Peter Appleyard Orchestra – Percussive Jazz (1960)

Peter Appleyard, OC (26 August 1928 – 17 July 2013[1]) was a British–Canadian jazz vibraphonist, percussionist, and composer. He spent most of his life living and performing in the city of Toronto where for many years he was a popular performer in the city’s nightclubs and hotels. He also played and recorded with many of the city’s orchestras and been featured on Canadian television and radio programs. In the early 1970s he drew wide acclaim for his performances with Benny Goodman’s jazz sextet with which he toured internationally. In 1992, he was made an Officer of the Order of Canada in recognition of his being an “internationally renowned vibraphonist [who] has represented the Canadian jazz community across North America, Europe, the Middle East and Australia”.

Born in Cleethorpes, Lincolnshire, Appleyard became apprenticed to a nautical instrument maker after being forced to leave school owing to economic reasons related to the Second World War. At that time the popularity of the American Big Bands was growing in England, particularly through a major influx in big band recordings from America by jazz musicians like Benny Goodman, Duke Ellington, and Count Basie. These recordings had a strong influence on Appleyard and he decided to pursue a career as a jazz musician. He began his career in the early 1940s playing in the Boys Brigade, a youth organization. He performed as a drummer in several other British dance bands during the 1940s and, while a member of the Royal Air Force during in the mid-1940s, played in RAF bands.

In 1949 Appleyard moved to Bermuda where he lived for two years. While there he spent his holidays in Canada and picked up his first set of vibes. He was so impressed with Canada that, when the time came to leave Bermuda the choice of a new home was easy – he headed for Toronto. At first, unable to get a union card in Toronto, Appleyard worked as a room booking clerk at the King Edward Hotel and as a salesman at Simpson’s department store. He began studying music with Gordon Delamont and soon thereafter began playing the vibraphone in concerts with Billy O’Connor in the early 1950s. From 1954 to 1956 he played with a band at the Park Plaza Hotel and made numerous appearances on CBC Radio with jazz pianist Calvin Jackson. He formed his own jazz ensemble in 1957 which performed not only in Toronto but also toured throughout North America and appeared on American television during the 1960s. Among the ensemble’s original members was pianist and arranger Jimmy Dale. The group notably accompanied singer Gloria DeHaven for a year.

From 1961 to 1962 Appleyard co-hosted, with singer Patti Lewis, the CBC Radio program Patti and Peter. He spent most of the mid-1960s on the road touring. In the late sixties, he ceased his busy touring schedule and returned to Toronto on a more permanent basis. He began playing once more at the Park Plaza Hotel. In 1969 he co-hosted the program Mallets and Brass with Guido Basso for CBC TV. In addition he began studying timpani and percussion and extended his musical expertise substantially.

In the early 1970s Appleyard gained wide international notice as a member of Benny Goodman’s jazz sextet. With the group he toured in Europe in 1972 and 1974 and in Australia in 1973. Afterwords, he played only periodically with the group for the remainder of the decade, notably playing three performances with the ensemble at Carnegie Hall in the mid to late 1970s. During these years he continued to live in Toronto where he remained a popular performer in nightclubs and hotel lounges, serving as music director for a number of local jazz bands. He was also a leading percussionist in the city’s orchestras for both theatre and studio work. Throughout the 1970s, he was a frequent guest to the Colorado Springs Invitation Jazz Party where he performed with numerous international famous jazz musicians. From 1977 to 1980 he had his own television program, Peter Appleyard Presents, a jazz and variety show syndicated in North America.

In 1976, Frank Sinatra requested Appleyard to join him in concert with the Count Basie Orchestra and Ella Fitzgerald at the Uris Theatre in New York City. Sinatra made this request based on Appleyard’s work with Goodman. Appleyard and Sinatra performed together several years later during a benefit concert in Ottawa that was arranged by Rich Little.

In 1982 Appleyard formed the All Star Swing Band which specializes in performing old pop and jazz tunes, often in medley arrangements by Rick Wilkins. The ensemble’s 1982 release Swing Fever earned a gold record certification for sales of 50,000 units within Canada and was nominated for a Juno Award for Instrumental Artist of the Year. The ensemble toured throughout the world, including several appearances in New York City (notably appearing with Mel Tormé at Michael’s Pub), a 1987 tour to Great Britain, a 1998 tour to Switzerland, and at festivals like the Du Maurier Jazz Festival, Moncton Jazz Festival, the Ottawa Jazz Festival, and Dick Gibson’s Jazz Party in Colorado. The group has also performed in Chicago, Florida, Texas, Scandinavia, Germany, and Japan.

Following the death of Benny Goodman, Appleyard formed the Benny Goodman Tribute Band in 1985 which is composed of a number of Goodman alumni and some great Toronto musicians. Appleyard was also leader of the “Swing Fever Band”. He made several concert tours for NATO, most of which were at his own expense. He completed four tours at bases in Europe and three tours in Cyprus and the Gaza Strip and also performed for Canadian and American servicemen at the North Pole Christmas Show in Greenland.

Peter Appleyard performed as a special guest at Carnegie Hall on numerous occasions through the late 90’s and onwards under the direction of Skitch Henderson and the New Yorks Pops orchestra. He regularly toured overseas from London to Switzerland to Japan where he was asked by the Japanese Government to do a one-night performance at the Sapporo jazz festival. Appleyard said it was such a fantastic experience as the treatment and reception was first-class. He received the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee award on 18 June 2012. He spent his final years living on a farm at Rockwood, Ontario.

