"The Merry-Go-Round Broke Down" by Kurt Henkels & his Orchestra - 1960s recording/1973 BASF issue

When this was recorded, the original run of Looney Tunes theatrical shorts was winding down, using a theme adopted in 1937...! This take has all sorts of hallmarks of a classic Henkels recording, with the "bump-out Dixieland band", and other comic effects. We also have a spoof from ‪@Kie77‬ made a while back...

According to the album notes, the recordings here were made in the late 1960s, with musicians such as Alex Malempré on trumpet, Heribert Thusek on saxophone, Wolfgang Ahlers on trombone, and Kurt Bong on drums.
Some of those musicians' names might be familiar, since they often participated in production music recording sessions alongside Hans Ehrlinger, Gerhard Narholz*, Jan Tyszkiewicz, and others. The style here also has elements heard in Sonoton and other library pieces. Along with Henkels working for Chappell around the time this album was released, it represents the continuity from the American-influenced swing era in late 1940s Germany, up through the Schlager and lounge sounds, and finally to the stock tracks many of us first heard in television. *Narholz himself cites the post-war swing era as a major influence, and his style shines through with the "John Kling Twist"/"Towerstreet 17"-action-style version of "Moscow Nights".

BASF's disc record production was more a sideline (despite their chemical production playing a large role in audio tape), and this "from the archives - never before heard" compilation appears to be the last commercial Henkels release. While some of it is a bit uninteresting, others are nice background pieces in the Henkels style, concurrent with the Narholz, Ehrlinger, and related sounds of the time. #KurtHenkels #Cheems #Squidward #LooneyTunes