The Primitive and the Passionate

by Les Baxter

The Primitive and the Passionate cover art
  • Type: Album
  • Released: 1962
  • Label: Reprise
  • Country: United States
  • Length: 31:46
  • Community rating: 3.74/5 from 4 ratings

Album Notes & Community Reviews

A late entry into the first wave of Exotica, 'The Primitive and the Passionate' finds Les Baxter attempting to integrate the newly popular Bossa Nova rhythm into his sweeping, cinematic orchestrations. The album utilizes wordless choirs, massive string sections, and an array of Afro-Cuban percussion to evoke romanticized, fictionalized landscapes. It reflects the era's endless appetite for highly arranged, 'foreign' easy listening.

Genres

Descriptors: orchestral, percussive, lounge, retro, crooning, string arrangements, melodic

Tracklist

  1. Fiesta Brava (2:53)
  2. Tenderly (3:03)
  3. Peking Tiger (2:21)
  4. Laura (2:18)
  5. A Night with Cleopatra (4:48)
  6. Via Veneto (2:17)
  7. Bird of Paradise (2:59)
  8. Slave Ship (2:37)
  9. Manchurian Melody (1:42)
  10. A Taste of Honey (2:29)
  11. Congal茅 (1:56)
  12. Little Girl Blue (2:19)

Credits

  • Les Baxter & His Orchestra - primary artist
  • Les Baxter - written-by
  • Jack Lawrence - written-by
  • Walter Gross - written-by
  • David Raksin - written-by
  • Johnny Mercer - written-by
  • Bobby Scott - written-by
  • Ric Marlow - written-by

More from Les Baxter: full discography