Caterina Valente – A Date With Caterina Valente (1955)

FrontCover1Caterina Valente (born 14 January 1931, Paris, France) is an Italian singer, guitarist, dancer, and actress. She was born into an Italian artist family. Her father, Giuseppe, was a well-known accordion player; her mother, Maria, a musical clown. She had three siblings, one of whom, Silvio (as Silvio Francesco), was also active in show business.

In 1953, she made her first recordings with Kurt Edelhagen. Soon afterwards she achieved success with songs such as “Malagueña”, “The Breeze and I” (a global million-seller), and “Dreh dich nicht um” with the Werner Müller orchestra. In 1955, she was featured on The Colgate Comedy Hour with Gordon MacRae. In the mid 1960s, Valente worked with Claus Ogerman and recorded material in both Italian and English that he arranged/conducted and/or composed on the Decca  and London labels. She was a favorite of singer Perry Como making eight guest appearances on his NBC Kraft Music Hall television program from 1961 to 1966. Between 1966 and 1972 she was also a frequent guest on the Dean Martin Show.

In Germany she was a major performer of Schlager music. There she recorded Cole Porter’s I Love Paris under the German title Ganz Paris träumt von der Liebe, which sold more than 900,000 copies in 1954. Over the years, she has recorded or performed with many international stars, including Louis Armstrong, Chet Baker, Perry Como, Ella Fitzgerald, Benny Goodman, Woody Herman, Claus Ogerman, the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra, Sy Oliver, Buddy Rich and Edmundo Ros.

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In 1959, she was nominated for a Grammy Award. Valente was a principal, along with Carol Burnett and Bob Newhart, on the short-lived CBS variety series The Entertainers (1964–65). A briglia sciolta, the Italian jazz CD recorded in 1989 and re-released in later years under the titles Fantastica and Platinum deluxe, was her best-selling CD worldwide. In 2001, she released a new album, Girltalk, with harpist Catherine Michel. (by wikipedia)

 

This is one of her many recordings from the 50´s and it´s a nice one … the early Valente recorded in the same year I was born … *smile* …

But this is not only “Schlager” music … sometimes it´s world music !

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Personnel:
Caterina Valente (vocals)
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Werner Müller & His Orchestra
Monaco Ball Orchestra
Paul Durand & His Orchestra

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Tracklist:
01. Temptation (Freed/Brown) 3.22
02. If Hearts Could Talk (Wise/Auric/Twomey) 3.13
03. The Breeze And I (Andalucia) (Stillman/Lecuona) 3.24
04. Malagueña (Lecuona) 3.06
05. My Lonely Lover (Gietz/Goell) 2.47
06. Fiesta Cubana (Gietz/Goell) 2.21
07. This Must Be Wrong (Gietz/Goell) 2.37
08. The Way You Love Me (Gietz/Goell) 2.47

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Caterina Valente + Sylvio Francesco – Olé Caterina (1957)

FrontCover1Caterina Valente (born 14 January 1931, Paris, France) is an Italian singer, guitarist, dancer, and actress. She was born into an Italian artist family. Her father, Giuseppe, was a well-known accordion player; her mother, Maria, a musical clown. She had three siblings, one of whom, Silvio (as Silvio Francesco), was also active in show business.

In 1953, she made her first recordings with Kurt Edelhagen. Soon afterwards she achieved success with songs such as “Malagueña”, “The Breeze and I” (a global million-seller),[1] and “Dreh dich nicht um” with the Werner Müller orchestra. In 1955, she was featured on The Colgate Comedy Hour with Gordon MacRae. In the mid 1960s, Valente worked with Claus Ogerman and recorded material in both Italian and English that he arranged/conducted and/or composed on the Decca [2] and London [3] labels. She was a favorite of singer Perry Como making eight guest appearances on his NBC Kraft Music Hall television program from 1961 to 1966. Between 1966 and 1972 she was also a frequent guest on the Dean Martin Show.

