It's A Scandal! Songs For Soho Blondes - various artists compilation

 

Compiled by Bob Stanley and Martin Green, It's A Scandal! harks back to the heady world of Soho clubland in the years immediateley before Swinging London, an environment evoked on record through risqué material sung by the likes of Diana Dors, Shirley Bassey and Elke Sommer. This was the milieu for many of the characters caught up in the Profumo Affair, satirised by the Miss X single and further exploited by Mandy Rice-Davies. Most of this material is hard to find on CD, and all will appeal to the aficionados of burlesque.

1 Miss X– Christine

2 Mandy Rice-Davies– Close Your Eyes

3 Shirley Bassey– Sex

4 Lucille Mapp– Chinchilla

5 Diana Dors– Roller Coaster Blues

6 The Knightsbridge Chorale– Make Mine Mink

7 Elke Sommer– Be Not "Notty"

8 Anne Heywood– Love Is

9 Maxine Daniels– Lola's Heart

10 The Barry Sisters– Why Don't You Do Right

11 Eric Winstone Orchestra*– Picadilly Third Stop

12 Sheila Buxton– Shakedown

13 Lynn Cornell– Demon Lover

14 Jeri Southern– Run

15 The Beverley Sisters– The Sphinx Won't Tell

16 Valerie Masters– Say When

17 The Jazz Stars– The Jazz Scene

18 Beryl Bryden– Moanin'

19 Linda Laurie– Ooh, What A Lover

20 Marion Ryan– An Occational Man

21 Anita Lindblom– Mr Big Wheel

22 Toni Eden– Send Me

23 Sylvia Sands– Love Me Now! Love Me Now! Love Me Now!

24 Eve Boswell– Wimoweh Cha Cha

25 Miss X– S-E-X

 It's A Scandal! Songs For Soho Blondes

Esquivel And His Orchestra – Other Worlds Other Sounds

 

Mexican bandleader Juan Garcia Esquivel enjoyed a resurgence in popularity and, more importantly, hipness in the ’90s, thanks in large part to a lounge culture revival and his influence on bands like Stereolab. In the exotica pantheon, Esquivel has a unique place, bringing together big band, Latin jazz and space age pop sounds in a big, campy explosion. His music is at times cartoonish, with dramatic brass competing with a silly “zu zu zu” and a Hawaiian guitar that sounds like the opening of a “Looney Tunes” cartoon. That said, it’s an infectious and delightful kind of cartoonish-ness. 

Esquivel sets a space age bachelor pad scene stylishly and with a smirk on Other Worlds, Other Sounds, nicely matching the vixen-in-space cover art with his own set of rocket age mambo and cha-cha. Certainly, his take on “Night and Day” is a bit cheesy, but “That Old Black Magic” is more on the romantic side of the spectrum, and “Nature Boy” actually lives up to the promise of something exotic. 

And since I brought up Stereolab, those lovable kraut-lounge experimentalists actually borrowed elements of “Magic is the Moonlight” on their Dots and Loops album. But perhaps the most impressive piece of all here is the arrangement of “It Had to Be You,” which has the nastiest use of a trombone mute I think I’ve ever heard. Bravo, Esquivel. Bravo. (https://www.treblezine.com/hold-on-to-your-genre-exotica/)

1 Granada 4:10

2 Begin The Beguine 3:12

3 Night And Day 2:40

4 Poinciana 3:05

5 Playfully 2:57

6 Adios 3:08

7 That Old Black Magic 2:36

8 Nature Boy 2:42

9 Magic Is The Moonlight 2:37

10 Speak Low 2:42

11 Ballerina 3:04

12 It Had To Be You 3:10

Esquivel And His Orchestra – Other Worlds Other Sounds

Henry 'Red' Allen 1929-1936 - Jazz Classics In Digital Stereo

 

Henry James "Red" Allen Jr. (January 7, 1908 – April 17, 1967) was an American jazz trumpeter and vocalist, born in the Algiers neighborhood of New Orleans, Louisiana, the son of the bandleader Henry Allen Sr.

