KEEPING TRACK

Dateline September 2004

SIDNEY TORCH All Strings and Fancy Free Living Era CD AJA5540 74:50 mins. [full track listing in JIM 159 – page 30] Happy recollections of the heyday of ‘Friday Night Is Music Night’ and the first CD appearance of Sydney Norman’s Cornflakes make this a "must have" for your reviewer. I cannot help feeling that Sidney Torch has been overlooked somewhat in the current revival of our kind of music. He is even inexplicably missing from Peter Gammond’s otherwise excellent Oxford Companion to Popular Music. So it is only right that David Ades should have delved into his extensive collection and resurrected these particular original 78s. Nine of the 25 tracks are pieces penned by Torch, including the classic Shooting Star and the title track with its fine sounding pizzicato string sound. This is also evident to a lesser extent in Canadian In Mayfair by Angela Morley and High Heels which David reminds us, in his customary informative booklet notes, was Trevor Duncan’s first success as a composer. Another Torch arrangement is a cracking [if not quite in the Percy Faith league] six-minute, six tune Pan American Fantasy. Sharing the maestro’s love of music in the Latin idiom, I also enjoyed his own Fandango and Philippe Gerard’s Without My Lover. Other composers contributing include Coates, Ellis [an atmospheric Coronation Scot], Lecuona and Porter [arrangements by Morley], Richardson and Ross [a.k.a. Ray Martin]. The playing is robust in true Sidney Torch style and Alan Bunting’s audio restoration and remastering nothing short of wonderful. More of the same, please. Peter Burt

MANTOVANI American Scene My Old Kentucky Home, Camptown Races, I Dream Of Jeannie, The Old Folks At Home, Ring De Banjo, Beautiful Dreamer, Home On The Range, Grandfather’s Clock, Yellow Rose Of Texas, Just A-Wearyin’ For You, Turkey In The Straw, Goodnight Irene Concert Spectacular Stars And Stripes Forever, Estrellita, Theme from ‘A Summer Place’, Granada, Forgotten Dreams, Thunder And Lightning Polka, Zapateado, Londonderry Air, By The Sleepy Lagoon, A Trumpeter’s Lullaby, The Green Leaves Of Summer, The Parade Of The Wooden Soldiers. Vocalion CDLK 4157 [76.33 mins.] To my mind these two albums, now issued on CD in the UK for the first time, are musically and technically among the best Mantovani recorded. Originating from 1959 and 1960 respectively, there is that gorgeous string sound a-plenty but much more besides. The traditional American tunes, in arrangements by Cecil Milner and Monty himself, can only be described as delicious. Stephen Foster wrote the first six melodies – the massed tremolo strings in the opening number are stunning. Henry Clay Work’s Grandfather’s Clock, played on a musical box, is especially charming. The second album captures the excitement and variety of a Mantovani live performance. The well-contrasted items all have good tunes. The purple prose of the original sleeve notes conjures up "the thrilling grandeur of Thunder and Lightning Polka, the fragile, gentle beauty of Londonderry Air, and the jaunty fantasy of The Parade of the Wooden Soldiers". This last piece brings back childhood memories of Larry the Lamb, Ernest the Policeman, Mr Growser, et al. Long may Mr Dutton continue to pick the plums out of the Mantovani discography. I am hoping that ‘Folk Songs Around the World’ and ‘Songs to Remember’, two albums I missed on Lp, might be on his list. And also, of course, ‘Continental Encores’, ‘Gypsy’, ‘Songs of Praise’, ‘Old and New Fangled Tangos’ …… Peter Burt

FRANK CHACKSFIELD & HIS ORCHESTRA Beyond The Sea Ebb Tide, How Deep Is The Ocean?, Deep River, Stranger On The Shore, Moonlight On The Ganges, Sea Mist, Shenandoah, The Sea, Moon River, Sleepy Lagoon, Victory At Sea The Victors The Victors – My Special Dream, Cabinet Of Caligari – Sounds Of The Night, Divorce Italian Style – Theme, The VIPs – The Willow, Days Of Wine And Roses – Theme, 8½ – Theme, From Russia With Love – Theme, A New Kind Of Love – Theme, Mondo Cane – More, Toys In The Attic – Theme, David And Lisa – Love song, The Cardinal – Main Theme. Vocalion CDLK 4222 [68:59 mins.] Michael Dutton has brought us some excellent Chacksfield mono CDs; here he turns his attention to two from the stereo years. The first is a 1964 Decca Phase 4 production that begins with a twin-channelled take on what, originally released in 1953, became a second million seller for Chacksfield by 1961 [the first being the Limelight Theme in 1953] and the first-ever British non-vocal disc to reach No.1 in the U.S. charts. It ends with a dramatic 7-minute version of Richard Rodger’s Victory At Sea, complete with sound effects. Thankfully, only Sleepy Lagoon features an ethereal female voice. The maestro himself penned Sea Mist under his Roger Senicourt pseudonym. The second album is a Decca SKL also issued in the same year, with all the arrangements by Roland Shaw. It is nice to be reminded of some attractive themes from films of the 1960s that are, with a few notable exceptions, fairly forgotten. There is some fine trumpet on Nino Rota’s theme for Fellini’s 8½ [I remember a ‘Steptoe’ episode where Albert asks whether this is the director’s hat size] and, characteristically, the French horn [Neil Sanders?] stands out on several tracks, notably Cabinet of Caligari. But there is a lustre about earlier reissued Chacksfield recordings not always obvious here. He is definitely at his best, too, with music in the romantic/lyrical idiom and, although well recorded, quite entertaining and worth buying at the price, I would not put either of these 2-on-1 albums in my all-time Chacksfield top 10. Peter Burt

FERDE GROFE Grand Canyon Suite (Sunrise, Painted Desert, On the Trail, Sunset, Cloudburst), Mississippi Suite (Father of Waters, Huckleberry Finn, Old Creole Days, Mardi Gras), Niagara Falls Suite (Thunder of the Waters, Devil’s Hole Massacre, Honeymooners, Power of Niagara). Naxos 6.110002 Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra conducted by William T. Stromberg. This companion disc to the earlier set of Grofe suites is simply superb. Has there ever been a more atmospheric piece of light music than the Grand Canyon Suite? One can almost feel the shimmering heat at noon and the hailstones rattling down the gorge during the all-consuming thunderstorm. Grofe was a master of all kinds of music from popular songs, through light classical to expansive arrangements for Paul Whiteman’s original big band but this is perhaps his most memorable. If you like light music then you cannot afford to be without it. Edmund Whitehouse

BRITISH BY ARRANGEMENT 2 Three American Sketches (Peter Hope); Tango in D (Albeniz arr. Malcolm Arnold); Majorcan Fantasy (Peter Hope); Airs & Graces (Eric Wetherell); Mexican Hat Dance (Peter Hope); Fantasia & Fugue on the theme B-A-C-H (Liszt, arr. Christopher Phelps); The Lark in the Clear Air (Peter Hope); Fantasia on Auld Lang Syne (Ernest Tomlinson). Royal Ballet Sinfonia conducted by Gavin Sutherland Sanctuary Group Whiteline CD WHL 2155. Yet another masterpiece from producer Philip Lane and conductor Gavin Sutherland with the promise of more to come. It’s all jolly good British stuff with an outstanding final extended offering by our very own Ernest Tomlinson, which includes all the instruments of the orchestra plus a few tinkling pots and pans thrown in for good measure. It is titled Auld Lang Syne but that is just an excuse to enjoy a real Lancashire hotpot of just about every famous classical tune one can think of. Great stuff! Peter Hope is represented with four excellent original pieces while Eric Wetherell, Christopher Phelps and Malcolm Arnold all chip in with handy arrangements. Whatever next? Peter Worsley

GUILD LIGHT MUSIC series - Vol. 4 Great British Light Orchestras; Vol. 5 Great American Light Orchestras. (For details and track listings please see JIM 159) When my review of the Guild Series appeared in JIM 159, it will have been apparent to readers that I had not yet had the opportunity to listen to volumes 4 and 5; this situation has now been remedied. I am delighted to report that the high standard of volumes 1-3 has certainly been maintained, perhaps even surpassed. The format remains the same, with a good mix of established favourites, together with some real gems which have "made it" onto CD for the first time. Once again, David Ades has expertly compiled and sequenced the programmes, whilst Alan Bunting’s digitally restored sound is quite outstanding. Also worthy of mention, and an object lesson to some other record companies, is the first-class graphic design and presentation of the entire series, this being the work of Paul Brooks. Amongst the items on the "English" CD are two pieces which will evoke memories of the early post-WWII "BBC Television Service" - as it was then known; Eric Coates’ "Television March", the service’s signature tune, and "Spring Morning", a George Melachrino composition for the EMI Mood Music Library, which was used from time to time behind the stories on "Television Newsreel". The "American" CD contains some particularly interesting material, including a little-known piece by Terrig Tucci (composer of "Edelma"), entitled "Holiday in Rio" – did he write anything else, I wonder? I understand that yet more CDs are soon to follow; I am sure these will be eagerly awaited by the growing band of Guild collectors. Tony Clayden

BRITISH LIGHT MUSIC DISCOVERIES 6 March Past of the RAF (Walford Davies); Legend of the Lake (Gareth Glyn); Londonderry Air (Hamilton Harty); Rondo in A (John Field); Overture 1912 (Iain Hamilton); Tarka the Otter; Serenata (David Fanshawe); Frank Lloyd Wright Suite (Christopher Slaski). Gavin Sutherland conducting the Royal Ballet Sinfonia ASV WHL 2149. John Field, Walford Davies and Hamilton Harty need no introduction and their splendid music survives them. Iain Hamilton’s Overture 1912 is dedicated to Dan Leno and the music hall genre in which he performed for so many years, while Gareth Glyn’s Legend of the Lake has much to do with mystic Anglesey where he lives. Tarka the Otter still remains popular today but Christopher Slaski is a young composer making a mark in the concert hall, his Frank Lloyd Wright Suite being an evocation of various buildings designed by the famous American architect. How much more British Light Music is out there left to be discovered? We can only surmise what producer Philip Lane and conductor Gavin Sutherland still have stashed up their sleeves. Edmund Whitehouse

PROMISES KEPT Steve Kuhn with strings Lullaby, Life's backward glance, Trance, Morning dew, Promises kept, Adagio, Celtic princess, Nostalgia, Oceans in the sky, Pastorale. Steve Kuhn piano, David Finck Bass, Orchestrated and conducted by Carlos Franzetti. ECM1815, timing 58:26 mins. ECM releases although beautifully recorded and packaged often come across as slightly sterile. There are exceptions and we certainly have one here! This CD is better described melodic, evocative and a treat for the senses. All are original compositions by Steve Kuhn, displaying seductive lushness in both writing and execution. This CD is a showcase for stellar and like minded musicians, completely outclassing similar set-ups. Paul Clatworthy

ELIZABETH JANE BALDRY, Harp Victorian Fairy Harp Music Ballade de la Fée, A Fairy Legend, Ondina, Recollections of the Enchantress, In Twilight Hour, In Fairyland, Conte de Fées, Le Révil des Elfes, Choeur de Nymphes, La Danza degli Spiriti Campion CAMEO 2025, 65:42 mins. The actual title of this charming collection is ‘Harp of wild and dreamlike Strain’, which gives a clue to the delights to be found on this little silver disc. Elizabeth Jane Baldry is fascinated with harp music from the Victorian era, and listening to this collection one can imagine an elegantly dressed young lady gently caressing a harp to the delight of the assembled company in the large lounge of a country house, illuminated by the flickering light of dozens of candles from several glass chandeliers. Such is the power of beautiful music to get one’s fertile imagination wandering! These are all premiere recordings of long-forgotten works (by composers such as Felix Godefroid, Charles Oberthür, Giorgio Lorenzi and John Balsir Chatterton) discovered by Elizabeth Jane in various nineteenth century archives. The recording was made in the ballroom of Buckland Manor in Devon, and the acoustic seems perfectly suited to the harp. If you need some soothing listening to transport you well away from the troubles of the day, you could hardly do better than select several tracks from this magical collection. Pure delight from start to finish! David Ades Campion CDs are available from the RFS Record Service, price £12 [US $24].

