, who ever he, is made several albums for Somerset.

Somerset is a budget label and this is a budget record. The identity of The Mustang is obscured for the most part, but I did find two references to Paul Griffin. One on spaceagepop.com.

1972 Sexual I.Q. Test

Sexual I.Q. Test

Volume 1

Produced and Written by Arnold Maxin and David Gordon
GM Gordon Maxin GM 1001
1972

Find out how "Vastly superior in total emotional and physical sexuality" you are.

I've scanned the test sheet so that you can print it out and take the test. As the voiceover announcer says "Good luck!"  As I say... I hope you get lucky!

Music For The Sensational Sixties - Don Elliott

Echoes Of Webster Hall

Music For The Sensational Sixties
The Futuramic Sounds Of Don Elliott and His Orchestra

Musical Director: Warren Vincent
Design Records DLP 69

Division Of Pickwick Sales 
1957

Bill Byer - Arranger, Trom, Celeste

Hal McKusick - Bass Clarinet

Mundell Lowe - Guitar

Spencer Sinatra - Flute

Ronnie Bedford - Drums

Bill Takus - Bass

Harry Meinikoff, Harry Lookofsky, Raoul Poliakin - Violin

Bert Fisch - Viola

Alan Shulman - Cello

Milt Hinton - Bass

From the back cover: Within the wall of this album cover are musical sounds of the future. Music for the next decade... A step beyond progressive jazz, a subtle sound of mood music prevails. Here are magnificent rounded modern interpretations of great songs with the finest array of musicians this side of "sputnik". A handsome young man enters the recording studio embodying all the appearance and traits of the typical "on campus" American youth. He quietly sheds his coat and starts to set up his mellophone, vibes, bongos, trumpet... then he positions the celeste setting the piano stool for comfort. Out comes his horned rimmed glasses to check the music and you think of the successful young junior executive. Where is the musician DON ELLIOTT?... man... he's here! The most versatile jazzman of our time is Don Elliott. Recently, Down Beat Magazine had a reader's poll and one of the categories was Miscellaneous Instrument. Don rode herd over all contenders by over 500 votes. His miscellaneous instrument. a mellophone... a warped French Horn through which Don blows some of the greatest jazz sounds ever heard. In the other Down Beat categories such as vibes, trumpet singer and combo leader, you'll find Don near the top of the list. Besides the above, one must remember he's an accomplished performer on accordion, piano, celeste, percussion instruments and also a fine arranger.

Don's first love was the mellophone back in high school days. When he went with the George Shearing Quintet in 1950 he switched to vibes. During his Shearing days, he switched back to his high school love... the mellophone, continuing to play it with Benny Goodman, Buddy Rich and other groups before heading his own combo.

Don has worked nearly every great jazz room from coast to coast, played at and been acclaimed at the great jazz festivals such as Newport, etc. Louis Armstrong is the only jazzman to top him in appearances on radio and T-V shows. In this album, you'll hear music that's easy on the ears, but it's new... never trite, never boring, always inventive. He tops his performance on this recording with five instru- ments named at the beginning plus a sixth instrument that cannot be described accurately... listen to the band's "Voca Jazz" and "Echoes Of Webster Hall," you'll hear the new sound . . . the instrument is the human voice and it's Don Elliott "singing"-as one of the engineers put it ... It's a "flip" and it is.

The new vocal find-Don Elliott-singing in a truly new, open and intimate sound, such favorites as "Out Of This World", "Stardreams", "Stella By Starlight", "Moon Love" and "What's The Use Of Wond'rin" –and you've got the truly great new sound.

Proudly introducing the new DESIGN Artist, Don Elliott and his All-Stars. .. giving you your first "insight' to "Music For The Sensational Sixties". – Abbot Lutz

Out Of This World
Stardreams
I'M Glad There Is You

Stella By Starlight

Blues For Max

Voca Jazz

Moon Love

Echoes Of Webster Hall

What's The Use Of Wond'rin

Opus Hokus Pokus

Space Chasin'

Bat Man

Space Chasin'
The Starliners
Bowie High School, Bowie Maryland

Photography: John Roseborouch

Engineers: John Burr, Ed Greene
Edgewood Recording Studio, Washington, D.C.

80-Hi Records
MM-273 Vol. 1

From the back cover:  ABOUT THE BAND... (Average age: 15%)

Formed in August 1966 under my direction (while still a Lt. Col. in the Air Force) with enthusiastic support from Tom Warthen, principal, and Bob Wiant, school music director. Debut at a PTA meeting in early '67 brought this normally sedate audience to their feet for a thunderous ovation. Subsequent concerts in the D.C. area were equally successful. The big test came on 10 May '67 in the Bowie Hi gym when the group faced the 2700 strong student body. The Band absolutely fractured 'em! (Who said the Big Band Sound was dead?) The season was "capped off" at the Annapolis Arts Festival on 18 June when the Band was billed with Count Basie and Buddy Rich.

ABOUT THE RECORD

During the 10 May concert, I asked how many of the students would purchase a record (if made) and, further, make an advance downpayment to finance the recording session with all profit (if any) destined for the stageband fund (under school control). The response was overwhelm- ingly in favor. Within a few days the band members had issued receipts for 729 records more than enough!

The recording session was held on 21 May 1967- the only date available before the end of the school year. The fourteen numbers were cut in 311⁄2 hours with minimum re-takes. Conduct, stamina and a sustained peak in quality of performance impressed the recording engineers. They (and I) consider this recording an outstanding product for such a young group.

I shall remember these young people for their consistent display of professionalism, for being a real credit to their school and community and, in the vernacular of the Jazz Man as "a blowin' bunch of cats"! I've had several kudos thrown my way for contributing my time and effort, but let's not kid one another - the pleasure was all mine! – JOE CARLEY

South Rampart Street Parade

Days Of Wine And Roses

Call Me

I Remember You

Tijuna Taxi

I Left My Heart In San Francisco

Sam's Boogie

Theme 

The Knock

The Man I Love

I May Be Wrong

Walk In The Black Forrest

Trombone Soliloquy

Batman Theme

Git Along Little Dogie

Git Along Little Dogie
Vocalist: Andy Gainley and Doug Martin
The Record Guild Of America, Inc. N.Y.

6.5 inch 78 rpm children's picture disc.

Home On The Range

Home On The Range
Vocalist: Rue Knapp - Guild Chorus
The Record Guild Of America Inc. N.Y.
6001P

6.5 inch 1940s children's picture disk

Night Herding Song

Night Herding Song
Vocalist: Doug Martin
The Record Guild Of America, Inc. N.Y.
6001P

6.5 inch 78 rpm children's picture disc