Sensuous Man

Don Ralke - But You've Never Heard Gershwin With Bongos / The Savage And The Sensuous Bongos (1960) {Warner Bros. rel 2008}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 417 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 177 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 15 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1960, 2008 Collectables Records / Warner Bros. | CDL-CD-7856
Jazz / Latin Jazz / Mood Music / Bongos

This two-fer from Collectables features a pair of out of print LPs by easy listening arranger, composer, and producer Don Ralke, Gershwin with Bongos and The Savage and the Sensuous Bongos, both originally issued in 1960. These 26 tracks are unique in that the arrangements feature bongos as the prominent instrument. Along with several Ralke originals are such Gershwin standards as "How Long Has This Been Going On," "Summertime," and "I Got Rhythm."

The first presentation of A Man and a Woman on CD in stereo – from the original album masters housed in the MGM vaults, in both French and English versions. One of the finest soundtrack albums of the 1960s came in 1966, when Francis Lai composed much of the music for Claude Lelouch's French film A Man and a Woman (Un Homme et une Femme in French). Most European films enjoy very little publicity in the U.S., but A Man and a Woman was an exception because the soundtrack was so superb. With this classic LP, Lai and his allies (who include arrangers Maurice Vander and Ivan Julien) brought together French pop, jazz, and the Brazilian bossa nova (which Antonio Carlos Jobim, Stan Getz, and João Gilberto had popularized in the early 1960s). The bossa nova was as hot in Europe as it was in North America, and France's interest in Brazilian music is underscored by sensuous, caressing Lai offerings like "Aujourd'hui C'est Toi" and the famous title song – all of which feature French vocalists Nicole Croisille and/or Pierre Barouh. While Lai composed most of the melodies, Barouh provided the French lyrics – including some lyrics that he wrote for Brazilian composer Baden Powell's "Samba Saravah." Barouh has a soft, gentle quality to his voice, and he frequently brings to mind another gentle singer: João Gilberto. A five-star collection of mood music, this soundtrack has held up extremely well over the years.