Bert Kaempfert - His Greatest Hits - Disc 1

1. Wonderland by Night
2. A Swingin' Safari
3. Dankeschon
4. Oh Mein Papa
5. Red Roses for A Blue Lady
6. That Happy Feeling
7. Morgen
8. Moon Over Naples
9. The Bass Walks
10. Happy Trumpeter
11. Tenderly
12. My Way of Life

His Greatest Hits - Disc 1

Bert Kaempfert & His Orchestra - Good Life Music - That Latin Feeling Vol. 6

1. O Cangaciero (The Bandit)
2. Sweet and Gentle
3. Maria Elena
4. Mambo Mania
5. Say Si Si (Para Vigo Me Voy)
6. Poinciana
7. The Breeze and I
8. Cha Cha Brasilia
9. Besame Mucho
10. Trumpet Fiesta
11. Bert's Bossa Nova
12. Chicken Talk
13. Mambossa
14. Latin Strings
15. Sucu Sucu
16. Yellow Bird
17. Catalania

That Latin Feeling

Bert Kaempfert and Helmut Brüsewitz shared making the arrangements for THAT LATIN FEELING; the recordings took place in the Polydor Studio in Hamburg-Rahlstedt. In order to achieve a true Latin-American sound, the wind and string sections of Kaempfert’s orchestra were augmented by an exotic range of percussion instruments - bongos, cabasa, congas, cowbell, güiro (rumba gourd), maracas, sandpaper, timbales, triangle, marimba and xylophone - played by Bert Kaempfert's drummer Rolf Ahrens together with percussionists Hans Bekker, Günther Platzek, Max Raths and Manfred Sperling.

Ladi Geisler not only guaranteed a snappy bass guitar but also took the guitar solo in Maria Elena, The Breeze And I and Bésame Mucho; the trumpet solows were allotted to Werner Gutterer (Poinciana), Heinz Habermann together with Werner Gutterer (Trumpet Fiesta), and Manfred Moch (Bert's Bossa Nova); Emil Wurster's tenor saxophone is to be heard in Bert's Bossa Nova and Say Sí Sí (together with Karl-Hermann Lühr on the flute in the latter), while Willi Surmann's bass clarinet vividly brings the clucking of chickens to life in Chicken Talk.

The present CD includes three novelties as an added bonus - Mambossa, Latin Strings and Sucu Sucu, all of which were contained in the original recording tape of THAT LATIN FEELING; of these, only Mambossa was released in the USA on the LP entitled THE MAGIC MUSIC OF FAR AWAY PLACES. Add into the bargain Yellow Bird and Catalania will certainly delight every listener.

Surely no musician on earth can resist the timeless attraction of Latin-American melodies and rhythms - and Bert Kaempfert was no exception. As early as 1958 he proved his "Latin feeling" with the composition of, for example, Catalania and again in 1962 with his arrangement of the traditional melody Yellow Bird. In 1964 he produced a whole LP dedicated to Latin-American tempi.

Alongside stylish original Kaempfert compositions we find "all-time standards": O Cangaceiro came to fame in 1953 through the film "The Bandit"; Maria Elena was a smash hit in 1963 for the guitar duo Los Indios Tabajras; then we have the melancholic love song Bésame Mucho, or Sweet And Gentle, and Poinciana, and last but not least The Breeze And I. Latin-American rhythm in all its variety is represented - the cha-cha, rumba-bolero, merengue and of course the Brazilian bossa nova, which sparked off a craze in the USA in its day, and is heard here in Say Sí Sí and Bert's Bossa Nova.

