Bert Kaempfert Multi-Disc Boxset Celebrates The Storied Composer And Orchestra Leader
The legendary musician – who would have been 100 in October 2023 – wrote classic songs recorded by Frank Sinatra, Nat ‘King’ Cole and many more.
The Bert Kaempfert Decca Collection, A huge, 24-disc boxset celebrating the career of the titular musician’s stellar career is set for release through Decca on January 19.
The Bert Kaempfert Decca Collection gathers 24 American LPs in an attractively designed CD box. The individual albums come in paper sleeves with the iconic original Decca front + back covers, which with their striking lifestyle motifs exude the flair of the Sixties and Seventies.
The included albums are: 1) April In Portugal, 2) Wonderland By Night, 3) The Wonderland Of Bert Kaempfert, 4) Dancing In Wonderland, 5) With A Sound In My Heart, 6) Afrikaan Beat, 7) That Happy Feeling, 8) Living It Up!, 9) Lights Out, Sweet Dreams, 10) Christmas Wonderland, 11) That Latin Feeling, 12) Blue Midnight, 13) The Magic Music Of Far Away Places, 14) Three O´Clock In The Morning, 15) Bye Bye Blues, 16) OST “A Man Could Get Killed”, 17) Strangers In The Night, 18) Pete Fountain Plays Bert Kaempfert, 19) Hold Me, 20) The World We Knew, 21) Love That Bert Kaempfert, 22) My Way Of Life, 23) Warm And Wonderful, 24) The Kaempfert Touch.
In addition to the complete original albums, the Bert Kaempfert Decca Collection contains more than 40 bonus tracks, as well as the worldwide CD premiere of the album “Pete Fountain Plays Bert Kaempfert”, which the famous clarinetist recorded in 1967 in Hamburg, Germany, with the members of the Kaempfert Orchestra.
A detailed, illustrated booklet recounts the extraordinary story of the German composer and bandleader who left his mark in the music world and is still praised and remembered today.
Throughout his career as a bandleader, from the late 1950s until his untimely death on June 21, 1980, Bert Kaempfert was loyal to two famous record labels: the German Polydor and the American Decca label. Kaempfert’s Polydor catalog has already been re-released in various CD editions in the past, delighting old and new fans alike, now a 24-CD box set for the first time shines a spotlight on his Decca albums released in the United States. Although the repertoire of Kaempfert’s Decca and Polydor albums overlap, this collection of his American albums from 1958 to 1970 is a treasure trove of Kaempfert’s most important recordings viewed through a whole new lens.
The legendary German orchestra leader and composer of world hits such as “Strangers In The Night” (Frank Sinatra), “L.O.V.E.” (Nat ‘King’ Cole) and “Spanish Eyes” (Al Martino) would have celebrated his 100th birthday on October 16.
The list of artists who gained international success with Kaempfert’s compositions reads like a ‘Who’s Who’ of popular music: Dean Martin, Ella Fitzgerald, Shirley Bassey, Peggy Lee, Herb Alpert, Johnny Mathis, Brenda Lee, Diana Krall, Caterina Valente, Gregory Porter, Andy Willams, Nancy Wilson and many others. Even today, people recognize his evergreens, which are still being reinterpreted by musicians of a new generation.
In addition to numerous German awards, the modest Hamburg native also brought home an unusual number of international prizes, including three U.S. gold records and numerous awards from the U.S. copyright society BMI for 1 million radio and TV performances each of his compositions “Lady,” “Spanish Eyes,” “Danke Schoen,” “Sweet Maria,” “Strangers In The Night,” “L.O.V.E.” and “The World We Knew.” In 1966 he received a Golden Globe for the best film song of the year (“Strangers In The Night”). In 1993, he became the first German to posthumously receive what is probably the most important international award bestowed on a composer: he became a member of the “Songwriters Hall of Fame”. You can find out more about his remarkable career here.
