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Saturday, September 9, 2023

Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me - Mel Carter

 

A Sweet Little Girl

Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me
Mel Carter
Produced and Arranged by Nick De Caro
*Arranged by Gene Page
**Produced by Eddie Ray, Arranged by H. B. Barnum
Engineer: "Lanky" Linstrot
Cover Design and Photography: Studio Five
IR Imperial LP-9289
A Product of Liberty Records

From the back cover: The is my Mel Carter. And in life I can think of nothing greater than sharing a beautiful circumstance. However, this becomes more than just a beautiful circumstance. It's sharing a friendship.

I thought that friendship would prejudice my reaction to Mel Carter, but the was discounted by the millions who have responded to his talent. His hit record of Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me give me great personal satisfaction because it is like a confirmation of everything wonderful I had hoped for Mel and his manager, Zelda Sands. There's a bit of selfishness involved because my initial wish was to keep this exciting and honest talent to myself, however, we know this is impossible because such an obvious gift must be enjoyed by the world. So Imperial Records has given me the honor of preparing you for some of the rare and exciting moments you will enjoy in life, listening to an artist who truly develops an intuitive love affair between himself and listener.

At the conclusion of this album you will find that I have no monopoly on good taste... and that now this is also your Mel Carter. – With Love, Rosko (Bill "Rosko" Mercer is one of the most popular disc jockeys of the Southern California scene)

P.S. I affectionately admit that it was the lovable and unforgettable Sam Cooke who opened my eyes and heart and enabled me to feel and write this, for he brought Mel to my attention.

Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me
The Richest Man Alive*
Detour
Funny World*
A Sweet Little Girl
I Need You Now
Wanted
I Just Can't Imagine*
High Noon**
I'll Never Be Free*
What's On Your Mind**
I Am

Front Row Center - Faith, Weston, Legrand, Gould

 

This Can't Be Love

Front Row Center
Columbia Records CL 665
1955

When I'm Not Near The Girl I Love - Percy Faith
This Can't Be Love - Paul Weston
I Love Paris - Michel Legrand
September Song - Morton Gould
Stranger In Paradise - Percy Faith
The Surrey With The Fringe On Top - Morton Gould
Yesterdays - Paul Weston
House Of Flowers - Percy Faith
Embraceable You - Morton Gould
April In Paris - Michel Legrand
Where Or When - Morton Gould

Dance-Along - Jack Hansen

 

Dance-Along

Dance-Along
To Strict Tempos Approved by The U.S. Ballroom Council
Jack Hansen and His Orchestra
Coral Records CRL 757387
1961

From the back cover: Some bandleaders, in recent years, have been so concerned with the special style, the particular sound and the characteristic arrangements of their music that their dance rhythms often tend to blur together – to sound and feel the same. The result is that they have misguided a whole generation of dancers into reacting with a distressing sameness in their performances of the various ballroom rhythms.

In this first-rate collection of dance music, careful and separate consideration is given to the legato quality of the Waltz, the smart crispness of the Foxtrot, the fluidity of the Tango, and the brisk Spanish marching spirit of the Paso Doble, and the Caribbean flavor of the Cha Cha Cha, Mambo and Rumba. This emphasis on the differences in character of each rhythm cannot hero but make for  better and happier dancing.

A welcome innovation in the production of this album is to be noted in the fact that a quarter of dander-teachers, representing the United States Ballroom Council*, were invited to collaborate. These experts (Helen Wicks Reid, Patrick Mastrolia, Mel Riedl and Bob Bagar) tested the tempos for danceability by actual on-the-spot dancing during the recording sessions. – Donald Duncan - Editor, Ballroom Dance Magazine

* Member organizations: American Society of Teachers of Dancing; Associated Dance Teachers of New Jersey; Associated Dance Teachers of Southern California; Chicago National Association of Dance Masters of America; Dance Teachers' Club of Boston; New York Society of Teachers of Dancing; Texas Association of Dancing.

