The Word: There is percussion everywhere here, particularly Latin, exotica, jazz, funk, beatnik-bongos, etc. On this page are many of the essential "space-age" percussion masterpieces, such as those by Dean Elliott and Jack Fascinato, as well as other drummer and percussion standouts and classics.
Much of it is vintage "stereo demonstration" (channel separation) intended to get consumers to buy stereo, but the mono versions stand up very well. As percussion tours-de-force, some recordings push the envelope of what can be considered percussion: apparently anything that makes a good sound when hit. The best reason to enjoy this idiom, though, is that the golden age of recording technique, which largely means microphone placement, combined successfully with arranger/composer/musician talent to produce actual music, not just goofy sounds.
Further below: Drum 45s & trade wants
Links: are to subpages or artists bio/discog pages in the Hyp Records guide:
Images: accurately represent items but are not always the exact copy listed/purchased
Discount: ALWAYS try to buy more than one item at a time
Frank Barber: Sound in the Round (Melodic Percussion); Capitol ST-2794; E/N S $25 (or V+/N S $20, specify) -- percussion; "A sound-in-the-round spectacular arranged and conducted by England's inventive Frank Barber" or as we would say, "plinky percussion pop that swings"; equal at least to any of the better exotic-percussion LPs (Manny Albam, Bobby Christian, Dick Schory, Terry Snyder, etc.), and it's all the more special for being rare in the US, serving well as a prequel to the best-selling "Deep Percussion" LP listed on the Moog page when available; Spanish Flea, March of the Siamese Children, Creole Carnival, Las Vegas, Theme from "Mr. Broadway," Red Roses for a Blue Lady, A Walk in the Black Forest, More, Jordu, Busy Lizzie, Peace Pipe, Cumana
Frank Barber: Deep Percussion ... Moog (good record!)
Les Baxter subpage (under Exotica/World)
Beats, bongos, beatniks ... beatnik/bongo
Clyde Borly & his Percussions: Music in 5 Dimensions; Atlantic/Atco SD33-195 (stereo); 1966; 1st/purple-tan cutout E+/E+ S $30 -- pop/jazz/drums/Afro; very good, exotic, percussive-pop legend from France; several great originals and more by major names such as Sascha Distel, Jobim, Lecuona..); sends up spies and more (something like Michel Magne); Afromania (way-out original--essential!), Roses de Picardie, Bahia, La Valse des Lilas, S.O.S. Force de Frappe, Paris en Septembre, Carioca, Taboo, La Belle Vie, Fever, Original, Caminho de Pedra
Clyde Borly & his Percussions: Music in 5 Dimensions; Atlantic/Atco 33-195 (mono); 1966; 1st/blue-tan cutout E/N $40 (or same but E-/E- $25, specify) -- pop/jazz/drums/Afro; very good, exotic, percussive-pop legend from France; several great originals and more by major names such as Sascha Distel, Jobim, Lecuona..); sends up spies and more (something like Michel Magne); Afromania (way-out original--essential!), Roses de Picardie, Bahia, La Valse des Lilas, S.O.S. Force de Frappe, Paris en Septembre, Carioca, Taboo, La Belle Vie, Fever, Original, Caminho de Pedra
Harry Breuer & his Quintet: Mallet Magic; Audio Fidelity AFSD-5825; 1958; gatefold; silver/deep groove w/catalog insert E+/N- S $25 (or same but E+/E $20, specify) -- percussion; superior precursor to "Mallet Mischief" is the ultimate in rinky-dink percussion, truly terrific!; Bumble Bee Bolero is just one of several great cuts by the associate of Jean-Jacques Perrey; dynamic sound more lively than RCA's Stereo Action, Time, or Command and it's a lot more creative, upbeat, and interesting than most in those series; Mosquitos Parade March, Flapperette, Bumble Bee Bolero, Chinese Doll, Chiapanicas, Maxixe Mambo, Samba Macabre, Maple Leaf Jump, Tulip Polka, Buffoon, Glockenspiel Gavotte, La Rosita