He died at his farm of natural causes on 17 July 2013 (by wikipedia)

“Percussion, according to Merriam-Webster, is a striking or beating of sound on the ear. Percussion, according to Peter Appleyard and Sid Cooper, is the vital fundamental of creative jazz. They embellish it with new tonal essences and record it with a perspicacious ear for the vagaries of stereophonia. Their interpretation of the jazz beat goes a step further than just the feel of a swinging tempo. They add a variety of percussive colors, sometimes subtle tints, sometimes brash hues.  Twelve of New York’s top recording jazz artists walked into a 24th Street recording studio on an incogruously cool August evening and sat down behind these Cooper arrangements. Telefunken microphones were hung strategically to pick up every last overtone and nuance.

On cue from Peter Appleyard, Bobby Rosengarden counted off an integrated swinging beat. In the control room, amid the usual, partially-drained coffee containers, Sid Frey, young company President of Audio Fidelity, now wearing his Artist and Repertoire ‘hat’, hovered over audio engineer Ernie Oelrich who set his myriad dials with an inimitably deft touch. In the subsequent paroxysms that rent the studio air, every last note was brought to account for volume, position, dynamics, presence and tonal quality. The result is an audiophile’s dream-the happy blend of superlative jazz in the modern idiom with percussive treatments, brilliant virtuosity and engineering wizardry. On a competent play-back system, the dynamics of the 1812 Overture are bland by comparision. Just listen!” (taken from the original liner notes)

Personnel:
John Abney (organ)
Robert Alexander (trombone)
Peter Appleyard (vibraphone)
Sidney Block (bass)
Philip Bodner (flute, reeds)
Edwin Costa (percussion)
Melvyn Davis (trumpet)
Harold Gayler (bass)
Sol Gubin (drums)
Philip Kraus (percussion)
Sy Mann (organ)
Sam Most (flute, Saxophone)
Romeo Penque (flute, reeds)
John Rae (percussion)
Bob Rosengarden (drums)
Beril Rubinstein (fortepiano)
Carl Severinsen (trumpet)
Raymond Starling (saxophone)
Nicholas Tagg (organ)
Harold Weed (fortepiano)
Earl Zinders (percussion)

Tracklist:
01  The Man With The Golden Arm (Bernstein) 2.25
02. The Man That Got Away (Arlen) 2.34
03. Dragnet (Schumann) 3.10
04. Witchcraft (Coleman) 3.22
05. Harlem Nocturne (Hagen) 3.20
06. There Will Never Be Another You (Warren) 3.07
07. Peter Gunn (Mancini) 2.28
08. Mack The Knife (Weill) 2.45
09. Why Don’t You Do Right (McCoy) 2.55
10. Tenderly (Gross) 2.35
11. Mambo Inn (Bauza) 2.33
12. Undecided (Shavers) 1.58

 

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Yma Sumac – Voice Of Xtabay (1950)

Yma Sumac (September 13, 1922, or September 10, 1923 – November 1, 2008), sometimes spelled Yma Súmac, was a Peruvian soprano. In the 1950s, she was one of the most famous proponents of exotica music.

Sumac became an international success based on her extreme vocal range, which was said to be “well over five octaves” at the peak of her singing career.

Sumac recorded an extraordinarily wide vocal range of 5 octaves, 3 notes and a semitone ranging from E2 to B♭7 (approximately 107 Hz to 3.7 kHz). In one live recording of “Chuncho”, she sings a range of over four and a half octaves, from B2 to F♯7. She was able to sing notes in the low baritone register as well as notes above the range of an ordinary soprano and notes in the whistle register. Both low and high extremes can be heard in the song Chuncho (The Forest Creatures) (1953). She was also apparently able to sing in an eerie “double voice”.

In 1954, classical composer Virgil Thomson described Sumac’s voice as “very low and warm, very high and birdlike”, noting that her range “is very close to five octaves, but is in no way inhuman or outlandish in sound”. In 2012, audio recording restoration expert John H. Haley favorably compared Súmac’s tone to opera singers Isabella Colbran, Maria Malibran, and Pauline Viardot. He described Súmac’s voice as not having the “bright penetrating peal of a true coloratura soprano”, but having in its place “an alluring sweet darkness…virtually unique in our time”.

She was born on either September 13, 1922, or September 10, 1923, most likely in Callao, a seacoast city in Peru; but, possibly, according to herself, in Ichocán, an Indian village. Her parents were Sixto Chávarri and Emilia Castillo. Her father was born in Cajamarca and her mother was born in Pallasca. Stories published in the 1950s claimed that she was an Incan princess, directly descended from Atahualpa. The government of Peru in 1946 formally supported her claim to be descended from Atahualpa, the last Incan emperor”.

Chávarri adopted the stage name of Imma Sumack (also spelled Ymma Sumack and Ima Sumack) before she left South America to go to the United States. The stage name was based on her mother’s name, which was derived from Ima Shumaq, Quechua for “how beautiful!” although in interviews she claimed it meant “beautiful flower” or “beautiful girl”.

Sumac first appeared on radio in 1942. She recorded at least 18 tracks of Peruvian folk songs in Argentina in 1943. These early recordings for the Odeon label featured Moisés Vivanco’s group, Compañía Peruana de Arte, a group of 46 Indian dancers, singers, and musicians.

She married composer and best friend Moises Vivanco on June 6, 1942. She had a son, Charles, in 1949. In 1946, Sumac and Vivanco moved to New York City, where they performed as the Inka Taky Trio, Sumac singing soprano, Vivanco on guitar, and her cousin Cholita Rivero singing contralto and dancing. She was signed by Capitol Records in 1950, at which time her stage name became Yma Súmac. Her first album, Voice of the Xtabay, launched a period of fame that included performances at the Hollywood Bowl and Carnegie Hall.

