Contemporary Instrumental

Músicos famosos também deram sua contribuição para o easy listenting. São verdadeiras pérolas coletadas nos anos 70, como os The Carpenters com "Heather" ou Udo Jurgens com "Summer Love". Outras canções pouco conhecidas mas consideradas pérolas são : Memory Band com "Rotary Conection", ""I love you for All Seasons" e cast of The Whiz com "Tornado". Interessante é ouvir Gordon Staples & The Motown Strings "Strung Out".

Famous musicians also gave their contribution to the easy listenting. They are real gems collected in 70 years, such as The Carpenters with "Heather" or Udo Jurgens with "Summer Love". Other songs but little-known pearls are considered: the Memory Band Rotary Conection "," "I love you for All Seasons" and cast of The Whiz with "Tornado". It is interesting to hear Gordon Staples & The Motown Strings "Strung Out".

The Two of Us : Dinah & Brook

Wonderful duets between Brook Benton and Dinah Washington, plus solo cuts by both from 1960. ~ Ron Wynn
Recorded in New York from 1959 to 1960.
Personnel: Dinah Washington (vocals); Brook Benton (vocals); Joe Zawinul (piano).
Recording information: Fine Recording Studios, New York, NY (09/18/1959-06/22/1960).
Unknown Contributor Roles: Fred Norman Orchestra; Belford Hendricks.
Arrangers: Fred Norman; Belford Hendricks.
Personnel includes: Dinah Washington, Brook Benton (vocals); Joe Zawinul (piano); Nat Goodman's Orchestra, Belford Hendricks' Orchestra, Fred Norman's Orchestra.
Entertainment Weekly (4/7/95, p.93) - "...If Benton wasn't quite Washington's equal--her extraordinary voice elevated even slight material--his resonant tones complemented her well..." - Rating: B+

Samba Soul of the seventies

In the late '60s and '70s the funk and soul music of James Brown, Aretha Franklin, and many other African American superstars sparked a cultural awakening of black pride around the world.
In Brazil that awakening expressed itself in the music of young people of color from Rio to São Paulo, who Brazilianized those North American styles into their own groove thang. The result was a musical movement called samba soul, and this thrilling collection offers a sizzling, seductive, and syncopated snapshot of the best singles from the period.
The genre emphasized snappy backbeats, deep and funky bass lines, and jazz horn sections with tinges of salsa and homegrown samba.
The pianist Ed Lincoln's pioneering De Savoya Combo, along with Trio Mocoto, laid the foundations for the genre with their respective hits "Jogaram o Caxanga".
The great Afro-Cuban conguero Mongo Santamaria is given tribute on Som Tres's south-of-the-equator boogaloo "Homenagem a Mongo."
Today DJs from around the globe are sampling this music, but with this disc you can dance and trance to the real thing: a truly African American music on a hemispheric scale.

The misterious Lord Sitar

Lord Sitar was the alias for renowned session musician and guitar virtuoso Big Jim Sullivan who, in 1966/67, found himself in the enviable position of being the only established session guitarist in England to own a sitar.
By 1967, that attribute had turned him into a valuable commodity, mostly because of the instrument's being popularized by George Harrison of the Beatles and Brian Jones of the Rolling Stones on various of their respective groups' recordings.
Sullivan had already recorded a whole album of sitar-based music entitled Sitar Beat for Mercury Records (released in 1968) when someone at Regal Zonophone -- an imprint of EMI, which already owned the real article in raga rock in the form of George Harrison's Beatles recordings -- decided that they needed an album to cash in on the boom for the Hindustani instrument's sound.
Listen Lord Sitar in LAST FM.
Thus was born "Lord Sitar," as he was billed, with Sullivan working under producer John Hawkins. In subsequent interviews, including one with Kieron Tyler accompanying the R.P.M. reissue of Sitar Beat, Sullivan has described those sessions as unsatisfying and unmemorable, especially when compared to those for Sitar Beat. The Lord Sitar album, however, managed to get reviewed even in the pages of Rolling Stone (then the Bible of rock music) -- thanks to the mystery surrounding "Lord Sitar" and the fact that the album appeared on Capitol Records in America, some people suspected (encouraged by Hawkins' sleeve notes) that there was some direct connection between Lord Sitar and George Harrison. There was, indeed, but only in the crassest commercial way, and only from one side, and not even involving the musicians. The presence of "If I Were A Rich Man" on the album's song list quickly dispelled any rumors, and
"Lord Sitar" was added to a list of peripheral Beatles ephemera (and how much more ephemeral could one possibly get, than to be peripheral ephemera?) that came to include Klaatu and other supposed/alleged/rumored Beatles projects. Ironically, the ruse might've worked -- at least for a few seconds -- if only Hawkins hadn't selected such bizarre material (not just "If I Were A Rich Man", but also "Daydream Believer" and Kim Fowley's "Ode To Joy" rip-off "Emerald City" and two of Hawkins' own copyrights, "Tomorrow's People" and "In A Dream") to record. The sheer bizarre nature of the project makes one wonder if anyone ever actually sat down and even decided precisely what it was they were doing. ~ Bruce Eder, All Music Guide
Lord Sitar recorded songs like "Black is Black", "Eleanor Rigby", "I Am The Walrus" and "If You Are a Rich Man".
Read more about Lord Sitar here

