Album: Ron Sorin and the Blue Coast Band - Lake City
I don't usually associate a rocking blues harmonica and honky-tonk piano with Geppetto's runaway puppet, but Ron Sorin & crew are on fire in this rollicking instrumental piece that barrels along with so much energy and fun that 3 minutes seem to go by in the blink of an eye.
Album: The Best of Peter Kleine Schaars
Peter Kleine Schaars is a Dutch trombonist who has performed with and conducted several military bands. As you can see from this album cover, he's performed works by the Beatles, Phil Collins and Earth, Wind & Fire.
Of course, all I care about here is that Mr. Schaars led a military band through an epic rendition of the Tale Spin theme...and it's a wonderfully different take on a television classic.
Album: The Swingtips - Roswell
Let's acknowledge one thing up front: nothing can beat the great Thurl Ravenscroft's unforgettable performance of the original.
The Swingtips can't match Ravenscroft's voice, but their take on the mansion's signature tune is the most fun alternate version recorded to date.Colorful and imaginatively arranged, the best part comes during the instrumental middle section, as you hear various ghosts from the attraction discuss or reenact their gruesome final "mortal" moments that landed them in the mansion.
Album: David Huntsinger - Once Upon a Time
This beautiful tune featured in Make Mine Music is one of those songs that breaks my heart every time I hear it, and this perfect piano rendition of the piece brings all the melody's emotional punch into focus. It's a heartfelt performance of a wonderfully sentimental tear-jerker.
One more today, and it's a bit trickier to describe...
Album: Luz Mob - Luz Interpretations
Another instrumental, and this one not only delivers a great performance of a Jungle Book classic, but the brass and percussion arrangement (featuring a xylophone and bass sax) paints a vivid and colorful impression of the sly python prowling the tree branches. It's like wordless audio character animation. I've never heard anything quite like it, and now I can't stop listening to it.
All these tracks are hiding deep in the rolling musical hills of iTunes and Amazon MP3, waiting for a playlist they can call home. More offbeat Disney music picks coming soon!
Whoa. I can't get over the covers of some of these albums. I love that you are going out there and digging out these ... interesting .. song covers. haha. I actually like the art of the fifth one.
ReplyDeleteSome of these are certainly "out there." :) Believe it or not, there's one track I really, really, want to recommend -- it's one of the best ever -- but I can't bring myself to do it because the album cover is so stomach-churningly offensive. No way it's going up this site...ah, well....
DeleteI appreciate your comments on I've Got No Strings. I had that one rattling around in my head for years. Ron thought I was crazy when I said we should record it, but it turned out great, didn't it?
ReplyDeleteMr. Terson, thank you for getting the band to do this number; it's brilliant -- the single best, most ingenious interpretation of a Disney song I've ever heard. Love your bass on this!
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