BEBEL GILBERTO Simplesmente, Aganju, All around, River song, Every day you've been away, Cada beijo, O Caminho, Baby, Ce'u distante, Winter, Jabuticaba, Next to you. Warner East West 5050467 3266 20, 47:56 mins. Don't be put off by the titles, the bulk of lyrics are in English and her voice is made in heaven. When you absorb the sound you will think you are listening to Astrud Gilberto all over again! Nine of the delectable songs are written by Bebel, sometimes collaborating, all twelve tracks imbibed with pure hands in the air pleasure. The accompaniment is sometimes sparse sometimes full bloodied but always gorgeous and aurally stunning. It should sell by the bucket load. Paul Clatworthy

CYRIL STAPLETON Come ‘N’ Get It 12 original compositions by Reg Owen Songs You Won’t Easily Forget Stranger on the Shore, English Country Garden, Catch a Falling Star, Romantica, Sway, Moon River, I Can’t Stop Loving You, etc..Vocalion CDLK4232, 70:44 mins. If anyone needs an example of the great versatility of the Cyril Stapleton Orchestra, it can certainly be found on this CD. The first LP features 12 Reg Owen big band numbers that will have found favour at the time, because thousands of British young men were still being conscripted into National Service when the LP first came out in 1959. The second LP (from 1962) contains some lovely light orchestral arrangements by Len Stevens, that fine composer of so many works for the mood music libraries. David Ades

THE MANY MOODS OF ANN RICHARDS By myself, Be easy, be tender, Where do you go, I'm gonna laugh, I gotta have you, Lazy afternoon, Something's coming, Every time, When the sun comes out, Poor little extra girl, Seasons Reasons, I'm late. Arrangements by Ralph Carmichael, Bill Holman and Tak Shindo. TOO MUCH! accompanied by Stan Kenton's Orchestra. It's a wonderful world, The morning after, I was the last to know, My kinda love, I got rhythm, No moon at all, Don't be that way, Suddenly I'm sad, Nobody like my baby, All or nothing at all. Arrangements by Gene Roland, Johnny Richards, Bill Holman, Stan Kenton and Wayne Dunstan, Capitol 7243 5 97055 2, 2-CD, 78:33 mins. I've always treasured Ann's album made with Brian Farnon, I was not in to vocals so much then, the Farnon name was the draw! There are plenty of songs on the first album that unfathomably got lost along the way. Nice strings on "I'm gonna laugh" and the writing on "Something's coming" is the best I have heard since Frank Comstock's version for The Hi Lo's. The second half gets off to a bad start with a scat reading of "It's' a wonderful world" which sounds more like Ann forgot the lyrics! Give me Peggy Lee any day! Kenton's score featuring trombones on "I was the last one to know" provides one of the highlights of the CD. Bill Holman's slow inventive start of "I got rhythm" rings the changes more than a little, Ann goes over the top at the close spoiling it! Despite my few gripes a good package. Paul Clatworthy

WERNER MULLER Wild Strings The Breeze and I, Dance Ballerina Dance, Hora Staccato, Moonglow, Ritual Fire Dance, El Rancho Grande, TD’s boogie woogie, Granada, Vilia, How Hight the Moon, Lady of Spain, The World is Waiting for the Sunrise Percussion in the Sky You Are my Lucky Star, The High and Mighty, Don’t Let the Stars Get in your Eyes, I Got the Sun in the Morning, Blue Moon, Look for a Star, Moonlight Becomes You, Over the Rainbow, I’m Sitting on top of the World, The Moon Was Yellow, Stairway to the Stars, When You Wish Upon a Star Vocalion CDLK4235, 64:22. In my early teens I became aware of the exciting sound of the Werner Müller Orchestra, and it used to be a cause of great frustration at the time to discover that his Polydor LPs were only available in Germany, and currency restrictions made it virtually impossible to import them into Britain. Eventually things changed for the better, and "Wild Strings" was eagerly snapped up as soon as it appeared on Decca’s ‘new release’ lists in 1963 (not 1969 as the CD states). "Percussion in the Sky" is perhaps a bit over the top with its stereo gimmicks, but both albums were fine examples of their kind. I’m glad to have them available again on CD. David Ades

BOUND FOR GLORY Songs and Piano Pieces on a Railway Theme From a Railway Carriage (Francis Jackson, Alec Rowley, Henry Ley, Carol Barratt); Adlestrop (Gordon Jacob, Ivor Gurney, Peter Duffy, John Mc Lain); Traveller’s Song (Glinka); Ambulance Train (John Jeffreys); Midnight on the Great Western, Calypso (Britten); Coronation Scott (Vivian Ellis); The Railroad (Geoffrey Kimpton); Metropolitan Railway (Leslie East); Diss (Geoffrey Wright), Skimbleshanks (Cats) (A.L. Webber); The Old Railway Line, I Came To Oxford, The Demise of Harpenden Junction Box (John Mc Lain); Railroad Rhythm (Billy Mayerl); Slow Train (Flanders/Swan); British Rail (Mervyn Horder); Canon Gloy (Hely-Hutchinson), This Train (Maw) Gordon Pullin (tenor), John Gough (piano) SOSSCD 369, can be obtained from Gordon Pullen at Treakles, Kettlebaston, Suffolk, 1P7 7QA, £10 inc. p&p 70:03 mins. Railways have inspired much music; most of it lightish, and this nicely recorded disc largely exemplifies that. Some items, like the Britten Midnight on the Great Western, Jeffry’s Ambulance Train and possibly the four settings of that charming poem Adlestrop, are relatively serious, but most of the others, including the two Betjeman ones (Metropolitan Railway and Diss), Skimbleshanks, Calypso and British Rail, even Slow Train, despite its underlying sadness, are light-hearted. Mr. Pullin’s light tenor, with outstandingly good diction, makes the most of them. Four songs are by RFS member John Mc Lain: rounded, lyrical and grateful to the voice, they are in the ballad tradition. This Train is a Negro spiritual, brilliantly set by Nicholas Maw. John Gough’s lively accompaniments contribute much; of his two solos, Railroad Rhythm is admirably done and, although it obviously lacks the colour of the familiar orchestral version, it is interesting to hear Coronation Scot’s piano version. Philip L. Scowcroft

JANE FROMAN The Memorable Radio Years. At The Candlelight Cafe, Stormy Weather, Lover, Just For Now, You Walk By, Rhode Island Is Famous For You, My Darling My Darling, Where Or When, I Get A Kick Out Of You, Again, But Where Are You, Buttons And Bows, Coffee In The Morning, Speak Your Heart, When I See An Elephant Fly, April In Paris, Speak Low, Orchids In The Moonlight, What’s The Use of Wonderin’, Papa Won’t You Dance With Me, They Can’t Take That Away From Me. Frank Bristow FBCDll3, 77:30 mins. Miss Froman will be best remembered for the 1952 film of her life, With A Song In My Heart starring Susan Hayward in the role of Froman, who sound tracked all her own songs with Hayward doing a marvellous job of lip-synching. This CD doesn’t include those songs, covering earlier radio years (1934-1949), and it is obvious that at the age of 27 the soprano wasn’t yet into popular music. This is more apparent in her duet with her then husband Don Ross (played by David Wayne in the movie), with whom Jane Froman had appeared in Ziegfeld Follies Of l934, on Coffee In The Morning (And Kisses In The Night). But her voice and style developed over the years, and by the time she did a duet with James Melton on Speak Low ten years later Jane Froman was in every way an ideal popular singer. What gives this collection a possible appeal to RFS readers is, firstly, the presence of Andre Kostelanetz and his Orchestra on What’s The Use Of Wonderin’ and, secondly, the fact that the first half of the CD is from a. 1948 radio series with Percy Faith and his Orchestra. It’s all good standard material with vocal and instrumental performances of equal quality, my only possible complaint being the incessant announcements and long-winded introduction that American comperes seem to delight in. Arthur Jackson

Frank Bristow’s CDs are only available direct from him in Australia: Frank Bristow, 2 Cross Street, Brighton, Victoria, 3186, AUSTRALIA – e-mail franbris@ozemail.com.au

RONNIE ALDRICH and his two pianos Liebestraum, The Story of a Starry Night, Till the End of Time, Story of Three Loves, etc.. Melodies from the Classics Pavane, Rondo alla Turca, Cavatina, Moment Musical 3, Gymnopedie 1, Badinerie, etc.Vocalion CDLK4230, 75:41 mins. Vocalion is doing Ronnie Aldrich fans proud, with a continuing flow of new reissues of his Decca albums. These two concentrate on light classics, and they fit nicely together on one CD. Aldrich fans (and there are many of them around the world) will eagerly snap this one up. David Ades

Samuel Coleridge-Taylor: Violin Concerto in G minor Op 80; Antonin Dvorak: Violin Concerto in A minor Op 53 Phillipe Graffin, violin. Johannesburg Philharmonic Orchestra/Michael Hankinson AVID AV0044 (obtainable through record dealers in the UK). Although Samuel Coleridge-Taylor (b. London 1875) is generally regarded as a quintessential Light Music composer, he belongs to a select group which includes Edward German, Haydn Wood and – as discussed in JIM 159 – Montague Phillips, all of whom embraced both ‘light’ and ‘serious’ works. A student of the RCM, where he was highly regarded by his composition teacher Sir Charles Villiers Stanford, and encouraged in his early career by Sir Edward Elgar – no less, he wrote a symphony, a good deal of chamber music and several cantatas. Amongst the latter, "Hiawatha’s Wedding Feast", first performed in 1898 under Stanford’s direction, enjoyed enormous popularity in its day, on a par with Handel’s "Messiah". The Violin Concerto dates from the last year of his tragically foreshortened life. It was written for the American violinist Maud Powell, who gave its first performance in June 1912; however, that event was very nearly scuppered when the orchestral parts were lost on the Titanic. Happily, Coleridge-Taylor managed to produce another set at the last minute, but failing health prevented him from journeying to the US for the premiere; he died from pneumonia brought on by overwork, having just achieved his 38^th birthday in September 1912. The Concerto was subsequently given in London in the same year at the Queen’s Hall under Sir Henry Wood, but has only received a few performances since, and is here making its recording debut. Musically, it recalls the composer’s great hero, Antonin Dvorak; also at times Edvard Grieg, and in the rich use of the brass section, Coleridge-Taylor’s erstwhile mentor, Elgar. Those familiar with any of C-T’s compositions will immediately recognise the composer’s own distinctive ‘fingerprints’. It is our good fortune that more and more works of this kind are being rediscovered and recorded, and congratulations are due to the South African production team for making such an attractive piece available with this new release. Very appropriately, its coupling is the Dvorak Concerto, which was also given its first performance in the States by Maud Powell. Undoubtedly it never became as popular as some other contemporary violin concertos, eg those of Johannes Brahms or Max Bruch; perforce it has always had to play ‘second fiddle’ to its famous sibling – the Cello Concerto. A thoroughly enjoyable CD, warmly recommended. Tony Clayden

INTERMISSION IMPOSSIBLE 31 tracks featuring "Two-Way Stretch", "Cheyne Walk", "Let’s Skip", "See You Soon", "Traveller’s Joy", "Waltz In Jazztime", "These Foolish Things" amongst others (for full tracklisting please see the advertisement on page 23 of this issue). Here’s another CD living up to the excellence in sound quality we now come to expect from the compilations of Steven Wills, remastered by Lucy Reeve. This 31-track compilation from the Cavendish Library features the Big Band Sound of Ray Davies of "Button Down Brass" fame. Your mission is to play this CD and experience a variety of different tempos and styles covering Latin, Mexican, Dance Band, Big Band and Jazz. Each track has been carefully chosen to give a taste of this library which sounds as fresh today as it did way back in the late 1960’s. These tunes would fit into any of the daytime output of the late BBC Light Programme or the early BBC Radio 2 fayre of the 1970’s.  Remember Track 8? This was used as one of the themes from BBC Radio 2’s popular music quiz "Beat The Record" with Don Davis and Track 22 is a most endearing version of Jack Strachey’s "These Foolish Things" you ever did hear. If your mission is to listen to a quality big band CD, then this intermission is definitely not impossible! Malcolm Batchelor

FRANK D’RONE: Dear Frank – The Song Is You. I’ve Got The World on a String, The Song Is You, You Go To My Head, You Make Me Feel So Young, They Say It’s Wonderful, It Might As Well Be Spring, Moonlight Becomes You, I Only Have Eyes For You, It Happened In Monterey, I Concentrate On You, Lonesome Road, What’s New, The Girl Next Door, In The Wee Small Hours of the Morning (see below re availability). Frank Sinatra was godfather to Frank D’Rone’s son, but it was only recently that this tribute album was recorded, and what joy to find that not only has the singer’s voice lost none of its richness and accuracy of pitch, but that he still swings like the complete musician he is. Frank D’Rone came along just as the world of singers was giving way to the world of rock, and perhaps missed the big hits he deserved. However, those who, like me, remember and cherish his great recordings of the sixties and seventies, will be more than happy with this untypical collection of songs which Sinatra recorded – so untypical, in fact, that the list of titles alone doesn’t automatically make one think of him. D’Rone’s distinctive and impeccable phrasing brings something new to each track, yet, as in I Concentrate On You, in a way that I’m sure even Cole Porter would have approved, while arranger/ trumpeter/ fluegelhorn player Bob Perna’s driving group provides a backing that’s a constant treat to the ear. And those who remember Frank’s exceptional guitar skills will get a special kick from hearing him accompany himself on Wee Small Hours. Those who take the trouble to get a copy of this gem will not be disappointed. (This CD is available from Frank D’Rone at darone32@msn.com, or by mail to 1002 Briarcliffe Boulevard, Wheaton, Illinois, 60187, USA., for $15 plus postage). Pip Wedge

KEEPING TRACK

Dateline June 2004

HERE COME THE CLASSICS VOL. 8 – LIGHT MUSIC LEGENDS. MALCOLM ARNOLD English Dances : Set 2 Op. 33, No.1); ERIC COATES By the Sleepy Lagoon, Calling all Workers, Dambusters March; ARTHUR WOOD Barwick Green; VIVIAN ELLIS Coronation Scot; HAYDN WOOD The Bandstand, Hyde Park (Frescoes Suite); HUBERT BATH Cornish Rhapsody; ROBERT FARNON Westminster Waltz, Portrait of a Flirt; TREVOR DUNCAN March (Little Suite); CHARLES WILLIAMS Rhythm on Rails, Devils Galop, Heart o’ London; ARTHUR BENJAMIN Jamaican Rumba , EDWARD WHITE Puffin’ Billy; ANTHONY COLLINS Vanity Fair; EDWARD ELGAR Chanson de Nuit. Royal Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Barry Wordsworth with Roderick Elms (piano). RPO 008CD, total timing 59:28 mins. The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra are in the midst of producing ‘in house’ a series of CD’s under the generic title of ‘Here comes the Classics’ and Volume eight which has just appeared focuses on ‘Light Music Legends’. Many of the pieces included here will be perhaps overly familiar to the seasoned collector who will almost certainly have already various other alternative modern recordings in his collection, but the present disc is nonetheless worth considering on several counts. The novelty here is Charles Williams’ Heart o’ London consisting of a medley of popular tunes ranging from Cherry Ripe to Noel Coward’s London Pride. Also included here and having a comparatively rare outing is Haydn Wood’s ‘The Bandstand, Hyde Park’ from ‘Frescoes’ – a splendid piece and played here with a marvellous sense of style and panache. This disc has the added advantage of featuring one of London’s premier symphony orchestras, a conductor with an innate sense of how this music should be played and an excellent recording made in the Henry Wood Hall, London. So no matter how many versions of The Dambusters March you have already lurking on your shelves, this CD is more than worth seeking out! Available from : Recordings Dept. Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, 16 Clerkenwell Green, London EC1 0GT. Phone ; 020 7608 8800 www.rpo.co.uk Roger Hyslop

GUILD LIGHT MUSIC The Golden Age of Light Music A new series of CDs compiled by David Ades, with digital sound restoration by Alan Bunting. The first three CDs were released in April, with two more at the end of May. For full tracklistings please refer to pages 20, 21 & 22 of JIM 158 [March 2004] and pages 26 & 27 in this issue.

