Howdy Folks! Welcome to The UnEarthed In The Atomic Attic album blog! Here you will find a wide variety of unusual Space Age Vinyl finds that feature good quality cover scans, jacket notes and audio samples for you to enjoy. I'm here to have fun and hope you will share in my process of discovery!
Come Travel With Me... Mat Mathews And His Orchestra Cover photo by Vicent J. R. Kehoe ABC-Paramount ABC 269 1959
Available from online vendors so I will not be posting a sample.
The spicy cover art and Birdland jacket notes references might leave you wanting more from this very light set, however, the easy-listening arrangements are well-crafted and make for a pleasant play-through.
From Billboard - May 18, 1959: Mr. Mathews and his accordion capture the mood and flavor of many corners of the globe to provide for 30 minutes of fine listening. Attractive cover should encourage sales.
From the back cover: Mat Mathews, born in Holland, traveled extensively in Europe and North Africa before coming to the United States in 1952. He is a true 'international musician' with strong contemporary American leanings.
Mat Mathew's experience have been varied: played with his original combo in Birdland and other jazz clubs throughout the United States, arranged and conducted the orchestra behind Carmen MacRae's first recordings, appeared on major television shows as jazz soloist... Arthur Godfrey... Tonight Show... CBS TV... and so on. Mat's appearances at military installations and USO clubs have been received with great enthusiasm by the boys
Si Petite Estralita Orchi Chornya Londonderry Air Brazil Cateri, Cateri Pasodoble Sometimes I Feel Like A Motherless Child Lilli Marlene Greensleeves Romanisch Wien, Wien, Nur Du Allein
Available from online vendors, but marketed without the original cover art which adds up to at least half the fun of collecting this album.
From the back cover: Irving Fields, the celebrated pianist, arranger, and composer of such favorites as Miami Beach Rhumba and Managua Nicaragua, is also widely known for the surprisingly large "orchestral" sound of his versatile trio, which appears at the finest clubs throughout the country.
From Billboard - May 1, 1961: The veteran pianist, arranger and composer, Irving Fields, offers his second LP of Yiddish favorites set in Latin American tempos. Most of them come off very well including "Hors Merengue," "My Hometown Girl," "Spark of Jewish Pride" and "Papirossen". The set has a good sound and should provide Fields' flock of fans with many fine hours of listening and dancing pleasure.
Mama's Mambo I'll Always Be Yours Hora Merengue Say You Love Me, One More Time Wedding Merengue What Used To Be, Used To Be I Want To Play Spark Of Jewish Pride The Green Cousin-Merengue Papirossen My Hometown Girl Bublitchki
Off Beat Percussion
Starring Don Lamond And His Orchestra
Originated and Produced by Enoch Light
Associate Producer: Julie Klages
Arrangements by Lew Davis
Recording Chief: Robert Fine
Mastering: George Piros
Command Records RS 842SD
Cover Design: S. Neil Fujita
1962
This project was as much a platform for Lew Davis's outstanding arrangements and the fun light pop sound Enoch Light cultivated during the early 60s for Command as it is a showcase for Lamond's brand of drumming. As usual, the engineering is superb.
From the jacket notes: Lamond is a drummer who is primarily a musician – which is one of the reasons why he has reached the unique position of being the most in-demand drummer in New York. His musicianship has been developed through an unusually wide rage of experience. Although he has been a drummer from the very start, his early training was not the unusual picking-up of skills and techniques that is the process through which even many of the best drummers develop. Lamond's musical foundation was established when he studied at the famous Peabody Institute in Baltimore, one of the country's outstanding music schools.
With this background, he began a decade of grueling but priceless polishing of his talents with some of the major bands of the 1940s – first with Sonny Dunham's orchestra, then with Boyd Rayburn's forward-looking experimental band and finally as a member of Woody Herman's fabulous bands between 1945 and 1949.
The Herman band of 1945, now identified as the First Herd, is widely considered to have been on of the most exciting and potent bands that has ever been assembled. This band played with such ecstatic exuberance and fantastic virtuosity that Herman often said that it could be terrifying experience simply to stand up in front of the band. "When those guys blow," he once said, "I duck."
Generally credited as one of the prime spark plugs of this amazing group was Don Lamond, a powerhouse at the drums who drove the band with tremendous energy and superb skill. That First Herd really roared and the motivation for much of its roar came from the percussive dynamo at the drums. Later, with the Second Herd – the Herman band of 1947-49 – Lamond showed the breadth of his skill. The Second Herd was still a hard swinging group (as Herman's bands almost invariably are) but the distinctive quality of this band was the so-called "Four Brothers sound," the smooth saxophone voicing first used on Jimmy Giuffre's composition, Four Brothers. This called for a style of drumming that was far less explosive and much smoother, yet a style that had to retain the supple rhythmic qualities that were at the heart of the First Herd. Lamond made the shift readily and again gave this great bands much of its character.
Since 1950 Lamond has removed himself from that steady grind of one-nighters that life with a road band becomes and, settling outside New York, quickly established himself as the top studio drummer in New York, working on television, on recordings and, or rare occasion, playing with such specially organized groups as the bands Benny Goodman forms from time to time. He has, of course, played on many Command Records but this is the first time he has had the opportunity to develop his own ideas of the potentialities of drumming.
