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Leslie Thompson Baxter (March 14, 1922 – January 15, 1996) was an American musician, composer and conductor. [1] . After working as an arranger and composer for swing bands, he developed his own style of easy listening music, known as exotica and scored over 250 radio, television and motion pictures numbers. [2] Early life.
Les Baxter. American composer and conductor (born March 14, 1922, Mexia, Texas - died January 15, 1996, Newport Beach, California). Wrote over 150 film soundtracks. Also known for "The Poor People of Paris" (1956), a number-one hit.
L es Baxter is the leading figure in the history of exotica. Wherever exotica went, Les Baxter was there, often leading the way. His work for Capitol Records in the 1950s introduced most of the major movements in exotica.
Les Baxter, far a field from his native Texas, was the most sophisticated of world travelers – being equally at home in New York, Paris, Rome, Buenos Aires, Rio, or Marakesh – and his music has always reflected the lavish and exotic colors and sounds found in the far-flung corners of the world.
Les Baxter. Soundtrack: Wild at Heart. Born March 14, 1922, at Mexia, Texas. He learned to play the piano at five years of age and studied at the Detroit Conservatory and at Pepperdine College in Los Angeles, California (his uncle was the college's first president).
Les Baxter is a pianist who composed and arranged for the top swing bands of the '40s and '50s, but he is better known as the founder of exotica, a variation of easy listening that glorified the sounds and styles of Polynesia, Africa, and South America, even as it retained the traditional string-and-horn arrangements of instrumental pop.
About Les brief intro / executive summary: Incredibly strange, innovative, and beautiful music that resonated with commercial audiences as well as critical music listeners across decades, genres, and demographics.
