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For 2009:
 GUILD
LIGHT MUSIC GLCD 5161
European Tour
1 Voice Of London (Charles Williams)
CHARLES WILLIAMS AND HIS CONCERT ORCHESTRA
Columbia DB 2295 1946
2 Comin’ Thru’ The Rye (trad. arr. Robert Farnon);
My Love Is Like A Red, Red Rose (trad. arr. Robert Farnon)
(from the Suite "From the Highlands")
ROBERT FARNON AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Decca LK 4220 1958
3 Rhondda Rhapsody (Rhapsody of Love) (Mai Jones)
THE MELACHRINO ORCHESTRA Conducted by GEORGE MELACHRINO
HMV B 10138 1951
4 The Irish Have A Great Day Tonight (Victor Herbert)
MANTOVANI AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Decca LK 4060 1953
5 Continental Galop (Clive Richardson)
DANISH STATE RADIO ORCHESTRA Conducted by ROBERT FARNON
(as ‘Melodi Light Orchestra Conducted by
Ole Jensen)
Chappell C 578 1957
6 Tivoli-Melodie (Take Me Dreaming) (Heino Gaze)
WERNER MÜLLER AND HIS ORCHESTRA (as ‘Ricardo
Santos and his Cascading Strings’)
Polydor 46091 LPHM 1958
7 Luxembourg Waltz (Geoffrey Everitt; Frederick Peter Hargreaves)
FRANK CHACKSFIELD AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Decca 45-F 11052 1958
8 Fiesta In Seville (David Rose)
DAVID ROSE AND HIS ORCHESTRA
M-G-M MGM 644 1953
9 La Seine (The River Seine) (Guy Pierre M.L. LaFarge; Flavien
Monod)
THE PARIS THEATRE ORCHESTRA
Stereo Fidelity SF 2500 1958
10 The Lights Of Lisbon (Tony Osborne)
TONY OSBORNE AND HIS DANCING STRINGS
HMV 45-POP 439 1958
11 When It’s Spring In Baden-Baden (Wenn es in Baden-Baden
Frühling est) (Rolf Arland)
BADEN-BADEN SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA Conducted by HANS ROSBAUD
Ariola 36 809 C 1958
12 Copenhagen Polka (Joseph Thobrither)
THE MELACHRINO ORCHESTRA Conducted by GEORGE MELACHRINO
HMV B 10738 1954
13 Roman Holiday (David Rose)
DAVID ROSE AND HIS ORCHESTRA
M-G-M D 149 1957
14 The Beautiful Girls Of Vienna (J. Fred Coots)
DAVID CARROLL AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Mercury MEP 9518 1957
15 Passe Partout introducing El Gato Montes (from
"Around The World In Eighty Days") (Victor
Young)
THE CINEMA SOUND STAGE ORCHESTRA
Stereo Fidelity SF-2800 1958
16 Maids Of Madrid (Clyde Hamilton, real name Cyril
Stapleton)
CYRIL STAPLETON AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Decca 45-F 10793 1956
17 Swiss Holiday (Joe Leahy)
JOE LEAHY AND HIS ORCHESTRA
W & G WG-SPN 280 1957
18 Spanish Affair (Cortez)
PHILIP GREEN AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Parlophone R 3760 1953
19 Under Paris Skies (Sous Le Ciel De Paris) (Waltz of Paree)
(Hubert Giraud)
MONTY KELLY AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Essex ESLP 203 1955
20 Swedish Polka (Roslagsvår) (Springtime in Roslagen)
(Hugo Emil Alfvén)
Orchestra Conducted by HUGO ALFVÉN
Philips PB 737 1957
21 Café Mozart Waltz (from the film "The Third
Man") (Anton Karas)
ETHEL SMITH – Organ with orchestral accompaniment
Brunswick O 4517 1950
22 Sicilian Tarantella (Fischiettando) (G. Balsamo; Chester
Conn; Ned Miller)
VICTOR YOUNG AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Decca DL 8466 1956
23 April In Portugal (Raul Ferrao)
RICHARD HAYMAN AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Mercury MG 20103 1956
24 Sur Le Pave de Paris (Pavements Of Paris) (Georges Abel
Louis Auric)
MICHEL LEGRAND AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Columbia CL 2599 1956
25 Catalan Sunshine (Frank Chacksfield)
FRANK CHACKSFIELD AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Decca 45-F 10904 1957
26 East Of Malta (Ronald Hanmer)
NEW CENTURY ORCHESTRA Conducted by SIDNEY TORCH
Francis, Day & Hunter FDH 016 1947
27 The Spider Of Antwerp (Ernest Jean Craps; Paula Maria
Vandebroek)
GUY LUYPAERTS AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Capitol T 10024 1956
Mono recordings, except for tracks 9 & 15 in stereo.
Once again it’s time for Guild’s ‘Golden
Age of Light Music’ series to take another musical
tour around Europe, prompted by so many appealing works
created by talented composers from near and far. In the
world of music you do not have to be a native to express
the beauty in a favourite location: the saying "the
onlooker sees more of the game" sums it all up quite
well. However the first four tracks are the work of writers
from close to the chosen locations. The evocative Voice
Of London comes from the pen of Charles Williams (1893-1978)
(real name Isaac Cozerbreit) who began his career accompanying
silent films, then played violin under the batons of Beecham
and Elgar. Right from the start of the ‘talkies’,
he provided scores for numerous British films, and his ability
to create a wide variety of moods through background music
won him the contract to conduct the first recordings for
the new Recorded Music Library launched by London publishers
Chappell & Co in the early 1940s. World War 2 was raging,
and Williams contributed many dramatic pieces which were
used regularly by newsreels. Voice Of London was
originally a 90-second work from 1942 that became so familiar
that he was asked to extend it for commercial release on
EMI’s Columbia label shortly after hostilities ceased.
From England we move north to Scotland, with an excerpt
from a 1958 Decca album "From The Highlands".
Canadian Robert Farnon (1917-2005) arranged and conducted
a beautiful selection of Scottish melodies that brought
tears to the eyes of ex-pats around the world.
Rhondda Rhapsody was just a few bars heard in a
popular BBC radio programme to introduce a regular feature
in a show called "Welsh Rarebit". Again public
demand prompted the show’s producer, Mai Jones (1899-1960),
to extend her work which attracted commercial recordings
by orchestras such as Charles Williams and George Melachrino.
Our opening quartet of four selections associated with
the British Isles is completed with a popular number –
The Irish Have A Great Day Tonight - by Dublin-born
Victor August Herbert (1859-1924). During his twenties he
settled in the USA, where he became one of the leading songwriters
of his generation.
Clive Richardson (1909-1998) has already been featured
on several previous Guild Light Music CDs (his Melody
on the Move from Guild GLCD 5102 is one of the finest
pieces of light music ever written) and he provides the
transition from Britain into Continental Europe with one
of his many works for the Chappell library, Continental
Galop.
Tivoli Melodi was written in 1958 by German Heino
Gaze (1908-1967) to provide a musical picture of the famous
Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen. This catchy tune has since
been known by several titles – "Take Me Dreaming",
"Nicolette", "Madeleine" and, most famously,
"Calcutta". This recording of it has had almost
as many identities – Werner Müller originally
recorded it as a single using the title "Kalkutta Liegt
am Ganges." It then became part of an album as "Tivoli
Melody" but by then "Werner Müller und sein
Orchester" had become "Ricardo Santos and his
Cascading Strings". In Britain, the same track appeared
on the Oriole label as a single, still called "Tivoli
Melodi" but now performed by "Enrico Leandros
and his Orchestra". Werner Müller (1920-1998)
was a bassoonist who became the first conductor of the RIAS
(Radio In American Sector) Dance Band based in Berlin, which
gave its first concert on 24 April 1949. It was not long
before Müller began to realise that the public’s
love affair with the swing era was gradually starting to
wane, and sixteen strings were added to the line up. The
band had built up a strong following through its Polydor
recordings, and by the mid-1950s the label dropped the ‘RIAS’
tag and simply credited ‘Werner Müller and his
Orchestra’. In 1966 Werner moved to Westdeutsche Rundfunk
in Cologne, where he continued to make LPs – both purely
orchestral and also accompanying popular singers such as
Caterina Valente.
Frank Chacksfield (1914-1995) conducted one of the finest
light orchestras in the world, and during his long recording
career with Decca alone, it is estimated that his albums
sold more than 20 million copies. One of the composers of
Luxembourg Waltz, Geoffrey Everitt, was a broadcaster
on Radio Luxembourg’s English service in the 1950s.
We also hear one of Chacksfield’s own attractive pieces
Catalan Sunshine.
London-born David Rose (1910-1990) became one of the truly
great light orchestra leaders in the USA, and his compositions
such as Holiday For Strings (on Guild GLCD 5120)
and The Stripper sold millions around the world.
In this collection he is represented by two more of his
many creations from the 1950s – Fiesta In Seville
and Roman Holiday.
There have been many evocative melodies extolling the beauty
of Paris, and the three on this CD are among the very best.
‘The Paris Theatre Orchestra’ (playing La Seine)
was one of several names conjured up by Stereo Fidelity
for its early stereo releases. Monty Kelly (1910-1971) heard
on Under Paris Skies was a trumpeter, arranger and
bandleader who played with the Paul Whiteman and Skinnay
Ennis bands before landing a job with NBC in New York. For
a while he was a regular in the recording studios, and managed
to secure some success with Cash Box magazine naming him
‘most promising orchestra’ in 1953. Sur Le
Pave De Paris presents a young Michel Legrand (b. 1932)
arranging and conducting in a style which quickly catapulted
him to international fame.
Tony Osborne (Edward Benjamin Osborne, 1922-2009) became
a familiar name in post-war Britain due to his broadcasts
and recordings. He had played piano with many top orchestras
before embarking on his own career, and composed many catchy
tunes such as The Lights Of Lisbon.
Once upon a time it was common for all self-respecting
resorts (both seaside and inland) to support municipal orchestras,
and some – such as at Baden-Baden – survived well
into the 1950s. The Baden-Baden orchestra still thrives
today as the South West German Radio Symphony Orchestra,
which has a fine reputation for attracting the cream of
visiting guest conductors.
George Miltiades Melachrino (1909-1965) was certainly among
the masters of lush light orchestral music. His numerous
recordings (especially LPs) sold in large numbers around
the world, and in the post-war years he built up a thriving
entertainment organisation also involved in films, theatre
and broadcasting. Composer Joseph Thobrither became known
briefly outside Scandinavia for his Copenhagen Polka,
and when the sheet music was published George Melachrino
was featured on the cover.
David Carroll (b. 1913) was musical director of
Mercury Records from 1951 to the early 1960s, during which
time he accompanied many of the label’s contract singers
as well as making instrumental recordings of his own. Several
of his LPs had a ‘dance’ theme, often including
his own compositions, and he employed the cream of Chicago’s
session musicians.
‘The Cinema Sound Stage Orchestra’ (giving a
fine performance of part of Victor Young’s score for
"Around The World In Eighty Days") is another
of Stereo Fidelity’s incarnations in the early days
of stereo. The recordings usually employed various European
symphony and radio orchestras and were linked by the name
of Joseph F. Kuhn who composed, arranged, scored or conducted
most of the early ones. Doubtless there would have been
many more had it not been for his untimely death in March
1962 at the age of 37. He was musical director for the Miller
International Co., producer of Somerset and Stereo Fidelity
record albums and was well known for his recording work
in Hollywood, the US east coast and Germany.
During the 1950s and 1960s, Cyril Stapleton (1914-1974)
was a well-known orchestra leader in Britain and overseas,
thanks to his regular BBC broadcasts and his many recordings.
Maids Of Madrid also reveals his composing abilities.
American trumpeter Joseph J. Leahy honed his musical skills
in the bands of Les Brown, Charlie Barnet and Artie Shaw,
before becoming known in his own right as a bandleader,
arranger, conductor, record producer and prolific composer
and arranger. Swiss Holiday was one of his most popular
compositions, alongside Theme from Studio X which
has already appeared on Guild GLCD 5160.
Philip Green (1910-1982) began his professional career
at the age of eighteen playing in various orchestras. Within
a year he became London’s youngest West End conductor
at the Prince of Wales Theatre. His long recording career
began with EMI in 1933, and he is credited with at least
150 film scores, as well as countless original compositions
and arrangements.
Hugo Emil Alfvén (1872-1960) is a legend in his
native Sweden where he was renowned as a violinist, composer,
conductor, artist and author. His composition Swedish
Polka is unusual because he was a classical composer
and never wrote much incidental music for film, theatre
or ballet. But he decided to try his hand at writing in
a more popular style during the 1950s, and probably never
imagined how successful he would be. Alfvén was 84
when he wrote "Roslagsvår" (Swedish Polka)
in 1956. The original Swedish title means "Springtime in
Roslagen", which is the coastal area around Stockholm with
many small islands. It was recorded in Hamburg (at the insistence
of Philips), probably so they could maintain strict control
over the session, since Alfvén was old and in poor
health. Therefore the musicians are mainly German and the
conductor, although it says Hugo Alfvén on the label,
was actually jazz pianist, arranger and conductor Bengt
Hallberg.
Ethel Smith (1910-1996) was one of the most popular organists
in the USA, and The Café Mozart Waltz was
a secondary theme in the famous film "The Third Man".
Its composer, Viennese-born Anton Karas (1906-1985), earned
considerable fame and fortune from his appealing melodies
for the zither.
Victor Young (1900-1956) excelled as a violinist, arranger,
film composer, songwriter, conductor and record producer.
This wide experience in all forms of music, from his first
hit songs in the late 1920s to his tremendous score for
"Around the World in 80 Days" in 1956, was exceptional
even by Tin Pan Alley and Hollywood standards, all the more
so because his international reputation was achieved in
such a short lifetime.
Conductor Richard Hayman (b. 1920) started at the age of
18 as a harmonica player in Borrah Minevitch’s Harmonica
Rascals, but he wisely decided to concentrate more on arranging
and conducting. He worked on the MGM musical "Meet
Me In St. Louis" and was put under contract by Mercury
Records in 1950, for whom he made many singles and albums,
the best-seller being his version of Ruby from the
film "Ruby Gentry". He also arranged for the Boston
Pops, serving as back-up conductor for Arthur Fiedler.
Sidney Torch (1908-1990) was one of Britain’s finest
theatre organists during the 1930s. After war service in
the Royal Air Force, where he conducted the RAF Concert
Orchestra, he concentrated entirely on composing, arranging
and conducting light music. He worked extensively for the
Chappell and Francis, Day & Hunter Recorded Music Libraries,
from which comes East Of Eden. Its composer Ronald
Hanmer (1917-1994) was a prolific British composer and arranger
who contributed over 700 compositions to various background
music libraries. In 1975 he emigrated to Australia, and
in 1992 he received the Order of Australia for services
to music, just before that country abolished the honours
system.
To complete this collection we turn to Guy Luypaerts (b.
1917), whose orchestra first appeared on a Guild CD playing
music by Cole Porter (GLCD 5127). He was born in Paris to
Belgian parents during the First World War and became well-known
in French musical circles through conducting an orchestra
called the Nouvelle Association Symphonique de Paris. This
was in the era when live music featured prominently on the
radio, and his broadcasts with this orchestra resulted in
invitations to conduct other radio orchestras in European
cities. Luypaerts is listed as providing the music for the
1945 film "Etoile Sans Lumière". He worked
with Edith Piaf (he arranged her 1946 world-wide hit "La
Vie En Rose"), Georges Guetary, Yves Montand and most
notably with Charles Trénet - their collaboration
spanned 30 years and began when Trénet discovered
him playing jazz at an officers’ mess early in World
War 2. Guild has previously featured some of his more imaginative
sounds conducting quirky cameos such as The Sleepwalker
of Amsterdam (GLCD 5131), Masquerade In Madrid (GLCD
5132), Whimsy and his own composition Chatter
Box (both on GLCD 5160), to which we now add The
Spider of Antwerp. Arachnophobics need have no fear;
this spider is sure to become your friend!
David Ades
 GUILD
LIGHT MUSIC GLCD5162
The Hall Of Fame - Volume 3
1 Singin’ In The Rain (Arthur Freed; Nacio Herb Brown,
arr. Conrad Salinger)
CONRAD SALINGER ORCHESTRA Conducted by BUDDY BREGMAN
Verve MG VS-6012 1958
2 Spanish Serenade (from ‘A Suite Of Serenades’)
(Victor Herbert, arr. Percy Faith)
PERCY FAITH AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Columbia C2S 801 1958
3 Lingering Lovers (Ron Goodwin)
DAVID CARROLL AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Mercury SR 60026 1958
4 Ecstasy (Jose Belmonte, real name Philip Green)
PHILIP GREEN AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Columbia BTD 701 1955
5 Love And The World Loves With You (Amor Que Bonito) (Ernesto
Lecuona)
RICHARD HAYMAN AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Mercury SR 60000 1957
6 Solitude (Duke Ellington, arr. Morton Gould)
MORTON GOULD AND HIS ORCHESTRA
RCA Victor LSP 1656 1958
7 Easter Isle (Nelson Riddle; Leland Gillette; Sid Wayne)
NELSON RIDDLE AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Capitol ST 915 1958
8 La Muñeca Española (The Spanish Doll) (Hugo
Winterhalter)
HUGO WINTERHALTER AND HIS ORCHESTRA
RCA LPM 1677 1958
9 Dream (Johnny Mercer)
BILLY VAUGHN AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Dot DLP 3064 1958
10 Vivre (Love Of My Life) (Guy Luypaerts, arr. Ray Martin)
RAY MARTIN AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Polydor SLPHM 237503 1958
11 The Merry Widow Waltz (Franz Lehár)
FREDDY MARTIN AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Standard Radio Transcription Services P-171 1941
12 Devil’s Galop (Charles Williams)
CHARLES WILLIAMS AND HIS CONCERT ORCHESTRA
Columbia DB 2448 1948
13 Jumping Bean (Robert Farnon)
KINGSWAY SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA Conducted by ROBERT FARNON
Decca F 9038 1948
14 When Day Is Done (Robert Katscher; Buddy de Sylva)
ALBERT SANDLER AND HIS PALM COURT ORCHESTRA
Columbia DB 2168 1945
15 Shooting Star (Sidney Torch)
QUEEN’S HALL LIGHT ORCHESTRA Conducted by SIDNEY TORCH
Columbia DB 2456 1948
16 Elizabethan Serenade (Ronald Binge)
RON GOODWIN AND HIS CONCERT ORCHESTRA
Parlophone 45-R 4272 1957
17 Crazy Violins (Wildman)
HELMUT ZACHARIAS AND HIS MAGIC VIOLINS
Polydor 46091 LPHM 1958
18 The Kerry Dance (J.L. Molloy, arr. Wally Stott –
later known as Angela Morley)
GERALDO Conducting THE TIP TOP TUNES ORCHESTRA
Parlophone E 11457 1947
19 Bubble, Bubble, Bubble (Pink Champagne) (Robert Craig
Wright; George Forrest)
HENRI RENÉ AND HIS ORCHESTRA
HMV B 10052 1951
20 March Of The Pretzels (David Rose)
DAVID ROSE AND HIS ORCHESTRA
World Transcription Service 10057 1950
21 Music Everywhere (Rediffusion March) (Eric Coates)
QUEEN’S HALL LIGHT ORCHESTRA Conducted by ERIC COATES
Decca F 9157 1949
Featured Conductor: GEORGE MELACHRINO
22 Theme from "Runnymede Rhapsody" (Reginald
King)
THE MELACHRINO ORCHESTRA Conducted by GEORGE MELACHRINO
featuring WILLIAM HILL-BOWEN, piano
HMV C 4038 1950
23 My Song Of Spring (from "London Melody") (also
known as Sophistication Waltz) (Robert Farnon, arr.
George Melachrino)
THE MELACHRINO ORCHESTRA Conducted by GEORGE MELACHRINO
HMV B 10087 1951
24 Winter Sunshine (George Melachrino)
THE MELACHRINO ORCHESTRA Conducted by GEORGE MELACHRINO
HMV B 9527 1947
25 Aprite Le Finestre (Open The Windows) (Virgilio Panzuti)
GEORGE MELACHRINO Conducting the San Remo Festival Orchestra
- 1956
HMV SCT 1519 1957
26 Warsaw Concerto (Richard Addinsell, based on the original
arrangement by Roy Douglas)
THE MELACHRINO ORCHESTRA Conducted by GEORGE MELACHRINO
featuring WILLIAM HILL-BOWEN, piano
RCA Camden CAS 10173 1958
Stereo: tracks 1-10, 25 & 26; others mono
This collection is intended as a tribute to talented musicians
who have made an important contribution to our enjoyment
of Light Music, either as conductors, composers or arrangers
– and occasionally as all three. Like the two previous
CDs in this series (GLCD 5120 & 5124), in order to qualify
for inclusion in any kind of Hall of Fame there is a pre-requisite
that recognition should already have been given for outstanding
achievement. In the case of Light Music, if only the most
famous melodies and orchestras are considered worthy for
a CD such as this, the result would probably be a rehash
of what may have been done many times before.
The Guild "Golden Age of Light Music" series
is compiled by enthusiasts who understand that keen collectors
probably already have many of the "best of" pieces
in their music libraries. So you are not being offered a
compilation featuring only the best known works performed
by each orchestra, but a careful choice which mixes the
familiar with – occasionally – the unknown. Some
record companies delete slow selling CDs with indecent haste;
others, like Guild Music, recognise that certain styles
of music will attract buyers over a long period of time.
When it is brought to our attention that an exceptional
piece of Light Music is no longer available to new purchasers
elsewhere, we will consider reissuing it once again. This
is important, because there is growing evidence that younger
people are starting to discover the wealth of attractive
music that has previously been unknown to them.
No attempt will be made to compile any kind of league table.
