Frank Schardin and His Slovenians • Polkas and Waltzes [1974] C Records CRLP 8006

 

From my home state, North Dakota!  These guys were big dance draws back in the day when I was growing up.  I danced the polka and waltzed across the dance floor every time they played near my hometown.  Frank Schardin was born and raised just 20 miles away!  ~Gipsy Dancer~  🎶👌

Lawrence Welk and His Orchestra ‎• Champagne Dance Party [Reader's Digest 8 LP Boxset] [1978] Reader's Digest Music RDA-243/A

 

Tracklist:

Record 1 Side 1: Champagne Dansant--Part 1

01 Champagne Time

02 Every Little Moment Has A Meaning All Its Own

03 Irving Berlin Waltz Medley: Always/All Alone/The Song Is Ended

04 South

05 Polka Medley: La Sorella/Silver Polka/Jolly Polka

Record 1 Side 2: Champagne Dansant--Part 2

06 Cocktails For Two

07 Tie A Yellow Ribbon Round The Ole Oak Tree

08 Más Que Nada

09 Viennese Waltz Medley: Blue Danube/Skater's Waltz

10 Medley: I Can't Give You Anything By Love, Baby/Who's Sorry Now?/The Sheik of Araby/When You're Smiling

Record 2: Dancing Through The '30s

01 The Object of My Affection

02 Once In A While

03 In A Shanty In Old Shanty Town

04 I Guess I'll Have To Change My Plan

05 Sophisticated Lady

06 It Must Be True

07 It's Easy To Remember

08 As Time Goes By

09 The Song Is You

10 For You

11 Begin The Beguine

12 Let's Fall In Love

Record 3 Side 1: Ballroom Saturday Night--Part 1

01 Smoke Gets In Your Eyes

02 Blue Velvet - Featuring Johnny Hodges, Alto Saxophone

03 I Ain't Got Nobody

04 Someone To Watch Over Me - Featuring Johnny Hodges, Alto Saxophone

05 My Gal Sal

06 Plenty of Brass

Record 3 Side 2: Ballroom Saturday Night--Part 2

07 (There Is) No Greater Love

08  The Trumpet Rag

09 Clarinet Marmalade

10 Fiesta

11 Stardust - Featuring Johnny Hodges, Alto Saxophone

12 Adios, Au Revoir, Auf Wiedersehn

Record 4: Ain't We Got Fun? -- Golden Hits of The '20s

01 Charleston (With Chorus)

02 I Wonder What's Become of Sally

03 Thou Swell

04 Ain't We Got Fun? - Featuring Myron Floren and Male Chorus

05 Am I Blue?

06 Ol' Man River

07 Me and My Shadow

08 My Blue Heaven - Lawrence Welk and Myron Floren, Accordion Duo

09 If You Were The Only Girl In The World

10 Baby Face - Gatsby Boys Featuring Bob Lido and Girls Chorus

11 Blue (And Broken Hearted)

12 The Varsity Drag

Record 5 Side 1: Themes From Stage and Screen Designed For Dancing

01 The Candy Man

02 As Long As He Needs Me

03 I Whistle A Happy Tune

04 Georgy Girl

05 The Entertainer

06 Some Enchanted Evening

Record 5 Side 2: Champagne Polka Party With Myron Floren

07 Just Another Polka - Featuring Myron Floren, Accordion

08 American Patrol - Featuring Myron Floren, Accordion

09 Laughing Polka - Featuring Myron Floren, Accordion

10 Polka Medley: Little Brown Jug/Skip To My Lou/Polly Wolly Doodle - Lawrence Welk and Myron Floren, Accordion Duo

11 Kit Kat Polka - Lawrence Welk and Myron Floren, Accordion Duo

12 Liechtensteiner Polka

Record 6 Side 1: Dance To The Country Classics

01 Tennessee Waltz - Featuring Dick Cathcart, Trumpet

02 Rose Garden

03 Jealous Heart

04 Slow Poke

05 Send Me The Pillow You Dream On

06 Wabash Cannon Ball - Featuring Dick Cathcart, Trumpet

Record 6 Side 2: Swinging The Classics--Ballroom Style

07 Poet and Peasant Overture

08 Pavane

09 One Fine Day (Un Bel Dì)

10 Coppélia

11 Martha

12 Mozart Sonata In C Major

Record 7 Side 1: Lawrence Picks The Best of His New Hits