Allen's trumpet style has been described by Joachim-Ernst Berendt and others as the first to fully incorporate the innovations of Louis Armstrong, and to develop an emphasis on phrasing. Allen's recordings received much favorable attention. His versatility is shown by his winning of DownBeat awards in both the traditional jazz and the modern jazz categories.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Allen

1 Fats Waller And His Buddies– Lookin' Good But Feelin' Bad

2 Luis Russell And His Orchestra– Jersey Lightning

3 Luis Russell And His Orchestra– The (New) Call Of The Freaks

4 Luis Russell And His Orchestra– Feelin' The Spirit

5 Walter Pichon*– Doggin' That Thing

6 Henry Allen And His Orchestra*– Roamin'

7 Henry Allen And His Orchestra*– Spring Pretty Songs

8 Henry Allen And His Orchestra*– Patrol Wagon Blues

9 Henry Allen And His Orchestra*– I Fell In Love With You

10 Billy Banks And His Orchestra– Bugle Call Rag

11 Spike Hughes And His Negro Orchestra– Sweet Sorrow Blues

12 Spike Hughes And His Negro Orchestra– Sweet Sue

13 Horace Henderson And His Orchestra– Minnie The Moocher's Wedding Day

14 Benny Morton And His Orchestra– Get Goin'

15 Henry Allen And His Orchestra*– Whos Honey Are You?

16 Mills Blue Rhythm Band*– Ride, Red, Ride

17 Mills Blue Rhythm Band*– Yes! Yes!

18 Mills Blue Rhythm Band*– Barrel House

Henry 'Red' Allen 1929-1936

Louis Armstrong - The Very Best of Louis Armstrong

 

Louis Daniel Armstrong (August 4, 1901 – July 6, 1971), nicknamed "Satchmo", "Satch", and "Pops", was an American trumpeter and vocalist. He was among the most influential figures in jazz. His career spanned five decades and several eras in the history of jazz. Armstrong received numerous accolades including the Grammy Award for Best Male Vocal Performance for Hello, Dolly! in 1965, as well as a posthumous win for the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1972. His influence crossed musical genres, with inductions into the DownBeat Jazz Hall of Fame, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and the National Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame, among others.

Armstrong was born and raised in New Orleans. Coming to prominence in the 1920's as an inventive trumpet and cornet player, he was a foundational influence in jazz, shifting the focus of the music from collective improvisation to solo performance. Around 1922, Armstrong followed his mentor, Joe "King" Oliver, to Chicago to play in Oliver's Creole Jazz Band. Armstrong earned a reputation at "cutting contests", and his fame reached band leader Fletcher Henderson. Armstrong moved to New York City, where he became a featured and musically influential band soloist and recording artist. By the 1950's, Armstrong was an international musical icon, appearing regularly in radio and television broadcasts and on film. Apart from his music, he was also beloved as an entertainer, often joking with the audience and keeping a joyful public image at all times.

Disc 1:

MY HEART

MUSKRAT RAMBLE

YES, I'M IN THE BARREL

GUT BUCKET BLUES

COME BACK SWEET PAPA

HEEBIE JEEBIES

CORNET CHOP SUEY

ORIENTAL STRUT

AIN'T MISBEHAVIN'

SOME OF THESE DAYS

HE LIKES IT SLOW

ST LOUIS BLUES

SHANGHAI SHUFFLE

TEXAS MOANER BLUES

EVERYBODY LOVE MY BABY

MANDY, MAKE UP YOUR MIND

PAPA DE DA DA

MONEY BLUES

SUGAR FOOT STOMP

WILD MAN BLUES

DISC 2:

BODY AND SOUL

JUST A GIGOLO

WHEN YOU'RE SMILING

I'M A DING DONG DADDY

IF I COULD BE WITH YOU, ONE HOUR TONIGHT

I SURRENDER DEAR

DON'T FORGET TO MESS AROUND

SWEET LITTLE PAPA

SKID-DAT, DE-DAT

YOU MADE ME LOVE YOU

SAVOY BLUES

BASIN ST BLUES

HOBO, YOU CAN'T HIDE THIS TRAIN

PUBLIC MELODY NUMBER ONE

ALEXANDER'S RAGTIME BAND

ON THE SUNNY SIDE OF THE STREET

IT'S WONDERFUL'

JEEPERS CREEPERS

WALKIN' MY BABY BACK HOME

LOVE WALKED IN

The Very Best of Louis Armstrong

Ann-Margret – The Very Best Of Ann-Margret

 

Ann-Margret Olsson (born April 28, 1941), credited as Ann-Margret, is a Swedish-American actress, dancer, and singer with a career spanning seven decades. Initially gaining notoriety in 1961 as a singer with a sultry, vibrant contralto voice, she quickly rose to Hollywood stardom.

Her many screen roles include Pocketful of Miracles (1961), State Fair (1962), Bye Bye Birdie (1963), Viva Las Vegas (1964), Carnal Knowledge (1971), The Train Robbers (1973), Tommy (1975), The Return of the Soldier (1982), 52 Pick-Up (1986), Newsies (1992), Grumpy Old Men (1993), Any Given Sunday (1999), Taxi (2004), and Going in Style (2017).

Her accolades include five Golden Globe Awards and an Emmy Award in addition to two Academy Award nominations and two Grammy nominations. She released Born to be Wild, her first classic-rock album, in April 2023.

Ann-Margret began recording for RCA Victor in 1961, first recording "Lost Love". Her debut album And Here She Is ... Ann-Margret was recorded in Hollywood, arranged and conducted by Marty Paich. Later albums were produced in Nashville with Chet Atkins on guitar, the Jordanaires (Elvis Presley's backup singers), and the Anita Kerr Singers, with liner notes by mentor George Burns. She had a sexy, throaty contralto singing voice,[14] and RCA Victor attempted to capitalize on the "female Elvis" comparison by having her record a version of "Heartbreak Hotel" and other songs stylistically similar to Presley's. She scored a minor success with "I Just Don't Understand" (from her second LP), which entered the Billboard Top 40 in August 1961 and stayed six weeks, peaking at number 17; the song was later performed by the Beatles in 1963. In 1962, Ann-Margret was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best New Artist.

This 39 track compilation is an essential collection of her recording career.

The Very Best Of Ann-Margret

La Vie Parisienne - Great French Stars Of The 30s & 40s

 

1 Edith Piaf– La Vie en Rose 3:12

2 Charles Trenet– Boum! 2:37

3 Yves Montand– Clopin-clopant 3:17

4 Josephine Baker– Si J'Étais Blanche 2:47

5 Jean Sablon– Rendez-Vous Sous La Pluie 2:40

6 Maurice Chevalier– Toi et Moi 2:59

7 Django Reinhardt & His American Swing Band– Ultrafox 3:23

8 Edith Piaf– Monsieur Lenoble 3:30

9 Tino Rossi– J'Attendrai 2:58

10 Jean Sablon– La Dernière Bergère 3:06

11 Georges Ulmer– Pigalle 3:01

12 Yves Montand– Les Feuilles Mortes (Autumn Leaves) 3:24

13 Josephine Baker– J'Ai Deux Amours 3:16

14 Charles Trenet– Le Retour des Saisons 3:13

15 Edith Piaf– Les Amants de Paris 3:15

16 Jean Sablon– Un Baiser 3:22

17 Maurice Chevalier– Bouquet de Paris 3:06

18 Tino Rossi– Poème (In Your Eyes) 3:09

19 Charles Trenet– Vous Êtes Jolie 2:20

20 Lucienne Boyer– Parlez-Moi d'Amour 3:02

21 Django Reinhardt– My Sweet 2:58

22 Charles Trenet– La Mer 3:23

23 Yves Montand– C'est Si Bon 2:36

24 Edith Piaf– C'est Merveilleux 3:08

25 Jean Sablon– Cette Chanson Est Pour Vous (Life Is a Song) 3:08

 La Vie Parisienne

George Shearing – The Very Best Of

 

George Shearing was an Anglo-American blind jazz pianist and composer. (born: Aug. 13th, 1919 in Battersea, London, UK - died: Feb. 14th, 2011 in NYC, NY.)

He moved to the US in 1947, and was amongst the first post-war British jazz musicians to make a solid career there. He was appointed OBE in 2007, and then knighted in 2007, both by Queen Elizabeth II.

He became known for a piano technique known as "The Shearing Sound", a type of double melody block chord, with an additional fifth part that doubles the melody an octave lower. With the piano playing these five voices, Shearing would double the top voice with the vibraphone and the bottom voice with the guitar to create his signature sound.

1 Midnight In The Air 2:26

2 Have You Met Miss Jones 2:06

3 Cuban Love Song 2:44

4 The Folks Who Live On The Hill 4:30

5 Pawn Ticket 2:19

6 Cheek To Cheek 2:41

7 Kinda Cute 2:54

8 September In The Rain 3:14

9 Estampa Cubana 2:55

10 A Ship Without A Sail 2:47

11 Bernie's Tune 3:37

12 Laura 2:54

13 Lullaby Of Birdland 2:20

14 One Note Samba 2:43

15 Promises, Promises 2:36

George Shearing – The Very Best Of