Ultra-Lounge Vol.4 Bachelor Pad Royale - "Midnight music for cool cats!"

 

1 Nelson Riddle & His Orchestra – The Theme From Route 66 2:09

2 The John Buzon Trio– Caravan 2:40

3 Line Renaud– Sexe 3:35

4 Lou Busch & His Orchestra– Cool 2:33

5 Milt Buckner– The Beast 2:33

6 Elliott Fisher– Theme From "Our Man Flint" 2:32

7 Jack Fascinato– Spring, Sprang, Sprung 2:59

8 Alvino Rey– Night Train 3:49

9 Martin Denny– Harlem Nocturne 2:36

10 Sam Butera– The Boulevard Of Broken Dreams / Fever 5:58

11 Joe Bucci Trio– Topsy 2:32

12 Dave Pell– Like Young 2:43

13 Lou Busch & His Orchestra– Street Scene '58 2:25

14 Cy Coleman– Playboy's Theme 2:50

15 Jimmie Haskell– A Shot In The Dark 2:07

16 Spike Jones New Band– Shangri-La 1:59

17 Julie London– Black Coffee 3:06

18 King Curtis– Melancholy Serenade 2:08

Ultra-Lounge Vol.4 Bachelor Pad Royale

The Beat, The Shake and The Lounge - A Collection of the Music That Started the Italian Lounge Craze - Volume Uno and Volume Due

 

1 Piero Piccioni– Love War Call 3:27

2 Ennio Morricone– Gli Intoccabili (Party Music) 3:39

3 Nico Fidenco– Supercolpo Da 7 Miliardi (London Streets) 2:54

4 Armando Trovaioli– Il Profeta (Party Mood) 3:20

5 Bruno Nicolai– Agente Speciale LK Operazione Re Mida (LK Shake) 2:19

6 Berto Pisano– Inchiesta (New Edit) 2:46

7 Marcello Giombini– Seli 2:17

8 Luis Bacalov– La Pecora Nera (Grand Shake) 2:23

9 Luis Bacalov– La Bambolona (Big Doll Shake) 3:58

10 Wess & The Airedales– Crazy 3:58

11 Luis Bacalov– Rebus (Beirut Shake) 2:12

12 Armando Trovaioli– Dove Vai Tutta Nuda? (Vittorio Gassman Shake) 2:10

13 Piero Piccioni– I Giovani Tigri (Young Tigers Shake) 2:13

14 Nora Orlandi– A Doppia Faccia (Soho) 3:12

15 The Casuals– Seven Times Seven 3:30

The Beat, The Shake and The Lounge - Volume Uno

1 Armando Trovaioli– Incontro Alla Balera 2:18

2 Ennio Morricone– La Moda (Carla Gravina Shake) 2:24

3 Luis Bacalov– La Pecora Nera (Black Sheep Shake) 2:27

4 Piero Piccioni– I Giovani Tigri (Party Music) 2:36

5 Stefano Torossi– L'Età Del Malessere (Shake) 1:30

6 Ennio Morricone– Allegretto Per Signora 2:23

7 Nico Fidenco– Supercolpo Da 7 Miliardi (Gabry Shake) 4:44

8 Fred Bongusto– Il Divorzio (The Divorce Shake) 1:44

9 Piero Piccioni– Ti Ho Sposato Per Allegria (Monica Vitti Shake) 1:37

10 Armando Trovaioli– Fiorella With The Umbrella 1:57

11 Armando Trovaioli– Bada Caterina 2:17

12 Alessandro Alessandroni– I Baronetti 2:04

13 Ennio Morricone– L'Alibi (Party Shake) 2:49

14 Armando Trovaioli– Vedo Nudo (I See Naked Shake) (New Edit) 2:59

15 Piero Umiliani– Requiem Per Un Agente Segreto (Discoteque Party) 2:32

16 Fred Bongusto– Un Detective (Franco Nero Shake) (New Edit) 2:11

17 Armando Trovaioli– Adulterio All'italiana (Catherine Spaak Shake) (New Edit) 2:53

18 Piero Piccioni– Easy Dreamer 2:43

The Beat, The Shake and The Lounge - Volume Due

Julie London...Wild, Cool and Swingin'..the Artist Collection

 

Julie London (September 26, 1926 – October 18, 2000) was an American singer and actress whose career spanned more than 40 years. A torch singer noted for her sultry, languid contralto vocals, London recorded over thirty albums of pop and jazz standards between 1955 and 1969. Her recording of "Cry Me a River", a track she introduced on her debut album, was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2001.

Born in Santa Rosa, California to vaudevillian parents,London was discovered while working as an elevator operator in downtown Los Angeles, and she began her career as an actress. In the mid-1950s, she signed a recording contract with Liberty Records, marking the beginning of her professional musical career. She released her final studio album in 1969.