GLCD5101 An Introduction

GLCD5102 The 1940s

GLCD5103 The 1950s

GLCD5104 Great British Light Orchestras

GLCD5105 Great American Light Orchestras

A comprehensive description of this important new series, plus full tracklistings, appeared in JIM 158, to which readers are referred. This has obviously been a major undertaking, and it is evident that a great deal of care has been taken, both in the choice of programmes, and the quality of the sound restoration. Inevitably there are a fair number of tracks which have already appeared on other recent CD reissue compilations, but these are balanced by the inclusion of either [a] different versions of familiar pieces, or [b] compositions which have made it on to CD for the first time. There is a good mix of commercial and publishers’ recordings, and the great attraction lies in the actual sequencing of the items; play any of these CDs and you will immediately be transported back to the ‘good old days’ of the BBC Light Programme. Whilst writing this I am listening to Volume 2 (being reproduced through a superb 1950s restored Grundig table radio) and it is difficult to believe that it is really 2004 – it is as if David Ades and Alan Bunting have indeed created the proverbial time machine! We are promised more to come, but in the meantime these three new CDs cannot be too highly recommended. Tony Clayden Guild Light Music CDs can be purchased from the RFS Record Service for £7 each [US $14]; the first three are offered at a special price of £18 [$36] for all three (plus postage and packing), if ordered before 30 June 2004.

PERCY FAITH AND HIS ORCHESTRA ‘Delicado’ 2-CD collection of early recordings for full tracklisting please refer to page 11 of JIM 158 [March 2004]. Sanctuary Group Living Era CD AJS 278. A word of warning to the reader: this is a biased review.  Percy Faith is my favourite composer/ arranger/ conductor, and Alan Bunting is a personal friend, so any time Alan turns his attention to Faith the results are likely to be pleasing.  In the present instance, they are spectacular. Alan has filled a great void by collecting the scattered early commercial recordings of Percy Faith, from roughly 1944 to the early 1950s, from four different record companies, and most are appearing on CD for the first time -- an event that ten years ago would have seemed impossible. If you are a dedicated fan, you have possibly managed to round up many of these selections on ancient, hissy vinyl (or perhaps even 78) but you have never heard them like this. With the touch of the magic Bunting wand, these 60 year old recordings glow with a warmth and detail never before heard. Faith did not make concessions to the limitations of the recording technology of the period, and frankly in the past I have never been able to even hear much of what was really going on in these arrangements.  It is a revelation to hear the 1944 Decca recordings in particular. A fan of Faith's Latin American arrangements has to love these; although a couple (Bim, Bam, Boom! and Tico-Tico) were later heard on stereo albums, most are unique. (Negra Consentida remains one of my favourite arrangements.)  The cello solo in If There Is Someone Lovlier Than You is by itself worth the price of the entire set. In some respects, the older versions seem superior to the later stereo recordings; for all the technical limitations, I think I prefer the 1940s version of Tia Juana to the 1960s recording. But this is far from a collection which would be of interest only to hardcore fans; it also contains some gems that were only out as singles at the time, and have been neglected because they are out of the mainstream. Most notably, there are two selections with then-famous cabaret singer Hildegarde (no surname needed, evidently). Not only does Hildegarde have one of those "warm, down-around-the-ankles" voices (in Raymond Chandler's phrase) – it’s easy to see why she was so popular -  the arrangements are a complete delight, as Faith sends the orchestra nipping and tucking at her heels like a kitten playing with a ball of yarn. Another surprise is a vocal version of the Alec Wilder melody Goodbye, John, which Faith memorably recorded with Mitch Miller on the oboe; undoubtedly the right choice, since the lyrics are pedestrian, but who knew there were any?  The second CD ends with a rather playful trick. Faith recorded an extended instrumental variant of the Song From 'Moulin Rouge' for the album "Music From Hollywood", and Alan has combined this with the familiar, frequently-anthologized Felicia Sanders vocal version which will no doubt become the standard we all will listen to from now on! The only negative thing you should know is this: if you buy this collection, you may have a hard time getting it out of your CD player. It's that good.  If only there could be more... but we're lucky to have what we do.  Congratulations to all of the people involved in making it possible. John Cutcher

Complementary to the five new Collectables issues is ‘Delicado’, Percy Faith’s double album on the Living Era label [CD AJS 278]. Here we have all of his earliest commercial recordings, made for the Majestic, Decca and RCA Victor labels, plus a selection of those he made after joining Columbia – a total of 50 original mono recordings spanning the years 1944 to 1953. Alan Bunting has done all the compilation, transfers, audio restoration and re-mastering, and the booklet notes, and it was obviously a labour of love. This is my kind of Percy Faith and these 2 CDs have given me more pleasure than many of the other re-issued examples of his work from the later years of his wonderful career. Peter Burt

This 2-CD set is available from the RFS Record Service for £11 [US $22] plus postage and packing.

JOHN PHILIP SOUSA : MUSIC FOR WIND BAND – Vol. 4 Marches: Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, Sesqui-Centennial Exposition, Riders for the Flag, Ancient and Honorable Artillery Co., Pathfinder of Panama, The Glory of the Yankee Navy, The Aviators, The Stars and Stripes Forever, Selection Bride Elect, Suite: Tales of a Traveller, Waltz: Co-eds of Michigan. Band of the Royal Artillery conducted by Keith Brion. Naxos 8.559093 59mins. Volume 4 in the Naxos American Classics series of the complete Wind Band music of John Philip Sousa which incidentally includes a staggering 136 marches (!) fully upholds the superb production values of this series with regard to both performance and recording, aided no doubt by the splendidly spacious acoustic of Woolwich Town Hall. Indeed under the experienced and highly skilled tutelage of Mike Parton of the Specialist Recording Company, this disc is a model of how good a military band recording should sound – the results are deeply impressive. Much of the contents of this latest instalment consists mainly of notable rarities although decidedly not of course ‘The Stars and Stripes Forever’ – probably the most famous military march ever written, which here receives a suitably resplendent performance to bring this CD to an excellent conclusion. One of the joys of Sousa marches is their sometimes gloriously over the top titles and included here we have ‘Nobles of the Mystic Shrine’ and ‘‘The Glory of the Yankee Navy’- it’s difficult not to raise a wry smile at such appellations! The Ancient and Honorable Artillery Co. of Boston is apparently the oldest military organisation in the USA and the resultant march composed at their request includes their marching song ‘Auld Lange Syne’. ‘The Aviators’ a late piece composed a year before Sousa’s death in 1931 is dedicated to William J. Moffett who Keith Brion tells us in his informative notes is considered to be the father of the aircraft carrier. During the performance of this piece, you are well advised to duck down since it comes complete with low flying aircraft. The most substantial work in this collection is the 1911 Suite, ‘Tales of a Traveller’ which will certainly be of some interest to those of us on this side of the pond, since the final movement is an imposing and fairly lengthy coronation march apparently intended to be used at the coronation of King George V. Its subsequent non-appearance within the hallowed walls of Westminster Abbey may have been due to the fact that the rather staid British Establishment considered it lacked a degree of dignity and gravitas appropriate for such a solemn ceremony. If you haven’t been tempted to invest in this outstanding series, I can only suggest in suitable military parlance that you now get ‘fell in at the double’ behind the Royal Artillery Band – surely one of the brightest jewels in the crown of British Army music - for an exhilarating , often exciting and hugely enjoyable musical adventure! A brilliant disc and superb value! Already issued in this Naxos series are : Vol.1 8.559058, Vol.2 8.559059, Vol.3 8.559092 (reviewed in JIM No.155 06/03). Roger Hyslop

(1)THE BEST OF PALM COURT, LINKE: Gavotte; Softly Unawares! ANCLIFFE : El Saludo; Fragrance; Nights of Gladness; P.CASSANO : Czardas , P.FAHRBACH: Comedy Gallop, J.HURST : Melodie d’Amour, J.S.SCHONBERGER: Whispering Foxtrot, M. EWING : Woodland Shadows, S.R.HENRY/D.ONIVAS: Indianola, M.BILTON: Anita (2) TOO BEAUTIFUL FOR WORDS, W.H.MYDDLETON: Down South, M.LENNARD: Billy Possum’s Frolic, ALETTER: Rendezvous, J.RIXNER: Ragamuffin, R. COLUMBO et al: Too Beautiful for Words ANCLIFFE: The Valley of Poppies, N. MORET:Silverheels, KETELBY: In a Persian Market ,VERDI arr. Bell:Quartet from Rigoletto, Y.KREIN: Glory of Russia, A.MALANDO: Ole Guapa, A. GRUNFELD: Romance, P.FLETCHER: Bal Masque. THE ASPIDISTRA DRAWING ROOM ORCHESTRA. £10.00 per disc, £15.00 if both ordered together plus £1.00 p&p from Adam Bakker, Cardinals Wharf, 49 Bankside, London SE1 9JE tel. 020 7633 9313, E-mail – adam@yourplace.co.uk . The Aspidistra Drawing Room Orchestra (comprising 7 to 8 players: flute, oboe, piano and strings) are helping to keep alive the "light music salon orchestra" tradition by concerts and CD’s. These latter, recorded in 1998 and 2003 respectively, each contain an enjoyably varied selection of light orchestral repertoire. The later one includes popular numbers like the Ketelby and Fletcher pieces, perhaps also Aletter’s Rendezvous (a trifle heavy in touch here for my taste), the Myddleton ‘sketch’ and Joe Rixners lively Ragamuffin polka. But less well known are the foottapping Billy Possum’s Frolic, (an "irresistible twostep" !), Ancliffe’s delicious Valley of Poppies and Grunfeld’s shapely Romance, Roy Bell who arranges the Rigoletto Quartet, is the orchestra flautist. The earlier disc features three more Ancliffe’s including the popular Nights of Gladness, ebuilliently done.; also of much charm are the items by Jan Hurst (who once conducted so many resort orchestras either side of 1939-45) Montague Ewing and from the continent Fahrbach and Paul Linke. Playing time is scarcely generous but all lovers of this repertoire should be delighted with the varied programmes and stylish execution. Philip L. Scowcroft

SOUSA MARCHES Band of HM Royal Marines [Royal Marines School of Music] conducted by Lt Col G A C Hoskins, MVO, ARAM, RM EMI 5855352 [65’07" & 64’49" mins] Having only bought this budget-priced 2-CD set because I’d heard the conductor give a talk about serving on the Royal yacht ‘Britannia’, and just expecting to dip in and out of it, I found myself playing each CD at a sitting and my attention was retained throughout. There are a total of 43 tracks [too numerous to list here] but even this is less than a third of the March King’s output. His big popular successes are here, like The Gladiator, Semper fidelis, The Washington Post, The Liberty Bell, The Stars and Stripes Forever and Hands Across the Sea. In addition there are exotically entitled works such as Kansas Wildcats, Solid Men to the Front, Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, The Gridiron Club, The Charlatan and La Flor de Sevilla. I particularly enjoyed Jack Tar, premiered at London’s Albert Hall in 1903 in the presence of Royalty. The playing is of a high standard and the 20-year-old recording sounds fine. If you are not "into" military bands, let me encourage you to try this one – you may be pleasantly surprised.

Peter Burt

THE MUSICAL WORLDS OF LAURIE JOHNSON Concerto for Trumpet, Tenor Saxophone and Orchestra The London Big Band and Royal Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Laurie Johnson Soloists: Guy Barker, Trumpet, Tommy Whittle, Tenor Saxophone; The Wind in the Willows (Tone Poem for Small Orchestra after Kenneth Grahame) London Studio Symphony Orchestra conducted by Jack Parnell; Irma La Goose Overture Royal Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Laurie Johnson; Symphony (Synthesis) London Jazz Orchestra and London Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Laurie Johnson, leader, Rodney Friend. Soloists, Stan Roderick, Kenny Wheeler, Trumpets, Don Lusher, Trombone, Joe Harriott, Alto Sax, Tony Coe, Tubby Hayes, Tenor Sax. AVID CD AVHN 102  72:26 mins. The title of this CD is slightly confusing, because it's the same as another album issued by the Polygram REDIAL label in 1998. Two of the above items were included in that issue: Laurie's spectacular jazz Symphony, recorded in 1970 , and The Wind in the Willows from 1971. But the Suite from the movie "Hedda" has been discarded to make way for two new compositions. Laurie presented his Concerto at a Royal Albert Hall Concert in 1999, and, until the issue of this CD, it has been available only on the Videotape of that concert (Golden Times GOL 11134). The version here is a new studio recording. Also appearing for the first time on CD is the delightful Irma La Goose Overture. Any new album by Laurie is a must for the collection, and this one includes useful sleeve notes by Laurie himself, plus some by the late Christopher Palmer reproduced from the original CD. Don't let the inadequate numbering of the tracks printed on the back cover prevent you from enjoying an exploration of these new musical worlds. Richard Hindley

SEVEN A SUITE FOR ORCHESTRA by Tony Banks, LPO conducted by Mike Dixon, Naxos 8.557466. No, it’s not the British Labour MP but yes, it is the former member of Genesis pop group. No, it’s not pop music but yes, it is light classical, somewhere in between Vaughan Williams and Stanley Black! Eminently pleasurable and soothing this is something new to the repertoire. Based on four modern themes and three others he had mused over in previous decades, Banks asked Simon Hale to orchestrate them into a whole suite. The result is most satisfactory and with the London Philharmonic doing the honours Naxos can congratulate themselves. In order, the seven movements are Spring Tide, Black Down, The Gateway, The Ram, Earthlight, Neap Tide and The Spirit of Gravity. If you are looking for music which is easy on the ear you will not be disappointed. Edmund Whitehouse

LOUIS LEVY The musical giant of Gaumont British films March of the Movies; Sing as we go; Who’s been polishing the sun?; Where there’s you there’s me; What a little moonlight can do; Without rhythm; This’ll make you whistle; Things are looking up; The eyes of the world are on you; Aunt Sally medley; Meet the sun halfway; Jingle of the jungle; Turning the world upside down; From one minute to another; Empire builders; Don’t you cry when we say goodbye; Cole Porter medley. Evergreen Melodies C92. At one time you were lucky to find the occasional Louis Levy track on a compilation CD, despite the fact that the late Alan Dell often featured him in his ‘Dance Band Days’ programme on BBC Radio-2. Then a few CDs started to appear, including the comprehensive set by Frank Bristow in Australia. More recently has been the Living Era CD, and now our friends at This England/Evergreen magazine have come up with an entertaining collection to accompany the article on Louis Levy in the Spring 2004 issue of Evergreen. All the tracks are listed above, so you can quickly see if there are any you need to complete your Levy collection. David Ades This CD is only available direct from Evergreen – telephone 01242 515156 – major credit cards accepted. A cassette version is also available.