(Bert Kaempfert Music, Hamburg)

Various Artists - The Splendour of Strings

1. Cherokee - Johnny Douglas
2. Harbour Lights - The Cambridge Strings
3. The End of A Love Affair - The Cambridge Strings
4. Estrellita - Frank Chacksfield
5. Catch A Falling Star - Johnny Douglas
6. The One I Love Belongs to Somebody Else - The Cambridge Strings
7. Lady of Spain - Werner Muller
8. La Vie En Rose - Johnny Douglas
9. I'll Never Smile Again - The Cambridge Strings
10. By the Waters of Minnetonka - Frank Chacksfield
11. All in A Golden Afternoon - Johnny Douglas
12. The World Is Waiting for the Sunrise - Werner Muller
13. The Breeze and I - Werner Muller
14. Someday (You'll Want Me to Want You) - The Cambridge Strings
15. The Green Leaves of Summer - Johnny Douglas
16. Splendour of Strings - Frank Chacksfield
17. Theme from "A Summer Place" - Johnny Douglas
18. Dance Ballerina Dance - Werner Muller
19. Granada - Werner Muller
20. Story of A Starry Night - Johnny Douglas
21. Intermezzo - Frank Chacksfield
22. A Cottage for Sale - The Cambridge Strings
23. How High the Moon - Werner Muller
24. Baby Won't You Please Come Home - The Cambridge Strings

The Splendour of Strings

Russ Garcia and His Orchestra - Carioca

1. Carioca
2. Baia
3. Copacabana
4. Delicado
5. Ba-Tu-Ca-Da
6. Cavaquinho
7. Natalie
8. Fuiste A Bahia
9. Risque
10. Cae Cae
11. Corridas En Madrid
12. Sabrosa

Carioca

Bert Kaempfert & His Orchestra - Good Life Music - Tropical Sunrise Vol. 5

1. Footprint in the Sand (Huellas En La Arena)
2. Dreams (Suenos)
3. Your Move (Tu Moviemento)
4. Brazilian Love Song (Andorinha Preta)
5. Tropical Sunrise
6. Cachaca Mecanica
7. Jump in the Line
8. Shades of Love (Sombras De Amor)
9. Wave
10. Canto De Ossanha
11. Swing and Sway
12. Islands in the Sun
13. Tahitian Sunset
14. Moon Over Baja
15. In The Everglades
16. Malaysian Melody

Tropical Sunrise

After the great success of THAT LATIN FEELING in 1964, Bert Kaempfert produced a further album entitled TROPICAL SUNRISE which was also devoted exclusively to the rhythms of Latin America and released in 1977. Accompanied by exquisite harmonies and instrumental sounds, listeners were once again transported to exotic regions.

The original recording contained six numbers composed by Bert Kaempfert together with Herbert Rehbein. The title Footprints In The Sand even received an award in Argentina. In addition, such evergreens as Andorinha Preta (Brazilian Love Song) and Island In The Sun (sung by Harry Belafonte in the film of the same name in 1957 and famous in Germany as Wo meine Sonne scheint with Caterina Valente) were included in the compilation. Titles such as Wave, a hit by Antonio Carlos Jobin, composer of the Girl From Ipanema, and Canto de Ossanha by the legendary Brazilian guitarist Baden Powell catered for a "modern touch."

Of course such pieces call for all manner of South American percussion instruments such as the apito (whistle), bell tree, cabaza, claves (pair of hardwood sicks), conga (drumpplayed with the hands), cowbells, cuica (friction drum), pandeiro (tambourine), reco-reco (scraper), timbales, triangle and even a donkey's jaw bone. In addition to Rolf Ahrens on the drums, Nippy Noya, Max Raths, Hans Bekker and Manfred Sperling were engaged as percussionists, with Herb Geller (flute), Ack van Rooyen (trumpet), Jiggs Whigham (trombone) and Jürgen Schröder (guitar) performing the solos.

Bert Kaempfert's love for distant countries is reflected in many of his melodies and arrangements. Four such compositions have been added here as a special bonus: Tahitian Sunset from 1966, Moon Over Baja and In The Everglades, both recorded in 1974, and - to carry us away to the Far East - Malaysian Melody, set down in 1968.