Harry Breuer & his Quintet, Vol. 2: Mallet Mischief; Audio Fidelity AFSD-5882; 1958; gatefold; E+/N $30 (or E-/N- S $20, specify) -- percussion/bongos; fantastic, rinky-dink, non-drum-kit percussion, capped off by hall-of-fame cheesecake/space-age-bachelor-pad jacket; a must-have for all percussion (if not also Jean-Jacques Perrey) fans, especially in combinaion with Mallet Magic; Farmerette, Pavanne, Dainty Miss, Fiesta de Oro, Fiesta Waltz, Hora Staccato, Paloma Beguine, TV Funeral March, Down Home Rag, Minute Merengue, Tropicale Stephanie, Boomerang
Jack "Bongo" Burger: Let's Play Bongos; HIFI R-803; 1957; E+/N- $35 (or E/N- $30, specify) (or E-/E+ $25, specify) -- bongo/instruction; "If your heart beats, you have rhythm, so...Let's Play Bongos!"; great old word jazz by Jack Burger, the #2 bongo man of Hollywood (after Jack Costanzo) who taught plenty of stars; nice production, including photos of hand positions; Danny Gould accompanies on piano; one of the best bongo-instruction LPs!; Instruments & Introduction, Basic Bongo Pattern, Conga Drum Accompaniment, Single Stroke Roll, Rim Shots, Review, Latin Music Description, Clave & Afro, Simple Accent & Ruff (sic--"Riff"--?), Bolero & Nanigo Accompaniment, Modern Jazz Accompaniment, Breaks & Mambo Accompaniment
David Carroll: Percussion in Hi-Fi; Mercury SR-60003; 1st, deep groove E+/E+ S $15 -- percussion/instrumental; the only David Carroll LP we offer, not only because it's his best and one of the best of its kind, but it has two standouts we consider essential: "Cricket" (very Harry Breuer-esque, original, insect tune!) and "Hell's Bells" (both orchestrated by Mike Simpson of the same Chicago school of famed percussionists that includes Bobby Christian and Dick Schory); also notable: "Malaguena" (scored by Carl Stevens), the original version of the "Discussion in Percussion" suite (title of a later LP), and exotica (Jungle Drums, Bali Ha'i)
Jimmy Carroll [& the Percussionists]: Speed the Parting Guest (Hi-Fi Bull in a Chime Shop) 10"; Cook 1041; brown translucent vinyl E+/E+ $50 (or yellow label deep groove E/V+ $20, specify) -- percussion; one of the all-time classics of odd-pop percussion and a prize of the quirky Cook label, it features nice jacket art (sketch, session notes, photos) and a seriously long list of instruments, including a "Quoddyhead Horn" courtesy of the US Coast Guard; Speed the Parting Guest, Tinkle Tinkle Little Bell, Hong Kong Local, Drummers' Parade, Happy Little Woodpile; in the best shape we've ever seen (no wear; noise only a little in the last cut)
Jack Costanzo: Mr. Bongo Has Brass; Zephyr ZP-12003G; E/E- $50 (or E-/V $20, specify) -- rare (on obscure tiny Hollywood label) & probably his 1st 12" LP; w/arrangements by Eddie Cano, Bill Hitchcock, John Anderson, Paul Lopez; unique, vintage, hip, modern-jazz music you can't get otherwise, plus the great '50s modern-art jacket has prized photos & liner notes; Diga Diga Do, Equinox, Bei Mir Bist Du Schoen, Young Man with a Horn, Blue Prelude, Barney Google, Row Row Row Your Boat, Street Scene, The Continental, El Diablito, Burley-Q Bongo, Man with the Golden Arm
Jack Costanzo: Bongo Cha Cha Cha!; Golden Tone C-4061; deep groove N-/N- $25 -- Afro-Cuban smoker; public-domain but totally authentic and very exciting set with Kaskara & Marda Saxon singing (you may know them from Rene Touzet LPs); 8 of the 12 possible cuts (most versions are 8-10 cuts only); impeccable shape and sound
Jack Costanzo: Mr. Bongo; Atlantic/Clarion SD-621; E/N ES $30 -- Afro-Cuban smoker; public-domain but totally authentic and very exciting set with Kaskara & Marda Saxon singing; same session as on various budget labels (Tops, Evon, Golden Tone, Tiara); here you get 10 of the 12 possible cuts (most versions are 8-10 cuts only); rare (perhaps rarest version), well-produced, nice jacket, and the only version that claims to be stereo--but it's either mono or electronic stereo (also it credits "Jack Costanza")
Jack Costanzo: Mr. Bongo Plays Hi-Fi Cha Cha; Tops L-1564; deep groove E-/E $20 -- Afro-Cuban (not cha cha cha!), totally authentic and exciting (uptempo); with vocals by Kaskara and Marda Saxon; packaged on various labels, but this is the only complete set (12 cuts) of authentic Afro-Cuban jamming, wtih top star vocals; see how Mr. Bongo did so much more than bongo--you need this!