Boosey & Hawkes Volume 1 The New Concert Orchestra for full tracklisting please see page 16 of JIM 156 – September 2003 Vocalion CDLK 4192 74:34 mins. Seldom can such a mundane titled CD have yielded so much treasure. If it has passed you by, I urge you to get a copy. Apart from Monia Liter, also on Vocalion, you will not better spend a tenner all year. And, singularly, a Monia Liter composition, The Bullfighter, is for me the standout track. But the whole CD of background music specially recorded for film, radio and television crackles with "joie de vivre". Twelve of the 26 numbers are by Trevor Duncan, including his Four Old Fusspots and Little Suite: Folk Tune, the first time this has been given a commercial release. Our friend Ernest Tomlinson has contributed Romantic Journey and Exuberant Youth. The other composers represented are Vivian Ellis, Frederic Curzon, Cyril Watters and Sam Fonteyn. Many of the numbers will be new to quite a few of us and David Ades is to be congratulated on his selection. The recording quality is superb. If future volumes [and there will be if enough of us buy Volume 1] maintain this standard we are going to be delighted over and over again. Peter Burt

ERIC PARKIN The Piano Music of William Blezard Vol. 2 A Miscellany of Miniatures, Two Promenades for Eric Parkin, Tow Fantastic Dances, Three European Dances, etc… Shellwood SWCD27, 70:33 mins. In his later years, William Blezard (1921-2003) became known to the British public as the accompanist to Joyce Grenfell, and he was also associated in the same acapacity with Marlene Dietrich. Eric Parkin treats his music with the respect and charm that one would expect from a fellow pianist who is in a class of his own. It is nice to see that two tunes were specially composed by William for Eric, which adds a certain poignancy to this delightful collection. Apparently William approved the master of this CD the day before he died last year. David Ades

DORIS DAY / ANDRE PREVIN: DUET. Close Your Eyes; Fools Rush In (Where Angels Fear To Tread); Yes; PLUS 3 Alternate Takes and 2 Bonus Tracks. (US Issue) Collectables COL-CD-6874. 55:37. Although this recording was mentioned in Richard Hindley’s great article in the last issue, Collectables has added 5 bonus tracks. This recording is a definite reminder of how great of a singer Doris Day was in music usually not associated with her name. Not only this, but we also get the rare opportunity to hear how hard Day and her accompanist Andre Previn worked on these songs. The released take (16 December, 1961) of "Close Your Eyes" sets the intimate nature of this album with a sexy, inviting quality in Doris Day’s interpretation. A perfect meeting of the minds. The alternate take of 30 November, 1961 shows both artists struggling with the music. Previn especially seems to be having very real problems with keeping things together as this take gradually disintegrates before our ears. The same isn’t true of "Fools Rush In" where the alternate take is actually far superior to the released version. The same goes for "Nobody’s Heart" where Doris Day sings with a heart breaking intensity. The other songs are sung with great warmth and excellent phrasing by Doris Day. There are three songs by Andre Previn and his then-wife Dory of which "Daydreaming" elicits a wistful performance from Day while she displays her jazzy feel for the saucy "Control Yourself" in a performance that’s right in the pocket and which ends with a playful "Whew!" Day adds to the jewels in her crown with a meltingly beautiful performance of Alec Wilder’s autumnal song "Give Me Time." Andre Previn is ably assisted on a few numbers by Red Mitchell on bass and master drummer Shelly Manne. This recording remains a wonderful document of timeless masterpieces from two master performers. Richard Jessen

DORIS DAY: SENTIMENTAL JOURNEY / LATIN FOR LOVERS. Come To Baby, Do!; It Could Happen To You; Sentimental Journey; Quiet Nights Of Quiet Stars; 19 Others. (US issue) Collectables COL-CD-6867. 69:50. Both of these albums come late in Doris Day’s career (1964), yet they contain proof that Day was one of the best singers of all time. "Sentimental Journey" is a tribute to songs popular during the big band era updated for a new, fresh look. The Glenn Miller influence is present on two songs, "Serenade In Blue," and "At Last," both sung with crushing beauty by Day against a lush background of strings, woodwinds and voices provided by Mort Garson. There are two fine examples of Doris Day the jazz artist in effervescently bubbly performances of "Come To Baby, Do!" and "I’m Beginning To See The Light." There are three visits to songs recorded by Doris Day when she was singing with Les Brown’s band, the standout performance being a steamier rendition by Day of "Sentimental Journey" which is more a journey of the heart than of a train ride! Two months after this album was finished came "Latin For Lovers," a wonderfully smooth journey through the chacha, tango and the ever popular Bossa Nova. Mort Garson provides delicately romantic scores for this LP which covers four of Jobim’s songs on which Day lavishes great warmth and emotionally sensitive care to every twist and turn of the lyrics. "Summer Night" is the sleeper of this set for it was co-written by Bill Comstock (the tenor/guitarist with The Four Freshmen from 1960 - 1973) and noted jazz pianist Eugene DiNovi. Day successfully suggests the forlorn feeling of the lyrics. "Be True To Me" is another great song with another great performance by Doris Day who tries out her Spanish in a playful mood. And we must not forget "Por Favor," an overwhelming favourite of mine endearingly sung by Doris Day. With her immaculate, well-timed phrasing and her experience as an actor, these performances stand out as more than welcome reminders of a great vocalist - Doris Day. Richard Jessen

AN IRISH GUARDS BANDSTAND : WILLCOCKS : March : Sarafand, STANFORD : Overture: Shamus O’Brien, ANDERSON: Irish Suite – The Girl I Left Behind Me, The Minstrel Boy, B.W.O’DONNELL: Two Irish Tone Sketches, GRAHAM : Quick March : The Champion, ANSELL: Three Irish Dances, SULLIVAN: Quick March: Iolanthe, BRIGDEN: Celtic Dances, GRAINGER: Irish Tune from County Derry, BRASE: Irish Fantasia: Let Erin Remember. The Band of the Irish Guards D.O.M. Major Andrew Chatburn BA. ARCM psm. Specialist Recording Company SRC121, 70:50. Production values are as ever exceedingly high here and make no mistake, SRC’s claim that they record premier military bands with hitherto unheard of care and attention using the state of the art equipment in fine locations to produce the world’s best military band recordings is no idle boast. That they succeed spectacularly in their endeavours cannot be in doubt. The results are certainly deeply impressive and reflect great credit on the company’s commitment to this specialist niche in the music industry. An ‘Irish Guards Bandstand’ is to be the more warmly welcomed not least because after several recordings of John Ansell’s fine concert overture ‘Plymouth Hoe’ this collection commits more of this undervalued composer’s music to disc with the engaging ‘Three Irish Dances’. One might have thought this a worthy contender for Sanctuary Classics British Light Music Discoveries. Never mind, the Irish Guards Band more than make ample amends for such an omission. There’s a rollicking overture to Sir Charles Villiers Stanford’s comic opera Shamus O’Brien, contrasting nicely with the more reflective and atmospheric Two Irish Tone Sketches by Bertram Walton O’Donnell who held appointments as Musical Director of Royal Marine Bands at Portsmouth and Deal before subsequently moving to the BBC Military Band. Leroy Anderson’s Irish Suite is represented by three movements in an arrangement he himself made of the whole suite for military band. In J.D. Brigden’s Celtic Dances the band is joined surprisingly by the appearance of a solo violin played more than capably by Musician Victoria Evans who fully deserves her credit. The disc ends with an extended Irish Fantasia Let Erin Remember by Wilhelm Fritz Brase who despite the name was a colonel in the Irish Army! Many of the melodies in this pot-pourri may be unfamiliar to many of us but nonetheless brings the concert to a highly satisfying conclusion. In summary, an imaginative and refreshingly unhackneyed collection of music associated with the Emerald Isle and given the assured and skilful playing of the Irish Guards, should have deservedly wide appeal and not only to military band enthusiasts. The good news is that this is merely the first instalment in a series featuring a programme format much associated in the past with park and seaside bandstands. Oh! I nearly forgot. In case you are still wondering about the relevance of the inclusion of the Iolanthe quick march, well that has a somewhat tenuous Irish connection; it appears that Sir Arthur Sullivan’s father, professor of euphonium at Kneller Hall came originally from Tralee, County Cork! Roger Hyslop

NAT KING COLE SINGS / GEORGE SHEARING QUINTET PLAYS. September Song; Pick Yourself Up; I Got It Bad And That Ain’t Good; Let There Be Love; Plus 8 other songs and 3 bonus tracks. String Choir arranged and conducted by Ralph Carmichael. 46:47. (US issue) Capitol Jazz 7243 5 25250 2 7. If ever there was a meeting of minds on a recording date, it would have be Nat King Cole and George Shearing. This lovely album was recorded December 19-22, 1961 and quickly became one of the classics in everyone’s record collection. Cole had originally recorded "Pick Yourself Up" at a break-neck tempo. Here, Shearing and Cole take things at a slow middle tempo which brings the full meaning of the lyrics into the light. "Let There Be Love" receives a rendition full of light optimism from both Cole and Shearing with drummer Shelly Manne’s softly driving support. The most challenging song must surely be "Azure-Te" with a highly inventive angularity. Praises go to Cole and Shearing for bravely going through this song. And there is surely nothing more heartbreaking than to listen to Cole’s poignant performance on "I Got It Bad And That Ain’t Good" and "Lost April." The Latin rhythms influence Ralph Carmichael’s chart for Anderson’s "Serenata," scored for woodwinds and percussion added to the strings cushioned by Shearing’s Quintet and Cole’s involving vocal. The added 3 tracks are welcome additions to this marvellous album of which "The Game Of Love" and "Everything Happens To Me" receive Latin influenced performances of great verve from both Cole and Shearing. The CD ends in a lovely way with a haunting ballad "Guess I’ll Go Home." The remastering of the original stereo masters is superbly lifelike. Nothing could be a better tribute to two supreme masters than this wonderful recording. Richard Jessen

NELSON RIDDLE Sea of Dreams Out of the Night, My Isle of Golden Dreams, Tangi Tahiti, Dream, There’s No You, Drifting and Dreaming, Easter Isle, Let’s Fall in Love, Polka Dots and Moonbeams, Put Your Dreams Away, Autumn Leaves, Sea of Dreams Love Tide Bali Ha’I, Ill Wind, East of the Sun, Till the End of Time, Caravan, Sweet Leilani, Take Me in your Arms, Solitude, Santana, Honeysuckle Rose, Hold Me Thrill Me Kiss Me, Love Tide EMI 7243 5970532, 67:41 mins. Nelson Riddle fans will give this new CD a warm welcome, since it makes available again two of his great Capitol orchestral albums. Our friend Ray Purslow (of The Record Centre, Birmingham) suggested this release to EMI, so you can be sure that it is one which has been on many collectors’ ‘wants’ lists. The booklet reprints the original LP sleeves, both front and back, but you’ll probably need a magnifying glass to read the notes! Therefore it would have been nice to have a few paragraphs with some biographical details praising Nelson’s work in popular music, otherwise how will people coming across this CD in 20 or even 50 years hence realise just how great he was? David Ades

VIKKI CARR; DISCOVERY! / DISCOVERY II. Surrey With The Fringe On Top; How Insensitive (Insensatez); Cuando Calienta El Sol Plus 21 Other Songs. EMI Two On One 7243 5 92653 2 2. The hallmarks of Vikki Carr’s recording career of forever searching for the best in music are ever present in this very welcome pairing of her second and third albums, originally released in April and October 1964 respectively. Things begin with a seductively swinging performance by Vikki Carr of "Surrey With The Fringe On Top," followed by a Burt Bacharach song "Cry Alone," performed with an appropriate torchiness by Carr. She really sparkles with bubbly performances of "Bluesette" (singing with the band in a beautiful if off mike vocalise) and "Goodbye, Charlie." Her poise and control are heard to great advantage in the medley of two songs separated by 50 years: "Poor Butterfly" and "Stay." Carr adds to her Bossa Nova songbook by singing a beautifully polished version of "Insensitive" by Jobim. A welcome addition is her second recording of a song in Spanish, a marvelously elegant "Cuando Calienta El Sol." A nod to Frank Sinatra comes with "My Melancholy Baby" on which Carr sings only the opening verse much as Sinatra did with "Stardust." Among the standout selections is a version of "Invitation" on which Carr meets the vocal challenges bravely and successfully. Bob Florence writes brilliantly timeless arrangements which gracefully support Vikki Carr’s efforts with intelligence and understanding as well as imagination. The remastering onto CD is simply fabulous. The accompanying booklet reproduces both album covers and their liner notes, giving an endearing charm to what is essentially a wonderfully reminder of not only how great of singer Vikki Carr was at this time but also just how this greatness is still there in abundance galore! Richard Jessen

GLENN MILLER Masterpieces String of Pearls, Johnson Rag, Chattanooga Choo-Choo, Perfidia, At Last, American Patrol, Little Brown Jug, Moonlight Serenade, etc… 24 tracks Vocalion CDVS 1941, 77:19 mins. This attractive collection is superb value for money. Costing around £3, it includes booklet notes plus – of course – sound restoration by Mike Dutton to the standards we have all become accustomed to expect from him. The cheap price probably recognises that many collectors will already possess all the music, but at such a bargain price (and sounding so fresh) it should happily sell in its thousands. David Ades

And still they come! When I first joined the Robert Farnon Society in 1997 a new Percy Faith CD was a real "event" trumpeted in these pages by the estimable Alan Bunting. Now with these five new releases the number of CDs available on the Collectables label alone amounts to 34.