1        Come On-A My House
2        My Heart Belongs To Daddy
3        Girl Talk
4        You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To
5        You're My Thrill
6        Makin' Whoopee
7        Black Coffee
8        'Tain't What You Do
9        Blues In The Night
10        Comin' Thro' The Rye
11        Night Life
12        You And The Night And The Music
13        Nice Girls Don't Stay For Beautiful
14        Watermelon Man
15        Go Slow
16        Wives And Lovers
17        I Must Have That Man
18        Let There Be Love
19        Mad About The Boy
20        Daddy
21        Love For Sale
22        Mickey Mouse March

 Julie London

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Babes and Big Bands...20 track compilation featuring classic female vocalists with big bands from the 30's and 40's

 

 

 

 20 track compilation featuring the cream of female jazz vocalists of the 30's and 40's including Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, Peggy Lee, Dinah Washington and Anita O'Day combined with the classic big bands led by Benny Goodman, Tommy Dorsey, Artie Shaw, Woody Herman and many more.

 

 

 

Babes and Big Bands

 

Twelve piece “little big band” Swingadelic 8th album release "Bluesville"

The twelve piece “little big band” Swingadelic celebrates their 22nd anniversary with the release of their 8th CD, “Bluesville”. The band’s three previous CD’s on the ZOHO label were tributes to Duke Pearson, Allen Toussaint and Johnny Mercer. They continue to showcase their versatility on “Bluesville” with large ensemble versions of tunes by Ray Charles, Ruth Brown, Muddy Waters, Mose Allison, Count Basie and other artists. Ruth Brown's former tenor player, Bill Easley, is featured on track 2 and Mitch Woods is featured on Parchman Farm.

Swingadelic began in 1998 as the neo-swing movement was cresting. Upright bassist Dave Post gathered his jazz and blues playing friends together to play engagements at New York City's Supper Club, Swing 46 and Windows On The World, the former restaurant atop of the World Trade Center. As the swing scene waned the band was able to turn to swing dance groups, concerts, festivals, schools and private engagements to keep active.

Swingadelic has performed at Lincoln Center’s Mid-Summer Night Swing, NJPAC, and at many festivals, including Bele Chere (Ashville NC), MusikFest (Allentown PA) the CD 109 Jazz and Blues Festival (Red Bank, NJ) and the sanofi-aventis JazzFest (Madison NJ). The band plays over 100 dates per year and has traveled from Maine to Atlanta. They have maintained a residency for eight years at Swing 46 in NYC where it performs every other Monday as a ten piece "little big band." They have been recording for the ZOHO Music label since 2011. Swingadelic CDs have been in the JazzWeek Radio charts top thirty and garnered many critically acclaimed reviews in jazz publications such as Jazz Times and All About Jazz.

official website: www.Swingadelic.com

Marty's review: Swingadelic pump out big band style jump blues with a modern twist on their latest release "Bluesville". Showcasing tunes from the masters of the blues of the 50's and 60's, this album is upbeat, danceable, sleazy and just downright fun!

Swingin' at the Speakeasy..The Sound of the Roaring 20's and 30's

Leaving aside a blatant error in the sub-title (roaring 20's yes, but the 30's were the depression era), this is a fascinating and fantastic collection. Many of these songs have stood the test of time well.

As with all music this old, it cannot be technically perfect. Some tracks have crackles and hiss, but this is often how these records sounded to listeners back then. When recorded music was a novelty, people tolerated the imperfections. 

There are more recent covers of many of these songs, and the compilers have included some here, which emphasize the limitations of the original ancient recordings. For example, the Puppini Sisters and the Temperance Seven, while these 20's/30's revivalists have made some excellent music, their inclusion here is debatable. Still, if their presence means more people discover the original music here, that's a good thing.

There are other less obvious later covers too, including the Ella / Louis cover of Dream A Little Dream of Me, which they recorded in 1950. This song dates from the thirties, but was revived in the sixties, first by the Shirelles and later by Mama Cass.

Despite some songs being later covers, most of the recordings are genuine recordings from the 20's and 30's, which capture the spirit of the music superbly. 

