A Swingin' Safari by Billy Vaughn Songfacts Songfacts This song was written by German band leader Bert Kaempfert, and was released as the title track of his 1962 album. The album went Gold in his native country. Whereas Kaempfert's recording failed to chart, Vaughn's cover reached #13 on the Billboard chart. Vaughn was Dot Records' staff producer. The song and the album reflect the influence that Kwela music had on Bert Kaempfert. Kwela is a genre of music originating in Southern Africa, which prominently features the use of a penny whistle. This sound was also adapted in other successful Western music, notably Paul Simon's 1986 album Graceland. In the liner notes to The Bert Kaempfert Collection, Ladi Geisler, the orchestra's bass guitarist, said: "Bert Kaempfert tried to swap the penny whistle for a piccolo. Now that was a real piece of innovation.

Then, finally, it was all ready and Bert was really pleased, he had managed it, he had captured the sound of the penny whistle using the piccolo." This was the original theme of the TV game show The Match Game ('60s version). It was reused as a theme for several later game shows. Index-a The live album Beauty and the Beat featured pianist George Shearring and which singer? Peggy Lee Whose band was the Tijuana Brass? Herb Alpert Who were Cliff Richard's backing group through the 60s? The Shadows Who were the famous backing singers on most of Elvis Presley's early hits? The Jordanaires The Stratocaster is a model of which guitar maker? Fender Which piano-playing singer's first hit was The Fat Man? Fats Domino Which American rock'n'roll star caused controversy when he married a young teenager? Jerry Lee Lewis Who made the highly rated 1959 jazz album Kind of Blue? Miles Davis Which iconic British female singer made the highly regarded album titled '(her first name) in Memphis' ? Dusty Springfield Whose band was the All Stars? Junior Walker (Jr Walker) Larry Adler played what instrument?

Harmonica Whose childhood hit was Fingertips? Stevie Wonder Which guitar innovator and player has a range of Gibson Guitars named after him? Les Paul The founding brother members of the Kinks were Ray and Dave what? Davies What was Smokey Robinson's most famous band called? The Miracles Kenny Ball and his Jazzmen's 1962 hit was called March of the ... what? Siamese Children Who sang the hit theme song Rawhide? Frankie Laine John Mayall's band which helped launch Eric Clapton's career was called what? Bluesbreakers Rock Around the Clock was a hit for Bill Haley and his ... what? Comets Which comedy actor had a novelty hit with My Boomerang Won't Come Back? Charlie Drake Who sang with Serge Gainsbourg on the hit Je t'aime? Jane Birkin Colin Blunstone fronted which 1960s group? The Zombies What Eastenders star sang on the novelty hit Come Outside?

Wendy Richard Jiles Perry (JP) Richardson Jr, who died in the same plane crash as Ritchie Valens and Buddy Holly was better known by what name?Big Bopper Which later-to-be-famous solo singer and guitarist toured as a member of the Beach Boys in the mid 60s? Glen Campbell Who had sang the hit song Little Old Wine Drinker Me? Dean Martin What famous 'two-fingered' jazz guitarist died in 1953? Django Reinhardt (Jean-Baptiste Reinhardt) What song, released to promote the film The Millionairess, featured its stars Peter Sellers and Sophia Loren? Goodness Gracious Me Who managed the Beatles' prior to his early death in 1967? Brian Epstein Whose nickname was a derived from the term satchel-mouth? Louis Armstrong (Satchmo) What's the name of the motorbiker who dies in the Shangri-Las' hit The Leader of the Pack? Jimmy Which singing-songwriting founder of the Flying Burrito Brothers died age 26, after which his body was 'stolen' by a friend and burnt in the Joshua Tree National Park?

Gram Parsons Which American singer and entertainer was nicknamed Schnozzola, because of his large nose? Jimmy Durante Who wrote and had a hit with the instrumental Classical Gas? Mason Williams Who wrote Patsy Cline's hit Crazy? Willie Nelson What city hosted the Beatles as the resident band at the Kaiserkeller and Top Ten Club? Hamburg The Isley Brothers' hit was called Behind a ... what? Painted Smile 1950-60s record turntables commonly offered four speeds: 33, 45, 78, and what other? 16 (technically the speeds were 33⅓ and 16⅔ but record decks tended to show only the whole numbers) American DJ Robert Weston Smith was better known by what stage name? Wolfman Jack What ridiculously titled song was a hit in 1954 for Max Bygraves in the UK and the Four Lads in the USA? Gilly Gilly Ossenfeffer Katzenellen Bogen by the Sea Who had the 1965 instrumental hit Spanish Flea?

Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass What was Emile Ford and the Checkmates' 1959 hit, supposedly the longest ever question in a UK No1 song title? What Do You Want to Make Those Eyes at Me For? Who singer-guitarist's backing band was The Bruvvers? Joe Brown Which Rolling Stones guitarist died in a swimming pool in 1969? Brian Jones Who founded the Tamla Motown record label? Berry Gordy What folksy British singer-songwriting guitarist was famous also for his whistling? Roger Whittaker What was Hugo Montenegro's instrumental hit, composed by Ennio Morricone for the film of the same name? The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly Tom Parker managed which huge star? Elvis Presley Who won (barefoot) the British Eurovision Song Contest in 1967 with Puppet on String? Sandie Shaw The 1956 inaugural Eurovision Song Contest featured Belgium, France, Germany, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Italy and which other country?Switzerland Who originally fronted Herman's Hermits?

