Liner Notes

Easy Listening Latin Music

I’ve mentioned this a few times on this show. The Latin beat was extremely popular when my dad was a teenager and beyond. This record is a combination of taking that Latin beat, this time from a specific country, and arranging it with a plush orchestra.

The orchestra conductor who arranged this music was considered the leader in a genre that infiltrated hundreds of radio stations in the 1960s. It’s still a term widely used to describe this sound.

So get ready to hear the captain of the easy listening movement in Volume 211: Percy’s Cuba.

Video Intro

Listen here or on my PodBean Podcast Episode page:

You can check out the video version here or on YouTube:

Credits and Copyrights:

See information from the Discogs.com page here

The Jonah Jones Quartet – Great Instrumental Hits Styled By Jonah Jones
Label: Capitol Records – T1557, Capitol Records – T-1557
Format: Vinyl, LP, Album, Mono
Released: 1961
Genre: Jazz
Style: Swing, Easy Listening

Bass – John Brown
Drums – George Foster
Piano – Teddy Brannon

We’ll hear 7 of the 12 songs on the album.

The Poor People Of Paris
Written-By – Marguerite Monnot, and Rene Rouzard

Dansero
Written-By – Lee Daniels, Richard Hayman, and Sol Parker

The Third Man Theme
Written-By – Anton Karas, and Walter Lord

Lisbon Antigua
Written-By – Paul Portela

Soft Summer Breeze
Written-By – Eddie Heywood, and Judy Spencer

Serenata
Written-By – Leroy Anderson

Cherry Pink And Apple Blossom White
Written-By – Louiguy (real name Louis Guglielmi)

I do not own the rights to this music. ASCAP, BMI licenses provided by third-party platforms for music that is not under Public Domain.

Here is the Episode Script!

Thanks sweetie and thank YOU for tuning into episode 211 of Spinning My Dad’s Vinyl.

I’ve mentioned this a few times on this show. The Latin beat was extremely popular when my dad was a teenager and beyond. This record is a combination of taking that Latin beat, this time from a specific country, and arranging it with a plush orchestra.

The orchestra conductor who arranged this music was considered the leader in a genre that infiltrated hundreds of radio stations in the 1960s. It’s still a term widely used to describe this sound.

So get ready to hear the captain of the easy listening movement in Volume 211: Percy’s Cuba.

[Music: Malagueña]

Percy Faith And His Orchestra with the title track of this album Malagueña
Written-By – Ernesto Lecuona – The first of many times you’ll hear that name.

Ok…Why this record for this episode?

While I have loved the authentic Latin music my dad has in his collection, it’s also been interesting to hear more Americanized versions of the music created in order to attract more American listeners. Thus, of course, selling more records.

Percy Faith recorded nearly 300 albums according to discogs dot com and he performed a variety of styles. As you’ll hear in more detail, he was a leader in the easy listening music style. So it only made sense to combine Faith’s popular arrangements with the popular sound of the Latin beat.

The title of the album, Malagueña, was familiar to me as there is a great video of the immortal Roy Clark playing it on acoustic guitar on YouTube. But I couldn’t quite hear in my head how it or the other Cuban music on the album might sound with the full Percy Faith orchestral treatment. I was familiar with Faith’s music, even though this is just the first of only two records my dad had by this artist. I had played plenty of his tunes at the first radio station I worked at.

What I am not familiar with, no matter how hard I try, is how to pronounce some of these song titles. But I am very familiar with this melody.

[Music: El Manisero (The Peanut Vendor)]

El Manisero (The Peanut Vendor)
Written-By – Marion Sunshine, Moises Simons, and Louise Wolfe Gilbert

Now let me tell you about my dad’s vinyl I am spinning for this episode.

Percy Faith And His Orchestra – Malagueña (Music Of Cuba)
Label: Columbia – CS 8081
Format: Vinyl, LP, Album, Stereo
Released: 1958
Genre: Jazz, Latin
Style: Easy Listening, Afro-Cuban Jazz, Rumba, Samba, Cha-Cha

We’ll hear 6 of 14 tunes from this album.

The liner notes aren’t too long, but I’m only going to pick out a few.

As any visitor knows, there is more to Cuba than rum and sugar, more than gambling and good times, more than historic shrines and beautiful scenery. There is music, fascinating and unusual music, and it is constantly in the air. For this dazzling musical journey to Cuba, Percy Faith has selected a program of characteristic Cuban melodies, some familiar, some relatively unknown, and arranged them in that vivacious fashion for which he has become famous.

Canadian-born Mr. Faith seems to find a special delight in the frisky rhythms and sultry airs, in arranging them for unusual combinations of instruments, and introducing novel – to Mainland ears – effects. In Malaguena he has accomplished this agreeable feat with even more than his customary richness, and the profile of Cuba he presents is entirely winning, a colorful and enchanting likeness of a colorful and enchanting island.

