Listen To:


Selected MP3s of guitar instrumentals, jazz, big band, and classic easy listening from the original vinyl.

Welcome to Guitars & All That Jazz

Welcome to Guitars & All That Jazz

Guitars & All That Jazz was a radio station that webcast via Live365 for 11 years, ending in June 2011. The playlist consisted of guitar instrumentals, jazz, big band, early rock 'n' roll, lounge music and classic easy listening.

I hope to share some of this music with you via this blog. Most of it will be taken from the original vinyl (LPs and 45s) , cassettes and the occasional commercially unavailable CD.

Here's hoping you'll find something to enjoy. Please note files are available only for a limited time.

I urge you to purchase the digital version of the albums featured, either on CD or via download, wherever possible.

Listen to the Music
There are now two music streams. Click the appropriate player to the right.
1. Guitars & All That Jazz: Five hours of the best in jazz, guitars and other instrumental gems. New songs are added weekly.
2. Tiki Shores: Music to sweep you away to a tropical isle, a South American dance floor or a bossa nova on the beach at Rio. About 4.5 hours of classic exotica music, Latin rhythms and bossa nova.
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Thursday, August 29, 2013

Uncredited Artist (Longines Symphonette) - Hawaii...Melodies from Paradise


No matter what you might think of the product put out by those mail order record companies like Reader's Digest and Longines Symphonette in the 1960s and '70s, there's no denying they usually took extreme care with the technical quality of their LPs.

Happily this five-record box set, probably from the early to mid-1970s, is no exception. Hawaii...Melodies from Paradise is, at least for me, an enjoyable experience from both technical and musical standpoints. Granted this isn't authentic Hawaiian music and probably was recorded in the mainland U.S. or perhaps in the United Kingdom, where much of the Longines product originated. (For some background on Longines Symphonette, read this post and this one as well.)

A melodic steel guitar lead is framed by muted brass on many of the selections -- to excellent effect. Here's a sample.

Blue Hawaii



Most people associate Blue Hawaii as the title tune for the 1961 Elvis Presley film, but it was actually written for a 1937 movie, Waikiki Wedding, starring Bing Crosby, who sang it backed by Lani McIntyre and His Hawaiians, a genuine Hawaiian musical group. Here's how it sounded.


And if you're interested in the Hawaii...Melodies from Paradise set watch your local thrift stores. It seems to turn up in playable condition fairly often.


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