A crazy album of funky tracks from Lalo Schifrin – very different than most of his other jazz and bossa work! This set's got some very tripped out styles that mix together funky backings, jazzy riffing, and even some nice electronics – a sweet little groove that's even more wild and hip than even the best of Schifrin's soundtrack work from the 60s! Some tunes certainly show the deft talent for arranging woodwinds and rhythms that first caught the ears of so many listeners on famous soundtracks – but in the setting of this record, away from any directorial needs, Lalo's also free to explore some groovier music ideas – and he really lets loose tremendously as the set rolls on! The titles alone should tell you the feel of the record – with names like "Secret Code", "Dissolving", "Vaccinated Mushrooms", "Wheat Germ Landscapes", and "How To Open at Will The Most Beautiful Window". (Jazz, Now Sound) LP, Vinyl record album

After Shock comes Panic – the sequel to Creed Taylor's previous album for ABC, and like that one, a very weird mix of jazzy backings, odd sound effects, and cool production techniques! The record begins with a familiar core – jazzy instrumentals, of the sort that Taylor was already producing for other artists, and would go on to do even more famously for Verve. But here, the music's really played with too – changed up in the middle of a song, as the rhythms get weird, sound effects come in, and the whole thing gets turned into a batch of spooky little scenes that more than live up to the title of the record – and the titles of the songs, which include "Alpine Honeymoon", "Wreck Of Old 97", "A Shot In The Dark", "The Fastest Gun", "No Smoking", "The Operation", and "The Prison Break". (Jazz, Now Sound) LP, Vinyl record album

Dave blows on a set of tunes lifted from TV shows of the early 60s – including "See The USA", "Like Young", "Sing Along", "This Could Be The Start of Something", "Lively One", and "Melancholy Serenade". The backings have the Pell voices in the background on most tunes – not as groovy as on later work, but still in a nice mode that has them singing dreamily while Dave takes care of the reall jazz component. And the jazz approach is stronger than you might think, thanks to arrangements by Bob Florence. (Jazz, Now Sound) LP, Vinyl record album

A huge run of records from Yma Sumac – presented here in a box that collects just about everything she recorded for Capitol Records in the 50s! First up is Voice Of The Xtaby – legendary vocal work from the postwar years – some of the earliest recordings from the enigmatic Yma Sumac – an artist whose records really laid the groundwork for an entire generation of exotica records to come! Sumac's authenticity has been debated over the years – but there's no denying that she's got this incredible vocal range – a many-octave approach that almost makes her sound like a human theremin – as she works with exotic backings from Les Baxter to offer up a take on Peruvian roots, styled towards a 50s bachelor pad listener! Titles include "Xtaby", "Wayra", "Taita Inty", "Monos", and "Tumpa". Legend Of The Sun is early work from Yma Sumac – with that moody mix of other worldly vocals and semi-Latin instrumentation that made her a popular one with the early exotic crowd. Yma runs up and down the vocal scale, while Moises Vivanco leads the band in a set of crashing dramatic orchestrations with a Peruvian feel. Tracks include "Sunray Surita", "Mamallayi", "No Es Vida", "Ccori Canastitay", and "Kon Tiki". The package features selections from the album Flahooley – one of the more obscure Yma Sumac albums from the 50s – a Broadway production with a larger cast – and much more of a musical than Sumac's other records. Yma really stands out in the show, though – singing a few special numbers with music by Moises Vivanco – but the rest is familiar Broadway modes of the early 50s, penned by Sammy Fain & EY Harburg. Sumac titles include "Najala's Song Of Joy", "Najala's Lament", and "Come Back Little Genie Birds". Mambo is quite possibly our favorite album ever by the enigmatic Yma Sumac – thanks to some lively arrangements by Billy May, who gives the set a swinging jazzy groove! As you might guess from the cover, the style here is more in a Latin jazz mode than some of Yma's other more ethereal work – and that style turns out to be a wonderful fit for Sumac's incredible vocals – creating a batch of driving tunes that swing nicely, yet still have a spooky exotic sound on the top! Titles include "Bo Mambo", "Taki Rari", "Goomba Boomba", "Malambo No 1", and "Five Bottles Mambo". Inca Taqui is an early 10" LP – on which Yma Sumac sings chants of the Andes – and authentic or not, the sound's pretty darn great! The record's in the same format as her other early work for Capitol – tunes written by Moises Vivanco, who also conducts the backings in a dramatic early 50s style that's perfect for Yma's wonderful voice! And whether or not these tunes are actually the ones that all the cats in Peru were singing up in the mountains, they still sound pretty darn great as a key part of postwar exotica! Titles include "Incachao", "Llulla Mak'Ta", "Chuncho", "K'Arawi", and "Cumbe-Maita". Legend Of The Jivaro is one of Yma's more "historical" records – and the notes say that the album is "the rare plum of authenticity". We don't know if we'd go that far, but we can tell you that the record features Yma performing songs of the legendary Jivaro headhunters! Supposedly, Yma learned them in her "South American jungle-home", but we keep wondering why the headhunters took the time to teach her, when they could have been shrinking her head. Tracks include "Yawar", "Shou Condor", "Aullay", "Sumac Soratena", and "Hampi". Last up is Fuego Del Ande – one of the most obscure albums by vocalist Yma Sumac – and one of the most compelling too! The album has Yma working in the Andean style of her earlier 10" albums for Capitol – working with Moises Vivanco on a set of tunes that have a much more traditional and almost folkloric style than some of her work with Les Baxter. Titles include "Clamor", "Dale Que Dale", "Llora Corazon", "Gallito Caliente", "La Molina", and "Flor De Canela". CD