(Bert Kaempfert Music, Hamburg)

Sarah Vaughan - Sarah Slightly Classical

1. Be My Love
2. Intermezzo
3. I Give to You
4. Because
5. Full Moon and Empty Arms
6. My Reverie
7. Moonlight Love
8. Ah! Sweet Mystery of Life
9. Till the End of Time
10. None But the Lonely Heart
11. Night
12. If You Are But A Dream
13. Only
14. Experience Unnecessary

Sarah Slightly Classical

Manny Albam and His Orchestra - I Had the Craziest Dream

1. Dream
2. I Can Dream, Can't I
3. Wrap Your Troubles in Dreams (And Dream Your Troubles Away)
4. Street of Dreams
5. Darn That Dream
6. Someone's Rocking My Dreamboat
7. You Stepped Out of A Dream
8. I Had the Craziest Dream
9. Out of My Dreams
10. Dream A Little Dream of Me
11. This Time the Dream's on Me
12. A Kiss to Build A Dream On

I Had the Craziest Dream

The Conductor

(1922 - 2001)

Bert Kaempfert & His Orchestra - Good Life Music - Swing Vol. 4

1. At The Woodchopper's Ball
2. Little Brown Jug
3. One O'Clock Jump
4. Lullaby of Birdland
5. Two O'Clock Jump
6. Airmail Special
7. Apple Honey
8. Intermission Riff
9. Jumpin' at The Woodside
10. Marie
11. It's Only A Paper Moon
12. In the Mood
13. Easy Glider
14. Jumpin' Blue
15. Walking' and Shoutin'
16. Soul Time

Swing

Like many musicians of his generation, Bert Kaempfert had a foible for swing. In October 1977 he fulfilled a long-cherished wish and recorded a complete album with 12 titles taken from the repertoire of the most famous swing bands. He breathed new life into these old favorites without detracting from their typical and highly unique original sound. Renowned soloists, all of whom were regular members of his orchestra as from the 1970s, performed the solos in this production:

Ack van Rooyen (trumpet and cornet), Herb Geller (flute and alto saxophone), Ferdinand Powel (tenor saxophone), James Towsey (baritone saxophone) and Jiggs Whigham (trombone).

Although Bert Kaempfert preserves the original tempo in his arrangement of Woody Herman's Woodchopper's Ball (original recording: 12 April 1939), his personal stroke of the pen is discernable in every other respect. Herman's clarinet solo is played here by Ack van Rooyen. Trombone, baritone sax and further trumpet solos follow before the well-known riffs are heard to conclude the piece.

If ever a research poll were carried out to determine the most popular post-war number, Glenn Miller's recording of In The Mood (original recording 1 August 1939) would surely come out on top. Realizing that nothing could possible improve this classic work, Kaempfert arranged the piece in a traditional manner.

Over the years, Bert Kaempfert did not only chose the one or the other swing tile for inclusion in his LP recordings but also wrote swing numbers himself which justifiably take their place among the classics. Four of these compositions are included in the present re-release as bonus tracks: Easy Glider and Jumpin' Blue, both recorded in 1974, Walkin' And Shoutin' from 1975, and Soul Time from 1968.

It was Stan Kenton who effected the break with the tradition of swing and ushered in the era of orchestral jazz. Those who never really felt comfortable with Kenton's recording of Intermission Riff (original recording: July 1946) will very probably enjoy Bert Kaempfert's milder version.

Jumpin' At The Woodside is a further number by Count Basie (original recording: 22 August 1938) which has always been a great favorite with the public thanks to its hypnotic riffs. Kaempfert takes the pace more slowly in his arrangement, while the solo flute, muted trumpet and trombone provide for plenty of variety.

Like numerous other numbers by Tommy Dorsey, Marie also landed in the charts in the early 1940s (original recording: 17 October 1940). Kaempfert takes the tempo somewhat more slowly and gives prominence to the trombone - clearly a tribute to the great trombonist Dorsey and his velvety sound.

In It's Only A Paper Moon (original recording: December 1943 by the Nat "King" Cole Trio), Bert Kaempfert does not base his arrangement on any one particular version but concerns himself more with the title itself which was a tremendous hit in post-war years.