Such exercises have little real value, because music appreciation
is such a personal matter of taste. It is simply hoped that
the works chosen for this collection will each have a certain
appeal, and be recognised as valuable contributions to an
important area within the world of music which came to prominence
and flourished during the 20th century.
In selecting a Conrad Salinger arrangement as the opening
track we are recognising the major impact that Light Music
has made in the cinema, whether as background music to heighten
dramatic effects (often referred to as ‘underscores’)
or in attractive arrangements of popular songs. Singin’
In The Rain is the title song of one of the most famous
film musicals of the last century, and the brilliance of
Salinger’s treatment of this melody is even more apparent
without Gene Kelly’s vocal. Conrad Salinger (1901-1961)
was first honoured in Guild’s "Strings And Things
Go Stereo" collection (GLCD 5153). It is fortunate
for his admirers that Buddy Bregman (b. 1930) A&R Manager
of the fledgling Verve Records label took his orchestra
into Studio A at Capitol Records on 20 & 21 March 1957
and conducted an album showcasing Salinger. Such was Bregman’s
esteem for him that he retitled his orchestra ‘The
Conrad Salinger Orchestra Conducted by Buddy Bregman’
for the LP "Conrad Salinger – A Lovely Afternoon".
For these sessions Salinger recreated some of his memorable
scores first heard in movies such as "Meet Me In St
Louis", "The Band Wagon" and "Singin’
In The Rain". On previous CDs you will discover The
Trolley Song (GLCD 5153), The Boy Next Door (GLCD
5155), That’s Entertainment (GLCD 5158), Let’s
Fall In Love and I Cover The Waterfront (GLCD
5159).
Ray Martin (1918-1988) was born in Vienna, Austria as Raymond
Wolfgang Kohn, and his preferred instrument was the violin.
In 1937 he settled in England where he adopted the name
Raymond Stuart Martin. After six years in the intelligence
corps, while still in the army he moved to the British Forces
Network, based in Hamburg, where he formed his own "Melody
From The Sky" orchestra. Back in Britain during the
1950s he conducted his orchestra regularly on radio and
television, and was also an Artists and Repertoire Manager
at EMI’s Columbia label, where he produced many hit
records by their top contract stars. His own compositions
were among some of his biggest successes (notably Marching
Strings composed under the name ‘Marshall Ross’
– one of his many pseudonyms), and he also worked in
films such as "It’s Great To Be Young" (1956).
In 1957 he relocated to the USA where he was obliged to
modify his style to suit the changes happening to pop music.
A couple of LPs he recorded for Polydor still retained hints
of the ‘Ray Martin sound’ that had been so popular
in Britain, which can be heard in his own arrangement of
Guy Luypaerts’ Vivre.
A newcomer to Guild Light Music in this collection is American
bandleader and tenor saxophonist Frederick Alfred (Freddy)
Martin (1906-1983). However his name will already be known
to many music lovers, especially in the USA, where he made
numerous recordings from 1932 onwards and was frequently
heard on the radio. He made a big impact in 1941 with an
arrangement of Tchaikovsky’s piano concerto which he
recorded as an instrumental. His record company wanted more,
so he adapted other classical themes and one of these is
Franz Lehár’s Merry Widow Waltz. For
this repertoire Martin enlarged his usual dance band to
include six violins alongside extra brass and saxes. He
became known as ‘Mr Silvertone’ and was one of
the most respected tenor saxophonists of the dance band
era.
Before moving on to the final section on this CD it is
appropriate to mention a few special highlights. David Carroll
(b. 1913) paid Ron Goodwin (1925-2003) the honour of making
a special arrangement of his composition Lingering Lovers
– a sequel to Swinging Sweethearts (also
known as Skiffling Strings) on GLCD 5153. Goodwin
is heard conducting one of his most popular recordings of
the 1950s, Ronald Binge’s (1910-1979) Elizabethan
Serenade. During her younger days Angela Morley (1924-2009)
was known as ‘Wally Stott’, and while in the Geraldo
Orchestra she created several concert arrangements which
have become highly regarded. The Kerry Dance was
one of them, and another – March Of The Toys
- is available on Guild GLCD 5124. To ensure that they are
still available to light music aficionados, three landmark
compositions are also included in their definitive recorded
versions: Devil’s Galop by Charles Williams
(1893-1978), Jumping Bean by Robert Farnon (1917-2005)
and Sidney Torch’s (1908-1990) Shooting Star –
the subject of the cover painting specially commissioned
for this CD.
George Miltiades Melachrino (1909-1965) was one of the
big names in British light music from the 1940s to the 1960s.
Born in London, he became a professional musician, competent
on clarinet, alto and tenor saxophone, violin and viola,
and he worked with many British dance bands in the 1930s.
He was also in demand as a singer, and can be heard on recordings
with Carroll Gibbons and others. During World War 2 he became
Musical Director of the Army Radio Unit, and his 50-piece
‘Orchestra in Khaki’ toured with the ‘Stars
in Battledress’. When the Allied Expeditionary Forces
Programme of the BBC began broadcasting to Allied troops
on 7 June 1944 (one day after D-Day), George Melachrino
was featured conducting the British Band of the AEF; his
colleagues were Glenn Miller and Robert Farnon (whose recordings
can be heard on many Guild CDs), fronting the American and
Canadian Bands. After the war Melachrino retained the finest
elements of his service band to form the magnificent orchestra
that went on to achieve worldwide fame, mainly through its
superb long-playing record albums which sold in millions.
Many tuneful pieces of light music flowed from his pen,
and he developed a unique arranging style which was also
adopted by his right-hand man for many years, William Hill-Bowen
(1918-1964). Melachrino built up a thriving entertainment
organisation also involved in films, theatre and broadcasting
and EMI used his talents extensively when stereo arrived.
Our short tribute to his genius reflects upon his composing
and arranging plus, of course, his conducting. The composer
of Runnymede Rhapsody, Reginald Claude McMahon King
(1904-1991), was an accomplished pianist, who performed
under the baton of Sir Henry Wood at the Proms soon after
he completed his studies at London’s Royal Academy.
In the late 1920s he started broadcasting regularly (during
his career his number of broadcasts exceeded 1,400), and
he made numerous recordings, often featuring his own attractive
compositions. He made his last broadcast in 1964, but during
a long retirement he continued composing until shortly before
his death. Another of his major works, the concert overture
The Immortals, was featured on Guild GLCD5106.
As a tribute to his wartime comrade Robert Farnon, George
Melachrino made a special arrangement of My Song Of Spring.
Farnon returned the compliment with his own version of Winter
Sunshine, although he was not asked by Decca to record
it commercially and he only performed it in broadcasts.
The original Melachrino version (heard in this collection)
is one of the great light music creations of the last century.
Aprite le finestre was one of the two Italian entries
of the first Eurovision Song Contest back in 1956, and it
was also the 6th San Remo winner the same year.
Melachrino recorded all the entries with the San Remo Festival
Orchestra which was released by HMV on a ‘stereosonic’
tape and, later, an LP on its International label.
To complete the collection the Melachrino Orchestra, with
William Hill-Bowen as pianist, performs Richard Addinsell’s
famous Warsaw Concerto, the work from the film "Dangerous
Moonlight" which spawned many similar film themes in
the following years, which broadcaster Steve Race dubbed
‘the Denham concertos’ – referring to the
studios west of London where many of the films were made.
All the composers, arrangers and conductors featured in
this collection deserve to have their careers profiled in
considerable detail, but sadly lack of space prevents this
on every occasion that they appear in this series. Many
have already been (or are likely to be in the future) given
a fair share of the limelight, and if you have internet
access you can read the full booklet notes for all previous
releases on the Guild Music website: www.guildmusic.com
David Ades
 GUILD
LIGHT MUSIC GLCD5163
The 1930s Revisited
1 The Merrymakers – Miniature Overture (Eric Coates)
LONDON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA Conducted by ERIC COATES
HMV C 2449 1932
Fancy Dress – Suite (Cecil Armstrong Gibbs)
2 Hurly Burly
3 Dusk
4 Pageantry
REGENT CONCERT ORCHESTRA Conducted by WILLIAM HODGSON
Boosey & Hawkes BH 1935 1939
5 Entrance Of The Little Fauns (from the ballet "Cydalise
et la chèvre-pied") (Henri Constant Gabriel
Pierné, arr. Mouton)
JACK PAYNE AND HIS BBC DANCE ORCHESTRA
Columbia DX 273 1931
6 Smoke Gets In Your Eyes (Jerome Kern, arr. Peter Yorke)
LOUIS LEVY AND HIS ORCHESTRA
HMV BD 723 1939
7 "Music In The Air" – Selection (Jerome
Kern)
There’s A Hill Beyond A Hill, I’ve Told Ev’ry
Little Star, When The Spring Is In The Air, The Song
Is You, I’m So Eager, In Egern On The Tegern See, We
Belong Together, One More Dance.
NEW MAYFAIR ORCHESTRA Conducted by RAY NOBLE
HMV C 2561 1933
8 The Liberators – March (Charles W. Ancliffe)
LONDON PALLADIUM ORCHESTRA Conducted by JACK FRERE
HMV B 8662 1937
9 Hearts And Flowers (Theodore Moses Tobani, arr. Willoughby)
J.H. SQUIRE CELESTE OCTET
Columbia DB 690 1931
10 Forest Idyll (Esslinger)
MAREK WEBER AND HIS ORCHESTRA
HMV C 2451 1932
11 Windjammer Overture (John Ansell)
REGENT CONCERT ORCHESTRA Conducted by WILLIAM HODGSON
Boosey & Hawkes BH 1907 1937
12 Dancing Tambourine (W. C. Polla)
JACK HYLTON AND HIS ORCHESTRA
HMV B 5362 1927
13 Swamp Fire (Harold (Hal) Mooney)
ANDRE KOSTELANETZ AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Columbia DB 1837 1938
14 Escapada (Sid Phillips)
AMBROSE AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Decca K 849 1936
15 Knave Of Diamonds (Henry Steele)
COMMODORE GRAND ORCHESTRA Conducted by JOSEPH MUSCANT Piano
: LOUIS MORDISH
Regal Zonophone MR 1240 1934
16 Irving Berlin Waltz Medley (Irving Berlin)
All Alone; Always; What’ll I Do?
COVENTRY HIPPODROME ORCHESTRA Conducted by CHARLES SHADWELL
Regal Zonophone MR 2089 1936
17 Cupid’s Parade – Fantasy (Rivelli)
THE LITTLE SALON ORCHESTRA
Columbia DB 459 1931
18 Court Ball Dances (Hofballtanze) (Jos Lanner)
ORCHESTRA MASCOTTE
Parlophone R 1087 1931
19 "Glamorous Night" – Selection (Ivor Novello,
arr. Charles Prentice)
Her Majesty Militza, Shine Through My Dreams, Fold Your
Wings, When The Gipsy, Far Away In Shanty Town, Glamorous
Night, Royal Wedding.
DRURY LANE THEATRE ORCHESTRA Conducted by CHARLES PRENTICE
HMV C 2756 1936
20 Fata Morgana (Carl Robrecht)
LOUIS VOSS GRAND ORCHESTRA
Bosworth BC 1013 1937
21 Finale – Foxtrot (from "Dance Suite")
(Eduard Künneke)
BERLIN PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA Conducted by EDUARD KÜNNEKE
Telefunken E 2494 1938
Record sales during the 1930s suffered a considerable slump
due to the worldwide recession, but a few artists and conductors
were fortunate in having a sufficiently high profile to
assure them a continued presence in recording studios. One
such talent was Eric Coates (1886-1957), a successful composer
of ballads in the early years of the last century, who gradually
devoted all his energies to light music. He was particularly
adept at writing catchy melodies that appealed as BBC signature
tunes, the most famous being Knightsbridge from "London
Suite" (used as the opening and closing music for "In
Town Tonight"), By The Sleepy Lagoon ("Desert
Island Discs") and Calling All Workers ("Music
While You Work"). He often conducted his own music,
and this collection opens with him extracting a lively performance
of his "Merrymakers Overture" from the London
Symphony Orchestra. This was probably one of the early recordings
made in the new Abbey Road studios, which opened in November
1931.
Essex born Cecil Armstrong Gibbs (1889-1960) preferred
that people should ignore his first name. At one time he
was one of Britain’s most prolific composers, but his
work has been largely ignored since his death. Many of his
works were songs and, although he titled his "Westmorland"
Symphony "No. 3", it is believed by some students
that cataloguing confusion over an earlier work means that
he actually composed only two symphonies plus a major choral
work "Odysseus", first performed in 1946. But
he was responsible for a vast number of other compositions,
both serious and light, many of them songs. Perhaps his
most enduring piece was "Dusk", which comes from
a suite called "Fancy Dress" (1934) – three
movements (1, 3 & 4) are heard on this CD as abridged
for the Boosey & Hawkes Recorded Music Library in 1939.
A second movement, "Dance Of The Mummers", was
omitted.
Henri Constant Gabriel Pierné (1863-1937) was highly
regarded in his native Paris, where the Place Gabriel Pierné
was named after him. As a young organist he was taught by
César Franck and his numerous compositions (often
with a religious theme) included operas, symphonic and choral
works. His "Entrance Of The Little Fauns" dates
from 1923: Jack Payne (on this CD) recorded it in 1931,
and its enduring popularity prompted other recordings by
the Boston ‘Pops’ and Sidney Torch in the late
1940s.
Jerome David Kern (1885-1945) was one of the select group
of great American songwriters of the last century and, unlike
some of the others (such as Berlin, Herbert, Romberg etc),
he was actually born in the USA – New York City, to
be precise. He is represented on this CD with music from
two landmark shows. Firstly one of his most famous numbers
"Smoke Gets In Your Eyes", which was first heard
in the 1933 musical "Roberta". The previous year
"Music In The Air", boasting a cast of 89, opened
on Broadway on 8 November, notching up 342 performances,
helped by the big hit "The Song Is You", until
it closed on 16 September 1933,
Irishman Charles W. Ancliffe (1880-1952) will forever be
associated with Nights Of Gladness, (the Mantovani
version on Guild GLCD 5113 does the famous waltz full justice)
but he was a military bandmaster as well as a successful
composer. He must have felt at home composing the march
"The Liberators", perhaps making a pleasant change
from the dances and novelty numbers which formed a large
part of his output.
If asked to name the most familiar piece of music associated
with harrowing scenes in silent films, many people would
answer "Hearts And Flowers". Even if they didn’t
know the title, they could probably recognise it, but naming
the composer would be another matter. Credit for this famous
tune belongs to Theodore Moses Tobiani (1855-1933) who also
used the pseudonyms Florence Reed, Andrew Herman and Theodore
Moses among many others. Although he composed over 550 works,
"Hearts And Flowers" is the only one that has
endured. In their sensitive version the J.H. Squire Celeste
Octet reveals that there is much more to the melody than
the few bars usually heard – these days often in comic
situations. Tobiani was born in Hamburg, but his family
took him from Germany to the USA while he was still a child.
He studied the violin and seems to have worked extensively
in American theatres in Philadelphia, producing over 4,500
arrangements as well as his own compositions. On the original
sheet music of "Hearts and Flowers", the composer
was listed as ‘Theo. M. Tobani’.
John Ansell (1874-1948) was at one time assistant conductor
of the BBC Symphony Orchestra, and he was also frequently
employed in London theatres. His Windjammer Overture
was just one of his several popular works into which he
wove familiar melodies associated with seafarers. He has
already been represented on Guild CDs with Plymouth Hoe
(GLCD5106) and Overture To An Irish Comedy (GLCD5107).
Carl Robrecht (1888-1961) is still remembered for his pseudo-oriental
novelty Samum, even today often performed by brass
bands. The Henry Hall version was included on Guild GLCD5106
and this time we feature another of his pieces in similar
vein, Fata Morgana, although it has largely been
forgotten and lacks the obvious comic appeal of Samum.
Nevertheless it deserves to be heard again, and one wonders
how many other similar works still await rediscovery. Robrecht
appears to have been highly regarded in hotel band circles
in Berlin between the wars, and there is reference to him
using the pseudonym ‘Robby Reight’.
Eduard Künneke (1885-1953) was already respected in
Germany as a composer of operas and operettas (a musical
form that has virtually vanished today) with his works being
performed in London – one such example was "Love’s
Awakening" in 1922 at the Empire Theatre. He visited
America in 1925/26 and developed an interest in jazz styles
through meeting Paul Whiteman, who did so much to popularise
the works of the young George Gershwin. The influences are
certainly apparent in his Dance Suite. There is some
resemblance to the experience of Eric Coates in England;
both composers appear to have been unafraid to incorporate
some modern jazz styles into their traditional light music.
Today these sounds may appear dated, but this can be attributed
to the fact that jazz has always been a developing form
of music; what is in-style today, is definitely passé
tomorrow. Perhaps more surprising is the fact that Künneke
should have been able to conduct an orchestra as prestigious
as the Berlin Philharmonic in this recording from 1938,
at a time when the history books tell us that the political
establishment in Germany did not approve of the influence
of American styles in music. The Overture to his
Tänzerische Suite (Dance Suite) was included
on Guild GLCD5106, which prompted several requests for more
from this work. As a result the movement entitled Blues
(which succeeds as a stand-alone piece) was featured on
GLCD5134. The complete work includes five movements (Intermezzo
and Valse contain themes also included in the
three others now available on Guild), and this time we close
this collection with the exciting Finale – Foxtrot.
So far these notes have concentrated on some of the composers
featured in this collection, but many of the orchestras
and their conductors deserve their share of the praise for
these fine performances.
British bandleader Jack Payne (1899-1969) started appearing
on BBC radio in the mid-1920s and in 1928 he became its
Director of Dance Music. After four years with the BBC he
decided to leave, and concentrated on working on the hotel
circuit, in addition to appearing in the film "Say
It With Music" named after his signature tune. He made
numerous recordings, and became the first British bandleader
in late 1939 to perform for the troops in France. He returned
to the BBC in 1941, resuming his previously-held position
supervising dance music for five years. Later he worked
as a disc jockey, and briefly returned to the conductor’s
podium in 1958 for an HMV LP of orchestral music. I'm
In The Mood For Love from this album is on Guild GLCD
5155.
In the middle years of the 20th century Louis
Levy (1893-1957) would have been known to cinemagoers around
the world – provided they paid attention to the credits.
He was listed as Musical Director on countless British films,
and he led a team of fine composers and arrangers that helped
to establish film scoring as an important craft in its own
right. As head of a music department servicing both Gaumont
British and Gainsborough films, Levy was one of the most
influential figures in British film music in the 1930s and
1940s. His success in films resulted in major record contracts
for HMV, Columbia and Decca, and he became a regular broadcaster.
Through the sheer necessity of having to produce so much
music, Levy wisely employed several talented arrangers who
helped to establish his style, among them Peter Yorke (1902-1966)
who later adapted the powerful Levy sound for his own successful
post-war concert orchestra.
Marek Weber (1888-1964) was born in the Ukraine, developing
his career mainly in Germany, then moving on to London to
escape the Nazis, before living briefly in Switzerland then
emigrating in 1937 to the USA. A prolific recording artist
in the early 1930s, his orchestra tended to specialise in
show selections and novelty pieces — The Nightingale’s
Morning Greeting on Guild GLCD5106 and Squirrel Dance
on GLCD 5116 being two examples. Forest Idyll continues
the theme, and the clarity in this 1932 recording is quite
remarkable.
‘Clarity’ is also a most appropriate adjective
to describe Dancing Tambourine. Strictly speaking,
it should be placed in a collection of 1920s recordings,
but this novelty number remained very popular throughout
the 1930s and was still a favourite in the late 1940s when
Morton Gould (1913-1996) arranged it for the symphony-size
Robin Hood Dell Orchestra, thereby transforming a relatively
minor work into an enduring light orchestral favourite.
Gould’s version is on Guild GLCD5102, but the Jack
Hylton recording here was made soon after the work was published.
Jack Hylton (1892-1965) fronted one of the most successful
British Dance Bands, making hit records for HMV and Decca
during two decades. Later he became a successful impresario
working in the theatre and commercial television. At the
time Dancing Tambourine was recorded (16 September
1927) his arranger was Leighton Lucas, and other famous
musicians in the band included Jack Jackson, Lew Davis,
E.O. Pogson, Billy Ternent and violinists Hugo Rignold and
Harry Berly.
Another dance band ‘great’ was Benjamin Baruch
Ambrose (1896-1971) – known as Bert Ambrose or, more
usually, just Ambrose. He always surrounded himself with
the best musicians, and in Sid Phillips (1907-1973) he had
not only a top clarinet player, but also a gifted arranger
and composer, as evidenced by Escapada.
Knave Of Diamonds features a virtuoso performance
by pianist Louis Mordish, but it did not appeal to the writer
in the April 1934 issue of The Gramophone. Reviewing Regal
Zonophone MR 1240, "Peppering" said: "Rustle
Of Spring and Knave of Diamonds is a great
disappointment. Sinding’s Rustle of Spring is
not suited to a large orchestra of this kind and the pianist
in Knave of Diamonds makes his piano sound exactly
like a pianola of the worst type. I hereby register my strong
disapproval." Maybe "Peppering" needed to
change the needle in his soundbox! Those involved must have
been most upset: Louis Mordish (1908-1996) was a distinguished
cinema organist, pianist, Musical Director and prolific
composer. Although he played piano in many different ensembles
during his long career, radio listeners in Britain will
recall broadcasts by Louis Mordish and his Players for programmes
such as "Morning Music" and "Music While
You Work". He was also heard regularly on the cinema
organ and continued to give occasional recitals until shortly
before he died. Russian-born Joseph Muscant (1899-1983)
is credited with making the Commodore Grand Orchestra into
one of the finest ensembles playing light music at that
time. It was formed when the Hammersmith cinema opened on
14 September 1929, and soon became popular throughout Britain
thanks to its regular BBC radio broadcasts. In case you
are wondering about Rustle Of Spring, it has already
been included on Guild GLCD5122.
