Johnny Frigo Sextet – Scorpio
Johnny Frigo Sextet – Dawn
Johnny Frigo Sextet – Gardens Of The Moon
Exercise and dance records are the bain of many a beat collecting DJ. In theory you’d think they would have more than a few great songs, but collectable, or even listenable, records in these genres are few and far between. This record, with music from the Johnny Frigo Sextet and dance by Gus Giordano and his company (who are only pictured on the back, you would have had to write and likely pay more for the actual routines), is one of the few that is worth tracking down.
I can’t remember where I heard it first, but as soon as I heard this version of “Scorpio” I wanted it. Took me more than a few years to finally track it down and when I did I was completely expecting the rest of the album to be forgettable. After all, almost all of these jazz dance records are really pretty cheesy, mostly consisting of crap versions of “big” tunes by lesser players. Most of the record could be classified in that fashion. Thankfully, for whatever reason, Frigo and his un-named group decide to cover not just “Scorpio” but also Coffey’s “Gardens Of The Moon.” Frigo’s original “Dawn” also has a nice sound that deserves to be heard. Part of me wishes that the jazz dance routines associated with these songs were included with the record, but those I’m sure are lost to time at this point, thankfully this music is not.
Cheers,
Michael