The Primitive and the Passionate/Les Baxter Balladeers

Les Baxter

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The Primitive and the Passionate/Les Baxter Balladeers Review

by Heather Phares

Another in Collectables' series of Les Baxter two-fers, The Primitive and the Passionate/Les Baxter's Balladeers collects a pair of the composer/conductor's early-'60s albums. With song titles like "Peking Tiger" and "A Night with Cleopatra," 1962's The Primitive and the Passionate is a pretty typical -- and entertaining -- mix of Baxter's instrumental exotica and standards. And, while the relatively straightforward renditions of "Laura," "Little Girl Blue," and "A Taste of Honey" might be a little too tasteful to pique the interest of modern exotica/lounge fans, their supreme smoothness is almost as much of an accomplishment as the album's more whimsical moments. These include the spooky, mariachi-lounge of "Fiesta Brava"; the Latin rhythms and smoky flutes on "Congalé"; and "Bird of Paradise," a sunny, string-driven track that builds on Baxter's quintessential hit, "Quiet Village." Les Baxter's Balladeers, on the other hand, goes in a completely different direction: instead of exploring and borrowing from the music of exotic cultures, on this 1963 album Baxter delves into the sounds of traditional American music in response to the era's folk music resurgence. With its simple production and the focus on the Balladeers themselves (including Phil Campos, Ernie Sheldon, and Jerry Yester in this incarnation), this album feels less like a Les Baxter album than a solid collection of early-'60s folk-pop. However, the versions of "Ashville Junction," "Sail Away Ladies," and Sheldon's originals "The Green Mountain Boys" and "Dunya" still exemplify what that sound was all about.

Track Listing

	Title/Composer	Performer	Time	Stream
1	Fiesta Brava	Les Baxter	02:50	Amazon
2	Tenderly Walter Gross / Jack Lawrence	Les Baxter	03:01	Amazon
3	Peking Tiger	Les Baxter	02:18	Amazon
4	Laura Johnny Mercer / David Raksin	Les Baxter	02:15	Amazon
5	A Night with Cleopatra	Les Baxter	04:44	Amazon
6	Via Veneto	Les Baxter	01:57	Amazon
7	Bird of Paradise	Les Baxter	02:55	Amazon
8	Slave Ship	Les Baxter	02:35	Amazon
9	Manchurian Melody	Les Baxter	01:41	Amazon
10	Taste of Honey	Les Baxter	02:27	Amazon
11	Congalé	Les Baxter	01:52	Amazon
12	Little Girl Blue	Les Baxter	02:14	Amazon
13	Ashville Junction	Les Baxter	03:20	Amazon
14	Dunya	Les Baxter	02:09	Amazon
15	The Green Mountain Boys	Les Baxter	02:51	Amazon
16	Que Bonita Bandera	Les Baxter	01:22	Amazon
17	My Fisherman, My Laddie-O	Les Baxter	02:48	Amazon
18	Darling Corey	Les Baxter	02:12	Amazon
19	Let My Little Light Shine	Les Baxter	02:43	Amazon
20	Gotta Travel On	Les Baxter	02:58	Amazon
21	Sinner Man	Les Baxter	02:23	Amazon
22	Joy, Joy, Joy	Les Baxter	01:46	Amazon
23	Brandy	Les Baxter	02:55	Amazon
24	Sail Away Ladies	Les Baxter	01:59	Amazon