Peter Noone Which jazz singer, whose career actually spanned the 1930s-90s, was known as the First Lady of Song? Ella Fitzgerald Which singer played Alfie's girlfriend Siddie in the 1966 film? Millicent Martin What name was given to the 1950-60s mainstream country music style of artists including Patsy Cline, Tammy Wynette, Jim Reeves, and Charlie Rich?Nashville Sound What Canadian-born teen idol of the 1950s-60s wrote the lyrics to Sinatra's song My Way? Paul Anka Which harmonica-paying frontman of Manfred Man sang on their early hits and later became a successful radio presenter? Paul Jones Which motor city was the original the base of Tamla Motown? Detroit What group became famous in the 1960s for their parody impressions of other hit songs? The Barron Knights Peter Potter in the USA and David Jacobs in the UK presented which pop music TV show? Juke Box Jury What was the 1962 space-age instrumental hit by the Tornados?

Telstar Who wrote and sang the novelty hit Hello Muddah, Hello Fadduh, about Camp Granada? Allan Sherman Who was the famous rock guitarist in the group Love Sculpture, notably featuring on their breakneck hit version of Khachaturian's classical piece Sabre Dance?Dave Edmunds Rolf Harris endorsed what new musical instrument, which supposedly features on David Bowie's hit Space Oddity? Stylophone Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, and Sammy Davis Junior were among several entertainers given what collective nickname? The Rat Pack Who originated the 'Wall of Sound' record production technique? Phil Spector The Rolling Stones first record label was what? Decca Simon and Garfunkel's song Mrs Robinson featured in what 1967 film? The Graduate What American DJ was nicknamed Moondog? Alan Freed What was Stephane Grappelli's instrument? Violin Which gravel-voiced English singer was previously a gas-fitter from Sheffield? Joe Cocker Who made the 1962 hit Monster Mash? Bobby 'Boris' Pickett (and the Cryptkickers) Who sang the title song of the film The Girl Can't Help It?

Little Richard What was Gary Glitter's earlier stage name in the 1960s? Paul Raven Lulu sang the theme song to which 1967 film about an inner-city school, starring Sidney Poitier? To Sir, With Love What Eddie Cochran song, covered by the Who, told of frustrations with his boss and his congressman? Summertime Blues Who was the main singing star in the musical Half a Sixpence? Tommy Steele Which comedian's recordings featured hilarious telephone routines about King Kong and the introduction of Tobacco? Bob Newhart What long-running BBC Radio chart show began on the Light Programme in 1955, and later becoming hugely popular when presented by Alan Freeman?Pick of the Pops The Crickets backed which famous singer-songwriter? Buddy Holly Dizzy Gillespie played what instrument? Trumpet Who made the novelty song Jake the Peg? Rolf Harris Which 1960s British rock'n'roll star founded the Official Monster Raving Loony Party? Screaming Lord Sutch (David Sutch, or fully 'Screaming Lord Sutch, 3rd Earl of Harrow') Who was nicknamed 'The Big O'?

Roy Orbison Which member of the Hollies went on to join the hugely successful American band commonly known by their initials CSNY? Graham Nash What record label did the Beatles establish? Apple Who had a 1960s hit with Step Inside Love? Cilla Black The record label and music company name HMV stood for what? His Master's Voice Who sang the theme song to the film Born Free? Matt Monro Congratulations was Cliff Richard's Eurovision Song Contest entry in what year? 1968 Which singer's Eurovision Song Contest entry was Knock Knock (Who's There?)? Mary Hopkin Whose big hit was I love You Because? Jim Reeves Who wrote the instrumental A Swingin' Safari and led the orchestra which played the original hit version? Bert Kaempfert The Copacabana nightclub was in which city? New York Which British comedian had the massive-selling 1965 hit Tears? Ken Dodd Who sang the 1964 hit My Boy Lollipop? Millie (or Millie Small) Cher's partner was Sonny ... who?

Bono Who made the hit comedy version of the Banana Boat Song, and other similar spoofs including versions of Presley's Heartbreak Hotel and Johnnie Ray's Cry?Stan Freberg Which 1960s easy-listening Irish crooner was famed for his rocking chair and knitted jumpers? Val Doonican What was Chuck Berry's first hit record? Maybellene What number gives its name to the cultish 'club' celebrating rock stars who died at that age? 27 (The 27 Club) PAGE 8 Bert Kaempfert album: Vol. 12: Living It Up Liner Notes: The “BERT KAEMPFERT COLLECTION” During 25 years of cooperation with POLYDOR, Bert Kaempfert arranged, composed and produced a countless number of songs. From 1961 until shortly before his death in 1980, close to 40 LP productions with and by Bert Kaempfert and his Orchestra were released in Germany alone under the Polydor label. These albums contain more than 460 productions of his own beautiful compositions together with evergreens and world standards.

Polydor considers it a duty to re-release the more popular albums with the original track listing – and in the approximate sequence – on the 10th anniversary of the death of this exceptional composer and bandleader. At the same time, the facilities of the modern CD-technique are of benefit to reproduce the original recordings. The album “LIVING IT UP” was released in 1963. The original cover text reads as follows: If there’s a better way of “LIVING IT UP” than through the medium of music, it’s yet to be found! And, one of the most popular sounds in music today is the big band – one of the greatest examples of which is the wonderful Bert Kaempfert Orchestra. In addition to personifying today’s big band sound, Bert Kaempfert is responsible, perhaps more than any other single factor, for the renewed interest in the popular orchestra. Conductor-composer-arranger-instrumentalist (clarinet, saxophone, piano, accordion) Bert Kaempfert is responsible for several of the most sizzling recent song hits… among them, the beautiful Wonderland By Night, Afrikaan Beat, and A Swingin’ Safari.

