Bert Kaempfert

Herbert Rehbein And His Orchestra – Bert Kaempfert Presents Love

Bert Kaempfert presents Love

Sleeve Notes:

Listening to music is a matter of time, place and, of course, — mood. Here we have music which is especially played for all lovers and for those who are falling in love, as the title says.
But not only lovers have tender moods, and so we think, that this is also music for listening if you are alone and want to relax awhile, or, if there is a party, people will enjoy some smooth and sweet background music.

This music, however, is also dedicated to connoisseurs of good light music. These performances — outstandingly presented by Bert Kaempfert and recorded under his direction, arranged and conducted by Herbert Rehbein — reach a high standard of quality, “light-musically” speaking. The idea of placing a solo saxophone in contrast to a background of strings was made popular by the great Charlie Parker. Since that time there is a tradition of arranging in this style which has mainly appeared in American light music. The present recordings appreciate the best of tradition in that field, and it is Bert Kaempfert’s merit to give it the following in Europe, which it so worthily deserves.

Listen to Emil Wurster’s tenor playing and note, how his figures blend with the sound of strings, although his tone and phrasing show a deep feeling for jazz. Now move into the mood of romance and listen to 12 beautiful and sweet melodies, which will enchant you time and time again.

Label: Polydor 237 644
1964 1960s Covers

Bert Kaempfert and his Orchestra - Dreaming The Blues

Bert Kaempfert and his Orchestra – Dreaming The Blues

Sleeve Notes:

Over several years and many records, musicians have searched for that elusive, different — and commercial — ‘sound’. And one or two of them have even found it. Glenn Miller, as a notable example. He truly struck gold in the big band field with those distinctive and so individual arrangements. But that Miller Magic was born many years ago and few, if any, bandleaders have been able to emulate him since.

Few bandleaders, that is, with the exception of the remarkable Bert Kaempfert. For the Hamburg-born musician did a Miller and hit upon a unique, inspired may in which to blend and voice the instruments under his command. A way which produced an overall sound — the dominant bass line, the regimented swing of the beat, the muted brass, and the general air of quality — that quite literally grabbed the public by the ear. All of which is very evident from the many millions of Bert Kaempfert LPs which have delighted record listeners the world over.

Bert Kaempfert became interested in music at a very early age —when he was discovered trying to make tunes on the old piano in the parlour. His parents encouraged him by sending him for private lessons and later he was enrolled at the Hamburg School of Music from which he graduated with flying colours.

In addition to piano, he learned to play clarinet, saxophone, and accordion. And, before long, his talents as arranger and composer began to emerge. His recording career began effectively in 1960 when the ‘single’ of his own song, “Wonderland By Night”, topped the American charts and became a million-seller. And there were to be many more successes along the way — notably his “Strangers In The Night” composition, which he wrote for a film and which gave Frank Sinatra a long-awaited Number One hit, and “Bye Bye Blues”, his British chart debut record.

The Bert Kaempfert talents are all contained on this LP, with many of his own compositions, like “Happy Trumpeter”, “The Bass Walks” “Explorer”, and “Catalania”, sharing the honours with such well-loved ‘standards’ as “Blue Moon” and “Cherokee”.

The Kaempfert Sound, in fact. And for a musician’s work to be that instantly recognisable must be satisfaction indeed to the man whose brainchild it was in the first place.

Syd Gillingham

Bert Kaempfert and his Orchestra - Dreaming The Blues

Label: Contour 2870 441
Photograph: Michel Leguens
Sleeve Design: Jack Levy

1970 1970s Covers

Bert Kaempfert - Bert Kaempfert Special

Bert Kaempfert – Bert Kaempfert Special

Sleeve Notes:

SIDE ONE TENDER MELODY (Knofel) JERSEY BOUNCE (Plater-Bradshaw-Johnson) HORIZON (HORIZONTE ) (Lara) CHA! BULL! (Leiber-Stoller) MASON DIXON LINE (Eddy-Hazlewood)

SIDE TWO SHEPHERD’S CHA CHA (Kaye-Carr) LONGING FOR YOU (Rohn) ARIZONA FLIP (Bones) CANNON BALL (Eddy-Hazlewood) LAS VEGAS (Kaempfert)

Bert Kaempfert comes from Hamburg and his pre-war life was spent solely in his home country. After a spectacular career at the Hamburg School of Music, during which he mastered piano, accordion, clarinet and saxophone, he embarked on his musical career by joining a popular band of the day run by Hans Busch. His ability soon earned him regular national radio work.