In 1950 she made her first tour to Europe and Africa, and debuted at the Royal Albert Hall in London and the Royal Festival Hall before the Queen. She presented more than 80 concerts in London alone and 16 concerts in Paris. A second tour took her to travel to the Far East: Persia, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Burma, Thailand, Sumatra, the Philippines, and Australia. Her fame in countries like Greece, Israel and Russia made her change her two weeks stay to six months offering fabulous concerts. During the 1950s, Sumac produced a series of lounge music recordings featuring Hollywood-style versions of Incan and South American folk songs, working with the likes of Les Baxter and Billy May. The combination of her extraordinary voice, exotic looks, and stage personality made her a hit with American audiences. Súmac appeared in a Broadway musical, Flahooley, in 1951, as a foreign princess who brings Aladdin’s lamp to an American toy factory to have it repaired. The show’s score was by Sammy Fain and E. Y. “Yip” Harburg, but her three numbers were the work of Vivanco with one co-written by Vivanco and Fain.

During the 1950s, Sumac continued to be popular, playing Carnegie Hall, the Roxy Theatre with Danny Kaye, Las Vegas nightclubs and concert tours of South America and Europe. She put out a number of hit albums, such as Mambo! (1954) and Fuego del Ande (1959). Capitol Records, Sumac’s label, recorded the show. Flahooley closed quickly, but the recording continues as a cult classic, in part because it also marked the Broadway debut of Barbara Cook. During the height of Súmac’s popularity, she appeared in the films Secret of the Incas (1954) with Charlton Heston and Robert Young and Omar Khayyam (1957).

She became a U.S. citizen on July 22, 1955. In 1959 she performed Jorge Bravo de Rueda’s classic song “Vírgenes del Sol” on her album Fuego del Ande. In 1957, Súmac and Vivanco divorced, as Vivanco had had twins with another woman. They remarried that same year, but a second divorce followed in 1965. Apparently due to financial difficulties, Yma Súmac and the original Inka Taky Trio went on a world tour in 1961, which lasted for five years. They performed in 40 cities in the Soviet Union, and afterward throughout Europe, Asia, and Latin America. Their performance in Bucharest, Romania, was recorded as the album Recital, her only “live in concert” record. Sumac spent the rest of the 1960s performing sporadically.

In 1971 she released a rock album, Miracles. She performed in concert from time to time during the 1970s in Peru and later in New York at the Chateau Madrid and Town Hall. In the 1980s she resumed her career under the management of Alan Eichler and had a number of concerts both in the United States and abroad, including the Hollywood Roosevelt’s Cinegrill, New York’s Ballroom in 1987 (where she was held-over for seven weeks to SRO crowds) and several San Francisco shows at the Theatre on the Square among others. In 1987, she also recorded the song “I Wonder” from the Disney film Sleeping Beauty for Stay Awake, an album of songs from Disney movies, produced by Hal Willner. She sang “Ataypura” during a March 19, 1987, appearance on Late Night with David Letterman. She recorded a new German “techno” dance record, “Mambo ConFusion”

In 1989 she sang once again at the Ballroom in New York and returned to Europe for the first time in 30 years to headline the BRT’s “Gala van de Gouden Bertjes” New Year’s Eve TV special in Brussels as well as the “Etoile Palace” program in Paris hosted by Frederic Mitterrand. In March 1990, she played the role of Heidi in Stephen Sondheim’s Follies, in Long Beach, California, her first attempt at serious theater since Flahooley in 1951. She also gave several concerts in the summer of 1996 in San Francisco and Hollywood as well as two more in Montreal, Canada, in July 1997 as part of the Montreal International Jazz Festival. In 1992 appeared a documentary for German television entitled Yma Súmac – Hollywoods Inkaprinzessin (Yma Súmac – Hollywood’s Inca Princess).

With the resurgence of lounge music in the late 1990s, Sumac’s profile rose again when the song “Ataypura” was featured in the Coen Brothers film The Big Lebowski.

Her song “Bo Mambo” appeared in a commercial for Kahlúa liquor and was sampled for the song “Hands Up” by The Black Eyed Peas. The song “Gopher Mambo” was used in the films Ordinary Decent Criminal, Happy Texas, Spy Games, and Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, among others. “Gopher Mambo” was used in an act of the Cirque Du Soleil show Quidam. The songs “Goomba Boomba” and “Malambo No. 1” appeared in Death to Smoochy. A sample from “Malambo No.1” was used in Robin Thicke’s “Everything I Can’t Have”. Yma Súmac is also mentioned in the lyrics of the 1980s song “Joe le taxi” by Vanessa Paradis, and her album Mambo! is the record that Belinda Carlisle pulls out of its jacket in the video for “Mad About You”

On May 6, 2006, Sumac flew to Lima, where she was presented the Orden del Sol award by Peruvian President Alejandro Toledo and the Jorge Basadre medal by the Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos

Yma Sumac died on November 1, 2008, aged 85 or 86, at an assisted living home in Los Angeles, California, nine months after being diagnosed with colon cancer. She was interred at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery in Hollywood, CA, in the “Sanctuary of Memories” section.

On September 13, 2016, a Google Doodle featured Yma Sumac dressed as a Peruvian songbird (by wikipedia)

Exotica began here in this historic 1950 meeting between the Peruvian “princess” Yma Sumac and Hollywood arranger Les Baxter. Neither Inca royalty nor a Bronx girl named Amy Camus as counter-legend had it, Sumac was raised an upper middle class Peruvian, but gifted with an uncanny multi-octave range. With such a powerful instrument at his disposable, the imaginatively resourceful Baxter proceeded to patch together musical bits and pieces from around the globe–gamelon orchestra, all manner of modal scales, ethnic percussion, impressionistic strings–into a fantasy concoction that has stayed surprisingly fresh after a half a century.