Claiming compositions as his first love, Mr. Kaempfert wrote two of the three previously mentioned hits, Afrikaan Beat and A Swingin’ Safari, and his prolific pen is responsible for no less than ten of the melodies performed in this album! Here is Bert Kaempfert and his Orchestra… with an orchestral sound and style that is characteristically ideal for either listening or dancing, and the greatest prescription for “LIVING IT UP” ever discovered. LIVING IT UP Following the success of “WONDERLAND BY NIGHT” in 1961, “LIVING IT UP” was yet another Bert Kaempfert contribution to his own special sound. The year was 1963 and the critics were impressed: “Seven LP’s in the States” No other German musician can claim the same!

This two year period witnessed so many Kaempfert hits that Polydor felt obliged to release a special edition under the title “EIN NEUER KLANG EROBERT DIE WELT” – “A NEW SOUND STEALS THE WORLD.” As extract from the album’s original cover reads: “This LP’s fame is assured and will further contribute towards Kaempfert’s world wide success.” Following his super hit “WONDERLAND BY NIGHT” everything this artist does hits the American charts. His work is so exceptional that insiders now talk about “That Kaempfert sound.” Along with the album’s title track, the vocal version of “DON’T TALK TO ME,” by Johnny Mathis, was to become famous. But the story goes on, another number, originally titled “CANDLELIGHT CAFÉ,” was on course to become one of the world’s evergreens.

Hearing the number for the first time, one of Bert Kaempfert’s friends, lyric writer Kurt Schwabach, began to sing along: “Danke Schön, ich sag’ danke schön…,” Kaempfert’s American producer, Milt Gabler, turned it into “DANKE SCHOEN,” and Wayne Newton took the track into the charts. Within months the song was being played around the globe in more than seventy different versions. And it is still being played today – this classic showtime finale. Listening to the instrumental version’s subtle beginnings, which soon build up until the whole orchestra is in swingtime, then we can only say: thank you, Bert Kaempfert, thank you for such very special music. For his recordings, Bert Kaempfert engaged the talents of musicians from the NDR Studio Orchestra, the NDR Symphony Orchestra, and the strings section under the direction of Erich Kunisch, Hannover. Despite small variations, this combination was to remain firmly in place during the following years and into the 1980s. Text translated from German by Ewen Campbell Bert Kaempfert on Apple Music To preview a song, mouse over the title and click Play.

Open iTunes to buy and download music. Biography Bert Kaempfert had almost too much talent, ability, and good luck rolled into one career to be fully appreciated, even by his own chosen audience, the lovers of fine orchestral pop music. He was one of the most successful conductors, arrangers, and recording artists in the latter field, but was also a major producer and played a key (if indirect) role in the roots of the British beat boom of the early '60s, which evolved into the British Invasion of America in 1964. Berthold Kaempfert was born in Barmbek, a working-class section of Hamburg, Germany, in 1923. He was musically inclined as a boy, and found that interest indulged by an act of fate when he was six years old -- Kaempfert was injured in a car accident and his mother used the money from the settlement to buy him a piano. He became proficient at the keyboard, and also on the clarinet and saxophone, among other instruments.

He studied at the Hamburg Conservatory and although he was interested in all facets of music, Kaempfert was particularly taken with American-style big-band music of the late '30s and early '40s -- his multi-instrumental skills made him a potentially valuable commodity, and he was recruited into a pop orchestra run by Hans Bussch while in his teens, but was later drafted and served as a bandsman in the German navy, before being captured and interned as an Allied prisoner. He founded a band of his own and later toured American military installations in Germany, at last able to play his favorite kind of music. Returning to his native Hamburg, he began performing on British Forces Network radio and writing compositions, initially using the alias of Mark Bones. Kaempfert's reputation in Hamburg attracted the attention of Polydor Records, which hired him as an arranger, producer, and music director during the second half of the 1950s.

Among the talent that he brought to the company's roster was the Yugoslav pop artist Ivo Robic, who chalked up an international hit (Top 20 in America), and Viennese singer/guitarist/actor Freddy Quinn, who had a German hit with "Die Gittarre und das Meer." His own orchestra generated such hits as "Catalania," "Ducky," "Las Vegas," and "Explorer," but he had bolder, more ambitious music in mind. He arranged, produced, and recorded an instrumental entitled "Wonderland by Night," which was pretty enough but couldn't seem to get a hearing in Germany, even from his own company. Instead, Kaempfert and his wife brought the track to Milt Gabler, the legendary producer at Decca Records in New York, who arranged for its release in America in 1959; with its haunting solo trumpet, muted brass, and lush strings, the single topped the American pop charts and turned Bert Kaempfert & His Orchestra into international stars.

Over the next few years, he revived such pop tunes as "Tenderly," "Red Roses for a Blue Lady," "Three O'Clock in the Morning," and "Bye Bye Blues," bringing them all high onto the pop charts internationally, as well as composing pieces of his own, including "Spanish Eyes (Moon Over Naples)," "Danke Schoen," and "Wooden Heart," which were recorded by, respectively, Al Martino, Wayne Newton, and Elvis Presley (with Joe Dowell charting the hit single of "Wooden Heart"); for an old American jazz fan like Kaempfert, however, little may have brought him more personal satisfaction than Nat King Cole recording his "L-O-V-E." At the turn of the decade into the 1960s, Kaempfert was still busily at work in his duties as a producer. He was well aware that a new generation of listeners had come along, whose interests lay far from the beautifully crafted instrumental music that he favored, which was an outgrowth of the pop sides of such '40s artists as Tommy Dorsey, Harry James, and Glenn Miller -- they preferred music drawn from country and R&B sources.