01 Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head

02 It's Impossible

03 Goin' Out of My Head

04 Close To You - Featuring The Welk Singers

05 Watch What Happens

06 Yesterday

Record 7 Side 2: Champagne Disco -- For The Young At Heart

07 The Hustle

08 Feelings

09 Love Will Keep Us Together

10 Happy Days

11 Theme From S.W.A.T.

12 The Beat Goes On

Record 8 Side 1: Dance Time -- Anytime!

01 St. Louis Blues

02 For Me and My Gal

03 Orchids In The Moonlight

04 Gentle On My Mind

05 Squeeze Box Polka - Featuring Myron Floren, Accordion

06 Make Believe

Record 8 Side 2: It's The Last Dance

07 September Song

08 Memories

09 All The Things You Are

10 Gigi

11 I'll See You Again

12 Three O'Clock In The Morning

Paul Kuhn, Hugo Strasser, Max Greger • Die deutschen Meister des Swing [Reader's Digest 4 CD Set] [2007] Reader's Digest Music SGK 21 072213 71

 

The German Masters of Swing

Paul Kuhn (12 March 1928 – 23 September 2013)

Paul Kuhn was born the son of a croupier in Wiesbaden. In 1936, at the age of 8, he had a public gig at the 'Funkausstellung' in Berlin, playing the accordion. Some years later, he discovered jazz music (which was frowned upon during the nazi time (1933-1945)). In 1944, he was in Paris and had some gigs to entertain soldiers of the Wehrmacht, who still occupied Paris.

After V-Day (8 May 1945), the USA formed an occupation zone in parts of Germany, amongst them the region around Frankfurt. Kuhn was hired by AFN (American Forces Network), and he was live on the radio almost every day, alone or with his band. He adopted the style and sound of Glenn Miller (1904-1944).

In the 1950s, he arranged and composed entertainment music. Around 1955, he increasingly launched pop songs, sung and played by himself. During the sixties, more and more west German households bought a TV; music shows, big bands, and singers were very successful. In 1968, Kuhn was named head of the entertainment orchestra of Sender Freies Berlin.

In 1980, this band was dissolved and Kuhn moved to Cologne and founded his own orchestra.

Starting in 2000, he toured with Max Greger, Hugo Strasser, and the Big Band of SWR (Südwestdeutscher Rundfunk).

At the end of 2011, Kuhn travelled to San Francisco to record a CD (The L.A. Session, with John Clayton and Jeff Hamilton). The album was released in 2013.

His most known hits were Der Mann am Klavier (1954), Es gibt kein Bier auf Hawaii (1963), and Die Farbe der Liebe (1958 in the charts).

[Courtesy of Wikipedia]

Hugo Strasser (born April 7, 1922, in Munich-Schwabing, † March 17, 2016 in Munich-Trudering )

Hugo Strasser was born on April 7th, 1922, in Munich and became a famous German clarinetist and bandleader. The orchestra is known for its dance music, especially through the album series "Dance Record of the Year" and the musical sound and rhythm-settings in many dance championships. He formed his own 16-man dance band in the post-WWII years and still, today plays at many balls, including, inter alia, the Carnival balls, the Bayerischer Rundfunks. Many of his band members such as the late tenor saxophonist Werner Tauber, Hans Ehrlinger trombonist, trumpeter Etienne Cap, and guitarist Dirk Schweppe were/are outstanding arrangers for their instruments. Although the orchestra has been around for all those years, there were few personnel changes. [Courtesy Beautiful Instrumentals]

Max Greger (born April 2, 1926, in Munich, † August 15, 2015 ibid)

German saxophonist and bandleader Max Greger is a popular and well-known musician in Europe with myriad credits to his name, including film and television work. A gift of an accordion as a child first spurred his musical inclinations, and Greger ultimately studied clarinet and saxophone at the Munich Conservatory during the late '30s. Briefly serving in the military toward the end of World War II, Greger began performing with various jazz groups. His postwar work, often in American officers' clubs, ultimately led Greger to form his own sextet around 1948-1949, and later a big band. Performing a mixture of pop, jazz, and swing tunes, Greger had considerable success from the '50s onward, including regular appearances on German television from 1963 to 1977, and helped establish the growing German jazz movement.  [Courtesy AllMusic]

Lawrence Welk • Mr. Music Maker [1961] Dot Records DLP 25164

 

"Uh-one, and uh-two, and . . ." Lawrence Welk's hands go up, his hands go down. He has popped a cork, and Champagne Music fizzes gaily through the glittering ballroom of Washington's Mayflower Hotel. 

A cameraman on the right of the bandstand maneuvers his ungainly instrument. His helper swings the giant spotlight. Now swish gowns, and jewels almost as valuable as an item in the national budget, come into focus. Here is a night for Lawrence to cherish! It is January 21 of the year 1957, and this is an Inaugural Ball. A penny for your thoughts, onetime farm boy, as you stand up there on the stage and survey the room. You can see the President in his box; you can see the diplomats, the senators, the political party leaders, and other prominent citizens all swirling about to your bright tunes. 

Actually, Lawrence Welk will not speak his thoughts just now, so I'll play at mind reading. 

I'm watching his face. He flashes that trademark smile of his, back and forth between his musicians and the milling people. Fifteen hundred watts bright tonight, it spells out as clearly as a neon sign: I'M HAPPY. Even in the very act of autographing programs for the crowd which masses around the base of the bandstand, he fairly bounces up and down to the beat of the music, allegro vivo. When have I seen such tremendous relish in the living moment? And such joy of fulfillment? He must have dreamed about this night, and waited for it a long time. 

[Excerpt from the book by Mary Lewis Coakley "Mister Music Maker, Lawrence Welk"]

Musikhalle Hamburg, Germany • German Drinking Songs [1960] [Recorded Live] Grand Award Records GA 250 SD

 

A gift from my grandson, Taylor!

Polka Party [Reader's Digest 6 LP Boxset] [1976] Reader's Digest RDA 162-A

 

Munich, Bavaria, Germany Oktoberfest (September 17 to October 3, 2022)!

 

'Tis Oktoberfest in Munich once more after a two-year hiatus due to COVID! The Vinyl Cloak celebrates this most prominent German festival by bringing you some outstanding German music. 

I am a full-blooded German from North Dakota.  I grew up listening to local polka bands and, of course, North Dakota's own Lawrence Welk.  I learned to sing German songs from my maternal grandmother - even some drinking songs! The polka and the schottische were definite favorites on the dance floor.

Enjoy the music and definitely let me hear your comments! Happy Oktoberfest!

Percy Faith and His Orchestra • Malagueña: Music of Cuba [1958] Columbia Records CS 8081

 

In 1959, the year Fidel Castro and his rebel army gained control of Cuba, mood music mastermind Percy Faith released his tribute to the music of this tiny island nation. Malagueña travels familiar territory for Faith, who explored the music of Mexico on his 1958 album Viva! Faith's arrangements are not re-creating the Cuban dance band sound, although he did take pains to include examples of popular Cuban dance styles such as the rhumba and the samba. Instead, Faith sets a Cuban mood via Americanized interpretations of Cuban music already well known in popular culture. His selections include many famous tunes, from "El Manisero (The Peanut Vendor)" and "Andalucía (The Breeze and I)" to "Para Vigo Me Voy (Say, Sí Sí)." The melodies are rendered in a lush string fantasia with buoyant passages of horns and Latin percussion that alternate with pretty, moody passages colored with tinkling xylophones or delicately plunked guitars and violins, during which the listener may forget that he or she is supposed to be in Cuba. Regardless, the point of the album is not to present Cuban music per se, but to use Cuban music as a launching point for orchestral flights of fancy that tickle the ear with a surprising array of exotic and familiar sounds. In that regard, Malagueña is a success, with varied orchestrations and enough Cuban flavor to show that Faith understood his source material well. 

