Soundtrack for Secret Agent Underpants

December 5, 2006 11:44 AM

I call it 60s orchestral jazz? Did I make this term up? If so, what is this style of music called and where can I find more of it?

I have a secret passion for a very specific type of music. Think the soundtrack to many of the 007 flicks, or to The Incredibles. Even some of the more dramatic and sweeping Michael Buble songs fit, as does One Mint Julep by Ray Charles. It's a big sound, lots of brass. I'm obsessed. I want a massive collection that I can dance around the pad in my underpants to.

The problem is, what is it actually called? I've always used the term "60s orchestral jazz," but I strongly suspect that I made it up. What's the real term, and what are some great examples of this swinging style?

posted by mostlymartha to Media & Arts (28 answers total)

Big band?
posted by fvox13 at 11:48 AM on December 5, 2006

Lounge?

Space Age Bachelor Pad Music?

I always used to find that sort of music in the Easy Listening section.
posted by Grangousier at 11:49 AM on December 5, 2006

I was also going to say Big Band. I assume you mean things like Count Basie, Duke Ellington, etc...
posted by JMOZ at 11:49 AM on December 5, 2006

Unsurprisingly, SomaFM's Secret Agent radio station has a lot of this.
posted by vacapinta at 11:54 AM on December 5, 2006

Response by poster: Nope, not Big Band. I've got tons of that, but it's a few decades too early (and too square). It's closer to the Tiajuana Brass than Duke Ellington. Space Age Bachelor Pad Music looks promising.
posted by mostlymartha at 11:55 AM on December 5, 2006

It might help if you'd post some specific examples of what it is you like (aside from "One Mint Julep").

You think big band music is square? Duke Ellington? Basie? Square?? What in God's name do you call Lawrence Welk?
posted by languagehat at 11:59 AM on December 5, 2006

Best answer: Sounds like lounge music to me.

Lounge enjoyed a brief quiet revival in the late 1990s, and then disappeared again. If you're looking for modern interpretations, a band called "Combustible Edison" released three or four CDs, and you might also like "Pink Martini."

www.pandora.com allows you to enter songs you like and will suggest similar songs, and from there, you can use the classifications at Amazon.com or iTunes to find the precise taxonomy of what you're looking for.
posted by commander_cool at 12:02 PM on December 5, 2006

Best answer: This is generally Jazz Soundtrack music, like Henry Mancini. I don't have enough time here to list all of 'em, but it's probably about the most prevalent sharity blog genre. Also check out Herb Alpert.
Feel free to email me (really, in a couple of days once I have my regular computer set back up), and I can give you my list of bookmarked sharaties that do this.
"Exotica," "Teensploitation" and "Swinging '60s" are all good keywords to look for.
posted by klangklangston at 12:24 PM on December 5, 2006

Response by poster: Heck no languagehat (silly sarcasm doesn't translate well through typing), I deeply love big band. I'm just satisfying a very particular itch.

Methinks lounge might be the way to go.
posted by mostlymartha at 12:26 PM on December 5, 2006

60s orchestral jazz sounds like Sweet to me. Some examples: Guy Lombardo, Lawrence Welk, Doc Severinsen, Artie Shaw and late Tommy Dorsey. It degrades even farther as time goes on and you get musicians like the Tijuana Brass, Ray Conniff, Liberace, Percy Faith, Roger Williams, and Ferrante & Teicher. When the sap gets so thick it doesn't even remember it was once Swing, then it's Sweet. Look for these timeless classics in the bargain bin at your local Goodwill, Salvation Army, other thrift stores, or just in Grandpa's garage, attic and basement, because there are quite literally tons of this stuff available on vinyl for the asking.