He had signed a Liverpool-based singer named Tony Sheridan, who was performing in Hamburg, and needed to recruit a band to play behind him on the proposed sides -- he auditioned and signed a quartet from Liverpool called the Beatles, and even cut a couple of interesting sides of theirs, "Ain't She Sweet" (sung by rhythm guitarist John Lennon) and the instrumental "Cry for a Shadow" (co-authored by Lennon and lead guitarist George Harrison) during his sessions for Sheridan; with its pounding beat and raw singing, the former wasn't Kaempfert's kind of music, but "Cry for a Shadow," with its rich melodic line and sonorous guitar, was perhaps as close as this new music ever came to his own. The Beatles' own sides didn't emerge until a couple of years later, when events made it economically feasible to do so, but Kaempfert's recording of the Beatles, even as a backing band for Sheridan, proved a vital catalyst to their entire subsequent success.

Stylistically, none of the Kaempfert-recorded sides closely resembled the music for which they became famous, and had their path to being signed by George Martin at Parlophone Records resulted from, say, their being heard in a performance, those Hamburg-recorded sides would rate nothing more than a footnote in their history -- but those Polydor sides cut by Kaempfert played an essential role in their story. As Beatles biographer Philip Norman recalled in his book Shout!, on October 28, 1961, an 18-year-old printer's apprentice named Raymond Jones walked into the music store owned by Brian Epstein to ask for a copy of "My Bonnie," recorded by the Beatles (though it was actually credited to Tony Sheridan); the store didn't have it, but Epstein noted the request and was so intrigued by the idea of a Liverpool band getting a record of its own out that he followed up on it personally. Thus began a chain of events that led to his discovery of the Beatles and, through his effort, their signing by George Martin to Parlophone Records (they first had to get clear of any contractual claim by Polydor).

Kaempfert had become so successful as a recording artist that he was forced to give up his duties as a producer -- his records were selling by the hundreds of thousands, the album of Wonderland by Night even topping the American charts for five weeks in 1961. By 1965, he'd joined the ranks of film music composers with the soundtrack to a movie entitled A Man Could Get Killed -- the title song from the movie became "Strangers in the Night," which Frank Sinatra propelled to the top of the American and British charts. He followed this up a year later with another hit for Sinatra, "The World We Knew (Over and Over)." For Kaempfert, whose admiration of American music began with the big-band pop sound whence Sinatra had begun his career, those hits must have represented a deep personal triumph, transcending whatever money they earned -- indeed, he was selling records during the early '60s in the kind of quantities that rivaled Tommy Dorsey or Harry James' successes 20 years before, and he'd proved himself a prodigiously talented composer as well, an attribute that few of the big-band leaders possessed.

Although Kaempfert's chart placements faded by the end of the decade, there could be no disputing his impact on the popular culture of the 1960s, which was so widespread into so many different areas that few individuals appreciated its scope; teenagers, had they known of his role, could be grateful to him for giving the Beatles that all-important first break, while their parents may well have danced to "Wonderland by Night" and its follow-ups, their older siblings might well have orchestrated their romantic endeavors to "Strangers in the Night," and television viewers and casual radio listeners might well have heard and hummed the Kaempfert tunes "That Happy Feeling" (an early piece of world music pop, adapted from a piece by Ghana-born drummer Guy Warren), "Afrikaan Beat," or "A Swingin' Safari" (which, in a recording by Billy Vaughn, became the theme for the long-running game show The Match Game).

His success as a composer was reflected in the five awards that he received from BMI in 1968 for "Lady," "Spanish Eyes," "Strangers in the Night," "The World We Knew," and "Sweet Maria." Kaempfert's chart placements vanished in the 1970s as the music marketplace (especially on radio) finally squeezed out the adult and older dance music listenership he'd cultivated. His records continued to sell, however, and his bookings remained healthy for another decade, and Kaempfert piled up awards in Germany. As he had with rock & roll, he also changed somewhat with the times -- when disco became popular in the mid-'70s, Kaempfert recorded a disco version of Isaac Hayes' "Theme from Shaft" that even impressed the composer. His sales were always healthy, if not substantial, in America, but in Europe he was still a top concert draw as well. Kaempfert died suddenly, at the age of 56, of a heart seizure while at his home in Mallorca, resting up after a triumphant British tour.

In the years since, he has finally been recognized for the breadth of his achievements -- virtually his entire album catalog (and all of his hits) from the late '50s through the end of the 1960s remains in print on CD. Additionally, Kaempfert's recordings of the Beatles have at last been given the recognition that they deserved, in the form of a Bear Family Records box. Additionally, his own music has acquired a new fan base in tandem with the late-'90s boom of interest in 1950s pop instrumental (i.e., "bachelor's den" audio) music, and "Afrikaan Beat" is arguably as popular as incidental music in 2003 as it was in 1965, as well as closely associated with that past in American popular culture, itself a great achievement for the bandleader from Hamburg. ~ Bruce Eder Top Albums Wonderland by Night/Bert Kaempfert - YouTube Wonderland by Night/Bert Kaempfert Want to watch this again later? Sign in to add this video to a playlist. Need to report the video? Sign in to report inappropriate content. Rating is available when the video has been rented.

This feature is not available right now. Please try again later. Uploaded on Sep 21, 2008 a wonderful melody Bert Kaempfert | Cover Versions Bert Kaempfert Many artists included Bert Kaempfert compositions in their repertoire. Here is a selection of available CDs. Remember When… – Paul Kuhn Meets Bert Kaempfert Silver Spot Records Order now Paul Kuhn and Bert Kaempfert are without doubt two of the leading lights in the music business. Both had their biggest successes at the same time although in fact they never met in person. In 2001 they come together notionally in a studio: Bert Kaempfert provides his great compositions while Paul Kuhn acts as arranger, bandleader and interpreter. For this production Paul Kuhn has put together a first-class orchestra formation with violinists and extraordinary instrumental soloists and singers. And so we meet two companions of Bert Kaempfert’s again: the trombone player Jiggs Whigham and the trumpeter Ack van Rooyen. We encounter Paul Kuhn as a pianist as well as a singer. His special version of Strangers In The Night deliberately has nothing to do with the famous Sinatra interpretation.

