Lee Wiley - Night in Manhattan

Jazz singer Lee Wiley (1910-1975) pioneered the concept of recording albums of songs that shared a common composer or theme.

Those albums began appearing in the late 1930s as sets of four 10-inch 78 r.p.m. records. Wiley recorded sets devoted to the Gershwins, Cole Porter, Rodgers and Hart, and Harold Arlen. In the '40s Wiley performed with the big band of pianist Jess Stacy (to whom she was married for a time) and with small groups organized by guitarist Eddie Condon.

In 1950, Wiley signed with Columbia, where she recorded what many consider to be her best album, Night in Manhattan, backed by a group that included trumpeter Bobby Hackett and pianist Joe Bushkin. The LP was first issued as a 10-incher with the cover pictured at the top of this post.

Four additional tracks were made available for the 12-inch release, which had this cover.

In 1995, Columbia Special Products reissued the LP on cassette and CD with the cover below.

Here's a track taken from the cassette version of the 1995 re-release.

I've Got a Crush on You



There are numerous options for obtaining on CD or via downloads the songs that Lee Wiley recorded for the Night in Manhattan sessions. Most of them are listed here.

And here's Wiley with the song that set the mood for Night in Manhattan.

Dave & Ansil Collins - Double Barrel (Version 2) (45 single)

The Jamaican duo of Dave and Ansil Collins had a brief fling with international fame when their single Double Barrel hit the charts in 1971.

This wasn't a brothers duo. Dave was Dave Barker, a session vocalist, while Ansil (or Ansel, as he was billed on the Double Barrel album) Collins was a keyboardist, usually playing a cheesy sounding organ.

The duo was shortlived. After an album based on the hit single, Barker and Collins went their separate ways.

You'll notice that the Double Barrel single above is labelled Version 2. This is an unadulterated instrumental, without Barker's shouted vocal interjections, and appeared only (as far as I know) on the flip side of the 45, which was issued on the Techniques label in Jamaica and the U.K. and on Big Tree in the U.S.

Double Barrel (Version 2)



This instrumental track did not appear on the Double Barrel LP which followed, although the album did include a track called Impossible Mission, a rejigged version of the title song.

Check out the difference in the album cover art between the U.K.-Jamaican release and the U.S. one.

Notice the naked women in the gun barrels. These were cut out of the U.S. release. Also "Ansel" is spelled with one "L" -- on the U.S. cover it has two "L's." On the single it was "Ansil" - "I" instead of "E" and with one "L."

There are a several options for obtaining Double Barrel and other tracks by Dave and Ansil Collins on either CD or as downloads. View them here. Many of the album tracks are instrumentals.

And finally here's the hit version of Double Barrel.

Al Hirt - The Heart and Soul of Dixieland Jazz

This five-LP box set, issued by the Longines Symphonette Society in 1967, consisted in large part of recordings that Al Hirt made for the Audio Fidelity label in the late 1950s. The trumpeter was appearing at a New Orleans club called Dan's Pier 600 at the time and hadn't yet achieved much fame beyond his home base. That would change in the following decade when Hirt signed with RCA Victor and recorded hits like Cotton Candy and Java.

The Audio Fidelity recordings were made by a sextet that included Harold Cooper on clarinet, Bob Havens on trombone, pianist Ronnie DuPont, Bob Coquille on bass and Paul Edwards, drums. Unlike most Dixieland sessions, the emphasis wasn't on the ensemble but on the featured soloist, in this case Hirt. Here's a sample track.

Up a Lazy River



Almost all of Hirt's Audio Fidelity recordings are available digitally. The British-based Jasmine label has recently released Swinging Dixie, a two-CD set that combines three of the Audio Fidelity LPs. It's widely available and can be had via download as well.

If you're keen on vinyl, The Heart and Soul of Dixieland Jazz turns up frequently online, with many copies selling at a reasonable price. Thrift stores and garage sales are other sources for this excellent box set.

The following version of Up a Lazy River is by another New Orleans veteran, Pete Fountain. The track comes from a 1975 LP on Monument called Super Jazz, which featured both Fountain and Hirt separately as well as three selections that they perform together. Lazy River is by Fountain alone, despite the credit on the YouTube video.

Martin Denny - Forbidden Island

Forbidden Island, released by Liberty in 1958, was Martin Denny's third album, following the success of Exotica and Exotica, Vol. 2, both released the previous year.

Forbidden Island was also Denny's first album recorded without vibraphonist Arthur Lyman, who had left to form a group very similar to Denny's. To replace Lyman, Denny hired Julius Wechter (who would later lead the Baja Marimba Band). But the music didn't change -- a mixture of exotic-sounding instrumentation, easy listening and rain forest sound effects, including lots of bird calls.

Forbidden Island included a couple of Rodgers and Hammerstein songs, March of the Siamese Children from The King and I and Bali Ha'i from South Pacific.

Bali Ha'i



Forbidden Island has received at least two CD reissues -- in 1996 on Scamp when it was paired with Denny's followup, Primateva, and 10 years later by a British label, Rev-Ola. The latter disc included both mono and stereo versions of the album. The Scamp release is top quality but I'm not sure what source was used by Rev-Ola. Both versions are still available online, but are expensive. Forbidden Island also is available as a download from most of the major sources.

From YouTube, here's the title song from Forbidden Island.

The Scavengers - Curfue (single)

Curfue (sic) is the "B" side of an obscure 1964 single ("A" side - Oasis) recorded by The Scavengers, an instrumental band from Grand Rapids, Mich. According to the Grand Rapid Rocks website, the members of the group were Wayne VanDam, lead guitar; George Pawlowski, drums; George Snider, bass; and George Lake, rhythm guitar.

Curfue



A copy of the Oasis/Curfue single sold for $44 on eBay in 2011. This release appears to constitute the entire catalogue of this Michigan band. There was at least one other mid-1960s instrumental group called The Scavengers, but they were based in California.

Milt Jackson & His Gold Medal Winners - Brother Jim (2nd post)

This 1986 album marked the end of Milt Jackson's contract with the Pablo label. The background of the album, as well as a different track, are available in this earlier post. Almost all of the previous information is still relevant.

This time around the track is Ill Wind, a tune which Harold Arlen composed (with lyrics by Ted Koehler) for a 1934 revue at the Cotton Club. The MP3 is taken from a cassette version of Jackson's album.

Ill Wind



Cheap copies of Brother Jim seem to have disappeared since my original post in June 2012. Expect to pay $15 and up for a used CD online. Used LPs appear to be only a couple of dollars cheaper. The album still is not available as a download.

From YouTube comes Harold Arlen himself singing and playing Ill Wind. No source or date is given.

Los Relampagos - Dos Cruces (single)

Los Relampagos (The Lightning) was a popular instrumental group in Spain during the 1960s. They specialized in pop arrangements of classical and traditional Spanish songs and were influenced by bands like Johnny & the Hurricanes and The Shadows.

The Dos Cruces (Two Crosses) single dates from 1965. The lead guitarist is obviously a fan of The Shadows' Hank Marvin.

Dos Cruces



There are several albums by Los Relampagos available on CD or as downloads from several sources. Most concentrate on the group's popular recordings from the '60s and almost always include Dos Cruces. The quality of the recordings probably varies widely, so sample before buying if possible.

Los Relampagos continued recording regularly into the 1970s and there have been occasional reunions since then. The date isn't readily apparent but this performance of Dos Cruces on a TV show appears to have occurred well after the peak of their popularity. Audio quality is good, video less so.