In Crowd of the month: The Living Guitars (1965)

Among producer Ethel Gabriel's many credits during her tenure at RCA Records was the creation of George Melachrino's
'Moods for Music' series of albums in the 1950's, which she followed up by masterminding the 'Living Strings' series of easy-listening LPs for RCA's 'budget' label, Camden.

The 'Living Strings' concept blossomed into several other instrumental series, including 'Living Guitars', which Gabriel put under the direction of prolific session guitarist Al Caiola, who was already working on a seemingly endless string of albums recorded under his own name at United Artists.

From the LP
'Teen Beat Discotheque'
(RCA-Camden Records, 1965),
listen to:

Living Guitars -
The "In" Crowd
(click for audio)


- Click here to see the LP liner notes in a new window.









See also:
- Al Caiola listed at Space Age Pop and atAll Music.Com

- As of this writing, the Living Guitars 1968 'San Franciscan Nights' LP is available for download via CUEBURN.

- Also as of this writing, 'Living Pizza', a Living Guitars, Living Brass, Living Strings, Voices, Organ, etc compilation is available for download via Licorice Pizza.

- Follow this link to hear the Living Guitars LP 'Flamingo' at Vinyl Lounge Hut.

- In a 2007 audio slideshow from the Pocono Record, record producer Ethel Gabriel reminisces about her long career with RCA Records.

- Click here for this entry and all the previous 'In Crowd of the month' posts together on one page.

In Crowd of the month: The T-Bones (1966)

Not to be confused with a British rock group from the same era, the American 'T-Bones' group began in the early 1960's as a fairly loose affiliation of
Los Angeles-based studio session musicians, known primarily for surf instrumentals.

Guitarists Judd Hamilton and brother Dan Hamilton, bass player Joe Frank Carollo,
multi-instrumentalist
Tommy Reynolds, and drummer Gene Pello solidified as a performing group after the
T-Bones single 'No Matter What Shape (Your Stomach's In)' (based on a melody from an
Alka Seltzer TV commercial and recorded by a slightly different line-up) became a hit in 1965.

The band performed live together and released several more 45s and a few LPs over the next couple of years, but when their radio airplay and hit singles began to dry up, they disbanded in 1967 following a concert tour of Japan.

By the end of 1970 however, the old band had morphed into the new group Hamilton, Joe Frank & Reynolds ▼ and were all over American Top 40 radio airwaves the following summer with their hit 'Don't Pull Your Love'.







From the LP
'Shapin' Things Up'
(Sunset/Liberty Records, 1966),
listen to:

The T-Bones - The "In" Crowd
(click for audio)

See also:
- Hamilton, Joe Frank & Reynolds at All Music.Com

- For those interested in hearing the rest of the T-Bones' swingin' 'Shapin' Things Up' LP, you might click yourself over to a 'Beatles' Era' post at:
A Beatles' Hard-Die's Site.

- Click here for this entry and all the previous 'In Crowd of the month' posts together on one page.

In Crowd of the month: Harry James (1966)

A swingin' instrumental version this month, from a giant of the big band era with his 1960's
'New Swingin' Band' lineup, featuring Buddy Rich on drums.

Musician and band leader Harry James (1916 -1983) began playing trumpet as a child, and was performing with local bands in and around Beaumont, Texas in his teens.

He joined Ben Pollack's Dance Band in 1935, and moved over to Benny Goodman's orchestra in 1937 and '38.

James began leading his own band in 1939, and was hugely popular during the war years and beyond.

He led his orchestra for over forty years. In 1983, diagnosed with cancer, he continued performing up until 9 days before his death, in Las Vegas.

From the LP
'The Ballads and The Beat'
(Dot Records, 1966),
listen to:

Harry James - The "In" Crowd
(click for audio)









- An album cover FYI: ▶
The cover photo of Harry James with trumpet on the right side of the LP cover was taken by legendary music photographer Jim Marshall.