I'm In A Dancing Mood
So Long Emile
Puerta Del Sol
Tango Della Gelosia (Jealous Of You)
A Little Closer
Teach Me Tonight
The March Of The Siamese Children
Love Song From "Houseboat" (Almost In Your Arms)
Espana Cani
Dance Along
The Speak Up Mambo
Just A Kiss Apart

Thursday, September 7, 2023

Solo Music From The Eighteenth Century - Davenport & Bixler

 

Solo Music From The Eighteen Century

Solo Music From The Eighteenth Century
LaNoue Davenport - Recorder
Martha Bixler - Harpsichord
Classic Editions CE 1048
1962

The soprano and alto recorders were made by Arnold Dolmetsch, Ltd.
The tenor recorder is from Hermann Moeck Verlag
The harpsichord is by Neupert

From the back cover: LaNoue Davenport

LaNoue Davenport is one of the most widely-known figures in the recorder-playing world and in the field of authentic performance of early music. He has reached this position by a devious route, have been born in Dallas, Texas, of a musical family whose father was the first instructor in music of the four children. His first instrument was the piano (age five), then trumpet (age thirteen), with which he was content through high school, four years in the U.S., Navy, The New York College of Music, a year in a Broadway pit, and numerous small jazz bands in Texas and New York. His interest in early music was stimulated through courses with Irish Katz, and, borrowing a recorder from a friend, he was soon participating in concerts in and around New York. The trumpet was discarded, recorders began to accumulate, and soon this fascinating instrument, along with the music written for it, was occupying all his time.

He is the musicl director of The Manhattan Consort, a group specializing in Baroque music; featured recorder player with New York Pro Musica, which performs Medieval, Renaissance, and Early Baroque music; and is President of The American Recorder Society (1959-60, 1960-61). Since he is also a composer with several documentary ilm scores, and radio and concert performances of his music, to his credit, this gives him an interest in music of all periods except the Classic and Romantic.He admits to little (Classic) or no (Romantic) interest in these eras.

A summer's tour of Europe with New York Pro Musica in 1960 culminated in his being invited to lecture and play to The Summer School for Recorder Players in Roehampton, England, and in his being appointed an honorary Vice-President of The Society of Recorder Players or Great Britain.

Martha Bixler

Martha Bixler's first music lessons were on the piano, and this remained her chief musical instrument for many years. As a child she also played the recorder, violin and clarinet, and in college she was a serious student of voice.

Her interest in early music began while she was a piano student at the Yale University School of Music and a member of the Collegium Musicum, conducted by Paul Hindemith. Although her degree from Yale was in piano, she became more and more involved in the performance os music of the Medieval, Renaissance andBaroque, or "pre-piano" periods, first as a vocalist in small groups working with Hindemith, later as a recorder student of LaNoue Davenport, and finally as harpsichordist with the Manhattan Consort.

She has been a member of the Executive Board of The American Recorder Society since 1956, and for two years editor of Society's quarterly journal, The American Recorded. In New York she is well known as the conductor of several small recorder ensembles, a teacher of recorder at the New York College of Music and director of music at a private school for girls.

Miss Bixler's numerous appearance in performances if early music include concerts with the Manhattan Consort, the Four Seasons Consort, and as accompanist to Mr. Davenport in solo recitals in New York. She was harpsichordist for music to the film short, "Christopher and Me" (scored by LaNoue Davenport) made in 1959.

Sonta in D Minor
   Largo – Vivace – Furioso – Adagio – All Breve
   Alto Recorder and Harpsichord

Sonata In C Major
   Larghetto – Allegro – Larghetto – A Tempo di Gavotti – Allegro
   Alto Recorder and Harpsichord

Suite in G Minor
   Overture – Allemande – Courante – Sarabande – Gavotte – Menuet – Gigue
   Tenor Recorder and Harpsichord

Sonata in A Major
   Larghetto – Allegro – Adagio – Allegro
   Alto Recorder and Harpsichord

Suite in G Major
   Siciliano – Allegro – Vivace – Affettuoso – Presto – Tempo di Minuet
   Soprano Recorder and Harpsichord

Teen Scene - Chet Atkins

 

Suzie-Q

Teen Scene
Chet Atkins
Produced by Anita Kerr
Recorded in RCA Victor's "Nashville Sound" Studio, Nashville, Tennessee
Recording Engineer: Bill Porter
RCA Victor LSP-2719 STEREO
1963

From the back cover: Who Invented Chet Atkins?