In Germany she was a major performer of Schlager music. There she recorded Cole Porter’s I Love Paris under the German title Ganz Paris träumt von der Liebe, which sold more than 900,000 copies in 1954. Over the years, she has recorded or performed with many international stars, including Louis Armstrong, Chet Baker, Perry Como, Ella Fitzgerald, Benny Goodman, Woody Herman, Claus Ogerman, the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra, Sy Oliver, Buddy Rich and Edmundo Ros. In 1959, she was nominated for a Grammy Award. Valente was a principal, along with Carol Burnett and Bob Newhart, on the short-lived CBS variety series The Entertainers (1964–65). A briglia sciolta, the Italian jazz CD recorded in 1989 and re-released in later years under the titles Fantastica and Platinum deluxe, was her best-selling CD worldwide. In 2001, she released a new album, Girltalk, with harpist Catherine Michel.

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 Caterina Valente + Sylvio Francesco

 This is one of her many recordings from the 60´s. Original recorded in 1957 and this is a real beutiful album, sung in the spanish language.

Recorded together with her brother, Sylvio Francesco it´s a fine example of her great voice and it´s a very fine example of the great guitarwork of Sylvio Francesco, too.

My copy is from a re-release in 1960

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Alternate frontcovers

Personnel:
Sylvio Francesco (guitar, vocals)
Caterina Valente (vocals, guitar)

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Tracklist:
01. Maria Christina (nico) 2.43
02. El Cumbanchero (Hernández) 2.55
03. Babalu (Lecuona) 2.54
04. Quién será (Ruiz) 2.48
05. No te importe saber (Touzet) 2.30
06. Mucho, Mucho, Mucho (Grever) 3.17
07. El Negro Zumbon (Anna) (Vatro/Giordano) 3.10
08. Por Un Capricho (Ventras) 2.58
09. Ah Si, Ah Si (Gomez) 2.18
10. Aquarela do Brasil (Barroso) 3.17
11. Quiéreme mucho (Roig)  3.08
12. Tres Claveles (Trois Oeillets) (Alguero) 3.16

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Caterina Valente – Sweet Beat (1968)

FrontCover1Caterina Valente (born 14 January 1931, Paris, France) is an Italian singer, guitarist, dancer, and actress. She was born into an Italian artist family. Her father, Giuseppe, was a well-known accordion player; her mother, Maria, a musical clown. She had three siblings, one of whom, Silvio (as Silvio Francesco), was also active in show business.

In 1953, she made her first recordings with Kurt Edelhagen. Soon afterwards she achieved success with songs such as “Malagueña”, “The Breeze and I” (a global million-seller), and “Dreh dich nicht um” with the Werner Müller orchestra. In 1955, she was featured on The Colgate Comedy Hour with Gordon MacRae. In the mid 1960s, Valente worked with Claus Ogerman and recorded material in both Italian and English that he arranged/conducted and/or composed on the Decca  and London  labels. She was a favorite of singer Perry Como making eight guest appearances on his NBC Kraft Music Hall television program from 1961 to 1966. Between 1966 and 1972 she was also a frequent guest on the Dean Martin Show.

In Germany she was a major performer of Schlager music. There she recorded Cole Porter’s I Love Paris under the German title Ganz Paris träumt von der Liebe, which sold more than 900,000 copies in 1954. Over the years, she has recorded or performed with many international stars, including Louis Armstrong, Chet Baker, Perry Como, Ella Valente01Fitzgerald, Benny Goodman, Woody Herman, Claus Ogerman, the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra, Sy Oliver, Buddy Rich and Edmundo Ros. In 1959, she was nominated for a Grammy Award. Valente was a principal, along with Carol Burnett and Bob Newhart, on the short-lived CBS variety series The Entertainers (1964–65). A briglia sciolta, the Italian jazz CD recorded in 1989 and re-released in later years under the titles Fantastica and Platinum deluxe, was her best-selling CD worldwide. In 2001, she released a new album, Girltalk, with harpist Catherine Michel.