Our final comments concern Court Ball Dances from
1931 featuring the Orchestra Mascotte. It is worth while
listening carefully to this amazing performance because
of the number of different instruments heard. Clearly some
of the musicians must have been proficient on more than
one instrument, but who exactly were they? ‘Orchestra
Mascotte’ is a name coined by Parlophone records in
Britain, Australia and New Zealand for a talented ensemble
originally based in Vienna known as the Wiener Boheme-Orchester.
This is the name on the labels of their Odéon 78s
issued in Austria, Germany and Switzerland, while in France
and Belgium they were called Le Grand Orchestre Bohémien
(or Le Grand Orchestre Bohémien de Vienne). In Italy
they became Orchestra Tipica Viennese on Odéon and
Parlophone, while in Spain and Argentina their assumed identity
was Orquesta Los Bohemios Vieneses on Odéon and EMI
discs. In the Netherlands their Odéon 78s were credited
as Wiener Walzer Orkest, and on the other side of the world
in Japan they were released on Maniac and Nihon-Columbia
as Vienna Boheme-Orchestra. With such confusion over its
name, it is hardly surprising that the conductors were also
rather shadowy figures. However there is no doubt that Dajos
Bela (1897-1978) and Otto Dobrindt (1886-1963) played important
roles, although it seems that the various names used for
the original orchestra were possibly later adopted by record
companies for other ensembles. Such is the delight –
and frustration – of record collecting!
David Ades
 GUILD
LIGHT MUSIC GLCD5159
More Strings In Stereo
1 Cross Country Tour (Anthony Tamburello, arr, Bruce Campbell)
ROBERT FARNON AND HIS ORCHESTRA (LP label credits ‘Everest
Concert Orchestra Conducted by Derek Boulton’)
Everest SDBR 1018 1958
2 Chansonette (William Hill-Bowen)
THE MELACHRINO STRINGS Conducted by GEORGE MELACHRINO
RCA Camden CAS 10173 1958
3 Polka Dots And Moonbeams (Johnny Burke, Jimmy Van Heusen,
arr. Nelson Riddle)
NELSON RIDDLE AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Capitol ST 915 1958
4 Rotten Row (Angela Morley)
ANGELA MORLEY AND HER ORCHESTRA (as ‘WALLY STOTT’
on LP label)
Philips SBBL 501 1958
5 Stay With The Happy People; Violins From Nowhere (Bob
Hilliard, Jule Styne, Sammy Fain, Herbert Magidson –
arr. Robert Farnon)
ROBERT FARNON AND HIS ORCHESTRA (LP label credits ‘Jack
Saunders Orchestra’)
Everest SDBR 1011 1958
6 Estrellita (Manuel M. Ponce, arr. Ralph Sterling)
PIERRE CHALLET AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Mercury SR 60066 1958
7 March Of The Toys (from "Babes In Toyland")
(Victor Herbert, arr. Percy Faith)
PERCY FAITH AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Columbia C2S 801 1958
8 By The Sleepy Lagoon (Eric Coates)
LONDON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA Conducted by Sir CHARLES MACKERRAS
Columbia BTD 705 1956
9 Moonlight In Vermont (Karl Suessdorf, John Blackburn)
HAL MOONEY AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Mercury SR 60073 1958
10 High Noon (Dimitri Tiomkin, Ned Washington)
BILLY VAUGHN AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Dot DLP 25119 1958
Music from the film "Windjammer" (Morton Gould)
11 Windjammer Theme
12 Night Watch
MORTON GOULD AND HIS ORCHESTRA
RCA LSC 2232 1958
13 India Countryside (from "Around The World In Eighty
Days") (Victor Young)
THE CINEMA SOUND STAGE ORCHESTRA
Stereo Fidelity SF-2800 1958
14 Allez-Vous-En (from "Can-Can") (Cole Porter)
WARREN BARKER AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Warner Bros. WB 1218 1958
15 Beachcomber (Joseph F. Kuhn)
THE RIO CARNIVAL ORCHESTRA
Stereo Fidelity SF-5900 1958
16 I Cover The Waterfront (Edward Heyman, Johnny W. Green,
arr. Conrad Salinger)
THE CONRAD SALINGER ORCHESTRA Conducted by BUDDY BREGMAN
Verve MG VS-6012 1958
17 Let’s Face The Music And Dance; Say It Isn’t
So (Irving Berlin)
FRANK DE VOL AND HIS ORCHESTRA
CBS ASF 1009 1958
18 Harem Silks From Bombay (Les Baxter)
LES BAXTER AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Capitol ST 868 1958
19 Wonderful One (Paul Whiteman, Ferde Grofé)
CLEBANOFF STRINGS
Mercury SR 60005 1958
20 Moon Over Montevideo (Roy J. Straigis)
THE RIO CARNIVAL ORCHESTRA
Stereo Fidelity SF-1900 1958
21 A Nightingale Sang In Berkeley Square (Eric Maschwitz,
Manning Sherwin, arr. Angela Morley)
ANGELA MORLEY AND HER ORCHESTRA [as ‘WALLY STOTT’
on LP label]
Philips SBBL 501 1958
22 Happy Talk (from "South Pacific") (Richard
Rodgers, arr. Percy Faith)
PERCY FAITH AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Columbia CS 8005 1958
23 Let’s Fall In Love (Harold Arlen, Ted Kochler, arr.
Conrad Salinger)
THE CONRAD SALINGER ORCHESTRA Conducted by BUDDY BREGMAN
Verve MG VS-6012 1958
24 The Ski Song – Slalom (Leon Pober)
DAVID CARROLL AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Mercury MVS2-19 (Stereo Tape) 1958
25 After The Ball (Charles Kassel Harris)
THE GASLIGHT ORCHESTRA
Somerset SF 3400 1958
All tracks Stereo
As demonstrated in Guild Music’s earlier collection
"Strings And Things Go Stereo!" (GLCD 5153), the
arrival of stereo on the music scene was of particular benefit
to orchestral recordings. Some delicate passages by quieter
instruments, previously often ‘lost’ in the general
mêlée of mono sound, suddenly became audible,
and music lovers discovered that some of their favourite
works acquired interesting new features when re-recorded
in stereo.
Our opening track demonstrates how many different talents
are often combined to create enjoyable music – in this
case composer, arranger and conductor. The first two are
‘backroom boys’, little known outside the music
business, whereas the conductor Robert Farnon (1917-2005)
gained an international reputation through his own melodic
compositions and his association with leading international
stars such as Tony Bennett, Lena Horne and George Shearing.
When Tony Tamburello died in September 1992 at the age
of 72 a short report on his passing in the New York Times
described him as a pianist and vocal coach. But he also
loved to compose, although he lacked the expertise to arrange
for a full orchestra. An ideal choice for this work was
Bruce Campbell, one of several writers who owed much to
his association with Robert Farnon. He was a fellow Canadian,
who came to Britain some years before Farnon, and played
trombone with various British bands during the 1930s. Towards
the end of the 1940s Campbell realised that he possessed
some skills as a composer, and Farnon encouraged him and
provided some valuable guidance. The fruits of this meeting
of talents have already been experienced on Guild CDs in
titles such as Cloudland (GLCD5145), Windy Corner
(GLCD5150) and Skippy (GLCD5125).
William Hill-Bowen (1918-1964) was George Melachrino’s
right-hand man in the years immediately following World
War 2, often appearing on piano but, perhaps, more importantly
as a brilliant arranger who managed to recreate his master’s
famous style to perfection. He was also a talented composer,
and occasionally had the opportunity to showcase his own
creations, such as Chansonette.
Nelson Riddle (1921-1985) was a trombonist who turned to
arranging and conducting – with spectacular results.
His work with the likes of Frank Sinatra, Nat ‘King’
Cole, Dean Martin, Judy Garland and Peggy Lee possibly prevented
him from fully realising what could have been a highly successful
career making instrumental albums on his own. His arrangement
of Polka Dots And Moonbeams comes from his first
stereo album for Capitol.
Angela Morley (1924-2009) was regarded as one of the finest
arrangers and film composers in recent years. In her later
career she worked on several big budget movies - one example
is the "Star Wars" series assisting John Williams,
and it has been said that the final nine minutes of music
in the film "ET" was entirely her brilliant orchestration.
She also contributed scores to prestigious TV shows such
as "Dallas" and "Dynasty". In the 1950s
she made numerous recordings under her former name, Wally
Stott, also providing the priceless musical backings for
BBC Radio’s "The Goon Show". Her composition
Rotten Row first saw light of day as one of a series
of "Zoo Cues" for her publisher Chappell &
Co purely for background use. When she recorded the "London"
album for Philips she expanded it into a full-length work,
and it has eventually become one of her most requested works.
Later in this collection A Nightingale Sang In Berkeley
Square is a superb example of Angela Morley’s genius
as an arranger of popular songs.
Stay With The Happy People and Violins From Nowhere
is another track taken from the recording sessions at Walthamstow
Town Hall in London, first featured in Guild’s "Strings
And Things Go Stereo" collection (GLCD 5153). At the
behest of Elizabeth Taylor, this involved an album of melodies
associated with shows and films produced by her late husband,
Mike Todd. Robert Farnon (1917-2005) was engaged to arrange
and conduct his orchestra, although his name could not appear
on the album for contractual reasons. Farnon’s colleague
from wartime days in the Canadian Band of the AEF, Gary
Hughes, assisted with some of the scoring.
Percy Faith (1908-1976) was born in Toronto, Canada, and
originally he expected that his musical career would be
as a concert pianist. But he injured his hands in a fire,
which forced him to turn to composing, arranging and conducting.
During the 1930s his programme "Music By Faith"
was carried by the Mutual network in the USA, which prompted
offers of work south of the border. He eventually succumbed
in 1940, leaving Robert Farnon (previously his lead trumpeter)
to conduct his Canadian orchestra. Unlike most of his contemporaries,
Faith arranged all his own material, and his exciting and
vibrant scores made his work stand out among the rest.
Eric Coates (1886-1957) has written so many popular pieces,
but one of the best-known has to be By The Sleepy Lagoon,
which is still used today as the signature tune for the
BBC radio series "Desert Island Discs". It first
appeared in stereo in the mid-1950s, in a collection of
Coates’ music recorded by Charles (later Sir Charles)
Mackerras (b. 1925) with the London Symphony Orchestra.
The film "Windjammer", premiered in 1958, was
the story of an actual voyage by the Norwegian sail training
ship ‘Christian Radich’. It was the first and
only film to be shot in the Cinemiracle process, including
a 7-track stereophonic soundtrack which was certainly ahead
of its time (two-track stereo LPs only started to appear
for domestic use in 1957). Such a prestigious production
required a suitably important composer to create the music
score. Morton Gould (1913-1996) was an ideal choice: as
well as the main theme we hear the atmospheric Night
Watch he wrote to accompany scenes during the long lonely
hours of darkness.
Warren Barker (1923-2006) had a career firmly rooted in
the film, radio and television studios around Hollywood,
and in the 1950s he was a musical director at Warner Bros
Records. He also worked on many popular TV series such as
"Hawaiian Eye", "Bewitched" and "Daktari".
Barker has also been associated with the 20th Century Fox,
Columbia and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studios as composer/conductor
for motion pictures and television and in 1969 was on the
arranging staff for the Oscar-winning film "Hello Dolly".
The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences honoured
him in 1970 for his original music in the award-winning
series "My World And Welcome To It", based on
the life of James Thurber.
In Guild’s "Strings And Things Go Stereo"
collection we profiled one of Hollywood’s great arrangers,
Conrad Salinger (1901-1961). Buddy Bregman (b. 1930) A&R
Manager of the fledgling Verve Records label took his orchestra
into Studio A at Capitol Records on 20 & 21 March 1957
and conducted an album honouring Salinger. Such was Bregman’s
esteem for him that he retitled his orchestra ‘The
Conrad Salinger Orchestra Conducted by Buddy Bregman’
for the LP "Conrad Salinger – A Lovely Afternoon".
For these sessions Salinger recreated some of his memorable
scores first heard in movies, and this time we enjoy again
I Cover The Waterfront and Let’s Fall In
Love.
In the USA Frank De Vol (1911-1999) is known primarily
as the composer for the radio and TV series "The Brady
Bunch", but light music fans appreciate that his career
has been far more substantial. It was not uncommon to see
the credit ‘Music by De Vol’ on many films. Frank
also appeared as a character actor in several US television
series, such as "I Dream of Jeannie", "Bonanza" and "Petticoat
Junction".
Texas born Les Baxter (1922-1996) decided to abandon a
career as a concert pianist, and chose to concentrate on
popular music. He played the tenor sax and is reported to
have been influenced by Coleman Hawkins and the Duke Ellington
Band. At the age of 23 he joined Mel Tormé’s
Meltones and recorded with Artie Shaw, but his heart was
set on arranging. As his career progressed he worked for
Capitol and RCA, and two of his early hits were Unchained
Melody and Quiet Village, which was a track on
his memorable LP "Le Sacre Du Sauvage". Thereafter
he tended to be asked to record more pieces with an ‘exotic’
appeal, and stereo certainly allowed him to experiment with
different instruments, especially the percussion family.
Tahiti – A Summer Night At Sea was featured
on Guild GLCD 5153, and from the same 1958 collection comes
Harem Silks From Bombay.
Chicago born Herman Clebanoff (1917-2004) joined Mercury
Records in the mid-1950s, and went on to conduct around
fifteen instrumental albums for the label.
David Carroll (b. 1913) was musical director of
Mercury Records from 1951 to the early 1960s, during which
time he accompanied many of the label’s contract singers
as well as making some instrumental recordings of his own.
Several of his LPs had a ‘dance’ theme, often
including his own compositions, and he employed the cream
of Chicago’s session musicians. Some people regard
him as one of the pioneers of exploiting stereo sound to
enhance his orchestral scores; you can judge for yourself
when listening to The Ski Song.
Though Come Home, Father may have been one of the
first of the true American tear jerkers, it was After
The Ball and Charles K. Harris that set the stage for
the modern era of popular songs about sadness. After
the Ball captured the imagination of the American public,
and that of the rest of the world too with this sad story
of a man who mistakes a brother's kiss on his lover for
that of another suitor. He rejects her and never sees her
again without the benefit of confronting her about it. The
result is a lifetime of lost love only to find on her death
that it was her brother. Charles Kassell Harris was born
in 1867 in Poughkipsie, New York and died in New York City
in 1930. He lived for many years in Milwaukee and published
many of his early songs there. After The Ball is
generally considered to be the watershed song that started
the popular song industry in earnest as a commercial juggernaut.
Though Harris wrote many songs over the years, none ever
rose to the level of popularity as After The Ball.
This version is played by ‘The Gaslight Orchestra’
– an unidentified ensemble which could be conducted
by Joseph F. Kuhn, since he was Musical Director of the
Somerset label at the time of the recording.
All the composers, arrangers and conductors featured in
this collection deserve to have their careers profiled in
considerable detail, but sadly lack of space prevents this
on every occasion that they appear in this series. Many
have already been (or are likely to be in the future) given
a fair share of the limelight, and if you have internet
access you can read the full booklet notes for all previous
releases on the Guild Music website: www.guildmusic.com
David Ades
 GUILD
LIGHT MUSIC GLCD5160
Light And Lively
1 Derby Day (Robert Farnon)
DANISH STATE RADIO ORCHESTRA Conducted by ROBERT FARNON
(MELODI LIGHT ORCHESTRA Conducted by OLE JENSEN on 78
label)
Chappell C 464 1954
2 Le Bal De Madame De Mortemouille (Madame De Mortemouille’s
Ball) (Gérard Calvi, real name Grégoire
Elie Krettly)
GÉRARD CALVI AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Pye NPL 28003 1958
3 Caribbean Night (Noche Caribe) (from "Starlift")
(Percy Faith)
PERCY FAITH AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Royale VLP 600 1954 (Recorded by Majestic in 1947 but not
issued)
4 The Boy On The Carousel (Helmut Zacharias)
HELMUT ZACHARIAS AND HIS MAGIC VIOLINS
Polydor LPHM 46091 1958
5 Whimsy (Jose Fontaine)
GUY LUYPAERTS AND HIS ORCHESTRA (as ‘GUY LUPAR’
on LP label)
RCA Victor LPM 3254 1955
6 Spindrift (Eugene Cines)
AMSTERDAM SYMPHONIC ORCHESTRA Conducted by TOM VAN ELST
Melodisc 1289 1954
7 Theme from "Studio X" (Joe Leahy)
JOE LEAHY AND HIS ORCHESTRA
W & G WG-SPN 280 1957
8 Golden Strings (Francois J.M. Charpin)
FLORIAN ZaBACH, HIS VIOLIN AND ORCHESTRA
Mercury MEP 9531 1958
9 Everything I Love (Cole Porter)
RICHARD HAYMAN AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Mercury MG 20184 1956
10 Miss Universe (Angela Morley, as Walter Stott)
THE TELECAST ORCHESTRA Conducted by ELLIOTT MAYES
Chappell C 588 1957
11 Falling Star (Michael Carr)
CYRIL ORNADEL AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Oriole CB 1344 1956
12 Strings On Wings (Ken Morris, real name Ken Mackintosh)
DANISH STATE RADIO ORCHESTRA conducted by ROBERT FARNON
(78 label states ‘Queen’s Hall Light Orchestra
Conducted by David King’)
Chappell C 392 1950
13 Rainbow’s End (Leon Pober)
LOU BUSCH AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Capitol 45-CL 14504 1956
14 Smile Of A Latin (Trevor Duncan, real name Leonard
Charles Trebilco)
FRANK CHACKSFIELD AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Decca 45-F 11052 1958
15 La Grenouille (Francois Lemarque)
BORIS SARBEK AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Epic LN 3317 1956
16 Reno Runaway (Billy Mayerl)
THE NEW CENTURY ORCHESTRA Conducted by ERICH BÖRSCHEL
Francis, Day & Hunter FDH 193 1958
17 Proud As A Peacock (Eric Spear)
ERIC SPEAR AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Oriole 45-1439 1958
18 Stars Shine In Your Eyes (from "La Strada")
(Nino Rota)
DAVID ROSE AND HIS ORCHESTRA
MGM 848 1955
19 Leprechauns’ Dance (David Curry)
THE CRAWFORD LIGHT ORCHESTRA
Josef Weinberger Theme Music JW 126-B 1957
20 Everyday (Jacobson)
ACQUAVIVA AND HIS ORCHESTRA
MGM E 3696 1958
21 Piccadilly Playboy (George Elliott)
THE SYMPHONIA ORCHESTRA Conducted by CURT ANDERSEN
Charles Brull/Harmonic CBL 425-B 1958
22 I’ve Got The World On A String (Ted Koehler, Harold
Arlen, arr. Tony Osborne)
TONY OSBORNE AND HIS ORCHESTRA, featuring TONY OSBORNE,
piano
RCA Camden CDN-104 1958
23 Chatter Box (Guy Luypaerts)
GUY LUYPAERTS AND HIS ORCHESTRA (as ‘GUY LUPAR’
on LP label)
RCA Victor LP 3254 1955
24 Silhouettes In The Sand (Davis)
RAY MARTIN AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Polydor 46076 LPHM 1958
25 Monica (Peter Yorke)
THE CONNAUGHT LIGHT ORCHESTRA
Conroy BM 148-B 1958
26 Smart Set (Len Stevens)
GROSVENOR STUDIO ORCHESTRA Conducted by DOLF VAN DER LINDEN
Synchro FM 197 1958
27 Rhapsody In Red (Frank Cordell)
FRANK CORDELL AND HIS ORCHESTRA
HMV B10909 1955
28 On The Fiddle (Al Golding)
SIDNEY TORCH AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Lang-Worth PC 134B 1952
29 African Moon (Robert Stolz)
THE TELECAST ORCHESTRA Conducted by ROBERT FARNON
Chappell C 616 1958
30 Peanut Polka (Robert Farnon)
MISHEL PIASTRO AND HIS CONCERT ORCHESTRA
Decca DL 8573 1957
Mono
There’s no denying the fact that many of the pieces
in this collection are lively, but some are simply light
– even restful – providing a necessary contrast
to enhance the overall enjoyment of the music.
The opening and closing tracks reveal Robert Farnon (1917-2005)
in his prime. Derby Day proved to be an instant success
when first heard in 1954, almost a decade after Peanut
Polka achieved similar popularity in the 1940s. Farnon
originally called it Popcorn Polka, but that particularly
north-American delicacy was then unknown in Britain. His
publishers wisely decided upon the change, although it is
such a catchy number that it may well have become just as
popular whatever the title. Farnon’s own recording
has been widely available for over fifty years, so on this
occasion Guild has selected a lesser-known version by Russian-born
Mishel Piastro (1891-1970) and his Concert Orchestra. The
composer was delighted with this spirited rendition by an
orchestra popular in the USA.
Gérard Calvi (real name Grégoire Elie Krettly,
born 1922) created the music score for many European films
(notably the "Asterix" movies), but he was also
a prolific writer of popular songs – over 300 in total.
Probably his most successful composition internationally
was One Of Those Songs - thanks to Will Holt adding
the English lyric to his catchy orchestral piece in this
collection called Le Bal de Madame de Mortemouille.
Percy Faith’s (1908-1976) Caribbean Night comes
from a lightweight 1951 Warner Bros film "Starlift",
which harked back to Second World War morale-boosting movies,
but this time centred on the Korean war. The weak plot involved
troops meeting many of Warner’s contact stars playing
themselves, notably Doris Day and Gordon MacRae.