Back in ancient times, when I was a teen-ager, we had no Chet Atkins to move the masses and prompt the populace to pulsate. But give us this mach credit: we were smart enough to now there was seething lacking in our lives. For example, one day Helen of Troy commented in my hearing, "Things are changing; the lyre sets but nobody afire anymore; the lute don't swing worth a hoot; and I'll bet you my share of the whole Archipelago you couldn't peddle ten tickets to a zither concert around here."

Later on I heard much the same kind of seething unrest from Bill Shakespeare, a pen pal of mine, and from Stonewall Jackson the night of his class' big commencement bash at West Point.

So, when I grew up and went to work at RCA Victor, I invented Chet Atkins, and now teen-agers humble themselves a my feet wherever I go.

...That's the story I'm submitting for this year's session of the National Liars Club competition they hold annually in Burlington, Iowa. I plan to spend the first-prize money on several thousand copies of this album and sen them for free distribution any place where guys and girls may not already be enjoying Chet – which mens they'll have to be taken along on this country's first manned space flight to the moon.

Being one off the fellows at Victor who's always first to learn of Chet's new-album plans, and who later eyes the sales to see if all of you liked his ideas, I have occasion to know how well Chet Atkins has penetrated this planet. Disc jockeys play him because they know he's a favorite of Young America... you buy him because you've had a sampling of his newest stuff on the deejay shows... and why results is a spiral that spins each new Atkins effort sky high. Teensville (his first of this type) will be a rough one to follow. But with Chet's choice of tunes like Susie-Q, Rumpus, Sweet Baby and all the rest, Teen Scene stands to pop the top right off everything with a beat that's gone before. 

Aren't you glad I invented Chet Atkins? – Steve Sholes - West Coast Manager, RCA Victor

From Billboard - August 24, 1963: Like its predecessor album, "Teensville." This is a slick one indeed. It has superior arrangements, spotlighting the Atkins guitar but smartly bringing in tasteful spots of horns, harmonica and voices. Rhythm section is great. Recent pop hits given fine treatment include "I Love How You Love Me," "Alley Cat," "Walk Right In," "Bye, Bye Bird," etc. Lots of fine tracks.

I Got A Woman
Rumpus
I Love How You Love Me
Alley Cat
Walk Right In
Back Home Again In Indiana
Teen Scene
Sweetie Baby
A Little Evil
I Will
Bye-Bye Birdie
Susie-Q

Wednesday, September 6, 2023

Gospel And Sacred Songs Sung By Moore And Napier

 

Wayfarring Pilgrim

Gospel And Sacred Songs
Sung By Moore And Napier
King Records KING 1017

Don't Walk Too Long
The Stranger In The Tavern
Wayfarring Pilgrim
I Believe In The Old Time Way
Take A Message To Mother
Will The Circle Be Unbroken
Shout And Sing
He Leads Me On
Oh Lord I'm Glad
Won't You Come In
That Beautiful Home
Sweeter Than The Flowers

Brazil's Super Hits

 

Herbie Mann: Consolacao

Brazil's Super Hits
Atlantic Recording Corporation SD 8167
Produced by Nesuhi Ertegun
Cover Design: Stanislaw Zagorski
1968

From Billboard - March 16, 1968: This sampler of Brazilian music is bossa nova at its best. the Brazil sound, popularized by the movie, "Black Orpheus," has evolved into a distinctive sound made up of African and Latin rhythms. The LP boasts Brazil's chief music makers, including Joao Gilberto, Sergio Mendes, Luis Bona, Herbie Mann and Antonio Carlos Jobim, architects of the world-famous samba sound.