He does not arrange this hit of the century for a big orchestra, but returns to his well-known trio formation. With the compositional homage For Bert, written by Anita Kerr, Greetje Kauffeld commemorates Bert Kaempfert with an incredible swing! The lyrics of Remember When inspire Paul Kuhn to perform a duet with the unique singer. The vocalists Georgie Fame, Carry Sass and Peter Douglas respect the original hit versions by Nat “King” Cole, Shirley Bassey and Vic Damone, without copying them. Bertold Marschat and Markus Wienstroer demonstrate that improvisation of a composition can lend it new color. TRACKS: 2. Welcome To My Heart 3. L.O.V.E. 4. The World We Knew (Over And Over) 5. For Bert 6. You Turned My World Around 7. Moon Over Naples (Spanish Eyes) 8. My Way Of Life 9. Don’t Talk To Me 10. Strangers In The Night 11. Love After Midnight 12. It Makes No Difference 13. A Swingin’ Safari 14. I Can’t Help Remembering You 15.

Danke Schoen Saxophones/Flutes/Bass-Clarinet: Marcus Bartelt, Elmar Frey, Frank Jacobi, Stefan Pfeifer, Heiner Wiberny Trumpets: Rüdiger Baldauf, Jörg Brohm, Martin Reuthner, Thomas Vogel Trombones: Günter Bollmann, Richard Hellenthal, Uli Launhardt, Ludwig Nuss, Uli Plettendorff Piano, Vocal: Paul Kuhn Guitars: Marcus Wienstroer, Tom Wohlert Bass: Jens Foltynowic, Gary Todd, Paul G. Ulrich Drums: Willy Ketzer String section: led by Mischa Salevic Choir: The Ute-Mann-Singers Ulla Arnz, Magdalena Burghardt, Gaby Goldberg, Ute Mann-Kuhn, Catrin Pröpper, Peter Bauchwitz, Roland Bublitz, Markus Gahlen SPECIAL GUESTS: Vocal: Greetje Kauffeld, Georgie Fame, Carry Sass, Peter Douglas Soothing the Tiger – The Gentle Sound of Herbert Rehbein & His Orchestra Release: 22.

November 2013 Order now: “In time the Rockies may crumble, Gibraltar may tumble, they’re only made of clay, but our love is here to stay.” Thus runs the central stanza of George and Ira Gershwin’s sentimental ballad “Love Is Here To Stay”. It was the last song George Gershwin ever wrote, and if there were a reason to omit his brother Ira’s inspired lyrics, then it is Rehbein’s instrumental version. Herbert Rehbein was a close friend and long-standing musical partner of Bert Kaempfert’s, with whom he wrote a number of songs for, amongst others, Frank Sinatra. His musical twin he was not. On the three LPs that Rehbein released in the ‘60s there is no “Knack-Bass” (that distinctive percussive bass sound) – at least not on the first two records – there are no exotic lead instruments such as piccolos, nor blaring-brass cascades. Instead, strings dominate, strings with which one not only could soothe tigers but their symphonic richness of tone was savoured with such sophistication by Rehbein that they invited immediate consumption.

The three albums “MUSIC TO SOOTHE THAT TIGER” (1964) “LOVE AFTER MIDNIGHT” (1967) “…AND SO TO BED” (1969) are now combined on this double CD “Soothing The Tiger”. From the outset the sound created by Herbert Rehbein and his orchestra was musical escapism of the very best sort, yet it is astonishing how fresh it sounds even today. The Rocky Mountains still stand proud and Herbert Rehbein’s music has outlasted its time, too. Tracks CD1: 1. When I Fall In Love 2. Don’t Talk To Me 3. East Of The Sun (West Of The Moon) 4. Chances Are 18. A Gypsy In Manhattan Tracks CD 2: 1. Hold Back The Dawn! 2. It Was A Very Good Year 3. Strangers In The Night 4. My Yiddishe Momme 5. It’s Only Love (Es Ist Nur Die Liebe) 6. Ebb Tide 7. Lonely Is The Name 8. Moon Over Naples (Spanish Eyes) 9. Malaysian Melody 10.

Welcome To My Heart 11. The Times Will Change 12. The World We Knew (Over And Over) 13. Manhattan After Dark 14. I Can’t Help Remembering You 15. (You Are) My Way Of Life 16. On My Lonely Way 17. Our Street Of Love oder iTunes As a connoisseur of Bert Kaempfert’s musical world, Marc Secara has chosen not to sing any of the maestro’s hits. Instead, this CD features songs from Kaempfert’s repertoire that are less well-known or to date have been heard “only” as instrumental versions. The music has been so arranged as to lend it a rich and luxurious quality. Accompanied by a large band Secara swings and croons his way through twelve Kaempfert’s songs, songs that will rapidly become new evergreens.

The big band is made up of some of the best jazz musicians Europe has to offer – such as Ack van Rooyen, Lutz Büchner, Fiete Felsch, Ludwig Nuss, Frank Chastenier, Christian von Kaphengst and Lutz Häfner – and backed up by the Babelsberg film orchestra. This album was produced by Robert Matt, with the arrangements written by Jörg Achim Keller, Wolf Kerschek and Michael Gibbs. “Now And Forever” is the first production on Silver Spot Records , a brand-new label established by Bert Kaempfert’s youngest daughter Doris, a label that will be issuing exclusive productions of music ranging from jazz to pop. Tracks: Gray Eyes Make Me Blue Don’t Stay I’m Gonna Walk Out My Way Of Life Don’t Talk To Me I Go On Loving You You’re Fooling No One But Yourself Lonely Is The Name I Can’t Help Remembering You For further details: Bert Kaempfert Turns Us On Collector’S Choice Music #WWCCM08132 Release: June 6, 2007 1968 saw the release of the album “Bert Kaempfert Turns Us On”.