In the video clip below from 1965, ▼ James performs 'Green Onions' with his New Swingin' Band, featuring Buddy Rich on drums.

See also:
- More Harry James video clips gathered at the Trumpet Kings blog.

- Harry James listing at All Music.Com

- Click here for this entry and all the previous 'In Crowd of the month' posts together on one page.

In Crowd of the month: Les Blackburds (1967)

Alternate title: 'Mick Jones and The Road to Arena Rock' (Not to be confused with 'The other Mick Jones and The Road to Rock The Casbah').

A ripping instrumental version this month, steeped in obscurity, some snaky roots of rock history, and many dues paid along the way.

Major thanks are extended to my old pal
Pink Frankenstein for his assistance in connecting the dots.

'Les Blackburds' was the name of a backing band for legendary French pop singer
Johnny Hallyday, circa 1966 - '68.

The band was basically a group of 'hired gun' session musicians who could provide the
British-Beat elements that commerce dictated necessary to provide Hallyday with the sound of the day.

Leading the group was the team of guitarist Micky Jones and drummer Tommy Brown.

Brits Jones and Brown had worked together a few years earlier as they passed through the ever-changing ranks of the group Nero & The Gladiators, gaining some notice before moving on to their own partnership, later recording as the duo The State of Micky and Tommy.

They picked up a variety of session work as well, and in early 1964 were 'designated Brits' in French singer Sylvie Vartan's backing band for a series of performances in Paris.

A professional association with her husband Johnny Hallyday soon followed, and continued through the sixties.

Hallyday released new singles and EPs at a steady clip, and so the band was often traveling from their home in Paris back to London recording studios to capture 'the English sound' with
Glyn Johns or other producers.

In the photo, Johnny Hallyday with Les Blackburds ►

As 'Les Blackburds', the band's lineup typically included:

Micky Jones, guitar
Tommy Brown, drummer
Raymond Donnez
(aka Don Ray), keyboards
Gérard 'Papillon' Fournier, bass
Sam Kelly, percussion
Gérard Pisani, Pierre Ploquin, Jacques Ploquin, Gilles Pellegrini; trumpets
Jean Tosan, sax
Luis Fuentes, trombone

- - Though at this time it's uncertain if that was the exact line-up on their instrumental 'boogaloo' EP released (sans Hallyday) in '67.

From the EP 'The Blackburds play the Bugaloo'
(Phillips Records [France], 1967),
listen to:

Les Blackburds - The "In" Crowd
(click for audio)

- - and then for the next few years, things got interesting for Mick Jones.

His partnership with Tommy Brown began to wind down at the beginning of the 1970's, and eventually so did collaborations with Johnny Hallyday.

In 1970, he joined the line-up of
Gary Wright's new group, Wonderwheel, formed after the break-up of Spooky Tooth.

By 1972, Wright and Jones were members of a reformed Spooky Tooth, recording a couple of albums and changing personnel a few times before breaking up again in 1974.

During this general period Jones also played guitar on an album for Peter Frampton, on George Harrison's 'Dark Horse' LP, and on a few other artist's recording gigs as well.

After Spooky Tooth, he detoured to New York City for several months, working in the music industry as an A&R man for Nigel Thomas' short-lived Good Ear Records.

Heading back to performing, beginning in 1975 Jones did a relatively short stint in
The Leslie West Band, after the breakup of West's band, Mountain.

It appears that after working in A&R and working with the volatile West, Jones made the decision to start his own outfit.

The origins of Mick's career-defining group Foreigner quickly followed.

He met with multi-instrumentalist
Ian McDonald (a fellow Brit, formerly of
King Crimson) and recruited relatively unknown vocalist Lou Gramm, whom Jones had met a few years prior while touring with Spooky Tooth.

Filled out to a sextet and formed in New York in 1976, the band's name came from their 'hybrid' status as a blended Brit and American band.

If you lived through the end of the '70's and the '80's, you may recall that Foreigner did pretty well...