Joao Gilberto: Desafinado 
By Antonio Carlos Jobim & Newton Mendonca

Sergio Mendes: Corcovado
By Antonio Carlos Jobim

The Modern Jazz Quartet with Laurindo Almeida: One Note Samba
By Antonio Carlos Jobim & Newton Mendonca

Luiz Bonfa: Brasilia
By Luis Bona

Herbie Mann featuring Baden Powell: Consolacao
By Baden Powell

Joao Gilberto: Voce E Eu
By Carlos Lyra & Vinicius de Moraes

Sergio Mendes & Brasil '65 featuring Rosinha De Valencia, guitar soloist & Wanda De Sah, vocalist: Black Orpheus Medley
  (a) Manha De Carnaval
       By Luis Bona & Antonio Maria
  (b)Batuque De Orfeu
       By Rossini Pacheco
  (c) Samba De Orfeu
       By Luis Bona & Antonio Maria
  (d) A Felicidade
       By Antonio Carlos Jobim & Vinicius de Moraes

Herbie Mann: Amor Em Paz
By Antonio Carlos Jobim & Vinicius de Moraes

Sergio Mandes with Antonio Carlos Jobim & Art Farmer: The Girl From Ipanema
By Antonio Carlos Jobim & Norman Gimbel

Joao Gilberto: Chega De Saudade
By Antonio Carlos Jobim & Vinicius de Moraes

Sergio Mendes: Nana
By Moacir Santos & Mario Telles

Offenbach's Gaite Parisienne - Karl Stein

 

Gaite Parisienne

Offenbach's Gaite Parisienne
Karl Stein Conducting The Oslo Philharmonic
Coronet Records CX 131

La Vie Parisienne
La Perichole
Ballet Parisien
Overture-Orpheus In The Underworld

Carryin' On! - Lou Rawls

 

Mean Black Snake

Lou Rawls
Carryin' On!
Produced by David Axelrod
Capitol Records T 2632
1967

Mean Black Snake
Walking Proud
The Devil In Your Eyes
Find Out What's Happening
You Can Bring Me All Your Heartaches
A Woman Who's A Woman
The Life That I Lead
Yesterday
Trouble Down Here Below
You're Gonna Hear From Me
Something Stirring In My Soul
On Broadway

Bob & Travis In Concert At The Santa Monica Civic Auditorium Vol. 2

 

The Clock

Bud & Travis In Concert
At The Santa Monica Civic Auditorium - Vol. 2
Producer: Si Waronker
Cover Design: Francis & Monahan, Inc.
Engineers: Ted Keep and Jack Robson
Liberty LRP 3222

From the back cover: Liberty's first album of "Bud and Travis In Concert" represented some choice moments of a truly memorable evening – the occasion of Bud and Travis' first major concert. This concert was attended by aficionados of the current folk music craze, and by a veritable cult of Bud and Travis fans: those who appreciate a blend of tasteful folk music from all over the world, played and sung with impeccable vocal harmony and fine guitar playing.

The concert lasted over two and a half hours and was successful beyond anyone's dreams. Naturally, it was impossible to release the entire concert in one package. Because of the tremendous acceptance of the first concert album we decided to issue the unreleased portions of the concert. Some of its most magical moments are in this album – what will greet your ears in sheer delight!

This is a package of wonders. The musical abilities, the dialogue, the performance and selection of material is a thing of beauty. It you enjoyed their first album we know this one is destined to thrill you.

Bud and Travis did not come by their great musical abilities, fine singing voices, love of the music, the soil and peoples of whom they sing – all this could with dogged application of endless hours of research and rehearsals have molded Bud and Travis into the finest duo of its kind.

Angelico 
Suzanne (Every Night When The Sun Goes Down)
Amor De La Calle
Young Lord
The Clock
Last Train To San Fernando
All My Sorrows
Two Brothers
My Mary
E La Bas