There probably isn’t anything here that wasn’t first heard in Rimsky-Korsakov or Debussy, not to mention Max Steiner whose path-finding score for KING KONG remains the talisman for pop musical journeys to the unknown. Still, Baxter is a skillful orchestrator, especially of strings, and Sumac herself never falters in her tricky wordless improvisations. It was super kitschy stuff at the time and remains so, but retains a certain musical integrity, even timelessness, much like the stone god that hovers scowling above our ersatz princess on the famous album cover. (by cduniverse.com)

Personnel:
Yma Sumac (vocals)
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Orchestra conducted by Leslie Baxter

Tracklist:

01. Virgin Of The Sun God (Taita Inty) (Vivanco) 3.07
02. High Andes (Ataypura!) (Vivanco) 3.04
03. Chant Of The Chosen Maidens (Accla Taqui) (Baxter) 2.45

04. Earthquake! (Tumpa!) (Vivanco) 3.20
05. Dance Of The Moon Festival (Choladas) (Vivanco) 2.34
06. Dance Of The Winds (Wayra) (Vivanco) 3.02
07. Monkeys (Monos) (Vivanco) 2.40
08. Lure Of The Unknown Love (Xtabay) (Rose/Baxter) 3.19

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Peruvian soprano Yma Sumac performs during the 16th edition of the Musical Spring Festival, on May 1, 1992 in Bourges, central France.

Julie Felix – Hota Chocolata (1978)

Julie Ann Felix (born 14 June 1938, Santa Barbara, California) is an American born, British-based folk recording artist who achieved success in the late 1960s and early 1970s. She continues to perform and releases albums on her own record label.

She graduated in 1956 from high school in Westchester, Los Angeles, California. The same year that she arrived in the United Kingdom, she became the first solo folk performer signed to a major British record label, when she gained a recording contract with Decca Records. Within a decade she had a well-established career. In 1965 she was reportedly the first folksinger to fill the Royal Albert Hall, and was described by The Times as “Britain’s First Lady of Folk”.

In 1966 Felix became the resident singer on the BBC television programme The Frost Report, presented by David Frost. She hosted her own shows for the BBC from 1968 to 1970, including the series Once More With Felix (the first episode was transmitted on 9 December 1967). Among those featured on her show were The Kinks, Leonard Cohen and Led Zeppelin’s lead guitarist, Jimmy Page, who played the “White Summer” and “Black Mountain Side” guitar solo pieces. On 1 May 1967 she appeared on the German TV show Beat-Club; in September 1968 at the International Essen Song Days. She performed at the Isle of Wight Festival in 1969.

She had two UK Singles Chart hits in 1970. The first was with the song entitled “If I Could (El Cóndor Pasa)”, while the second, marginally less successful, was called “Heaven is Here”. 1990 saw the release of a new album, Bright Shadows.

On 24 March 2008 she appeared on a BBC Four programme in which stars of The Frost Report gathered for a night celebrating 40 years since Frost Over England; Felix sang “Blowin’ in the Wind”. She has appeared at the Wynd Theatre, Melrose, Scottish Borders, on an annual basis over the past few years.

She now lives in Chorleywood, Hertfordshire, England, and is still recording and performing, appearing on stage on her 70th birthday in 2008 (by Wikipedia)

Alternate front + back cover

“I feel we need to welcome the divine feminine into our lives and into our hearts … Patriarchy has led to wars, killing, and the rape of mother earth. Both men and women need to feel the love of the feminine side of God.” (Julie Felix)

Listen to another beautiful album by Julie Felix … wonderful songs, fantastic lyrics … what a great artist !

Single from Norway

Personnel:

Julie Felix (guitar, vocals, Percussion)
Steve Hayton (guitar, Percussion, background vocals)
Danny Thompson (bass, percussion)
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Ted Lazer (accordion on 06.)
Kesh Sathie (tabla, tambura on 12.)
Billy Stevens (harmonica on 03. + 09.)
+
Background vocals:
Mick + Donna (on 01.)
Tanit + Samantha (on 06.)

Tracklist:
01. Hota Chocolata (Felix) 3.31
02. Let Me Love You (Felix) 2.57
03. Deportees (Guthrie) 4.47
04. Solado De Levita (Traditional) 2.32
05. Da Me La Fuerza (Felix) 3.14
06. In Paris (Felix) 3.15
07. Hey Liley-Liley Lo (Austin/Lomax) 0.54
08. Windy Morning (Felix) 2:46
09. David (Felix) 2.37
10. Sydney Harbour (Felix) 4.51
11. Clotho’s Web (Felix) 3.38
12. Face Of The Moon (Felix) 3.12
15. Moon Light (Felix) 2.38
16. Pow Wow! (Felix) 2.23

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Still alive and well …

Scorpions – Crazy World (1990)

Crazy World is the eleventh studio album by German hard rock band Scorpions, released on November 6, 1990.[5] The album peaked at No. 21 on the Billboard 200 chart for albums in 1991. That same year, the song “Wind of Change” reached No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100[6] and “Send Me an Angel” reached No. 44 on the same chart.[6] Crazy World was the last album to feature bassist Francis Buchholz, and by that extent, the last to feature the band’s classic lineup. It also has the only Scorpions track to credit Buchholz, “Kicks After Six”. This album was the band’s first album in a decade and a half to not be produced by Dieter Dierks and is widely considered to be the last “classic” Scorpions album. In the UK, it remains the only Scorpions album to attain Silver certification (60,000 units sold) by the British Phonographic Industry, achieving this in November 1991.

