Tropical Breeze Playlist

[nrgbeat]

Picture this, you are at a tropical island resort sipping a Pina Colada, the hot sun is shining overhead, a cool breeze blows through your hair and you look fierce in your thong. Well okay two out of three ain't bad.

The following musical strains fill the air.

"La Vie En Rose" Grace Jones
"La Isla Bonita" Madonna
"Smooth Operator" Sade
"Summer Breeze" Baiser
"You'll Never Know" Hi Gloss

Pure heaven..........

[Funky Dude]

Here's some more additions for the beautiful atmosphere:

Paul Jabara - Honeymoon 1979
Paul Jabara - Pleasure Island 1978
Dark Tan - Island In The Sun 1978 (Australian disco group)
Gary Criss - The Girl From Ipanema & Brazilian Nights 1978
Double Exposure - Ten Percent 1976
Biddu Orchestra - Rain Forest 1976
Cerrone - Cerrone's Paradise 1976
Louis Ramirez - Salsa 1975
Donna Summer - Spring Affair/Summer Fever 1976
Isaac Hayes - Moonlight Lovin' 1978
MFSB - It's Summertime & I'm Feelin' Mellow 1976
Kid Creole & The - Que Pasa Contig 1980
Ralph McDonald - Calypso Breakdown 1976
Ritchie Family - Brazil 1975

[Robbie]

Nrgbeat--

I heard Sade's "Smooth Operator" on the radio today. I think any of Sade's music would make that kind of playlist. I like "Paradise" (1988) also.

Going back to the early 60's, I'd also add The Tymes' "So In Love" (1963) to that list.

[Nano]

Put a martini instead of the piña colada and you can listen to "Breezin'", a nice instrumental track by George Benson (written by Bobby Womack).
Actually I just bought the "Breezin'" album and found it quite good. It's my first time with a whole record of Mr. Benson and there's some unnerving violins in the background (as I feared) but the guy is classy and plays really good.
I'm also trying to catch "Give me the night", I remember it from the disco days. If someone have suggestions for another albums, preferrably on the "jazzy" vein...

[Robbie]

Nano--

I could suggest one album that was on the jazzy side which was very good. It was Steely Dan's "Aja" album from 1977. Although Steely Dan were a fusion band and not mired in the jazz category, they did experiment with a jazz-like sound on this album and did a pretty good job at it. I recommend the cuts "Deacon Blues", the title track, "Peg", "Black Cow", and "Josie".

[Nano]

Thanks, Robbie. I'm already a Steely Dan fan. I was meaning earlier about jazzy albums from Benson himself...

[Robbie]

Nano--

I also like George Benson's "Breezin'" album. My favorite cuts from it are "Affirmation", "This Masquerade", and the title track. I don't know about any material that is truly in the jazz category with Benson but maybe some of his more recent work, or pre-Breezin material.

[markydefad]

I liked George Benson's "The Other Side Of Abbey Road" --his take on Beatles songs. Released before "Breezin", it a compromise jazz/pop record.

After "Breezin", that pop/R&B element was mostly there--in search of hit records.

[jazz_pilgrim]

On 2002-07-12 22:38, Nano wrote:

If someone have suggestions for another albums, preferably on the "jazzy" vein...

You could try looking out for the following tracks / LPS to get you going :

More George Benson - go for his versions of War's "The World Is A Ghetto" and Donny Hathaway's "The Ghetto".

Try some Grover Washington: From his "Live At The Bijou" LP - "Sausalito", "Mister Magic", "Summer Song". Very summery indeed. Try the "Winelight" and "Come Morning" LPs as well.

How about Lonnie Liston Smith: look out for these stracks for starters: "Expansions", "Mardi Gras" and especially "Sunburst" ...

The Crusaders are also worth checking out: two good dance tracks to find are "Snowflake" and "Sweet And Sour"

Other good jazz fusion tracks which are danceable and have a nice summer/tropical groove to them:
Dave Benoit - Life Is Like A Samba
Webster Lewis - Barbara Anne
John Klemmer - Brasilia
Ramsey Lewis - Tequila Mockingbird

Every one of these tracks have been tried and tested by the Jazz Pilgrims, so you can be sure that these are all decent tracks !!! :grin: :grin:

There are plenty more tracks out there. If you want some more recommendations, just let me know....


Happy hunting!!

[Jeff H]

I think Donna Summer's "Breakaway" fits the tropical theme very nicely.

Also, "Club Tropicana" by Wham and/or Sinitta; and maybe "Sway" by Bobby Rydell.

[Nano]

Thanks for the suggestions, I will look for those albums. Also have to check old "Miles in the sky" (from old fave Mr. Davis), has some Benson guitar work.
It's funny, several artists mentioned by jazz_pilgrim I have in a CD compilation called "Jazz-Funk" (in the Jazz Cuts series), don't remember the label and the net is always far from home... It has songs by Grover, Liston Smith, Ramsey Lewis, next to things like Mystic Merlin, Grand Prix, Hancock's "I thought it was you", Hiroshima... Frankly, it's a bit too soothing (even bland) for my taste, but maybe it's just the track selection. (I remember dancing to an old Mystic Merlin song, "Hideaway", waaaay better than the one contained here. In fact, "Hideaway" is an old favorite and I bought this CD just because there was an MM track on it.)
I guess the jazz-funk or jazz-soul mix is not easy, there's always those violins and female voices trying to pave the way to muzak... Or maybe it's just too many years of hearing songs like that in FM radio, commercials... and yes, elevators!