The famous German violinist Helmut Zacharias (1920-2002)
is featured as both composer and performer in The Boy
On The Carousel. He rose to prominence in the 1950s
when the American Forces Network in Frankfurt described
him as ‘the best jazz violinist in the world’
– helping him to become one of Polydor’s best-selling
artists. During his long career he composed over 400 works
and his album sales exceeded 13 million.
Guy Luypaerts (b. 1917) worked with Edith Piaf (he arranged
her 1946 world-wide hit "La Vie En Rose"), Georges
Guetary, Yves Montand and most notably with Charles Trénet.
Guild has previously included his imaginative sounds in
the Cole Porter tribute (GLCD 5127) and conducting quirky
cameos such as The Sleepwalker of Amsterdam (GLCD
5131) and Masquerade In Madrid (GLCD 5132). This
time he conducts two pieces under his pseudonym ‘Guy
Lupar’: Jose Fontaine’s catchy Whimsy,
and his own composition Chatter Box.
Eugene Cines, the American composer of Spindrift,
was a prolific contributor to several mood music libraries,
with his total output of published works well in excess
of 400.
"Music from Studio X" was a radio programme on
the Mutual Broadcasting Network in New York which ran from
1956 until 1959. The lush theme music was composed by trumpeter
Joseph J. Leahy, born in Boston, who honed his musical skills
in the bands of Les Brown, Charlie Barnet and Artie Shaw,
before becoming known in his own right as a bandleader,
arranger, conductor and record producer.
Florian ZaBach (1918-2006) was an American violinist and
conductor who became a well-known television personality
in post-war years. He appeared on many top shows from New
York, including Ed Sullivan, Arthur Godfrey, Milton Berle,
Red Skelton and Steve Allen, before moving to Hollywood
to film the weekly "Florian ZaBach Show".
Richard Hayman (b. 1920) started as a professional musician
at the age of 18 as a harmonica player, but he wisely decided
to concentrate more on arranging and conducting. He worked
on the MGM musical "Meet Me In St. Louis" and
was put under contract by Mercury Records in 1950. He also
arranged for the Boston Pops, serving as back-up conductor
for Arthur Fiedler.
During the 1950s Angela Morley (1924-2009, at the time
working as ‘Wally Stott’) composed many light
pieces for Chappell & Co., the leading London publishers
of background music. Miss Universe is typical of
the bright, tuneful pieces that became her trademark.
Falling Star is a rare early recording by Cyril
Ornadel (b. 1924) who became well-known in Britain as conductor
of the orchestra for the popular television series "Sunday
Night at the London Palladium". He was MD for numerous
top musicals in London’s West End, and his composing
credits include the hit show "Pickwick" and the
song Portrait of my Love which gave Matt Monro an
international hit. Later he made many fine orchestral albums
with his ‘Starlight Symphony’.
Kenneth Victor (Ken) Mackintosh (1919-2005) was a popular
British saxophonist and bandleader from the 1950s to the
1970s. He chose the pseudonym ‘Ken Morris’ when
he composed Strings On Wings which reveals a talent
that one wishes might have been more fully employed in the
fields of light music. He also used the pseudonym ‘Andy
Burton’ for his most successful composition The
Creep. His band appeared in the 1955 Diana Dors film
musical "An Alligator Named Daisy". When Chappells
recorded Strings On Wings it was at the start of
the long Musicians’ Union ban, forcing mood music publishers
to employ orchestras elsewhere in Europe. Chappells had
already established ‘The Queen’s Hall Light Orchestra’
as a highly respected name in light music circles, so it
is understandable that they were unwilling to discard it.
However they had to protect Robert Farnon’s involvement,
so he became ‘David King’. Soon afterwards Chappell
decided that their recordings made in Copenhagen by the
Danish State Radio Orchestra would be under the name ‘The
Melodi Light Orchestra Conducted by Ole Jensen’, and
it wasn’t long before ‘The Telecast Orchestra’
also appeared on the scene serving the same purpose.
Leon Pober (1920-1971) composed the music for the 1960
musical "Beg, Borrow or Steal". His published
works exceed 150, and his tunes still crop up in films today,
such as "The Fabulous Baker Boys" (1989) and "Meet
The Parents" (2000). He must have been delighted when
Lou Busch chose Rainbow’s End as the ‘B’
side for his big hit Zambezi.
Trevor Duncan (real name Leonard CharlesTrebilco, 1924-2005)
came to the attention of light music fans with one of his
first compositions, High Heels (on Guild GLCD 5124).
Eventually his successful and prolific output mushroomed
to such an extent that he had to find several different
publishers simply because he was writing too much for just
one to handle. His works have already appeared on several
Guild Light Music CDs, and he was the featured composer
in "Hall Of Fame Volume 2" (GLCD 5124). Smile
Of A Latin was given a bright treatment by the Frank
Chacksfield Orchestra in 1958, surprisingly a year before
it was offered as a piece of library music by the publishers
Charles Brull.
Boris Sarbek (born Boris Saarbecoof, d. 1966) emigrated
from Russia to live in France, where his orchestra performed
a wide repertoire of popular music. When playing Latin American
music he used the pseudonym ‘Oswaldo Berkas’ –
the surname being an anagram of ‘Sarbek’.
Billy Joseph Mayerl (1902-1959) was already universally
famous for his piano playing, before attractive pieces of
light orchestral music started to appear in background music
libraries. Busybody on Guild GLCD 5150) and Mediterranean
Cruise (GLCD 5151) are now joined by Reno Runaway.
Cecil Milner was among several arrangers who worked on Mayerl’s
melodies, and it is just possible that he may have created
the attractive score for this piece.
Eric Spear (1908-1966) will forever be associated with
the theme for the TV series "Coronation Street",
but this was only one of many light music works he composed.
Midnight Blue, on a Ron Goodwin (1925-2003) 78, was
included on Guild GLCD 5111, but on this occasion Eric is
conducting his own ensemble in Proud As Peacock,
on an early 45 from the small British label Oriole.
Stars Shine In Your Eyes from "La Strada"
was one of the top songs of the 1950s, and the version on
this CD combines the talents of two ‘greats’.
London-born David Rose (1910-1990) fronted one of the top
light orchestras in the USA for three decades, and his own
compositions such as Holiday For Strings (on Guild
GLCD 5120) became known throughout the world. Nino Rota
(1911-1979) provided the music score for some of the most
memorable Italian films of the last century, his score for
"La Strada" being one of the finest.
David Curry was known in Britain as conductor of the BBC
Northern Ireland Light Orchestra, a position he held following
its formation in 1949 until he retired in 1965. At one time
he was said to be the only Irishman in the orchestra, but
the standard of playing quickly improved under his guidance.
His own composition Leprechauns’ Dance charmingly
blends top quality light music with the atmosphere of so
many traditional Irish airs.
The American composer and conductor Nick (Nicholas Paul)
Acquaviva (1925-1998) -although not a frequent visitor to
the recording studios, gained recognition in the USA through
his involvement with the Symphony of the Air orchestra and
as conductor of the 135-strong New York ‘Pops’
Symphony Orchestra which promoted new works by young composers.
Tony Osborne (Edward Benjamin Osborne, 1922-2009) became
a familiar name in post-war Britain due to his broadcasts
and recordings. He had played piano with many top orchestras
before embarking on his own career, which resulted in work
with international record companies like RCA, who commissioned
I’ve Got The World On A String.
Ray Martin (1918-1988) had left EMI’s Columbia label
by the time he recorded an LP called "Ray Martin’s
Mixed Grill" for Polydor. But the distinctive string
sound that had made him famous was still there, even if
he was starting to respond to the demands from record company
executives to mould his style in response to the changes
affecting so much of the popular music business. From this
LP Guild has previously featured Carriage For Marriage
(GLCD5156) and now it is the turn of Silhouettes In The
Sand.
Peter Yorke (1902-1966), the composer of Monica,
is a regular contributor to this series of CDs, as composer,
arranger and conductor. After an apprenticeship served in
British Dance Bands of the 1920s and 1930s, he graduated
to arranging for Louis Levy before eventually forming his
own concert orchestra for recording and broadcasting.
Dolf van der Linden (real name David Gysbert van der Linden,
1915-1999) was the leading figure on the light music scene
in the Netherlands from the 1940s until the 1980s. As well
as broadcasting frequently with his Metropole Orchestra,
he made numerous recordings for the background music libraries
of major music publishers. On this CD his orchestra performs
Smart Set for the Synchro Music Library, which was
a relative latecomer among the leading London publishers
of the 1950s. The composer Len Stevens (d. 1989 -
his full name was Herbert Leonard Stevens) contributed mood
music to several different libraries, with a style that
his admirers quickly grew to recognise. Like so many of
the talented musicians employed in the business, he could
turn his hand to any kind of music that was needed, and
he was also involved in the musical theatre.
Frank Cordell (1918-1980) was a fine English composer,
arranger and conductor whose work first became noticed through
the tuneful backings he often supplied to some contract
singers on HMV singles in the 1950s. Occasionally he was
allowed his own 78s, and some were his own compositions,
such as Rhapsody In Red.
Sidney Torch (1908-1990) is well-known in Britain for his
numerous Parlophone recordings, as well as his long tenure
as conductor of the BBC Concert Orchestra in the "Friday
Night Is Music Night" BBC radio programme. In the middle
years of the last century there were several transcription
music companies providing material for radio stations across
the globe, and they commissioned recordings from many top
conductors. On Guild GLCD 5154 we have already heard Ronald
Binge’s Tales Of The Three Blind Mice from the
US Lang-Worth Library, and from the same source we now hear
Torch conducting On The Fiddle by Al Golding.
Robert Stolz (1880-1975) was an acclaimed Austrian composer,
extremely popular in his homeland until he went to Hollywood
to escape the Nazis, where he enjoyed success writing music
for films. African Moon seems to be a rare example
of one of his shorter pieces being recorded for mood music
purposes. Stolz was familiar to lovers of operetta, and
Guild GLCD5118 presented him conducting a selection of his
most enduring melodies.
David Ades
 GUILD
LIGHT MUSIC GLCD5155
Melodies For Romantics
1 I Dream Too Much (Jerome Kern)
THE MELACHRINO STRINGS Conducted by GEORGE MELACHRINO
HMV DSD 1751 1958
2 The Boy Next Door (from "Meet Me In St. Louis")
(Hugh Martin, Ralph Blane – arr. Conrad Salinger)
CONRAD SALINGER ORCHESTRA Conducted by BUDDY BREGMAN
Verve MG VS-6012 1958
3 You Stepped Out Of A Dream (Gus Kahn, Nacio Herb Brown,
arr. Frank Cordell)
FRANK CORDELL AND HIS ORCHESTRA
HMV CSD 1251 1958
4 Could It Be You (Cole Porter, arr. Robert Farnon)
ROBERT FARNON AND HIS ORCHESTRA [LP label credits ‘Jack
Saunders Orchestra’]
Everest SDBR 1011 1958
5 A Foggy Day (George Gershwin, arr. Angela Morley)
ANGELA MORLEY AND HER ORCHESTRA (as ‘WALLY STOTT’)
Philips SBBL 501 1958
6 Central Park Romance (J. George Johnson)
NEW WORLD THEATRE ORCHESTRA
Stereo Fidelity SF-3000 1957
7 The Man I Love (George Gershwin, arr. Morton Gould)
MORTON GOULD AND HIS ORCHESTRA
RCA Victor LSP 1656 1958
8 Soft Lights And Sweet Music; They Say It’s Wonderful
(Irving Berlin)
FRANK DE VOL AND HIS ORCHESTRA
CBS AFS 1010 1958
9 When I’m Not Near The Girl I Love (from "Finian’s
Rainbow") (Burton Lane, E.Y. Harburg)
WARREN BARKER AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Warner Bros. WB 1218 1958
10 Shipboard Romance (Joseph F. Kuhn)
THE RIO CARNIVAL ORCHESTRA
Stereo Fidelity SF-5900 1958
11 Enchantment (Otto Cesana)
OTTO CESANA AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Columbia CL 631 1955
12 The Night Is Young And You’re So Beautiful (Billy
Rose, Irving Kahal, Dana Suesse)
GLENN OSSER AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Kapp KL 1022 1956
13 Love Is Where You Find It (Nacio Herb Brown, Earl K.
Brent)
MICHAEL FREEDMAN AND THE DEBUTANTES
Oriole MG 20018 1957
14 Temptation (Nacio Herb Brown)
FRANK CHACKSFIELD AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Decca LK 4151 1956
15 Jealousy (Jacob Gade, arr. Sidney Torch)
SIDNEY TORCH AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Parlophone R 3114 1948
16 It Can’t Be Wrong (Max Steiner, arr. Ron Goodwin)
RON GOODWIN AND HIS CONCERT ORCHESTRA
Parlophone PMD 1038 1956
17 Yours (Quiereme Mucho) (Gonzalo Roig, Agustin Rodriguez
– arr. Mario Ruiz Armengol)
MARIO RUIZ ARMENGOL AND HIS ORCHESTRA
RCA LPM 1292 1956
18 Sur Ma Vie (In My Life) (Charles Aznavour)
BORIS SARBEK AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Epic LN 3317 1956
19 I’m In The Mood For Love (Dorothy Fields, Jimmy
McHugh)
JACK PAYNE AND HIS ORCHESTRA
HMV CLP 1160 1958
20 All I Do Is Dream Of You (Arthur Freed, Nacio Herb Brown,
arr. Ronald Binge)
RONALD BINGE AND HIS ORCHESTRA
RCA LPM 1458 1957
21 The Kiss In Your Eyes (Richard Heuberger, arr. Eric Jupp)
ERIC JUPP AND HIS ORCHESTRA featuring BILL POVEY, alto sax
Columbia 33SX 1072 1958
22 Too Marvellous For Words (Richard Whiting, Johnny Mercer)
LEROY HOLMES AND HIS ORCHESTRA
MGM E 3378 1956
23 Besame Mucho (Kiss Me A Lot) (Sunny Skylar, Consuelo
Velazquez)
DON AMORE AND HIS ORCHESTRA
RCA Custom RAL 1006 1957
24 Why Do You Pass Me By (Vous Qui Passez Sans Me Voir)
(Laurent Hess, Charles Trenet, Paul Misraki)
DAVID ROSE AND HIS ORCHESTRA
MGM E 3067 1953
25 People Will Say We’re In Love (Richard Rodgers)
GEOFF LOVE AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Columbia SX 1060 1957
26 Wedding Day (Norrie Paramor)
NORRIE PARAMOR AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Columbia DB 3443 1954
Stereo: tracks 1-10
Mono: tracks 11-26
The copyright dates after the catalogue numbers state
when the original recording was first released, according
to printed catalogues and/or information on disc labels
or sleeves.
BOOKLET NOTES
When Long Playing records really caught the public’s
attention as the 1950s wore on, many were collections of
romantic music played by light orchestras. This era was
recaptured by Guild Music in the CD "Amor Amor : Music
for Romance" GLCD 5133, and the response from collectors
has clearly indicated a desire for more. This time the selection
is even more exciting, because it has been possible to include
some recordings from the early days of stereo, which have
now fallen into the public domain. But – as always
– it is the music, not the technology, which is important,
so this varied selection also includes some fine performances
in glorious mono, which had achieved some amazing improvements
in high fidelity during the ten years from the end of the
Second World War.
George Miltiades Melachrino (1909-1965) was certainly among
the masters of lush light orchestral music. His numerous
recordings (especially LPs) sold in large numbers around
the world and, in the post-war years, he built up a thriving
entertainment organisation also involved in films, theatre
and broadcasting. EMI used his talents extensively when
stereo arrived, and our opening track I Dream Too Much
(probably arranged by his right-hand man, William Hill-Bowen
[1918-1964]) surely reveals his orchestra at its peak.
In Guild’s "Strings And Things Go Stereo"
collection (GLCD 5153) we profiled one of Hollywood’s
great arrangers, Conrad Salinger (1901-1961). Buddy Bregman
(b. 1930) A&R Manager of the fledgling Verve Records
label took his orchestra into Studio A at Capitol Records
on 20 & 21 March 1957 and conducted an album honouring
Salinger. Such was Bregman’s esteem for him that he
retitled his orchestra ‘The Conrad Salinger Orchestra
Conducted by Buddy Bregman’ for the LP "Conrad
Salinger – A Lovely Afternoon". For these sessions
Salinger recreated some of his memorable scores first heard
in movies such as "Meet Me In St Louis", from
which comes The Boy Next Door sung in the movie by
a wistful Judy Garland.
Frank Cordell (1918-1980) was a fine British composer,
arranger and conductor and a regular contributor to Guild
Light Music CDs. His work first became noticed through the
tuneful backings he often supplied to some contract singers
on HMV singles in the 1950s. Occasionally he was allowed
his own 78s, and he was also responsible for several fine
LPs which quickly became collectors’ items.
Cole Porter’s Could It Be You is another track
taken from the recording sessions at Walthamstow Town Hall
in London, first featured in Guild’s "Strings
And Things Go Stereo" collection (GLCD 5153). At the
behest of Elizabeth Taylor, this involved an album of melodies
associated with shows and films produced by her late husband,
Mike Todd. Robert Farnon (1917-2005) was engaged to arrange
and conduct his orchestra, although his name could not appear
on the album for contractual reasons. At this time Canadian-born
Farnon was much in demand for broadcasting, films and recording;
his Decca albums of the 1950s were hailed as arranging masterpieces,
and it was claimed that his ideas had influenced the top
arrangers of his generation on both sides of the Atlantic.
When Philips Records launched in Britain in 1953, Angela
Morley (1924-2009) was placed under contract to arrange
and accompany many of their stars. At the time she was working
as ‘Wally Stott’ and she was fortunate in being
given the opportunity to record many orchestral numbers,
both on singles and LPs. In 1958 an album of melodies associated
with London (from which comes A Foggy Day) received
numerous plaudits from critics and fans alike, and it is
still regarded as one of the finest musical tributes to
Britain’s capital city. Recorded at the behest of American
Columbia as part of their series of LPs featuring capital
cities, it was originally destined to be in mono. However,
Angela insisted that, as it was for America, it really had
to be in stereo, so it turned out to be the first Philips
stereo recording made in Britain and they had to hire in
the equipment to make it! Angela was also a frequent contributor
to the Chappell Recorded Music Library, with several of
her works already available for the first time on previous
Guild CDs. In her later career she has been much in demand
for film scores, and has also assisted leading composers
on major projects – working with John Williams on "Star
Wars" being a prime example. Her TV credits include
"Dallas" and "Dynasty".
Our researches have suggested that it is highly likely
that The New World Theatre Orchestra and The Rio Carnival
Orchestra may have been the same players used by the American
Miller International Company on their bargain basement priced
Essex, Somerset and Stereo Fidelity labels. The recordings
usually employed various European symphony and radio orchestras
and were linked by the name of Joseph F. Kuhn who composed,
arranged, scored or conducted most of the early ones. Doubtless
there would have been many more had it not been for his
untimely death in March 1962 at the age of 37. He was musical
director for the Miller International Co., producer of Somerset
and Stereo Fidelity record albums and was well known for
his recording work in Hollywood, the US east coast and Germany.
The composer of Central Park Romance, J. George Johnson,
is listed as having written several pieces connected with
New York, but so far his musical achievements seem to have
escaped the usual reference works.
Morton Gould (1913-1996) became one of the most highly
respected American composers, arrangers and conductors,
and his distinguished career was crowned with a Pulitzer
Prize (for his Stringmusic, commissioned by Mstislav
Rostropovich for the National Symphony Orchestra of Washington)
just a year before his death at the age of 82. Among his
best-known works were the ballet Fall River Legend
and American Symphonette No. 3, which became
better known as Pavanne (the mis-spelling was deliberate)
– a charming version by Jay Wilbur’s Serenaders
can be heard on Guild GLCD 5139. From 1986 to 1994 Gould
was President of the American Society of Composers, Authors
and Publishers (ASCAP).
In the USA Frank De Vol (1911-1999) is known primarily
as the composer for the radio and TV series "The Brady
Bunch", but light music fans appreciate that his career
has been far more substantial. It was not uncommon to see
the credit ‘Music by De Vol’ on many films, and
he started playing violin in cinema orchestras just as the
silent films era was coming to an end. In the 1950s his
own Hollywood orchestra, called "Music of the Century",
played frequently at the Hollywood Palladium. His many motion
picture scores included the following which were all nominated
for Oscars: the Doris Day/Rock Hudson comedy "Pillow Talk"
(1959), "Hush, Hush Sweet Charlotte" (1964), "Cat Ballou"
(1965), and "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner" (1967). Frank
also appeared as a character actor in several US television
series, such as "I Dream of Jeannie", "Bonanza" and "Petticoat
Junction".
Warren Barker (1923-2006) had a career firmly rooted in
the film, radio and television studios around Hollywood,
and in the 1950s he was a musical director at Warner Bros
Records. He also worked on many popular TV series such as
"Hawaiian Eye", "Bewitched" and "Daktari"
although (like so many indispensable ‘backroom boys’
in the music business) his name didn’t always appear
on the credits. Barker has also been associated with the
20th Century Fox, Columbia and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studios
as composer/conductor for motion pictures and television
and in 1969 was on the arranging staff for the Oscar-winning
film "Hello Dolly". The National Academy of Television
Arts and Sciences honoured him in 1970 for his original
music in the award-winning series "My World And Welcome
To It", based on the life of James Thurber.
All the composers, arrangers and conductors featured in
this collection deserve to have their careers profiled in
detail, but sadly lack of space prevents this. Many have
already been (or are likely on a future occasion to be)
given a fairer share of the limelight, but on this occasions
the following thumbnail sketches will have to suffice.
Italian-born Otto Cesana (1899-1980) spent much of his
career working in Hollywood radio and film studios.
Glenn (Abraham) Osser (b. 1914) was a familiar name in
the USA during the 1950s for his work on various television
shows, and he became closely associated with the "Miss
America" beauty pageants for many years.
