Joey Altruda - Cocktails for Joey

Si la pochette présente un érotisme un peu mièvre et un nom d'une créativité égale à 0 elle n'en cache pas moins un opus de lounge & jazz de très bonne tenue. Si, si, Joey Altruda reprend le flambeau des Mancini, Schifrin, Jobim, Esquivel et Denny pour la veine exotica de "Tropical espionage" pleine de cris d'oiseaux et de percussions des îles - : arrangements luxuriants, cuivres élégants, mambo pur jus. Car il faut savoir que cet album constitue en fait un hommage aux musiques des années 50, sorti en 1995, et préfigurant le revival pour l'easy listening. Revival où le devant de la scène a été occupé par des groupes tels que Combustible Edison ou Pizzicato 5. Ce disque, peut-être justement à cause de sa pochette médiocre (je ne parle même pas du verso !), est passé à la trappe. Il était temps donc de redonner un coup de projecteur à cette pièce, la meilleure d'Altruda du reste, qui ravira les néo-loungers.


This 1995 entry in the lounge revival is a real sleeper. While Combustible Edison and others generated more national attention, Altruda put together a recording that relies less on retro-kitsch and more on sophisticated arrangements and fine playing. Henry Mancini is an obvious touch-point for this effort, with the maestro's "The Brother's Go To Mothers" (originally featured as incidental music in 1959's Peter Gunn television series) providing a superb organ-led workout. Altruda's own "A Martini for Mancini," is a worthy bossa-nova homage to the master, featuring lively vibes, flute and Hammond B-3, accompanied by a swanky, swirling horn arrangement.

Altruda's originals feature elements of several '50s masters in addition to Mancini. The latin sounds of Perez Prado, and the inventive arrangements of Juan Garcia Esquivel are obvious influences, as are the soundtracks of Ennio Morricone and Nino Rota, and the exotica sounds of Martin Denny and Arthur Lyman. The opener, "Tropical Espionage" blends the bird calls of Denny with a sophisticated horn chart and a bird-like flute lead. "Remembering Jobim" features the Stan Getz-inspired saxophone of Doug Webb and a melody mindful of Antonio Carlos Jobim's classics.

The oft-covered "April in Portugal" (nearly a standard of loungecore, with covers by Esquivel, The Three Suns, Enoch Light, Les Baxter, Perez Prado, Ray Anthony, Bert Kaempfert, and many, many more) adds a bit of rock 'n' roll to the bossa nova beat, while "Mambo Bardot" drops the tempo for a slow, mysterious dance befitting it's original setting in the film "And God Created Woman." Cy Coleman's theme for Hugh Hefner's "Playboy After Dark" television program features the superbly cool piano stylings of Red Young and fine sax from Doug Webb and Plas Johnson. Finally, Jackie Gleason's "Melancholy Serenade," best known as the theme for "The Honeymooners" is re-imagined as a cha-cha.