The Sound of Music 1965

A four-hour, 90-track overview of the Los Angeles music scene between 1965 and 1968
Featuring a dazzling combination of major league LA players, enduring cult acts and ultra-rare garage punk 45s Housed in a stylish clamshell box, ‘Heroes and Villains’ is a fascinating four-hour trip into the heart of the late ‘60s LA music goldmine. After The Beatles captivated a generation with their appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show, the Los Angeles music scene moved beyond the previously-dominant surf, hot-rod and girl group discs to fashion a spirited response to the British Invasion.

The Shadows' fourth album (not counting hits collections) follows on from Dance with the Shadows. The common perception among Americans watching from afar and British historians who just don't know is that the Shadows were operating in a vacuum during the 1960s, oblivious to the pop music universe swirling around them, but their mid-'60s albums tell a different story – the band tries hard to be a mainstream rock & roll outfit without betraying their roots as a virtuoso instrumental ensemble…

No one is likely ever to sort out the true "best" of Ian & the Zodiacs, never mind their overall history: they were on too many labels, and never sold enough records to justify the effort as anything other than a labor of love. But based on the evidence of this 26-song CD, there was a good deal to love there. All of what's here is very solid American pop/soul done Merseybeat-style, complete with the occasional blowing sax (sharing the spotlight with fuzztone guitar) and horns. To be sure, they were never a cutting-edge outfit like the Beatles or the Hollies, or even an ambitious pop/rock outfit like the Merseybeats the nature of the material here speaks to that, American soul and Brit-beat pop/rock that was already a bit retro when it was done in 1966 (at around the same time that the Beatles were having fun at the expense of the British soul boom - and also expanding the meaning of the word "soul" - with the title of the Rubber Soul album)…

The music of the American Westcoast from the late sixties won the hearts of music lovers around the world - and certainly also in the Netherlands. In this unique soundbook Leo Blokhuis tells what makes this music so special and gives an overview of all artists, albums and songs that matter. The four CDs contain a unique collection of beautiful songs. A must-have for anyone who loves the sunny sound of the West Coast - or who wants to discover it.

This very evocative 1965 recording session was a cause for celebration not only among critics but among the bossa nova-crazed audiences of Brazil and the U.S, and it sold quite well. Donato is a jazz pianist first, and his allegiances in harmony and melody come from there first and foremost. But rhythmically and in his phrasing, he comes from the generation of Brazilian musicians who developed the bossa nova as an art form. His touch is light, his settings are lush and laid-back, and his playing is as much or more from his left hand as his right. Solos on these records are wonderfully improvised, but they reflect the sweet, gorgeous melodies on the front line of these tunes. As such, Donato comes across as an elegant pianist and ensemble player, establishing his individual touch as a leader in that left hand rhythmic bent where he loves those shaded keys.