This is Tijuana music – the noisy Mexican-American voices in the narrow streets, the confusion of colour and motion – captured in the sound of the Tijuana Brass. Tijuana is a spectacle, a garish border town . . . but it is also sometimes a strangely wistful, romantic place, and that quality is represented here by the often haunting trumpet of Herb Alpert. The Lonely Bull started it all. Herb organized the Tijuana Brass to combine a persistent melody written by a friend with the inspiration of the Tijuana bullring. What emerged was a swinging musical collaboration, and a hit. And now this LP, and a chance to hear Tijuana again in all its aspects, played by trumpeter-arranger-composer Herb Alpert and the bright, bold, versatile Tijuana Brass.
In many ways a disturbing cover. What exactly are the women doing? Surely not a reaction to the three “tough-fisted” Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem? As the sleeve notes inform us, “Here they are, four tough-fisted, gentle-hearted Irish singers who have opened up a floodgate of entirely new songs.” I guess if your gentle-hearted approach fails to deliver, your tough fists will come in handy. Who said romance was dead?
To document the story of The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem one had best have a very long sheet of paper or write very small.
Here is a group that has a most varied, a most unusual and above all, a most musical background. Therefore it is no small wonder that, in such a short time, they have reached the pinnacle of their success and retained it, and they will undoubtedly retain it for many years to come.
The members of the Clancy clan – and there are many of them – are all singers. Besides the members of the group – Patrick, Tom and Liam – there are Mom, Pop, Bobby, Pet, four sisters and their children who numbered twenty one at the last count.
The Clancy’s family home is at Carrick-on-Suir, a small town in county Tipperary that has a population of about four thousand. Situated in a valley between Comeragh Mountain on the one side and Slievenamon on the other and overlooked by Ormonde Castle. Carrick-on-Suir is a market town where pigs are sold on Mondays, dairy stock on Wednesdays and beef cattle on Fridays. The teachers in the towns schools are either the local nuns or the Christian Brothers and all the subjects are taught in Gaelic as well as in English.
The traditional music of Ireland is basically Irish tunes with English lyrics, but these are translated and sung in Gaelic. Although the songs were originally sung without any accompaniment, over the years the guitar, harmonica, penny whistle and harp have come into ever increasing use.
Patrick, the eldest brother, is an actor and a producer as well as a singer, but he is more interested in music than in the other activities and he plays harmonica on most of their recordings. He was an active member of the I.R.A. and so the rebel songs they sing are naturally done with great gusto and feeling. He was in the R.A.F. during World War II and has done decorating and painting as a living in many pans of the world as he is a keen traveller.
Tom was also an actor, having trained with the English Shakespearean Repertory, and he went to the United States in 1948. He has been a welder, a chef and a Warrant Officer in the R.A.F.
Liam, the youngest of the three, was an actor too and he went to the U.S.A. in 1956. He plays guitar and harmonica.
Tommy Makem was born at Keady, county of Armagh, and he plays penny whistle, warpipes, piccolo and drums. He made his first public appearance when he was five singing ‘The Beggarmarl and at the age of eight he joined the St. Patrick’s Church choir and he continued to sing with them for fifteen years, doing Gregorian chants and motets along with the choral work. When he was fourteen he worked in a garage as a clerk/book-keeper and at nineteen he was a barman and wrote a sports column for the local newspaper. Tommy went to the U.S.A. in 1955 and in 1956 he made his first recordings with the Clancy Brothers. At the Newport Folk Festival in 1959 the New York Times chose him and Joan Baez as the ‘best young folk singers’. Tommy’s advice to the myriad of fans who want to join the ranks of better folk singers is: “The chief thing is to believe in what you are singing. If it’s a fun song, you must be in a fun mood. It’s like acting – don’t try to imitate anyone. Just because Joe Doakes has a bad voice, but is a traditional singer, you don’t have to sound like him. If you have a better voice than those you learned from, use it. It enhances the song.
Here they are, four tough-fisted, gentle-hearted Irish singers, who have opened up a floodgate of entirely new songs; Irish folk music with its lilting charm, fierce independence of spirit arid whimsical view of life. For the first time in the revival of folk music, the line between ‘authentic’ arid ‘entertainment* has been narrowed, to satisfy the core of devotees who know that the real folk music is so much richer, deeper and more durable.