(Bert Kaempfert Music, Hamburg)

Phyllis Schlomovitz - Cities of Dreams

1. I Left My Heart in San Francisco / Around the World
2. Lara's Theme
3. Never on Sunday
4. Autumn Leaves / I'll Wait for You / It Must Be Him
5. Come Back to Sorrento / Arrivederci Roma / Summertime in Venice
6. Andalucia
7. Vienna, City of My Dreams / Fascination / Two Hearts Beat in Three Quarter Time
8. Aufwiedersehn / Rosenkavalier

Cities of Dreams

The Harpist

Bert Kaempfert & His Orchestra - Good Life Music - Orange Colored Sky Vol. 3

1. Cracklin' Rosie
2. My Love
3. Don't Go
4. Tea and Trumpets
5. Friends
6. While the Children Sleep
7. (I'll Be with You) In Apple Blossom Time
8. Snowbird
9. Hi De Ho (That Old Sweet Roll)
10. Bye Bye Blackbird
11. Orange Colored Sky
12. Wake Up and Live
13. What's Up with You
14. Living Easy
15. Kiss Her Once with Feeling
16. Grey Eyes Make Me Blue

Orange Colored Sky

ORANGE COLORED SKY, surely one of Bert Kaempfert's loveliest albums, is at last available on compact disc. Recorded in November 1970, the album was the first of his productions to use multi-track recording technique (eight sound tracks) and it has everything that the name of Bert Kaempfert conjures up: his typical rhythm with its pithy bass, smooth-as-silk arrangements for strings and chorus, stereo-like entries of the winds from the right and left, and plenty of trumpet solos.

The six new compositions by the team of Bert Kaempfert and Herbert Rehbein range from pleasantly easy-going numbers such as Tea And Trumpets and Friends via the more gentle While The Children Sleep to the shuffle of Wake Up And Live. Also heard on this disc are new and old hits by other composers covering a time-span of 50 years.

Bye Bye Blackbird and Apple Blossom Time are typical "Tin Pan Alley" songs from the '20s: the latter was one of the most popular hits of its day and a great success for the Andrew Sisters later.

The title-number Orange Colored Sky, composed by the accordion-playing band-leader Milton DeLugg, became famous in the 1950s in vocal versions by Nat "King" Cole and Betty Hutton; Cracklin' Rosie was Neil Diamond's very first Number 1 hit in the 1970s; and the rock group Blood, Sweat & Tears landed in the Top 20 with Hi-De-Ho.

Snowbird, perhaps the most effervescent arrangement in this compilation, is a Country and Western number which brought the Canadian singer Anne Murray a gold record in 1970; Bert Kaempfert's recording was immensely popular too and became a real radio hit, being played over and over again both in Germany and abroad.

Three of Kaempfert's loveliest compositions, Living Easy, Kiss Her Once With Feeling and Grey Eyes Make Me Blue, from the LP BERT KAEMPFERT NOW! (1971) are included as bonus tracks on this CD. Only recently a very special discovery was made: What's Up With You, recorded in 1973 and never released - definitely a small sensation for all Kaempfert friends and the world of music!

(Bert Kaempfert Music, Hamburg)

Living Voices - On Broadway

1. I Believe in You (From The Broadway Production How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying)
2. Paris Original (From The Broadway Production How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying)
3. The Brotherhood of Man (From The Broadway Production How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying)
4. To Look Upon My Love (From The Musical Comedy Kean)
5. Inevitable (From The Musical Comedy Kean)
6. I'm Just Taking My Time (From The Broadway Musical Subways Are for Sleeping)
7. Comes Once in A Lifetime (From The Broadway Musical Subways Are for Sleeping)
8. Shalom (From The Broadway Musical Milk and Honey)
9. Everything Beautiful (From The Broadway Musical Let It Ride)
10. His Own Little Island (From The Broadway Musical Let It Ride)

On Broadway

Franck Pourcel et Son Grand Orchestre - Pourcel Joue Sur Tous Les Tons - Disc 5 Allegro

