Julius Wechter Discography

Page 3

Produced by Stephan Goldman
Arranged by Julius Wechter & Roger Kellaway
Released 1971

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Track Listing:

1. As Time Goes By 3:18
2. Think Of Me 3:05
3. Samba For Vicky 2:58
4. Two For Tea 2:34
5. Midnight Sun 3:42
6. Spanish Flea 2:20
7. The Big Noise From Encino 2:24
8. Dansero 2:26
9. Left Field 2:08
10. Jorjana 3:36
11. We'Ve Only Just Begun 2:53

This album is a departure for the Baja Marimba Band. "As Time Goes By" and "We've Only Just Begun" are unabashedly M.O.R., no doubt about it. But the remainder of the album shoots off of the usual Baja style into jazz, full of unexpected twists and turns. It is also evident that many of the usual Baja Marimba Band musicians do not play on this album, unless they were playing in a dramatically different style. "Samba For Vicky" shifts gears from a waltz into a 4/4 samba with ease. "Two For Tea" shifts time signatures all over the map, from 5/4 to 6/4 to 7/4 and back again. "The Big Noise From Encino" tosses a 7/4 measure at us every now and then, along with some bright brass punctuations. Above all, Wechter has room here to solo, mainly on vibes and marimba.

Compiled and edited by Clare Baren and Richard Burns
Released 1973

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Track Listing:

1. Comin' In The Back Door (from The Baja Marimba Band)
2. Spanish Flea (from As Time Goes By)
3. For Animals Only (from For Animals Only)
4. Rhode Island Red (from Fowl Play)
5. Big Red (from Those Were The Days)
6. Fresh Air (from Fresh Air)
7. Spanish Eyes (from Heads Up!)
8. Summer Samba (listed as "Brasilia" in error) (from Fowl Play)
9. I'll Marimba You (from Fresh Air)
10. Samba De Orpheu (from The Baja Marimba Band)
11. Las Mananitas (from For Animals Only)
12. Sunrise, Sunset (from Do You Know The Way To San Jose?)
13. We've Only Just Begun (from As Time Goes By)
14. Cast Your Fate To The Wind (from Watch Out!)
15. Those Were The Days (from Those Were The Days)
16. As Time Goes By (from As Time Goes By)
17. Winchester Cathedral (from Heads Up!)
18. Yes Sir, That's My Baby (from Do You Know The Way To San Jose?)
19. Acapulco 1922 (from The Baja Marimba Band)
20. Portuguese Washerwoman (from Watch Out!)
21. Windy (from Fowl Play)
22. Goin' Out The Side Door (from The Baja Marimba Band Rides Again)

Produced by Julius Wechter
Arranged by Julius Wechter
Released 1973

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Track Listing:

1. Tomatoes/Small World 2:28
2. Do You Want To Dance 2:24
3. Taco Belle 2:07
4. If 2:15
5. Pa 2:23
6. Tie A Yellow Ribbon Round The Ole Oak Tree 2:33
7. Anytime Of The Year 2:32
8. Here's That Rainy Day 2:19
9. My Love 2:50
10. Ventura 2:51
11. Just An Old Fashioned Love Song 4:48

Musically, there isn't much to recommend this album. There are some neat arrangements here, but a couple are buried under M.O.R. orchestral stylings. Perhaps the best track here is the opener; the others are good, just not outstanding.

Produced by Julius Wechter and Bernie Fleischer.
Arranged by Julius Wechter and Bernie Fleischer.
Released 1982

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Track Listing:

1. Morning Train 3:15
2. Alone Again, Naturally 2:12
3. El Abondonado 3:26
4. Theme From "Deep Throat" 2:47
5. Alley Cat 2:03
6. Shout 3:46
7. The Elegant Rag 2:48
8. Las Flores 2:39
9. Medley: Spanish Flea/Fowl Play/Coney Island/Up Cherry Street 4:14

A 1982 album featuring a couple of Baja Marimba alumni and a few other musicians. In typical Baja fashion, they bare their all, both musically and...well, you can see what happens after one too many cervezas. Stronger than the album on Bell, this reverts back to their earlier A&M style, with a dash of humor and some Mexican flourishes here and there. Also, second marimba parts are tackled by Jules Greenberg. This album is rather rare, but worth finding, even considering its short playing time. One interesting note about perhaps the most notorious song on the album: the "Theme from Deep Throat" was originally recorded during Julius's brief tenure with Bell Records, this song appearing on a promotional single back around 1973. It was also listed in Phonolog as a single, but to the best of our knowledge, was never commercially available until Naturally was released.

? Produced by Julius Wechter
? Arranged by Julius Wechter
Released 1990

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Track Listing:

1. We're Off To See The Wizard 2:54
2. Baja Noce 6:27
3. But Not For Me 5:23
4. Say Si Si 5:18
5. Shorty 5:41
6. Lazy Days 5:30
7. Rumrunner 6:55
8. Free Fall 6:37
9. Pavane 7:08
10. New Deal 6:44

"We're Off To The See The Wizard" features a typically "cute" Wechter arrangement of a familiar classic. With assistance from musical pal and "marimba soul-brother" Julie Greenberg, this album is a big jump from the Baja Marimba Band days of old. What this is, is an enjoyable jazz album. Julius and Julie trade off solos like the relay races in the olympics, and they have plenty of room to expand out in lengthy solos. The old time fans may or may not appreciate this album; the overall level of musicianship and general lightheartedness is infectious, making this a standout in my Wechter collection.