The well-known American musician Anita Kerr arranged a selection of Kaempfert hits specially for her group of singers, as well as composing the song For Bert by way of homage. This outstanding production has now been put out on CD by Collectors’ Choice in the USA and is also available here in Germany. Tracks: Two Can Live On Love Alone Remember When (We Made These Memories) Strangers In The Night The World We Knew (Over And Over) I Can’t Help Remembering You Spanish Eyes Christopher Dell – The World We Knew Celebrating Bert Kaempfert with Ladi Geisler # ACT 9449-2 Release: January 26, 2007 Well known in the jazz world as, i.a., a leading vibraphone player and winner of many an award over the years, Christopher Dell has collaborated with Siegfried Loch to produce this CD featuring an extremely fine line-up: Christof Lauer (saxophone), Carsten Daerr (piano), Oliver Potratz (bass), Eric Schäfer (drums) together with Ladi Geisler as guitarist, renowned from Bert Kaempfert’s orchestra for his “Knackbass”.

Here Dell not only plays vibraphone but has arranged Kaempfert’s songs in a style all of his own. Tracks: Don’t Talk To Me Danke Schoen The Music of Bert Kaempfert Hessischer Rundfunk’s big band directed by Jiggs Whigham & Special Guests # 06 025 171 389 7 – Polydor Release: November 17, 2006 Following the highly successful staging of a superlative concert, it was soon clear to everyone that this exceptional meeting of top-notch musicians just had to be preserved as a souvenir for all time. Hence the present CD, containing, as it does, a cross-section of this concert programme. Not only is Jiggs Whigham one of the world’s leading trombonists but also a much sought-after bandleader and professor of music, an artist who time and again is called upon to direct international big bands and orchestras of high repute. Here, as musical director, having taken great care in the choice of those with whom he wished to collaborate, Jiggs has succeeded in creating a dialogue with Bert Kaempfert that is quite without parallel.

Officially chief conductor of Hessischer Rundfunk’s big band, Jörg Achim Keller handed over the musical direction of this unique project and, in his capacity as one of the best arrangers, took up the challenge, performing the task in masterly fashion: without losing sight of the “Kaempfert touch”, his arrangements have lent a new dimension to the music. The top-class musicians of the Hessischer Rundfunk’s big band were augmented with an equally top-class string ensemble and thus transformed into an orchestral formation. Also imperative for Bert Kaempfert: the choir! Here the Berlin Voices were able to demonstrate their undoubted abilities, and this not just as a backing group. And, the crème de la crème in this line-up, the virtuoso instrumentalists who also performed as soloists with Bert Kaempfert in his day: Ack van Rooyen (flugelhorn / trumpet), Herb Geller (saxophone / flute) and Ladi Geisler (bass guitar).

Sylvia Vrethammar, the eminently likeable and superb jazz singer from Sweden, was invited by Bert Kaempfert to appear as guest star at his concerts as from 1979, since she performed his compositions in precisely the way he had imagined. And it was not difficult to persuade Sylvia to join as vocalist again: after all, the soft spot she has for Bert’s songs remains with her to the present day. And last but no means least, young artists such as the much-loved pianist and entertainer Joja Wendt, Marc Secara und the Berlin Voices prove once again that Bert Kaempfert’s music is not only timeless but cuts across all and every generation, too. Paul Kuhn Meets Bert Kaempfert Content / Edel Records Release: October 20, 2003 available until March 2015 This meticulous album has a special origin story. Doris Kaempfert had long envisioned to have Paul Kuhn interpret her fathers compositional work. The King of German Swing took the opportunity to create his personal portrait of the unforgettable composer who boosted stars like Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr. and Caterina Valente to glory.

With his special touch, Kuhn assembled a small but exquisite jazz band together. He arranged Kaempfert’s classics as Strangers In The Night, Wonderland By Night, L.O.V.E., My Way Of Life and Danke Schoen in his unique minimalist swing style. This Album has been rereleased in April 2015. For more information, click here Moon Over Naples / Spanish Eyes – Various Artist Bear Family Records # 16674 Release: Oktober 16, 2003 One of the most successful songs by German musician Bert Kaempfert was – and still is – Spanish Eyes. Its journey towards becoming an evergreen was by no means predictable. Instead, its triumphal march around the world proved to be long and laborious. Kaempfert’s Spanish Eyes went round the world and was released in over 500 different versions: including those sung and played by world famous interpreters and orchestra leaders such as Andy Williams, Johnny Mathis, Billy Vaughn and Ray Conniff. That must be a record. There are also various printed editions, ranging from concertina arrangements to ones for a Russian balalaika ensemble complete with domra and bayan.

Spanish Eyes received numerous awards and today, along with Kaempfert’s most popular song Strangers In The Night, it is among the hundred most successful hits of the 20th century. In October 2003, Bear Family Records had released a CD with 24 remarkable versions of Moon Over Naples (Spanish Eyes). The exciting story of the complicated launch of this evergreen has been documented in a comprehensive booklet. The Bert Kaempfert Story – A Musical Biography 2CD # 583 784-2 Polydor Doppel-LP # 583 784-1 (Vinyl) Release: April 29, 2003 In honor of the great composer and band leader Bert Kaempfert “The Bert Kaempfert Story – A Musical Biography” was released under the Polydor Label, his record company since 1955. It included two CDs, compilations of a selection of his greatest hits and unforgettable melodies. A musical biography, sung by international stars and played by Bert Kaempfert and his Orchestra. These CDs also include nine Kaempfert cover versions, released on CD for the first time.

