NOT exactly a-j, but possible overlap

kevin kiernan (mrfliz@interport.net)
Sun, 10 Sep 1995 17:05:43 -0400

ok. there's a huge body of work that's become hip and trendy recently--it's
often called "space age bachellor pad music (jacked from an esquivel album
of the same name)." billboard magazine just did a cover story on it.
encompassing a divers oevre, it's of course hard to define. a typical
characteristic is the heavy-handed panning (exagerating the stereo effect,
zooming sounds from one side to the other).

most of this stuff came out late 50's - mid 60's, when rock & roll was
getting all the attention. it was used as a marketing tool to help sell
newly developed hi-fi stereophonic record players. it was a producer's
medium; it was all about arrangements. they generally used a small
orchestra, lots of horns, vibes, choral singers. and hammonds and
wurlitzers. lots of it leaned heavily on latin influences.

sure, a lot of it sounds like elevator muzak. but some of them bands wuz
funky. and it scares me to think what esquivel might have sounded like if
he had a sampler 30 years ago.

anyway, it's just a guess, but i do guess that there are a few of you out
there who've heard some of this stuff and dug it. and agree with me that
there' s occaisionally a link betwixt it and acid jazz (check some izit or
corduroy). so far i've only checked esquivel, but there is a small but
burgeoning club scene playing a wide menu of this stuff (in nyc, and
apparently los angeles too).

SO, to my point. anyone know this genre, and have any recommendations for
me/us?

kevin kiernan
mrfliz@interport.net