Marty Wilson and His Orchestra

Artist: Marty Wilson and His Orchestra

LP: Jun'gala

Song: "Misty Poo"
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Song: "Manteca"
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Here's some steaming hot jun'gala music for a cold and dreary Sunday afternoon. (Who would have guessed that "Misty Poo" could be so appealing?) In spite of Marty wearing multiple hats during the making of this record (arranger, conductor, composer, musician—he plays the flute) I wasn't able to find any online info about the fellow, nor locate a single photo of him wearing a hat...except maybe this one. Marty, is that you? There's a gushing track-by-track review of Marty and His Orchestra's 1959 "Jun'gala" LP on the Ambient Exotica website here. 

Ben Light

Artist: Ben Light

LP: Speed of Light: Ben Light At the Piano 
Song: "Lover"
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Song: "Charmaine"
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Three seconds after I put the needle on this 1956 Ben Light LP I began craving a martini. I didn't so much want to drink a martini, but to hold one in my hand, softly swirling it around in the glass as Ben's fingers danced 'lightly' over the keys.

Born into a family of classical musicians in New York City in 1893, Ben was a rebellious child and decided to go in for ragtime playing on the piano. By age 18 he had a regular gig in Denver, CO and he was a Vaudeville staple in the 1920s and into the mid-1930s. He recorded some 'racy' numbers (with titles like "The Guy Who Put the Dix In Dixie," you get the idea) in the '30s as Ben Light and His Surf Club Boys before moving on to more prestigious recordings for Capitol Records in the 1950s, like "Speed of Light." You can still hear his Vaudeville roots shining through, like sunlight from the distant end of the longest piano keyboard in the universe. Ben's last recordings were released in 1958; he died at age 72 in January of 1965. You can read more about Ben "Dizzy Fingers" Light here and check out the LP liner notes below.

[ Ben Light ]

Danny Guglielmi w/ Dena

Artist: Danny Guglielmi w/ vocals by Dena

LP: Adventure In Sound

Song: "Out of Nowhere" 
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Song: "Mosquito Festival" 
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Here's something colorful, spacey and exotic from a grey and rainy November morning in Seattle. Danny Guglielmi and his pipe-smoking wife Dena worked primarily behind the scenes in the music and film industry, but Danny briefly held the spotlight when he used early multi-track recording techniques to create this spectacular collection of atmospheric and slightly experimental tunes that showcase his remarkable musical talents. (This record is reportedly particularly soothing to US presidents recovering from heart trouble.) "Adventure In Sound" was released in 1956 on the budget Tops label and unfortunately failed to make either of the Guglielmis a household name. Their songs do hold up remarkably well nowadays though, and Danny and Dena have become household names in my apartment ever since I first listened to their spellbinding record. You can read more about the Guglielmis on the Space Age Pop Music website here and go here to visit the Ambient Exotica blog where you'll find more album details and reviews. Notes from the back of the LP are included below.

Les Baxter w/ Theremin, Vocal Group, and Orchestra

Artist: Les Baxter w/ Theremin, Vocal Group, and Orchestra

LP: Music Out of the Moon [10" EP]

Song: "Lunar Rhapsody"

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Here's a neat 10" Capitol record from 1950 featuring music unusual from Leslie Baxter (this was before people got to know him and started calling him Les), the father of space-age and exotica music. The arrangements presented here, which tend to play upon the more remote realm of human emotions, showcase a well-staffed string section, a far-out vocal chorus, and the throbbing, vibrant tones of the theremin. You can read about Señor Baxter on the Space Age Pop website here, and the EP liner notes are included below. I don't know about you, but I'm gonna' put "Lunar Rhapsody" on repeat tonight while lying on the couch with a martini and some bonbons, 'cause I've been feeling a little weary of the work-a-day world.