Click here for more information. Bobby Hackett – Collectables Jazz Classics Collectables # COL-CD-7411 Release: February 19, 2002 In 1963 Bobby Hackett played a complete album with 12 Kaempfert compositions. The album “Bobby Hackett Plays The Music Of Bert Kaempfert” has now been re-released in the United States under the Sony Records label in the “Collectable Jazz Classics” series, along with the album “Bobby Hackett Plays The Music Of Henry Mancini” on a “2 on 1” CD. It is an interesting compilation with the following 12 songs: Danke Schoen / Wonderland By Night / A Swingin’ Safari / The Bass Walks / Mexican Market Day / Now And Forever / Bert’s Tune / Afrikaan Beat / Sunday In Madrid / Only Those In Love / Take Me / The Happy Trumpeter.

Danke Schön, Helmut Zacharias – Die Retrospektive # 537610 – EMI Release Date: March 22, 2002 EMI has released an extravagant 4-CD luxury set entitled “Danke Schön, Helmut Zacharias – Die Retrospektive” in honor of this great artist, compiled of 100 songs ranging from swing to waltz, folk song and film hits, chanson and opera from the 60s and 70s. Bert Kaempfert’s hit, Danke Schoen is also included, not only since the song title is fitting for this edition, but also as a symbol of the cooperation and friendship between these two musicians. Dean Martin on Reprise Collector’S Choice Music Release: 2001 – 2002 In a series called “Collectors’ Choice Music”, EMI-Capitol Music released numerous CDs under the title of “Dean Martin on Reprise”, each combining 2 original albums by this great entertainer on one CD.

The three Kaempfert songs that Dean Martin used in his repertoire are also included on these “2 on 1” CDs with the following order numbers: Welcome To My Heart (# CCM-260-2), I Can’t Help Remembering You (# CCM-259-2), Take Me (# CCM 253-2). Ten Of The Best – Brass Dreams # 9033/3 – EWOTON Release: November 27, 1999 Ten Of The Best is the name of an international line-up – comprising ten of the world’s finest trumpet players with rhythm-section backing. In addition to the incomparably high quality of their musicianship, a further strong point lies in this ensemble’s choice of repertoire which ranges from classical works to hits from the world of pop and entertainment. Alongside compositions by Bach, Purcell, Gershwin and Stevie Wonder, they also feature Bert Kaempfert’s Spanish Eyes and Strangers in the Night. All CDs are available over the Internet (for example, from AMAZON or JPC). Click here for the links.

Bert Kaempfert & His Orchestra - Listen to Free Music by Bert Kaempfert & His Orchestra on Pandora Internet Radio more Bert Kaempfert & His Orchestra Bert Kaempfert had almost too much talent, ability, and good luck rolled into one career to be fully appreciated, even by his own chosen audience, the lovers of fine orchestral pop music. He was one of the most successful conductors, arrangers, and recording artists in the latter field, but was also a major producer and played a key (if indirect) role in the roots of the British beat boom of the early '60s, which evolved into the British Invasion of America in 1964. Berthold Kaempfert was born in Barmbek, a working-class section of Hamburg, Germany, in 1923. He was musically inclined as a boy, and found that interest indulged by an act of fate when he was six years old -- Kaempfert was injured in a car accident and his mother used the money from the settlement to buy him a piano. He became proficient at the keyboard, and also on the clarinet and saxophone, among other instruments.

He studied at the Hamburg Conservatory and although he was interested in all facets of music, Kaempfert was particularly taken with American-style big-band music of the late '30s and early '40s -- his multi-instrumental skills made him a potentially valuable commodity, and he was recruited into a pop orchestra run by Hans Bussch while in his teens, but was later drafted and served as a bandsman in the German navy, before being captured and interned as an Allied prisoner. He founded a band of his own and later toured American military installations in Germany, at last able to play his favorite kind of music. Returning to his native Hamburg, he began performing on British Forces Network radio and writing compositions, initially using the alias of Mark Bones. Kaempfert's reputation in Hamburg attracted the attention of Polydor Records, which hired him as an arranger, producer, and music director during the second half of the 1950s.

Among the talent that he brought to the company's roster was the Yugoslav pop artist Ivo Robic, who chalked up an international hit (Top 20 in America), and Viennese singer/guitarist/actor Freddy Quinn, who had a German hit with "Die Gittarre und das Meer." His own orchestra generated such hits as "Catalania," "Ducky," "Las Vegas," and "Explorer," but he had bolder, more ambitious music in mind. He arranged, produced, and recorded an instrumental entitled "Wonderland by Night," which was pretty enough but couldn't seem to get a hearing in Germany, even from his own company. Instead, Kaempfert and his wife brought the track to Milt Gabler, the legendary producer at Decca Records in New York, who arranged for its release in America in 1959; with its haunting solo trumpet, muted brass, and lush strings, the single topped the American pop charts and turned Bert Kaempfert & His Orchestra into international stars.

