Uploaded December 2014 | Updated September 2026, 2 hours ago
ORCHESTRAL MANOEUVRES IN THE CHARTS - 1962
Song that entered the charts : Afrikaan Beat
Performing Orchestra : Bert Kaempfert
Highest Charts Position reached : 7
This famous instrumental was composed and arranged by Bert Kaempfert. He wrote the song, together with a number of other "African sounding" tunes, after having been inspired by the pennywhistle sound of South Africa. The songs were released on the album "A Swingin' Safari" which, on its turn, entered the album charts that same year.
HENRY JEROME
Jerome started as a bandleader in high school, and went to work full-time with a cadre of his classmates (including future Federal Reserve chairman Alan Greenspan) after graduation. From the mid-1930s through the end of the 1940s, Jerome ran the band in some form continuously, working steamships, hotels, and circuits. In its various guises, the Jerome band was a "sweet" band, specializing in light ballads and moderate tempos.
After breaking up the band, Jerome went into record producing, and ended up forming a new studio band to release a series of LPs for Decca under the moniker of "Brazen Brass." While Jerome was inspired by the success of Enoch Light's "Persuasive Percussion" album and sound, he deserves credit at least for dumping the sweet sound for something bold, splashy, and, well, brazen. The trademark "brazen" sound was enhanced through stereo by recording an equal number of trumpets on each channel, muted horns on the right and open horns on the left. According to Jerome, the technique was "To have my open brass section on left speaker talk musically to the muted brass section on the right speaker in musical phrases and be able to reverse them which was unheard of in those days and was one of the reasons for its tremendous sale." Jerome produced and conducted 9 Brazen Brass albums for Decca, as well as several more conventional sweet albums, until he left to become an A&R man for Coral in 1959. He released one more "brazen" style album in the late 1960s, for United Artists.
SPANISH HARLEM
"Spanish Harlem" is a song released by Ben E. King in 1960 on Atco Records, written by Jerry Leiber and Phil Spector, and produced by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller.
The song was King's first hit away from The Drifters, a group he had led for several years. With an arrangement by Stan Applebaum featuring Spanish guitar, marimba, and drum-beats, it quickly climbed the Billboard charts.
More than 150 different versions were recorded - either vocal or instrumental.
MHO
Taken from his final "Brazen Brass" album "American Gold" here is Henry Jerome with the well known Ben King hit from 1960, "Spanish Harlem". Quality arrangement with the brass obviously playing the main role but care and attention were given to the additional instrumentation as well.
So sit back, relax and (re-) discover this "golden" gem from the 60s!
ORCHESTRAL MANOEUVRES IN THE CHARTS - 1962
Song that entered the charts : Afrikaan Beat
Performing Orchestra : Bert Kaempfert
Highest Charts Position reached : 7
This famous instrumental was composed and arranged by Bert Kaempfert. He wrote the song, together with a number of other "African sounding" tunes, after having been inspired by the pennywhistle sound of South Africa. The songs were released on the album "A Swingin' Safari" which, on its turn, entered the album charts that same year.
HENRY JEROME
Jerome started as a bandleader in high school, and went to work full-time with a cadre of his classmates (including future Federal Reserve chairman Alan Greenspan) after graduation. From the mid-1930s through the end of the 1940s, Jerome ran the band in some form continuously, working steamships, hotels, and circuits. In its various guises, the Jerome band was a "sweet" band, specializing in light ballads and moderate tempos.
After breaking up the band, Jerome went into record producing, and ended up forming a new studio band to release a series of LPs for Decca under the moniker of "Brazen Brass." While Jerome was inspired by the success of Enoch Light's "Persuasive Percussion" album and sound, he deserves credit at least for dumping the sweet sound for something bold, splashy, and, well, brazen. The trademark "brazen" sound was enhanced through stereo by recording an equal number of trumpets on each channel, muted horns on the right and open horns on the left. According to Jerome, the technique was "To have my open brass section on left speaker talk musically to the muted brass section on the right speaker in musical phrases and be able to reverse them which was unheard of in those days and was one of the reasons for its tremendous sale." Jerome produced and conducted 9 Brazen Brass albums for Decca, as well as several more conventional sweet albums, until he left to become an A&R man for Coral in 1959. He released one more "brazen" style album in the late 1960s, for United Artists.
SPANISH HARLEM
"Spanish Harlem" is a song released by Ben E. King in 1960 on Atco Records, written by Jerry Leiber and Phil Spector, and produced by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller.
The song was King's first hit away from The Drifters, a group he had led for several years. With an arrangement by Stan Applebaum featuring Spanish guitar, marimba, and drum-beats, it quickly climbed the Billboard charts.
More than 150 different versions were recorded - either vocal or instrumental.
MHO
Taken from his final "Brazen Brass" album "American Gold" here is Henry Jerome with the well known Ben King hit from 1960, "Spanish Harlem". Quality arrangement with the brass obviously playing the main role but care and attention were given to the additional instrumentation as well.
So sit back, relax and (re-) discover this "golden" gem from the 60s!
