I was looking through some of the MP3 links on Hype Machine the other day, and it led me to this website, and a genre I was unaware of. Which is to say, I knew some of the music, and had heard of some of the artists, but I didn't know that collectively this music had a name.

http://www.tittyshakers.com/home.htm

From what I can gather from the site and its links, 't***tyshaker music' is everything from late '50s-early '60s grungy instrumentals, to sleazy soul, to bump'n'grind honking jazz, to demented rockabilly, as long as it has a lascivious trash factor. It's like the musical equivalent of AIP exploitation films, or pulp fiction. Which is right up my aesthetic alley. And any genre catholic enough to include The Jazz Crusaders and "Gamma Goochee" (by The Gamma Goochie Himself) is cool by definition.

In the CD catalog of the label I work for is a compilation called "Tease: The Best of Burlesque," which features some funky stuff by Barney Kessel, The Creed Taylor Orchestra, and Candido Camero, among others, but as provocative as this collection is, it seems like the real t-shakin' deal is found mostly on obscure 45s on tiny local labels, and on compilations that skirt the lines of legality, all of which you can find on the 'juke joint' and 'forum' sections of the website.

I feel as though I must re-emphasize: this is not a porn site (unless you are aroused by jpegs of rare 45s). It is just a place where you can hear some of the most raucous, unhinged, sexy music of the '50s and '60s, most of which you have never heard before (no classic golden oldies here). You don't have to look at the photos to appreciate the level of musical archivism that goes on here. And now I'm going to compile my own T-S playlist, starting with the title track from the album "Dirty Dog," which I hadn't heard before, by Kai Winding. This is how the recording is described on the site:


"A jazz band leader and trombonist by the name of Kai Winding recorded for me what must truly be one of the most timeless 'shaker songs, titled "Dirty Dog" it's a full on raucous jazz RnB thang full of grinding sexual innuendo and blaring horns. Kai was the musical director of the Playboy Club in New York City when in 1966 he cut this killer 'shaker with none other than Herbie Hancock at Piano as well as three other trombonists to create his legendary four trombone line up, giving this song one of the raunchiest sounds to come out of the mid sixties Jazz scene. Kai was concerned that the far-reaching hand of rock was killing off Jazz music so he decided to experiment with a more raucous sound to create a sub genre that would appeal to the in-crowd; he called this "Jazz Rock". Hmmm?"

Here are Mr. Winding, his combo, and a demonstrative bunny:

If your musical taste runs anywhere near mine, you are now intrigued enough to hit that red button.

And here is another wild shaker: