Teasing the Korean

Thanks. I wonder if the Pablo double LP sounds any better than the CD.

In my many years of record shopping, I have learned that if an artist I don't particularly like has a massive catalog, they will often record one or two great albums accidentally, by the law of averages. Percy Faith's "Black Magic Woman" LP is a great example.

Thanks Mike. I have the top two but not the others. Never heard the Proper box.

Ra

I have the Pablo CD with 24 tracks Machito did for Norman Granz, and it sounds like it has been excessively no-noised. The tracks on the Verve "Original Mambo Kings" collection sound much better. Is there a better alternative to the Pablo CD? I realize these are far from audiophile recordings.

Never heard of them. At least you got to retire from the jazz police. I had my membership revoked.

"Twenty Tunes - Two at a Time" is the description on Manny's album "More Double Exposure," his second entry in the RCA Stereo Action series. (His first "Double Exposure" album was on the Top Rank label.) Manny selects two songs with similar chord progressions and arranges them to play simultaneously, generally one in each speaker. It is gimmicky, and nowhere near as good as the aforementioned "Dream" album, but it has its moments, particularly "Stairway to the Stars - Do Nothing Till Ypu Hear From Me." The tracks employing harp and strings are the best. The soloists are not credited.

"The sound your eyes can follow!" This is how RCA marketed its gimmicky Stereo Action LP series, featuring different sections of the orchestra magically flying back and forth between speakers, and always changing positions relative to each other - as if this occurs in live settings. And so I spin one of Manny Albam's two entries in this series, "I Had the Craziest Dream," featuring standards about dreams. Soloists include the ubiquitous Phil Woods, Clark Terry, and Bob Brookmeyer. These arrangements are absolutely gorgeous, especially if you have mid-century modern decor. He uses three different ensembles, one of which includes strings, and all of which include rhythm, brass, winds, and harp.

Kenton/Richards has a space-age sparkle that I find irresistible, along with crime jazz content, particularly on the track "Cool." That plus Dr. Jacoby is on the cover. How cool is that? Mrs. Korean approves of both the Kenton/Richards and Manny albums, and I implicitly trust her opinions on jazz. What do you think of that Manny album called "Soul of the City?" That is my favorite. I will look for that! Possible spoiler alert, but Dr. Jacoby is batshit crazy in the recent third season of Twin Peaks!

Yesterday, Mrs. Korean and I had pesto for dinner. (I prepared the pesto, and I was particularly impressed by the garlic/parmesan ratios.) Serving time was right about the time that "Soul of the City" wrapped up. I asked Mrs. Korean if we should remain in a Manny Albam bag, and she enthusiastically replied, "Oh, yes, Daddy," as if she were a character in Skip Martin liner Notes. So, I played Manny's "West Side Story," on a mono Decca LP. When I am in the mood for WSS music, I typically reach for either Lenny's 20-minute orchestral suite, which appeared on one side of a Columbia LP, or the Stan Kenton/Johnny Richards Capitol LP, the cover of which features Russ Tamblyn, who would go on to play Dr. Jacoby in David Lynch's "Twin Peaks." So those two kind of overshadow Manny's album, which nevertheless features gorgeous arrangements. The confusingly credited ensemble indicates that this is scored for 3 trumpets, 3 trombones, 3 saxes, and rhythm section. Soloists include Al Cohn, Nick Travis, Hank Jones, Bob Brookmeyer, Eddie Costa, Jim Cleveland, Ernie Royal, among others. When I was a kid, I took the "West Side Story" songs for granted. They were part of the postwar wallpaper. As I get older, I am increasingly in awe of this music. There is some leftover pesto, which I may enjoy later with one of Manny's RCA Stereo Action albums.

I am now spinning "Soul of the City." This is a killer concept album, an ode to the concrete jungle, dating from 1966, on the Solid State label. This is a white label promo, in mono. Stylistically, this is probably closer to early 60s. It is arranged for a large ensemble with strings. At various points, I am reminded of Lalo Schifrin, Quincy Jones, or Michel Legrand. Lots of the New York regulars are here, including Hank Jones and Phil Woods. This is an essential album for fans of private eye jazz or concept albums about the naked city.