Label: Emerald MLD 31 Cover photo: Stanley Matchett, Belfast
Channel 20 Sound, a new process which realises in superbly lifelike stereo all the potential splendour of each instrument, was specially developed in the Tokyo studios of E.M.I.’s associates, Toshiba Musical Industries. Recordings are made in a new studio designed exclusively for high quality recording a multiplicity of solo microphones captures every subtlety of tone-colour from each instrument, and a specially developed control console blends, mixes and amplifies each microphone’s contribution with the delicacy, precision and engineering brilliance that characterise Japan’s present-day technological achievement.
“Here is your complete home discotheque on one long playing record.“ Jo Ment was the show-biz name of Jochen Ment, a German musician who followed in the wake of the popular Bert Kaempfert and James Last albums of the sixties. This album contains segued tracks with crowd applause and shouts presumably to generate a party atmosphere as you listen to it. Jo Ment’s Happy Sound! The cover seems at odds with this featuring as it does three bendy ladies caught in the middle of a kind of Twister game with not a drink or apparent source of music anywhere to be seen. Unless that’s Jo’s idea of a party atmosphere. “Start dancing – Jo Ment will do the rest” as the sleeve notes say. In that case, fetch me a beer.
Sleeve Notes
Here is your complete home discotheque on one long playing record, with the services of one of the continent, leading band. at your command.
Joe Ment and his “Happy Sound” of trumpets, trombones, saxes, electric guitar, organ and percussion offer you a sophisticated evening of happ music for a jet set clientele, with melodies and rhythms as enjoyed in the chicest night spots of the world, With Joe Ment you are on the French Riviera, in London, Mayfair, or living the dolce vita in any dream spa you care to mention.
The driving, pulsating beat of the saxes start us off with “Rock Around The Clock” and there’s no letting up as we move along with Chuck Berry and the Beatles to meet Paul Anka, “Diana”. This young lady, who was in real life one of the singer-composer’s girlfriends, brought him no less than eight Gold Discs. Then we go “Down Town” with the Tony Hatch composition that our own Pet Clark took around the world, returning to a post war Vienna and “The Third Man” for whom Jo Ment provides a thin disguise with the rhythm of the cha cha cha. One of Germany’s favourite singers is Freddy (Quinn) and one of his greatest hits was Heimweh, or in the English language version “Memories Are Made Of This”. Jo Ment has a particularly pleasing passage for trumpet, organ and drums In this highly danceable fox-trot. Domenico Mondugno put the beat into Italian popular music when he carried off first prize at the 1959 Sen Remo Song Festival with Piove, which he followed with another international top-liner “Volare”, in which he told how his heart had wings. “Vaya Con Dios” reminds us of these great multi-tracked guitar recordings of the American couple Les Paul and Mary Ford while with “The Banana Boat Song” we travel to the West Indies in the company of Harry Bellafonte (incidentally, in Germany this was another Freddy Quinn success).
Similar international ingredients make up the second part of Jo Ment’s programme. What could he more American than “West Side Story”? To drive the point home we have the song “America’. Cole Porter, playboy, poet, composer wrote the classic “I Love Paris” for the show “Can-Can” and ‘True Love’ for “High Society” – giving us in the latter one of the greatest love duets ever heard on the screen, between Grace Kelly and Bing Crosby. The Greek composer Mikis Theodorakis transformed a little song be had written several years before into “Zorba’s Dance” for another film, “Zorba The Greek” whilst the music for “Strangers in the Night’ was composed by Bert Kaempfert for yet another film, “A Man Could Get Killed”, although it became international through the voice of Frank Sinatra. Sydney Sachet, the American negro soprano sax player settled in Paris many years before his death and consequently many of hie works have French titles, not the least of which is “Petite Fleur”. There’s a delightful flute solo in ‘Island In The Sun” – another tribute to the West Indies and Harry Bellafonte. Jo Mint concludes this dance party of his with a trip to Dixieland and two rousing numbers: “Whatever Will Be, Will Be’, which many of us still associate with Doris Day and “Hello Dolly”, which in this style is inseparable from the name of the late Louis Armstrong.
These brief notes do not mention every title brought to you by Jo Ment, Happy Sound, but perhaps they point in the right direct., Start dancing – Jo Ment will do the rest.
