Superstar

This is my instrumental cover of “Superstar”, originally from 1969 with music by Leon Russell and lyrics by Bonnie Bramlett. The lyrics are about a female “groupie” and her one-sided relationship with a rock star.

First recorded by Delaney and Bonnie and Friends, the best known version is by the Carpenters in 1971. The Shadows covered it on their 1977 album “Tasty”.

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In No Hurry

“In No Hurry” is an original composition intended to be in the style of 1960s guitar instrumentals like the Ventures. This one has a bit of country/rockabilly vibe.

All My Tomorrows

This is my instrumental cover of “All My Tomorrows“, a 1959 ballad with lyrics by Sammy Cahn and music by Jimmy van Heusen. The song was written for Frank Sinatra. It was introduced in the film “A Hole in the Head ” where Sinatra sings it in the opening credits.

Tres Quatro Seis Ocho

“Tres Quatro Seis Ocho” is an original instrumental composition intended to be similar in style to the Shadows.

 

Theme from “High Noon”

This is my instrumental cover of the theme from “High Noon” – “Do Not Forsake Me”.

It was published in 1952, with music by Dimitri Tiomkin and lyrics by Ned Washington.

It is the theme song of the classic western movie “High Noon” (and titled onscreen as such in the film’s opening credits as sung by Tex Ritter), with its tune repeated throughout the film. It was awarded the 1952 Academy Award for Best Original Song.

A group called the “Venturas” (which featured Bobby Fuller) released a version as a “b-side” called “High Noon Rumble” in 1961. The Shadows recorded a version on their 1982 album “Life in the Jungle”.

I play the lead part on my Baritone guitar.

 

Blue Bossa

This is my cover of “Blue Bossa”, composed by trumpeter Kenny Dorham and first recorded by Saxophonist Joe Henderson in 1963 for his album “Page One”. It is considered a jazz “standard”.

 

Pasos en las Sombras

“Pasos en las Sombras” is an original instrumental intended to be in the style of the Shadows…more specifically in the “quasi-Hispanic” style of their tunes “Guitar Tango” and “Fandango” and their EP “Los Shadows”.

 

Men in Grey Suits

“Men in Grey Suits” is an original composition intended to be in the style of 1960s guitar instrumentals like surf rock or the Ventures.

Laura

This is my instrumental cover of the classic theme from the classic 1944 film “Laura”.

Laura is a 1944 American “film noir” produced and directed by Otto Preminger. It stars Gene Tierney and Dana Andrews. The American Film Institute named it one of the 10 best mystery films of all time.

The theme was composed by David Raskin. Inspired by a “Dear John” letter he received from his wife, Raskin composed the haunting theme, also entitled “Laura”, for which Johnny Mercer later wrote lyrics. It eventually became a jazz standard recorded by more than 400 artists.

Venture a Guess

“Venture a Guess” is an original composition intended to be in the style of 1960s guitar instrumentals like the Ventures.

Let’s Twist Again

This is my Ventures-inspired instrumental cover of “Let’s Twist Again”, which was written by Kal Mann and Dave Appell, and released as a single by Chubby Checker. One of the biggest hit singles of 1961, it reached No.8 on the U.S. Billboard pop chart and No.2 in the U.K. in February. The song refers to the Twist dance craze and Checker’s 1960 single “The Twist”, a U.S. No.1 single in 1960.

The Ventures included a version on “Twist with the Ventures” their fifth studio album, released in 1962 on Dolton Records.  The album consists mostly of instrumental versions of popular dance tunes from the late 1950s to early 1960s, with a couple of original compositions. It was on the charts for 29 weeks and it peaked at # 24.

The Untouched Shadow

“The Untouched Shadow” is an original instrumental composition intended to be similar in style to the Shadows.

 

Tenderly

This is an instrumental quartet arrangement of “Tenderly”.

First published in 1946 with music by Walter Gross and lyrics by Jack Lawrence. It has since become a popular jazz standard.

Más Cencerro

“Más Cencerro” is an original composition intended to be in the style of 1960s guitar instrumentals such as the Ventures did. In particular, it is an attempt to create a riff-based track such as those often written by the band members to fill out an album which otherwise probably featured covers of popular tunes of the day.

When Sunny Gets Blue

This is my instrumental cover of “When Sunny Gets Blue”. It was written by Marvin Fisher and Jack Segal, and became a jazz standard. The song was first recorded by Johnny Mathis and Ray Conniff and his Orchestra in 1956 as the “B side” to “Wonderful, Wonderful” and became a big hit inits own right.