Jack Costanzo: Learn--Play Bongos; Liberty LRP-3177 (mono-only); E/E- $25 -- instruction/bongo-rock/Latin/twist; with original [photo-notational/instructional] inner sleeve; one of the very best bongo-instruction LPs ever, with narrative help from LA DJ Ira Cook; features some of the best (yet lesser-known) musical moments of Mr. Bongo, including bongo-rock (fabulously rare, original instrumentals with swinging '60s guitar!) and very good Latin/Afro-Cuban; spoken instruction plus instructional notation and photos on the inner sleeve; learn from the guy who taught Marlon Brando and many others!
Jack Costanzo: Bongo Fever--Jack Costanzo at the Garden of Allah; Liberty LRP-3109; deep groove white-label promo E+/E+ $60 (or deep groove white-label promo V+/V+ $20, specify) -- Latin jazz/bongo bop; live!; RARE!; one of his best!; not to be confused with the later Sunset reissue/compilation Bongo Fever which is drawn mostly from the also-rare Latin Fever LP, this another unique set entirely--a serious collectors item and Mr. Bongo triumph; plus the club (Garden of Allah) was a very famous Sunset Strip night spot; Bongo Fever, Sweet & Lovely, Quiere, Harlem Nocturne, Salta Perico, Bei Mir Bist du Schon, Garden of Allah Bongo, Birl's Works, Asi Asi, Consternation, La Cumparsa, Besame Mucho Rock
Jack Costanzo: Naked City; Liberty LRP-3195; E/N- $20 -- Latin/crime/bongo; classic crime themes and masterful bongos to give it that classic Californian/Hollywood suspense touch, what could be better?; Route 66, Conquest, Duel in the Sun, Baubles Bangles & Beads, Mr. Lucky, Naked City, African Waltz, Naked City, Theme from a Summer Place, 3rd Man Theme, Carnival, Untouchables, Peter Gunn
Preston Epps: Bongo Bongo Bongo; Original Sound OSR-LPM-5002; 1960/1959; black label/deep groove cutout N/N shrink S $50 -- bongo rock/exotica; Side 1 inspired Michael Viner's Incredible Bongo Band and a generation of bongo rockers, and it's a nice way to have some of Epps major singles all in one place (not to mention stereo): Bongo in the Congo, Bongo Rock, Jungle Drums, Doin' the Cha Cha Cha, Bongo Bongo Bongo, Bongos in Pastel; Side 2 is all "Call of the Jungle" (cowritten with Jack Nitzche) -- 13 minutes of super-exotic, bird- and animal-call, Afro-Cuban/Santeria insanity!; you need this, and you need it in top shape (great sound!!!)
Dean Elliott: Zounds! What Sounds! Capitol T-1818; 1962; N-/N- $75 (or E+/E+ $65, specify) (or 1st/promo E-/E $50, specify) (or 1st V+/E- $25, specify) -- odd pop/percussion; one of the top DEFINITIVE incredibly strange/"space-age bachelor pad" holy grail LPs, featured heavily for good reason on anthologies such as Ultralounge; legendary, one-off, powerhouse album of hot big-band jazz material with super-slick arrangements featuring incredible "found" industrial and domestic sounds; as if Esquivel did "Music from a Surplus Store" (or the best Michel Magne/Andre Popp stuff) but WAY OUT, on steroids!; perhaps the best oddball things on Capitol of the period; great cheesecake jacket of women on cement mixer with instruments tops it off tho you may picture "I Dream of Jeannie"; unusual tune set keeps it fresh and timeless; YOU NEED THIS!!!; It's All Right with Me, Rain, Baubles Bangles & Beads, Will You Still Be Mine?, You Do Something to Me, They Didn't Believe Me, The Lonesome Road, All of You, Trees, It's a Lonesome Old Town, You're the Top, I Didn't Know What Time it Was
Jack Fascinato: Music from a Surplus Store; Capitol ST-1225; D2/D1 press N/N S $60 -- odd pop/percussion; "a basket full of new sounds"; well-loved, scarce, unique treat featuring zippy musical arrangements augmented by hardware-store gear such as saw, brushes, broom, oil cans...; rare industrial-themed novelty "concept album" surpassed only by Dean Elliott's "Zounds What Sounds!" (also on Capitol); truly one of the finest examples of space-age bachelor pad music; Oily Bird, Pixie Pipes Parade, Sweepy Time, Rub-A-Dub, Chinatown Bricklayer, Adios Castenets, Latin Hardware, Spring Sprang Sprung, Makin' Tracks, An Old Saw, Basket Weaving, Foggy Recollections
Jack Fascinato: Music from a Surplus Store; Capitol T-1225; E/N- $40 -- odd pop/percussion; "a basket full of new sounds"; well-loved, scarce, unique treat featuring zippy musical arrangements augmented by hardware-store gear such as saw, brushes, broom, oil cans...; rare industrial-themed novelty "concept album" surpassed only by Dean Elliott's "Zounds What Sounds!" (also on Capitol); truly one of the finest examples of space-age bachelor pad music; Oily Bird, Pixie Pipes Parade, Sweepy Time, Rub-A-Dub, Chinatown Bricklayer, Adios Castenets, Latin Hardware, Spring Sprang Sprung, Makin' Tracks, An Old Saw, Basket Weaving, Foggy Recollections
Dickie Harrell: Drums & More Drums; Capitol ST-1502; 1961; 1st press (only stereo press?) E+/N S $100 -- drum/exotic rock; "Uninhibited Drum Rhythms!" by Gene Vincent's drummer(!), with Roy Harte, Jimmy Haskell, Hank Levine, Don Ralke(!); Harrell was a guest on the Ed Sullivan and Steve Allen shows, otherwise this rare LP is it!; if you know the comp "Wild Stereo Drums," you have a small taste of the majesty; entire LP is fantastic (like labelmate Les Baxter's Teen Drums, which also is partly on "Wild Stereo Drums"), like a collection of crazy 45s; dig the gone titles: Drivin' Around the Block, Goon Bat, Drum Safari, Thumper-Stumper, Rock-Rock-Cha-Cha, Swingaroo, Rocket Racket, Exotic Bird-Bird, Hong Kong Kop, Rub-A-Tub-Tub, Chocolate on the Rocks, Rock a Little Faster; people have paid more on eBay--well worth it!
Mike Pacheco, Carlos Vidal (bongo bop) ... Drums/Vibes (under Jazz-Funk)
Milt Rogers & his Orchestra: The Ultimate in Percussion; Dot SLP-25319; 1960; E/E S $25 -- odd-pop percussion/exotic percussion; the other Milton Rogers (not Shorty Rogers), with Barney Kessel, Jack Burger, Roy Harte..; classic space-age "junk and stuff," and very hard to find (as most such things Dot can be), with plenty to please fans of the idiom (channel-separation demos featuring varied percussion) as well as those who know some of his other work (45s and LPs) and need more!; unfortunately does not have his cover of Dick Dale's "Let's Go Trippin'" which is on a Dot single but start with this and work toward that; How High the Moon, Amapala, Zing! Went the Strings of My Heart, On a Slow Boat to China, Laura, Baia, In a Little Spanish Town, Perdido, Summertime, Pagan Love Song, Chinatown My Chinatown, Chicago
Milt Rogers & his Orchestra: The Jet Set--Ports of Call; Time S/2202 E-/E S $15 -- odd-pop percussion/mod; the more exciting of his two LPs and one of the best in this series produced by Bob Shad (comparable to the Sonny Lester and Hugo Montenegro LPs); round-the-world sets are hit or miss (many are boring) but this one's a hit; Palm Canyon Drive, Chunga-Au Go Go-Chunga, Freres Jacques, Alouette, Cielito Lindo, Ah Marie, Torna a Surriento, Azzizo, La Paloma, Port Said, Dengoza Samba
Bob Rosengarden & Phil Kraus: Hot Line for Sound; Project 3 PR-5002-SD; 1966; gatefold; sealed cutout S $25 (or N-/N- S $20, specify) (or E+/E+ S $15, specify) -- mod/bongo/percussion; "Musical Explorations in Beats...Bongos...Boffs"; not rare but so good!, an early one on Project 3 (when Command tried to get hip and sometimes did); Rosengarden and Kraus always deliver, and we like for at least four standout cuts, tho the whole thing is impressive and freshly scored for stereo exaggeration in glorious sound (recorded on 35mm film); besides the ballyhooed bongos are other interesting instruments (including Lowrey organ, mbira, "congo" drums..); the usual Enoch Light bunch (Lew Davies, Mottola, Bodner..) tackle the Aquarian hits, and it's all top-notch; Blowin' in the Wind, Big Spender, Bangles Baubles & Beads, America, Michelle, I've Got a Right to Sing the Blues, Taste of Honey, Riddle Me This, Pussyfoot, The Telephone Song, Feelin' Good, Out of Nowhere