“Hit Between the Eyes” was played during the ending credits of the 1992 film Freejack. “Send Me an Angel” was played at the closing scene in an episode of the show Cold Case. “Wind of Change” was also used during the 2009 film Gentlemen Broncos and towards the end of the 2014 film The Interview. (by wikipedia)

After the release of Savage Amusement in 1988, the Scorpions expressed disdain toward the album, feeling that it was too polished when compared to their other work. Their longtime producer, Dieter Dierks, was replaced with well-known rock producer Keith Olsen, who would produce Crazy World and assist in making it one of the Scorpions’ greatest recordings. Their music had certainly changed since Savage Amusement, sounding a little bit heavier and less glamorous. But even with the metal sound, the songs remain melodic and catchy. The power ballads on the album, “Wind of Change” and “Send Me an Angel,” are arguably two of the band’s greatest slow numbers, boasting soothing harmony and lyrics. Crazy World remains the Scorpions’ finest ’90s album and is sure to please its listeners. (by Barry Weber)

Personnel:
Francis Buchholz (bass, background vocals)
Matthias Jabs (guitar, background vocals)
Klaus Meine (vocals)
Herman Rarebell (drums, background vocals)
Rudolf Schenker (guitar, background vocals)
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Koen van Baal (keyboards on (04.)
Robbie Buchanan (keyboards on 04.)
Jim Vallance (keyboards on 11.)
Michael Thompson (guitar on 04.)
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background vocals:
Claudia Frohling – Tony Ioannoua – Cliff Roles – Jim Lewis – Dries van der Schuyt

Tracklist:
01. Tease Me Please Me (Meine/Rarebell/Vallance/Jabs) 4.44
02. Don’t Believe Her (Rarebell/Meine/Vallance/R.Schenker) 4.55
03. To Be With You In Heaven (Meine/Schenker  4:48
04. Wind Of Change (Meine) 5.10
05. Restless Nights (Meine/Rarebell/Vallance/R.Schenker) 5:44
06. Lust Or Love (Meine/Rarebell/Vallance) 4.22
07. Kicks After Six (Rarebell/Meine/Vallance/Buchholz)  3.49
08. Hit Between The Eyes”  Rarebell, Meine, Vallance  Schenker  4:33
09. Money And Fame  (Jabs/Rarebell) 5.06
10. Crazy World (Meine/R.Schenker/Rarebell/Vallance) 5.08
11. Send Me An Angel (Meine/Schenker) 4.32

 

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Vanessa Mae – The Violin Player (1995)

The Violin Player is the first techno/pop album by classical and pop musician Vanessa-Mae, released in 1995. It is the first album Vanessa-Mae released on the EMI label. The album was produced by Mike Batt, and recorded and mixed by Gareth Cousins, who also programmed the synthesisers and beats for the album.

The Violin Player features a varied blend of music – covers of some classical (J.S. Bach’s Toccata and Fugue in D minor), remakes of old favourites (including American composer Mason Williams’ “Classical Gas”) and originals (seven tracks composed by British musician and songwriter Mike Batt), and one original by Vanessa-Mae herself, co-written with Ian Wherry (“Red Hot”).

Singles released from the album include “Toccata and Fugue”, which reached number 16 in the UK Singles Chart and “Red Hot” which reached number 37.

The Violin Player reached #11 in the UK Albums Chart in February 1995, and was certified Gold by the BPI in June 1995. It has sold over 8 million copies worldwide, and is still regarded by many as Vanessa-Mae’s best work. (by Wikipedia)

Vanessa-Mae was just a teenager when her major-label debut, The Violin Player, was released. This may account for her ability to successfully fuse old-world classical styles with a contemporary new age sensibility. She comes out scorching on the Bach classic “Toccata and Fugue in D Minor,” showing off her world-class talent as a revolutionary violinist. The new arrangements by producer Mike Batt add a flavorful world music appeal that both compliments and showcases her masterful skill. While all ten tracks are performed as instrumentals, Vanessa-Mae manages to squeeze every ounce of passion out of a note, transcending the necessity for lyrics. Her ability to play off of other instruments is brought to the forefront on the final track “Red Hot.” She goes toe to toe with a forceful electric guitar and her four-string violin leaves the challenging six-string in the dust. This record will delight those who are bold enough to challenge themselves by listening to a collection of songs that defy standard genre classifications. (by Erik Crawford)

And you´ll hear one of my favourite guitar players: Dave “Clem” Clempson !

Personnel:
Mike Batt (Keyboards)
Martin Bliss (guitar)
Dave “Clem” Clempson (guitar)
Dick Morgan (oboe)
Richard Morgan (oboe)
Maurice Murphy (rumpet)
Philip Todd (saxophone)
Unspecified Enemies  Composer
Vanessa-Mae (violin)
Vasko Vassilev (viola, violin)
Ian Wherry (Keyboards)
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Royal Philharmonic Orchestra

Tracklist:

01. Toccata and Fugue in D Minor (Bach) 7.47
02. Contradanza (Batt) 3.49
03. Classical Gas (Williams) 3.21
04. Theme from ‘Caravans’ (Batt) 5.06
05. Warm Air (Batt) 3.38
06. Jazz Will Eat Itself (Batt) 3.30
07. Widescreen (Batt) 3.58
08. Tequila Mockingbird (Batt) 3.26
09. City Theme (Batt) 4.32
10. Red Hot (Wherry/Mae) 3.16

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The CD singles

Aretha Franklin – Through The Storm (1988)

Through the Storm is the thirty-fifth studio album by American singer Aretha Franklin, released on Arista Records in the spring of 1989.