I know that several RFS members were eagerly looking forward to Music For Her [COL-CD-7562] and I can understand why. This is an archetypal Faith mid-50s issue featuring radiant string dominated arrangements of such marvellous melodies, mostly slow and romantic, as You’re My Everything, I’ll Be Seeing You, Take Me In Your Arms, The Nearness Of You, my favourite You’d Be So Nice To Come Home To, I’ll see You In My Dreams, I Concentrate On You, Everything I Have Is Yours and The Way You Look Tonight. No need to ask why the album is so called. The sound strikes me as being very rich for a mono recording. As this is the longest LP Percy ever recorded it could not be paired with any other to form the customary 2-on-1, so we are given "bonus tracks" of five singles – True Or False and Song For Sweethearts [Come Close], both written by Faith, Blue Mirage [Don’t Go], Not As A Stranger, The World Is Mine and We Won’t Say Goodbye – to make the playing time up to a tad under 67 minutes.

Of the same vintage is Swing Low In Hi Fi [Col-CD-7611]. This is subtitled Spirituals For Orchestra and bears some comparison with Percy’s first two classic Christmas albums. The orchestra without vocals captures the deep emotions of the originals. I especially liked It’s Me Oh Lord ["standing in the need of prayer"] and you can almost smell the steam in Get On Board. There are 12 other equally well-known pieces here including Swing Low Sweet Chariot, Deep River, Steal Away and Go Down Moses; all are enhanced by Percy’s panoply of sound. For the first time with a Faith issue, Collectables have taken a leaf out of Vocalion’s book and given us a second CD for the price of one. It is something of a curiosity: A Look At Monaco, the soundtrack of a 1962 CBS television special with Percy conducting the Orchestra National De L’Opera De Monte Carlo playing his own music. Another attraction is the narration by none other than Princess Grace herself, although this may inhibit repeated listening. But I wouldn’t mind how many times I heard Percy’s impression of an Elephant inThe Zoo segment.

Moving on to the 60s and stereo, we have our first 2-on-1: Held Over! Today’s Great Movie Themes / Leaving On A Jet Plane [COL-CD-7607] 68’20". The first album was the final Faith foray into film [specifically Hollywood] music. It is a fairly lush affair with the strings, possibly, sounding a bit thinner than usual. Standout track for me is Come Saturday Morning, music by Fred Carlin [words written by Dory Previn for ‘The Sterile Cuckoo’]. Also enjoyable are Jerry Goldsmith’s Patton Theme, The Theme From "Z" [To Yelesto Pedi] by Mikis Theodorakis, Alfred Newman’s Airport Love Theme and George Delarue’s atmospheric closing number Theme From Anne Of The Thousand Days. Interestingly, in his original liner notes Gene Lees likens Faith to Robert Farnon, "hearing his inner melodic lines, hearing how perfectly he ties up every loose end". The album is purely orchestral but its pairing has the Percy Faith Chorus on every track. It is fascinating to compare the two versions of Raindrops Keep Fallin’ On My Head and Ballad Of Easy Rider that feature on both albums. Other tracks on the second album include Everybody’s Talkin’, Wedding Bell Blues, George Harrison’s Something, and Colours – all very pleasant.

Two more albums with, this time, female only chorus throughout - maybe too much for some of us - are Those Were The Days / Love Theme From "Romeo And Juliet" [COL-CD-7608]. As well as the title tracks we get 20 numbers including a wordless choral version of Theme From "A Summer Place", Bacharach’s Promises, promises, Zorba, For Once In My Life, Little Green Apples, a bouncy Aquarius and Good Morning Starshine, Fool On The Hill, and Joni Mitchell’s lovely Both Sides Now.

Country Bouquet [COL-CD-7606] is a classic featuring the Percy Faith Strings first issued in 1974, nine years after its illustrious predecessor, ‘Broadway Bouquet’, with which it was coupled on a UK reissue [Sony 4930472] in 1998. Here it is paired, less appropriately, with Disco Party, which includes Cherry Cherry, El Bimbo, The King Is Dead, 7-6-5-4-3-2-1 [Blow your Whistle], Mongonucleosis, Coldwater Morning, Hava Nagilah, and a previously unreleased Sabre Dance. Mercifully, ‘though, no vocals. The first album is gorgeous with such titles as The Most Beautiful Girl, El Paso, a dreamy Songbird, quite unlike its usual treatment, Annie’s Song, Behind Closed Doors, Sundown, For The Good Times and to end, Orange Blossom Special, a "tour de force" for strings almost worth the price of the disc.

Altogether, then, a quality quintet with something for everybody.

Collectables CDs are issued in the USA and are available from the Robert Farnon Society Record Service. Full track listings may be seen at htttp:/homepages.tesco.net/~alan.bunting/

Peter Burt

Some Vintage Sounds from Living Era

Readers will know that the Sanctuary Group Living Era catalogue contains a large number of CDs featuring music from the 1920s to the 1960s, and most of them fall outside the normal scope covered by this magazine. However we know that some of you like to know what is new in this department, so we draw the following to your attention. We should add that they are all supported by comprehensive (and intelligent) booklet notes with detailed documentation, and an added bonus is the superb sound restoration by Alan Bunting.

JAN GARBER AND HIS ORCHESTRA A Melody from the Sky recordings from 1924 to 1949 Living Era CDAJA5326, 73:30 mins.

AL JOLSON Let Me Sing and I’m Happy 58 tracks recored between 1945 and 1950 Living Era CDAJS272 [2 CDs] 149 mins.

BILLIE HOLIDAY Moanin’ Low new 2-CD set comprising CDs first issued in 1996 & 1999 (not featuring Alan Bunting’s sound restoration) CDAJS282, 151 mins.

GUY MITCHELL My Truly Truly Fair 27 tracks from 1950-1953 also featuring Mindy Carson, Doris Day and Rosemary Clooney CDAJA5532

All Living Era CDs are available through the RFS Record Service.

New from Memoir

Another company which produces high quality compilations is Memoir. Like Sanctuary Living Era (above), not all their releases contain the kind of music usually featured in this magazine, but many of you like to know what is new.

HITS OF 1953 faces competition from some other companies who have had the same idea, but the inclusion of several orchestral tracks helps to make this particular collection a more accurate reflection of the music scene 50 years ago. Among the usual names (Guy Mitchell, Jo Stafford, Nat King Cole etc.) you’ll find Leroy Anderson, Frank Chacksfield, Mantovani, Les Baxter and Ray Anthony. Memoir CDMOIR 585 [2 CDs], 139 mins. Memoir CDs are available from the RFS Record Service.

New Compilations from EMI

It is sometimes difficult to find something new to say about compliations. Usually they contain the ‘greatest hits’ of the artist concerned, and the inevitable question that crops up is: will the fans find anything new that they haven’t already got? To give an authoritative answer a reviewer needs some expert knowledge about what is already in the catalogue, which can cause problems if the CDs received are outside the normal scope of the writer or the magazine concerned. Which is a roundabout way of saying that I cannot be sure if the following CDs contain any gems that keen fans have been seeking for years, or if they are merely an attempt by the record company to make more money out of its back catalogue. However, EMI are one of the few friendly companies who are willing to send out promotional copies that haven’t been requested, and I have to admit that I have enjoyed listening to just about all of the following new releases, which I list in case they happen to be your favourites, too. Sorry – there isn’t space to list the titles, but you’ll probably find most of them in your local record store.

SHIRLEY BASSEY ‘Finest Collection’ 36 tracks on 2 CDs featuring some fine popular and film songs from recent decades, all performed in Shirley’s inimitable and immaculate style EMI Gold 577 5852.

MATT MONRO ‘The Collection’ Like the Shirley Bassey collection above, this is a 2-CD 36 track selection of superior songs, performed by a singer in a class of his own EMI Gold 577 5942

GLEN CAMPBELL ‘Collection’ 34 tracks on 2 CDs, with a selection of songs that are indelibly linked to the 1960s and 1970s. EMI Gold 577 5072.

PEGGY LEE – ‘The Very Best’ This appears to be a reissue of a 1997collection – just one CD, but many of Peggy’s big numbers are here. The music is wonderful, but the booklet contains no notes and does not even mention the names of the backing orchestras or arrangers. Shame on you, EMI! EMI CDMFPE 6342.

GEORGIAN CHANTS ‘The Best Georgian Chant Album in the World … Ever’ featuring The Monks and Choirboys of Downside Abbey, St Dominic’ Priory Choir and Monjes Monasterio Benedictino de Santo Domingo de Silos. 36 tracks on 2 CDs. EMI Gold 576 9042.

HOT CHOCOLATE ‘The Essential Collection’ 36 tracks on 2 CDs EMI Gold 577 4132.

ROCK ‘n’ ROLL JUKEBOX 75 tracks on 3 CDs selling for under £9 – even if some of the tracks are cover versions, there are enough ‘real’ hits here to make this good value for money. EMI Gold 597 7742.

RELAXING CINEMA CLASSICS featuring music by Brian Eno, Michael Nyman, James Horner, John Williams, Samuel Barber, Satie, Debussy, Mozart etc… Some of the tracks are not exactly what one would recognise as classical music, but their association with recent films at least makes them accessible to people who would not normally contemplate buying such a CD. Unfortunately there are no notes, and even the modern composers do not have their first names quoted. EMI Gold 592 6922.

David Ades

KEEPING TRACK

Dateline March 2004

CHARLES WILLIAMS High Adventure; Model Railway; Young Ballerina; Bells of St. Clements; Dream of Olwen; Cutty Sark; Nursery Clock; The Night Has Eyes; Devil’s Galop; Starlings; Voice of London; Music Lesson; Girls in Grey; Humming Top; Destruction by Fire; Old Clockmaker; Little Tyrolean; Throughout the Years; Blue Devils; Jealous Lover; Rhythm on Rails; Sally Tries the Ballet; Cross Country; London Fair. BBC Concert Orchestra conducted by Barry Wordsworth Sanctuary Group White Line WHL 2151, total timing 75:01 mins. Here, for the first time, is a CD of modern recordings by one of the finest ever light music composers. Those familiar with the original recordings from the maestro himself may at first find it a little difficult to adjust to the tunes in a contemporary setting. However, the many unfamiliar titles, some of which have not been heard for more than 50 years – if ever before – will present no such difficulties! Everyone involved in rescoring and recreating the latter are to be congratulated on their labour of love. Detailed liner notes by Charles Williams enthusiast, Tony Clayden, make this long overdue CD into a highly desirable purchase. Peter Worsley

This is the CD that collectors have been eagerly anticipating for years. With such a vast output during his distinguished career, it is almost inevitable that music lovers will feel that some of their favourites are missing, but there is still a great deal to enjoy. I am slightly surprised at the inclusion of London Fair since much of this work is taken directly from The Bells of St Clements. Many readers will already have spotted that the actor playing ‘Dick Barton’ on the cover is not Duncan Carse (as stated in the booklet), but the original DB, Noel Johnson (who later became ‘Dan Dare’ on Radio Luxembourg). Another minor niggle concerns the incorrect dates attributed to some of the compositions. The Voice of London was first recorded for Chappells at Abbey Road in 1942. Although it is difficult to be precise about the dates of the Levy’s Sound Studios sessions, Girls in Grey and Rhythm on Rails were recorded some time in 1943, and Devil’s Galop in either late 1943 or early 1944. The Old Clockmaker was certainly recorded no later than 1945. Model Railway was recorded by Boosey & Hawkes in 1950, so all these works were composed earlier than the CD booklet states. But don’t let such matters put you off buying what is an essential purchase for everyone even remotely interested in light music. David Ades

The BBC Concert Orchestra is performing at its best with a slightly compacted tone, somewhat reminiscent of the Queen’s Hall Light Orchestra, especially in the less well-known and rarely heard pieces such as Nursery Clock, The Music Lesson and Humming Top. Splendid versions of The Old Clockmaker and Jealous Lover, too. The sleeve notes by Tony Clayden are very informative. Bill Watts

JOHN RUTTER Distant Land Distant Land, Five Meditations for Orchestra, Suite for Strings, Suite Antique, Beatles Concerto Royal Philharmonic Orchestra/John Rutter Universal Classics 476 124-2 78 mins. Although not promoted as such, this tastefully written disc of Rutter’s orchestral music is definitely of interest to the light music enthusiast. The piece that gives the album its title, originally written for choir, was inspired by the release of Nelson Mandela from prison. It features some very nice French horn playing. The Meditations are also based on Rutter’s own choral pieces, including the lovely Christmas carol What Sweeter Music. The Suite for Strings is a Rutter arrangement of four folk-songs including A-Roving and I have a bonnet trimmed with blue. We’re back with Rutter’s own music in the Suite Antique, six gentle tuneful movements for flute, harpsichord and strings. Chanson was later turned into a Christmas carol. The Beatles Concerto is in three movements and features the piano duo of Peter Rostal and Peter Schaefer [remember them? They recorded the same work with Ron Goodwin conducting back in the late 70s]. It is a highly enjoyable 23’ 41" piece which, I feel sure like me, you will find yourself often coming back to. And something to play to friends asking the question, "Guess who wrote these arrangements?" Peter Burt

