Apache/Many Guitars Of Jorgen Ingmann CD

Sounding like some sort of homegrown fusion of Les Paul and the Ventures, Jorgen Ingmann was a Danish guitarist who turned himself into a one-man band with the help of a multi-track home recording setup; laying down multiple layers of twang mutated through echo, reverb, and speed controls, Ingmann's product was distinctly and pleasingly weird enough to earn him an international hit single with "Apache," and this two-fer CD from Collectables features the man's two best-known albums, issued in the United States on Atco in 1961 and 1962. In the great tradition of Esquivel, most of Ingmann's music is easy listening material put to tape with a decidedly adventurous sonic approach, and while the 24 songs here never approach Esquivel's level of aural grandeur, those who are still looking for records for their Space Age Bachelor Pad will doubtless be pleased with the cheerful distortion, mingled melodic lines, and echoey mystery of this stuff. While the second half of the program features a few more recognizable covers (such as the theme from "Bonanza" and "The Third Man Theme"), the enjoyably wobbly results are consistent throughout, and the two albums get themselves over with in less than 55 minutes -- the man obviously understood concision along with his other talents. ~ Mark Deming

2 LPs on 1 CD: APACHE (1961)/MANY GUITARS OF JORGEN INGMANN (1968).

Personnel: Jorgen Ingmann (guitar); Svend Asmussen (violin).

Liner Note Author: Ira Howard.