Bad Boys Boogaloo


I put this together back in January (this year) but didn't post it on Soundcloud until early March.

Boogaloo was a very short-lived genre - pretty much the 1960s only - but it was extremely popular for most of that run. There's quite a bit more history about the genre over on the Soundcloud link above, if you're interested.

A few notes about the song:

1. The baritone sax gets a little repetitive about two-thirds the way through. But, I could find no other horn(s) or guitar that worked for the genre. They all sounded mechanical, and the rhythm just didn't work.

2. The baritone sax isn't quite as loud as the lead instruments are in most genres. That was typical for boogaloo as it was percussion-driven.

3. Also, I kept the drum count-in as that was also common for the genre. Rather than a melodic lead-in, perussions and bass usually into'd the song - even when there was a vocal, which wasn't very often.



The Band & Other Info:

File:Bad Boy's Boogaloo.SGU

Key=E , Tempo 130, Length (m:s)=3:11

Style is _WOOHOO.STY (Woohoo Slow Latin Boogaloo)

RealTracks in style: ~921:Bass, Acoustic, Bossa Ev 110
RealTracks in style: ~1653:Organ, RhythmNoBass Bossa Ev 140
RealTracks in style: ~923:Guitar, Electric, Rhythm BossaFreeComp Ev 110
RealTracks in style: 2355:Sax, Baritone, Background StraightBluesGary Ev 120
RealDrums in Song: CongasEv8[single]
RealDrums in style:LatinBoogalooSlow^1-a:ClosedHat,Sidestick , b:ClosedHat,Snare

I vaguely remember the Boogaloo. Correct me if I'm wrong but didn't the Boogaloo come right after the beatnik era?

This sounds great.
Good groove and bari.
Nice mix also.

Hi Mario ...

Thanks for all the kind words!

And yes, the beatnik crowd latched onto this genre very quickly. Some folks in the musical arena give boogaloo the moniker of the prelude to Salsa. Bongos and baritone sax were often defining elements of boogaloo. More than a few beatniks have been known to sit around their pads, beating on the bongos and toking on some crooked cigarettes.

Thanks again!

Alan

Alan,

I think you nailed the sound / feel here. Excellent arrangement and a great mix - very cool album cover as well.

Throughly enjoyed!

Bob

Cool sound!

And as Bob said, the album cover is a nice touch.

Hi Bob ...

Thanks for the listen. And I appreciate the nice words! As far as the album cover, there weren't very many Boogaloo albums! Glad you enjoyed it. Thanks again.

Alan

David ...

Appreciate you stopping in for a listen. I always liked the Latin percussions (Afro-Caribbean, actually) in the genre - other genres, too. And yeah, that's a pretty cool album cover!

Appreciate it!

Alan

Hi Ana,

Very Cool sound and beat plus a terrific Sax.

Best Regards
Nigel

Pity the extremists have absconded with the name/label.
I didn't know about this genre - I was young enough to be dis-rhythmic in my music choices until I went to high school.
Fun and educational too!
Oh, I do recall Bang Bang.

Hello Al
I think it's good that you also write songs from lesser known music genres.
Sounds very professional in any case
Also the artwork is very well done and authentic
Interesting what a variety of possibilities are hidden in BiaB
Many greetings
Andi ;-)

Oh, man, I love this, Alan. That baritone is just perfect. The "a little repetitive about two-thirds the way through" was also common to the genre, right? Love it. Cool beat. Woohoo! You got style, brother.

Very nice, you got the band to come way out of the box. It's a toe tapper and a style not many people have understood fully. I have to admit I was born and raised in Brooklyn and I never heard of it. But that was the 50's maybe it came later after we moved to Paramus. Anyway I liked it.
Rick

Hi Nigel ...

Hope all is well over there in NZ. You folks have had some pretty crappy weather.

Glad you enjoyed the song. I appreciate you letting me know! Wishing you the very best ...

Alan

Hello Ray ...

Thanks for the listen and nice words. I'm a bit older than you - born in 1947. I was a high schooler and young adult and remember this genre quite well. It was primarily inter-racial tension between the Puerto Ricans in NY and the other Latin communities that caused its downfall. The "other" Latino ethnicities perceived Boogaloo as an abomination to the existing, established Latin music because of the American influence so pervasive in the music. They essentially banded together to keep Boogaloo of the airwaves as Boogaloo's popularity in Harlem and Greenwich Village was so pervasive it could possibly cause the decline of the traditional Latin sub-genres. Thus, it received little airplay on national radio and eventually faded away. That's the short story.

Anyway, thanks for the visit and nice comments!

Alan

Hi Andi ...

Everything you said about BIAB is very true. There are many possibilities in that software! I experiment quite often - when I have the time. Thank you for listening and your very nice comments!

Alan

HI Marty!

Glad you could make it to the party. I tried to save you a piece of cake, but it disappeared!

I was hoping for some horns, but no such luck. But, I'm more than delighted you liked it anyway! Thanks for letting me know. Take care!

Alan

Hi Rick ...

Thanks for taking a few minutes to check this out. I grew up in that era - born 1947. So, I'm pretty familiar with the genre.

Interesting that you grew up in Brooklyn. Many years ago I was a coin collector/dealer. I used to go to Flatbush Avenue at least once a year to do a little buying and selling (back in the 70s). It's an interesting neighborhood!

Again, many thanks!

Alan

Wow I haven't heard boogaloo for a very long time. Thanks for the cool trip down memory lane. Well done Alan

Alan,

Fun music.
Wacky.
Mad-cap.
(That sax reminded me of Benny Hill.....)



Solid mix.

fj

I've never heard of "Boogaloo" before, but it sounds funny, like something out of a funny old movie

Al...great use of BiaB to bring an uncommon genre to the forum...has kind of a seventy's TV sitcom vibe...the sax is great and the vibe is very cool...thanks for the ride...Dan

Hi Scott ...

It was a short-0lived genre, but it was VERY popular for those ten years or so. Glad you liked it ... hope your trip was a good one! Best to you ...

Alan

Howdy Floyd ...

Fun was the intention - glad it came across as such. MY older brother and I used to watch Benny Hill all the time - many years ago. I appreciate the really nice comments! Best to you & yours ...

Alan

HI B.D.

I'm not surprised you've never heard Boogaloo before. I don't think it ever caught on anywhere except here in the States. And yes, it has the feel of comedy about 25 or 30 years. Thanks for the listen!

Alan

Good Early Morning ...

Yep, you hit it square on the nose - comedic from about 30 years back and popular on the radio about 60 years ago - when I was in high school (Yikes ... I'm old!).

Thanks for stopping for a listen. Much appreciated.

Alan

Man, I really love this as I am a huge fan of Latin anyway.

Gonna bookmark this style.

Yeah baby!!

I too must have missed Boogaloo but a fun genre and I loved the sax.
Thanks for sharing.

The only Boogaloo I heard about was an old song about Boogaloo Down Broadway....


And I think it's a modern term for "let's do it!"


Cool song. If it wasn't for this forum and the wide variety of music presented here...I'd have a fairly narrow intake of music (genre).

Hey David ...

I, too, am a huge fan of Latin music, particularly Latin Jazz.

In today's world, Boogaloo is almost unheard of. I was in high school, and a few years after, when it was popular. I'm delighted you enjoyed it! Thanks so much for the listen and nice comments! Wishing you and yours the very best ...

Alan

Bass Thumper ...

I'm not aware of your age group, but if you weren't around in the 1960s -and old enough to appreciate music - there's a good chance you never heard because it was hardly ever played beyond the decade. There was a lot of ethnic music politics involved in its demise. But I've always liked it and was surprised to see the genre show up in BIAB. Glad it did!

Thanks for the listen and nice comments. Best to you ...

Alan

Howdy herb ...

Yeah, Boogaloo Down Broadway was a big hit for The Fantastic Jonny C in the mid-1960s. Funny thing about it is that it wasn't in the Boogaloo genre. It was a typical, for the time, R&B Soul production.

You were pretty close on the implicit message of the song title. Essentially, it meant: we're gonna do it, and everyone is gonna notice. So, you were pretty much spot-on.

And you couldn't be more correct in that this forum is not only a friendly and welcoming community to provide an audience for our music, but it's also a learning experience and presents a lot of musical knowledge and exposure many of us would never have encountered otherwise.

Many thanks for the time to listen and comment so nicely. Wishing you the best ...

Alan

Hey guys

I had to think for a minute about the style called Boogaloo. Something vague about a dance came to mind. James Brown was doing the Boogaloo dance in my head...lol

I assume the Spanish Harlem connection and Afro-Cuban influence.

Excellent song and a good history lesson about NYC. I try to keep up with the music coming from there.

You may like to look up Milo Z, a funk band, from there.

Thanks,

Bily

Hi Billy ...

I'm glad you liked the song. I'll check out Milo Z tonight. I'm not familiar with him. There's a lot more to the history of Boogaloo's quick demise. I could write a three-page article on it, but I just hit a couple of the high points here. There was a number of songs written and recorded about Boogaloo, but they weren't usually performed in the Boogaloo genre.

Many thanks for the listen and kind words! Best to you ...

Alan

Alan,

Cool stuff . . . really creative . . . “wacky” is the right term for it . . . but in a good, funky, ear-worm kind of way. Don’t know why but it reminds me a bit of the Barney Miller theme song . . .I don’t find the baritone sax too repetitive . . . it’s short song, and it’s the sax that really carried it. Good mix! Nice one!

All my best to you,

Deej

Deej ...

Ear worm ... I like that! This is the first time I've used the Baritone Sax RT. I think it did its job.

If you remember the Barney Miller theme song (there were 3 or 4 similar iterations of it over the course of the 7 or 8 years it ran), you're older than I pictured you! I always loved Abe Vigoda's character, "Fish". Talk about some funny yet subtle humor. A little Trivia: did you know Hal Linden's real name was Harold Lipshitz?

And yeah, I can hear a little bit of that theme song in this. Never thought about it until you brought mentioned it.

Thanks for the listen and nice comments!

Alan

Haha FUN track!!! Enjoyed it

Thank you very much. James. I always look forward to your comments! Wishing you everything good.

Alan

Another masterful production from one of the masters of all BiaB productions!

Bud well remembers the brief era of that genre ... Janice being younger by 12 years missed out.

Listening to the genre for the first time in years brings to mind the notion that it is a bit like a Latin disco mashup ...

Well done Al!

J&B

Hey Folks ...

Actually, I'm the master of hardly anything, other than caring for my wife. And I only say two things to her:

1: Yes, Ma'am.

and

2. Would you like that today or yesterday?


But I do appreciate you thinking I do have some skills in the music arena.

Well, my wife is six months older than me (October to March) and looks 20 years younger! She says she kinda, sorta remembers Boogaloo. Her comment was, "Yeah, that beatnik thing. Do we have any bongos?"

But, thank yas for the very kind words. So now, I'm headed to Walmart. I need some bigger hats.

Alan