1. Galop de La Gioconda
2. Valse Minute
3. Aragonaise
4. Danse D'Anitra de Peer Gynt
5. Danses Polovtsiennes du Prince Igor
6. Procession des Sardars du Ballet Gayaneh
7. Marche Militaire en Re Majeur
8. La Czarine
9. Marche Turque
10. Danse Des Jeunes Kurdes, Extrait de Gayaneh
11. Ballet Egyptien
12. Les Filles de Cadix
13. Obertass Mazurka
14. Marche de L'Amour de Trois Oranges
15. Danse Slave N° 1 en Ut Majeur
16. Menuett du Quintette N° 5 en Re Majeur
17. Danse Espagnole de La Vie Breve
18. Farandole de L'Arlesienne
19. Valse N° 9 de Faust
20. Mouvement Perpetuel

Disc 5 Allegro

Bert Kaempfert & His Orchestra - Good Life Music - Strangers in the Night Vol. 2

1. Strangers in the Night
2. I Can't Give You Anything But Love
3. But Not Today
4. Time on My Hands
5. Milica (Sweet Maria)
6. Mexican Shuffle
7. Show Me the Way to Go Home
8. Two Can Live on Love Alone
9. Every Sunday Morning
10. Boo-Hoo
11. Tijuana Taxi
12. Forgive Me
13. I Stay with You
14. Somewhere in the Sky
15. Pussy Footin'
16. Hold Back the Dawn

Strangers in the Night

In 1965, Bert Kaempfert was commissioned by the American film company Universal Pictures to compose the music for "A Man Could Get Killed" - a comedy film about a gang of crooks. Set in Portugal's capital Lisbon, the film's main ingredients were a diamond robbery, secret agents and a romance: two of the leading roles were taken by Melina Mercouri and James Garner.

The present disc, recorded in 1966, includes the two main themes from the film: But Not Today, heard during the Main Title, and of course Strangers In The Night, the love theme, which was entitled Beddy-Bye in the film score.

But Not Today is proof enough that Bert Kaempfert was not only capable of writing a lovely film melody but that he knew how to capture a Spanish-Portuguese touch, even adding a dash of Greece as a tribute to the unforgotten Melina Mercouri.

In those days, Bert Kaempfert could scarcely have foreseen that his love theme Strangers In The Night would become an international super-hit within an amazingly short time and that it would, to this day, take its place among those songs which have received the most awards.

Bert Kaempfert's publisher, Hal Fein, instinctively knew the true value of this song which he offered to Frank Sinatra who immediately recorded it and so made his great comeback. After only a few weeks, Frankieboy's vocal and Bert Kaempfert's orchestral versions took the charts by the storm and even ousted the Beatles, the Rolling Stones and the Beach Boys from their places at the top of the international hit parades.

In Germany alone Fremde in der Nacht was available contemporaneously in four different vocal versions, and in 1967 this composition was named the "Hit of the Year" by the German copyright society GEMA.

Over the years Bert Kaempfert not only received numerous gold awards for Strangers In The Night but was showered with other prizes, such as the "Golden Globe." As recently as 19990 the evergreen was honoured with a fourth "BMI Award." The press commented: "Bert Kaempfert's songs are still recordbreakers! The American copyright society BMI has registered four million radio performances of Strangers In The Night, which works out as a non-stop broadcast of 22.8 years!"

But it is not only these two film melodies which are worth a mention. I Can't Give You Anything But Love, Mexican Shuffle and Tijuana Taxi were also enormously successful; Bert Kaempfert's Milica, also known as Sweet Maria, was a hit in the USA particularly; and finally his Two Can Live On Love Alone was chosen by the Anita Kerr Singers for their album entitled BERT KAEMPFERT TURNS US ON.

In addition to the title on the original album, the present compact disc contains four compositions by Bert Kaempfert as a special bonus. The sensational recent discovery of numerous previously unreleased recordings by Bert Kaempfet and his orchestra will certainly thrill his fans! Among them are I Stay With You (recording date unknown) and Somewhere In The Sky from 1966. Also included here are two recordings from the LP HOLD ME (1967): Pussy Footin' - a particular favourite with American radio stations at the time, and Hold Back The Dawn - which, sung by Gloria Lynna and Baby Washington, was very popular in the USA in its day.