Listening now to "Guitar Moods." This is such a great record. My Dad wrote a concept album and did a demo of the album with my Mom singing the songs, accompanied by Mundell on guitar. I really need to digitize this.

Mike, I do not know of any, but my Puente accumulation was driven more by what I encountered vs. what I sought out. I was lucky to live in or visit locations where 1950s Latin LPs were everywhere for 50 cents. Finding copies in good shape was the challenge. Considering how popular Latin music was in the US in the 1950s, particularly within American Jewish communities, how important were the Cuban/Puerto Rican distinstinctions among non-Latinos at the time? Regarding the live gigs, perhaps they reflected the "Something for Everyone" approach that I pick up from the LPs? I'm guessing Puente was good at reading crowds. If he were playing Grossinger's, the goal I'm sure would have been to keep people on the dance floor. But he probably would have thrown in a couple of jazzier numbers for variety? Regarding your comparison of Puente to Kenton, and his music not moving you on the same way as some of Puente's contemporaries, I will say this, as someone who owns lots of 50s Latin music: Puente at his best, for me, is up there with any of the Latin jazz greats of the era, but unfortunately, those moments are few and far between. It may be two tracks from this album and one track from another. Still, I can't imagine being without these records. By far, my favorite Puente album is "Tambo," from 1960. I hope you will extend your discography to at least include that one.

I have been spinning each album after Mike posts it. I would be interested I hearing Mike's opinion on the content of the albums we have discussed thus far, in particular, how well they hang together as albums. I always felt like Puente is often going for a "Something for Everyone" approach with these albums - some vocals, some instrumentals, some stuff that is fairly simple harmonically, some tracks with some more jazzy harmonies, and maybe one Kentonian opus. Of the RCA albums that I have, which include most of those listed thus far, I often feel compelled to skip something or other to get to the money cuts. "Night Beat" is fairly stylistically consistent from my perspective.

"Night Beat" is excellent. My mono LP sounds better than the corresponding tracks sound on the "Mambo Beat" CD comp. The money cut is "Night Ritual." "Malibu Beat" is total crime jazz. It could fit on Stanley Wilson's "M Squad" LP. Similarly, "The Late, Late Scene" could fit on Warren Barker's "77 Sunset Strip" album.

"Swingin' the Mambo" on "Mambo on Broadway" is the money cut. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=tBIsYTP9mr0 Now listening to the "Night Beat" LP, LPM 1447

Listening now to "Let's Cha Cha." Some of these tracks are harmonically more interesting than what you encounter on a typical cha cha album of the era. Favorite tracks include "Lindo Cha-Cha," "Vibe Guajira," "Habanero," "Cha Charugao," "You Are an Angel," and "Cubarama."

It is weird, because it is the fundamental aspect of music.

I learned over the years that lot of kit drummers do not know how to modify their style to accommodate a conga or bongo player. They just do their thing, and expect the hand percussionist to follow along. And a lot of sound men in live settings do not understand the concept of placing the conga more predominantly in the mix than the kits. They too assume that the kit is the main thing and that the conga player is there as a stage prop.

Again, I started this thread as someone with dozens of all-percussion records. I really think my issue with these albums is that they often fail to settle into consistent and compelling grooves, primarily because Art seems unwilling or unable to simply groove with the percussionists. He is the Great Art Blakey on hard bop sessions, but here, he is out of his element. That and I really don't like the high-life numbers on "The African Beat."

So this summer, I am warming up to "Orgy in Rhythm" more so than in previous years. I skip the godawful "Come Out and Meet Me Tonight," but the rest of it is generally good, except for the parts where Art runs out of ideas and bashes the cymbals. Luckily that doesn't happen too often. Anyway, I have the stereo going in the family room, and I simultaneously blast jungle sound effects from the tiki bar. The jungle sound effects improve the album.

Thanks! I missed this when you posted it!

Thank you!

This sounds right up my alley. Is it on Capitol?

What era?