Solved: Trying to identify an early 60s instrumental pop tune

This song got quite a bit of airplay when it was released, I'm guessing circa 1961, give or take a few years. It was instrumental, with a very exotic atmosphere complete with tropical birds, maybe featured a marimba, soft latin percussion, etc. I seem to recall that it was piano based, and part of the song descended in scale. I can remember just a few snatches of the melody. Sorry I can't remember more, but I was quite young when it came out. Anybody know the name of this song, and/or the artist? I'd love to hear it again.

Try "Theme from A Summer Place" by Percy Faith (1960-61)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mERbQIvgJXs

Going with the latin flavor of your clues,
also try "The Lonely Bull (El Solo Torro)" by Herb Alpert And The Tijuana Brass (1962).

Nope, and nope. "Theme From A Summer Place" is a lovely song, but I'm very familiar with it, and it's not what I'm looking for. "The Lonely Bull" I just sampled on amazon, and I'd heard it before---definitely not the one. The instrumental I'm trying to ID may be even earlier than I guessed, maybe 1959-1960? I wish I knew. No, not "The Happy Organ", either. This mystery song has become a real obscurity, apparently.

A couple of ideas:

Tea For Two Cha-Cha, Tommy Dorsey Orchestra, 1958

Yellow Bird, Arthur Lyman Group, 1961

Java, Al Hirt, 1964

Canción de Cuna, Kathleen Battle

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sMXeYB-pvIY

No way, on all 4. Just checked them out on amazon. Nothing like. The tune whose title I seek is truly unique among pop instrumentals. I don't recall any horns at all. Exotic, punctuated with tropical bird calls, in rhythm with the slightly jazzy, but laid back, tempo. Thanks anyway. Now I'm off to bed...

Try the samples of the songs, "Quirky Mambo" and "Bright Bossa", found in the attached link:

http://www.opuzz.com/displayproducts...rch=&mode=&ps=

Are these songs similar?

No, and no. The song I seek is not cheese, or lounge. It is more atmospheric, kind of like Beaver & Krause, before B & K---but with a gentle, insistent latin rhythm. Nor should it be an obscurity since it got a lot of AM radio pop airplay, whatever year that was between about 1959-1963. Key to identifying it is: IF IT DOESN'T HAVE THE TROPICAL BIRD CALLS, OR CAWS, WOVEN INTO THE MUSIC---IT ISN'T THE SONG. These are somewhat prominent in places. If you didn't grow up in the 50s/60s, you might have trouble with this, as you would have never heard it. I think I heard part of it in a movie (circa 1980s) soundtrack once, but I can't remember the movie. I thought "Sea Of Love" (the movie), but couldn't find it in the movie when I watched it again not long ago. Maybe I got distracted.

Found it!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OJK2LwD_nEY

Go to about 50 seconds into the video.

Artist: Martin Denny
Title: Quiet Village

Originally Posted by asgard_shill

Found it!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OJK2LwD_nEY

Go to about 50 seconds into the video.

Artist: Martin Denny
Title: Quiet Village

Billboard rank: #4 in 1959


Dan

YEAH!!! By Jove, I think you have! Checked the YouTube link, then amazon for the studio version. Didn't realize there were so many albums/CDs available by The Exotic Sounds Of Martin Denny, or that the tune was that old. Checking Billboard, it hit the charts 4-27-59 and made it to position #4. He had another at #28 in November of the same year, called "The Enchanted Sea". "Quiet Village" belongs on the same compilation CD with "The Lion Sleeps Tonight (Wimoweh)" by the Tokens, "Sun Arise" & "Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport" by Rolf Harris, "Sukiyaki" by Kyu Sakamoto, "The Twilight Zone" by the Ventures, etc. Thanks a heap, asgard shill! Good work, & well done! I don't know how you did it. I've been wondering about this song for many years.

To be honest, I'm not sure how I found it myself. This came out the year I was born. But my parents both listened to every off-the-wall, avant-garde type of music they could get their hands on, so I'm sure this vinyl crossed their transom at some point whilst I was still in diapers. Just a shadow of protomemory about birds and a quiet village ...

Enjoy it!

Excellent find Asgard!

Truly amazing, to be sure. Sounds like you're well grounded, alright. Thanks again, and keep doing it. Now that it's identified, I think I'll forgo the mp3 download and get the Greatest Hits CD instead when it goes on sale at BMG.