FRANK CHACKSFIELD AND HIS ORCHESTRA "South Sea Island Magic" South Sea Island Magic, The Moon of Manakoora, Drifting and Dreaming, Sweet Leilani, Aloha Beloved, Song of the Islands, On the Beach at Bali-Bali, Blue Hawaii, Blue Pacific Moonlight, Good-bye Hawaii, Moonlight and Shadows, To You Sweetheart, A Little Rendezvous in Honolulu, Aloha Oe "In the Mystic East" Japanese Sandman, Moon Above Malaya, Moonlight on the Ganges, By an Old Pagoda, Song of India, March of the Siamese Children, Rose Ros, I Love You, Caravan, On a Little Street in Singapore, Rickshaw Ride, La Petite Tonkinoise, Katsumi Theme, San Vocalion CDLK4207, 82:44. Once again Mike Dutton offers 2 CDs for the price of one, because the two original LPs last just too long to fit on one CD. Yet they make a perfect pairing for this new release, which will prove very attractive for Frank Chacksfield’s many admirers. His large orchestra plays some delightful arrangements (probably mostly by his chief arranger Leon Young – he is credited on a few tracks) – the only regret being that the LPs date from 1957 so they just miss being in stereo. But for goodness sake don’t let that stop you buying – it’s the music that’s important, not the technology! David Ades

ENGLISH OBOE CONCERTOS Concerto No. 1 for Oboe & Strings (Gordon Jacob); Soliloquy (Edward Elgar); Fugal Concerto for Oboe & Flute (Gustav Holst); Concerto in One Movement (Eugene Goossens); Oboe Concerto (Ralph Vaughan Williams). BBC Elgar Chamber Orchestra conducted by Stephen Bell Sanctuary DCA 1173. The gentlest of instruments the oboe is usually associated with lighter music and this new disc is an excellent example. The previously unheard Gordon Jacob concerto is as light as one could wish for, as are all the other four pieces. Charmingly played by Ruth Bolister, who is joined by flautist Kate Hill in Holst’s Fugal Concerto, it is good to know that tuneful British music is still being uncovered and recorded.    Edmund Whitehouse

PHIL KELSALL playing the Technics SX-FA1 ‘The Sweetest Sounds’ Whistle Down the Wind, Joanna, You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me, Roulette, Music Box Dancer, Twilight Time, Spanish Harlem, These Foolish Things, etc… Grasmere GRCD 120. This time Phil has temporarily left behind his strict-tempo style for a collection of popular melodies with a distinct light music feel about them. Which isn’t surprising, when you note that the composers include Trevor Duncan (The Girl from Corsica), Steve Race (Faraway Music) and Albert Ketelbey (In a Persian Market). This Technics organ demonstrates just how far the technology has gone since the very early electronic instruments of long ago, and Phil Kelsall certainly knows how to explore all its possibilities. He really is a very gifted player, and this CD is packed with many delightful moments. If you enjoy the electric organ, you’ll be captivated. David Ades

FRANZ LEHAR – Overtures and Waltzes OVERTURES: Clo-Clo, Divine Spouses, The Merry Widow WALTZES: Adriatic, Grützner, Old Viennese Love Waltz, Wild Roses Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra conducted by Michail Jurowski CPO 999 891/2, timing 51:00 mins. This interesting collection of Overtures and Waltzes by Franz Lehar is made the more welcome by the inclusion of the charming and delightful Wild Roses. Readers with long memories will recall that the piece surfaced from time to time in light music programmes on BBC Radio light years ago, and it’s good to have it at last in an excellent modern recording beautifully realised in this performance by the Berlin RSO. The waltzes here represent almost the last gasp of music expressly composed for the ballroom. Since by the early 1900’s these were considered too elaborate and lengthy for contemporary taste. Nonetheless such vagaries of musical fashion need not spoil our enjoyment of some lovely lilting Lehar melodies. Of the overtures on this CD, that to The Merry Widow is in fact a late work. The original operetta had no proper overture and for a performance in which he conducted the Vienna Philharmonic at the Festspielhaus in July 1940 Lehar produced a fully-fledged and cleverly constructed concert overture. The familiar tunes come tumbling out in rapid profusion and are subject to all kinds of clever rhythmic treatment and often broken up into small motifs. The overtures to Clo-Clo and Divine Spouses are much simpler in structure and are basically straightforward potpourri’s contemporaneous with their respective operettas. Despite the short measure on this disc – and surely quality is more important than quantity – this is self-recommending for anyone with a weakness for Viennese dance music. The recording is exemplary. You are certainly not in doubt that we have a large symphony orchestra with a substantial string section! Roger Hyslop

BERT KAEMPFERT IN LONDON Live at the Royal Albert Hall incl. Bye Bye Blues, Never my Love, A Song for Satch, Wonderland by Night, That Happy Feeling, Strangers in the Night, All I Ever Need is You, Blue Midnight, Tahitian Sunset, Afrikaan Beat, Take the ‘A’ Train, I Cover the Waterfront, Danke Schon, etc… (Germany) Universal/Polydor 981157-0 (2 CD set). Our member Volker Rippe had a hand in the production of this collection, which will be warmly received by Bert Kaempfert’s countless fans. The occasion was a memorable concert at London’s Royal Albert Hall on 22 April 1974, and around half of the tracks are previously unreleased. Most of Bert’s biggest successes are here, and the enthusiasm of the audience certainly adds to the sense of occasion (whether or not you want to have your music interrupted by applause when listening at home is another matter that I will not address here!). The CD booklet is splendid: the notes are in both English and German, it is generously filled with photographs and the members of the orchestra are listed in full. In other words, a top quality product in all respects. David Ades

PERCY FAITH AND HIS ORCHESTRA House of Flowers House of Flowers, I’m Gonna Leave off Wearing my Shoes, Waitin’, Smellin’ of Vanilla, etc… Adventure In the Sun Tropical Meringue, Bluebell, Carmellita, The Fiddling Bullfighter, Eleanora, Tambora, Hey Jose, Bahama Lullaby, Bubbling Over, Italiano, Tropic Holiday, The Bandit (USA) Collectables COL-CD-7612 65:51 minutes. Another 2-on-1 from the States of two albums originally issued in mono during the mid-50s. ‘House of Flowers’ was a successful Broadway show that I don’t believe ever made it to this side of the ‘pond’. The Caribbean influenced music was written by Harold Arlen, who was also responsible for such enduring songs as That Old Black Magic, Stormy Weather, and Over the Rainbow. The songs here, given the then familiar Faith instrumental treatment, are not of that calibre but pleasant enough. Some will prefer the string led numbers such as the title tune, I Never Has Seen Snow and A Sleepin’ Bee [the pick of the bunch] to the more upbeat numbers of which Two Ladies in de Shade of de Banana Tree is a good example. Mardi Gras Waltz and Smellin’ of Vanilla [Bamboo Cage] are fun pieces. ‘Adventure In the Sun‘ is a collection of singles, some of which reappeared in subsequent stereo versions. Included are Faith’s own The Fiddling Bullfighter, Carmellita, Hey José and Tropic Holiday. There is also Bluebell [shades of Jimmy Shand] and my favourite, the Swedish melody Bubbling Over. You won’t find a lot of lush string sound here but the selection is very bright and enjoyable. Peter Burt All Percy Faith CDs on Collectables are available from the RFS Record Service price £16 [US $32] each, plus the usual postage and packing.

THE BEST OF BRITISH LIGHT MUSIC 104 titles on 5 CDs Royal Ballet Sinfonia, BBC Concert Orchestra conducted by Gavin Sutherland, Barry Wordsworth Sanctuary Resonance CD RSB 502. This bargain priced box set should appeal to anyone who does not already have all the British Light Music Discoveries and British Light Overtures series on ASV. Composers include Stanley Black, Brian Kelly, Philip Lane, Paul Lewis, David Lyon, Clifton Parker, as well as Arnold, Butterworth, Lambert and Rutter. Works include such gems as Maurice Johnstone’s Tarn Hows [much requested of Brian Kay], Eric Fenby’s Rossini on Ilkla Moor, David Fanshawe’s Fantasy on Dover Castle and Lionel Monckton’s The Arcadians. There is ample proof here that modern composers can still write good tunes. Peter Burt This collection is available from the RFS Record Service for £18 [$36].

The above collection should not be confused with the following, also released by Sanctuary and compiled from its Light Music archives:

‘HALCYON DAYS’ – A Treasury of British Light Music themed into five collections: ‘A Popular Concert’ (Montague Phillips, Delius, Ernest Tomlinson, Ronald Binge, Warlock, Elgar, etc.); ‘Around These Islands’ (Sir Malcolm Arnold, John Ansell, Haydn Wood, Angela Morley, Eric Coates, Philip Lane, Frederic Curzon, Ron Goodwin, etc.); ‘Sound and Vision’ (Charles Williams, Binge, Muir Mathieson, Richard Addinsell, Coates, Wilfred Josephs, Paul Lewis, etc.); ‘Composers Abroad’ (William Blezard, Max Saunders, Bryan Kelly, Coates, Peter Hope, Gilbert Vinter, Addinsell, etc.); ‘For The Dance’ (Arnold, Madeleine Dring, Geoffrey Toye, Paul Reade, David Lyon, etc.) Various orchestras and conductors Sanctuary White Line CD WLS 501. Pressure on space prevents us from giving full tracklisting details for this, and the previous collections. If you are a regular collector of Sanctuary/ASV White Line CDs you will probably have most of this material already, but for anyone new to Light Music this is an ideal way to commence a worthwhile collection. David Ades ‘Halcyon Days’ can be obtained from the RFS Record Service for £23 [$46].

SHIRLEY HORN May The Music Never End Forget me, If you go away, Yesterday, Take love easy, Never let me go, Watch what happens, Ill wind, Maybe September, Everything must change, This is all I ask, May the music never end. Verve 0044007602829, 57:48 mins. Shirley has a way of playing and singing that is unique. She was a devotee of Miles Davis and undoubtedly would have liked him to be present on this album. Here she utilises his favourite pianist Ahmad Jamal on two tracks and Roy Hargrove plays flugel on two others. It is a lusciously deep jazz take on some standards especially on "Never let me go" a song that has suddenly been dusted off and given second wind by several people (Bob Florence and Boz Scaggs to name two). What I missed was the sort of strings that Johnny Mandel provided on her album "Here's to life". Shirley produced the album so either she could not afford Mandel or he was too busy. Paul Clatworthy

BOZ SCAGGS But Beautiful What's new, Never let me go, How long has this been going on?, Sophisticated lady, But beautiful, Bewitched, bothered and bewildered, Easy living, I should care, You don't know what love is, For all we know. (USA) Gray Cat GCD 4000, 51:01 mins. Boz has paid his dues ever since 1969 mainly in the rhythm and blues market. An anthology recently released states "He is the son of the truest music America ever produced". His own quote says "My interest in music is broad and I'm exploring each of these elements each time I record". He made ten albums before really hitting the mainstream with the LP "Silk Degrees" winning a "Grammy" for the track "Lowdown" which topped both Pop and Soul charts simultaneously in the fall of 1976. His last album in this vein "Dig" reunited him with David Paich, producer of his best sellers. "But beautiful" stemmed from an old friend Jimmy Pierre who many years ago gave him a list of songs he thought Boz should record, all standards that had stood the test of time. March 2003 was when Boz met up with Paul Nagel who persuaded Boz to go back to that almost forgotten list. Paul played piano and wrote the arrangements, Eric Crystal sax, John Shifflett bass and Jason Lewis drums complete the group. I love Boz's voice but admit others may not; what nobody can fault is the choice of songs. I sincerely hope there will be another CD because the original list had "Lush life", "Round midnight", "Don't go to strangers" and "Drinking again" - all would fit well into this intimate setting. Sample "Never let me go" if you like to hear before buying, simply a divine interpretation. Paul Clatworthy

MONIA LITER AND HIS ORCHESTRA Lovers in Rome & Lovers in Paris [full tracklisting in JIM 157 – page 32] Vocalion CDLK 4220. Those of you who, like me, are devotees of the big string sound but thought of Monia Liter only as a soloist on some distinguished Mantovani tracks in the late 40s, hear this; it is an absolute delight. The strings sometimes reach thrilling heights but are faithfully captured in Mike Dutton’s remastering. Mention must also be made of the percussion department, while Monia himself occasionally contributes harmoniously from the piano keyboard. Beginning with Gerhard [Answer Me My Love] Winkler’s Chianti Song through a total of 28 tracks, mostly unknown to me and I suspect to you, through to Blue Blues by Helmut Zacharias, this is life-enhancing music. It seems unfair to pick out tracks but I must just mention Tumble Home by Ken Warner of Scrub Brothers Scrub fame. As well as quality you also get quantity: two CDs [85 minutes] for the price of one. Pity they could not have been in stereo but you can’t have everything. I have not enjoyed listening to anything so much for ages and will be surprised if this is bettered in 2004. Peter Burt

