Ultra Swank - Retro Adventures

Music

Haunting Halloween Mood Sounds with Doctor Druid

To kick off things for Halloween in a ghoulish way, this old piece of 1973 wax will most likely do the trick (…or treat). Doctor Druid’s Haunted Seance is sure to scare and entertain everyone in the family, especially if used with one speaker hidden in the ceiling for the proper “stereo spirit” effect. Heck, even I am a bit freaked out by this old...

Mr. Lucky Television Series
Written by Guest Writer in Music

Mr. Lucky Television Series

Mr. Lucky was a relatively short-lived (34 episodes) 1959-1960 television series. It starred actors John Vivyan as the suave professional gambler, “Mr. Lucky”, and Ross Martin as his sidekick, Andamo. Most of the action in this crime drama took place on or around Mr. Lucky’s floating casino/pad called “The Fortuna”. Possibly the most memorable thing about the show was the cool, jazzy theme and background...

Shaynee Rainbolt Leads a Charmed Life – Featuring Russell Garcia

American jazz vocalist Shaynee Rainbolt contacted me a while back having seen one of my compilations which features songs by legendary musician and composer Russell Garcia. It turns out that she is not only a fellow fan of his but also worked with him on her latest album entitled Charmed Life: Shaynee Rainbolt Sings Russell Garcia. Russell, now 92 years old have been living on...

Gamine Revives Noir Jazz
Written by Christopher in Music

Gamine Revives Noir Jazz

Although based in London, pianist and composer Ian Williams and singer Claudia Barton outputs music that instantly transports you to a smoky, noir jazz club in 1960’s Paris. One of those clubs with a sole spotlight focusing on the elegant and voluptuous female singer. Gamine’s music is not something you would listen to on a sunny and warm day – if you would, everything that...

Fly Eastern – With Bossa Legend Astrud Gilberto

Here in Sweden we just skipped spring, summer and autumn and went directly back to winter again, so what could be better than taking a trip to the sun with glamorous Eastern Airlines? “The Music of Eastern” is a collection with six one-minute vintage commercials with none other than Brazilian bossa legend Astrud Gilberto on vocals. The jingles were recorded in the late 1960s and...

Hugo Montenegro – Lady in Cement (1968)

Time for another album share here at Ultra Swank, this time featuring the groovy beats and melodies of Hugo Montenegro. This is the original soundtrack to the movie Lady in Cement starring Frank Sinatra as a private eye working in the swank (and not so swank) settings of Miami, Florida in the late 1960s. The movie is pretty nice, not a very original story –...

Les Baxter is Thinking of You
Written by Christopher in Music

Les Baxter is Thinking of You

As promised here is my first of (hopefully) many more vinyl shares. First up is a real classic by Les Baxter. Found it on a auction site here in Sweden for about $6 – what a bargain! Although this isn’t a exotica record per se, it is still very recognizable if you have heard Les Baxter’s work before. Most of the songs on it are...

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