Cha Cha! Billy May
Studio album by Billy May
Released	1960
Studio	Capitol (Hollywood)
Genre	Big band
Label	Capitol
Producer	Dave Cavanaugh [1]

Cha Cha! Billy May is a studio album released by Billy May in 1960 on Capitol LP record T1329 (monophonic) and ST1329 (stereophonic). ^[1] The album features instrumental Latin renderings of big band standards and theme songs of many top musical outfits. Many of the arrangements are done tonge-in-cheek, even Capitol's own publicity described " Twelfth Street Rag-Cha-Cha" as "unforgivable". ^[2] Further playfulness is revealed in the song " Good-Bye" in which May's arrangement references the Benny Goodman bandmembers' habit of singing "go to hell, go to hell" over the repeating riff. ^[3] The album was recorded on October 1, 1959, at Capitol Studios in Hollywood. ^[1] May's experience arranging and performing this album subsequently influenced his arrangements for the Frank Sinatra album Sinatra Swings. ^[4]

Track listing

Side one

1. " In a Mellow Tone-Cha-Cha" (Duke Ellington) – associated with Duke Ellington/ Count Basie
2. " Twelfth Street Rag-Cha-Cha" ( Euday L. Bowman) – associated with Pee Wee Hunt
3. " Artistry in Rhythm-Cha-Cha" (Stan Kenton) – Stan Kenton theme.
4. " The Poor People of Paris-Cha-Cha" ( Marguerite Monnot - René Rouzaud) – associated with Les Baxter
5. "Good-Bye-Cha-Cha" ( Gordon Jenkins) – Benny Goodman closing theme.
6. " Leap Frog-Cha-Cha" ( Joe Garland - Leo Corday) – Les Brown theme.

Side two

1. " Flyin' Home-Cha-Cha" (Benny Goodman - Lionel Hampton) – associated with Lionel Hampton
2. " Snowfall-Cha-Cha" (Claude Thornhill) – Claude Thornhill theme.
3. " In the Mood-Cha-Cha" (Joe Garland - Andy Razaf) – associated with Glenn Miller.
4. "I Remember-Cha-Cha" (Billy May)
5. " Tuxedo Junction-Cha-Cha" ( Johnson - Dash - Hawkins - Feyne) – associated with Glenn Miller.
6. "Bijou-Cha-Cha" (Ralph Burns) - associated with Woody Herman

References