See also:

- A live appearance on 1960's French TV by
Johnny Hallyday and (quite possibly) Les Blackburds performing 'If I Was A Carpenter'.

- A video clip from The Dick Cavett Show circa 1971 shows Mick Jones as a member of Gary Wright's Wonderwheel, with guest George Harrison.

- A partial listing of Mick Jones' recording credits
at All Music.Com

- Click here to view the exhaustively detailed
'Mick Jones Panorama' biographical website, including the anecdotes avoided here about paths crossed with The Beatles, Otis Redding, Jimmy Page, Ahmet Ertegun and other music industry luminaries.

- Click here for this entry and all the previous
'In Crowd of the month' posts together on one page.

In Crowd of the month: Pete Fountain (1966)

New Orleans clarinetist Pete Fountain found a niche years ago in dixieland jazz, playing both in a very traditional style, and applying that same sound to very commercial covers of popular music.

After Fountain's huge surge in popularity during his stint with Lawrence Welk, at the beginning of the 1960's he opened his own nightclub in New Orleans, performing there regularly until his semi-retirement in 2003.



This instrumental comes from one of his many albums released on the Coral record label, which was arguably where he made his finest recordings throughout the sixties.

From the LP
'A Taste Of Honey'
(Coral Records, 1966),
listen to:

Pete Fountain - The "In" Crowd
(click for audio)








See also:
- The extensive and expansive Pete Fountain Discography and blog

- Pete Fountain listed at All Music.Com

- A spotlight on Pete's years on TV with 'The Lawrence Welk Show' at the Welk Musical Family blog.

- Click here for this entry and all the previous 'In Crowd of the month' posts together on one page.

In Crowd of the month: The Chipmunks (1965)

The Chipmunks have come a long way since their creation by Ross Bagdasarian (a.k.a. Dave Seville) in 1958.

Nah, I can't say I was too excited about
Jason Lee's 'Alvin and the Chipmunks' movie, although from the tiny bit I saw, it's sort of nice to see that the franchise still has a place with kids today.









The modern CG look to Alvin and his posse is a bit of a change from the 1960's animated cartoon look that I grew up with - - which in itself was markedly different than the depiction they'd had on their earliest records, or than the hand puppets that would be seen with Dave Seville on TV in those same early days.

It's the old look and spirit present on this 1965 LP cover ▼ that I miss, though.

I loved 'The Alvin Show' cartoon on TV, and I miss it.

Where's the spiffy DVD release for THAT show, huh?!?
That's what this aging nerd wants to know...

I needs me some
Clyde Crashcup!!

From the LP
'Chipmunks à Go-Go'
(Liberty Records, 1965),
listen to:

The Chipmunks - The "In" Crowd
(click for audio)



See also:
- Follow link to a nice healthy stack of video clips from 'The Alvin Show' at YouTube

- A history of The Chipmunks, written by Ross Bagdasarian, Jr. at his Chipmunks.Com
(requires Flash Player)

- Click here for this entry and all of the previously posted 'Bagdasarian-centric' items on this blog

- Click here for this entry and all the previous 'In Crowd of the month' posts together on one page.

In Crowd of the month: Lawrence Welk (1965)

Say what you will about that 'Champagne Music-Maker',
Lawrence Welk, but in addition to being tops in his chosen field, he was also an amazingly shrewd businessman.

Generally, pop hits had to have ripened for a few years and been given time to grow more palatable to his TV audience before he'd allow them to be played on his show.

- - But meanwhile, he was cranking out new LPs on a regular basis, many of them delivering still-current but sanitized versions of recent pop hits.

It was that kind of thinking that hepled make him ridiculously wealthy.

In addition to leveraging such album release angles, he also busily secured the royalty rights to thousands of songs, made massive real estate investments (including his own 'Champagne Music'-themed resort communities), and spun a very lucrative TV syndication deal;
When ABC cancelled his network program in 1971 after deciding that his audience was getting too old, Welk sold his show to hundreds of stations and continued production
for a further eleven years.