Tracklist: 

01 Malagueña

02 Quiéreme mucho (Yours)

03 El manisero (The Peanut Vendor)

04 Danza negra

05 Andalucía (The Breeze and I)

06 El bodeguero

07 Damisela encantadora

08 Siboney

09 La cumparsa

10 Tumbando cana

11 Marta

12 Mama Inez

13 Para Vigo me voy (Say, Sí Sí)

14 Tabú

Credits 

Photography By [Cover] – Leo Stashin 

Living Jazz ‎• "Manhã de Carnaval" and Other Bossa Nova Favorites [1973] RCA Camden ‎ACL1-0202

 

The Longines Symphonette • Memories of Fiesta [5 LP Boxset + Bonus Album] [1967] Longines Symphonette Society ‎LS 204A

 

Liner Notes • Walter D. Heithaus - 12-page Booklet "Memories of Fiesta" containing liner notes describing Fiestas, or festivals in different countries as well as the different musical styles included in the Release content.

Purchase of this Box Set from the Longines Symphonette Society Catalog entitled the purchaser to the Free Bonus Album The Longines Symphonette - Spanish Eyes Longines Symphonette Society ‎SYS 5264. 

South of The Border: 48 Lively Latin Favorites [Reader's Digest 4 LP Boxset] [1968] Reader's Digest Music RDA 72-A

 

The Mexicali Brass Treasury • New Hits From South of The Border [5 LP Boxset] [1968] Longines Symphonette Society LWS 290-294 / SYS 5027-5031

 

Perhaps the fiesta you dream of is under an azure sky and near a sandy beach or a winter vacation in a place far away with tropical breezes and starlit nights.  Whatever your pleasure, we are celebrating a themed fiesta week!  It's fun and a special party just for you.

The Romantic Strings of André Kostelanetz [1960] Columbia Masterworks ML 6111

 

This album captures the enduring magic of sixteen musical masterpieces, melodies that have enchanted the world.

The Best of Kostelanetz (103 Favorites From The Beautiful World of Music) [Reader's Digest 8 LP Box Set] [1975] Reader's Digest RDA 120-A

 

An outstanding collection from Maestro Kostelanetz!  

You are sure to find something to love with 103 selections to choose from. 

~ Gipsy Dancer ~  👍

André Kostelanetz and His Orchestra • Today's Golden Hits [1966] Columbia Records CS 9334

 

This pleasant, light orchestral album highlights pop hits from the '60s, including "Michelle," "What Now My Love," "Unchained Melody," and  a personal favorite, "September of My Years." Those who appreciate easy listening music will find this a welcome addition to their collections. ~Gipsy Dancer~

André Kostelanetz Conducting The New York Philharmonic • A Kostelanetz Festival [1961] Columbia Masterworks MS 6207

 

"From Paris to Tanglewood, from Edinburgh to Aspen, a music festival is a spectacular occasion, a high-hearted pageant of sound that fills the atmosphere with joy and excitement.

Andre Kostelanetz, conducting one of the world's great orchestras, the New York Philharmonic, brings us on this record a true festival.  Characteristically, it takes its material from many divisions of music--opera, ballet, the symphony concert, the ballroom, even from the music hall.  Inevitably, it also embraces music of considerable novelty."  [Excerpt liner notes]

Tracklist:

01 Tchaikovsky: Marche Solennelle 

02 Debussy: Festivals (Fêtes) 

03 Offenbach: Can-Can 

04 Gounod: Waltz From "Faust" 

05 Walton: Johannesburg Festival Overture

06 Saint-Saëns: Bacchanale (From "Samson and Delilah")

07 Leroy Anderson: Belle of The Ball

08 Chopin: Polonaise Militaire, Op. 40, No. 1

A Kostelanetz Festival Begins Monday, September 5th!

 

Andre Kostelanetz (1901-1980) was a well-known and respected conductor who began his career in Russia and proceeded to conduct the Metropolitan Opera, the New York Philharmonic, and orchestras all over the world.