Michael Freedman (b. 1911) broadcast fairly regularly on
the BBC with his orchestra during the 1950s, including the
lady musicians heard on this CD. For many years he played
viola in the Philharmonia Orchestra.
Frank Chacksfield (1914-1995) conducted one of the finest
light orchestras in the world, and during his long recording
career with Decca alone, it is estimated that his albums
sold more than 20 million copies. In total he made more
than 150 long-playing albums which were released in many
countries, especially in Europe, Japan and Australia as
well as Britain and America.
Sidney Torch MBE (birth surname Torchinsky, 1908-1990)
was one of Britain’s finest theatre organists during
the 1930s. Later he concentrated on composing, arranging
and conducting light music, and was closely associated with
the famous BBC Radio series "Friday Night Is Music
Night" for many years.
Ron Goodwin (1925-2003) was a brilliant composer,
arranger and conductor, much in demand for film scores and
among his best-remembered are "633 Squadron",
"Those Magnificent Men In Their Flying Machines"
and Alfred Hitchcock’s "Frenzy". In 1994
his talents were recognised when George Martin presented
him with the Ivor Novello Award for Lifetime Achievement
in Music. His big album sales also earned him gold and platinum
discs.
Don Mario Ruiz Armengol (b. 1914) has been regarded as
Mexico’s foremost arranger and conductor of popular
music, as well as one of its leading composers.
Boris Sarbek (born Boris Saarbecoof, d. 1966) emigrated
from Russia to live in France, where his orchestra performed
a wide repertoire of popular music. When playing Latin American
music he used the pseudonym ‘Oswaldo Berkas’ –
the surname being an anagram of ‘Sarbek’. Charlie
Chaplin commissioned him to record the music of his film
"A King In New York".
Jack Payne (1899-1969) fronted one of Britain’s leading
dance bands in the 1920s and 1930s. Later he worked as a
disc jockey, although he returned to the conductor’s
podium in 1958 for an HMV LP of lush orchestral music, arranged
by Dick Barrell, Brian Fahey and Tony Osborne.
Ronald Binge (1910-1979) is destined to remain forever
remembered as the gifted arranger who designed the ‘cascading
strings’ effect for Mantovani, but his true achievements
deserve far greater recognition. He was a prolific composer
in his own right - Elizabethan Serenade, The Watermill,
Miss Melanie and BBC Radio-4’s closing music Sailing
By are just four favourites. He also ventured into more
serious territory with his Saxophone Concerto in
1956, and his Saturday Symphony a decade later.
Eric Jupp (1922-2003) was well-known in Britain for his
recordings and broadcasts, before emigrating to Australia
in the 1960s where he was similarly successful – especially
for his theme for the television series "Skippy The
Bush Kangaroo".
Leroy Holmes (born Alvin Holmes, 1913-1986) scored Hollywood
films and radio programmes during his early career, before
becoming one of the mainstays of MGM’s conducting ‘team’,
also arranging many of their recordings.
Don Amore is remembered for his ‘lounge music’
in the USA, but precise details of his career are elusive.
David Rose (1910-1990) was a brilliant composer
and conductor, who will always be remembered for Holiday
For Strings (1942) and the satirical number The Stripper
(1962).
Yorkshireman Geoff Love (1917-1991) succeeded in so many
musical fields during his busy career. Internationally he
achieved success as ‘Manuel and his Music of the Mountains’
although his identity was a secret for many years.
Norman William (Norrie) Paramor (1914-1979) tended to be
better known by the public for his work with pop stars on
EMI’s Columbia label, but he also made numerous instrumental
recordings and wrote several catchy numbers that greatly
appealed – such as Wedding Day which appropriately
completes this collection.
© David Ades 2009
 GUILD
LIGHT MUSIC GLCD5156
Picking Strings
1 Vacances (Holiday Time) (Gérard Calvi)
GÉRARD CALVI AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Pye NPL 28003 1958
2 Candid Snap (Frank Chacksfield)
THE SYMPHONIA ORCHESTRA Conducted by CURT ANDERSEN
Charles Brull - Harmonic CBL 428 1958
3 Picking Strings (Ronald Hanmer)
STUTTGART RADIO ORCHESTRA Conducted by KURT REHFELD ∆
Josef Weinberger Theme Music JW 107 1957
4 Mimi (Lorenz Hart, Richard Rodgers)
ANDRE KOSTELANETZ AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Columbia CL 811 1956
5 Carriage For Marriage (Ray Martin)
RAY MARTIN AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Polydor 46076 LPHM 1958
6 Night Flight To Madrid (Kermit Leslie & Walter Leslie
real surnames Levinsky)
KERMIT LESLIE AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Epic LN 3452 1958
7 Marionette (Otto Cesana)
OTTO CESANA AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Columbia CL 631 1955
8 Beware (Escale A Victoria) (Varel, Bailly, Savoy –
arr. Frank Cordell)
FRANK CORDELL AND HIS ORCHESTRA
HMV B 10305 1952
9 Running Off The Rails (Clive Richardson)
PHILIP GREEN AND HIS ORCHESTRA
M-G-M MGM 180 1949
10 Dream Of Tomorrow (Trevor Duncan, real name Leonard
Charles Trebilco)
THE SYMPHONIA ORCHESTRA Conducted by CURT ANDERSEN
Charles Brull - Harmonic CBL 430 1958
11 A Song For Penelope (Norman Whiteley)
STUTTGART RADIO ORCHESTRA Conducted by KURT REHFELD ◊
Impress IA 194-A 1958
12 Flight By Jet (Angela Morley)
DANISH STATE RADIO ORCHESTRA Conducted by ROBERT FARNON
*
Chappell C 597 1958
13 Perpetual Emotion (from Symphony No. 5 ½ - ‘A Symphony
For Fun’) (Don Gillis)
NEW SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA OF LONDON Conducted by DON GILLIS
Decca LM 4510 1950
14 Silver Fizz (Earle H. Hagen, Herbert Spencer)
THE SPENCER-HAGEN ORCHESTRA
"X" 0147 1955
15 Fashion Promenade (Alan Perry, real name Ernest
Tomlinson)
STUTTGART RADIO ORCHESTRA Conducted by KURT REHFELD ∆
Josef Weinberger Theme Music JW 106-A 1957
16 Runaway Romance (F. Andrini, Florian ZaBach)
FLORIAN ZaBACH, HIS VIOLIN AND ORCHESTRA
Mercury MEP 9531 1958
17 Enfin Le Printemps (Finally It’s Spring) (Margueritte
Angele Monnot)
DDIE BARCLAY AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Felsted PDL 85014 1956
18 Hollywood Freeway (Norrie Paramor)
THE CONNAUGHT LIGHT ORCHESTRA
Conroy BM 146-B 1958
19 Champagne Time (George Cates)
GEORGE CATES AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Coral CRL 57220 1958
20 La Feria De Las Flores (The Flower Fair) (Chucho Monje,
arr. Mario Ruiz Armengol)
MARIO RUIZ ARMENGOL AND HIS ORCHESTRA
RCA LPM 1292 1956
21 El Cumbanchero (Rafael Hernandez)
PÉPÉ GONZALEZ AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Brunswick LAT 8128 1957
22 Swizzlesticks (Steve Kirk)
DOLF VAN DER LINDEN AND HIS ORCHESTRA (VAN LYNN on LP label)
Brunswick LAT 8165 1957
23 Busybodies (George Melachrino)
THE MELACHRINO ORCHESTRA Conducted by GEORGE MELACHRINO
EMI EP 14 1947
24 Road Show (Bob Haymes)
ACQUAVIVA AND HIS ORCHESTRA
MGM E 3696 1958
25 How High The Moon (Nancy Hamilton, Morgan Lewis)
DAVID ROSE AND HIS ORCHESTRA
MGM E 3255 1955
26 Tandem Promenade (Vic Reynaers)
THE BRUSSELS NEW CONCERT ORCHESTRA Conducted by VIC REYNAERS
Synchro FM 187 1958
27 Tom Fool (Van Phillips)
THE CONNAUGHT LIGHT ORCHESTRA
Conroy BM 106-A 1958
28 Passe Ton Chemin (Pass Your Way) (Pierre Delanoe, Gilbert
Becaud)
BORIS SARBEK AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Epic LN 3317 1956
29 Through The Town (Rythme Des Rues) (Roger Roger)
ROGER ROGER AND HIS CHAMPS ELYSEES ORCHESTRA
Chappell C 592 1957
30 The Fiddling Bullfighter (Percy Faith)
PERCY FAITH AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Columbia 4-40512 1954
∆ The 78 label credits ‘The Crawford Light Orchestra’
◊ The 78 label credits ‘The Lansdowne Light Orchestra’
* The 78 label credits ‘The Melodi Light Orchestra
Conducted by Ole Jensen’
The copyright dates after the catalogue numbers state
when the original recording was first released, according
to printed catalogues and/or information on disc labels
or sleeves.
All recordings are in Mono
BOOKLET NOTES
This collection features some 26 different orchestras and
over 30 composers all with one specific aim in mind –
to create great music with the strings to the fore. Newcomers
to the Guild Light Music series include the talented French
composer and conductor Gérard Calvi plus, from the
other side of the Atlantic, Don Gillis, Florian Zabach,
George Cates and Pépé Gonzalez (a pseudonym
for an unidentified classical conductor from South America).
The splendid original painting which graces the cover of
this CD sets the scene for two particular tracks in this
collection: Clive Richardson’s Running Off The Rails
and the opening number which captures the excitement of
going on holiday - and 50 years ago that usually meant travelling
by train.
Gérard Calvi (real name Grégoire Elie Krettly,
born 1922) first came to the attention of the public in
his native France when he contributed the music in 1948
to a show called "Les Branquignols", with Robert
Dhéry adding witty lyrics to his quirky melodies.
The following year he composed the score for "La Patronne",
launching a career in mainly European films that would continue
for the rest of the 20th Century. By far his
best known cinematic work was for the "Asterix"
films, but Calvi was equally at home in the theatre and
recording studios, and writing popular songs for the likes
of Frank Sinatra and Edith Piaf – over 300 in total.
Probably his most successful composition internationally
was One Of Those Songs - thanks to Will Holt adding
the English lyric to a catchy orchestral piece called Le
Bal de Madame de Mortemouille.
As well as conducting one of the world’s great light
orchestras from the 1950s to the 1980s, Frank (Francis Charles)
Chacksfield (1914-1995) also occasionally liked to compose.
His Candid Snap (written for the Charles Brull Harmonic
Mood Music Library) was heard quite frequently on the radio,
but this is the first time that it has been available to
the general public on a commercial release. Its instant
appeal makes you wish that Frank had been more prolific
in this area of his undoubted musical capabilities.
To Ronald Hanmer (1917-1994) goes the honour of providing
the title track for this CD. Over 700 of his compositions
were published in various background music libraries, and
he was in demand as an arranger of well-known works for
Amateur Societies. The brass band world was very familiar
with his scores – sometimes used as test pieces. In
1975 he emigrated to Australia, where he was delighted to
discover that his melody Pastorale was famous throughout
the land as the theme for the long-running radio serial
"Blue Hills".
Norman Whiteley has previously appeared in this series
as the composer of Dusky Aristocrat (GLCD 5124) which
is an amusing novelty dating from 1940, and probably his
best known number which he described as an ‘impression’.
Other pieces to catch the public’s attention included
Air For A Summer Evening, Granny’s Spinning Wheel,
Fairy-Cycle and Kathleen May. This time we hear
his Song For Penelope which finds him in a distinctly
wistful mood; it is one of several pieces he contributed
to mood music libraries during the 1950s. His pre-war career
as a pianist seems to have been centred on the Manchester
band circuit of the 1930s, and during the 1950s he formed
a Sextet for the BBC series "Music While You Work".
The American composer Don Gillis (1912-1978) seemingly
did not get the full attention from the American record
industry which his talents deserved. It was the British
Decca label that brought him to London in 1950 for several
sessions at the Kingsway Hall which has preserved for posterity
some of his best – and most quirky – creations.
Anyone who can compose a piece of music called "Symphony
No. 5½" is almost demanding not to be taken too seriously,
and to make sure that nobody missed the joke Gillis subtitled
his work "A Symphony For Fun". The first movement
Perpetual Emotion is so typical of the carefree,
almost whimsical, work that he offered to music lovers in
the middle years of the last century.
Florian ZaBach (1918-2006) was an American violinist and
conductor who became a well-known television personality
in post-war years. He appeared on many top shows from New
York, including Ed Sullivan, Arthur Godfrey, Milton Berle,
Red Skelton and Steve Allen, before moving to Hollywood
to film the weekly "Florian ZaBach Show". His
1951 78 The Hot Canary sold a million, and during
a long career he was invited as violinist and conductor
to perform many ‘Pops Concerts’ with orchestras
around the world.
New Yorker George Cates (1911-2002) started out as a saxophone
player with bands such as Russ Morgan, Henry Busse and Dick
Stabile, for whom he also did some arranging. He was also
closely involved with Lawrence Welk (1903-1992) from 1951
onwards, and his composition Champagne Time was Welk’s
theme for his television shows which continued (sometimes
showing Cates conducting the orchestra) until 1982. Back
in the mid-1950s George Cates was Artists and Repertoire
Manager at Coral where he accompanied many of their top
stars including Bing Crosby, Andrews Sisters, Teresa Brewer
and Danny Kaye.
Herbert Spencer (1905-1992) began contributing music to
films as early as 1933, and he was still in demand from
Hollywood as an orchestrator in 1990 when he worked on "Home
Alone". During the 1950s he made several albums with
Earle Hagen (1919-2008 – famous as the composer of
the jazz standard Harlem Nocturne) and the Spencer
Hagen Orchestra is still remembered today by collectors
of what has become known as ‘lounge music’. They
collaborated on composing Silver Fizz and it was
included on their first album for the short-lived RCA "X"
label. This was launched in 1953 and, although a
wholly owned subsidiary label of RCA, it had its own independent
distribution system. It seems that the slightly unusual
name is taken either from RCA Victor's mysterious "Project
Madam X" (which was the code name for the development of
the 45 rpm record in the post-war forties), or the name
used by trade press reporters concerning RCA's hush hush
approach to their new project.
All the composers, arrangers and conductors featured in
this collection deserve to have their careers profiled in
considerable detail, but sadly lack of space prevents this.
Many have already been (or are likely to be in the future)
given a fair share of the limelight, but on this occasion
the following thumbnail sketches will have to suffice for
some of those not mentioned above.
Andre Kostelanetz (1901-1980) was one of the biggest names
in American light orchestral music during the middle years
of the 20th Century. His broadcasts and recordings
were enjoyed by millions.
Viennese-born Ray Martin (1918-1988) was one of the biggest
names in British popular music during the 1950s. As well
as conducting his orchestra for records, radio and television,
he was also a talented composer.
Kermit Leslie (born Kermit Levinsky in New York City) often
composed with his brother Walter, and it seems a pity that
he appears to have made relatively few recordings.
Although born in Brescia, Italy, Otto Cesana (1899-1980)
spent much of his career in California, and was especially
active in radio and films during the 1940s and 1950s.
Frank Cordell (1918-1980) was a fine English composer,
arranger and conductor responsible for several distinctive
LPs which quickly became collectors’ items.
Clive Richardson (1909-1998) originally composed Running
Off The Rails as a short work for the Francis, Day &
Hunter Mood Music Library called Locomotion. But
it quickly became noticed, requiring a change of name and
an extended middle section so that light orchestras could
perform it in their radio broadcasts.
Philip Green (1910-1982) began his professional career
at the age of eighteen playing in various orchestras. Within
a year he became London’s youngest West End conductor
at the Prince of Wales Theatre. His long recording career
began with EMI in 1933, and he is credited with at least
150 film scores, and countless mood music compositions.
Trevor Duncan (real name Leonard CharlesTrebilco, 1924-2005)
was working as a BBC sound engineer when one of his first
compositions, High Heels (on Guild GLCD 5124) made
the light music world sit up and take notice. Eventually
his successful and prolific output mushroomed to such an
extent that he had to give up his ‘day job’ at
the BBC, and also find several different publishers simply
because he was writing too much for just one to handle.
Angela Morley (1924-2009) was regarded as one of the finest
arrangers and film composers in recent years. In her later
career she worked on several big budget movies - one example
is the "Star Wars" series assisting John Williams.
She also contributed scores to prestigious TV shows such
as "Dallas" and "Dynasty". In the 1950s
she made numerous recordings under her former name, Wally
Stott, also providing the priceless musical backings for
BBC Radio’s "The Goon Show".
Canadian-born Robert Farnon (1917-2005) is widely regarded
as one of the greatest light music composers and arrangers
of his generation. His melodies such as Jumping Bean
and Portrait Of A Flirt (on Guild GLCD 5120) are
familiar to millions around the world.
Ernest Tomlinson (b.1924) is one of Britain’s
most talented composers (often using the pseudonym ‘Alan
Perry’), working mainly in light music, but also highly
regarded for his choral works and brass band pieces.
Eddie Barclay (real name Edouard Ruault, 1921-2005) was
a leading light in France’s entertainment scene due
to his numerous recordings, where he became known as the
‘king of microgroove’.
Norman William (Norrie) Paramor (1914-1979) tended to be
better known by the public for his work with pop stars on
EMI’s Columbia label, but he also made numerous instrumental
recordings and wrote several catchy numbers that greatly
appealed.
During the middle years of the last century Don Mario Ruiz
Armengol (b. 1914) was regarded as Mexico’s foremost
arranger and conductor of popular music, as well as one
of its leading composers.
Dolf van der Linden (real name David Gysbert van der Linden,
1915-1999) was the leading figure on the light music scene
in the Netherlands from the 1940s until the 1980s. As well
as broadcasting frequently with his Metropole Orchestra,
he made numerous recordings for the background music libraries
of major music publishers. His commercial recordings (especially
for the American market) were often labelled as ‘Van
Lynn’ or ‘Daniel De Carlo’.
George Melachrino (1909-1965) was one of the top British
conductors of light music, with his records (especially
LPs) selling in large numbers around the world.
The American composer and conductor Nick (Nicholas Paul)
Acquaviva (1925-1998) -although not a frequent visitor to
the recording studios, gained recognition in the USA through
his involvement with the Symphony of the Air orchestra and
as conductor of the 135-strong New York ‘Pops’
Symphony Orchestra which promoted new works by young composers.
London-born David Rose (1910-1990) became one of the truly
great light orchestra leaders in the USA, and his compositions
such as Holiday For Strings (on Guild GLCD 5120)
and The Stripper sold millions.
The American Van Phillips (1905-1992) was a respected member
of London’s dance band fraternity from the late 1920s
onwards, but after the Second World War he discovered a
new talent for writing background music for publishers’
libraries. When this failed to satisfy his creative instincts
he eventually became a highly regarded professional photographer.
Boris Sarbek (born Boris Saarbecoof, d. 1966) emigrated
from Russia to live in France, where his orchestra performed
a wide repertoire of popular music.
Roger Roger (1911-1995) was a leading figure on the French
music scene for many years, and his fine compositions and
arrangements also won him many admirers internationally.
Percy Faith (1908-1976) was born in Toronto, Canada, and
an injury to his hands from a fire forced him to rethink
his plans for a career as a concert pianist. He turned to
arranging, composing and conducting and in 1940 he moved
permanently to the USA where he quickly established himself
through radio and recordings. From the 1950s onwards his
fame spread internationally, due to the great success of
his numerous long playing albums. Unlike many of his contemporaries,
Faith arranged all his own material, and his exciting and
vibrant scores made his work stand out among the rest.
© David Ades 2009
 GUILD
LIGHT MUSIC GLCD5157
A Box of Light Musical Allsorts
1 My Object All Sublime (from "The Hot Mikado")
(William S. Gilbert, Sir Arthur Sullivan, arr. Robert
Farnon)
ROBERT FARNON AND HIS ORCHESTRA*
Everest SDBR 1011 1958
2 Southern Holiday (Felton Rapley)
THE CONNAUGHT LIGHT ORCHESTRA
Conroy BM 105-B 1958
3 Take Me To Your Heart (Werner Müller)
WERNER MÜLLER AND HIS ORCHESTRA (as ‘Ricardo Santos’)
Polydor LPHM 46091 1958
4 Three-Two-One-Zero (Al Carson – real name
Norman William [‘Norrie’] Paramor)
ERIC JUPP AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Columbia 45-DB 4030 1957
5 Pigalle (Georges Koger, Georges Ulmer)
BORIS SARBEK AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Epic LN 3317 1956
6 Mannequin Melody (Clive Richardson)
QUEEN’S HALL LIGHT ORCHESTRA Conducted by ROBERT FARNON
Chappell C 615 1958
7 "A Letter To Three Wives" Film Music (Alfred
Newman)
ALFRED NEWMAN AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Mercury MPL 6500 1956
8 A Canadian In Mayfair (Angela Morley, as ‘Wally
Stott’)
SIDNEY TORCH AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Parlophone R 3732 1953
9 Thou Swell (Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart)
ANDRE KOSTELANETZ AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Columbia CL 772 1955
10 Vendetta (Ken Jones, Chris Armstrong – real name
Ray Martin)
RAY MARTIN AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Decca F 9721 1951
11 Military Samba (John McGregor)
EDMUNDO ROS AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Decca F 10314 1954
12 Let’s Go Shopping (Charles Williams)
DANISH STATE RADIO ORCHESTRA Conducted by ROBERT FARNON
(as ‘Melodi Light Orchestra Conducted by
Ole Jensen’ on 78 label)
Chappell C 567 1957
13 Concerto In Jazz (Donald Phillips)
THE MELACHRINO ORCHESTRA Conducted by GEORGE MELACHRINO
featuring PAT DODD, piano
HMV CSD 1276 1958
14 Super Six (Andy Thurlow, real name Harry Rabinowitz)
GROSVENOR STUDIO ORCHESTRA Conducted by DOLF VAN DER LINDEN
Synchro FM 168 1958
15 Casbah (Angela Morley, as ‘Wally Stott’)
QUEEN’S HALL LIGHT ORCHESTRA Conducted by ANGELA MORLEY
Chappell C 615 1958
16 Polka Dot (Eric Cook)
THE NEW CONCERT ORCHESTRA Conducted by CEDRIC DUMONT
Boosey & Hawkes O 2297 1957
17 Rahadlakum (from "Kismet") (Alexander Borodin,
arr. Percy Faith)
PERCY FAITH AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Columbia CL 550 1954
18 The Happy Hippo (Eric Winstone)
THE CONNAUGHT LIGHT ORCHESTRA
Conroy BM 131-A 1958
19 The Three Bears – Fantasy (Eric Coates)
LONDON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA Conducted by Sir CHARLES MACKERRAS
Columbia BTD 705 1956
20 Melody In Moccasins (Wilfred Burns, real name
Bernard Wilfred Harris)
PHILIP GREEN AND HIS ORCHESTRA
MGM 537 1952
21 Fly Past (Cecil Milner, full name Edward Cecil
Milner)
DANISH STATE RADIO ORCHESTRA Conducted by ROBERT FARNON
(as ‘Melodi Light Orchestra Conducted by
Ole Jensen’ on 78 label)
Chappell C 425 1951
22 Worcester Beacon (Horace Dann)
LONDON PROMENADE ORCHESTRA Conducted by WALTER COLLINS
Paxton PR 438 1946
23 St. Boniface Down (Trevor Duncan, real name Leonard
Charles Trebilco)
STUTTGART RADIO ORCHESTRA Conducted by KURT REHFELD (as
‘Lansdowne Concert Orchestra’ on 78 label)Impress
IA 190 1957
24 London Pride (Noel Coward, arr. Angela Morley)
ANGELA MORLEY AND HER ORCHESTRA (as ‘Wally Stott’)
Philips SBBL 501 1958
* LP credits ‘Jack Saunders Orchestra’
Mono recordings, except tracks 1, 13, 19 & 24 in stereo.
