Aphrodisia Rare Exotica Grail On Sunset Records 

The first of these auctions will include hundreds of sealed original  promos(including original master recordings)of jazz, pop, rock, latin,psych, blues, folk, oddball, celebrity, spoken word etc….a dazzling array of vinyl..PLEASE NOTE--Our item descriptions  and grading have always been and will remain accurate to the tee as customer satisfaction is our top priority..we will also be offering a  volume discount plan which will make it even more fun to be a part of these events as they unfold....we look forward to reconnecting with all our old friends and  satisfied customers thru-out the world..Best Regards and Good Luck, Jim

PLEASE NOTE-SEALED ITEMS ARE RETURNABLE ONLY IF UNOPENED. 

Here is Bob Romeo's Aphrodisia --Bob Romeo-His Flute And Jungle Sextet on Sunset LP304 Monofrom 1956…This is A Holy Grail of Exotica genre…with caution warning on front panel!! Anita Ekbergracing cover--READ ON----Bob Romeo, Where Art Thou?

If there is one record in my collection that evokes the sensual excitement of the '50s swarm of bohemian music, it's gotta be APHRODISIA by Bob Romeo, his Flute and the Jungle Sextet.

I haven't been able to find much about Bob Romeo on the internet or from phones calls to the Local 47, L.A.'s musicians union. However, a strong one-over of the LP cover can often lead to connecting the dots.

One thing I was able to find was a bootleg EP of James Dean pounding out a pair of bongo tunes, with our Bob Romeo responsible for the trance-like flute tones, the two men dishing it out with distrubing emotional abandon.

But back to APHRODISIA. The album was recorded in Hollywood and released on Sunset Records in 1956. On the cover is actress Anita Ekberg in a gypsy costume. Of interesting note, when a band of gypsies rolled into Paris in the late 1800s, the native Parisiennes thought they had come from the central European town of Bohemia, in the Czech Republic. And because the contingent of avant-garde artists, writers and those challenging traditional mores in Paris wanted to be closely associated with the gypsies, they called themselves "bohemians."

Above the title on the front cover, APHRODISIA says: "Music for delightfully uninhibited males and females only." A further warning graces the bottom left of the front cover -- "Caution! The primitive rhythms in this album are basic and explosive! Those unaccustomed (or accustomed) to dealing with aroused emotions are urged to listen with care!"

When you throw this LP on your turntable, it really takes you to another universe. 4:20 is never a bad time to play the album, but the persuasive combination of bongos, timbales and flute make this pulsating groove merchant the perfect all-natural high. Great mood albums like RITUAL OF THE SAVAGE by Les Baxter, B'WANA'A by Arthur Lyman, SOFT SAMBA by Gary McFarland or BLUE MARTINI by Plas Johnson might offer some reference points for the kind of free-flowing moodsong one could expect from APHRODISIA. But I swear, this sucker is the black & white voodoo experience all those who are in search of hypnotique have been waiting to hear. I could only hope that some great mood music artist like Cornelius or the High Llamas would get a hold of this LP, and find a way to make more music in this style.

Alas, with APHRODISIA and the James Dean EP, I have not been able to find any more music by Bob Romeo. No sessions where he played with other West Coast jazz combos. No live recordings. And in all of my research on the beatnik coffeehouses in L.A. from the '50s, I've never laid eyes on even so much as an advertisement declaring a Bob Romeo performance. It's just so unlikely that this guy would simply disappear.

First off, jazz flautists are a very rare breed. Bud Shank was something of a flute virtuoso, but cut many, many more albums as a tenor sax leader. You had Paul Horn, who cut a series of strong jazz flute LPs for labels like Dot Records, Columbia and Everest, and played with his trio at L.A. beat clubs like the Renaissance, Shelly's Manne Hole and the Blue Grotto (a coffeehouse on Fairfax Avenue featured in the 1958 flick "Night Tide"). You had Buddy Collette and Yusef Lateef, both of whom played in Chico Hamilton's West Coast bands. Herbie Mann was another fine jazz flute leader, as was Hubert Laws. And while Mann spent some time recording on the West Coast, he and Laws were mostly East Coast players. And of course Charles Lloyd was a prominent jazz flute name during the late '60s. But with so few jazz flute virtuosos in the '50s, why aren't there more jazz albums that feature Bob Romeo?