Whether you are just getting curious about this type of music or you have some already, this is an excellent compilation. (text from Amazon review)

Swingin' at the Speakeasy 1 

Swingin' at the Speakeasy 2 

Swingin' at the Speakeasy 3 

Ultra-Lounge Volume Five...Wild, Cool and Swingin'.....finger snappin' vocals and cocktails after dark

Tracklist 
1 –Dean Martin Ain't That A Kick In The Head 2:25
2 –Sam Butera and The Witnesses Dig That Crazy Chick 2:26
3 –Bobby Darin More 2:25
4 –Peggy Lee Fever 3:21
5 –Louis Prima Jump, Jive, An' Wail 3:30
6 –Sammy Davis, Jr. Please Don't Talk About Me When I'm Gone 2:40
7 –Wayne Newton Danke Schöen 2:36
8 –Sam Butera and The Witnesses French Poodle 2:27
9 –Keely Smith What Is This Thing Called Love? 1:54
10 –Bobby Darin Sunday In New York 2:30
11 –Louis Prima Closer To The Bone 4:13
12 –Lou Rawls Nobody But Me 2:48
13 –Vic Damone Little Girl 2:02
14 –Nat King Cole L-O-V-E 2:34
15 –Dean Martin Volare (Nel Blu Di Pinto Di Blu) 3:00
16 –Louis Prima and Keely Smith That Old Black Magic 2:57
17 –Julie London You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To 2:16
18 –Bobby Darin Hello, Dolly! 3:14

Ultra-Lounge Vol.5

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Mel Torme..Swingin' On the Moon...classic album from 1960 on Verve

Mel Tormé was so outrageously talented that even the fans of his "velvet fog" timbre under-estimate him--undoubtedly the one singer who approaches Lady Ella in terms of his commanding musicianship, his voice and all that he could do with it. He had definitely reached his prime by 1960, and this Sinatra-type "concept album," an idea stolen from Frank, pre-dates by five years the album ("Moonlight Sinatra") Ole Blue devoted to moon songs. Either way you can't go wrong.

Melvin Howard Tormé (September 13, 1925 – June 5, 1999), nicknamed The Velvet Fog, was an American musician, best known as a singer of jazz standards. He was also a jazz composer and arranger, drummer, an actor in radio, film, and television, and the author of five books. He composed the music for "The Christmas Song" ("Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire") and co-wrote the lyrics with Bob Wells.

Swingin' On the Moon

The Gunboat Diplomats seasonal release A Shot Of Christmas Cheer..keep the old time party goin'

The Gunboat Diplomats have recently released their swiggin' and swinging seasonal offering "A Shot of Christmas Cheer". So "keep the old time party goin', drink in the atmosphere and raise a glass of razzamatazz!". These guys will keep your party in high spirits!

official website: http://www.gunboatdiplomats.com

Frank Sinatra...Songs for Young Lovers and Swing Easy!

These 2 albums were originally released back to back in 1954 on Capitol Records. Both have orchestra conducted by Nelson Riddle and were very popular with Sinatra fans at the time. They have since become classics in their own right and essential listening for any Sinatra buff or collector.

Songs for Young Lovers was the seventh studio album by Frank Sinatra and his first on Capitol Records. It was issued as an 8-song, 10" album (Capitol H-488) and as a 45rpm EP set, but it was the first Sinatra "album" to not have a 78rpm multi-disc-album release. In 2002, it was one of 50 recordings chosen that year by the Library of Congress to be added to the National Recording Registry. Read more on Wikipedia HERE.

Swing Easy! was the eighth studio album by Frank Sinatra. It was released in 1954 as a 10" album (Capitol H-528) and consisted of only eight songs, as each side of the record only allowed approximately fourteen minutes of music. The album was Sinatra's second for Capitol and the first to feature arrangements by Nelson Riddle (Riddle had merely conducted on Songs For Young Lovers). As its title implies, the record concentrates on up-tempo swingers done with a light touch. Again, the songs were all standards -- "Just One of Those Things," "Wrap Your Troubles in Dreams," "All of Me" -- which the singer felt benefited from the new thematic setting, new arrangements, and his increasingly playful and textured vocal style. Read more on Wikipedia HERE.

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L.A.Confidential original soundtrack Vintage Sounds from the 1950's

Compilation soundtracks are a great way to collect songs from different artists, eras and genres, and this soundtrack is no exception.  Each vintage recording from the 50s perfectly underscores every scene in the film and the 50s period itself. With a fine selection of artists including Gerry Mulligan, Kay Starr, Johnny Mercer, Chet Baker, Lee Willey, Joni James, Jackie Gleason and Betty Hutton - all household names at the time and musical kingpins in this award-winning, romantic crime thriller, this soundtrack is the perfect backdrop for some excellent vintage sounds. 

It was Jackie Gleason who was perhaps the first to introduce "mood" music - music for lovers - and it caught on big-time during most of the 50s. Picture long flowing hair on the women, cool martinis, a black and white legal system, racial tension between the haves and have-nots - and this soundtrack captures it almost perfectly. As a bonus, there are two tracks of the original motion picture score by Jerry Goldsmith, including the emotionally evocative closing credits with the understated trumpet lead. 