The dramatic photo of Ray conducting was taken as he was working with the Singers at the recording sessions of this album. “The interpretations and performances of these contemporary songs by the Singers are certainly some of the very finest we have ever recorded, were Ray’s own words at the close of the sessions. As you listen we’re sure you will agree that the fresh new sounds on this album rank well up there with, if not above, some of their more recent releases such as “Somewhere My Love” (S) 62740.”This Is My Song” (S) 63037 and “It Must Be Him” (S) 63247
Ray Conniff has developed a completely new and refreshing sound in the field of popular music. His sparkling rhythmic treatments, with a vocal chorus used as a section of the orchestra singing syllables rather than words, were one of the freshest new ideas in popular music since the early Forties.
There are several distinct qualities that are always found in any Conniff album. First of all, the vivid sound. To achieve this, Ray has worked many long hours with the sound engineers. The choice of songs is always tasteful and musically the Conniff orchestra is always superb, because of the painstaking efforts of its perfectionist conductor.
Ray has always had a special knack for featuring great musicians on his albums. Billy Butterfield plays a beautiful trumpet solo on “Love Letters in the Sand”. Bernie Leighton is the featured pianist throughout the album, and Doc Severinson plays that exciting trumpet on “Three Coins in the Fountain”.
The twelve songs selected for Ray’s new album are among the biggest hits of the past ten years, and each is certain to recall many pleasant memories to all listeners.
The title song, “Memories Are Made of This”, gets things started with a delightfully happy sound and infectious beat. A new Conniff rhythmic sound is heard for the first time on “Tammy”, as flamenco rhythms of guitars add a new richness to the orchestra’s Latin beat. This same treatment is used to exciting advantage again on “Around the World”, “No Other Love”, “Three Coins in the Fountain,” and “My Foolish Heart”
When Laurens Hammond introduced his first organ, he certainly did not foresee that this instrument would mean a revolution in the world of music. Now, over thirty years later, THE HAMMOND ORGAN has a unique reputation as being the finest organ available. It is used in churches, concert-halls, recording studios and homes, and many musicians owe much of their reputation to the instrument, among them JIMMY SMITH, JACKIE DAVIS, ETHEL SMITH, EDDIE LAYTON and KEN GRIFFIN, world-famous artists in their particular styles. Now, the Hammond Brothers (in reality well-known Belgian organists Jan De Nef and Co Pilley) have joined forces, with the aid of a Hammond Concert Organ and a Hammond Luxe Spinet, to produce, after long hours of experimentation and rehearsal, “Hammonds in Harmony’. The arrangements (by T. Rendall) were made specifically with stereo reproduction in mind and the selection of titles was chosen for the possibility of unique chords and harmonies. No tricks have been employed in the recording, the organists played in the studios just as you hear it on the record. Surely, a Hammond record with a little “something” extra.
“Percy Faith’s music requires that you participate in a deeply involving listening experience. And you will be very happy that you did.“
Sleeve Notes:
In these days of pop-schlock and gimmicks, it is so refreshing to turn to a conductor-arranger such as Percy Faith. We say “these days” but, really, hasn’t it always been so? You see, Percy has always stayed with a very simple thing. It’s called music – simple, tasteful music. He has taken the best popular songs around and handled them, arranged them as if they were of the same substance as the classics. And, just by the way, he has made them sound like the classics – beautiful and imperishable. The title of this album is well taken – “The Sounds of Music.” Those are the sounds that Percy produces always. While every number in this collection is an acknowledged “standard,” songs so strong that any competent arranger could score with them, Maestro Faith gives them that added touch of taste he is so famous for, and they become bigger than ever, more memorable than ever. Unlike so many “pop” conductor-arrangers, Percy’s music is emphatically not background music, something to play behind party conversations or something to turn on softly while you dine. There is too much beautiful content to it, too much in the way of rich arrangement to half-ignore as mere background music. Percy Faith’s music requires that you participate in a deeply involving listening experience. And you will be very happy that you did.