Hell, this guy also worked with two major West Coast jazz artists -- Eddie Cano and Laurindo Almeida, who played piano and guitar, respectively, on APHRODISIA. Furthermore, Romeo co-wrote three cuts on the album with Eden Ahbez (a Hollywood proto-hippie who wrote Nat King Cole's 1948 mega-hit "Nature Boy"). Bongo player Carlos Vidal was featured on Mongo Santamaria's 1960 percussion extravaganza, YAMBU. In other words, APHRODISIA is a veritable who's who in '50s bohemian and cool jazz recording.

So where are you, Bob Romeo?

We need more of your unrefined, hypnotic, sophisticated, savage sounds. Here's hoping that the scholars of record collecting can track down our man or find more appearances on record of Mr. Romeo. Then once more we shall hear the music that has been known to turn strong men and circumspect ladies into temporary zombies, drunk with sound.

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THIS LP HAS NEVER BEEN RE-ISSUED AND CAN ONLY BE OBTAINED THRU THE ORIGINAL ANALOG VINYL MEDIUM

Larry/Paulette Bios

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Larry Brill is a jazz aficionado and a madman collector who has researched and purchased thousands of vinyl discs over several decades. His love of jazz began at Far Rockaway High School, where he was influenced by his English teacher, Harry Colomby, who led a double life, molding teenage minds by day and managing the great Thelonious Monk by night. With Colomby as mentor, Brill frequented the legendary Five Spot, soaking up the sounds of Monk, Coltrane, Rollins, Griffin, Young, Kirk and Coleman. His own artwork graced the club's walls (Brill is now a successful graphic designer and president of his own design firm, B&W Creative Group.) Later. his jazz haunts included the Jazz Gallery, the Vanguard, and the Half Note, where he became acquainted with Tristano, Konitz and Marsh. Today Brill concentrates on his massive art collection, and is featured in a new book, "The Art of Collecting" by Diane McJanus Jensen, along with fellow collectors David Rockefeller and Alan Dershowitz. He is married to Paulette Weiss, and their combined collections total 25,000 discs. He parts with his vinyl with great reluctance, and hopes that all those jazz instrumentals, vocals, soundtracks, celebrity discs and rarities wind up with collectors who love them as he did.

Paulette Weiss was Popular Music Editor of Stereo Review magazine and a Certified Audio Consultant for over a decade. She is still in possession of the Dynaco receiver she built from a kit when she was just a pup. For many years, Weiss provided an annual analysis of the year's events in popular music and audio technology for the Encyclopedia Americana and was a contributing editor with Audio magazine. She survived the disco era by chronicling the club scene and its music for the New York Post. Weiss witnessed the birth of cassettes, MTV, video discs and the CD. Over two decades, thousands of vinyl LPs crossed her desk. Along with current albums for review came rare promotional discs and posters, picture discs, original master recordings and many recordings never made available to the general public. Genres include rock, pop, jazz, and spoken word. With her passionate love of the music and hoarder's nature, she collected thousands of these. Many are unplayed and still in their original shrink wrap, others gently spun and lovingly preserved. She is married to Larry Brill, and their combined collections total 25,000 discs.

Condition Notes:
Records are generally graded on visual inspection.
SEALED record, never played.
NM: Near Mint. An unsealed record that looks as good as new.
VG++: Excellent. Light cosmetic flaws that should not affect the sound.
VG+: May have cosmetic flaws, mild surface noise or short patches of ticking, but should sound fine overall.
VG: May have moderate noise throughout or one or two bad patches from scratches. Still fine for general listening.
Good: Noisy, but plays through. I will only sell very rare or unusual items in this condition.
Please contact me for a refund if a record plays worse than described.

SHIPPING RATES

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Domestic Priority-8.00

International-15.00

Shipping :
We are happy to ship international as well as domestic. Shipping discounts are available. The first album is at the standard flat rate to your zip code or country and then 1.00 for each additional domestic purchase and $2.00 for each additional international purchase.

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