1. 'Badge Of Honor' - Jerry Goldsmith

2. Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate The Positive - Johnny Mercer

3. The Christmas Blues - Dean Martin

4. Look For The Silver Lining - Chet Baker

5. Makin' Whoopee - Gerry Mulligan Quartet

6. Hit The Road To Dreamland - Betty Hutton

7. Oh! Look At Me Now - Lee Wiley

8. The Lady Is A tramp - Gerry Mulligan Quartet

9. Wheel Of Fortune - Kay Starr

10. But Not For Me - Jackie Gleason

11. How Important Can It Be - Joni James

12. Looking At You - Lee Wiley

13. Powder Your Face With Sunshine - Dean Martin

14. L.A. Confidential - Jerry Goldsmith

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Frank Sinatra .. Sinatra Sings the Songs of Van Heusen and Cahn

Here's a conversation many years ago between Frank Sinatra and his favorite lyricist Sammy Cahn one night at the Palladium Ballroom during the earliest part of his musical career:
Sinatra: "I'm gonna be the best singer in the world."
Cahn: "There's no doubt about it."

Yes, indeed, both Sinatra and Cahn were right about it. Cahn didn't doubt Sinatra when he said that he's going to be the best singer in the world. Of course, he became the best of the best, unmatched, one-of-a-kind and unsurpassed.

In this remarkable album, Sinatra sings the songs of an exceptional songwriting pair of Sammy Cahn and Jim Van Heusen, who have written some of the most beautiful songs from the Great American Songbook. Sammy Cahn's compositions are exceptionally charming and he really had a way with words. Five out of twenty-two songs are from the creative pens of Jim Van Heusen and Johnny Burke. All these are the songs made popular by the Chairman of the Board and were recorded between 1960 and 1968 with seven creative and the best arrangers/conductors of all-time: Nelson Riddle, Gordon Jenkins, Johnny Mandel, Sy Oliver, Quincy Jones, Neal Hefti and Torrie Zito. He left his indelible mark of excellence into these songs and made them his very own. 

One of the most influential and humanitarian people in the world, Bono, once said, "Sinatra's songs are his home, and he lets you in." It's very true, one can just imagine the beauty that he injected into each song even the most ordinary and obscure songs. They become magically wonderful to the ears of the listeners when he interpreted them.

1. Ring-A-Ding-Ding
2. The Last Dance
3. Imagination
4. Polka Dots and Moonbeams
5. It's Always You
6. Indiscreet
7. Come Waltz With Me
8. The Look of Love
9. The Tender Trap
10. Come Blow Your Horn
11. Call Me Irresponsible
12. All The Way
13. Swinging On A Star
14. My Kind Of Town
15. I Like to Lead When I Dance
16. The September Of My Years
17. I'll Only Miss Her When I Think Of Her
18. Come Fly With Me
19. Love And Marriage
20. Moonlight Becomes You
21. Oh, You Crazy Moon

22. Star!

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Ultra Lounge Vol. 4..Bachelor Pad Royale...Midnight Music for Cool Cats

Jazzy, Snazzy Tunes for your Space-Age Bachelor Pad!

Oh, this one really swings! Quite possibly the best in the Ultra Lounge series, this one never fails to please. From the tickling ivories opening the "Theme from Route 66" (a song that makes you feel like you've gone back in time) to the fading wails of "Melancholy Serenade" (Jackie Gleason's theme song), you're in for a fun, cool, sexy ride!

People say "Sexe" is a little too obvious. Well, yeah, it is, but the real fun comes during the sax solo, which has the power to ease you into a relaxing calm...but not too relaxed! On the other end of the spectrum is the rocking, rollicking "Night Train" which (along with the suspicious and menacing "A Shot in the Dark" and the superior "Street Scene '58") is the most blasting tune that disturbs the general ease and quiet of the disc. Although Sam Butera's double-shot of "The Boulevard of Broken Dreams" and "Fever" isn't so meek, either. "Boulevard" is Sam at his raspy best, and "Fever" is no less than hilarious (listen to those deep-voiced guys chanting "Feva!")

Martin Denny turns in an excellent "Harlem Nocturne." "Topsy" takes it nice 'n easy here on an organ (sounds great), but is shown up by Cy Coleman's lovely "Playboy's Theme," from the Playboy show in the '60s. A bachelor's anthem accompanied by a soft touch on the ride cymbal and a gracefully jazzy piano, this tune is just as can be expected--smooth, silky, and sexy, leisurely floating along on gossamer strings.

See also Bossa Novaville on this blog.

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Ultra Lounge Vol.14 Bossa Novaville ... various artists..Cool and Swinging Lounge Sounds

So Cool..So Sexy..So Rio...So Ipanema

Flying down to Rio? No need to. These 18 velvet Brazilian Bossa-beaters are smoother than scratch-free Formica and cooler than a Frigidaire. 

In the 50's and 60s, dancing the Bossa Nova was the most cool and fashionable thing to do and be seen doing! There were many clubs where you could dance to it and Bossa Nova parties were all the rage.

Just the thing for your next poolside party. So, stick around, you're in Sambatown. Suave!

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