Cocktail Music For The 90's
by Peitor Angell
I suggest that Cocktail Music is a mood leveler. When I'm unable to get going in the morning, just a little Mambo music picks me right up; and if by 6:30 in the evening I'm going at the speed of a million miles an hour, a little Bossa Nova has the ability to gently catch me and put me in the easy chair of conciousness - before launching into the evening's activities. Cocktail music can be sophisticated, festive, smooth, spicy or just background ambiance. It tends to be comprised of a small instrumental combo, featuring piano, tenor saxophone, vibraphone, and occasionally an organ; the rhythm is usually handled with bass, trap set and guitar, but it can also be done with a full string and horn section and multiple layers of Latin percussion - congas, bongos, timbales, shakers, jaw bones, etc... The style of music generally falls into the categories of Afro Cuban Jazz (Bossa Nova, Mambo, Cha Cha), Jazz, film underscore music and easy listening. Occasionally vocalists are used, sometimes wordless, sometimes featured. I find it's nice to mix it up with both vocals and instrumentals (always mix - never worry).
Here are eight recordings that should get you started on your way to experiencing this lighthearted and exciting world of musical amusement.
Getz/Gilberto, (Verve), is the classic Bossa Nova record, featuring Tenor saxophonist Stan Getz with Brazilian guitarist and vocalist Joao Gilberto, Antonio Carlos Jobim on piano and two cameo vocal appearances by Astrud Gilberto singing the English words on the original hit "Girl From Ipanema," and "Corcovado". The record is smooth from start to finish. The combination of Stan Getz's solos which are simultaneously smoky and vibrant; Joao and Astrud's vocals which are soft and caressing; Joao's warm guitar; Jobim's transparent piano arrangements; and the intricate percussion give the listener an incredible sense of space, movement and freedom which acts like a tonic for the soul.
Music From A Sparkling Planet, (Bar None) by Mexican band leader, Juan Garcia Esquivel is Latin goes Outer Space with a full orchestra in tow. The operative word here is stereo: horns, vocals and slide guitars soar and attack you from right to left at any given moment. Hot on percussion and musical accents with a wide dynamic range of exciting sounds and startling textures, I would describe this most definitely as music to pick up any party. From the moment you press play, you are taken on a whirlwind journey which begins with his lively arrangement of "Cachita," catapults you to the last "cha cha cha" exclamation at the end of "Boulevard of Broken Dreams," and it never lets up. The fact that this musical genius was not a chart success in his day only illustrates more clearly how he was a man thirty years ahead of his time.
If the drinks are sweet and your guests inquire whether the person making them is a bartender or a landscape architect, Exotica - The Best of Martin Denny, (Rhino) might be just the thing to establish the mood for your party. This compilation of twenty selections span the years of his Liberty recordings from 1957 - 1963, during the time of Denny's popularity, which hailed from the infamous Shell Bar in Waikiki in the mid- fifties just after Hawaii had become the 49th state in the union. Instead of the traditional steel guitar associated with Hawaiian music, Denny employs vibes, mallet instruments, Latin rhythms, exotic bird calls and wind chimes to conjure up the exotic mystic of the South Pacific. From his chart topping "Quiet Village," through numerous wonderful cuts such as "Bangkok Cockfight," "Jungle Flower," and the highly unusual "Tsetse Fly," this compilation never ceases to surprise and amaze.
A must have for any Cocktail Music connoisseur is a recent release by a new band carrying the lounge torch into the nineties called I, Swinger, by Combustible Edison (Sub Pop). This group has done their homework, and they have put together a well-thought-out adventure into the realm of this genre, spanning the entire gamut, from smoky lounge singers to exotic motifs to foreign films and sixties mod espionage music. They capture a quirky combo sound beautifully and display many moods and colors, from the opening cut "Cadillac," from La Dolce Vita, through the fabulous "Millionaire's Holiday," the Juliet Of The Spirits-like "Carnival Of Souls" and the wonderfully exotic "Theme From The Tiki Wonder Hour"' - my personal favorite. The arrangements are refreshing and coolăand what more could you want from Cocktail Music after all!