The copyright dates after the catalogue numbers state
when the original recording was first released, according
to printed catalogues and/or information on disc labels
or sleeves.
BOOKLET NOTES
Robert Farnon (1917-2005) certainly provides a bright opening
number for this collection, and his brilliant arrangement
takes full advantage of the opportunities offered by the
arrival of stereo on the recorded music scene. Gilbert and
Sullivan purists were not exactly pleased, but the American
public enjoyed Mike Todd’s production of "The
Hot Mikado", his first Broadway musical in 1939.
Southern Holiday by Felton Rapley was one of the
early releases in 1958 on the new Conroy Recorded Music
Library, founded by Ron Berry, a director of London publishers
Campbell Connelly. A year later it was selected as the theme
for a television play "Sudden Holiday" and the
strong reaction to the music prompted the new Top Rank label
to issue it under the play’s title as one of their
early 45s (45-JAR 111) with the anonymous orchestra credited
as ‘The Serenaders’. In reality it was probably
one of the European broadcasting orchestras employed by
the British production music libraries due to the recording
ban imposed by the Musicians’ Union. A likely candidate
is the Stuttgart Radio Orchestra, since its conductor, Kurt
Rehfeld, is also represented as a composer in the Conroy
catalogue at that time. Edmund Felton Rapley, ARCM, graduated
from being a church organist in Gosport, to a familiar name
on the BBC especially during the 1940s and 1950s. He studied
at Winchester Cathedral School, and was a regular organist
for the Gaumont British Picture Corporation – sometimes
being invited to perform the opening concert on newly installed
organs such as the Wurlitzer in Hanley on 11 February 1929.
He was a prolific composer and arranger, seemingly at home
in varied styles although many of his arrangements were
hymns and religious works. His own pieces included the Overture
Down The Solent (on Guild GLCD 5140) and the catchy
Peacock Patrol (written under the pseudonym ‘Peter
Barrington’) on GLCD 5143. Among his other notable
compositions of light music were Portrait of Claire (based
on Schumann’s song Devotion), Ecstasy,
Evening in Capri and Romantic Rhapsody. Into
the 1960s he remained a celebrity, often being billed as
"the famous BBC Organist" when appearing in concerts.
When considering the great film composers from Hollywood’s
Golden Age during the middle years of the last century,
Alfred Newman (1901-1970 – some references give his
birth date as 1900) is occasionally overlooked, yet for
much of his career he was probably the most influential
and respected among his peers. In 1920 he became the youngest
musical director on Broadway, and in 1930 his Hollywood
career began. He composed the famous 20th Century
Pictures logo theme, which was retained when the studio
merged with Fox films; in 1953 he added some extra bars
for CinemaScope releases – still in use today. One
of his early scores was "Street Scene" in 1931
(the music is included on Guild GLCD 5153), and until John
Williams finally overtook him in January 2006 he was the
most Oscar-nominated composer/conductor, with a tally of
44 nominations resulting in 9 Academy Awards. From 1939
until 1959 he was the musical director at 20th
Century Fox, reputed to have worked on around 225 films.
The 1949 film "A Letter To Three Wives" featured
a memorable Alfred Newman score, which vividly recaptures
the atmosphere of so many black and while melodramas of
that era. Newman must have thought that it also suited the
sensual charm exuded by Marilyn Monroe, because he adapted
the same theme for "The Seven Year Itch" six years
later.
At the time when Angela Morley (1924-2009) composed A
Canadian In Mayfair she was known as ‘Wally Stott’,
and she dedicated it to Toronto-born Robert Farnon whose
music had become familiar to her when they were both working
for the Geraldo Orchestra in the immediate post-war years.
It was just intended as a piece of fun, based on Farnon’s
big success Portrait Of A Flirt, and the ‘Mayfair’
tag related to the film "Maytime In Mayfair" which
Farnon had recently scored for Anna Neagle and Herbert Wilcox.
Farnon was evidently impressed and insisted that Angela’s
composition should be shown to his publishers, Chappell
& Co, who promptly added it to their mood music library
– appropriately conducted by Farnon himself. Broadcasting
orchestras soon started to feature it in their programmes,
and Sidney Torch (1908-1990) made the superb commercial
recording for EMI’s Parlophone, which is featured on
this CD. Angela Morley went on to enjoy a long and successful
career in recordings and films, eventually being much in
demand in Hollywood to assist leading composers on major
projects – working with John Williams on "Star
Wars" being a prime example. Her many TV credits included
"Dallas" and "Dynasty".
London-born Donald Phillips (1913-1994) was a quiet, courteous
man who never courted fame although, as a talented pianist
and musical director, he worked with many of the top stars
of the 1940s to the 1960s including the Marx Brothers, Beverley
Sisters, Dickie Valentine, Shirley Bassey, Donald Peers,
Alan Jones and Anne Shelton. He took part in the 1954 Royal
Command Performance before the Queen at the London Palladium,
and in 1958 he won the Ivor Novello award for his outstanding
contribution to British popular music with Melody of
the Sea. During his long career he was regarded as a
true "Tin Pan Alley man" and among his best-known
songs were Old Piano Rag and A Live Show is the
Best Show - a perennial favourite at seaside concert
parties. He composed two major mini-concertos, the
more familiar being Skyscraper Fantasy recorded by
Charles Williams on Columbia (included on Guild GLCD 5101),
and Mantovani on Decca. Its transatlantic style sounded
more like the work of an American composer, rather than
a Londoner. The other was Concerto In Jazz which
attracted commercial recordings by Sidney Torch, Charles
Shadwell, The Skyrockets Orchestra and Mantovani in 1948
(on GLCD 5113). When George Melachrino (1909-1965) decided
to make it one of his early stereo recordings he gave it
a lush treatment which is significantly different from the
performances a decade earlier.
The Guild collection "British Cinema and Theatre Orchestras
Volume 2" (GLCD 5122) included Eric Coates’ "The
Three Bears" played by the Plaza Theatre Orchestra
conducted by Frank Tours in a 1928 recording. But such a
notable work from Britain’s ‘Uncrowned King of
Light Music’ surely deserves to be available in stereo,
performed by a large orchestra, and our choice of the London
Symphony under the baton of Sir Charles Mackerras comes
from a highly regarded Columbia release in the mid-1950s.
Eric Coates (1886-1957) began his career as a violinist,
and was such an accomplished string player that in 1913
he was appointed principal viola of Sir Henry Wood’s
Queen’s Hall Orchestra. His real passion was in composing,
and his earliest successes were ballads, notably Stonecracker
John. Coates seems to have regarded this as somewhat
restrictive: he wanted to express himself through the full
orchestra, probably encouraged by the warm reception for
his Miniature Suite at the 1911 Promenade Concerts.
In the 1920s he absorbed the syncopation that was influencing
popular music, and turned his attention to nursery subjects
which were sometimes called ‘tone poems’ but which
he preferred to label ‘Phantasies’. Of these The
Three Bears became the most popular: Coates wrote it
in 1926 for his four-year old son Austin, and the opening
notes clearly convey the fairytale’s famous line "who’s
been sitting on my chair?" The main waltz theme is
sometimes heard as a separate concert piece, and the composer’s
own recording with the Queen’s Hall Light Orchestra
can be found on Guild GLCD 5102.
If Cecil Milner’s Fly Past (its original title
was going to be Air Lift) is mildly similiar to the
work of Charles Williams it should come as no surprise.
Milner worked closely with his famous colleague (composer
of Dream Of Olwen and numerous other works), and
many of Charles Williams’ own compositions were actually
orchestrated by Cecil Milner (1905-1989), who also went
on to create many fine arrangements for Mantovani.
Worcester Beacon is a concert march from the pen
of Horace Dann (1896-1958) who worked for the BBC from 1932
to 1957. He became a Director of Light Music and was so
highly regarded by his fellow musicians that the leading
conductors and composers signed the current edition of Grove’s
Dictionary which they presented to him upon his retirement
at the age of 60. Surprisingly his own compositions appear
to have been few in number – perhaps because he might
have felt awkward in pushing his own work from a position
of influence. (Other writers in similar circumstances often
resorted to disguising their work behind pseudonyms). The
respected light music authority Philip Scowcroft has expressed
his admiration for Worcester Beacon, describing its
excellent scoring as being very much in the tradition of
Eric Coates. He also wonders if the title implies the composer’s
regard for the music of Sir Edward Elgar, who resided in
that part of England.
Regular collectors of this Guild series of CDs will already
be familiar with the music of Trevor Duncan (real name Leonard
Charles Trebilco, 1924-2005). Some 20 titles have now been
reissued, and among the best-known are his first success
High Heels (on Guild GLCD 5124), Grand Vista
(GLCD 5124) and Panoramic Splendour (GLCD 5111).
When pressed to reveal his own personal favourite among
all his works the reply was not one of his many catchy novelties,
but the atmospheric St Boniface Down composed in
October 1956. It is named after an area on the south coast
of the Isle of Wight, and it was dedicated to C. Gurrieri
(the young lady who had inspired The Girl From Corsica)
who came from the Auvergne. To quote Trebilco’s own
words: "The work celebrates a silent walk along the
ridge of St Boniface Down; it was followed by a beautiful
correspondence for some weeks." In the string subject,
the metre of a Paul Verlaine line is heard: ‘Il pleure
dans mon coeur comme il pleut sur la ville’.
It is worth mentioning again the problem in identifying
orchestras on the mood music recordings issued by the London
recorded music libraries (now generally referred to as ‘production
music’) during most of the 1950s. A ban by the Musicians’
Union in Britain prohibited their members from performing
on these recordings, so top radio orchestras on the continent
of Europe were usually employed. Examples on this CD include
Southern Holiday (as mentioned above) – the
same comments apply to The Happy Hippo; Let’s
Go Shopping was recorded in Denmark and credited on
the 78 label as ‘The Melodi Light Orchestra Conducted
by Ole Jensen’; Super Six would have been recorded
by Dolf Van Der Linden’s own Metropole Orchestra in
Hilversum, but Syncho chose ‘Grosvenor Studio Orchestra’
as their ‘house’ name; ‘The New Concert Orchestra’
was the Boosey & Hawkes preferred name, although Polka
Dot was likely to have been conducted by Cedric Dumont
fronting his own orchestra in Switzerland; it was the composer
himself who advised that St Boniface Down had been
recorded in Stuttgart, although Impress usually named the
orchestra on their 78s as The Lansdowne Light (or Concert)
Orchestra. The exceptions are Mannequin Melody and
Casbah from 1958 which were actually recorded in
London when the musicians’ ban was lifted for a short
while following negotiations with publishers, but it was
later reimposed; Worcester Beacon from 1946 pre-dates
the ban, and Paxton’s London Promenade Orchestra recorded
at Levy’s Sound Studios in New Bond Street.
All the composers, arrangers and conductors featured in
this collection deserve to have their careers profiled in
these notes in considerable detail, but sadly lack of space
prevents this on every occasion that they appear in this
series. Many have already been (or are likely to be in the
future) given a fair share of the limelight, and if you
have internet access you can read the full booklet notes
for all previous releases on the Guild Music website: www.guildmusic.com
© David Ades 2009
 GUILD
LIGHT MUSIC GLCD5158
That’s Light Musical Entertainment
1 That’s Entertainment (from "The Band Wagon")
(Arthur Schwartz, Howard Dietz – arr. Conrad Salinger)
CONRAD SALINGER ORCHESTRA Conducted by BUDDY BREGMAN
Verve MG VS-6012 1958
2 Westminster Waltz (Robert Farnon)
ANGELA MORLEY AND HER ORCHESTRA (as ‘Wally Stott’)
Philips SBBL 501 1958
3 Ruby (from the film "Ruby Gentry") (Mitchell
Parish, Heinz Roemheld, arr. Percy Faith)
PERCY FAITH AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Columbia CL 577 1954
4 Waltzes from "Count Of Luxembourg" (Franz Lehar)
ANDRE KOSTELANETZ AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Columbia 33SX 1004 1955
5 All My Life (Theme from film "Eight O’Clock
Walk") (George Melachrino)
GERALDO AND HIS NEW CONCERT ORCHESTRA
Philips PB 215 1954
6 This Can’t Be Love (from the musical "The Boys
From Syracuse") (Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart)
RICHARD HAYMAN AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Mercury MG 20184 1956
7 I’ll See You In My Dreams (featured in the film "I’ll
See You in My Dreams") (Gus Kahn, Isham Jones,
arr. Ronald Binge)
RONALD BINGE AND HIS ORCHESTRA
RCA LPM 1458 1957
8 But Beautiful (from the film "The Road To Rio")
(Johnny Burke, James Van Heusen)
GLENN OSSER AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Kapp KL 1022 1955
9 "All About Eve" Film Music (Alfred Newman)
ALFRED NEWMAN AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Mercury MPL 6500 1956
10 Blue Theme (featured in the film "True Lies")
(Robert Farnon)
THE ALL-STARS
Chappell C 594 1957
11 Love (from the film "Ziegfeld Follies") (Hugh
Martin, Ralph Blane)
ANDRE KOSTELANETZ AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Philips BBL 7006 1954
12 "The Girl In Pink Tights" – Overture (Sigmund
Romberg, arr. Robert Farnon)
ORCHESTRA CONDUCTED BY SYLVAN LEVIN
Columbia ML 4890 1954
13 This Heart Of Mine (from the film "Ziegfeld Follies")
(Harry Warren)
THE MELACHRINO ORCHESTRA Conducted by GEORGE MELACHRINO
RCA LPM 1006 1953
14 Time Was (original title Duerme) (M. Prado, B.
Sancristobal – arr, Mario Ruiz Armengol)
MARIO RUIZ ARMENGOL AND HIS ORCHESTRA
RCA LPM 1292 1956
15 Here In My Arms (from the musical "Dearest Enemy")
(Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart, arr. Richard Jones)
THE PITTSBURGH STRINGS Conducted by RICHARD JONES
Capitol T 890 1957
16 Buckle Down, Winsocki (from the musical "Best Foot
Forward") (Hugh Martin, Ralph Blane, arr. William
Hill-Bowen)
HILL BOWEN AND HIS ORCHESTRA
RCA Camden CDN-101 1958
17 Body and Soul (from the revue "Three’s A Crowd")
(Johnny Green)
MORTON GOULD AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Columbia ML 4361 1950
18 Make Believe (from the musical "Show Boat")
(Jerome Kern)
GEOFF LOVE AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Columbia SX 1060 1957
19 Theme from the Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 2 (arr.
William Hill-Bowen) (featured in the film "Brief
Encounter")
THE MELACHRINO ORCHESTRA Conducted by GEORGE MELACHRINO
featuring ARTHUR SANDFORD, piano
HMV CSD 1276 1958
20 Waltz For My Lady (Frank Perkins)
FRANK PERKINS AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Decca DL 8395 1954
21 Inspiration Point (Frank De Vol)
FRANK DE VOL AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Capitol H 198 1950
22 Enchanted Night (Leroy Holmes)
LEROY HOLMES AND HIS ORCHESTRA
MGM E 3288 1955
23 Come Rain Or Come Shine (from the musical "St Louis
Woman") (Harold Arlen)
DAVID ROSE AND HIS ORCHESTRA
MGM C 754 1954
24 "Since You Went Away" Incidental Music from
the film (Max Steiner)
MAX STEINER AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Capitol LCT 6005 1954
Mono recordings, except tracks 1, 2 & 19 in stereo.
The copyright dates after the catalogue numbers state
when the original recording was first released, according
to printed catalogues and/or information on disc labels
or sleeves.
BOOKLET NOTES
This compilation is largely a collection of show and film
music inspired by the wonderful tune That’s Entertainment,
which reached a worldwide appreciative audience through
the 1953 MGM musical "The Band Wagon" starring
Fred Astaire, Nanette Fabray, Cyd Charisse and Jack Buchanan.
It is probably second only to Irving Berlin’s There’s
No Business Like Show Business (the Wally Stott/Angela
Morley version is on GLCD 5149) as a show business anthem,
and its enduring appeal is partly due to the original orchestration
of Arthur Schwartz and Howard Dietz’s melody by the
legendary Conrad Salinger (1901-1961). In 1957 he adapted
it as a purely instrumental number which was included in
a collection in his honour conducted by Buddy Bregman (b.
1930), at the time A&R Manager of Verve Records. In
Guild Music’s "Strings And Things Go Stereo"
collection (GLCD 5153) we took a first dip into this rare
LP with TheTrolley Song, followed by The Boy Next
Door on "Melodies For Romantics" (GLCD 5155).
In 1958 Angela Morley (1924-2009 - working as ‘Wally
Stott’ until 1972) recorded an album of music associated
with London, and Robert Farnon’s Westminster Waltz
was a natural choice. It had been extremely popular ever
since it was first heard in 1956, even making the best selling
charts and winning a prestigious Ivor Novello Award. Among
the many glowing obituaries to Angela Morley following her
death on 14 January 2009 aged 84 was a comment from fellow
arranger Tony Osborne (1922-2009): "Wally Stott was
at the top of the range. We all looked up to him because
we knew that he was second only to Robert Farnon, and it
was a pretty close run thing at that!"
Percy Faith (1908-1976) was born in Toronto, Canada, and
originally he expected that his musical career would be
as a concert pianist. But he injured his hands in a fire,
which forced him to turn to composing, arranging and conducting.
During the 1930s his CBC programme "Music By Faith"
was carried by the Mutual network in the USA, which prompted
offers of work south of the border. He eventually succumbed
in 1940, leaving Robert Farnon (previously his lead trumpeter)
to conduct his Canadian orchestra. Initially Faith concentrated
on broadcasting, and his occasional recording sessions during
the 1940s were for several different companies. Things were
to change when he signed a Columbia (CBS) contract in 1950,
and he soon discovered that his singles sold well and the
new long playing records needed the kind of popular instrumental
sounds that had formed the basis of his broadcasts for so
many years. Unlike most of his contemporaries, Faith arranged
all his own material, and his exciting and vibrant scores
made his work stand out among the rest. He accompanied many
of Columbia’s contract singers, and even contributed
the odd popular song, such as My Heart Cries For You
for Guy Mitchell. But today it is his numerous albums that
have created a resurgence of interest in his work, thanks
to their reissue on CD. Faith was always busy, whether working
in the recording studios, radio, television or films. Jennifer
Jones, Charlton Heston and Karl Malden were the stars of
the 1952 film "Ruby Gentry", and the theme music,
usually just called Ruby, became a minor hit. Faith’s
own extended arrangement not only reveals the melody in
all its romantic glory, but he also touches upon the film’s
rather tormented plot involving scandal in a small American
town where love between a poor girl and a rich man was bound
to cause social tensions.
Richard Attenborough was the star of a 1953 British film
"Eight O’Clock Walk" (the title refers to
the time of day when convicted murderers were hanged, before
the death penalty was abolished in Britain in 1965). George
Melachrino (1909-1965) provided his usual accomplished music
score for the movie, from which the Geraldo orchestra performs
the main theme All My Life. During his long career
Geraldo (1904-1974) was a major figure on the British entertainment
scene for four decades, having fronted just about every
kind of ensemble and influenced the successful careers of
numerous top singers. During World War 2 he was Head of
Light Music for ENSA (Entertainments National Service Association)
providing live shows for troops, who amusingly decided that
the acronym stood for ‘Every Night Something Awful’!
Post-war he ran a highly successful theatrical agency, in
addition to all his other musical activities. In the early
1950s he formed a concert orchestra for the newly-launched
Philips label, competing for a short while against the likes
of Sidney Torch and Charles Williams on EMI. Although many
reference books state that Geraldo’s real name was
Gerald Bright, his birth on 19 August 1904 at 56 Royal Mint
Street, Whitechapel, was actually registered as Gerald Walcanbright.
