Sunday, April 30, 2017

Cocktail Nation 446 Twelve Angry Men

Tune in Saturday nights at 18:00 EST Toronto time (6:00 pm) for a Sneak Preview of the week's show. Shake that martini, and relax in your bachelor pad as Koop Kooper takes us on a musical journey through that Exotica and Tiki world of the 50's and 60's.

My friend Kramer is back on the show this week with his classic  movie suggestions, news on a couple of very interesting bio pics coming up, swank advice on polite party conversation, and our look at the World of Swank.


Christopher De Groot - Sailing Ships and Tarrot Cards

Creepxotica - Progxotica
Frank Sinatra - Mr. Success
Alika Lyman - Hukilau
Stereophonic Space Sound Unlimited - Night Of The Jaguar
Elliott Fisher - Mr Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
Tiki Lounge Crew - Mambo Twango
Johhny Mandel - Trip To Corona
James Morrison - Nice And Easy
Mark Copeland - Do It Again
Tikiyaki Orchestra - Shaka Hula Bossa Nova
Gene Rains - Lonley Winter
Clouseaux - Reum With A View
Perry Beekman - Love Walked In





Saturday, April 29, 2017

The Top Ten - week ending 29 April 2017


Welcome back, my fellow loungers, to the coolest mix of indie and commercial, jazz and chill, and a warm beach house vibe.

If you scroll down to my previous post, you are now well aware that you can access This is Lounge via the Radio Garden link. It zooms in and pinpoints, like a GPS, where our signal is emanating from - now you know!

Our Top Ten this week has shifted around a little as we end the month of April. You can't keep a good woman down, and Diana Krall can only go up - to number one! Yes, this week she dukes it out with Phigroa for top contender, and she's come out ahead. Riccardo Eberspacher sits tight at number three, with Blank & Jones chilling under at number four.

Shoutout to Michael Maretimo for turning me on to some wonderful Manifold Records releases. His collaboration with the smooth sax of Vladi Strecker on The Midnight Hour leaps into the Top Ten this week at number nine. A very sexy number, indeed, my friend!

Not any less a track, Sugar and Spice from labelmate Jazzy James Jr. is bubbling under with a similar smooth groove. Check out DJ Maretimo's cool mixes, posted in various Chillout Facebook groups.

Also bubbling under, is another new track from The Warheads. These guys continue to pump out their brand of jazz noir almost weekly. Stay tuned for Little Flower.

One half of Kant Sleep & Chaotix, (well just Chaotix) has a short but very sweet track called The Shift. At under two minutes long, you better pay attention - it will come and go before you know it. 

Again, thanks for all of your support, and your Comments posted on the website are humbling. Thanks to Kostas, John, and Anthony for your kind words. I truly appreciate you spreading the gospel of chill, according to This is Lounge

Don't forget to click on the links for download/purchase information on any of these artists. There's more links on the website for most of the musicians that we play on the station.

Stay chilled, and have a great weekend!


Bubbling Under


Thursday, April 27, 2017

Listen in the Radio Garden


This is Lounge can now be heard via very cool Radio Garden app.

Like zooming in on Google Earth, the link will zoom you in to my location on the planet.

Tune in - http://radio.garden/live/toronto/this-is-lounge/

Enjoy.

Sunday, April 23, 2017

Cocktail Nation 445 Spy Vibe: The Tenth Victim

Tune in Saturday nights at 18:00 EST Toronto time (6:00 pm) for a Sneak Preview of the week's show. Shake that martini, and relax in your bachelor pad as Koop Kooper takes us on a musical journey through that Exotica and Tiki world of the 50's and 60's.

Another Spy show this week, with Jason Whiton from the Spy Vibe Blog making a clandestine appearance on the show. All is good in the world of lounge, as I have a Bond story, a Sinatra Story, and a vintage furniture story for you! Plus, some swank advice on mens jackets.



Creepxotica - Gopher
Narco Lounge Combo - My Night With Sinatra
Piero Piccioni - Spiral Waltz
Spy Fi - Secret Agent Man
Chet Baker - When Lights Are Low
Frank Sinatra - Moonlight Serenade
Stereophonic Space Sound Unlimited - 35 Falcon Street
Si Zentner - From Russia With Love
Abe Lagrimas - Cookies and Icecream
Al Hirt - Music To Watch Girls By
Lea Delaria - Cool
Julie London - No Moon At All
Nicole Witt - Cool and Indifferent 
Diana Krall - The Night We Called It A Day
Barbara Ween - Out Of This World





Saturday, April 22, 2017

The Top Ten - week ending 22 April 2017


Saturday has returned. I'm so glad that you have, too!

As the Spring weather continues to immerse itself in our lives, lets take some time out of our Spring cleaning and home improvement projects to remove some of that stress.

It's been a busy week, and it plans to be a busy weekend. But some personal meditation time to chill our chakras will go a long way.

