Now Sound — LPs  

Fantastic French grooves from the end of the 60s – a killer set of jazz-based tracks recorded by trumpeter Ivan Jullien, with help from funky arranger Michel Colombier! Jullien recorded a fair bit of jazz and studio work around the time, and his playing here is razor-sharp – and supported by Colombier grooves that rival his best soundtrack material, his experiments with Pierre Henry, or his backings for singers like Serge Gainsbourg or Brigitte Bardot! Colombier also plays keyboards on the record, as does the great Maurice Vander – amidst a host of other great French jazzmen who include Pierre Gossez on sax, Roger Guerin on additional trumpet, and Eddie Louiss on organ. Drums are nice and funky on most cuts – and the whole thing kicks even more than most funky big band records on MPS! Includes the great break cut "I Remember Otis" – plus "Sonoro", "The Looser", "Talk", "An Oscar For Eddy", "Wake The Monster", "Edith", and "Crescendo".

Hard to imagine Anita Kerr being turned on – especially given her school marm-ish look on the cover – but the album's a pretty darn groovy set, and one that certainly shows Kerr picking up some of the best easy elements of the 60s! The Burt Kaempfert touch is heard here especially in the album's use of electric bass – a nicely bouncing element that gives most of the tunes a lot more of a bottom than some of Kerr's other work – used in that trademark stepping style that Burt first laid down himself a few years before on worldwide instrumental hits, and made even better here by Anita's great quartet and their warmly-crafted vocal harmonies! Titles include many tunes presented in a Kaempfert-styled way – but with vocals – and tracks include "Love", "I Can't Help Remembering You", "Two Can Live On Love Alone", 'Spanish Eyes", "Remember When", "Danke Schoen", "Strangers In The Night", "Wonderland By Night", and "A Swingin' Safari".

Although not nearly as well-remembered as Lenny Bruce, Mort Sahl is really our favorite comedian from the late 50s. He's got this incredible delivery style that is both immediately arresting and surprisingly heartfelt – and instead of doing short canned "bits", he just sort of rambles on at length about news, politics, and other groovy subjects. This album captures him before a very hip crowd at San Francisco's legendary Hungry I, and it's probably as good a glimpse into post-war American neuroses as you'll ever get!