Les Baxter news

 ◦ 18 july 2007: The music curator of the University of Arizona, Mr. Keith Pawlak, has set up a website for the Lex Baxter collection at the university:

http://web.cfa.arizona.edu/lesbaxter/collection/index.html

The Les Baxter Collection was established in 2006 through the gift of Tom Eaton (Les' grandson) and Leslie Eaton (Les' daughter).

This collection contains Les Baxter's personal library of career-related music and memorabilia. The bulk portion of the library consists of music arrangements written by Les for film and record dates. In addition to the music, there are also various personal and professional items from his career. Materials include photographs, printed matter, recordings and production materials.

In addition to arrangements written by Les Baxter, there are also works by Albert Harris, Hall Daniels, Bill Loose, and Frank Comstock.

 ◦ 25 november 2005: Out now on El Records: Les Baxter - The fruit of dreams

"The Fruit Of Dreams is a fantastic combination of Les Baxter's rarest, best and most pure exotica albums Ports Of Pleasure and The Sacred Idol, both of these records are rightly internationally acclaimed as masterpieces, remarkably this is their first release anywhere on CD. Les Baxter was the founding father of exotica, a variation of easy listening that documented the sounds and styles of the South seas, India and South America. Exotica became a massively popular trend from the early fifties and with the onset of international jet travel, making it possible for middle-class Americans to simulate an authentic travelogue experience in the comfort of their suburban homes"

 ◦ 16 august 2004: Jeff Chenault reports: "Les Baxter's grandson is shopping Les's back catalog around so hopefully we will get to see more Baxter come to light soon. We can only hope."

 ◦ 21 july 2004: Skip Heller reports that a Les Baxter remix project is in the works. More details as soon as we get them!

Les Baxter links