His father, Isaac Walcanbright, was a jobbing tailor, and
his twin brother Sidney Bright was a highly respected pianist,
often performing in Geraldo’s orchestras (one example
is Prelude to Peace on Guild GLCD 5119).
In 1953 Canadian-born Robert Farnon (1917-2005) sold his
London home at Park Royal and left England with his family
for the USA. It was announced that New York would be his
new HQ, although he would divide his work between the two
countries. An early commission involved assisting arrangers
Don Walker and Red Ginzler who were working on the last
Sigmund Romberg musical "The Girl In Pink Tights"
which eventually opened on Broadway at the Mark Hellinger
Theatre on 5 March 1954, starring the French ballet dancer
Zizi Jeanmaire. Romberg died in 1951 before the show opened;
it was not a success, achieving only 115 performances before
closing on 12 June. Farnon’s work was uncredited, but
a Broadway cast LP was issued and many years later he admitted
that he had arranged the Overture and three of the
songs – In Paris And In Love, When I Am Free To
Love and My Heart Won’t Say Goodbye. Farnon
returned to England soon afterwards, enticed back by Herbert
Wilcox to work on a film musical. He bought a home in Gerrards
Cross, where he remained until he moved to the British Channel
Island of Guernsey in 1959, living happily there for the
rest of his life. As mentioned above, Farnon is also represented
in this collection as the composer of Westminster Waltz,
and the atmospheric Blue Theme which was one of several
similar pieces he scored for a small group for the Chappell
Recorded Music Library. The musicians were never named,
but they were clearly among the top session players at the
time. It reached a world wide audience in the 1994 film
"True Lies" where it was heard on the radio playing
in the background when a sleazy car salesman tried to seduce
Jamie Lee Curtis in his caravan.
The piano soloist on the theme from Rachmaninoff’s
Piano Concerto No. 2 is Arthur Sandford who won the
coveted Mendelssohn Scholarship at London’s Royal Academy
of Music. He played with the Debroy Somers Band for several
years, and became a regular broadcaster on the BBC. As pianist
in Charles Shadwell’s Orchestra he became known to
the public through Tommy Handley’s "ITMA"
radio show, contributing some of the arrangements of traditional
airs which were a regular feature of the programme. Sandford
made numerous recordings as soloist with top orchestras,
such as Mantovani and Charles Williams in addition to Melachrino.
Maximillian Raoul Walter Steiner (1888-1971) was born in
Vienna, but happily for millions of film fans he decided
to make his career in America and, particularly, the Hollywood
of the Golden Age of the Cinema. Having composed so many
classic film scores, it is hardly surprising that some of
his works have received less attention than others. The
1944 film "Since You Went Away" falls into this
category, yet the various themes interwoven in this suite
give clues to Max Steiner’s far-reaching influence
on the art of composing for the screen. His first of three
Oscars was for "The Informer" (1935) followed
by "Now Voyager" (1942); "Since You Went
Away" gained him the third, although he received nominations
for 17 others, including his early involvement scoring and
conducting some Fred Astaire/Ginger Rogers musicals. "Since
You Went Away" was largely World War 2 propaganda,
although it suffered in comparison with the more popular
"Mrs Minniver". The plot describes how a woman
copes with looking after the home and family while her husband
is away fighting. The finale at a railway station is often
cited as a fine example of a typical Hollywood ‘tearjerker’
scene, and Steiner clearly expressed this in his score,
which he conducts himself in this recording.
All the composers, arrangers and conductors featured in
this collection deserve to have their careers profiled in
considerable detail, but sadly lack of space prevents this
each time that they appear in this series. Many have already
been (or are likely to be in the future) given a fair share
of the limelight, but on this occasion the following thumbnail
sketches will have to suffice for some of those not mentioned
above.
Andre Kostelanetz (1901-1980) was one of the biggest names
in American light orchestral music during the middle years
of the 20th Century. His broadcasts and recordings
were enjoyed by millions.
Richard Hayman (b. 1920) was put under contract by Mercury
Records in 1950, for whom he made many singles and albums.
He also arranged for the Boston Pops, serving as back-up
conductor for Arthur Fiedler.
Ronald Binge (1910-1979) is destined to remain forever
remembered as the gifted arranger who designed the ‘cascading
strings’ effect for Mantovani.
Glenn Osser (b. 1914) became a familiar name in the USA
during the 1950s for his work on various television shows,
notably the "Miss America" beauty pageants for
many years.
Alfred Newman (1901-1970 – some references give his
birth date as 1900) for much of his career was probably
the most influential and respected Hollywood film composer,
because from 1939 until 1959 he was the musical director
at 20th Century Fox, reputed to have worked on
around 225 films.
During the middle years of the last century Don Mario Ruiz
Armengol (b. 1914) was regarded as Mexico’s foremost
arranger and conductor of popular music, as well as one
of its leading composers.
Capitol Records engaged Richard Jones to arrange and conduct
The Pittsburgh Strings, formed from the complete string
section of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, led by their
famous concertmaster Samuel Thavin.
William Hill-Bowen (1918-1964) was George Melachrino’s
right-hand man in the years immediately following World
War 2, often appearing on piano but, perhaps, more importantly
as a brilliant arranger who managed to recreate his master’s
famous style to perfection. Later Hill-Bowen was to receive
due recognition for his talents, partly thanks to a series
of LPs commissioned by RCA from which comes his vibrant
arrangement of Buckle Down, Winsocki.
Morton Gould (1913-1996) became one of the most highly
respected American composers, and among his best-known works
were the ballet Fall River Legend and American
Symphonette No. 3, which became better known
as Pavanne (the mis-spelling was deliberate). From
1986 to 1994 Gould was President of the American Society
of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP).
Yorkshireman Geoff Love (1917-1991) succeeded in so many
musical fields during his busy career. Internationally he
achieved success as ‘Manuel and his Music of the Mountains’
although his identity was a secret for many years.
Frank Perkins (1908-1988) became noticed in 1934 following
a successful collaboration with lyricist Mitchell Parrish
which resulted in Stars Fell on Alabama and Emmaline.
In 1937 he was engaged as an arranger by Warner Bros. in
Hollywood, where he remained until the mid-1960s.
In the USA Frank De Vol (1911-1999) is known primarily
as the composer for the radio and TV series "The Brady
Bunch", but light music fans appreciate that his career
has been far more substantial. It was not uncommon to see
the credit ‘Music by De Vol’ on many films, and
later Frank appeared as a character actor in several US
television series, such as "I Dream of Jeannie", "Bonanza"
and "Petticoat Junction".
Leroy Holmes (born Alvin Holmes, 1913-1986) scored Hollywood
films and radio programmes during his early career, before
becoming one of the mainstays of MGM’s conducting ‘team’,
also arranging many of their recordings.
In 1943 David Rose (1910-1990) had a big hit with
his own composition Holiday For Strings which firmly
launched him as a light music composer and arranger.
If you have internet access you can read the full booklet
notes for all previous releases on the Guild Music website:
www.guildmusic.com
© David Ades 2009
 GUILD
LIGHT MUSIC GLCD5153
Strings And Things Go Stereo!
1 Around The World (from "Around The World In Eighty
Days") (Victor Young)
THE CINEMA SOUND STAGE ORCHESTRA
Stereo Fidelity SF-2800 1958
2 A Wonderful Guy (from "South Pacific") (Richard
Rodgers)
WARREN BARKER AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Warner Bros. WB 1218 1958
3 Brazil (Aquarela do Brasil) (Ary Barroso)
THE RIO CARNIVAL ORCHESTRA
Stereo Fidelity SF-1900 1958
4 The Trolley Song (from "Meet Me In St. Louis")
(Ralph Blane, Hugh Martin – arr. Conrad Salinger)
THE CONRAD SALINGER ORCHESTRA Conducted by BUDDY BREGMAN
Verve MG VS-6012 1958
5 Love Is A Many-Splendoured Thing (title song from the
film) (Paul Francis Webster, Sammy Fain – arr.
Annunzio Paolo Mantovani)
MANTOVANI AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Decca SKL 4002 1958
6 Change Partners; Mandy (Irving Berlin)
FRANK DE VOL AND HIS ORCHESTRA
CBS ASF 1010 1958
7 Tahiti : A Summer Night At Sea (Les Baxter)
LES BAXTER AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Capitol ST 868 1958
8 Harlem Nocturne (Earle Hagen)
NORRIE PARAMOR AND HIS ORCHESTRA featuring Patricia Clark
Columbia BTD 712 1957
9 Front Row Centre (Joe Reisman)
JOE REISMAN AND HIS ORCHESTRA
RCS LPS 1519 1957
10 Street Scene (Alfred Newman)
THE NEW WORLD THEATRE ORCHESTRA
Stereo Fidelity SF-3000 1957
11 Naughty Nautical (Anthony Tamburello, arr, Bruce Campbell)
ROBERT FARNON AND HIS ORCHESTRA+
Everest SDBR 1018 1958
12 There’s No You (Harold S. Hopper, arr. Nelson Riddle)
NELSON RIDDLE AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Capitol ST 915 1958
13 Orchids In The Moonlight (Vincent Youmans, arr. Morton
Gould)
MORTON GOULD AND HIS ORCHESTRA
RCA Victor LSP 1656 1958
14 Swinging Sweethearts (Skiffling Strings) (Ron Goodwin)
DAVID CARROLL AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Mercury SR 60026 1958
15 Sand In My Shoes (Victor Schertzinger)
THE MELACHRINO STRINGS Conducted by GEORGE MELACHRINO
HMV DSD 1751 1958
16 Cornish Rhapsody (from the film "Love Story")
(Hubert Bath)
MANTOVANI AND HIS ORCHESTRA with RAWICZ AND LANDAUER at
Two Pianos
Decca SKL 4014 1958
17 Lucky In The Rain (from "As The Girls Go")
(Jimmy McHugh, Harold Adamson - arr. Robert Farnon)
ROBERT FARNON AND HIS ORCHESTRA*
Everest SDBR 1011 1958
18 Gemini (Hal Mooney)
HAL MOONEY AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Mercury SR 60073 1958
19 Pavement Pigalle (Joseph Kuhn)
PARIS THEATRE ORCHESTRA
Somerset SF 2500 1957
20 Canadian Sunset (Eddie Heywood)
BILLY VAUGHN AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Dot DLP 25119 1958
21 Saraband (Leroy Anderson)
RICHARD HAYMAN AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Mercury SRS 60103 1958
22 My Evening Star (based on Wagner’s ‘O Star
Of Eve’)(Ralph Sterling, Dorcas Cochran)
PHIL BOUTET AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Mercury Wing SRW 12506 1958
23 La Seduccion (Lara)
CLEBANOFF STRINGS
Mercury SR 60005 1958
24 Spring Madness (Leo Shuken)
CAMARATA AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Disneyland STER 3032 1958
25 The Song Is Ended (Irving Berlin)
FRANK CORDELL AND HIS ORCHESTRA with Vocal Introduction
by THE DENE BOYS
HMV CSD 1251 1958
* LP credits ‘Jack Saunders Orchestra’
+ LP credits ‘Everest Concert Orchestra Conducted by
Derek Boulton’
The copyright dates after the catalogue numbers state
when the original recording was first released, according
to printed catalogues and/or information on disc labels
or sleeves.
BOOKLET NOTES
When record companies started issuing stereo LPs in 1957
and 1958 they were taking a big gamble. Less than ten years
earlier they had begun persuading collectors to part with
their hard-earned cash to buy players that were capable
of reproducing LPs and, shortly afterwards, 45 rpm records.
To be precise, stereo recordings had been available a little
earlier on commercial reel-to-reel tapes (cassettes were
still years away in the future), but sales must have been
very small. The same fate could have befallen stereo LPs,
because initially they were not compatible with ordinary
mono record players, so new equipment had to be purchased
– not to mention an extra loudspeaker!
It had taken a long time for stereo to reach the public.
It might have arrived sooner, but for the Second World War.
The system ultimately used by the recording industry was
developed back in the 1930s by EMI’s brilliant sound
engineer Alan Blumlein. Experiments he conducted at Abbey
Road Studios in December 1933 and January 1934 demonstrated
that stereo on discs was possible (he originally called
it "binaural sound"), and one of his early tests
featuring the Ray Noble Orchestra was included on the Guild
CD "In Town Tonight – The 1930s Volume 2"
(GLCD 5116). Had Blumlein not died as a war casualty in
1942 at the early age of 38 he would undoubtedly have been
widely recognised as a genius, especially as he also worked
on developing electronic television and radar systems.
Initially there seemed some reluctance on the part of the
major record companies to embrace the new technology wholeheartedly,
and for a while it was small independent companies that
made the pace. But it wasn’t too long before it was
realised that this was the future of recorded sound, and
light orchestras soon began experimenting with imaginative
arrangements that took full advantage of the possibilities
offered by stereo.
It has to be said that some were so gimmicky that they
spoiled the music. Also sound engineers spent time experimenting
with the placing of instruments within the orchestra, before
the familiar "strings on the left" pattern became
generally accepted.
The new format spawned new names, and record producers
did not hesitate to tempt the public with exotic sounding
titles that disguised the fact that they were probably not
quite what they may have seemed. It is highly likely that
The Cinema Sound Stage Orchestra, The Rio Carnival Orchestra,
The Paris Theatre Orchestra and The New World Theatre Orchestra
are one and the same. Together with 101 Strings, they were
names used by the American Miller International Company
on their bargain basement priced Essex, Somerset and Stereo
Fidelity labels. Many of these recordings were issued in
Britain on Pye’s Golden Guinea label and were regarded
as being "cheap and cheerful" and inferior to
the products of the major record companies. But, as the
examples included here show, there were some real gems among
them, in terms of both performance and recording quality.
The recordings usually employed various European symphony
and radio orchestras and were linked by the name of Joseph
F. Kuhn who composed, arranged, scored or conducted most
of the early ones. Doubtless there would have been many
more had it not been for his untimely death in March 1962
at the age of 37. He was musical director for the Miller
International Co., producer of Somerset and Stereo Fidelity
record albums and was well known for his recording work
in Hollywood, the US east coast and Germany.
Warren Barker (1923-2006) is making his Guild Light Music
debut on this CD. Born in Oakland, California, as a schoolboy
he learned to play the piano and trumpet, before studying
under composer Mario Castelnuevo-Tedesco at the University
of California in Los Angeles. His career was firmly rooted
in the film, radio and television studios around Hollywood,
and in the 1950s he was a musical director at Warner Bros
Records. He also worked on many popular TV series such as
"Hawaiian Eye", "Bewitched" and "Daktari"
although (like so many indispensable ‘backroom boys’
in the music business) his name didn’t always appear
on the credits. Barker has also been associated with the
20th Century Fox, Columbia and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studios
as composer/conductor for motion pictures and television
and in 1969 was on the arranging staff for the Oscar-winning
film "Hello Dolly". The National Academy of Television
Arts and Sciences honoured him in 1970 for his original
music in the award-winning series "My World And Welcome
To It", based on the life of James Thurber.
Buddy Bregman (b. 1930) was A&R Manager of the fledgling
Verve Records label (founded by Norman Granz in 1956) for
the first two years of its existence. On 20 & 21 March
1957 he took his orchestra into Studio A at Capitol Records
and conducted an album honouring one of Hollywood’s
greatest arrangers, Conrad Salinger. Such was Bregman’s
esteem for Salinger that he retitled his orchestra ‘The
Conrad Salinger Orchestra Conducted by Buddy Bregman’
for the LP "Conrad Salinger – A Lovely Afternoon".
For these sessions Salinger recreated some of his memorable
scores first heard in movies such as "Meet Me In St
Louis", "Singin’ In The Rain" and "The
Band Wagon". It would be hard to understate the influence
of Conrad Salinger (1901-1961) on Hollywood movies of the
1940s and 1950s. His credits include orchestrations for
nine Broadway productions from 1931 to 1938, before concentrating
on films, most notably for MGM. Unlike some of his contemporaries,
his arrangements did not always call for large orchestras,
which sound systems of the 1940s (before the days of hi-fidelity)
sometimes struggled to capture successfully. Instead he
relied upon cleverly constructed and elaborate arrangements
(sometimes with a unique staccato sound from the trumpets)
which became his trademark. Despite his work on numerous
landmark films, he never won an Oscar. Rather unfairly such
honours were usually bestowed on the conductors of the music,
rather than the arrangers who were the true creators of
the glorious sounds.
Annunzio Paolo Mantovani (1905-1980) became the conductor
of one of the most famous light orchestras from the 1950s
onwards. Born in Venice, his family came to England when
he was aged four and he was something of a prodigy on the
violin by the time he reached sixteen. But he leaned more
towards popular music, and fronted many different kinds
of ensembles before long-playing records (especially when
stereo arrived) brought him worldwide acclaim. Despite a
very busy schedule embracing radio, television, concerts
and recordings he also found time to compose and arrange
for his magnificent orchestra. A prime example of the latter
is his setting of the hugely popular film theme Love
Is A Many Splendoured Thing which comes from his first
stereo LP recorded in May 1958 and quickly released a few
months later. It was an immediate success, especially in
the USA, and sales exceeded one million copies.
In the USA Frank De Vol (1911-1999) is known primarily
as the composer for the radio and TV series "The Brady
Bunch", but light music fans appreciate that his career
has been far more substantial.
Texas born Les Baxter (1922-1996) decided to abandon a
career as a concert pianist, and chose to concentrate on
popular music. He played the tenor sax and is reported to
have been influenced by Coleman Hawkins and the Duke Ellington
Band. At the age of 23 he joined Mel Tormé’s
Meltones and recorded with Artie Shaw, but his heart was
set on arranging. As his career progressed he worked for
Capitol and RCA, and two of his early hits were Unchained
Melody and Quiet Village, which was a track on
his memorable LP "Le Sacre Du Sauvage". Thereafter
he tended to be asked to record more pieces with an ‘exotic’
appeal, and stereo certainly allowed him to experiment with
different instruments, especially within the percussion
family.
Norrie Paramor (1914-1979) tended to be better known by
the public for his work with pop stars on EMI’s Columbia
label, but he also made numerous instrumental recordings
and his albums featuring the soprano Patricia Clark caught
the public’s attention. Harlem Nocture is a
rare example of an early stereo tape recording issued by
EMI in 1957, before they quickly vanished upon the arrival
of stereo discs.
Another American musician making his Guild debut this time
is Joe Reisman (1924-1987). He began his career playing
saxophone and arranging with the Herb Miller Band, and his
work was soon accepted by many others such as Bob Crosby,
Jack Teagarden and Louis Prima. As a member of the Jimmy
Joy Band he met Patti Page, and in 1950 he became her principal
arranger and conductor on many of her hits. Now that he
was known in the business offers came in for recording and
television work with many top singers, and his business
acumen resulted in A&R appointments with Roulette and
RCA. Later in his career he worked with Henry Mancini, John
Williams and the Boston Pops Orchestra.
When Tony Tamburello died in September 1992 at the age
of 72 a short report on his passing in the New York Times
described him as a pianist and vocal coach. His ‘clients’
included Tony Bennett (whom he once managed) and Judy Garland,
and he was one of those musicians who seemingly was known
by everyone within show business, but no one outside. He
loved to compose pleasant, tuneful music but he lacked the
ability to arrange his own pieces for full orchestra. At
times like this he turned to his musical friends and especially
those whom he greatly admired. This brought him into contact
with Robert Farnon (1917-2005) who put him in touch with
his own publishers, Chappell, who began accepting his works,
such as Party Dress on Guild GLCD 5142. In 1958 Everest
Records of the US commissioned an album of original compositions
from Tony which it called "Music Tailored To Your Taste".
The Robert Farnon Orchestra was engaged, and sessions took
place during the summer of 1958 in London at the Friends’
Meeting House and the IBC Studios in Portland Place. Bruce
Campbell did most of the arrangements, but Farnon’s
name could not appear on the record for contractual reasons.
So his orchestra was renamed ‘The Everest Concert Orchestra’
and the conductor was credited as ‘Derek Boulton’
– actually Farnon’s manager!
Nelson Riddle (1921-1985) was a trombonist who turned to
arranging and conducting – with spectacular results.
His work with the likes of Frank Sinatra, Nat ‘King’
Cole, Dean Martin, Judy Garland and Peggy Lee possibly prevented
him from fully realising what could have been a highly successful
career making instrumental albums on his own. His brilliant
arrangement of There’s No You comes from his
first stereo album for Capitol.
Morton Gould (1913-1996) became one of the most highly
respected American composers and arrangers, and his distinguished
career was crowned with a Pulitzer Prize just a year before
his death at the age of 82.
David Carroll (b. 1913) was musical director of
Mercury Records from 1951 to the early 1960s, during which
time he accompanied many of the label’s contract singers
as well as making some instrumental recordings of his own.
Ron Goodwin’s great success with Skiffling Strings
in the UK came to the attention of orchestras in the US,
and David Carroll gave it a fresh new sound – as well
as a new title, since Americans had no idea what ‘skiffling’
was!
George Melachrino (1909-1965) was one of the top British
conductors of light music, with his records (especially
LPs) selling in large numbers around the world. Both HMV
(in the UK) and RCA (in the US) quickly released new stereo
LPs of his music in 1958 to help establish public demand
for the new format.
Pianists Marjan Rawicz (1898-1970) and Walter Landauer
(1910-1983) came to Britain in the 1930s to escape Nazi
persecution, and they quickly became very popular through
their broadcasts and recordings. Cornish Rhapsody
by Hubert Bath (1883-1945) remained a regular concert favourite
long after if was first heard in the 1944 film "Love
Story". This was just one of several ‘film concertos’
inspired by the success of Richard Addinsell’s Warsaw
Concerto from "Dangerous Moonlight" in 1941.