This album by Frank Chacksfield was issued in both mono and stereo versions as many albums were during the sixties. Which one you bought was determined by whether you wanted to pay a dollar or pound more for the stereo version and/or whether you owned the equipment needed to play stereo records. Records released in the popular music (pop) genre were often given a stereo release as an after thought, if at all, especially during the first half of the sixties. The majority of teenagers who were the main audience for pop music owned simple mono records players such as the famous Dansette and with limited budgets buying mono was a sensible decision. Those who bought the first Beatles album “Please Please Me” on release in stereo would have made a very sound investment as a mint copy now fetches upwards of £4500 ($6000) when coming up for auction. If you fancy owing one of the Dansette record players be prepared to find several hundred big ones.
Sleeve Notes:
Here in the bountiful islands of the South Seas there is magic in the very air that surrounds us. It soaps us round softly and soothingly, touching the skin with an infinite gentleness. At night the whole symphony changes into a minor key. This is the time for the magic of music which grows out of the South Sea Islands as naturally as do the palm trees. The Indolent, wandering sound of the guitar carries far in the night as reaching out in the darkness to those who wish to hear without being seen. The touch of the tingling strings is carried on the light breeze along the beach and the plaintive call of the horn speaks out to express what words cannot. This is the music of a happy and friendly people; it is, like the traditional garland of flowers, a gift with which they greet the visitor; it is the magic by whose means they share their blessings with all the world. Chief dispenser of all this magic is our own Frank Chacksfield, a man who understands as well as anyone in the world how to paint a landscape in music. Not all of us can visit the South Sea Islands and that is why Frank Chacksfield has devoted his life to bringing harmony and relaxation to those who must stay at home. He was born at Battle in Sussex and studied music from the age of seven, first the piano and then the organ. Before he was fourteen he had appeared as soloist at the Hastings Music Festival. At the age of fifteen he formed his own dance band, but his parents were against his embarking on a musical career and he started working in a solicitor’s office. Undaunted, Frank worked all day at the Law and at night he studied music. In 1940 he joined the Army and his chance came when, after being transferred to the Southern Command Entertainments Section at Salisbury, he became Staff Arranger to the War Office shows “Stars in Battledress.” Sharing the same office was comedian Charlie Chester and the next step for Frank was a job as musical director with “Stand Easy” at Blackpool. Later he became a composer, arranger and conductor for a number of famous B.B.C shows and from that time onwards his place in the public eye could be said to be firmly established. Frank’s particular virtue is the presentation of popular music, or, as we see here, the imparting of magic to the score. His version of the theme from Limelight recorded for Decca in 1953 became one of the most notable best-sellers of that memorable year. Here once again he proves that even the best of music can benefit infinitely under the baton of the best of conductors.
Label: Eclipse Records ECM 2002 Cover photograph David Wedgbury
You may be under the impression from this cover alone, should you be unfamiliar with Howard Blake’s career, that this is just another throwaway cheapie like many others from the 60s and 70s. However this album is but one small piece of the Howard Blake jigsaw of career spanning highlights. Mr Blake is also the composer of the famous “Walking In The Air” song from the animated children’s film “The Snowman”. But alongside this Goliath of the music world he also wrote countless numbers for TV, radio, commercials and films. Those of a certain age may remember, for example, the Bounty chocolate bar TV adverts (“a taste of paradise”) and if you do you’ll almost certainly recall the tune that accompanied it. Hear it here for a quick reminder. In the meantime – “Sink back into that comfortable armchair and savour ‘That Hammond Sound’.
Sleeve Notes:
FOLLOWING THE INCREDIBLE SUCCESS OF HOWARD’S FIRST ALBUM, “HAMMOND IN PERCUSSION”, IT WAS DECIDED THAT A FURTHER ALBUM IN THIS SERIES SHOULD BE MADE AVAILABLE. “THAT HAMMOND SOUND” ONCE AGAIN DEMONSTRATES THE SUPERB ‘STUDIO 2 STEREO’ SOUND, AIDED BY THE MOST UP-TO-THE-MINUTE RECORDING TECHNIQUES AND BRINGING INTO YOUR OWN HOME THE EXCITING SOUNDS PRODUCED BY THIS GROUP OF LONDON’S TOP MUSICIANS. EVERY TRACK ON THE ALBUM HAS BEEN SPECIALLY ARRANGED BY HOWARD HIMSELF AND HE ALSO COMPOSED THE VERY WISTFUL TITLE, SCORPIO. SO, SINK BACK INTO THAT COMFORTABLE ARMCHAIR AND SAVOUR “THAT HAMMOND SOUND”.
