Celebration on the Planet Mars: A Tribute to Raymond Scott

Celebration on the Planet Mars: A Tribute to Raymond Scott

ASIN: B000001SLX

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Tireless hours of research and transcribing were required by the Beau Hunks Sextette to recreate this tribute to cartoon music powerhouse Raymond Scott. The Hunks, Holland's equivalent to the Cheap Suit Serenaders, perform exquisitely over the 19 tracks, using period instruments and trying their damnedest to keep up with Scott's frenetic arrangements. The results are stunning: humor abounds, and both well-known Scott titles (the ubiquitous "Dinner Music for a Pack of Hungry Cannibals" and "The Penguin") and lesser cuts (the ultra-rare "Egyptian Barn Dance") swing. Scott went on to perform straight jazz and even dabbled with electronica (the three volume Soothing Sounds for Baby series) later in his career, but it's his cartoon music featured here--filled with muted trumpets, rimshots, and Middle Eastern melodies--that's so unforgettable. --Jason Verlinde

Tracks:

Raymond Scott Speaks/War Dance For Wooden Indians
The Toy Trumpet
Powerhouse
Celebration On The Planet Mars
Boy Scout In Switzerland
Dinner Music For A Pack Of Hungry Cannibals
Bird Life In The Bronx
Square Dance for Eight Egyptian Mummies
The Girl At The Typewriter
The Penguin
Bumpy Weather Over Newark
Ectoplasm
Peter Tambourine
Twilight In Turkey
A Street Corner In Paris
Reckless Night On Board An Ocean Liner
Egyptian Barn Dance
Snake Woman
Dedicatory Piece To The Crew And Passengers Of The First Experimental Rocket Express To The Moon

Amazon.com

Tireless hours of research and transcribing were required by the Beau Hunks Sextette to recreate this tribute to cartoon music powerhouse Raymond Scott. The Hunks, Holland's equivalent to the Cheap Suit Serenaders, perform exquisitely over the 19 tracks, using period instruments and trying their damnedest to keep up with Scott's frenetic arrangements. The results are stunning: humor abounds, and both well-known Scott titles (the ubiquitous "Dinner Music for a Pack of Hungry Cannibals" and "The Penguin") and lesser cuts (the ultra-rare "Egyptian Barn Dance") swing. Scott went on to perform straight jazz and even dabbled with electronica (the three volume Soothing Sounds for Baby series) later in his career, but it's his cartoon music featured here--filled with muted trumpets, rimshots, and Middle Eastern melodies--that's so unforgettable. --Jason Verlinde

Customer Reviews:

Well-done, but perhaps a bit lacking in `swing'.......2006-04-04

This is a very fine "update" of the classic Raymond Scott recordings from the 1930's. The sound and balance are very good, and the energy and accuracy of the performances (both quite essential in Scott's works) is excellent. The wide variety of pieces, some of them quite unfamiliar, makes this a good value, too.

My only criticism is that these performances lack a certain amount of "swing" or rhythmic subtlety that transforms them from "tricky" to astounding. The original Raymond Scott Quintette recordings were amazing for this reason, I think. They were simultaneously unstable and finely-wrought. The Beau Hunks recording is less so; it is, perhaps, more polished than would be desirable. However, I appreciate the effort, the liner notes (very detailed and helpful), and the focus on a talented individual's music. With only the smallest caveats (about matters many people would not notice, anyway) I would recommend this album for purchase.

terrific try at recreating Raymond's manic music.......2003-08-13

Okay...the Beau Hunks are like art restoration experts. They find something old and try to polish it up, bringing out all the nuances of the music that may have been lost to either the constraints of the original antiquated recording equipment or when the only surviving elements are old, hissy film soundtracks. They are the Indiana Jones' of lost music. They ALMOST hit a home run with this CD. True the fidelity is leaps and bounds better than the Raymond Scott original recording CDs on the market, but you do occasionally hear the players struggle with the parts. I know, I know, the music is hard as hell (this is coming from a Saxophone/Bassoon player), but that was what made Raymond's original groups so special...they played the living hell out of each arrangement until it was perfect. And Raymond's music DEMANDS perfection...it is almost computer-like in it's exactness of form and perfect execution is absolutely necessary for his music to have the full effect. The Beau Hunks come really close however. So if you are a Beau Hunks fan, get this one. If you really want to experience the Raymond Scott that influenced Carl Stalling's cartoon compositions, get his Columbia/Sony CDs.

Wonderful stuff--but not as wonderful as the real thing.......2001-08-10

A friend put me on to the Beau Hunks, and after hearing one of their wonderful CDs I purchased three more in rapid succession. The Beau Hunks are talented, they sound perfect and effortless, and the compositions are amazing. I did not know Raymond Scott's work before, and (despite exposure to Warner Brothers cartoons) the only piece I actually recognized was "The Toy Trumpet."

I believe it was this recording that stimulated interest in, and led to the rediscovery of, Raymond Scott. And, among other things, the digital remastering and reissue of a CD entitled "Reckless Nights and Turkish Twilights," 22 pieces recorded by the original Raymond Scott Quintette between 1937 and 1939.

Well, much as I admire the Beau Hunks, and as wonderful as their recording is, "Reckless Nights and Turkish Twilights" is better. The original Quintette sounds lighter, bouncier, merrier, and more playful. And the sound on the 1999 reissue is really amazingly good, which is important because part of what is so remarkable about this music is the unusual sound textures and qualities. So, gee, the Beau Hunks are great, but my recommendation on this one is to go with the Raymond Scott original.

By the way, I do have to say that whether it's being performed by the Beau Hunks or by the original Raymond Scott Quintette, 70 minutes of Raymond Scott does seem like rather a lot... don't try to listen to it straight through, it's like eating a whole 16 ounce chocolate bar. Yes, I've done both, but don't do as I do, do as I say. Break it up and freshen your palatte in between with... oh, I don't know... some Les Paul and Mary Ford maybe? Some Wendy Carlos?

A remarkable recreation of a musical original.......1999-08-07

Harry Warnow (1908-1994) (aka. Raymond Scott) was one of the most original figures in American pop music. His compositions have seldom been heard since he recorded them because not only are they murderously difficult; he never notated them. This is odd because Warnow was a Julliard trained musical prodigy. Whatever his reasons these impediments have kept his music from being heard (except as background music for Warner Bros. cartoons) for years. The Beau Hunks Sextette, a superior group of musicians from the Netherlands, have met the challenge of Warnow's works with panache to spare. This is a wonderful CD. You will not be sorry you purchased it.

The Wooden Indians - Celebration on the Planet Mars - A Tribute to Raymond Scott (1908-1994)

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The Wooden Indians - Celebration on the Planet Mars - A Tribute to Raymond Scott (1908-1994)
The Wooden Indians
Manufacturer: VPRO
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD
ASIN: B000O2EXNY

Product Description

19 tracks of music of Raymond Scott, rerecorded by 'The Wooden Indians' in Holland in 1994. Includes a 16-page booklet including detailed notes of the tracks and a mini-biography of Raymond Scott.

Jazz Music:

Jazz Music

Jazz Music