Bert Kaempfert - A Swingin' Safari

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Haydn
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Bert Kaempfert - A Swingin' Safari

#1 Post by Haydn » Sun Apr 03, 2005 12:21 pm

I've just bought a CD called

Swingin Safari/Safari Swings Again
by Bert Kaempfert

http://www2.hmv.co.uk/hmvweb/displayPro ... sku=728966

The big hit from this CD is the first track:

1. A Swingin' Safari

Others that are good to dance to include:

6. Zambesi
7. Afrikaan Beat
8. Happy Trumpeter
23. Walking With Fips


I've never heard these played at a Lindy dance, but I think they'd go down well. It's modern big band music with an African-type swing feel. What do you think?

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Bob the Builder
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#2 Post by Bob the Builder » Sun Apr 03, 2005 3:55 pm

I think "A Swingin' Safari" has a novelty factor of about 30 seconds.
That’s not even close to the whole song, so I would never dream of spinning it.

Brian :)
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Zot
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#3 Post by Zot » Sun Apr 03, 2005 7:41 pm

I've played A Swingin' Safari for years with great effect. You have to be in a particularly silly mood to play it, of course, as it's pure cheese all the way down. But it swings, for sure.
"Take the worst of neo-swing and put it together with Glen Miller. The man thinks the Count is someone from a horror flick. Take pity on him and let him play two or three tunes. But be sure you have some errands to run." -- Bill Borgida

Haydn
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#4 Post by Haydn » Mon Apr 04, 2005 5:53 am

Yes, I think I'd get a bit sick of the repeated 'da-dur-dur da-dur-dur da-dur-dur da-dur-dur' refrain in 'Swingin' Safari' if it was played too much, although it is a good swinging number.

I actually prefer 'Walking With Fips' and 'Tootie Flutie' from the same CD.

julius
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#5 Post by julius » Tue Apr 05, 2005 2:57 pm

Unfortunately most jazz fans would rate Bert Kaempfert right up there with Guy Lombardo. As a dancer, I would hesitate to dance to it unless it were the right mood, and even then I think it would be a novelty song forever.

I like "Danke Schoen", "Wonderland By Night", and some of the songs you've listed, but I like them in the same way that I like Poison songs. They're a guilty pleasure because you can't freakin' stop humming them, and yet it annoys you to do so.

Categorization sucks, but I would put Bert under "lounge music" before "swing". That's just me.

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Shanabanana
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#6 Post by Shanabanana » Wed Apr 06, 2005 10:39 am

If John Dyer ever plays Swingin Safari again, he knows I'll shove it up his Uncle Cracker. ;)

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Zot
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#7 Post by Zot » Wed Apr 06, 2005 5:28 pm

Well, I don't think anyone would be trying to say that A Swingin' Safari was meant to be taken seriously as a jazz work, would they?

It's all cheese, and should be taken that way. It would only take about 3 plays a year to start annoying people.
"Take the worst of neo-swing and put it together with Glen Miller. The man thinks the Count is someone from a horror flick. Take pity on him and let him play two or three tunes. But be sure you have some errands to run." -- Bill Borgida

Haydn
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#8 Post by Haydn » Sat Apr 09, 2005 2:01 pm

julius wrote: Categorization sucks, but I would put Bert under "lounge music" before "swing". That's just me.
I think I found it the 'Easy Listening' section of the shop. :wink:

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Ryan
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#9 Post by Ryan » Mon Apr 11, 2005 1:07 am

Zot wrote:It would only take about 3 plays a year to start annoying people.

Nope, just one.

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Lippy
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#10 Post by Lippy » Mon Apr 11, 2005 10:16 am

I just recently aquired a Bert Kaempfert album called "Kaempfert by Touch", it was immediately put in my TO SELL pile.

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david
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#11 Post by david » Wed Apr 13, 2005 12:49 am

In Sweden, Swining Safari is instantly recognizable as the theme from the game show "Vi i femman", at least if you're over 25.

The show is/was a quiz competition between fifth-graders.

So if you spun it here, people would probably start staring at you. Or laugh. Or maybe dance a little.

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Zot
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#12 Post by Zot » Wed Apr 13, 2005 4:32 pm

I have, and they did. Dance, that is.
"Take the worst of neo-swing and put it together with Glen Miller. The man thinks the Count is someone from a horror flick. Take pity on him and let him play two or three tunes. But be sure you have some errands to run." -- Bill Borgida

Nate Dogg
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#13 Post by Nate Dogg » Tue Aug 16, 2005 10:20 pm

For a couple of days, a version of Swingin Safari is available for download, the Billy Vaughn version.

Much of what this guy puts up is tounge in cheek.

check out this blog

http://recordrobot.blogspot.com/

JohnDyer
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#14 Post by JohnDyer » Wed Aug 17, 2005 11:21 am

Shanabanana wrote:If John Dyer ever plays Swingin Safari again, he knows I'll shove it up his Uncle Cracker. ;)
For all you know I'm never playing it again. You just have to have faith that I won't play it when you're not at a venue. :p

Interestingly enough, the college swing club kids seem to like it if I play it for them from time to time. In that setting it always packs the floor. The same annoying Da-dur-da Da-dur-da has a relatively predictable beat for newbs.

Pure cheese all the way through, but try to get it out of your head once you start listening to it!
John Dyer, Denver CO

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