From the LP 'Today's Great Hits'
(Dot Records, 1965),
listen to:

Lawrence Welk and his Orchestra - The "In" Crowd
(click for audio)



See also:
- Lawrence Welk entry at All Music.Com and at Space Age Pop

- Welk Musical Family.Com fansite and blog page

- Click here for this entry and all the previous 'In Crowd of the month' posts together on one page.


A few of my favorite Welk images...
The green-jacketed pocket-pool photo at the top of this post is from a program for
Expo '74 in Spokane, Washington, at which Welk, his orchestra and 'musical family' performed.

This older shot to the left (from the cover of the April '56 issue of Radio & Television News) shows Welk adjusting the in-car phonograph of his 1956 Dodge!

For more on that chapter in audio archaeology, follow the links to:
'Highway Hi Fi: Where The Vinyl Meets The Road' at Ookworld, and a spotlight on Chrysler's models; 'It seemed like a good idea at the time'.

- - And finally, at right;

Tom Bertino's classic illustration accompanied his 1984 article on The Lawrence Welk Show that was included in the 6th issue of 'The Tuber's Voice', the official Couch Potato Newsletter.

In Crowd of the month: Jack Fina (1966)

A slightly mellow but still rollicking instrumental version this month...

Pianist and composer Jack Fina (August 13, 1913 – May 14, 1970) had played with Clyde McCoy's big band in the 1930's, and formed his own orchestra in 1946 after ten successful years as a featured player with Freddy Martin's band.

After the big band era, in the 1950's and '60's the size of his bands would diminish as he established long standing hotel gigs in San Francisco, and eventually Los Angeles.

When he recorded this LP for Dot, his small band was in the midst of a successful 8-year-run at the Persian Room of the Beverly Hills Hotel. Fina passed away following a heart attack that occurred during a performance there in 1970. He was 56.

Personnel:
Jack Fina - Piano
Adolphus Alsbrook, Jr. - Bass
Nick Pelico - Drums

From the LP 'More Great Hits In Boogie Woogie'
(Dot Records, 1966),
listen to:

Jack Fina - The "In" Crowd
(click for audio)


For a bit more Jack Fina:
- Follow link to an interesting (if murky-sounding) vintage live radio remote of Fina and his orchestra performing
'Old Devil Moon'.
It can be found at a Jack Fina bio page at Ambrand Dot Com.

- Below, via YouTube, ⬇ A 1948 animation classic from Disney's 'Melody Time' featuring Jack Fina with Freddy Martin's orchestra, playing 'Bumble Boogie', his own arrangement of the Rimsky-Korsakov orchestral interlude.



- Click here to view this and previous 'In Crowd of the month' posts together on one page.

In Crowd of the month: Dobie Gray (1979 Disco Remake)

Dobie Gray was the first to have a hit with Billy Page's song,
'The "In" Crowd'.

In the U.S., his vocal version entered the Billboard charts in January of 1965.

The Ramsey Lewis Trio's jazz instrumental treatment hit the charts in July of that same year.

Gray's biggest career hit was 'Drift Away' in 1973, but by the release of his eponymously titled album six years later, his record chart rankings had slid some.

That this copy of the LP is an old promo speaks a bit to the poor sales it received - - which likely had as much to do with faulty distribution and the shaky financial state of the Infinity record label as anything else.

Though it fit in well with the disco era, Dobie Gray's included 'update' of his first big hit received little notice in the U.S., but fared much better in European dance clubs.

From the self-titled 'Dobie Gray' LP (Infinity Records, 1979),
listen to:

Dobie Gray - In Crowd
(click for audio)

See also: (click to link)
- An album review at Allmusic.Com

- The Official Dobie Gray Website

- A 1965 videoclip of Dobie Gray on 'Hullabaloo', lip-synching to his original vocal hit version of
'The "In" Crowd'.

- Click here to view this and my previous 'In Crowd of the month' posts together on one page.

In Crowd of the month: The Steampacket (1965)

The Steampacket were a brief footnote in the early career histories of several influential British musicians who went on to bigger and better things.