Kostelanetz was known for his performances during the early years of radio on CBS pioneering microphone techniques. He presented numerous concerts during WW II for the USO with his wife, the opera singer Lily Pons. The World War II programs instigated a desire to promote American music and he commissioned works by American composers on American themes. The works include A Lincoln Portrait by Aaron Copland, William Schuman’s New England Triptych, and Ferde Grofe’s Hudson River Suite. With the New York Philharmonic he began a series of “Special” concerts in 1953 which evolved into the popular “Promenade” concerts that were held in the newly constructed Philharmonic Hall at Lincoln Center where he presented several premieres from 1962 to 1978.

The early years of his life in St. Petersburg left an indelible mark on Kostelanetz’s artistic aesthetic. He brought this polished, lush, and refined style to both popular music (a friend of Irving Berlin, George Gershwin, Jerome Kerns, and Cole Porter) and standard classical works. He was a major force in introducing classical music to thousands and his deep friendships with artists and composers, his letters, memorabilia, manuscripts, and scores remain as testimony of his enormous contribution to the world of music.  [Kostelanetz website]

Autumn Leaves: The Songs That Made Our Hearts Sing [Reader's Digest 4 CD Set} [2009] Reader's Digest RCD4-8911

 

Turn down the lights and get the mood just right with all your favorite love songs. Let 75 timeless songs of love and devotions accompany you on a truly wonderful Sentimental Journey. Feel the rush of excitement as the orchestrations swell, the notes soar and the melodies linger. Autumn Leaves, The Songs That Made Our Hearts Sing is an enchanting collection exclusively from Reader's Digest. 

Concert In The Park [Reader's Digest 5 CD Set] [1985] Reader's Digest RBU/137-E

 

Tracklist:

Disc 1:

01 Belle of The Ball - Arthur Fiedler and The Boston Pops Orchestra

02 Victor Herbert Medley: Sweethearts Waltz / March of The Toys / Toyland / The Streets of New York/ Indian Summer - The London Symphony Orchestra

03 Hoedown From ''Rodeo'' - Morton Gould and His Orchestra

04 Medley: One / Tomorrow / Don't Cry For Me Argentina - John Williams and The Boston Pops Orchestra

05 Gaite Parisienne: Overture - The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra

06 Vienna, City of My Dreams - The London Promenade Orchestra

07 Summertime - Leontyne Price with The RCA Victor Orchestra

08 Rhapsody In Blue (Excerpt) - The London Symphony Orchestra with André Previn, Piano and Gervase De Peyer, Clarinet

09 Knightsbridge March - The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra

10 Spellbound Concerto - Earl Wild, Piano with The Romantic Strings and The RCA Symphony Orchestra

11 Romance - The London Promenade Orchestra with Douglas Gamley, Piano

12 Concerto No. 1 In B-Flat Minor (1st Movement Theme) - Arthur Fiedler and The Boston Pops Orchestra with Ralph Votapek, Piano

13 Concerto In A Minor (1st Movement Theme) - Arthur Fiedler and The Boston Pops Orchestra with Ralph Votapek, Piano

14 Concerto No. 2 In C Minor (3rd Movement Theme) - Arthur Fiedler and The Boston Pops Orchestra with Ralph Votapek, Piano

Disc 2:

01 Warsaw Concerto - Arthur Fiedler and The Boston Pops Orchestra with Leo Litwin, Piano

02 If I Could Tell You (The Firestone Theme) - Eileen Farrell with The London Festival Orchestra

03 Vocalise (Op. 34, No. 14) - The National Philharmonic Orchestra with James Galway, Flute

04 Dream of Olwen - Arthur Fiedler and The Boston Pops Orchestra with Leo Litwin, Piano

05 Stella By Starlight - The National Philharmonic Orchestra with Malcolm Messiter, Oboe

06 Evening Prayer - The Norman Luboff Choir with The New Symphony Orchestra of London

07 Concierto de Aranjuez - Julian Bream, Guitar with The  Monteverdi Orchestra

08 Love Duet From 'Madama Butterfly' - Leontyne Price and Plácido Domingo with The New Philharmonic Orchestra

09 Love-Death (Liebestod) - The Philadelphia Orchestra

10 Fast Track Polka - The London Promenade Orchestra

11 Holiday For Strings - Arthur Fiedler and The Boston Pops Orchestra

12 Torna A Surriento! (Come Back To Sorrento) - Franco Corelli with Orchestra conducted by Franco Ferraris

Disc 3:

01 Fantasia On 'Greensleeves' - The London Symphony Orchestra 

02 The Blue Danube Waltz - The Philadelphia Orchestra 

03 Serenata - Arthur Fiedler and The Boston Pops Orchestra 

04 O Sole Mio - Franco Corelli with Orchestra conducted by Franco Ferraris 

05 Hora Staccato - Michael Rabin, Violin with The Hollywood Bowl Symphony Orchestra 

06 Largo Al Factotum - Robert Merrill with The Metropolitan Opera Orchestra 

07 Un bel di (From 'Madama Butterfly) - Leontyne Price with The RCA Italiana Opera Orchestra 

08 La donna è mobile - Plácido Domingo with The London Symphony Orchestra

09 Musetta's Waltz - Arthur Fiedler and The Boston Pops Orchestra

10 My Heart At Thy Sweet Voice - Marilyn Horne with The Vienna Opera Orchestra

11 Ah! Sweet Mystery of Life - Beverly Sills with The London Symphony Orchestra

12 Drinking Song From 'The Student Prince' - The Robert Shaw Chorale

13 There But For You Go I - Robert Merrill with The RCA Victor Symphony Orchestra

14 Vilia - Anna Moffo with Lehman Engel, His Orchestra and Chorus

15 My Hero - Anna Moffo and Sergio Franchi with Orchestra Arranged and Conducted by Henri René

16 The Riff Song - Richard Fredricks, William Lewis and Chorus with Lehman Engel and His Orchestra

Disc 4:

01 Bolero - The Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra

02 'Die Fledermaus' Overture - The Vienna State Opera Orchestra

03 Clair de Lune - The Philadelphia Orchestra

04 Parlami D'Amore Mariu (Speak To Me of Love, Maria) - Giuseppe de Stefano with Orchestra conducted by Dino Olivieri

05 Liebestraum (Love's Dream) - Leonard Pennario, Piano with The Hollywood Bowl Symphony Orchestra

06 The Skaters Waltz - Arthur Fiedler and The Boston Pops Orchestra 

07 The Syncopated Clock - Arthur Fiedler and The Boston Pops Orchestra 

08 Jamaican Rumba - Arthur Fiedler and The Boston Pops Orchestra 

09 Annie's Song - James Galway, Flute with The National Philharmonic Orchestra

10 Theme From 'Chariots of Fire' - John Williams and The Boston Pops Orchestra

11 Dance of The Comedians From 'The Bartered Bride' - The National Philharmonic Orchestra

Disc 5:

01 Stars and Stripes Forever - Morton Gould and His Symphonic Band

02 George M. Cohan Medley: Give My Regards To Broadway / Mary's A Grand Old Name / Nelly Kelly, I Love You / You're A Grand Old Flag / You Remind Me of My Mother / Harrigan / The Yankee Doodle Boy - Arthur Fiedler and The Boston Pops Orchestra

03 Bugler's Holiday - Arthur Fiedler and The Boston Pops Orchestra with Al Hirt, Trumpet

04 Battle Hymn of The Republic - The Robert Shaw Chorale

05 Seventy-Six Trombones - John Williams and The Boston Pops Orchestra - 

06 Hoedown Medley: She'll Be Comin' Round The Mountain / Skip To My Lou / Oh! Susanna / Liza Jane / Turkey In The Straw/ Yankee Doodle - Robert Merrill with The London Festival Orchestra

07 Shenandoah - Arthur Fiedler and The Boston Pops Orchestra

08 St. Louis Blues March - Arthur Fiedler and The Boston Pops Orchestra

09 Washington Post March - Morton Gould and His Symphonic Band

10 The William Tell Overture (Finale) - Arthur Fiedler and The Boston Pops Orchestra

11 Finlandia - The Philadelphia Orchestra

12 Prelude To Act III of 'Lohengrin' - The Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra

13 1812 Overture - The New Philharmonic Orchestra, The Cathedral Choir and Children's Choir of St. Ambrose, Central Band of the Royal Air Force, Guns of The King's Troop, Royal Horse Artillery