André Kostelanetz and His Orchestra Gaîté Parisienne / Carmen Highlights [1960]

Columbia Records Masterworks MS 6106

To many, the name of Andre Kostelanetz (b. St. Petersburg, Russia, 22 December 1901; d. Port-au-Prince, Haiti, 13 Jan 1980) is virtually synonymous with a genre of orchestral music called, variously, “easy listening,” “beautiful music”(specifically for radio), “light,” or “semi-classical.” His repertoire included orchestral arrangements of pop songs and Broadway show tunes as well as familiar classics. Ever with the purpose of reaching the widest possible audience, he first made his mark in radio, as the conductor of music programs under the sponsorship of Chesterfield Cigarettes, Coca-Cola, Ethyl Gas, and Chrysler, and from 1937 he had his own weekly show on CBS, “Andre Kostelanetz Presents.” From the 1940s through the 1970s he recorded scores of albums (as many as six per year) on 78s, 45s, and LPs for Columbia Records, selling well over 50 million copies over the course of his career. For fifteen years he conducted the New York Philharmonic in its post-season Promenade series at Lincoln Center and in Central Park, billed as “Andre Kostelanetz and His Orchestra.”

Jerry Fielding and His Orchestra Magnificence In Brass [1961]

Time Records Series 2000 S/2042

"The seed of a reason so compelling that even the engineers could not resist it took root in Jerry Fielding's mind one Sunday morning in Salzburg, Austria.  He had motored over to Salzburg for the purpose, understandable to any musician, of having his picture taken in Mozart's home town.  Early the next morning an explosion erupted in the town square right under his hotel window.  Fielding looked out and saw a 70-piece brass band blowing mightily." [Excerpt liner notes]

And so, the idea for "Magnificence In Brass" was born!  Read the interesting details of its development in the liner notes.

Jan August Cha-Cha Charm [1959]

Mercury Records SR 60082

Jan August ‎Styles Great International Hits [1962]

Mercury ‎Records SR 60667 

Jan August Music For The Quiet Hour [1959]

Mercury Wing ‎MGW 12129 

It is well-documented that surf guitarist Dick Dale's career was revitalized by the inclusion of his 1962 recording of "Misirlou" in Quentin Tarantino's blockbuster film Pulp Fiction; what is less known is that the song was originally a major hit for a slender, elegant pianist from New York, who was paid less than $40 for the million copies of his version that made the song a fixture in American pop history. Pianist Jan Augustoff was born on September 24, 1904, the fifth and final child of middle-class immigrants in New York City. His siblings -- three sisters and a brother -- had all received music lessons while growing up, to dismal results; so when it came time for Jan to study, his parents decided he probably would be as incapable, and his music study was dropped. The youngster, however, had a natural inclination toward music -- he became fascinated with the player pianos at the local movie houses, and would come home and pick out the melodies on the family piano. He had a distaste for mathematics that gave him trouble in school, causing him to finally flunk his courses and drop out; with some natural talent as a cartoonist, he got a job working for Bud Fisher, the creator of the popular Mutt and Jeff series.

Flip Phillips A Melody From The Sky [1984]

Doctor Jazz Records FW 39419

Flip Phillips was most closely associated with Norman Granz's famous Jazz at The Philharmonic touring productions. The hard-hitting tenor saxophonist was a star of these jam session-style revues for almost a dozen years, matching his fierce, honking tenor in cutting sessions with other demonstrative saxophonists of the day, including Illinois Jacquet, Charlie Ventura, and Ike Quebec.

Stanley Black and His Orchestra Melodies of Love [1958]

Richmond/London Records B 20004

Pianist Stanley Black's roots were in jazz and the British dance band scene of the 1930s. By the late '40s and early '50s, he had settled into a comfortable existence as a composer of film scores and purveyor of lounge and mood music.