In the United States Kaempfert’s single of ‘WONDERLAND BY NIGHT’, released in 1960, staggered the record business. No-one could have forseen the fantastic effect his music had on the paying public who bought over a million of this single and sent it to No. 1 in the American charts. His orchestra was voted ‘Up and coming Orchestra of the Year’ in 1961 in a Cash Box Poll.

Bert Kaempfert - Bert Kaempfert Special

Label: Contour 2870101

1971 1970s Covers

Bert Kaempfert - Dance Time

Bert Kaempfert – Dance Time

Sleeve Notes:

The prima, function of any first-class orchestra should be two-fold. Firstly it must create musical sounds which are a pleasure to listen to, and secondly its leader must show an awareness of tempo that meets the needs of dancers.

Few orchestra leaders in the world today are capable of succeeding on both levels as effectively as Bert Kaempfert. This helps to explain why the Kaempfert orchestral style has become one of the most imitated in the world. Nothing, of course, can ever match the original and when the Kaempfert crew swing into action there is a supreme sense of exhilaration which is usually lacking in the imitators.

Kaempfert’s gift for tempo and mood is quite vividly illustrated by the selection of music on this disc, an attractive and colourful mixture of standards and originals. The free, spontaneous communication which exists between Bert and his many fans is somehow a natural culmination of the music itself. His approach is always an honest one. Take, for instance, his interpretation of the Vincent Youmans classic, written in 1930, Time On My Hands. Here we have Kaempfert the orchestrator at his best, giving full emphasis to the excellent melody and at the same time bringing it solidly up to data by applying a modern approach to the rhythm, all of which makes the song sound even better—particularly for dancing. Like most Kaempfert recordings this disc carries a generous quote of Bert’s own compositions. Especially good are Living It Up and The Happy Trumpeter. The former contains all the best elements of Kaempfert’s approach to big band orchestration while the latter is typical of the composer’s sense of musical fun. Amongst the other titles one could single out are Stompin’ At The Savoy, a well-known big band standard recalling the heyday of the famous Swing Era in general, and the great Benny Goodman in particular. Bert’s treatment is, of course, identifiably Kaempfert in style while remaining faithful to the original in spirit. Indeed the same could be said of The Sheik Of Araby, a well-loved tune stemming from an even sadist period in popular musical history. Kaempfert clearly had a ball recording this one and combining the tune’s originalatmosphere with his own distinctive musical personality.

It’s the same delightful pattern of melodic and percussive flair that Kaempfert displays throughout all the twelve tracks presented here. Dance Time with Bert Kaempfert is an exhilarating experience – and one to repeat often, whether you’re a listener Or a dancer.

Bert Kaempfert - Dance Time

Label: Reader’s Digest GEKL 8A/S3

1970s Covers

Bert Kaempfert - Safari Swings Again

Bert Kaempfert – Safari Swings Again

That’s Bert Kaempfert on the back cover in all his magisterial fineness, running the show, producing, arranging, making the teas. Like all pragmatists Bert thought better of pasting a large image of himself on the front cover. He knew the benefits of featuring a pretty woman there instead, not least of which is the opportunity to shift many more units.

Bert Kaempfert - Safari Swings Again

Label: Polydor 2310 494
Design: Jill Mumford
Artwork: Wadewood
Photography: Martyn Goddard

1977 1970s Covers

Bert Kaempfert and his Orchestra - A Swinging' Safari

Bert Kaempfert and his Orchestra – A Swinging’ Safari

Sleeve Notes:

Composer-conductor-arranger Bert Kaempfert created a sensation with the million-selling hit recording of the hauntingly beautiful WONDERLAND BY NIGHT. With it, he almost single-handedly reestablished the popularity of the big band, and in so doing became one of its most popular and vital forces.

WONDERLAND has been followed by a bright succession of Kaempfert hits the most recent of which, and perhaps the most significant being AFRICAN BEAT together with the title song of this album, and THAT HAPPY FEELING. All these three titles are original Kaempfert compositions, and they represent with their brilliant trumpet passages and beautiful intrusions of massed strings one of the most rhythmically exciting and melodically imaginative sounds ever conceived by Mr. Kaempfert or anyone else on the scene today.

Mr. Kaempfert, like many other modern young men of music, has long been fascinated by the music of Africa; and in particular by the unique rhythms and “penny whistle” sound that is the result of the mergings of Europeon and African negro elements in South Africa. Thus, this album is the outcome of much research and study. Its moods range from softly sentimental to almost boisterously swinging. The sound is characteristically rich.

Bert Kaempfert and his Orchestra - A Swinging' Safari

Label: Polydor 237 584

1962 1960s Covers