JULIUS WECHTER AND THE BAJA MARIMBA BAND - THOSE WERE THE DAYS
THOSE WERE THE DAYS
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Side One FLYIN' HIGH DREAM A LITTLE DREAM OF ME BIG RED HERE, THERE AND EVERYWHERE THOSE WERE THE DAYS |
Side Two ALWAYS SOMETHING THERE 'TO REMIND ME LES BICYCLETTES DE BELSIZE PERU 68 HAPPENING TO ME ELENORE |
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FLYIN' HIGH | ||
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DREAM A LITTLE DREAM OF ME | ||
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BIG RED | ||
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HERE, THERE AND EVERYWHERE | ||
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THOSE WERE THE DAYS | ||
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ALWAYS SOMETHING THERE 'TO REMIND ME | ||
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LES BICYCLETTES DE BELSIZE | ||
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PERU 68 | ||
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HAPPENING TO ME | ||
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ELENORE | ||
| Arranged by: Julius Wechter and Nick
DeCaro Engineering: Roy Gerhardt Recorded at Annex Recording Studio Produced by Allen Stanton Photography: Guy Webster Art Director: Tom Wilkes The Baja Marimba Band, formed in Hollywood only three years ago has become one of the great treasures of the performing arts — musically, funny, strong, robust, hand¬some, full of colour and rippling with mustaches and cigars they embrace the stage in a wide and warm and smoky hug and no audience — no audience ever — has been less than exhilarated by their presence. It started with Julius Wechter, a remarkably fine marimba player, and Herb Alpert. Wechter had (and still does) played on every Herb Alpert session and in the spring of 1964 he reacted favourably to a suggestion by Alpert to record a song by Scotty Turner called "Comin' In The Back Door" which, he felt was perfect for a marimba sound. Alpert and. Wechter knew exactly what they wanted for the sound and who they would need to produce the sound. From the leading freelance studio musicians in Los Angeles they selected eight musicians to round out the group who recorded, "Comin' In The Back Door". It be¬came a national hit on A. & M. Records to whom the band are forever signed. The success of the single release was soon'followed by the group's first album release entitled simply "The Baja Marimba Band". Featuring Curry Tjader as the percus¬sionist, Charles Chiarenza and Frank DeCaro on guitars, Bernie Fleischer on flute, Lee Katzman on trumpet, Dave Wells on trombone, Mel Pollen on bass and Frank Devito on drums, the group was dedicated to presenting a happy, witty, lilting musical sound which combined a Latin beat with Dixieland. Wechter says &the group, "We don't pretend to have an authentic Mexican band sound. We have a slow and lazy Latin sound against hard Dixieland and it has the merit of being our own". . With Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss co-producing most of their recording sessions and with Wechter arranging and writing most of their original material the group released their second album in early 1965. It was titled "The Baja Marimba Band Rides Again", building upon (and exceeding) the success of their first album release. Shortly after "The Baja Marimba Band Rides Again" the comic tradition with which the band .has come to be identified began to develop. The richly-decorated, 'grandly colourful costumes (which are a take off on a manner of dress non-existent in Mexico for 100 years, if ever) and the overwhelming rapport between members of the band embroidered an intriguing tapestry, for comedy. In January, 1966, the group made their television debut as the featured guest of the "Roger Miller Special" on NBC-TV, followed swiftly by an appearance on Johnny Carson's "Tonight Show". This show exposed the Baja Marimba Band to vast television audiences for the first time and convinced television producers that the colour and the excitement that the Baja Marimba Band created .' on stage was perfect for television. Since then the group has appeared on the Jerry Lewis Kraft Special, Smothers Brothers, and Hollywood Palace shows. Much of the success of the band can be attributed to the leadership of Julius Wechter. An accomplished musician, Wechter began playing the piano at five years of age and eventually switched to drums, making the transition to the marimba in 1952. Wechter was the musical arranger and marimba player with the Martin Denny orchestra for many years and was responsible for the arrangements on 13 Denny albums. He still takes an active interest in arranging albums for other performers, including A. & M. Records artist Chris Montez. Wechter originated the idea of having the Baja Mar¬imba Band perform while smoking cigars and sporting enormous mustaches. Says Wechter, "It relaxes an audience to see us clowning around and they begin to join in and have as good a time as we are for that is why they come and that is why we are here. Wechter acknowledges that much of the success of today's instrumental groups can be attributed to Herb Alpert. "Herb created the atmosphere for the revival of band music and his success has helped us enormously by paving the way for public acceptance of our type of music. "Because of Herb, recordings have become much more musical and now musicians are being called on truly to ,perform on record. I think the whole phenomenon created by Herb Alpert is marvellous for both audience and musicians." Julius Wechter and his group of eight musicians under the guidance of Herb Alpert and A. & M. Records have become one of the most sought after recording acts in. the United States, requests for foreign appearances are mounting. Wechter,' composer, wrote "Spanish Flea" and gave Herb Alpert a resounding hit, - and on most of the Tijuana Brass albums there is a Wechter composition, not because of a desire to "keep it in the family" but because they are good songs. And they are good men, the men of Wechter's Baja Band, a warming fire of flickering fun and friendly sound. Recently in a Herb Alpert headlined-show at the 18,000 seat Hollywood Bowl, it became clear that in days to come there will be Raja Marimba headlined concerts at the Bowl for the band is now of age — the lightheart¬ed younger brother of the sophisticated Brass. |