The frenchman Caravelli

Caravelli is a easy listening conductor and arranger. Was born September 12 of 1930 in Paris, France, from Italian father and French mother. He was initially instructed in music by his mother in piano and voicing/harmony at seven years old, and later, when he was thirteen he started to attend the Paris Conservatoire.
In 1959 with the help of famous French jazz bandleader Ray Ventura, he obtained a contract to form his own orchestra oriented to popular music.
He signed a contract with the French record label Versailles. His first album “Dance Party” is recorded (issued also in STEREO).
Later Versailles is acquired by Columbia records (1964). Thanks to CBS worldwide distribution facilities soon he started a real international career, obtaining gold records in France, Japan, Israel and South America.
In 1970 he composed “L'Homme Qui Vient De La Nuit” soundtrack film, starred by Ivan Rebroff. This soundtrack was issued in lp by CBS France.
In the middles '80 in order to up to date his sound he started to share the rhythm arrangements with his son Patrick Vasori and prestigious musicians like Gilles Gambus and Serge Planchon, who also played keyboards and synthesizers with the orchestra.

Many of the songs are memorable Caravelli. Especially in Brazil due to sau exposure in the FM stations during the second decade of the '70s and early '80s. His music played in the daily schedule of radio, something hard to occur today. Excellent chord can be heard on Fire And Rain, Goodbye, La Mal Aime, Perptum Valse, Porque Yo Te Amo, Romantic Blues and Yellow River. Among his best songs can not forget Je Viens t'emmene, Avant de mourir, C'est a mayerling, Here's to you, Il Etait Une Fois Dans L'Quest, In The Summertime and La Chanson de Jumelles. Each song, a style. In particular the songs of the '70s. All are memorable, and can not forget like La Lontananza, La Machine Infernal, La Ruta, Modemoisele Lise, Ton nom, Trout como en 1925, Un Rayo de Sol, Viso D'Angelo and Wigwam. A great conductor!

Brasilianis Last - The James

James Last. Outro grande maestro do easy listening que também voltou sua atenção para o Brasil. Grandes sucessos dos anos 60, "Andança" e "Cantiga por Luciana" fizeram o sucesso das paradas brasileiras. E James Last levou as duas músicas para o resto do mundo.
"Cantiga por Luciana", sucesso de Evinha (que integrou nos anos 80, o coral de Paul Mauriat) é de 1969. Música classificada em primeiro lugar no IV FIC Festival Internacional da Canção, no Rio de Janeiro. Edmundo Rosa Souto, compositor, instrumentista e arquiteto, nasceu em 30/03/1942 em Belém, tendo se mudado com a família aos 8 anos para o Rio de Janeiro. Paulo Tapajós Gomes Filho, cantor, compositor, produtor musical e arquiteto, nascido em 17/08/1945 no Rio de Janeiro, é filho do também compositor, cantor e radialista Paulo Tapajós; durante sua infância frequentava o auditório da Rádio Nacional, onde seu pai era diretor artístico; cresceu em ambiente musical tendo convivido com os melhores artistas do país, que frequentavam sua casa por influência do pai.
"Andança" - Música classificada em terceiro lugar no III FIC Festival Internacional da Canção da TV Globo, em 1968, defendida por Beth Carvalho e o conjunto Golden Boys. Devido a sua beleza, Andança teve 300 gravações no Brasil e no exterior. Edmundo Rosa Souto, compositor, instrumentista e arquiteto, nasceu em 30/03/1942 em Belém, PA, tendo se mudado com a família aos 8 anos para o Rio de Janeiro, foi sempre muito ligado à MPB. Paulo Tapajós Gomes Filho é também co-autor da música
"Andança" que teve 300 gravações no Brasil e no exterior. Além de se dedicarem à música com muito sucesso, tanto compondo como produzindo espetáculos musicais para teatro, televisão e discos, escreveram trilhas sonoras e livros infantis de muito sucesso, tais como: "Verde que te quero ver" e "Aprenda com a turma do verde".

James Last. Another great master of easy listening that also turned his attention to Brazil. Great successes of 60 years, made the success of the Brazilian charts. And James Last took the two songs for the rest of the world.
"Cantiga por Luciana", success Evinha (which has taken in 80 years, the choir of Paul Mauriat) is 1969. Music ranked first in the IV FIC International Song Festival in Rio de Janeiro. Edmundo Souto Rosa, composer, musician and architect, was born on 30.03.1942 in Bethlehem, and moved with his family at age 8 to Rio de Janeiro. Gomes Filho Paulo Tapajós, singer, songwriter, record producer and architect, born 17.08.1945 in Rio de Janeiro, is the son of composer, singer and broadcaster Paul Tapajós; during his childhood attended the auditorium of the National Radio, where his father was artistic director, grew up in a musical environment and lived with the best artists in the country, who frequented his home by his father's influence.
"Wanderings" - Music ranked third in the III FIC International Song Festival of TV Globo, in 1968, defended by Beth Carvalho and the whole Golden Boys. Because of its beauty, Andança had 300 recordings in Brazil and abroad. Edmundo Souto Rosa, composer, musician and architect, was born on 30.03.1942 in Bethlehem, PA, having moved with his family at age 8 to Rio de Janeiro, has always been closely tied to the MPB. Gomes Filho Paulo Tapajós is also co-author of the music
"Wanderings" which had 300 recordings in Brazil and abroad. In addition to the music business very successfully, both writing and producing musicals for theater, television and records, soundtracks and wrote children's books very successful, such as "Green, how I want to see" and "Learn from the class of green.