The American movie producer Mike Todd became known around
the world for two main reasons: his 1956 film "Around
The World In Eighty Days", and his short marriage to
Elizabeth Taylor in 1957-58. Before that Avrom Hirsch Goldbogen
(born between 1907 and 1911 according to which reference
book you believe) was making Broadway audiences happy with
his many successful musical shows, starting with "The
Hot Mikado" in 1939. Following his death on 22 March
1958 his widow was determined that the music from his shows
should form an important tribute to his memory, and in London
she discussed a major recording project with Robert Farnon.
At that time Farnon was much in demand for broadcasting,
films and recording: his Decca albums of the 1950s were
hailed as arranging masterpieces, and it was claimed that
his ideas had influenced the top arrangers of his generation
on both sides of the Atlantic. There was just one slight
problem: Elizabeth Taylor had set up the project with Everest
Records in the USA, and Farnon was under exclusive contract
to Decca in the UK until the end of 1958. So the usual solution
was decided – put someone else’s name on the record
label, in this case Jack Saunders, who had been Todd’s
musical director in the past. The sessions took place in
Walthamstow Town Hall, London during the summer of 1958,
and the album was released in both mono and stereo versions
in the USA later in the year. The British release was on
the Top Rank label in February 1960, but only in mono. As
well as conducting his large concert orchestra (filled with
top session players) Farnon sketched out all the arrangements,
although Gary Hughes assisted with some of the intricate
orchestrations.
Harold (Hal) Mooney (1911-1995) was an American composer,
arranger and conductor who worked with most of the top bands
and singers during a long career.
Billy Vaughn (1919-1991) began his career playing
piano and singing baritone in the group ‘The Hilltoppers’,
before joining Dot Records as musical director where he
accompanied many of the label’s top singers.
As well as being a respected arranger and conductor, Richard
Hayman (b. 1920) was also a harmonica virtuoso, and he sometimes
adapted his scores of popular melodies so that he could
perform on his favourite instrument. This formula brought
him two chart successes in the early 1950s, with 78s of
Ruby and April In Portugal. He followed Leroy
Anderson as an arranger for the Boston Pops Orchestra over
a period of more than 30 years, and also served as Music
Director of Mercury Records.
Phil Boutet and the Clebanoff Strings are yet two more
orchestras new to this series of CDs. Both were active in
light music spheres in the 1950s, with Boutet’s name
linked to some 101 Strings recordings. Chicago born Herman
Clebanoff (1917-2004) joined Mercury Records in the mid-1950s,
and went on to conduct around fifteen instrumental albums
for the label.
Salvatore (‘Tutti’) Camarata (1913-2005)
was an accomplished trumpet player, but he found his true
musical niche during the 1930s as arranger for top bands
such as Charlie Barnet, Jimmy Dorsey, Benny Goodman and
Paul Whiteman. For a number of years he was musical director
of ABC and Decca Records, and was a co-founder of London
Records (the US arm of Britain’s Decca). He also worked
for the Disney Studios and helped to establish Disneyland
Records, for whom he recorded the quirky Spring Madness.
Frank Cordell (1918-1980) was a fine composer, arranger
and conductor whose work first became noticed through the
tuneful backings he often supplied to some contract singers
on HMV singles in the 1950s. Occasionally he was allowed
his own 78s, and he was also responsible for several fine
LPs which quickly became collectors’ items. The cinema
beckoned with some prestigious projects and he was nominated
for an Oscar for his work on "Cromwell" (1970).
© David Ades 2009
 GUILD
LIGHT MUSIC GLCD5154
Musical Kaleidoscope – Volume 3
1 Winged Messenger (Charles Williams)
QUEEN’S HALL LIGHT ORCHESTRA Conducted by SIDNEY TORCH
Chappell C 355 1948
2 Baden-Baden (Raymond)
BADEN-BADEN SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA Conducted by HANS ROSBAUD
Ariola 36 809 C 1958
3 Holiday For Trombones (David Rose)
DAVID ROSE AND HIS ORCHESTRA
MGM 45-MGM 952 1957
4 Jalopy (Kermit Leslie & Walter Leslie real surnames
Levinsky)
KERMIT LESLIE AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Epic LG 1019 1956
5 Just For Two (Raymond S. Ellis, arr. Angela Morley)
JEFF MORLEY AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Epic EG 7030 1953
6 White (Victor Young)
SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA Conducted by FRANK SINATRA
Capitol LCT 6111 1956
7 Tales Of The Three Blind Mice (Ronald Binge)
SIDNEY TORCH AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Lang-Worth PC 132B c.1952
8 Shaftesbury Avenue (Jack Strachey)
LOUIS VOSS AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Bosworth BC 1213 1948
9 The Boston Two Step (L.C. Everett)
SIDNEY BOWMAN AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Felsted PDL 85016 1956
10 Vivaracho (Clements)
DON SESTA AND HIS TANGO ORCHESTRA
Decca LF 1201 1955
11 Twilight Reverie (Temple Abady)
LONDON PROMENADE ORCHESTRA Conducted by WALTER COLLINS
Paxton PR 456 1948
12 Lady Of The Evening (Irving Berlin, arr. Peter Yorke)
PETER YORKE AND HIS CONCERT ORCHESTRA
Decca DL 8240 1954
13 Piano Playtime (Robert Farnon)
THE TELECAST ENSEMBLE featuring ROBERT FARNON, piano
Chappell C 595 1957
14 Domani (Ulpio Minucci, Anthony Velona)
RICHARD HAYMAN AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Mercury MG 20235 1956
15 Valse Bluette (Riccardo Drigo)
RAFAEL MENDEZ, trumpet with VICTOR YOUNG AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Brunswick LA 8657 1954
16 Banners Of Victory (Roger Barsotti)
HARRY FRYER AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Decca MW 364 1946
17 That’s All (Bob Haymes)
ACQUAVIVA AND HIS ORCHESTRA
MGM D 120 1953
18 Ecstasy (Otto Cesana)
OTTO CESANA AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Columbia CL 631 1955
19 Swanee (George Gershwin, Irving Caesar)
GUY LUYPAERTS AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Decca DL 8271 1956
20 Deep Night (Charles E. Henderson, Rudy Vallee, arr. Richard
Jones)
THE PITTSBURGH STRINGS Conducted by RICHARD JONES
Capitol T 890 1957
21 Captain Of The Guard (William Patrick Donovan)
DANISH STATE RADIO ORCHESTRA Conducted by ROBERT FARNON
Chappell C 392 1950
22 La Muse Legere – March (The Younger Generation)
(Marius Constant)
SIDNEY TORCH AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Parlophone R 3418
23 Alla Marcia (from "Karelia" Suite, Op. 11)
(Jean Sibelius)
THE DANISH STATE RADIO SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA Conducted by THOMAS
JENSEN
Decca 71089 1955
24 Rustle Of Spring (Christian Sinding, edited by Charles
J. Woodhouse)
QUEEN’S HALL LIGHT ORCHESTRA Conducted by CHARLES WILLIAMS
Columbia DB 2230 1946
25 Serenade (Gabriel Pierne)
ANDRE KOSTELANETZ AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Philips BBL 7132 1957
26 Scherzo from "Concerto Symphonique No. 4" (Henry
Litolff)
WINIFRED ATWELL, piano with THE NEOPHONIC SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
conducted by MANTOVANI
Decca F 9864 1952
BONUS TRACKS: Music from "The Phantom Raspberry
Blower of Old London Town"
27 Desperate Moment (Kenneth Essex, real name Rufus
Isaacs)
CELEBRITY SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
De Wolfe DW 2551 1954
28 Sinister Street No. 1 (Peter Franklyn, real name Robert
Gill)
CELEBRITY SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
De Wolfe DW 2522 1954
The copyright dates after the catalogue numbers state
when the original recording was first released, according
to printed catalogues and/or information on disc labels
or sleeves.
BOOKLET NOTES
Our first two "Musical Kaleidoscope" CDs were
well received, judging by the requests for more of the same.
It seems that many people enjoy a wide variety of musical
styles, rather than just one theme for a compilation –
although it has to be said that there are strong supporters
of the latter as well. But those of you who fall into the
former category will certainly have a varied mixture served
up for you on this occasion, largely selected from your
particular suggestions.
As this Guild series of Light Music recordings has progressed
the number of previously neglected recordings made available
once again to collectors continues apace. Of equal interest
to many is hearing for the first time in full many pieces
originally locked away in the recorded music libraries.
Although they remain an important part of the entertainment
scene today, these particularly flourished in the middle
years of the last century, and they were the source of many
signature tunes and themes for vintage radio and television
programmes.
Each new Guild Light Music CD now includes compositions
specifically requested by our friends around the world,
and this time is certainly no exception. Music lovers in
Britain, Europe, Australia, New Zealand and the USA will
all be hearing their special favourites, and it is our many
friends in the USA who will particularly recognise the opening
track. Winged Messenger by Charles Williams was used
extensively behind NBC-TV programme promos in the late 1950s
and early 1960s, including "The Shirley Temple Theater".
It was also chosen as the opening theme music for two old
time radio shows: "Doctor Six Gun" on NBC and
"The Silver Eagle" on ABC.
Volumes could be written about Charles Williams (1893-1978)
(real name Isaac Cozerbreit) who began his career accompanying
silent films, then played violin under the batons of Beecham
and Elgar. Right from the start of the ‘talkies’,
he provided scores for numerous British films, but by far
the greatest volume of his composing skills was employed
in mood music, providing hundreds of works for Chappell
alone, many of them also conducted by him.
Once upon a time all self-respecting resorts (both seaside
and inland) boasted municipal orchestras, and some –
such as at Baden-Baden – survived well into the 1950s.
In fact the Baden-Baden orchestra still thrives today as
the South West German Radio Symphony Orchestra, which has
a fine reputation for attracting the cream of visiting guest
conductors.
David Rose (1910-1990) caused a sensation with his
own composition Holiday For Strings in 1943, which
firmly launched him as a light music composer in the eyes
of the public. Holiday For Trombones was popular
in 1957, but he had a worldwide smash hit in 1962 with another
of his own tunes, a humorous and satirical piece called
The Stripper. In total he won five Grammy awards
and six gold records.
Kermit Leslie (real name Kermit Levinsky) was
born in New York City, and was working as a professional
musician by the time he was fourteen. He was a prolific
composer (often with his brother Walter) with over 50 published
titles to his credit, although Walter’s total is even
higher.
Angela Morley (b. 1924) made several recordings as ‘Jeff
Morley’ which are now very rare. Her admirers will
recognise her gift for arranging, which has stood her in
such good stead during her impressive career, notably as
an in-demand film composer.
"Tone Poems of Color" was an instrumental LP album conducted
by Frank Sinatra to commemorate the new recording studios
in the brand new Capitol Records Tower building (shaped
like a stack of gramophone records.) For this ‘concept
album’, a number of poems were written about colours
by Norman Sickel. Several top Hollywood composers were asked
to contribute a short instrumental fantasy piece based upon
a poem, and Guild has already reissued Orange by
Nelson Riddle (GLCD 5142) and Green by Gordon Jenkins
(GLCD 5145). In Victor Young's case he was assigned the
colour White for which he created a charming winter
scene, derived from a pastoral background melody he had
originally composed when he scored the 1954 film "Three
Coins In The Fountain".
Sidney Torch (1908-1990) makes the second of three appearances
in this collection with one of the transcription recordings
he made for the American Lang-Worth library. Called "Lang-Worth
Feature Programs Inc" these were 8-inch blue discs
produced mainly for independent radio stations in the US.
The light orchestral music in the library contains mostly
re-recordings of well known pieces, although there were
a few original works, such as Ronald Binge’s Tales
Of The Three Blind Mice. Sidney Torch appears to have
conducted more than one hundred titles for Lang-Worth and,
given the fragile nature of the original discs, and the
rough treatment many of them must have received, it is surprising
that a few still exist today. Ronald Binge (1910-1979) is
destined to remain forever remembered as the gifted arranger
who designed the ‘cascading strings’ effect for
Mantovani, but his true achievements deserve far greater
recognition. This is his eighth appearance so far as a composer
on Guild. The other Sidney Torch recording comes from his
contract with EMI’s Parlophone, which produced many
gems in the 1940s and 1950s. Roumanian-born, but French-based,
Marius Constant (1925-2004) was musical director of Roland
Petit’s ballet company from 1956 to 1966, later becoming
musical director of the Paris Opera Ballet. He also wrote
theme music for the cult television series "The Twilight
Zone". La Muse Legere was popular for a while
in Britain when used as the theme for a BBC radio feature
"The Under-20 Parade".
The orchestras performing on Library Music recordings often
contained some of the finest session players, and Bosworth
was fortunate in being able to employ Louis Voss (1902-1980).
He formed the Louis Voss Grand Orchestra during the 1930s,
which made many records for Bosworths; they also recorded
under the pseudonym ‘The West End Celebrity Orchestra’.
The leader was the famous violinist Alfredo Campoli. Eventually
Louis Voss became one of the BBC’s regular broadcasters,
and he combined this with theatrical engagements. Jack Strachey
(1894-1972) has ensured his musical immortality by composing
These Foolish Things. In the world of light music
he is also remembered as the composer of In Party Mood,
the catchy number he wrote for Bosworths in 1944 which was
later chosen for the long-running BBC Radio series "Housewives’
Choice"(the original recording is on GLCD 5120). This
is just one of a series of catchy instrumentals that have
flowed from his pen, and Shaftesbury Avenue (which
leads from Piccadilly in the heart of London’s Theatreland)
is his ninth on Guild so far.
Olde-Tyme dance music remained popular in Britain well
into the 1950s, and several conductors enjoyed success specialising
in this repertoire. Violinist Sidney Bowman was one who
also made commercial records, but most reached their ‘sell
by’ date during the 1960s. The Boston Two Step
was a permanent fixture at dances of that era.
The English composer Temple Abady (1903-1970) contributed
scores to several Crown Film Unit documentaries ("Railways"
1946, "The Three A’s" and "Boy Builders"
both 1947) before he became established in feature films
– most of them during a busy period from 1947 to 1953.
Among the best remembered today are "Miranda"
starring Glynis Johns and Griffith Jones (1947), "Dear
Mr Prohack" featuring Cecil Parker, Hermione Baddeley
and Dirk Bogarde (1949), "Miss Robin Hood" with
Margaret Rutherford, Richard Hearne and James Robertson
Justice (1952) and "Folly To Be Wise" starring
Alastair Sim (1952). One of the few works he contributed
to production music libraries is the sensitive Twilight
Reverie.
Peter Yorke (1902-1966) is a regular contributor to this
series of CDs, as composer, arranger and conductor. After
a grounding in British Dance Bands of the 1920s and 1930s,
he graduated to arranging for Louis Levy before eventually
forming his own concert orchestra for recording and broadcasting.
During the 1950s Robert Farnon (1917-2005) made many visits
to Denmark conducting recordings for the Chappell Recorded
Music Library. A long-running British Musicians’ ban
prohibited such work in the UK, and Chappell was just one
of many publishers who were forced to employ orchestras
on the continent of Europe. Chappell used musicians from
the Danish State Radio Orchestra and called them ‘The
Melodi Light Orchestra’. When a smaller group was needed,
the name sometimes changed to ‘The Telecast Orchestra’
or ‘Ensemble’ and on a visit in 1957 Robert Farnon
was conducting several pieces featuring the piano. The pianist
engaged for the session had great difficulty in playing
Piano Playtime, so Farnon himself eventually had
to step in. He never claimed that the performance was perfect,
but it captured the carefree mood intended in the tune’s
title. Later in this collection Farnon returns in more familiar
style waving the baton for yet another special request –
W.P. Donovan’s Captain Of The Guard.
Richard Hayman (b. 1920) is a respected American arranger
and conductor, who happily has remained in demand for new
recording projects at the dawn of the 21st century.
He was regularly commissioned to orchestrate Broadway shows
and film soundtracks, and followed Leroy Anderson as an
arranger for the Boston Pops Orchestra over a period of
more than 30 years.
Rafael Mendez (1906-1981) was regarded as one of America’s
finest trumpeters of his time and he also composed many
pieces, often designed to show off his instrument. Following
his performance of Hejre Kati on Guild GLCD 5126
we have finally had to bow to requests for another example
of his brilliant technique. Riccardo Drigo (1846-1930) would
surely have been impressed if he had lived to hear Rafael’s
version of his Valse Bluette.
Room could not be found in the two "Light Music While
You Work" compilations for Roger Barsotti’s Banners
of Victory, so we are pleased to present the fine Harry
Fryer recording – to satisfy public demand, as the
saying goes!
The American composer and conductor Nick (Nicholas Paul)
Acquaviva (1925-1998) is already a firm favourite on Guild
CDs. Although not a frequent visitor to the recording studios,
he gained recognition in the USA through his involvement
with the Symphony of the Air orchestra and as conductor
of the 135-strong New York ‘Pops’ Symphony Orchestra
which promoted new works by young composers. That’s
All, composed by Bob Haymes (his vibrant Curtain
Time is on GLCD 5149) is given the lush setting which
this beautiful standard fully deserves. Acquaviva was married
to singer Joni James.
Italian born Otto Cesana (1899-1980) spent much of his
early career in California where he lived from 1908 to 1930.
His piano studies commenced at the age of ten, and he became
an accomplished organist; he also learned about orchestration
and harmony which he put to good use working in radio and
Hollywood film studios. Most critics regarded Cesana’s
work as being ‘easy listening’, although the distinguished
jazz critic Leonard Feather considered him worthy of an
entry in the 1960 Encyclopaedia Jazz through his acclaimed
composition Symphony In Jazz. By then Cesana had
returned to Italy, although he was living in New York when
he died in 1980. Guild has previously featured his exciting
and vibrant Night Train (GLCD 5131) and the dreamy
Devotion (GLCD 5146), but this time the mood is definitely
romantic as the title Ecstasy clearly suggests.
Guy Luypaerts (b. 1917) first appeared on a Guild CD playing
music by Cole Porter (GLCD 5127). He was born in Paris to
Belgian parents during the First World War and became well-known
in French musical circles through conducting an orchestra
called the Nouvelle Association Symphonique de Paris. Luypaerts
is listed as providing the music for the 1945 film "Etoile
Sans Lumière". He worked with Edith Piaf (he
arranged her 1946 world-wide hit "La Vie En Rose"),
Georges Guetary, Yves Montand and most notably with Charles
Trénet. Guild has previously included his imaginative
sounds in the Cole Porter tribute (GLCD 5127) and conducting
quirky cameos such as The Sleepwalker of Amsterdam
(GLCD 5131) and Masquerade In Madrid (GLCD 5132).
This time he gives a novel interpretation of the George
Gershwin classic Swannee.
There was a time when record companies thought that the
word ‘Strings’ added to an orchestra’s title
would enhance sales. It didn’t seem to matter if there
were other instruments as well, but a few were genuine string
ensembles - such as The Pittsburgh Strings, for which Capitol
Records engaged Richard Jones. He conducted and arranged
for the complete string section of the Pittsburgh Symphony
Orchestra, led by their famous concertmaster Samuel Thavin.
Their albums were highly appreciated, and are much sought-after
today. With Deep Night they make their seventh appearance
on Guild.
Jean Sibelius would not have regarded himself as a light
music composer, yet many of his works have instant appeal
– such as Alla Marcia. Generations of budding
pianists struggled with Rustle of Spring, but it
needs the orchestral touch to reveal its full beauty. Gabriel
Pierne’s Serenade exudes peace and harmony when
conducted by Andre Kostelanetz, and Winifred Atwell confirmed
that there was much more to her talents than her popular
‘honky-tonk’ piano ever allowed her to demonstrate.
Taken together, these four contrasting works demonstrate
that the borders between the so-called classics and light
music are impossible to define.
To conclude Guild Music’s second "Musical Kaleidoscope"
collection (GLCD 5140) we took our courage in both hands
and offered four pieces under the sub-heading ‘Drama,
Menace and Excitement’. It was in response to a number
of requests for several pieces of dramatic music that were
familiar to some through their use in radio and television
productions. The reaction was far from negative: in fact
we have been asked for more, and a number of titles have
been suggested. Top of the list is undoubtedly the music
used by the BBC way back in 1976 when "The Phantom
Raspberry Blower Of Old London Town" (a Jack the Ripper
pastiche) was an eight-week comic serial as part of the
hugely popular "The Two Ronnies" comedy series,
which are still being repeated regularly today. (In actual
fact it first appeared as one of "Six Dates With Barker"
on ITV in 1971 written by Spike Milligan, and Ronnie Barker
adapted the original half-hour version). An important ingredient
was the choice of music for which the producers resorted
to production music from London publishers De Wolfe to create
just the right atmosphere for the ‘Raspberry Blower’.
The two main pieces heard throughout the serial are offered
as ‘bonus tracks’ on this CD. The composers Rufus
Isaacs and Robert Gill were regular contributors to recorded
music libraries, but each chose to work under pseudonyms.
Rufus Isaacs often composed as ‘Kenneth Essex’,
but he also used names such as ‘Claud Vane’, ‘Derek
Dwyer’ and ‘Howitt Hale’. His many short
works often had a ‘show business’ or holiday feel,
and his previous Guild pieces include Travel Centre,
Big Dipper and Palace of Variety (GLCD 5115),
and Gay and Glamorous and Chorus Girl (GLCD
5149). Robert Gill (1916-1955) makes his Guild debut (as
‘Peter Franklyn’) with Sinister Street No.
1. He was busy as a film composer in the early 1950s,
with movies such as "So Little Time" (1952), "Twenty-Four
Hours Of A Woman’s Life" (1952 – with Philip
Green), "Men Are Children Twice" (1953), "The
South Of Algiers" (1953), "Valley Of Song"
(1953) and "They Who Dare" (1954) to his credit.
© David Ades 2009
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