Congrats to Phigroa this week! His wonderful Distant Voices has been a fave around the station as well as with you, the listeners. (keep your votes comin' in, folks!)

Diana Krall's Night and Day climbs in the second, ahead of Riccardo Eberspacher's Luna Calante. A very wonderful triumvirate of tracks. It only goes to show that you all have wonderful taste! 

As The Thieves drop down, Blank & Jones and SAMBOX move up. As you know, this chart is constantly in flux as your votes (and ours here) constantly change the order, not to mention the rotation times, on a weekly basis.

We finally move Mo'jardo into the group, as he makes the move from Bubbling Under.  Speaking of Bubbling Under, I have no new tunes here. It's been a busy week, with no time to seek out some new music. But don't despair, as there are lots of fresh tracks here to keep your ears busy. Should have something new for next week. Stay tuned.

Thanks for all the support, for the station and the artists. Love to see your Comments. Keep listening, keep cool. Have a great weekend!





Sunday, April 16, 2017

Cocktail Nation 444 Stereophonic Space Sound Unlimited

Tune in Saturday nights at 18:00 EST Toronto time (6:00 pm) for a Sneak Preview of the week's show. Shake that martini, and relax in your bachelor pad as Koop Kooper takes us on a musical journey through that Exotica and Tiki world of the 50's and 60's.

(Apologies for yesterday... a technical glitch)

Rolling out the big guns this week with the very first interview for a band which has been around since the late nineties but has never done press - Stereophonic Space Sound Unlimited is on the show! Plus, I have some giveaways of their latest album. Also on the show Tony Marscio from the Martini Kings with a brand new release, and spme swank advice on dinner parties.

Daniel Pemberton - Bugs Beats and Bowties
Jimmy Psycho - Thunderbirds
Stereophonic Space Sound Unlimited - Night Of The Jaguar
Spy Fi - Then Play Down
Henry Mancini - Brothers Go To Mothers
Don Ralke - Black Panther
Martini Kings (feat Marlena Khramov and Derek Stroh) - You Only Live Twice
Desmond Quartet - Take Five
Enoch Light - When Your Lover Is gone
Christopher De Groot - Sailing Ships and Tarot Cards
Arthur Lyman - September Song
Jim Beuning - It’s Like This
Sad Salamanders - The Exotica Sandy Warner
Frank Sinatra - The Best Is Yet To Come


Saturday, April 15, 2017

The Top Ten - week ending 15 April 2017


Welcome my fellow loungers!

I'm a little slow in posting the Top Ten today. So much to do on Saturday (especially Easter Weekend) that scheduling the usual gets moved around in the day. The weather here this weekend has been gorgeous, so my time here in front of the computer screen is going to be quick.

As I write this, the Cocktail Nation sneak preview should be playing. But as I turned on the station, I realized that it wasn't on. Mmmmm....a technical glitch no doubt. Fear not, for all you Koop Kooper fans, I will have the show up here in it's entirety tomorrow.

A few changes in the rankings this week - Thievery Corporation, featuring Shana Halligan (ex-Bitter:Sweet) moves into the top spot with the heartbreaking Love Has No Heart. Phigroa's chilled jazz tune, Distant Voices, moves in behind to second, ahead of Canada's jazz songstress, Diana Krall, and Night and Day from her new release. 

Blank & Jones make a nice leapfrog up to number six, with Let's Turn On from the new Lemongrass album right behind. Loads of new wonderful chillout to accompany the Spring weather!

A welcome return to the Top Ten from SAMBOX, with his Jasmin Sambac. Glad to hear some new music some Samuel.

Finally, bubbling under this past week has been a wonderful new Lemongrassmusic release from Mo'jardo, called The Way She Moves. 

Please check out all these new releases and the albums from which they come. There is so much wonderful talent out there, you make us all proud by supporting them and the station. Follow the links provided below as a starting point. From Bandcamp to iTunes, there are any number of legitimate outlets to download from.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a BBQ that needs tending......

Stay chilled.



Bubbling Under


Sunday, April 9, 2017

Cocktail Nation 443 CATT

Tune in Saturday nights at 18:00 EST Toronto time (6:00 pm) for a Sneak Preview of the week's show. Shake that martini, and relax in your bachelor pad as Koop Kooper takes us on a musical journey through that Exotica and Tiki world of the 50's and 60's.

This week, we check out the event that is the Chicago Area Tiki Tour. (To give you a visual idea of the tour, check out the video diary below, from Damian at letstiki.com and his experience at the 2011 tour.) We also mention a couple of passings of late, an artist and an actress of note, and some swank advice on avoiding conflict in social media.