Session musicians include Dick Hyman on organ, Tony Mottle on guitar, Bob Haggart on bass and Bob Rosengarden ("adding percussive decoration") on drums.
Forty-Second Street
Don Nothin' Till You Hear From Me
Let's Face The Music And Dance
It Don't Mean A Thing If It Ain't Got That Swing
It's Been A Long, Long Time
Drums In My Heart
I Won't Dance
Cheek To Cheek
I'm Beginning To See The Light
Sophisticated Lady
All Alone
The Big Brush Off
Cover: Paul Weller
RCA Victor LPM-1925 & LSP-1925
Recorded in RCA Victor's Studio A, East 24th Street, New York, July 21 and 22, 1958
1959
From the back cover: Teenagers, college kids (in fact, everyone who ever put his best foot forward on the ballroom floor) have been getting an enormous charge out of the Morrow men. It's easy to see that the orchestra is a solid hit – whether on the bandstand, playing requests, or off it, when groups of dancers cluster around to chat with Buddy and the boys.
From Billboard - February 16, 1959: Buddy Morrow and his work turn in some swinging readings of standards and originals on this new stereo set. Morrow has always been a dance band with a beat and the ork shows off it's beat strongly on such tunes as "I'll Be Around," " Tea For Two," "Count Down," and "Rock To Morrow." It's a wild album aimed strictly at the younger set. Stereo sound is fair.
Count Down
I'll Be Around
Tea For Two
Rock To Morrow
Sleepy Time Gal
Hey, Mr. Bones
Chicken Bone
Cherry
Sweet Sue
Mambo No. 5
Margie
Rock Slide
Side one and two feature mostly swing instrumentals. However, side two also includes several vocal tracks by Frankie Lester (sample above).
Dearly Beloved
Humoresque
Isn't It Romantic
Barbecue Riffs
Let's Call Tonight A Day
The Old Black Magic
Body And Soul
I Get A Kick Out Of You
Indian Sumer
Dancing In The Dark
Discoteca Latina
Presenta Tito Puente, Tito Rodriguez, Joe Loco, Machito, Alfredo, Martino Savanto
Elglobo Records - 6006
Synthetic Plastic Co. - Newark, NJ
Compilation album featuring colorful jacket art and a peppy set of tunes.
Compass De Pachanga (Pachanga Beat)
El Cha Cha Cha Chino (Chinese Cha Cha Cha)
Samba Dancero
Viva El Mambo
Delirio Musical (Frenzy)
Mambo Cha Cha
Mambo La Libertad
Gee
Mambo Fantasties (Mambo Fantastique)
Siesta Cha Cha
Moods Of Mancini
By The Rudolph Statler Orchestra
Wyncote SW 9158
The set contains four extended arrangements featuring Statler playing jazz inspired piano passages backed by a small combo layered over lush strings. This is a sweet mood project from budget label, Wyncote.
Arabesque
Baby Elephant Walk
Lovers In New York
Theme From Hatari
Make Your Own Kind Of Music
Pete Fountain
Arranged and Produced by Charles Bud Dant
Cover Photo: Mike Nagro
Wardrobe by Suzy Creamcheese, Las Vegas
Coral Records, Inc. CRL 757510
1970
From Billboard: February 28, 1970: The title of this album is a perfect description of what Pete Fountain does... makes his own kind of music. And it's good music! This should come in for top programming and sales.
Early In The Morning
Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head
Shangri-La
New Orleans Breakdown
Holly Holly
Make Your Own Kind Of Music
Midnight Cowboy
Lady-O
Leaving On A Jet Plane
From St. Louis To Seville Carlos Montoya and His Guitar with Rhythm Accompaniment Produced by Johnnie Camacho Recorded in Studio A, New York City, November 3, 1958 Recording Engineer: Ed Begley RCA Victor LSP-1986 1959
Available for online purchase download so I will not be posting a sample, but would agree with Billboard that St. Louis Blues is the standout track. closely followed by Improvisation. Current online downloads do not feature the original cover art. There is no mention, in the jacket notes, of who Montoya's session (New York jazzmen) were.
From Billboard - February 15, 1960: Here's an unusual package, wherein the great flamenco guitarist works with a jazz group on one side and give his unique and expressive interpretations of five pop tunes, best of which is a virtuoso treatment of "St. Louis Blues." Flip spotlights the usual exciting flamenco guitar work on five Latin items. "Zambrilla," "Tarants," etc.
St. Louis Blues Rain On The Roof Blues In The Night Improvisation Que Sera Sera Zambrilla Tarantas Tango de los Ojos Negros Antonio Vargas Heredia La Cancion del Ole
The Latin Touch Of Dave Bacal
Cover Design: Hobo Arts
Photography: Tom Kelly
Crown Records
CST 176 & CLP 5146 (lower cover image featuring a slightly different image crop)
1960
From the back cover: Currently, the talented Bacal improves to various exercises on the daily Jack LaLanne Show, seen throughout the country via the marvel of videotape.
The Latin Touch combines the unique talents of Dave, drummers Milt Holland and Gene Estes, and the ultimate product is a truly different package!
Worth collecting for the graphic impact of the jacket art and the luminescent red vinyl. The set, however, is dated by 1960 standards, lacking impact due to tame arrangements and or the sub-par engineering.
El Relicario
Malaguena
The Breeze And I
La Paloma
La Cumparsita
Dengozo
Estudiantina
Chiapanecas
La Golondrina