MANTOVANI AND HIS ORCHESTRA The Mantovani Scene Delilah, Those Were The Days, By The Time I Get To Phoenix, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Both Sides Now, A Man Without Love, Love Is Blue, Honey, If I Were A Rich Man, Come September, For Once In My Life, Les Bicyclettes de Belsize; The Mantovani Sound Dear Heart, People, Charade, Fiddler On The Roof, Who Can I Turn To, Helly Dolly, What Kind Of Fool Am I, As Long As He Needs Me, I Have Dreamed, The Sweetest Sounds, I’ve Grown Accustomed To Her Face, Climb Ev’ry Mountain Vocalion CDLK 4195 [70’52"]. It still seems strange to find Monty on a non-Decca label but Mike Dutton is serving us well with these re-issues and we look forward to ‘Collector’s Mantovani Volume 2’. For now we have these two albums from the 60s to enjoy for the first time on CD. I well remember how excited I was to hear ‘Scene’ on LP. Here were hit songs from 1968, such as Delilah, Those Were the Days, By the Time I Get to Phoenix and Les Bicyclettes de Belsize, and other contemporary pieces being played by Mantovani with the accent on brass and woodwind; the famed ‘cascading strings’ being used very sparingly. There was also one of my all-time favourite songs, Both Sides Now, featuring a delicious jangly piano. ‘Sound’ from four years earlier is in more familiar style with music from stage and screen, including Mancini’s Dear Heart and Charade, Fiddler on the Roof, What Kind of Fool Am I?, The Sweetest Sounds [they certainly are] and Climb Ev’ry Mountain. So this 2-on-1 has something both for those of us who tingle to the Mantovani string sound and those who are not so appreciative. Peter Burt

ISLEY MEETS BACHARACH arranged and conducted by Burt Bacharach. Alfie, Raindrops keep falling on my head, In between the heartaches, Make it easy on yourself, A house is not a home, The look of love, Count on me, This guys in love with you, Close to you, Anyone who had a heart, Love's still the answer, Here I am, Windows of the world. Dreamworks label 80001005-02 INOI, 58:19 mins. Ernie Isley has the most emotive falsetto voice in Soul music, with a massive string of hits with The Isley Brothers group. Teaming him with the Bacharach sound was a bold move and one that Bacharach initially resisted; years ago Isley wanted to record a Bacharach song but Bacharach said "No! you're not cutting this song!" He now claims amnesia to this story! This confrontation happened in 1962, and hearing what has resulted in this pairing makes me regret the time wasted! As so many other people were vying to record Bacharach's songs all those years ago, perhaps the wait was necessary for a new audience to get maximum entertainment from what have now become standards. Judging by the Orchestra’s personnel Bacharach was given a large budget, and he has come up with new arrangements that fully justify any costs. The album contains melodies full of languid statement and a great sense of "Joie de vivre" Excellent work from everyone concerned. Paul Clatworthy

NORTHERN SALUTE : Barnard Castle (Goff Richards); Yorkshire Overture (Philip Sparke); Brideshead TV Theme (Geoffrey Burgon); Northern Echoes (Gordon Harrison); Yorkshire Relish (Phil Evans); John Peel (Clive Richardson); Bedale Hunt (Frank Aston); York Chimes (Wayne Hopla); On Richmond Hill Baht’At (James Wood); Shipbuilders (Peter Yorke); Scarborough Fair (Hal Leonard); Three Dale Dances (Arthur Wood); Northumbrian Airs (Chris Attrill); On Ilkla Moor Baht’At (Clive Richardson); Stephenson’s Rocket (Nigel Hess); Bond of Friendship (J Mackenzie-Rogan). The King’s Division Waterloo Band D.O.M. Captain R. W. Hopla B.A.(Hons) A.R.C.M. B.B.C.M. psm CAMus. Bandleader BNA 5180. 69.00 mins The Northern Salute by the King’s Division Waterloo Band offers a number of attractions for the light music aficionado. Foremost in this interesting collection is a complete performance of Peter Yorke’s suite The Ship Builders originally commissioned by the BBC for the 1960 Light Music Festival. (those were the days!). The individual movements have suitably descriptive titles – the third All Hands at Work has some suggestive jazzy inflexions about it. Arthur Wood’s – he of Barwick Green fame – enchanting and delightful Three Dale Dances were beloved of light concert orchestras half a century or more ago and must be a worthy contender for inclusion in a future volume of Hyperion’s British Light Music Classics series. Also included in this compilation are two of the brilliant arrangements originally produced for the ITMA Radio Show by the much admired and sorely missed Clive Richardson transcribed for wind band by W.J. Duthoit. Also worthy of note is Nigel Hess’s fascinating and thoroughly entertaining descriptive piece Stephenson’s Rocket commemorating the 1829 Rainhill Trials in which the Rocket carried off the £500 prize having attained a speed of 25 mph! The recordings were made on location at the Waterloo Band Complex Catterick Garrison and are a trifle over bright and dryish on quality but with plenty of impact in the louder sections. Any slight deficiencies in the engineering department are more than amply compensated by the enthusiastic and committed playing of these army musicians. In short there is much to enjoy on this disc particularly for those with affection for this part of England and a liking for some of its traditional tunes, who should certainly need no further urging to acquire this attractive CD. Roger Hyslop

Plenty even for a Lancastrian to enthuse about here! If you like atmospheric music then this will do very nicely, thank you. Excellent tunes based mainly on north Yorkshire and Northumberland with Stephenson’s Rocket and John Peel arguably putting in an appearance for Liverpool and the Lake District respectively. It’s almost worth buying the CD for the wonderful colour picture of the band on parade outside Castle Howard. Edmund Whitehouse

THE MUSIC OF KENNETH ALFORD including the complete marches Colonel Bogey,The Great Little Army, H.M.Jollies, On the Quarter Deck, The Thin Red Line, Voice of the Guns, The Standard of St. George, Cavalry of the Clouds, The Middy, Holyrood, Army of the Nile, Dunedin, The Vanished Army, Old Panama, Eagle Squadron, By Land and Sea, The Vedette, The Mad Major, Fantasies: The Lightning Switch, A Musical Switch.Band of H.M. Royal Marines, Naval Home Command, Portsmouth, D.O.M. Captain J. R. Mason L.R.A.M. A.R.C M. Chandos Collect CHAN 6584, 73.00 mins. Anyone on the lookout for a complete set of the military marches of Kenneth Alford need look no further than this super budget CD on the Chandos Collect label. Rival versions exist by H.M. Royal Marines Band (Commandos) on Clovelly CL CD102 and the Band of the Army Air Corps on Bandleader BNA 5163. The Chandos disc - despite based on sessions originating from the 1970’s - yields nothing in terms of sonics to its more expensive digital counterparts. It also has the considerable advantage of including both of his Fantasias dating from the 1920’s. These are pot-pourris of coruscating brilliance with brief snatches of popular tunes tumbling out in bewildering profusion, managing to embrace both Haydn’s Miracle Symphony and Knocked ‘em in the Old Kent Road and are enormous fun. Alford’s career unusually began with the Army at the tender age of 14 and ended with the Senior Service, being compelled to retire from his appointment as D.O.M. of the Royal Marines, Plymouth Division Band because of ill health. His marches have the unusual qualities of being able to cheer and stir but often also to move the human spirit. The Royal Marines Band deployed here have a wonderful instinctive feel for this music and it is difficult to imagine performances more idiomatic or with greater sensitivity. A great bargain at the price and strongly commended. Roger Hyslop

"PAGANINI AFTER A DREAM" Pavane pour une infante defunte, Black Orpheus, Pavane, Oblivion, Reverie, Healing in foreign lands, Apres un reve, Excerpt from "Alexandra", Cinema Paradiso. Regina Carter (Violin) Conducted by Ettore Stratta. Verve 065554-2. Fellow member Regis Hubert sent me this CD which probably otherwise would have evaded me! It is one of those hybrids that although labelled "File under Jazz" has just as much appeal to lovers of Classical music! The first track sets the standard I would have preferred to have been continued, as it has a full string section (fully deserved for such a delectable Ravel composition). Two other songs get this full blown treatment but the rest are performed by a small group. Regina gets top billing but pianist Werner "Vana" Glerig deserves just as many plaudits. Werner also composed and arranged "Healing"; Regina arranged "Alexandra" the remaining are in the capable hands of Jorge Calandrelli. This is an album that deserves success for trying something different. I do not enjoy "perfect pitch" so the fact that Regina performs with the much treasured Paganini's legendary violin seems to me to be a "gimmick" to enhance sales, but don't let that put you off sampling, it is a very rewarding album. Paul Clatworthy

JO STAFFORD You Belong To Me Kissin’ Bug Boogie, Hawaiian War Chant, Jambalaya, Gambella (with Frankie Laine), Georgia On My Mind, Wunderbar (with Gordon MacRae), The Moment I Saw You (with Teddy Johnson), Shrimp Boats, A-round The Corner, etc.. 24 tracks Memoir CDMOIR 577, 68:32 mins. This is not the first CD of Jo Stafford’s early hits, but it is certainly one of the best. A good choice of material by Gordon Gray, plus intelligent booklet notes by Geoff Wilding and excellent digital remastering by Ted Kendall all combine to make this a fine memento of some of the best popular music from just over 50 years ago. Jo Stafford was in a class of her own, and her singles had that special extra touch because the musical director was the man she married, Paul Weston. There are just two exceptions here: Our Very Own features the Hal Mooney Orchestra, and the unique British connection can be found on The Moment I Saw You where Teddy Johnson sang with the Norrie Paramor Orchestra in London, and Jo added her part of the duet back home in the USA. It made the news at the time, although it wasn’t released in the USA. If you love Jo Stafford you’ve probably already bought this CD! David Ades

TIME FOR ACCORDION: 50 tracks including Dizzy Accordion; Ski Jump; Black Masks Waltz; Promenading Rhythm; Dicky Bird Hop; Dance of the Comedians; (Toralf Tollefsen) Indian Love Call; Rose Marie (attrib. to Tollefsen) The Very Thought of You; Just By Your Example; Over My Shoulder; (Billy Reid) (solo accordion), Maria Elena, Shepherd Serenade, Yours (Eric Winstone's Accordion Band). It's Been a Long Long Time; Crusing Down the River; (Accordion Serenaders). Remaining items by Primo Scala; Alexanders Accordions; Billy Reid, and the London Piano Accordion Bands. Rex (2 CD set) REXX 305. This is a highly commendable and enterprising issue of accordion music. Collectors will associate accordion bands more with dance music than with light music. However there are several light music items of particular interest on these discs. The issue also includes artists who have rarely been featured on CD before. The main interest for JIM readers will be the light music and novelty tracks played by that virtuoso of the accordion Norweigan born Toralf Tollefsen, who was very popular in the UK particularly during the 1940's and 50's, and possibly the Eric Winstone tracks. There are no UK CDs of Tollefsen currently available, so this issue is welcome if even for only 6 tracks!! There is also currently little available by Eric Winstone's delightful accordion orchestra. A Billy Reid solo medley is also included on the disc, and it is interesting to compare how different his style is to that of Tollefsen. Eric Winstone's accordion band (sometimes alluded to as "accordion orchestra" on the original 78 labels) has a lighter texture than most other accordion bands, by virtue of an added string section, etc. The Shepherd's Serenade featuring vocal by Alan Kane is a most delightful number. Maria Elena has vocalist Julie Dawn. The Accordion Serenaders are probably an anonymous George Scott Wood combination. There are a substantial number of items by Primo Scala as well as the London Piano Accordion Band, with the latter featuring singers such as Dorothy Squires; several tracks by Alexanders Accordions complete the discs. Indian Love Call, I suspect is wrongly assigned to Tollefsen. This number appears to feature George Scott Wood on the piano and it could even be his own accordion ensemble. A track on the second disc could also be wrongly attributed to Tollefsen. Listeners will have to judge for themselves. Many of the London Piano Accordion Band items, I imagine, are probably under Scott Wood's direction although no details are provided. In fact the talented George Scott Wood doesn't even get a mention and it is a pity that information contained in the CD booklet regarding the recordings and the artists is so sparse. Poorly transferred accordion recordings can sound horrid, but the transfers on this issue are full bodied and clear bringing a fresh vitality to these old classic recordings. More please! Brian Stringer

SECOND HOUSE with those wonderful comedians Comedy records featuring George Formby, Gert and Daisy, Tommy Handley, Cicily Courtneidge, Spike Jones, Joyce Grenfell & Norman Wisdom, Max Miller, Reginald Gardiner, etc.. Memoir CDMOIR 578, 73:06. If you want something a little out of the ordinary in your collection, do check this one out. Those ‘in the know’ will realise that Reginald Gardiner is included with his famous 78 Trains, and the two Spike Jones ‘classics’ are Chloe and Cocktails For Two. Enough said! David Ades

SONG AND DANCE – The Musical Stars of Hollywood featuring Ann Miller, Lena Horne, Debbie Reynolds, Jane Powell, Fred Astaire, Jack Buchanan, Ginger Rogers, etc… Memoir CD MOIR 582, 76:08 mins. The 50-year copyright rule in the UK means that more and more 78s from the Golden Age of Hollywood musicals are now available to independent companies like Memoir to reissue as they wish – which is very good news for collectors whose precious 78s may be lying in a loft because a suitable turntable to reproduce them is no longer part of the family hi-fi system. I can remember when Debbie Reynolds’ 78 of A Lady Loves suddenly became popular – only to discover that MGM had deleted the original 78 with untimely haste, although I seem to recall that it was still briefly in their catalogue on an EP. Since then the complete soundtrack from I Love Melvin has been available on CD, but if you just want the best song from the film – here it is! Of course, there are many other priceless gems in this collection, and if you love the sound of the old musicals my advice is: don’t hesitate! David Ades

Memoir CDs are available through the RFS Record Service for £10 [$20] each, plus the usual postage and packing.