(Bert Kaempfert Music Hamburg)

Franck Pourcel - Pourcel Joue Sur Tous Les Tons - Disc 4 Son Cinema

1. Ok Corral
2. Si Toi Aussi Tu M'Abandonnes
3. La Joie D'Aimer
4. Borsalino
5. The Ballad of Bonnie and Clyde
6. The Shadows of Your Smile
7. La Chanson De Lara
8. Vivre Pour Vivre
9. Carnet De Bal
10. Jeux Interdits
11. Le Troisieme Homme
12. La Danse De Zorba
13. Hello Dolly
14. Paris Brule-T-il?
15. La Chanson D'Helene
16. Un Homme et Une Femme
17. Tonight
18. I'm Dreaming of You
19. Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
20. Toute La Pluie Tombe Sur Moi
21. Le Bleu de L'Ete
22. Les Indiens

Disc 4 Son Cinema

Bert Kaempfert & His Orchestra - Good Life Music - Blue Midnight Vol. 1

1. Treat for Trumpet
2. Good Night, Sweet Dreams
3. L.O.V.E.
4. Blue Midnight
5. Love Comes But Once
6. Cotton Candy
7. Free As A Bird
8. Lonely Nightingale
9. Almost There
10. Java
11. Red Roses for A Blue Lady
12. Three O'Clock in the Morning
13. Take Seven
14. Gemma
15. The Bass Walks
16. Love After Midnight

Blue Midnight

Bert Kaempfert fans will be delighted that the album BLUE MIDNIGHT is now available on CD to further their collection. This recording (with the works in a slightly different order) was released on 2 November 1964 in the USA, landed in the charts on 23 January 1965 and soon climbed to number 5. When released as singles, Red Roses For A Blue Lady reached number 3 and Three O'Clock In The Morning number 10. Bert Kaempfert's composition L.O.V.E., which in its vocal version was to be Nat "King" Cole's legendary final hit, became one of his greatest international successes and has long achieved "evergreen" status.

Old favorites and brilliant own compositions were subject to Bert Kaempfert's genial orchestration for this album. The trumpet solos, performed by Manfred Moch, have long become a hallmark of Kaempfert's unique sound.

Relax and enjoy the album BLUE MIDNIGHT and the four gems which have been added to this CD as a bonus: Take Seven, recorded in 1966 (which in its present version was only released on the LP HOLD ME), and Gemma, The Bass Walks and Love After Midnight (from the German film "90 Minuten nach Mitternacht") - three often wished-for numbers from the LP LET'S GO BOWLING recorded in 1964.

Bert Kaempfert's circle of fans is sure to increase considerably with this CD, for who can fail to be spellbound by his timeless sound which imparts a real feeling of the Good Life!

(Bert Kaempfert Music, Hamburg)

Dell Wood - Roll Out the Piano

1. I Walk the Line
2. She Thinks I Still Care
3. Heartaches by the Number
4. I'm Walking the Floor Over You
5. Silver Threads and Golden Needles
6. Singing the Blues
7. Night Train to Memphis
8. Alone with You
9. Loose Talk
10. Blue Moon of Kentucky
11. Cattle Call
12. Wishful Thinkin'

Roll Out the Piano

The Pianist

(1920 - 1989)

Lloyd Green at the Organ and His Orchestra - Far Away Places

1. October Hill
2. Where Mountains Meet the Sky
3. Monte Carlo Calling
4. Far Away Places
5. Avalon
6. Shangri-La
7. Blue Hawaii
8. The Moon of Manakoora
9. Bahia
10. Mediterranean Serenade
11. Isle of Innisfree
12. Biarritz

Far Away Places

Franck Pourcel et Son Grand Orchestre - Pourcel Joue Sur Tous Les Tons - Disc 3 Pourcel

1. Chariot
2. Cumbia Del Papagayo
3. Venezuela Suya
4. Pilar
5. Charlie
6. Adelaide
7. Vivaldi I Love You
8. La Longue Marche
9. Wonderland Waltz
10. Nice Majorette
11. Saint Nicolas
12. In A Nostalgia Mood
13. Fluty
14. Mariachi
15. El Gavillan (L'Epervier)
16. La Bamba
17. Cielito Lindo
18. Adelita
19. Les Bateliers de La Volga
20. Schuss

Disc 3 Pourcel