Let’s see what prices this record is being sold at on discogs dot com.

$12.00 High
$0.52 Low

$4.68 Average
$3.75 Median

Last sold on Oct 06, 2024 for 3 pounds 20, or about $3.30 US.

My dad’s record is in fair to poor condition. There’s lots of crackling at the beginning of each side. But it settles down as the needle works down the groove.

The surface itself is pretty clean with only a few of those markings you can get when pulling an album out of the sleeve.

The cover is fair bordering on poor. Plenty of wear marks on the frog cover. There are a couple of tiny slits on each side of the opening.

The word Posted is stamped on the back and the green magic marker is present.

There is no address label on the front.

So I’ll value my dad’s vinyl at a buck.

Next up…not exactly “Show me the way to go home,” but this is a song about a winemaker.

[Music: El Bodeguero]

El Bodeguero (The Winemaker)
Written-By – Richard Egues

Now let’s learn a little about this featured orchestra leader.

Percy Faith was born on April 7, 1908, in Toronto, Canada. He was a famous Canadian musician, conductor, and composer known for creating beautiful, lush orchestral music. As a child, Percy showed a great talent for playing the piano, but after a fire injured his hands, he focused on arranging and conducting music instead. He is often credited with popularizing the “easy listening” or “mood music” format. He became a staple of American popular music in the 1950s and continued well into the 1960s. Although his professional orchestra-leading career began at the height of the swing era, he refined and rethought orchestration techniques, including use of large string sections, to soften and fill out the brass-dominated popular music of the 1940s. People loved how his music could make them feel relaxed and happy.

One of Percy Faith’s most famous pieces is “The Theme from A Summer Place,” which won a Grammy Award in 1961 and became one of the best-known instrumental songs of all time. He also worked on Broadway shows and arranged music for many singers, including Tony Bennett and Doris Day. His work helped popularize orchestral music in a time when rock and roll was taking over the charts. Faith’s music remains popular today, especially for those who enjoy calming, timeless melodies. He passed away on February 9, 1976, but his music still brings joy to people around the world. Percy Faith was 67.

This next song sounds like it could have come from a James Bond movie.

[Music: Siboney]

Siboney
Written-By – Ernesto Lecuona

Time now for this episode’s interesting side note and it has to do with how Percy started a very popular trend.

Percy Faith is often credited with popularizing “easy listening” or “mood music” because he took orchestral music and made it appeal to a wide audience. During the 1950s and 1960s, he blended classical music techniques with modern pop melodies, creating a smooth and relaxing sound that stood out. Unlike big bands or rock and roll, his music wasn’t about excitement or dancing—it was designed to set a calm, romantic mood. Percy Faith’s arrangements featured sweeping strings, gentle rhythms, and soft instrumental solos, making his music perfect for quiet evenings or background listening.

What made Faith a leader in this movement was his ability to reinvent popular songs. Instead of just performing them as they were, he arranged them into lush orchestral versions that felt new and sophisticated. His work on radio and television also helped spread the “easy listening” style, as millions of people tuned in to hear his music. By creating albums filled with this kind of sound, Percy Faith inspired other musicians to follow in his footsteps, solidifying his role as a pioneer of mood music.

Speaking of music styles, let’s cha cha over to see mama.

[Music: Mama Inez]

Mama Inez
Written-By – Elisio Grenet

Well, I hope you enjoyed this episode as much as I enjoyed bringing it to you.

Latin music, no matter how it’s presented, always gets me moving. A sight I think you would rather not see. But it is hard to resist.

I’ll be looking forward to the other Percy Faith album my dad has where he takes on the music of Mexico.

I think I remember this album cover from my growing up days in the house.

The bright orange title of the album in all caps takes up the entire width. Colorful dots focus your eyes on the words Music of Cuba.

Under that the photo by Leo Stashin is of a light brown skinned woman looking intently off to the distance. There’s a leaf covering part of her forehead. Kind of typical artwork for album covers of the 1950s.

So let’s finish up with a trip to a sea town in Spain. Yes Yes.

[Music: Para Vigo Me Voy (Say, Sí Sí)]

Para Vigo Me Voy (Say, Sí Sí)
I’m Going To Vigo (Say, Yes Yes)
Written-By – Al Stillman, Ernesto Lecuona, and Francia Luben

And there you have selections from an album filled with atin music with an American orchestral twist.

So thanks for tuning into Volume 211: Percy’s Cuba

however you did. If you want more information about this SHOW, head over to spinning my dad’s vinyl dot com.

I’ll be back next week with all my skips, scratches, and pops

FOR Volume 212: Inauguration Italian Style

Until then,
Go with the flow my friends.