ultrafunkmag » easy listening

Swingin Cheese – “Croon Tunes and Kitscherama” (1997)

Rune Johnsrud — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 07:01:45 +0000

If you ever need a collection of high quality easy listening tunes, and yes, they do exist, this album from Irma Records is fine choice indeed. It covers the period from 1966 – 1972 and the track selections are really good, avoiding the drab elevator music arrangements in favour of solid performances and danceable grooves, making it perfect lounge fare for your ears and feet. Unfortunately it seems to be out of print, so you’ll have to track it down on your own which is probably not that hard.

Johannes mix 1 – “Bounces and Contractions”

Rune Johnsrud — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 07:01:45 +0000

Presenting the first mix from a very groovy Ultrafunk contributor, Mr. Johannes, for your listening pleasure (the playlist and mix download link is available by reading the full post):

Download link: Johannes mix 1 – Bounces and Contractions (44MB mp3).

01. Some Korean artist – some Korean song (Reprise).
02. Yma Sumac – From the LP ‘Miracles’
03. John Williams – From the LP ‘Traveling’
04. Jacques Loussier – Pulsion
05. Jimmy Ponder – While my Guitar Gently Weeps
06. Raymond Maclean – Bounces and Contractions
07. The Anita Kerr singers – Eli’s Comin’
08. Hugo Montenegro – Classical Gas
09. Big Jim ‘H’ and his men of rythm – Jungle Fever
10. America – A horse with no name.
11. Nina Simone – Baltimore
12. David Fathead Newman – Concrete Jungle.
13. Horst Jankowski – Eleanor Rigby
14. David McCallum – The Edge
15. At the Jazz band ball – Bobby Hackett e la sua Orchestra

Quincy Jones – “Ndeda” (1972)

Rune Johnsrud — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 00:06:43 +0000

This man needs no introduction, his creative legacy speaks for itself, and it puts him in the company of the select few who have changed popular music forever either directly or indirectly, or in his case, both. What is perhaps not so well known is the body of work he created as a jazz arranger, conductor, producer and performer in the 50′s and 60′s, which is what this excellent compilation album is all about.

I bought this record second hand some time ago because it contained the now ubiquitous “Soul Bossa Nova” track so prominently featured in the Austin Powers movie series, but over time, it has grown a lot in parallel with my ever increasing interest in jazz, and the songs presented here cover a wide variety of styles from latin to swing, easy listening, big-band, and a few standards mixed with some pretty wild improvisational stuff.

All the material is arranged and orchestrated by Quincy, about half is written and composed by him, the rest comes from such prominent musical minds as Henri Mancini, Nate Adderley, Benny Goodman, Lalo Schifrin and believe it or not, The Rolling Stones in the form of “I Can Get No Satisfaction”!

The production and performances are immaculate from beginning to end, and there is about a 50 / 50 spread between up-tempo and down-tempo numbers (most of the tracks in the former category are well suited to the dance floor). All in all, it is an album well worth seeking out for whatever reason one might have, and it provides an interesting insight into the early career of a creative genius.

Homepage: Quincy Jones

Purchase & audio samples: Not available – this album is out of print.

Funky Norwegian music – part 1

Rune Johnsrud — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 13:14:31 +0000

In our non-stop search for new and funky music, my friend, dj-partner and Ultrafunk contributor Halvor, always manages to find something fresh and unexpected, even when we are talking about contemporary Norwegian (mainly) jazz music, have a look and listen:

Frode Thingnes’ Quintet – “Nightsounds” – Recommended track: “Night Sounds”.

Staffan William-Olson Sextet – “Oak Road Boogaloo” – Recommended track: “The Wipeout”.

The Real Thing – “Pleasure Is An Attitude” – Recommended track: “”Mmm… Aahh!”.

The Real Thing – “Live” – Recommended track: “Attack Of The Killer Mutant Groove”.

Antonsen Big Band – “Antonsen Big Band” – Recommended track: “Mr. Jpa”.

Bergen Big Band – “Som Den Gyldne Sol Frembryter”- Recommended track: “Troll”.

Lindberg Hemmer Foundation – “Scandinavian Supermarket-Music At Its Very Best” – Recommended tracks: “Full Auto” and “Uhm, Snacks” (oh yeah, this is very cheesy stuff!).

This is the first part of a continuing series exploring Norwegian grooves, more will come soon, so stay tuned.