Marty Gold

Artist: Marty Gold

LP: Wired For Sound

Song: "Ti-Pi-Tin"

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In spite of the fact that Republicans and Tea Partiers (uh, that should be "Obama, where ARE your papers?") took over the U.S. Congress on Tuesday, this has been a pretty good week for me. My father is recovering nicely from a horrible heart-attack last Thursday; I heard on the news this morning that Patty Murray and not Dino Rossi will be my U.S. Senator; it's been sunny and warm here in Seattle for these past few days and I just found a box of Junior Mints in the fridge at work. To kick off the weekend, here's a joyous little ditty from a Marty Gold record I found at Backspin Records in Austin a few weeks ago. A native New Yorker, Marty Gold has worked with the likes of Patti Page, Georgia Gibbs and Sarah Vaughan, and will be celebrating his 95th birthday next month! You can read about Marty's long and prosperous career on the Space Age Pop website here, find his 1956 "Wired For Sound" LP liner notes below, and go here to read what Marty's granddaughter, Debbie Cavalier, has to say about him. Be sure to click on her "music videos" link to watch The Korn Kobblers' magnificent performance of "That's My Weakness Now."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 [ Marty Gold ]

Arthur Lyman

Artist: Arthur Lyman

LP: Aphrodisia

Song: "O O"

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Here's one of the two Arthur Lyman records I picked up at the Goodwill Thrift Store in Colville on my way back from camping last week. I initially thought the woman on the cover was facing away from me, but then I noticed the strange hole in the center of her lower back. The illusion's kinda' creepy, if you ask me. Arthur Lyman was born, lived and died in Hawaii; he learned to play music when his father would lock him in a room after school with nothing but a toy marimba and a pile of Benny Goodman records. You can read about Arthur Lyman here and here, and the notes from the back of his 1968 "Aphrodisia" LP are included below. Though "O O" probably isn't the best song on the album, I chose it because I like the crazy title.

[ Arthur Lyman: February 2, 1932 — February 24, 2002 ]

Yma Sumac [1922-2008]

Artist: Yma Sumac

LP: Legend of the Jivaro
Song: "Sumac Sorateña (Beautiful Jungle Girl)"
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I got a note yesterday from my friend Sam in the U.K. informing me that Yma Sumac had passed away a few days ago. She was one of my favorites. Sumac's strange and wonderful recordings, made mostly throughout the 1950s, have caught on with U.S. audiences over the years and have been popping up in movies and TV commercials with increasing regularity—especially songs from her terrific set of [mambos].

To read about Yma Sumac's impressive and unusual life and career, click [here]. You can also read the Los Angeles Times obituary for Yma Sumac [here]. For today's posting, I've selected something from one of Yma Sumac's less-accessible albums, but one that, if the notes on the back of the LP are to be believed, has a most impressive history. Each song on the album is described in a short paragraph; these are the notes for "Sumac Sorateña (Beautiful Jungle Girl)": "This is a Bolivian dance of joy and release following a sad ceremony. The singer points to the beautiful and mysterious jungle as a sanctuary from blood and terror. 'People of the Jivaros,' she sings, 'forget your sadness. We do not want to die. Let everyone be happy.'"

And here are the liner notes from the back of the LP:

This album contains the rare plum of authenticity: the songs
of the notorious Jivaro headhunters, learned by Yma Sumac in
the tribesmen's South American mountain-jungle home, and
sung by her in exotic native instrumental settings.

To unearth the Jivaro music—the stories of their ancient songs to tell,
the musical instruments of their culture—Yma Sumac and her husband,
Moises Vivanco, one of the foremost authorities on ancient music,
travelled deep into the headhunters' native territory. There, her mastery
of the Jivaro dialect (she was reared less than one hundred miles from their
land) helped facilitate the research in that strange and obscure society.

In ancient times, the Jivaros, being neighbors of the highly cultured
Incas, were comparatively civilized. However, the advent of the Spanish
conquistadores in the 16th century greatly altered their lives. Their
temples were looted, their treasures stolen, their villages destroyed.
Thus it was that the Jivaros lived in their remote mountainous jungle,
alone and bitter, hating the white man, reverting to a near stone-
age existence, including the practice of head-shrinking, and doing
all in their power to remain alive and free from the influence
of the outside world.

Recently, Yma Sumac and Moises Vivanco, who serves as her composer,
arranger, and conductor, went into the Jivaro country armed with only
trinkets, good intentions, and a tape recorder. Fortunately, the Jivaros
proved friendly and Vivanco was able to tape innumerable native
sounds and melodies to use for reference in the composition of
the songs for this album.

As a personal tribute to Sumac, I decided a few hours ago to have my name legally changed to Moises Vivanco this afternoon.

Yma Sumac
[September 13, 1922 - November 1, 2008]
We will miss you, Yma.

Roberto Delgado & His Orchestra

Artist: Roberto Delgado & His Orchestra

LP: Olé
Song: "Andalucia"
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It's incredible, but on my last trip to Spain I packed that exact same outfit.