Singer Long John Baldry formed a version of the group in the early 1960's as a sort of soul R&B revue, with vocalists rotating from
back-up to lead during a set, according to their strengths.

By 1965 the group consisted of:

Long John Baldry - vocals
Rod Stewart - vocals
Julie Driscoll - vocals
Brian Auger - organ
Vic Briggs - guitar
Richard Brown - bass guitar
Micky Waller - drums

There wasn't much for any of those vocalists to do during this instrumental recording, I suppose...

Listen to: The Steampacket (featuring Brian Auger) - The In-Crowd (click for audio)

One highlight of The Steampacket's brief tenure was touring in 1965 as an opening act for the
Rolling Stones. They broke up the following year.

Due to contractual obligations with different managers and different record labels, the group never recorded any official releases, just a handful of rehearsals and demos that were later issued when
Rod Stewart was approaching the height of his fame.

See also - - A video clip at YouTube featuring Long John Baldry's vocals and billed as 'Brian Auger's Trinity'; The Steampacket performs 'Lord Remember Me' live at the Richmond Jazz and Blues Festival in 1965. It was shown in the US on the show 'Shindig Goes to London'.

In Crowd of the month: Larry Nelson's (Knechtel's?) 'In' Harmonica (1965)

ADDENDUM, 12/02/07: I've reconfigured yesterday's post just a bit, and made the follow-up the lead.

This morning I received a note from session guitarist Don Peake, ➤
and I think it serves as a better intro and answers more questions than my little bit of homework.

Here's what Don had to say...


Hi There,

My name is Don Peake, and I just read your posting regarding the Larry Nelson LP.
Wow! I didn't even remember that session until I saw your post.

I believe that what you have there is a rare recording of the "Wrecking Crew" with Hal Blaine as our fearless leader.
Larry Nelson sure looks a lot like my friend Larry Knechtel, who went on to found the group "Bread".
The musician list is definitely the "Wrecking Crew".

We all were in Nashville, Tennesee on November 26th, 2007 for a reunion and to be inducted into the Musicians Hall of Fame, along with the Memphis Boys, the Funk Brothers and many more.

Best Wishes,
Don Peake
www.donpeakemusic.com


Many thanks Don, and congratulations on the recent Hall of Fame induction!

*************

In the mid-sixties, the Folk-Rock sound was 'in', and this recording by The Wrecking Crew was like some sort of 'Invasion of the Sixties Session Men'.

Billy Preston was playing organ on this track - - probably just a few months before releasing his own version of this song on his next solo LP...

Album personnel:

Larry Nelson, harmonica
Billy Preston, organ
Al Casey, guitar
Don Peake, guitar
Stuart Chadley, guitar
Jerry Cole, fender bass
Hal Blaine, drums

- Follow the link to view the album's back-cover liner notes in a new window.



From the LP 'A Taste of Honey and Other Goodies'
(World Pacific Records, 1965),
listen to:

Larry Nelson - The "In" Crowd
(click for audio)


See also:
- An article about
The Wrecking Crew appearing at American Heritage.Com

- 'Time Of The Session', from The L.A. Weekly, a 2004 article on The Wrecking Crew and other session musicians.

- Click here to view all of my previous 'In Crowd of the month' posts.

In Crowd of the month: The Village Stompers (1966)

The Village Stompers were a Dixieland jazz outfit in the early 1960's when they formed in New York City's Greenwich Village.

They gained attention in early 1963 with their instrumental hit single, 'Washington Square'.





Personnel:
Ralph Casale (banjo)
Frank Hubbell (trumpet)
Dick Brady (trombone)
Joe Muranyi (clarinet)
Mitchell May (reeds, winds)
Lenny Pogan (guitar)
Don Coates (piano)
Al McManus (drums)

Their sound and 'good-time' presentation was soon embraced by the college campus / folk-'Hootenanny' crowd, and they did much touring before disbanding sometime in 1966.

