Reckless Nights And Turkish: Raymond Scott: Amazon.ca: Music

1. Powerhouse
2. The Toy Trumpet
3. Tobacco Auctioneer
4. New Year's Eve In A Haunted House
5. Manhattan Minuet
6. Dinner Music For A Pack Of Hungry Cannibals
7. Reckless Night On Board An Ocean Liner
8. Moment Musical
9. Twilight In Turkey
10. The Penguin
11. Oil Gusher
12. In An 18th Century Drawing Room
13. The Girl At The Typewriter
14. Siberian Sleighride
15. At An Arabian House Party
16. Boy Scout In Switzerland
17. Bumpy Weather Over Newark
18. Minuet In Jazz
19. War Dance For Wooden Indians
20. The Quintet Plays Carmen
See all 23 tracks on this disc

Product Description

From Amazon.com

These prewar gems from a long-neglected artist have been remastered and now sound better than ever. Scott's career as composer, bandleader, and electronic-music pioneer is just beginning to be rediscovered. Here, he mixes swing jazz with classical forms, exotica (long before there even was such a thing), and his own hyperactive melodies to create a timeless sound. Many of the bouncy tunes are recognizable from their constant use in cartoon soundtracks over the years: the classic "Powerhouse," a jittery mix of an edgy scherzo and a relentless march (as well as a favorite of Looney Toons composer Carl Stalling); the jaunty "The Toy Trumpet"; and the dizzying "Dinner Music for a Pack of Hungry Cannibals." Scott's original recordings with his Quintette (which, strangely enough, consisted of six musicians) are a delight, and the invention and energy never let up. --Heidi MacDonald

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3 Reviews

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5.0 out of 5 stars (3 customer reviews)

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5.0 out of 5 stars This is just AMAZING!!!, Feb 13 2004

By

P. B. Reynolds (North Carolina) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)

This review is from: Reckless Nights And Turkish (Audio CD)

Okay, as a little kid growing up in the 1990's, I was a fanatic of the Ren & Stimpy Show. And I always wondered, when the rambunctious cat and mouse duo were engaging in their hysterical hijinx, what WAS that incredible background music?! It's a little bit ragtime, a little bit trashcan jazz, and a whole lotta AWESOME!!! Well, a few months ago, I did some extensive research on the web, and to my eternal joy, I found out that the composer in question is one Raymond Scott, and boy, did I jump at the chance to buy this CD! I was NOT disappointed! This guy is a musical dynamo! His compositional structures and musical ideas defy every convention! And all the looney old ditties are here, including a few that any cartoon fan will INSTANTLY recognize, like "Powerhouse", "The Toy Trumpet" and "Manhattan Minuet", and a few that I didn't even know he wrote! Even the ones that I'd never heard before impress me to no end, like "The Penguin" and "Huckleberry Duck." This cat really knew jazz, despite what the purists say. He also had a knack for taking a concept or idea, and totally expressing it musically, like Richard Strauss, but with swing! I don't know how I ever lived without this CD. A few of my personal favorites are "The Toy Trumpet" (the tune WILL get stuck in your head, mark my words!), "Manhattan Minuet" (a jazzy little tune with a twinkly background), and "In an 18th Century Drawing Room" (which is really just a jazz variation on the first movement of Mozart's K. 545 piano sonata, but you'll be astounded by what Ray does with it!) Great CD, highly recommended! If you're a music lover, you must check this one out!

---Barrett

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5.0 out of 5 stars Wild, weird, wonderful jazz/chamber music., Feb 4 2004

By

Claude Avary "West Coast Reader" (Los Angeles, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Reckless Nights And Turkish (Audio CD)

Let me introduce you to the amazing musician-composer-arranger-genius of the weird, Raymond Scott. Actually, you�¿ve probably already met him but didn�¿t know it, since his music was quoted and used extensively in Warner Brothers cartoons throughout the 40s and 50s. But with this wonderful album, you can meet Mr. Scott face-to-face, and experience his wacky, unique mixture of swing jazz and chamber music. It's addictive stuff, so watch out. These tunes will be running through your head for weeks.

Raymond Scott and his tight musical group, the Raymond Scott Quintette (actually a sextet, but Scott preferred the word �¿quintette�¿) performed a series of novelty jazz numbers during the swing era in the late 30s. This album contains most of their major pieces, each one a three-minute masterpiece of strange, swingy sound and sheer lunacy. It�¿s some of the vivid and descriptive music you are likely to hear, and it's insanely catchy. There really is nothing else like it. Scott�¿s musicians are superb, and play each piece with precision (Scott insisted each piece be played as written, which edges him out of the jazz territory and into the realm of chamber music.)

There�¿s a wealth of riches on this disk. �¿Powerhouse�¿ is the group�¿s most famous piece, and the one you�¿ll recognize from its constant re-use in cartoons and movies. The jaunty �¿Penguin�¿ is my favorite work here; it�¿s so sprightly and swingy. Also terrific are the zany, high octane �¿Twilight in Turkey,�¿ the rocky �¿Bumpy Weather over Newark,�¿ the holiday seasoned �¿Siberian Sleighride,�¿ and the rushing power of �¿Oil Gusher.�¿ For a bit a class with the craziness, check out �¿Reckless Night on an Ocean Liner,�¿ which seems to show a beautiful cruise ship drifting from the mists, lights all aglow, before the drunken party starts. But really, everything on here is great. There isn�¿t a single track I don�¿t enjoy.

Also included are two pieces from Scott�¿s later big band. �¿At a Turkish House Party�¿ is the best of the two, and shows how Scott re-imagined his style for a larger orchestra.

Those new to Raymond Scott will benefit from the detailed and thoughtful liner notes. If you enjoy this album (and you are going to, I guarantee it), you�¿ll also want to buy the 2-CD set �¿Microphone Music,�¿ which features even more of the quintette. A dutch group called the Beau Hunks Sextette also do great covers of Scott's quintette on two of their CDs (but I still perfer the original).

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5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely brilliant songwriting!, Nov 18 2003

By

Pete Stafford (Chicago, IL United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Reckless Nights And Turkish (Audio CD)

It took me years to finally find out what artist created this fantastic music I've heard since I was a kid. "Reckless Nights..." is the first album I bought by Raymond Scott and it just blew me away! Not only does the music automatically put me in a good mood, but as a songwriter for 11 years myself, I can honestly say that this guy's sonwriting skills were awesome. Highly recommended to anyone looking for something different, fun, and well done.

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