King Of Mambo, by Perez Prado and His Orchestra (RCA/BMG) is the definitive spicy entry. Credited with inventing the Mambo, Prado gets my vote for his full-bodied arrangements, combining big brass sections, quirky organ fills and great percussion tracks to mix it up hot and Latin! This is music that will immediately turn your cocktail party into a dance party where people feel free to let loose their inhibitions and claim they don't remember the next morning. The collection features seventeen of his most famous recordings, including his two #1 hit records, "Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White" (featured in the Jane Russell forgotten film titled Underwater) and "Patricia" (used in Fellini's La Dolce Vita), as well as earlier hits such as "Mambo No. 5," and "Mambo No. 8." Although Prado began recording in the early fifties, the selections that form this compilation were taken from his best recordings made for RCA between 1958 and 1966, beautifully remastered for CD.
If you like it slick, polished and packaged, Here's To The Losers, by Love Jones, (Zoo) is destined to be in your collection. Like Combustible Edison, they are a new group continuing the genre of Cocktail music; however, they have managed to take it successfully to a new dimension, coming up with something which sounds fresh and original. The lyrics are delightfully clever and intelligent as are the vocal and instrumental arrangements. The CD gets off to a great start with the title song "Here's to the losers" (definitely the coolest and smokiest number of the set), then launches into more up tempo lively numbers "Central Avenue" and "Pineapple," before a forty-second send up of metal which segues into a wonderful Bossa Nova number, "I get paid for Lovin." With vocals reminiscent of Brazil '66, Haircut 100 and Manhattan Transfer, and instrumental tracks which combine Swing, Bossa Nova and late sixties funk, Love Jones ensures the listener leaves with a great feeling.
Cal Tjader's, Soul Sauce (Verve) would be my entry for Cocktails on Catalina. The sound is cool, sensuous, glamorous, sophisticated, artistic, stylish, and intelligent. The CD starts off with his biggest hit "Soul Sauce," a pulsating number that grabs you from the start and just won't let go - then moves onto "Pantano." I can only say it doesn't get cooler than this. Other highlights on the recording are a beautiful tropical rendition of the "Naked City" theme, "Somewhere in the Night," and a sparkling number, "Maramoor Mambo." Tjader's solos have a wonderful subtle way of suggesting rather than overstating, and even when the music drifts into the background, with so many shades and hues of color rising and falling effortlessly, one can not help being completely effected by his music.
Another entry of merit is Peggy Lee's CD, Latin A La Lee/Ole A La Lee, available from Japan Import on (Capitol records). Peggy Lee, being one of the great understated vocalists, is a must in any Cocktail collection. This release of two of her albums recorded in 1959 and 1960 on one CD is too good of an opportunity to pass up. In this collection of twenty-four songs, she sings Broadway hits styled with an Afro-Cuban beat. Though many of the songs appear to be unlikely candidates for this kind of rendition, it's because of this that they are so enjoyable and bring new meaning to a number of the songs. Some of my personal favorites are, "I could Have Danced All Night" (cha cha), "Surrey with The Fringe On Top," "I Enjoy Being A Girl," as well as some lovely warm moments like, "Non Dimenticar," "Till There Was You" and the self-penned suggestive, "Ole." Cool, smooth, amusing and startling, there is always an occasion for this collection by Peggy.
Where to find these recordings: they are all currently available on CD, though Peggy Lee's "Latin a la Lee/Ole a la Lee" is only available on Japanese import. Look under the categories of "Latin," "Jazz," "Easy Listening," or "Vocalists," for I have found all of these in those various locations. Feel free to browse and ask questions of the sales people in the stores; it is all there before you and now you have a barometer to help you find what you're looking for.
A list of other great Cocktail recordings: Best Of Bossa Nova; The Astrud Gilberto Silver Collection; Astrud Gilberto's Beach Samba; Stan Getz's Jazz Samba (with Charlie Byrd); Antonio Carlos Jobim's The Composer Plays (all of these recordings are on Verve). Antonio Carlos Jobim's Wave (A&M); Joao Gilberto's Performance (Capitol/EMI); Cal Tjader's Mambo With Tjader (Fantasy); Esquivel's Space-age Bachelor Pad Music (Bar None); the Henry Mancini Soundtracks to Breakfast at Tiffany's, Peter Gunn, Mr. Lucky, Charade, and Pink Panther (all available on RCA/BMG).
Peitor Angell is a film composer and record producer based in New York and Los Angeles. He recently completed his debut solo recording Music For Pleasure Seekers. His music can also be heard on two new films to be released early next year, Randall Kleiser's It's My Party, (United Artists) and Dirk Shafer's Man Of The Year (Artisan).
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