Vintage Lounge

It's the 1950s in America and the economy is booming. Leisure time is plentiful, and cocktail hour, that sacred time of martinis and cosmopolitans, needs a soundtrack -- something that won't rattle the ice cubes too much. Arrangers like Martin Denny, comedian Jackie Gleason, and exotica pioneer Les Baxter created music that toned down the bombast of Big Band and Swing, but still had enough complexity to challenge music lovers. This new sound had deep Latin roots; trumpeter and bandleader Herb Alpert, Bossa Nova master Sergio Mendes and bandleader Xavier Cugat used the sounds and rhythms of Latin America to breathe life into the admittedly "white-bread" music of lounge. Baxter and vocalist Yma Sumac created "exotica," while hipster Juan Garcia Esquivel and pianist/keyboardist Dick Hyman made futuristic, space age music for a country on the cusp of space exploration. The light sounds of Lounge were squelched by the rise of rock, but the related styles have seen a recent resurgence in popularity. While retro fans hoard vintage vinyl of the classic era's artists, bands like Stereolab and Air are bringing the Lounge sound back through a distinctly modern filter.