Les Baxter
Les Baxter is a pianist who composed and arranged for the top swing bands of the '40s and '50s, but he is better known as the founder of exotica, a variation of easy listening that glorified the sounds and styles of Polynesia, Africa, and South America, even as it retained the traditional string-and-horn arrangements of instrumental pop. Exotica became a massively popular trend in the '50s, with thousands of record buyers listening to Baxter, Martin Denny, and their imitators. Baxter also pioneered the use of the electronic instrument the theremin, which has a haunting, howling sound.
Baxter studied piano at the Detroit Conservatory and Pepperdine College in Los Angeles. After he completed school, he abandoned the piano and became a vocalist. When he was 23, he joined Mel Tormé's Mel-Tones. The group sang on Artie Shaw records, including the hit "What Is This Thing Called Love."
In 1950, he became an arranger and conductor for Capitol Records, working on hits by Nat King Cole, including "Mona Lisa." Around the same time, Baxter began recording his own albums. In 1948, he released a triple-78 album called Music out of the Moon, which ushered in space-age pop with its use of the theremin. Four years later, he began recording exotica albums with Le Sacre du Sauvage.
On his early-'50s singles Baxter was relatively straightforward, performing versions of standards like the number one hits "Unchained Melody" and "The Poor People of Paris," but on his albums he experimented with all sorts of world musics, adapting them for his orchestra. As he was recording his exotica albums, Baxter was also the musical director for the radio show Halls of Ivy, plus Abbott & Costello radio shows; he also composed over 100 film scores, concentrating on horror movies and teenage musicals and comedies, though he also did dramas like Giant.
Baxter's heyday was in the '50s and '60s. Although he continued to compose and record in the '70s, his output was sporadic. Nevertheless, a cult following formed around his exotica recordings that persisted into the '90s.
© TiVo
Artistas similares
-
Classic Les Baxter, Vol. 10
Jazz - Editado por Top Tracks el 30 oct. 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Arthur Murray's Favourites: Modern Waltzes
Jazz - Editado por Lumi Entertainment el 1 oct. 2012
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Essential Les Baxter Collection, Vol. 1
Jazz - Editado por Top Tracks el 30 oct. 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Jazz Milestones: Les Baxter, Vol. 11
Jazz - Editado por 21-Music el 10 oct. 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Black Sunday [La Maschera Del Demonio] (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
Bandas sonoras de cine - Editado por Horus Music Distribution el 5 nov. 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Thinking of You
World music - Editado por TP4 Music el 6 ene. 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Classic Les Baxter, Vol. 8
Jazz - Editado por Top Tracks el 30 oct. 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Milestones of a Legend - Les Baxter, Vol. 6
Clásica - Editado por Documents 2 el 25 mar. 2017
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Les grands chefs d'orchestre de variétés : Les Baxter, Vol. 1
Pop - Editado por Mpm el 22 dic. 2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
House of Usher (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
Bandas sonoras de cine - Editado por Horus Music Distribution el 24 jul. 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Jazz Milestones: Les Baxter, Vol. 12
Jazz - Editado por 21-Music el 10 oct. 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Vintage Dance Orchestra No. 200 - EP: A Thinking Of You
Jazz - Editado por Vintage Music el 21 jul. 1954
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Goliath & the Barbarians (original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
Bandas sonoras de cine - Editado por Classic Music International el 25 ene. 2011
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Voodoo Lounge
Jazz - Editado por Sharp Edge Records el 26 sep. 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
-
Classic Les Baxter, Vol. 16
Jazz - Editado por Top Tracks el 30 oct. 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Voices in Rhythm
World music - Editado por TP4 Music el 6 ene. 2024
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Fabulous Sounds of Les Baxter
World music - Editado por TP4 Music el 6 ene. 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Black Sunday (La Maschera Del Demonio) [Ost] [1960]
Bandas sonoras de cine - Editado por Classic Soundtrack Collector el 20 oct. 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Jazz Milestones: Les Baxter, Vol. 23
Jazz - Editado por 21-Music el 10 oct. 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Love Is a Fabulous Thing (Original Album)
R&B - Editado por Dynamic Sound Studios el 4 ago. 2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo