Next stop: bohemian London, circa the 1950s and 1960s.  That's the itinerary for Croydon Municipal's latest release in conjunction with Cherry Red, Soho Continental.  This 25-track collection conjures the period in which Soho was dotted not with chain stores and restaurants but with coffee bars, cocktail spots and trattorias populated by artists of every stripe and ethnicity.  As co-compiler Martin Green points out in his liner notes, "this album reflects the international sounds emanating from the area's bustling spaghetti houses, Spanish bars, Parisian-styled nightclubs, Maltese gambling dens and Swedish massage parlors."  That melting pot - still a part of the Soho of 2016 but all-too-rapidly disappearing - is captured on this swinging journey back in time.

Both vocals and instrumentals (with cocktail piano, vibes, organs and more) feature on this visit to the Soho Continental lounge.  The brassy "Italian Style" from The Millermen and The Raindrops kicks the set off in boisterous fashion.  Though the emphasis is on artists who aren't household names, a few familiar faces pop up.  Italian-American sweetheart Connie Francis is heard on her 1962 recording of "Pretty Little Baby" in Italian.  (She had actually recorded the song in multiple languages including French and Swedish!)  British jazz great George Shearing's quintet offers Ray Bryant's "Cubano Chant," also from 1962, and the U.K.'s own Frankie Vaughan sings the appropriately-named "Kookie Little Paradise."    Beat Girl star Gillian Hills is winsome and coquettish looking to France for inspiration on "Cou Couche Panier."

South American sounds - always a favorite of exotica enthusiasts - proliferate here, including sambas, rhumbas, cha-chas, and of course, bossa novas.  Charles Blackwell, an arranger responsible for hits from Engelbert Humperdinck, Tom Jones and others, melded surf guitar with tribal drums and chants on "Taboo."  The disc is filled with such cross-continental fusions such as Edmundo Ros' "Harry Lime Cha Cha" (a Viennese melody set to a sprightly Latin rhythm by the Trinidad-born calypso king) or Italian vocalist Marino Marini's offbeat rendition of the Latin-influenced American novelty hit for Rosemary Clooney, "Papa Loves Mambo."  Dance band leader Victor Silvester's "Esso Besso" is a gentle take on the Joe and Noel Sherman song best known in Paul Anka's version with lyrics, "Eso Beso (That Kiss!)."  Mexican pianist Pepe Jaramillo is featured with the Cuban melody "Quizas Quizas Quizas," adapted into English as "Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps," recorded by artists including Desi Arnaz, Nat "King" Cole, Doris Day and The Ames Brothers.

Soho Continental has an eight-page booklet with Green's essay.  It's illustrated with numerous rare record sleeves.  Surprisingly, there's no discographical annotation other than the name of the originally-issuing label, and even songwriter credits are missing.  All tracks are issued in accordance with current U.K. public domain laws.  This swingin' safari of exotic sounds harkening back to a more eclectic Soho scene is available now from Cherry Red, crate-digging producer Bob Stanley and Croydon Municipal at the links below!

Various Artists, Soho Continental (Croydon Municipal CR9 019, 2016) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

1. Italian Style - The Millermen and The Raindrops
2. Cinquo Minuti Ancora - Peppini Di Capri
3. Sandra (Bossa Nova) - Bob Leaper
4. Rendezvous a Lavandou - Henri Salvador
5. Capuccina - Ted Heath
6. Muskeeta - Johnnie Pate
7. Taboo - Charles Blackwell
8. Kookie Little Paradise - Frankie Vaughan
9. Milk from the Coconut - Morgan Brothers
10. Madison a Saint-Tropez - Tommy Kinsman
11. Du Schaust Mich An - Gerd Bottcher
12. Esso Besso - Victor Silvester
13. Harry Lime Cha Cha - Edmundo Ros
14. Cha Cha Pop Pop - Tony Scott
15. Hot Toddy - The Swe-Danes
16. Teenager Blues - The Kessler Sisters
17. Baby (Italian Version) - Connie Francis
18. Papa Loves Mambo - Marino Marini
19. Cubano Chant - George Shearing Quintet
20. Mambo Inn - The Modernes
21. Panama Cha Cha Cha - Les Scarlet
22. Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps - Pepe Jaramillo
23. Cou Couche Panier - Gillian Hills
24. Nicola (Bossa Nova) - Bob Leaper
25. Mainly Spain - Harry Robinson Crew