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". (Jazz, Now Sound) CD

Bud Shank takes on the sounds of The Beatles – and a whole host of other 60s pop stars as well – all with results that are as jazzy as they are groovy! The album's one of a few that Bud cut for Liberty in this format – alto and flute spread out over fuller backings from Bob Florence, a great arranger who knows how to make things swing by bringing in some wonderful 60s touches! There's a bit of guitar at times, some compressed horns – ala A&M – and some overall mod rhythms that help change things up nicely from tune to tune. Titles include "Michelle", "Yesterday", "Blue On Blue", "Sounds Of Silence", "Turn Turn Turn", "As Tears Go By", and "Girl". (Jazz, Now Sound) LP, Vinyl record album

One of the strangest albums ever from exotica maestro Martin Denny – and one of the coolest as well! The strength of the album is already broadcast by the title – as Denny plays plenty of moog in the record, mixed with his own usual flair for exotic rhythms – expanded slightly by arrangements from Clark Gassman, who really knows how to keep up the pace in a great way. The keyboards have lots of wild sounds, with chirps and flutters that would make Perry & Kingsley proud – and the backing's a bit funkier than usual, with some nice electric basslines to keep the groove coming. Includes a great version of Baden Powell's "Canto De Ossanha", a remake of "Quiet Village", a moody take on "Midnight Cowboy", and a jazzy moogy version of "Cast Your Fate To The Wind". LP, Vinyl record album

Gimmicky titles, but some of Doris Day's best album work of the 50s! Both records feature Doris singing to backings by Paul Weston – mostly in an easy mode on the "night" record, and a bit more driving and jazzy on the "day" album. Titles include "Gone With The Wind", "Soft As The Starlight", "The Lamp Is Low", "Close Your Eyes", "You Do Something To Me", "But Not For Me", "The Song Is You", "I Remember You", "But Beautiful", "Don't Take Your Love From Me", and "Dream A Little Dream Of Me". CD

A pretty nice set of "mood jazz in hi fi" – featuring Don on the mellophone, trumpet, and vibes – working with a surprisingly hip group that features Bill Evans, Hal McKusick, Paul Motian, and Barry Galbraith. A number of tunes feature backings by a vocal choir of 6 voices – dreamily setting a field of sound for the main soloists to work through – creating a style that actually works better here than some of Elliott's straighter jazz sides of the time. Titles include "A Waltz", "Blue Waltz", "Poinciana", "Summer Scene", "Tired Of Me", and "A Million Dreams Ago". Quite nice, with some dark and modern edges that you wouldn't expect! (Jazz, Now Sound) LP, Vinyl record album

A beautifully moody record from the Japanese jazz scene of the postwar years – a set that features plenty of guitar solos from Shoichiro Matsumiya – over spare backings by Shin Watanabe and his Six Joes! (Jazz, Now Sound) LP, Vinyl record album

A fantastic soundtrack that's maybe even more legendary than the unusual animated film for which it was created – a funky French classic that stands strong in the best tradition of work by Serge Gainsbourg, Jean-Claude Vannier, and Michel Colombier! No surprise, Alain Goraguer is part of the same generation, and did some great early jazzy backings for Serge – but here, his style is much funkier, with lots of sweet keyboard lines, wah wah guitar, and soaring larger orchestrations that really put the whole thing together – clearly one of Alain's best musical moments – and filled with great tunes that include "Le Bracelet", "Deshominisation", "Mort De Draag", "La Femme", "Mira Et Ten", and "Ten Et Medor". Plus, this great reissue is mixed from the original tapes – and features 10 more bonus tracks – all appearing here for the first time ever! (Soundtracks, Now Sound) CD

A fantastic soundtrack that's maybe even more legendary than the unusual animated film for which it was created – a funky French classic that stands strong in the best tradition of work by Serge Gainsbourg, Jean-Claude Vannier, and Michel Colombier! No surprise, Alain Goraguer is part of the same generation, and did some great early jazzy backings for Serge – but here, his style is much funkier, with lots of sweet keyboard lines, wah wah guitar, and soaring larger orchestrations that really put the whole thing together – clearly one of Alain's best musical moments – and filled with great tunes that include "Le Bracelet", "Deshominisation", "Mort De Draag", "La Femme", "Mira Et Ten", and "Ten Et Medor". (Soundtracks, Now Sound) LP, Vinyl record album

Bud Shank takes on the sounds of The Beatles – and a whole host of other 60s pop stars as well – all with results that are as jazzy as they are groovy! The album's one of a few that Bud cut for Liberty in this format – alto and flute spread out over fuller backings from Bob Florence, a great arranger who knows how to make things swing by bringing in some wonderful 60s touches! There's a bit of guitar at times, some compressed horns – ala A&M – and some overall mod rhythms that help change things up nicely from tune to tune. Titles include "Michelle", "Yesterday", "Blue On Blue", "Sounds Of Silence", "Turn Turn Turn", "As Tears Go By", and "Girl". (Jazz, Now Sound) CD