Jim Buening - What If I Told You
David Bell Group - Congregation
Tiki Cowboys - Blue Tiki
Tiki Delights - All The Stars Are In Your Eyes
Lola Albright - A Man A Man A Man
Dragonfly - Somewhere
Howard Johson and Gravity - Working Hard For the Joneses
Tikyaki Orchestra - Exotique
Skip Heller - Hurricane App
Les Baxter - Cairo Bazaar
Malcolm Lockyer - Teledrama






Saturday, April 8, 2017

The Top Ten - week ending 8 April 2017


Welcome to Saturday!

The weekend is finally upon us once again, and we are ready for it. The last blasts of winter finally are dwindling away, and the yoyo effect of the weather settles down with some warmer temperatures, and we all breathe a big sigh and welcome basking in some warm sunshine again.

Spring has also seen the release of some great new music. After hibernating away in the studio all winter, the fruits of those labours are finally seeing the light of day. From Lemongrass to Blank & Jones, Phigroa to Sambox..... It's exciting to hear some beautiful new sounds.

Speaking of Lemongrass, they made the leap into the Top Ten this week from Bubbling Under with a new track, Let's Turn On. Mirage of Deep continue to remain in the Top Ten with Romantic Fields,

Congrats to Peter Pearson, as Love Me Once Again moves into number one, followed by the Theivery Corporation, and jazz/chill guitarist Phigroa coming in at number three.

Shoutout to Sambox on his latest release. Perfectly titled Freedom World, and inspired by the varied vibes of foreign cultures and the World music scene, coupled with his usual Gallo-Romance chill, I can surely envision DJ Ravin or Jose Padilla incorporating some of this collection into future Buddha Bar mixes. Top notch, Samuel! I should also mention that I hear an underlying cry for peace here, as the artist inspires the listener to embrace other cultures, not fear or despise them. This multicultural integration of music is a way of the future, as artists interact and are inspired by the sounds from around the world. Stan Getz knew this back in 1962 when he brought Brazilian bossa nova to America and the world with The Girl From Ipanema. It changed the jazz scene forever. Today, artists like Bebel Gilberto and Eliane Elias are popular worldwide directly from the Ground Zero point when Stan Getz met Antonio Carlos Jobim

As a bonus this week, scroll down and check out a sampling of Freedom World with this wonderful trailer.

We here at This is Lounge have chosen Jasmin Sambac, which begins to bubble under this week.

Thanks for tuning in, and be sure to support Sambox and Phigroa and Riccardo Eberspacher, and all the Top Ten and This is Lounge artists. Download from iTunes, or the artist's Bandcamp page directly. Hey! Guitar strings don't grow on trees!!! 

Stay chilled.


Bubbling Under



Sunday, April 2, 2017

Cocktail Nation 442 Zsa Zsa

Tune in Saturday nights at 18:00 EST Toronto time (6:00 pm) for a Sneak Preview of the week's show. Shake that martini, and relax in your bachelor pad as Koop Kooper takes us on a musical journey through that Exotica and Tiki world of the 50's and 60's.

This week, we look at the life of Zsa Zsa Gabor, and an interview with Lee Bailey in the Sixties.There's also Swank advice on the importance of the RSVP, plus our look at the World of Swank Gig Guide.


Bobby Shew - Bag's Groove
Dave Pell - Session At Pete’s Pad
Pat Longo - Come-What May
Ixtahuele - Temple Of The Snake God 
Herbie Harper - Lets Fall In Love
Art Pepper - Walkin Out Blues
Swingerhead - At The Strip
Buddy Greco - I’m In Love
Don Ralke - Mombassa


Saturday, April 1, 2017

The Top Ten - week ending 1 April 2017


Welcome, my fellow loungers.....and dare I say, Happy April Fools Day!

I'm sure a few of your will have been the recipient of a few pranks, or you're responsible for some. Whatever, it's all in good fun as long as no one gets hurt.

Speaking of good fun, we have lots of great new music to add to your fun weekend and week.  Blank & Jones arrive at number nine, a very respectable start to their tenure in the Top Ten. Lots of buzz around the new Lemongrass release, Orion, and our Bubbling Under choice to play, Let's Turn On.

The Brazilian beauty that is Elaine Elias tops the chart this week with the jazz samba of Copacabana, ahead of Thievery Corporation and Peter Pearson. NY guitarist Phigroa's chilled jazz sounds continue to garner your votes amongst the other contenders. 

Thanks for your support, and please, crawl on over to www.thisislounge.com and vote for your fave Top Ten track. I love the feedback.

I hope the weather is starting to improve in your part of the world. Spring is coming in kicking and screaming in my corner of the Great Lakes of Canada. It's arrival will be greatly anticipated.

So with the warm weather, be sure to tune in for awhile. I truly appreciate your time away from Spotify, Mixcloud, Apple Music, Soundcloud, not to mention your iTunes playlist and your vinyl collection...even for an hour or two. Thanks for listening.

Stay cool.


Bubbling Under