Various Artists -Saxophobia, (Ultra Lounge) Vol. 12

Saxophobia, Vol. 12  (Ultra Lounge)

By Various Artists

Very Good Condition

The lounge sounds of the '50s and '60s on this compilation are very much of a piece with the other volumes of the Ultra-Lounge series. But as you'd expect from the title, the emphasis is on vintage lounge at its jazziest, with the saxophone to the fore. This isn't the kind of jazz you're going to read about in Down Beat, despite the presence of some bona fide jazzers, like Count Basie (doing the "Goldfinger" theme) and Bill Perkins; the influence of soundtrack music, pre-'50s pop standards, Latin rhythms, and bongo percussion is too strong. When you want some light lounge-jazz hybrids to unwind to after your jazz scholar friends have gone home, though, this isn't bad. Les Baxter, Nelson Riddle, and Gordon Jenkins make their expected appearances on this compilation; more surprising is the inclusion of top R&B saxophonist King Curtis, who does a pop-friendly version of Herbie Hancock's "Watermelon Man," and teams up with ace rock session drummer Earl Palmer on "One Mint Julep." Also worth noting are Vegas-jump blues kings Louis Prima and Sam Butera, who do a smoky version of "Harlem Nocturne."

A Review:

This one's alright. I am a *huge* fan of Capitol's "Ultra-Lounge" series, and I own maybe 7 or 8 of them, including "Bottoms Up!", "Organs In Orbit", "Bongo-Land", "Cocktail Capers", and several others. While I absolutely love the other entries I've purchased so far, I can give this one only four stars our of five. It's a very good collection, but it doesn't quite evoke a mood as strong as some of the other entries. Some of the covers come across as slightly inferior, Muzak-y versions of the originals ("Volare", "One Mint Julep"). Still, there are a lot of goodies to be had with this collection, including one of my favorites on this disc, Don Costa's "The Misfits". This one's well worth seeking out second-hand.

Tracklist

1     I Dig     Les Baxter     3:15

2     Street Scene     Sam Butera                  3:09

3     All or Nothing At All     Georgie Auld                  3:34

4     Bernie's Tune     Milt Buckner              5:05

5     Watermelon Man     King Curtis          2:36

6     Volare (Nel Blu Di Pinto Di Blu)     Nelson Riddle           2:06

7     Tanya     Plas Johnson              2:56

8     Samba de Orfeu     Bill Perkins             2:35

9     Medley: Peter Gunn Twist / Tequila With a Twist     Ray Anthony        3:55

10   Goldfinger     Count Basie     4:06

11   Caravan     Gordon Jenkins                   2:16

12    Speakeasy Blues     Nelson Riddle                     3:59

13   Medley: One Mint Julep     King Curtis             5:15

14   Ebb Tide     Out-Islanders                      2:15

15   The Big Twist     Plas Johnson               2:28

16   Harlem Nocturne     Louis Prima         2:40

17   The Misfits     Don Costa        2:45

18   Medley: Bongo Bash / Sax Con Ritmo     Pepe Dominguin         4:46

19   A Handful of Stars     The Continental               2:25