Despite the number 16 Billboard Hot 100 hit title track (a duet with Elton John), the album was not a commercial success; it reached number 55 on the Billboard 200. Selling approximately 225,000 copies in the United States, it was taken swiftly out of print shortly. The follow-up single, “It Isn’t, It Wasn’t, It Ain’t Never Gonna Be”, a duet with Whitney Houston, failed to make the top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number 41. Other guest artists included James Brown, The Four Tops and Kenny G. (by Wikipedia)

Having scored in the recent past with producer Narada Michael Walden and some star duets, Franklin and Arista turned out another album with the same approach but less successful results. The title duet with Elton John went Top 20, but its followup, “It Isn’t, It Wasn’t, It Ain’t Never Gonna Be” was an embarrassing failure for both Franklin and the previously pop-perfect Whitney Houston. The rest was even less distinguished, including a song with The Four Tops and Kenny G and a remake of the old hit “Think.” (by William Ruhlmann)

Personnel:
Walter Afanasieff (bass, drum programming, keyboards, Synthesizer)
Renaldo Benson (vocals)
Chris Botti (trumpet)
Michael Davis (trombone)
George Devens (percussion)
Abdul Fakir (vocals)
David Foster (keyboards, Synthesizer)
Aretha Franklin (vocals, piano)
Greg “Gigi” (ercussion)
Reggie Griffin (guitar)
Kenneth Hitchcock (saxophone)
Yogi Horton (drums)
Louis Johnson (bass)
Steve Khan (guitar)
Ren Klyce (keyboards)
Jerry Knight (bass)
Robbie Kondor (bass, piano, Synthesizer)
Steve Kroon (percussion)
Arif Mardin (strings, synthesizer)
Sammy Merendino (drums)
David Paich (Keyboards)
Lawrence Payton (vocals)
Jeff Porcaro (drums)
Doc Powell (bass, guitar)
John “J.R.” Robinson (drums)
Marc Russo (Saxophone)
Corrado Rustici (guitar)
Bob Smith (drums)
Kent Smith (trumpet)
Andy Snitzer (Saxophone)
Levi Stubbs (vocals)
Narada Michael Walden (drums, keyboards, percussion, Synthesizer)
Aaron Zigman (keyboards, vocals)
+
James Brown (vocals on 01.)
The Four Tops   (vocals on 08.)
Kenny G (Saxophone on 08.)
Whitney Houston (vocals on 04.)
Elton John (vocals on 05.)

+
background vocals:
Kitty Beethoven – Margaret Branch – Brenda Corbett – Siedah Garrett – Liz Jackson – Skyler Jett – Melisa Kary – Edie Lehmann – Myrna Mathews – Marti McCall – Claytoven Richardson

Tracklist:
01. Gimme Your Love (duet With James Brown) (Walden/Cohen) 5.19
02. Mercy (Garrett/Ballard) 4.09
03. He’s The Boy (Franklin) 4.06
04. It Isn’t, It Wasn’t, It Ain’t Never Gonna Be (duet With Whitney Houston) (Hammond/Warren) 5.39
05. Through The Storm (duet With Elton John) (Hammond/Warren) 4.23
06. Think (1989) (Franklin/White) 3.39
07. Come To Me (Price) 3.43
08. If Ever A Love There Was (with the Four Tops and Kenny G) (Oland/Cerney) 4.47

 

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Aretha Franklin with James Brown

The Herd – Lookin’ Through You (1968)

The Herd were an British pop rock group, founded in 1965, that came to prominence in the late 1960s. They launched the career of Peter Frampton and scored three UK top twenty hits.

The Herd were founded in 1965 in south London, England. The group recorded three unsuccessful singles with the record label Parlophone. In 1966 three members in succession (Terry Clark, Louis Cennamo and Mick Underwood) quit the Group and the group got the line-up that made it famous. The singer, Peter Frampton, was 16 when he joined the group in 1966 and had just left school. The other members were a few years older. Parlophone did not want to go on with them, but Fontana was willing to give them a try.[2] They also sent their manager Billy Gaff away and brought in the songwriters/producers Ken Howard and Alan Blaikley instead. This pair had been largely responsible for a string of hits by Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich.

Howard and Blaikley orchestrated for them a unique blend of pop and flower power. After a UK Singles Chart near-miss with “I Can Fly” (1967), the haunting “From the Underworld”, based on the legend of Orpheus and Eurydice, reached Number 6 later that year with help from copious plays on pirate radio. It was a hit in other countries too. In the Netherlands the song reached Number 3. “From the Underworld” was followed by “Paradise Lost”, which made it up to Number 15 in 1968.

Their greatest success came with “I Don’t Want Our Loving to Die”, a Number 5 UK hit single (also in 1968).

The Herd appeared at The Saville Theatre, London on Sunday 8 October 1967 supporting The Jimi Hendrix Experience. Also on the bill were The Crazy World of Arthur Brown and Eire Apparent.

With his boyish photogenic looks, Frampton was dubbed “The Face of ’68” by teen magazine Rave.

The last months of 1968 were tempestuous times for the group. Steele left the group, to be replaced by Henry Spinetti. The group dumped their managers Howard and Blaikley, and briefly found a new mentor in Harvey Lisberg who after three months found himself so bogged down with their personnel problems that he politely withdrew his services. Most songs on their first and only album Paradise Lost were written by Peter Frampton and Andy Bown, just like their next single, “Sunshine Cottage”.

Dissatisfied with mere teen idol status, and disappointed with the failure of “Sunshine Cottage”, Frampton left by the end of 1968 to form Humble Pie with Steve Marriott.[2] The remaining members Bown, Spinetti and Taylor made another flop single, “The Game”,[5] then minus Taylor, formed the short-lived Judas Jump with Allan Jones, saxophonist from Amen Corner, and Welsh vocalist Adrian Williams. Taylor, who became a disc jockey, and Steele, reunited briefly for a one-off single “You’ve Got Me Hangin’ From Your Lovin’ Tree” in June 1971, to almost universal lack of interest.

