Les Baxter - 101 Strings – Que Mango!

Just posting some info that track A2 “ Tropicando” has a great uptempo super funky change in it with rocking guitar and open drums with heavy bass - completely different than most of the album and the reason most collectors would have this in their collection. For the history books, when Levi’s cotton Dockers were a popular pant brand in the 1990s one of their TV commercials used that section of the track for the soundtrack of the ad. Their creative director must have heard the album and knew it would be great for an ad.

Good quiet/silent pressing. Good mastering and overall a good quality release. I am impressed that at the price point the LP comes in a poly-lined inner sleeve. It shows the label (Vinyl Exotica Records) care about their product and their customers. I look forward to further releases from this label, especially if this is the quality standard of their products.

Unless you were swingin' hard in 1970, keeping the cocktail nation alive and well for a few more years, chances are a commercial for Dockers lead you here. Thanks to Thievery Corporation's compilation entitled "DJ Kicks", Les Baxter's track two of "Que Mango!", "Tropicando", was used beautifully in a late 90's ad. Its unofficial title is "Meet the Family", as seen on YouTube. I can't say enough about the intoxicating, psychedelic strings on "Tropicando", throw in a funky surf rock, lounge break on the bridge and you've got jet set magic. I highly recommend picking up a clean copy of the vinyl versus obtaining this track via "DJ Kicks". I love a lot of works by Thievery Corp. but I recall their liner notes saying that they remastered the track. I think you lose a lot of the warmth and midrange dynamics on their remaster. It could also just be the magic of the right vinyl setup too. I'd like to mention two other worthy tracks on the album that go nicely as companions to "Tropicando". "Felicia My Love" is a poignant, haunting bossa. The real contender that is almost the best track on the album though is "Boca Chica". It is lush 60's romance and nostalgia at its best. You can bet the farm that Dr. Thaddeus S. "Rusty" Venture had this record in his collection at the Venture compound. Les Baxter's arrangements of the  50's and 60's are on the same level as his slightly later contemporaries of the 60's and 70's, Henry Mancini and Michel Legrand. Pick up "Que Mango!".

This album has been digitally remastered for CD release from the original master tapes:

http://101strings.com/album/que-mango-arranged-and-conducted-by-lex-baxter/