Post #346089 by OnyaBirri on Mon, Nov 26, 2007 3:29 PM

It's ironic that this sort of thing didn't happen in the mid 90s, at the height of the lounge revival, isn't it? Orchestras (in the US) routinely worry about dwindling ticket sales and aging audiences. And all of a sudden, a genre of orchestral pop music was hip. The vinyl flew up in price, stuff was getting reissued on CD, and the people listening were younger urban hipsters. That first Esquivel collection on Bar None outsold most of that label's indie bands that year. I wonder if the staff of orchestras realized this at the time, but I'm guessing there was a disconnect.

In fairness, lots of this music was written especially for recording sessions, and designed to be played once. I'm sure lots of scores and parts have disappeared, and even if they existed, they would have been tough to cull together on short notice. And the oddball ensemble configurations on many of these records does not help matters, either.

Still, I'm glad that a good chunk of Les Baxter's music has survived. If The Florida Orchestra does any more Les Baxter, you guys will be the first to know!

[ Edited by: OnyaBirri 2007-11-26 15:44 ]