Terry Snyder & All Stars: Unique Percussion; United Artists WWS-8500; 1961; gatefold N/N S $15 -- percussion; it's in exactly the same vein as the Command/Time stuff, but a little better, as a percussion feature (exotica and bongos, baby!); note that it was issued first as Mister Percussion, same number, nearly same jacket art (this one's better!), but changed possibly to avoid conflict with another "Mr. Percussion" LP; Puttin' On the Ritz, Softly as in the Morning Sunrise, The Man I Love, Get Out of Town, Deep Night, Colonel Bogey March, Once in a While, Ev'rything I've Got, Out of this World, Binga Banga Bongo, Picnic, Oye Negra
Various: Wild Stereo Drums; Capitol ST-1553; N-/N- S $25 -- bongo/drums/Latin/percussion; wow! what a fantastic record, taken for granted by most but once you know why it's important, you'll be glad you nabbed it; except two throwaway cuts from square records, it's drawn from three great collectors items, which are the best percussion LPs on the label!: (1) the super bongo/bongobop of Pepe Dominguin from the LP Rolley Polley: Mad Drums; (2) Les Baxter's Teen Drums; and (3) Dick Harrell's Drums & More Drums; get hip with this inexpensive gem while drooling perhaps forever in anticipation of the individual LPs, which are RARE; Tri-Fi Drums, Bangkok Beat, Blue Rhumba, Drummer Boys, Ting Ting Ting, Uncle Tom Tom, Rocket Racket, Bongo Bash, Drivin' Around the Block
Various: Wild Hi-Fi Drums; Capitol T-1553; N/E- shrink $15 -- bongo/drums/Latin/percussion; wow! what a fantastic record, taken for granted by most but once you know why it's important, you'll be glad you nabbed it; except two throwaway cuts from square records, it's drawn from three great collectors items, which are the best percussion LPs on the label!: (1) the super bongo/bongobop of Pepe Dominguin from the LP Rolley Polley: Mad Drums; (2) Les Baxter's Teen Drums; and (3) Dick Harrell's Drums & More Drums; get hip with this inexpensive gem while drooling perhaps forever in anticipation of the individual LPs, which are RARE; Tri-Fi Drums, Bangkok Beat, Blue Rhumba, Drummer Boys, Ting Ting Ting, Uncle Tom Tom, Rocket Racket, Bongo Bash, Drivin' Around the Block
Jack Costanzo: Mr. Bongo Has Brass Compact-33 7" EP; Zephyr ZP-7003; picture-sleeve (shown) promo E+/N- $90 -- impossibly rare promo-only compact-33 EP version of what is probably his 1st LP, on obscure small Hollywood label; great '50s modern-art jacket/liners; even if you are lucky enough to have the LP, itself a collectors item, you may still need this item for its superior condition (both looks and play); Diga Diga Do, El Diablito, Man with the Golden Arm, Row Row Row Your Boat, Street Scene, The Continental
Preston Epps: Bongo Rock/Bongo Party; Original Sound O-4; 1959; E+ $20 -- bongo rock/exotic rock; the A-side is on the compilation LP but not the B-side; originally on Top Rank but here you get all the great sound (if not better) of this LA classic
Dick Hyman subpage (keyboards with bongos)
Milt Rogers & his Orchestra: Bakersfield or Bust/Fire in My Heart; Balboa 45-022; white-label promo N- $40 -- we're listing it here because either it's percussionist Milt Rogers (perhaps one of his earliest earliest recordings) or, especially since it's not percussion, it's trumpeter Shorty Rogers (both men did all kinds of arranging and composing); vocal (country-rock-folk), with the A-side being the swinging tune about wanting to be a country singer and needing to get to Bakersfield; on the curious little Sepulveda, CA label featuring a conquistador it's definitely a rare prize and an asset for anyone connected to it in any way
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