In 1958, she filmed the musical comedy Hier bin ich – hier bleib ich (Here I Am, Here I Stay) which featured a guest appearance by Bill Haley & His Comets. During Haley’s segment, Valente sings a duet with Haley on a newly recorded version of his song “Vive la Rock and Roll”.

In 1952, she married the juggler Erik van Aro (Gerd Eric Horst Scholz). He recognized her talent and accompanied her in her initial years of worldwide success, although they later divorced. Their son is the singer Eric van Aro.

In 1972, she married the British pianist Roy Budd. They had a son, Alexander, before they divorced in 1979. (by wikipedia)

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When Caterina Valente was elaborating the concept for her new international album in 1968, the radio speakers were still blasting out Scott McKenzie’s 1967 hymn of praise for the flower generation of San Francisco: “Be sure to wear some flowers in your hair”. The new “swinging London” became the place of birth of new recordings by artists such as The Beatles, The Kinks and Petula Clark. And so, Caterina Valente and Eric van Aro, who was her husband and manager at that time, decided to do a tribute to sixties pop. They called the LP “Sweet Beat”, centred around four successful songs by British artists plus four more hits that were actually performed by American artists in their original version. (by shop.tapeterecords.com)

Heinz Kiessling (March 11, 1926 – December 27, 2003) was a German musician, conductor, composer and music producer, known mainly from his work for popular films and television programs.

Heinz Kiessling studied piano, composition and conducting after World War II at the Nuremberg Conservatory in 1949, and started his career in 1949 as a pianist and played in different concerts around the world. Soon after, he started working on recording music for television. In 1950, he began composing music in the jazz, dance and light music genres.[1] At times, he also led his own orchestra, and also worked many years for the RIAS Big Band in Berlin. Together with the pianist Werner Tautz he established in 1964 the label “Brilliant” through which he managed numerous national and international big bands.

Kiessling worked with many national and international stars, including Chet Baker, Luis Bonfa, Wenche Myhre, and Caterina Valente. For over two decades, he accompanied the shows of Peter Alexander. In addition, Kiessling composed the songs and scene music for numerous films and television productions, including Klimbim (de), Zwei himmlische HeinzKieslingTöchter, Dingsda, Das Traumschiff and Aktenzeichen XY… ungelöst. In total he produced over 1200 tunes and also published some of his own recordings which made him become one of the most successful German “Easy listening” composers of the post-war period.

In 1969, Kiessling wrote “In The Shadow of the Moon” for Reprise, which later on became the theme song for Frank Sinatra’s daughter Tina Sinatra TV mini-series Romeo und Julia 70.

His piece “Temptation Sensation (Haute Couture)” is used as the theme song for the FX and FXX TV show It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. Other pieces such as “A La Bonheur” and “On Your Bike (Tandem-Holiday)” contribute to the musical score of the show. (by wikipedia)

This is an album with classic beat and pop songs (including the Kinks song “Waterloo Sunset”)… performed in an unusual easy-listening sound !

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CD front + back cover

Personnel:
Caterina Valente (vocals)
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Heinz Kiesling Orchestra

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Tracklist:
01. We Can Work It Out (Lennon/McCartney) 2.18
02. You’ve Got Troubles (Greenawy/Cook) 2.13
03. Music To Watch Girls By (Ramin) 2.15
04. Ol’ Man River (Kern/Hammerstein) 2.03
05. San Francisco (Philips) 2.38
06. Blueberry Hill (Lewis/Stock/Rose) 3.32
07. Don’t Sleep In The Subway (Trent/Hatch) 3.47
08. C’Est Si Bon (Hornez/Betti/Seelen) 2.38
09. Waterloo Sunset (Davies) 2.54
10. Trouble Feeling (Stellman/Stirling) 2.17
11. I Dig Rock And Roll Music (Mason/Stookey) 2.42
12. Happy Together (Gordon/Bonner) 2.10

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