Clebanoff and His Orchestra Lush, Latin and Bossa Nova Too! [1963]

Mercury Records SR-60824

This album is totally Latin Lounge with an emphasis on the Bossa Nova rhythm and the addition of an orchestra with strings does provide another layer of color to the program.  But don't worry, the strings are never sentimental or syrupy.  Instead, the arrangements are livelier Latin stylings, albeit with the distinctive touch of Clebanoff's imagination guiding the proceedings. There is a liberal mélange of Space Age Pop stirred into the mix for good measure!  Unique interpretations indeed!

Jose Greco and His Dance Company With Orquesta de Conciertos de Madrid, Roger Machado, Director Spanish Songs and Dances In Motion [1961]

Columbia Masterworks MS 6265 

The Percy Faith Strings Exotic Strings [1962]

Columbia Records CS 8702

Exotic Strings by conductor, composer and arranger Percy Faith (1908–1976) might well be seen as his only entry in the world of Exotica, with Malagueña (1958) serving as a second choice just in case. If a second choice is not allowed for whatever reason and if one insists on either the name-dropping of some exotic term in the title or various interpretations of genre gold standards, then Exotic Strings is rightfully in the limelight. And what a lucky coincidence, for both the exotic title and various oft-considered Exotica classics merge on this album.

"Pepe" Original Soundtrack Recording [1960]

Colpix Records CP 507 

Mohammed El Bakkar and His Oriental Ensemble Exotic Music of The Belly Dancer [1966]

Audio Fidelity ‎AFSD 6154

Mohammed El-Bakkar and His Oriental Ensemble Dances of Port Said Music of The Middle East Volume 5 [1960]

Audio Fidelity AFSD 5922

Mohammed El-Bakkar and His Oriental Ensemble The Magic Carpet Music of The Middle East Volume 4 [1959]

Audio Fidelity AFSD 5895

Mohammed El-Bakkar and His Oriental Ensemble Music of The African Arab Volume 3 [1958]

Audio Fidelity AFSD 5858

Mohammed El-Bakkar and His Oriental Ensemble Sultan of Bagdad Music of The Middle East Volume 2 [1958]

Audio Fidelity ‎AFSD 5834 

Mohammed El-Bakkar, idol of the Middle Easterners abroad and in the United States, was a featured star in the cast of the Broadway hit Fanny for two and a half years. As the leading tenor of the Orient, he has a long list of other distinguished achievements to his credit, including command performances for former King Farouk of Egypt, for his successor, Major General Mohammed Naguib, for King Ibn Saud of Saudi Arabia and the Shah of Iran. As an actor, he has appeared in 32 motion pictures which he himself produced and directed, and has numerous television and radio appearances to his credit. Bakkar came to this country a few years ago for a sixth concert tour and liked it so much he decided to become a citizen. He has filled engagements in major eastern cities and has been acclaimed enthusiastically everywhere. In leisure hours, when he isn't giving a professional performance, he has entertained Syrian, Lebanese, Turkish and Persian compatriots the world over. 

Mohammed El-Bakkar died in 1959 at the age of 46 due to a cerebral hemorrhage. [Courtesy el-bakkar.com]

Mohammed El-Bakkar and His Oriental Ensemble Port Said Music of The Middle East Volume 1 [1958]

Audio Fidelity AFSD 5833 

Nejla Ates: The Exquisite Turkish Delight

By Kai Wada Roath (Amoeba.com)

Ambassador of Confusion Hill and host of the Super Shangri-La Show

"She had a ruby on her tummy and a diamond big as Texas on her toe
She let her hair down and she did the hoochie-coochie real slow
When she did her special number on the zebra skin
I thought she'd stop the show…"
~ "Little Egypt" by The Coasters

If you have flipped through Middle East or Belly Dancing records, you most likely have seen her…for she is hard to miss. As Sandra Warner was the enchantress for Martin Denny’s album covers, Nejla Ates, “the Turkish Delight,” was the “Honk-honk, hubba-hubba, Ee chee wa waa!” album cover model of Middle Eastern records in the 1950s.

The Moonlight Strings Love After Midnight [1969]

Columbia Musical Treasuries DS 441