But you might be looking for Cool Jazz, which started around the late 50's as a mixing of Bop ideas with Swing orchestration and feeling. Key artists: early (but not too early) Miles Davis, Gil Evans, Dave Brubeck, Stan Getz. This genre will be much harder to find at the local thrift stores, as the early works are still considered classic. Fortunately, most of the really good stuff has been transferred to CD and is widely available. Start with Miles Davis's Birth of the Cool.
posted by leapfrog at 12:37 PM on December 5, 2006

Soma FM also has this lounge station.
posted by nonmyopicdave at 12:41 PM on December 5, 2006

Response by poster: Leapfrog, I've got piles of cool jazz (in fact, Stan Getz is what started me down this path in the first place) but Sweet (and all the delicious tackiness it seems to imply) sounds promising.
posted by mostlymartha at 12:46 PM on December 5, 2006

Response by poster: Eeeek! Both the recommended SomaFM stations are tremendously pleasing. Thank you a million times!
posted by mostlymartha at 12:51 PM on December 5, 2006

I developed a major soft spot for Big Band Swing in college, and found that there is a time period starting in the mid-50s where it stops being jazz and starts to become this syrupy, sappy, cheesy, gooey stuff designed to pacify dancers and keep the old folks docile. The music history teacher at my school called it Sweet. If that's really what you're looking for, then you will find it at almost any thrift store you visit.
The first pile is somewhat less sappy than the second pile. The second pile will also include choral arrangements sometimes. You'll also want to look for Henry Mancini, Quincy Jones, Burt Bacharach, Burt Kaempfert, Hugo Montenegro, and Lalo Schifrin, although most of these I'd call Easy Listening or Orchestral Pop instead of Sweet.
posted by leapfrog at 1:07 PM on December 5, 2006

Oh, oh, oh! I get to recommend this album by Ennio Morricone! You can join eMusic, grab it with your free downloads, and then cancel your sub if you lean that way - I did that before finally succumbing to their outrageously good ambient and foreign soundtrack selections.
posted by beaucoupkevin at 1:32 PM on December 5, 2006

You might want to also give the Coctails a try.
posted by NoMich at 1:49 PM on December 5, 2006

LuxuriaMusic is another good one.
posted by oldtimey at 2:48 PM on December 5, 2006

If you're feeling silly and would like to hear check out some neo-lounge easy listening sweetness, I highly recommend Prozak for Lovers and Prozak for Lovers 2. Mainly just goofy fun, but I swear, the Prozak version of "Pump It Up" is as good as the original . . . and so smooooooth.
posted by FelliniBlank at 3:04 PM on December 5, 2006

Space Age Bachelor Pad music is a recent invention, a catch phrase for dozens of musical styles that used to simply be called Easy Listening. If it is the orchestra spy music of James Bond films you're referring to (and The Untouchable), I suggest The Crime Scence, Cocktail Capers, and Mondo Hollywood from the Ultra-Lounge collection.
posted by Astro Zombie at 3:31 PM on December 5, 2006

Chris Joss
posted by phrontist at 3:37 PM on December 5, 2006

sorry, that should be chris joss.
posted by phrontist at 3:38 PM on December 5, 2006

The best lounge compilation i've come accross is In-Flight Entertainment, volumes 1 and 2.
posted by svenni at 5:05 PM on December 5, 2006

Try sampling some of Claude Bolling's records if you have the chance.
posted by jchgf at 5:14 PM on December 5, 2006

I would call it Orchestral Pop, perhaps. Guys like Andre Kostelanatz, or even maybe some of the stuff that Jackie Gleason did. I also would maybe include 101 Strings in this category. Not necessarily jazzy, but it's all got a similar mood.

You know what is jazzy, though? I found an album a few years ago in a flea market that was Sonny Stitt playing jazz saxophone with a string section. That's cool.
posted by geekhorde at 5:30 PM on December 5, 2006

I know this isn't the exact music that mostlymartha is looking for, but in the late 50's a synthesis of jazz and classical music called Third Stream came about. I played bass in a chamber orchestra the last two years that played a few tunes from this genre, along with pure classical pieces. From what I recall, we played a few John Lewis pieces. Our conductor/music director is a big fan of this type of music. I'm not sure if the lounge music scene came out of Third Stream or not, but it might scratch a part of the musical itch that needs satisfying.
posted by dr. fresh at 6:04 PM on December 5, 2006

Three words: Space Age Pop! It is broken down into sub-genres, which includes Spy Sounds and Cool Crimes. I think those will fit your bill.
posted by davidmsc at 6:58 PM on December 5, 2006

Pardon the semi-self-link, but in a Scram feature of some years back, David Smay calls this Spy Jazz, and suggests quite a number of discs.
posted by Scram at 9:58 PM on December 5, 2006

Response by poster: Thanks so much! Many, many excellent suggestions here.
posted by mostlymartha at 1:12 PM on December 6, 2006