By the late 1970s, after a stint back with a pre-“Frampton Comes Alive!” Peter Frampton band from 1973-1975, Bown had become a member of UK rockers Status Quo and both Taylor and Spinetti had joined up with Gerry Rafferty’s band. (by wikipedia)

And this is their debut Album … a superb mix of  Pop and psychedelic music … (listen to “From The Underworld” and “Paradise Lost” !)

Personnel:
Andy Bown (keyboards, vocals, bass)
Peter Frampton (guitar, vocals)
Andrew Steele (drums)
Gary Taylor (bass, vocals, guitar)

Tracklist:
01. I Don’t Want Our Loving To Die (Blaikley) 2.59
02. Come On – Believe Me (Taylor) 2.51
03. Our Fairy Tale (Bown/Frampton) 2.40
04. On My Way Home (Bown/Frampton) 2.03
05. Goodbye Groovy (Blaikley) 2.46
06. From The Underworld (Blaikley) 3.16
07. Paradise Lost (Blaikley) 3.33
08. Sweet William (Bown/Frampton)  2.19
09. I Can Fly (Blaikley) 3.13
10. Understand Me (Warland/Bown) 2.30

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**

Personnel note:
During the Seventies I played the bass in a prog band called “Cold Fever” (organ – bass -drums) and we did a few gigs and someday we went in a Studio and did a prog version of “From The Underworld” – we mixed it with “Paradise Lost” …(still unreleased *smile*)

“Cold Fever” was led by my brother, who died in 2013 …

I would like to dedicate his entry to him !

 

Out of the land of shadows and
darkness, we were returning
Towards the morning light
Almost in reach of places I knew
Escaping the ghosts of Yesterday
You were behind me following
closely
“Don’t turn around now”
I heard you whisper in my ear
“If you should turn now,
All that you won
Will vanish just like a passing dream.
Just on the very verge of the
morning, daylight was dawning,
freedom was but a step away
Now with the deep dark river
behind us,
what could go wrong if I stayed
strong in mind.
What was the sudden lapse into
madness, what was the urge that
turned my head around to look at you?
What was the stubborn will
to destroy the love and the joy
I nearly held?
three times the thunder roared
in my ears
In all of my years I’ll see that lost
look in your eyes.
As, with a sigh like smoke in the wind
You slipped from my grasp into
the waiting shadows
so much I longed to say,
but my touch found only the
empty air and a black nights
coldness.
lnto another world you entered
And never again I can reclaim you.

Passport – Heavy Nights (1986)

Heavy Nights finds Passport founder and veteran sax man Klaus Doldinger in rare form. On this offering from 1986, the veteran sax player delves into the world of pop-jazz. Although, given his vast palette and the different settings here, it would be a mistake to simply call Heavy Nights a pop-jazz record. Doldinger’s tastes have always been eclectic and he brings his own unique jazz contributions to the table. Furthermore, he possesses that rare ability to produce jazz that is accessible without having to sacrifice substance in the process. Whatever you chose to call it, Heavy Nights is just great music. The songs here range from the playful “Bahia Praia” to the upbeat, big-band feel of “It’s Magic.” On board for this incarnation of Passport are Kevin Mulligan (guitar), Dieter Petereit (bass), Curt Cress (drums), Herman Weindorf (keyboards), and Victoria Miles (vocals). The performances of this lineup are certainly noteworthy throughout, but Heavy Nights is really a one-man show. Doldinger takes charge here performing, producing, arranging, and, composing all of the tracks. As expected, he excels in all of these areas, but it’s his ability to speak in cohesive melodic sentences that are both lyrically and emotionally satisfying, and which makes this disc so enjoyable. The melodies aren’t just good, they’re memorable. The beautiful “Forever,” as romantic a piece as you will find, is not just memorable, it actually borders on unforgettable. In addition, Doldinger’s distinct phrasing punctuates each of the tracks adding the dramatic pauses that help to distinguish Heavy Nights.

The arrangements, for the most part, are straightforward with a few twists thrown in. Doldinger makes wonderful use of the sparseness constructing interesting passages that enhance the mood of each piece. On almost all of the tracks, Doldinger handles the lion’s share of the soloing chores. Not surprisingly, his focus and restraint speak volumes. When he steps forward he delivers, and when appropriate he steps back, allowing his bandmembers and session people to add the right touches. Benny Bailey’s flügelhorn solo on the title track, for instance, is the perfect contrast to Doldinger’s tenor sax, and is one of the records highlights. Some of the other stand-out tracks include the atmospheric “Here Today,” and the jazzy “Easy Come, Easy Go.” As he has been known to do, Doldinger continually experimented and found new directions for Passport. The rock guitar-based Running in Real Time and the spacy Earthborn, also from this era, are both noteworthy. Heavy Nights, though, is arguably the high-water mark for Doldinger thus far. (by Jeri Montesano)

Personnel:
Curt Cress (drums)
Biboul Darouiche (percussion)
Klaus Doldinger (saxophone, keyboards on 04., lyricon on 07.)
Dieter Petereit (bass)
Kevin Mulligan (guitar)
Hermann Weindorf (keyboards)
+
Benny Baily (flugelhorn on 05. + 06.)
Andreas Haderer (trumpet on 08.)
Nadeen Holloway (background vocals on 08.)
Franz Weyerer (vocals on 08.)

