A Touch of Tabasco

by Perez Prado, Rosemary Clooney

Overview

On paper, this unlikely pairing of American popular vocalist Rosemary Clooney (who nearly defined the 1950s as a stylist) and Cuban percussionist and bandleader Perez Prado seemed to be a disaster in the making. The end result is quite the opposite. Recorded during two sessions in July and August of 1959, this is simply one of the loveliest albums in either artist's catalog. The music is lively and colorful but retains Clooney's smooth and mellow character, and Prado's trademark arrangements and experiments with percussion, texture, and harmony. Apparently, Clooney had some trouble with pronunciation initially, but was coached by her husband, Puerto Rican actor Jose Ferrer (who wrote the original album's liner notes) and became a quick study. This merging of Latin and American standards is a tour de force that features some of the hottest session players in the biz including drummers Leo Acosta and Earl Palmer, as well as horn players Paul Horn and Ollie Mitchell. Highlights of the set include "Mack the Knife," "Sway," a pair of Cole Porter tunes -- "Bali Hai," and "You Do Something to Me" -- as well as highly original readings of "Corazon de Melon," "Cu-Cu-Rru-Cu-Cu Paloma," and "Adios." ~Thom Jurek

Product Details

Release Date:	05/30/2011
Label:	Bear Family Records
UPC:	4000127171443
Rank:	68903

Tracks

1. Mack The Knife [From 'The Threepenny Opera']
2. Corazon De Melon [Watermelon Heart]
3. Like A Woman
4. Sway
5. Magic Is The Moonlight
6. You Do Something To Me
7. Adios
8. In A Little Spanish Town
9. I Only Have Eyes For You
10. I Got Plenty O' Nuttin' [From The Broadway Production 'Porgy And Bess']
11. Bali Ha'i [From The Broadway Musical 'South Pacific']
12. Cu-Cu-Ru-Cu-Cu Paloma
13. Summertime Love [From The Broadway Production 'Greenwillow']
14. Amor
15. Sania
16. Amor
17. Summertime Love [From The Broadway Production 'Greenwillow']

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Rosemary Clooney   Primary Artist,Vocals
Perez Prado   Primary Artist,Vocals
Ruben V. Portillo   Drums
William J. Cannon   Saxophone
Alvino Rey   Guitar
Paul Horn   Saxophone
Ray Triscari   Trumpet
Francisco Aguabella   Drums,Bongos
Roy Harte   Drums
Wilbur Schwartz   Saxophone
Don Bagley   Bass
Tony Facciuto   Trumpet
Armando Peraza   Bongos
Tom Scott   Trumpet
Ronald Langinger   Saxophone
Miguel Sanchez   Saxophone
John Wanner   Trumpet,Trombone
Louis Valizan   Trumpet
Oliver E. "Ollie" Mitchell   Trumpet
Leo Acosta   Drums,Soloist
Clarence "Shorty" Sherlock   Trumpet
Lloyd Morales   Drums
Marion E. Childers Jr.   Trumpet
Raymond Black   Saxophone
Frank Joseph Flynn   Xylophone
Marvin Brown   Trumpet
Donald Fagerquist   Trumpet
Alfred Viola   Guitar
Earl Cyril Palmer Jr.   Drums
Garth Dixon   Trumpet
Gust M. Aspiotes   Drums
Juan De Dios Ramirez   Trumpet
Leo H. Sadd   Drums
Leodegano Muniz   Trumpet
Luis Garay Jr.   Drums,Congas
Meredith Flory   Saxophone
Peter Gallodoro   Saxophone
Richard S. Zubak   Saxophone

Technical Credits

Ronnie Carson   Composer
Frank Loesser   Composer
Traditional   Composer
Bertolt Brecht   Composer
Cole Porter   Composer
Dick Pierce   Producer
Sam M. Lewis   Composer
Dick Peirce   Producer
Perez Prado   Leader,Composer
Tomas Mendez   Composer
Carlos Rigual   Composer
Eddie Woods   Composer
Rigual   Composer
Enric Madriguera   Composer
Gabriel Ruiz   Composer
George Gershwin   Composer
Ira Gershwin   Composer
DuBose Heyward   Composer
Joe Young   Composer
Kurt Weill   Composer
Pablo Beltran Ruiz   Composer
Al Dubin   Composer
Marc Blitzstein   Composer
Oscar Hammerstein II   Composer
Mabel Wayne   Composer
Richard Rodgers   Composer
Maria Mendez Grever   Composer
Herman Diaz, Jr.   Producer
Harry Warren   Composer
Norman Gimbel   Composer
Dubin   Composer
Pasquale   Composer
Charles Pasquale   Composer
Maria Grever   Composer
Benjamin Barrett   Contractor
Ricardo Lopez Mendez   Composer
Jose Ferrer   Liner Notes
Patricia Valando   Composer
Rodriguez Rigual   Composer