Over the next few years, he revived such pop tunes as "Tenderly," "Red Roses for a Blue Lady," "Three O'Clock in the Morning," and "Bye Bye Blues," bringing them all high onto the pop charts internationally, as well as composing pieces of his own, including "Spanish Eyes (Moon Over Naples)," "Danke Schoen," and "Wooden Heart," which were recorded by, respectively, Al Martino , Wayne Newton , and Elvis Presley (with Joe Dowell charting the hit single of "Wooden Heart"); for an old American jazz fan like Kaempfert, however, little may have brought him more personal satisfaction than Nat King Cole recording his "L-O-V-E." At the turn of the decade into the 1960s, Kaempfert was still busily at work in his duties as a producer. He was well aware that a new generation of listeners had come along, whose interests lay far from the beautifully crafted instrumental music that he favored, which was an outgrowth of the pop sides of such '40s artists as Tommy Dorsey , Harry James , and Glenn Miller -- they preferred music drawn from country and R&B sources.

He had signed a Liverpool-based singer named Tony Sheridan, who was performing in Hamburg, and needed to recruit a band to play behind him on the proposed sides -- he auditioned and signed a quartet from Liverpool called the Beatles , and even cut a couple of interesting sides of theirs, "Ain't She Sweet" (sung by rhythm guitarist John Lennon ) and the instrumental "Cry for a Shadow" (co-authored by Lennon and lead guitarist George Harrison ) during his sessions for Sheridan; with its pounding beat and raw singing, the former wasn't Kaempfert's kind of music, but "Cry for a Shadow," with its rich melodic line and sonorous guitar, was perhaps as close as this new music ever came to his own. The Beatles' own sides didn't emerge until a couple of years later, when events made it economically feasible to do so, but Kaempfert's recording of the Beatles , even as a backing band for Sheridan, proved a vital catalyst to their entire subsequent success.

Stylistically, none of the Kaempfert-recorded sides closely resembled the music for which they became famous, and had their path to being signed by George Martin at Parlophone Records resulted from, say, their being heard in a performance, those Hamburg-recorded sides would rate nothing more than a footnote in their history -- but those Polydor sides cut by Kaempfert played an essential role in their story. As Beatles biographer Philip Norman recalled in his book Shout!, on October 28, 1961, an 18-year-old printer's apprentice named Raymond Jones walked into the music store owned by Brian Epstein to ask for a copy of "My Bonnie," recorded by the Beatles (though it was actually credited to Tony Sheridan); the store didn't have it, but Epstein noted the request and was so intrigued by the idea of a Liverpool band getting a record of its own out that he followed up on it personally. Thus began a chain of events that led to his discovery of the Beatles and, through his effort, their signing by George Martin to Parlophone Records (they first had to get clear of any contractual claim by Polydor).

Kaempfert had become so successful as a recording artist that he was forced to give up his duties as a producer -- his records were selling by the hundreds of thousands, the album of Wonderland by Night even topping the American charts for five weeks in 1961. By 1965, he'd joined the ranks of film music composers with the soundtrack to a movie entitled A Man Could Get Killed -- the title song from the movie became "Strangers in the Night," which Frank Sinatra propelled to the top of the American and British charts. He followed this up a year later with another hit for Sinatra , "The World We Knew (Over and Over)." For Kaempfert, whose admiration of American music began with the big-band pop sound whence Sinatra had begun his career, those hits must have represented a deep personal triumph, transcending whatever money they earned -- indeed, he was selling records during the early '60s in the kind of quantities that rivaled Tommy Dorsey or Harry James ' successes 20 years before, and he'd proved himself a prodigiously talented composer as well, an attribute that few of the big-band leaders possessed.

Although Kaempfert's chart placements faded by the end of the decade, there could be no disputing his impact on the popular culture of the 1960s, which was so widespread into so many different areas that few individuals appreciated its scope; teenagers, had they known of his role, could be grateful to him for giving the Beatles that all-important first break, while their parents may well have danced to "Wonderland by Night" and its follow-ups, their older siblings might well have orchestrated their romantic endeavors to "Strangers in the Night," and television viewers and casual radio listeners might well have heard and hummed the Kaempfert tunes "That Happy Feeling" (an early piece of world music pop, adapted from a piece by Ghana-born drummer Guy Warren), "Afrikaan Beat," or "A Swingin' Safari" (which, in a recording by Billy Vaughn , became the theme for the long-running game show The Match Game).

His success as a composer was reflected in the five awards that he received from BMI in 1968 for "Lady," "Spanish Eyes," "Strangers in the Night," "The World We Knew," and "Sweet Maria." Kaempfert's chart placements vanished in the 1970s as the music marketplace (especially on radio) finally squeezed out the adult and older dance music listenership he'd cultivated. His records continued to sell, however, and his bookings remained healthy for another decade, and Kaempfert piled up awards in Germany. As he had with rock & roll, he also changed somewhat with the times -- when disco became popular in the mid-'70s, Kaempfert recorded a disco version of Isaac Hayes ' "Theme from Shaft" that even impressed the composer. His sales were always healthy, if not substantial, in America, but in Europe he was still a top concert draw as well. Kaempfert died suddenly, at the age of 56, of a heart seizure while at his home in Mallorca, resting up after a triumphant British tour.

In the years since, he has finally been recognized for the breadth of his achievements -- virtually his entire album catalog (and all of his hits) from the late '50s through the end of the 1960s remains in print on CD. Additionally, Kaempfert's recordings of the Beatles have at last been given the recognition that they deserved, in the form of a Bear Family Records box. Additionally, his own music has acquired a new fan base in tandem with the late-'90s boom of interest in 1950s pop instrumental (i.e., "bachelor's den" audio) music, and "Afrikaan Beat" is arguably as popular as incidental music in 2003 as it was in 1965, as well as closely associated with that past in American popular culture, itself a great achievement for the bandleader from Hamburg. ~ Bruce Eder, Rovi

Question: Who wrote the instrumental A Swingin' Safari and led the orchestra which played the original hit version?
Answer: Bert Kaempfert