Tracklist:

01. Bahia Praia  5.13
02. Playing Games 4.13
03. Here Today 5.57
04. Forever 4.50
05. Heavy Nights 6.03
06. Easy Come, Easy Go 4.24
07. Remembrance 5.36
08. It’s Magic 4.14

Music: Klaus Doldinger
Lyrics: Victoria Miles (08.)

*
**

Larry Coryell Group – Boston 1972

Legendary guitarist Larry Coryell died on February 19, 2017 at the age of 73 in his New York City hotel room, according to a statement sent to Billboard from jazz publicist Jim Eigo. Coryell, who passed away in his sleep from natural causes, had performed his last two shows this past weekend at the city’s Iridium Jazz Club. Known as the “Godfather of Fusion,” Coryell was a pioneer of jazz-rock. He made his mark in the music world with his highly acclaimed solo work, releasing more than 60 solo albums in his lifetime. His most notable album, Spaces, came in late 1969. The guitar blow-out, also featuring John McLaughlin, is considered the beginning of the 1970s’ fusion jazz movement. Coryell performed with mid-’70s powerhouse fusion band The Eleventh House and collaborated with jazz greats including Miles Davis, Gary Burton, Alphonse Mouzon, Ron Carter and Chet Baker. Though his commercial fame didn’t match some of his ’60s-’70s guitar contemporaries, Coryell continued to tour the world and had planned an extensive 2017 summer tour with a reformed The Eleventh House. (Billboard)

Thanks to goody for sharing the show at Dime.

Another tribute in honor of the already missed master Larry Coryell, here’s an early one I fixed up, originally posted by our friend, mr mags, who got it from agalli.

Thanks to ethiessen1 for the artwork.

What a brilliant concert to promote his solo-album “Offering”

Personnel:
Larry Coryell (guitar)
Mike Mandel (Keyboards)
Steve Marcus (Saxophone)
John Miller (bass)
Harry Wilkinson (drums)

Tracklist:
01. Untitled (unknown) 13.26
02. Ruminations (Davis) 9.13
03. Hen-Hopper (Mandel) 7.06
04. Scotland, Part 1 (Coryrell) 7.06
05. Offering (Wilkinson) 6.10
06. DJ Announcements 1.09

*
**

Larry Coryell
(* 2. April 1943 in Galveston, Texas; † 19. Februar 2017 in New York City, New York)

RIP and thanks for the music !

The Murgatroyd Band (Spencer Davis Group) – Magpie + Twice A Week (1971)

Let´s take a look back in the history of British TV Shows:

Magpie was a British children’s television programme shown on ITV from 30 July 1968 to 6 June 1980. It was a magazine format show intended to compete with the BBC’s Blue Peter, but attempted to be more “hip”, focusing more on popular culture. The show’s creators Lewis Rudd and Sue Turner named the programme Magpie as a reference to the magpie’s habit of collecting small items, and because of “mag” being evocative of “magazine”, and “pie” being evocative of a collection of ingredients.

The programme, made by Thames Television, was first transmitted on 30 July 1968 which was Thames Television’s first day of broadcasting, and was shown weekly until 1969. From that point, until it ended on 6 June 1980, it went out twice a week with approximately 1,000 episodes being made, each 25 minutes in duration. It was not fully networked to all other ITV companies until the autumn of 1969.

The first presenters were the former BBC Radio 1 disc jockey Pete Brady, Susan Stranks and Tony Bastable. Brady left the show in 1969 to be replaced by Douglas Rae, and Bastable left in 1972 when he was replaced by Mick Robertson. Jenny Hanley replaced Susan Stranks in 1974. This lineup remained until 1977, when Tommy Boyd replaced Rae.

Like Blue Peter, Magpie featured appeals for various causes and charities. Notably, however, it asked for cash donations rather than stamps or secondhand goods, familiar on Blue Peter. The cash totaliser was a long strip of paper which ran out of the studio and along the adjacent corridor walls. Unlike the BBC programme, Magpie was unscripted and the presenters were free to improvise the presentation of the show.

The show’s mascot was a magpie called Murgatroyd.

Extremely rare promo Label

The theme tune was played by the Spencer Davis Group under the alias of The Murgatroyd Band, and composed by Eddie Hardin (lead voc., keyb.), Ray Fenwick (harm. voc., guit.) and Spencer Davis (harm. voc.guit.). The main lyric was cribbed from an old children’s nursery rhyme:

    One for sorrow
Two for joy
Three for a girl
Four for a boy
Five for silver
Six for gold
Seven for a story never to be told
Eight for Heaven
Nine for Hell
Ten for the Devil himself.

or, alternatively,

    Eight for a wish
Nine for a kiss, and
Ten for a big surprise!

The first seven lines of this song (from “One for sorrow” to “Seven for a secret never to be told”) have been used in the last verse of the song “Magpie”, by Patrick Wolf.

The rhyme refers to an old English superstition concerning the portent of the number of magpies seen together in a flock. The TV programme version altered the final lines to:

    Eight’s a wish and
Nine a kiss
Ten is a bird you must not miss.

(by wikipedia)

And here´s one of the rarest recordings by The Spencer Davos Group … the single to this TV Show ..

Side one is a more or less psychedelic track … and side two is fun, just fun !.

I guess they had to use the pseudonym “The Murgatroyd Band” because of the fact, they a in 1968/69 a contract with United Artists and not with Decca Records.

The Magpie Crew

Personnel:
Spencer Davis (guitar, background vocals)
Ray Fenwick (guitar)
Eddie Hardin (keyboards, vocals)
Pete York (drums)

Tracklist:
01. Magpie (Fenwick/Hardin/Davis) 2.26
02. Twice A Week (Hardin/York/Fenwick) 3.01

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**

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d1pV4urK38Y&spfreload=10