Herbie Mann "Deus Xango" from Waterbed (Atlantic, USA 1975)
Cover of Deus Xango by Astor Piazzolla
This one is at an interesting intersection of our catalog. Argentine musician Astor Piazzolla is known as a virtuoso on an accordion-like instrument called the bandoneon, and he’s also known as one of the greatest tango composers. But he also was heavily steeped in classical composition, even studying with the famous French classical composition teacher, Nadia Boulanger. His work tends to be classified as a combination of those two styles of music, and is frequently performed in classical settings. This particular piece was written by Piazzolla for a collaborative album he recorded with Gerry Mulligan in 1974 called Summit. The following year, it was covered by the flautist Herbie Mann for his album Waterbed. The original Piazzolla/Mulligan version features a drum kit fairly low in the mix, but still has the marks of a classical composition, maybe in the general spectrum of Bartok. This Mann version is slightly more groovy, and was part of an album aimed more towards a funk audience than to his jazz purist fan base. It represents a fascinating combination of musical vibes.
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#bach2bach #classicalmusiccover #classicalreworks #classicalmusic #vinyl #dustyfingers #cratedigging #instavinyl #vintagevinyl #ontheturntable #vinyloftheday #herbiemann #waterbed #atlanticrecords #1975 #astorpiazzolla #tango #gerrymulligan #nadiaboulanger #argentina
Swingle II
“Passereau: Il Est Bel Et Bon” from Love Songs for Madrigals and Madriguys (Columbia, UK 1974)
Cover of Pierre Passereau- Il Est Bel Et Bon
This was the first album released under the name Swingle II. The Swingle Singers we’re formed by Ward Swingle in 1962 in Paris. They started as a singing group on recording sessions for artists such as Charles Aznavour and Edith Piaf. (The original lead soprano in the group was Christiane Legrand, aunt of Victoria Legrand from Beach House. She doesn’t sing on this album though) As a sight reading exercise, the group tried singing Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavier, and found the the music had a natural swing. After that discovery, they made many many recordings of classical repertoire. In 1973, Ward Swingle disbanded the group, moved to England, and formed a new group called Swingle II, (also known as The Swingles or The New Swingle Singers) this being their first LP. The Swingles still perform to this day, with a much altered lineup and without Ward Swingle, who passed away in 2015.
Pierre Passereau was a French renaissance composer from the first half of the 16th century. He’s not especially well known, and this piece is his most famous. His known output is almost entirely chansons, and those often consisted of material containing double entendres and obscenity. The liner notes summarize the lyrics this way: “Two gossipy women vaunt their husbands virtues, while some chickens express surprised disagreement.” Other searching suggested the “husbands virtues” in question may have been of a rather sensual nature. The syncopated vocal lines are apparently meant to imitate the clucking of chickens. Interesting song.
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#bach2bach #classicalmusiccover #classicalmusic #vinyl #dustyfingers #cratedigging #instavinyl #vintagevinyl #ontheturntable #vinyloftheday #swingle #swinglesingers #swingleii #wardswingle #lovesongsformadrigalsandmadriguys #lovesongs #columbiarecords #1974 #passereau #p
Baris Manço “Küçük Bir Gece Müzigi” from Dünden Bugüne (Sayan, Turkey 1971) …(our copy is a reissue on Guerssen from 2009)
Adaptation of Eine kleine Nachtmusik: Adagio (Serenade no. 13 for Strings in G Major) by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Baris Manço was a very popular Turkish rock musician. This track is from his excellent first album, which was mostly a compilation of his early 45s. The track was originally the B side to “Derule” in 1970. This is just speculation, but it sounds as though it was maybe an impromptu jam on the Mozart theme that was recorded on the spot. It doesn’t have a very fleshed out feel to it, which is part of its charm. It features a super hot drum intro too.
Eine Kleine Nachtmusik (a little serenade) was completed in 1787, but it wasn’t published until well after Mozart’s death, in about 1827. It has become one of his most well-known compositions, and we definitely have some other totally different versions in our collections.
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#bach2bach #classicalmusiccover #classicalmusic #vinyl #dustyfingers #cratedigging #instavinyl #vintagevinyl #ontheturntable #vinyloftheday #barismanco #dündenbugüne #küçükbirgecemüziği #sayan #1971 #turkishpsych #turkishpsychedelic #guerssenrecords #guerssen #mozart #wolfgangamadeusmozart #einekleinenachtmusik #drumbreaks #wahwah
Raymond Guiot “Allegro No. 1” from Haendel With Care (Ariola , Germany 1973?)
Adaptation of the 2nd movement (allegro) from Flute Sonata No. 1 in e minor by G.F. Handel
Another breezy Raymond Guiot classical covers record. He’s previously adapted Bach (Bach Street) and Scarlatti (Plays Scarlatti), as well as Baroque Jazz Quintet for Tele Music, but this one has a much more clever album title
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#bach2bach #classicalmusiccover #classicalmusic #vinyl #dustyfingers #cratedigging #instavinyl #vintagevinyl #ontheturntable #vinyloftheday #raymondguiot #handel #haendelwithcare #toohottohandel #youcanthandelthis
Spinning jazz, funk, rock, and pop versions of classical music