- - But now they're back!

Follow the link to The Village Stompers Official Website!

From the LP 'A Taste of Honey and Other Goodies' (Epic Records, 1966),
listen to:
The Village Stompers - The "In" Crowd (click for audio)

In Crowd of the month: Karl Swoboda's Dancing Zither (1966)

One of several eclectic instrumental arrangements of this tune recorded back in the day.

Excerpted from the back cover liner notes:

"The ever changing concepts of modern living have given rise to new ideas in many areas of creative endeavor, including the artistic field of music making.

"The Zither, although a very ancient and revered instrument, has had to wait for a major talent, with a flair for popular music and a modern mind, to bring it out of its traditional use as an atmospheric background in European cafes, or a twangy accompaniment for old world 'folk' ballads.

"This talent has arrived! He is Viennese born (1937) Karl Swoboda.

"Karl, who now appears regularly on European Radio and TV, began zithering when only nine years old. He received his most valuable legitimate training from 1953 to 1956 at the Conservatory of Vienna. The door to fame was opened for him as a result of his winning an amateur contest which led directly to an American TV appearance on the Ted Mack Hour. When he returned home, his still continuing appearances began.

"His previous album for Philips, 'Pop Goes The Zither' is a hit on both continents, thereby making him an artist of international stature.

"Karl uses the delicate instrument more like a guitar, in that he has freed the zither from its usual traditional use in a chordal mode with his conception of a free flowing single note melodic line.

"The zither has many tone qualities which can remind one of the plano, harpsichord, harp or guitar. In the hands of Karl Swoboda it takes on a very warm and personal sound with a timbre on certain numbers not unlike that of the great Gypsy guitarist, Django Reinhardt."

Post-pop music endeavors, Karl Swoboda has made dozens of classical recordings in Europe, presumably playing the zither in a more traditional manner.

From the LP 'Dancing Zither' (Phillips Records, 1966),
listen to: Karl Swoboda - The "In" Crowd
(click for audio)

In Crowd of the month: Hullabaloo Orchestra (1965)

An instrumental version this month.

There are many cover versions of this song that try to out-do other versions in one way or another; groovier, heavier, funkier, peppier, noisier, etcetera - -

- - and there are versions that rely on a unique instrumentation - - banjo, harmonica, harpsichord, zither, etc, etc.

This version is the only one I've found that goes for a slow and languid arrangement.

Slinky. Almost sleepy.
It's a standout...

'Hullabaloo' was NBC's answer to ABC's 'Shindig' TV show.
Both were pop & rock musical variety shows airing in prime time.

Amid the gyrations of the 'Hullabaloo' dancers and 'pop-art' studio sets, the show would feature a changing roster of popular recording artists, as hosted by a different celebrity each week.

It ran for two seasons in 1965 and '66. (When 'Hullabaloo was canceled, it was replaced by 'The Monkees'. 'Shindig' would be replaced by 'Batman' the same year.)

See also: (click for links)
- The IMDb entry for 'Hullabaloo'.

- A Hullabaloo episode guide at TV.Com, listing all the hosts and musical performances for both seasons.

Prior to his stint with 'Hullabaloo', Conductor / Arranger Peter Matz was probably best known for his work with Barbra Streisand on her records and TV specials.

A few years following the departure of 'Hullabaloo', he further distinguished himself as the musical conductor on Carol Burnett's popular sketch/variety show.

See also: An obituary/bio for Peter Matz from 2002.

(click for link)

From the LP 'The Hullabaloo Show' (Columbia Records, 1965),
listen to: The Hullabaloo Orchestra, Arranged and Conducted by Peter Matz - The "In" Crowd
(click for audio)


ADDENDUM, 11/17/07: To hear the rest of this LP, to watch some Hullabaloo video clips, etc, click over to the posting at Heino und Jerry im Über Space !!

In Crowd of the month: Tar (1992)

Tar were from Chicago, and they were together from 1988 - 1995, releasing half a dozen albums and a few 45s before calling it quits.

Band Line-up:

Mike Greenlees - Drums

John Mohr - Electric Guitar / Vocals

Mark Zablocki - Electric Guitar

Tom Zaluckyj - Electric Bass



Their loud & snotty cover version of
'The "In" Crowd' is basically a noise-rock arrangement of Bryan Ferry's version from 1974.


Listen to:
Tar - The In Crowd
(Touch and Go Records, 1992)

(click for audio)

In Crowd of the month: Billy Preston

Hard not to like Billy Preston, and it's still sad to know he's no longer around.

I've always especially loved his 1973 hit 'Will It Go Round in Circles'.
Had the 45 when I was a kid.
A great one to belt out, full on, when you're in the shower or alone in the car.
You know - - where you do your best singing...

Billy Preston rocked the hairdos, too.
He had the massive seventies 'fro, but there was also that mid-sixties straight quasi-Beatle cut, the one he had back when he'd appear on 'Shindig' and such.

He recorded his instrumental version of
'The "In" Crowd' on September 11, 1965, and the LP was released in March of '66.

See also: Billy Preston's official website, and a 'Fifth Beatle' page at The Internet Beatles Album site.

From his 1966 LP,
'The Wildest Organ In Town!',
listen to: Billy Preston - The "In" Crowd
(click for audio)




From the early 1970's, one of a series of themed celebrity Craig car stereo print ads. ⬆

In Crowd of the month: The Pair

A groovy low-key vocal version this month, recorded live circa 1965.

There's not too much information floating around about vocalist Carl Craig and bassist Marcus Hemphill, the Pair Extraordinaire.

The best capsule bio I could find was over at Record Robot, where they'd already done their homework in a posting from earlier this year.

There's a little bit more to be gleaned from an old posting at It's Magic, as well as the 1986 New York Times obituary for Marcus Hemphill.



Listen to: The Pair - The "In" Crowd (click for audio)

(- - and click here for all of my 'In Crowd of the month' posts gathered together on one page)

In Crowd of the month: Dick Hyman & Harpsichord

Dick Hyman has enjoyed a long and varied musical career spanning the last 50 years or so. Session man, musical arranger, composer - - He's worked in many styles with dozens of other artists, and has released over 100 albums.

His pop instrumental LPs released on the Command label in the sixties are legendary. This month's In Crowd is from the 1966 LP, 'Happening!'

Among his diverse achievements in more recent years has been his role as composer/arranger/conductor/pianist in many of Woody Allen's films.

Listen to: Dick Hyman & Harpsichord - The "In" Crowd (click for audio)

In Crowd of the month: Jack Jones

A vocal version this month.
This was recorded in 1966, when Jack Jones was in his heyday, and just about a decade before he'd supply the theme song to
'The Love Boat'.

I think what makes this rendition of the song stand out from many others is the way Jack changes the phrasing just a little bit, choosing to put the occasional emphasis on lyrics where others didn't.

- - And yes, still to this day I can't help but refer to him as "Jack 'Freakin' Jones", following the TV guest appearance he made on one episode of Chris Elliott's 'Get A Life' back in the early 1990's.

Listen to: Jack Jones - The "In" Crowd (click for audio)

In Crowd of the month: Mel Taylor and the Magics

In 1962, members of the seminal instrumental surf band The Ventures discovered Mel Taylor performing as the house drummer at the Palomino Club in North Hollywood.

He'd worked as a session musician, recording with artists such as Herb Alpert and Buck Owens, among many others.
It's also his drumming you hear in the opening strains of Bobby 'Boris' Pickett's 'Monster Mash'.

Mel was drummer for The Ventures until his death in 1996, at which point he was replaced in the lineup by his son, Leon.

Somewhere amidst all the world tours and hundreds of recording sessions, he managed to release his fine 'In Action' LP in 1966. Gotta dig those groovy flutes...

Listen to: Mel Taylor and the Magics - The "In" Crowd (click for audio)