CLARINET KALEIDOSCOPE Lounge Suite (Gavin Sutherland; Serenata – Mother and Child (David Fanshawe); Meditation (Reginald Hunt); Song and Dance (Gilbert Vintner); Canto Populare (Elgar); Three Spanish Dances (Philip Lane); A Graceful Tune, A Humorous Fantasy, An Autumn Tune, Moods (Frederick Kell); Clarinet Cakewalk (Terence Greaves); Nostalgia - medley of tunes by Ray Noble, Manning Sherwin and Ivor Novello, In Party Mood (arr. Sutherland). Verity Butler (clarinet), Gavin Sutherland (piano) Campion Cameo 2022. For many of us light music means light orchestral music, but as this finely played and recorded disc shows, much pleasure may be had from music for solo instrumentalists. Most of the titles here are premiere recordings and there is a fair spread stylistically and chronologically (the Elgar, adapted by him from In the South, is the earliest), from Philip Lane’s fluent pastiches, Sutherland’s own jazz-inspired Lounge Suite (the movement titles relate to things found down the back of chairs or settees!) and Greave’s catchy Cakewalk to Hunt’s rhapsodic Meditation, Vintner’s four movement, five minute suite and Kell’s four charming miniatures, one dedicated to his son Reginald, arguably the greatest of British clarinettists. Verity Butler is an accomplished and committed player; we know Gavin Sutherland previously as a conductor but here he excels as pianist and arranger, especially enjoyable being his foot-tapping version of In Party Mood, made especially for the recording. Philip L. Scowcroft

LIVING STRINGS AND TWO PIANOS - The World We Knew/My Silent Love Inc: Dream of Olwen, Snowfall, My Silent Love, Falling Leaves, Dream Lover, Intermezzo, On the Trail, Canadian Sunset, Faithfully Yours, The World We Knew, Exodus, Temptation, My Heart Cries For You, There Must Be a Way, Poeme, Mattinata, etc. Frank Bristow XFB801 77:34. It was around 1960 that RCA producer Ethel Gabriel had the idea of forming The Living Strings for their Camden budget label, and asked the late lamented Johnny Douglas to lead the orchestra as arranger/conductor, which he did for something like 80 LPs. He shared the job with William Hill-Bowen who (as Billy Hill) had first made his name with George Melachrino’s ‘Orchestra in Khaki’, better known as the British Band of the AEF, during World War II, and later played with the Blue Rockets under Eric Robinson. This particular CD is somewhat short on names and credits, teaming the orchestra under whoever was leading it at the time with a completely anonymous 2-piano team in a well varied programme of standards and classical and semi-classical medleys. I must say the musical logic of combining Chabrier’s Espana Rhapsody in a medley with Floyd Cramer’s Last Date escapes me. As does Frank Bristow’s four biographical pages in the liner notes devoted to Geraldo, whose only connection is as co-composer with Bernard Ebbinghouse of My Summer Heart. Arthur Jackson Frank Bristow’s CDs can only be obtained direct from him in Australia: Frank Bristow, 2 Cross Street, Brighton, Victoria, 3186, Australia – e-mail: franbris@ozemail.com.au

GERALDO AND HIS ORCHESTRA – Summer’s End Inc: Man with the Mandolin, They Say, You’re As Pretty as a Picture, My Heart is Taking Lessons, Heart and Soul, My Own, If I Didn’t Care, You Couldn’t Be Cuter, Romany, Deep in a Dream, One Day When We Were Young, On the Sentimental Side, While a Cigarette Was Burning, Two Sleepy People, Summer’s End. Vocalion CDEA6064 75:50 This was the orchestra of 1938/9 when Geraldo was beginning to modernise, adding young swing musicians to the pre-war line-up, among the future Squadronaires Andy McDevitt, Eric Breeze and Clifton Ffrench along with other mainstays of the wartime Geraldo band like Harry Hayes and George Evans. The big selling point here, though, will be the late Al Bowlly on no less than 16 of the 24 tracks, with others being shared by Sam Browne, Cyril Grantham, Eve Becke and George Evans. So it will be obvious that the vocals are no anti-climax in the context of the band’s musicianship; on the contrary at this time Gerry had one of the strongest vocal teams of any British band. But, over all looms the presence of the great Bowlly, who never failed to impress, whatever his material. No complaints on that score here, however; some of the songs may be less known than others but there’s no diminution in quality. Arthur Jackson

MANTOVANI AND HIS ORCHESTRA Charmaine – 25 Original Mono Recordings 1940-1952 Charmaine, Jealousy, Under the Roofs of Paris, La Cucaracha, Wyoming, Pavanne, Diane, Warsaw Concerto, Caribbean Calypso, Serenade, Dancing with Tears in My Eyes, Adios Muchachos, Mexicali Rose, Holiday for Strings, Greensleeves, Hear My Song Violetta, Symphony, Ramona, Gypsy Legend, Dreaming, The Legend of the Glass Mountain, Village Swallows, La Mer, I Live for You. Some Enchanted Evening    Living Era CDAJA 5500.

THE ORIGINAL MANTOVANI AND HIS ORCHESTRA  CHARMAINE Charmaine, Just for a While, Greensleeves, Love Makes the World Go Round, Dancing with Tears in My
Eyes, Dear Love My Love, Wyoming, Under the Roofs of Paris, For You, Kisses
in the Dark, Diane, Babette, Love Here Is My Heart, Moonlight Madonna,
Lovely Lady, Mexicali Rose, Was It a Dream, It Happened in Monterey, Some
Enchanted Evening, Gypsy Love Waltz, La Cumparsita, Tango de la Luna, Roses
from the South, Blue Danube.   (Portugal) Remember RMB 75105.

MANTOVANI AND HIS ORCHESTRA PLAY STRAUSS WALTZES Blue Danube, Roses from the South, Vienna Blood, Voices of Spring, Artist's Life, Tales from the Vienna Woods, Emperor Waltz, Morning Papers, Accelerations, You and You, Wine Women and Song, Village Swallows, Gypsy Love Waltz, Tell Me You Love Me, Le Chaland Qui Passe   (Portugal) Goldies GLD 63247.

With the original Mantovani "New Sound" recordings passing into the public domain there has been no shortage of re-issues of the music that sold millions of copies in the early 1950s. Of Portuguese origin, the Remember and Goldies CDs are issued under license from Intermusic SA, and have been dubbed from LP or 45. On the whole, they are praiseworthy issues, not everyone's cup of tea, I'll admit, depending on whether you like the overlapping string sound or not, but even if you don't, there's much to enjoy in the lush arrangements of Ronnie Binge and how they were interpreted by Mantovani. The Remember album includes some outstanding pieces which have not been available for a long time, among them Mexicali Rose, Babette (a terrific feature for trumpeter Stan Newsome), Some Enchanted Evening (boosted by the subtle vibraphone of Charlie Botterill) and Monty's own fine composition, Tango de la Luna. The Strauss Waltzes collection excludes inexplicably two tracks from Mantovani's fine 1952 LP, but includes two more, Vienna Blood and Artist's Life, which were not included at the time. The real bonus here, however, is the very first appearance of Tell Me You Love Me on any sort of album. Recorded on 6 February 1951, it was the first "New Sound" arrangement by Ronnie Binge, a really sensational one, which was never released in England because of copyright difficulties. The Living Era CD has gone further than the other two albums by laudably inserting several melodies from the 1940s previously unavailable on CD. Among them are the two part Warsaw Concerto, an early version of the Serenade from The Student Prince and Morton Gould's Pavanne. The 78 transfers are of a good standard, and it's a very worthwhile collection, marred only by some errors in the recording data, e.g. I Live For You was not recorded until January 1954 rather than late 1953, and Holiday for Strings in February rather than May 1944. Minutiae such as this should not detract from your listening pleasure, however, and I would commend all three albums to Mantovani enthusiasts. The Living Era CD, distributed by Sanctuary Records, should be obtained easily enough in the UK, and I have encountered copies of the Remember CD in HMV in Oxford Street; the Strauss Waltzes album is rather more elusive, but copies can be ordered on-line from Amazon in Japan. Colin Mackenzie

MARIAN McCPARTLAND Plays The Benny Carter Songbook (with special guest Benny Carter) When The Lights Are Low; I’m In The Mood For Swing; A Kiss From You; Key Largo; Plus 7 Other Songs. (USA) Concord Jazz CCD - 4412. There’s no more satisfying compliment for a composer than to have an artist of the calibre of Marian McPartland play their music. The composer, Benny Carter, plays alto sax with McPartland on 5 of the 11 tracks. McPartland is at her inspired best on "When The Lights Are Low." She hits a bossa nova groove on "Summer Serenade." Carter’s eloquent alto sax weaves magic on swingers such as "I’m In The mood For Swing," "Doozy," and "Easy Money." Both artists contribute a romantic mood on "Only Trust Your Heart." John Clayton on bass and Harold Jones on drums are the rock steady rhythm section on these 1990 sessions. The overall sound picture is one of warm depth with clinical clearness. A charming CD full of surprises which should be in every music lover’s library. Richard Jessen

HAL KEMP & HIS ORCHESTRA Got a Date With An Angel Moonlight Saving Time, Forty-Second Street, Shuffle Off To Buffalo, For All We Know, Lullaby of Broadway, etc…Sanctuary Living Era CD AJA 5399, 76:59. Hal Kemp and his staccato trumpets has been quoted as the inspiration behind the ‘sound’ of Britain’s Billy Ternent Orchestra, although having listened to this new CD I wonder if the influence was as strong as I imagined. These recordings date from 1929 to 1940, and this is the kind of compilation which is probably best sampled in small doses, rather than in one big chunk. Most of the tunes are still well-known, but I have to confess that I find some of the vocalists a bit disappointing. But I’m glad that this CD is available, because Hal Kemp was successful in his day, and he deserves to be remembered. David Ades

STEVE LAWRENCE SINGS SINATRA A Musical Tribute to the Man and his Music I’ve Got You Under My Skin; You Make Me Feel So Young; The Lady Is A Tramp; The Summer Wind; plus 10 other songs. (USA) GL Music Co. 60145. If there ever was a singer whose musical instincts are the equal of Frank Sinatra, it would be Steve Lawrence who gives an intelligent, thoughtful portrait of one of popular music’s giants. All of Sinatra’s major songs are present on this CD, using the original arrangements by the classic masters Nelson Riddle, Quincy Jones, Don Costa, and Billy Byers. Lawrence’s voice lies comfortably within Sinatra’s vocal range although he studiously avoids imitating Sinatra’s well remembered interpretations. Lawrence courageously attacks "I’ve Got You Under My Skin" (with a fabulous trombone solo by Chauncey Welsch) and actually makes an amazingly different spin on this well-remembered classic. Lawrence is aided by the presence of the West Coast’s best musicians: the afore-mentioned Welsch plus two former members of Sinatra’s touring band, Vinnie Falcone (Sinatra’s pianist and best music director after Bill Miller) and Ol’ Blue Eyes’ last successor to Irv Kottler’s chair, drummer Gregg Field. The added surprise is that Steve Lawrence’s son David is the conductor. David elicits crisp, clean playing throughout the disc, totally at home in every style represented on this session. This is a worthy tribute from one supreme singer to another. Richard Jessen

ROYAL SCOTTISH NATIONAL ORCHESTRA Conducted by David Lloyd-Jones DELIUS – Marche Caprice, Summer Evening, Winter Night (Sleigh Ride), Spring Morning, American Rhapsody, The Walk to the Paradise Garden, On Hearing the First Cuckoo in Spring, Summer Night on the River, A Song Before Sunrise, Fantastic Dance Naxos 8557143. The ten short orchestral works in this collection virtually span the whole of Delius’ creative life, illustrating his love of the four countries that most inspired him – England, America, Norway and France – and his love of nature in all its bittersweet transience. Displaying to the full Delius’ late Romantic mastery of chromatic harmony and orchestration, they constitute a perfect distillation of his very personal kind of genius. The chronologically programmed disc includes a relative rarity, the American Rhapsody, an early version of Appalachia composed in 1896 but not given its first performance until 1986. Taken from advance publicity supplied by Naxos.

"WE DIG DAHL" Pat Dahl arranged by Benny Carter, Billy May, Lyn Murray, Marty Paich, Shorty Rogers and Pete Rugolo - Stout-Hearted Men, I'm in love with the Honourable Mr So and So, It's all right with me, I who have nothing, On the good ship Lollipop, There's no fool like an old fool, Oh, Johnny, What now my love, Ten cents a dance, Show me, Lonely Woman, Someone to watch over me. Fresh Sound Records AF6157CD, 39:19 mins. A couple of decidedly "Iffy" songs but with arrangers of this calibre you cannot go far wrong. Marty Paich works wonders with "Lollipop" and Shorty Rogers does the same with "Oh, Johnny". The other ten songs are injected with a feel-good factor redundant in much of today's output. As a singer Pat falls somewhere between Betty Grable and a reined back Shirley Bassey! With several songs not thrashed to death elsewhere and well crafted arrangements there is plenty to savour on this CD first issued in 1966. This reissue is dated 1989, who has been sitting on it? Paul Clatworthy

COUNT BASIE AND HIS ORCHESTRA. "APRIL IN PARIS." April In Paris; Corner Pocket; Shiny Stockings; Sweetie Cakes plus 6 other selections plus 7 alternate takes. (USA) Verve Master Edition 314 321 402-1.

COUNT BASIE / THE COMPLETE ATOMIC BASIE. The Kid From Red Bank; Flight Of The Foo - Birds; Whirly - Bird; Li’l Darlin’ plus 8 other selections and 5 alternate takes. (USA) Blue Note / Roulette Jazz CDP 7243 8 28635 2 6. During the middle 1950's, Count Basie enjoyed a resurgence of interest due to his masterful recordings of arrangements by Neal Hefti, Frank Foster, Ernie Wilkins and Frank Wess. The Verve CD (recorded in 1955-6) catches the energy, the crashing contrasts in dynamic levels and the overall enthusiasm Basie instilled in his musicians. "April In Paris" (in this rousing "Wild Bill" Davis chart) finds the band at its all time best. "Corner Pocket" and "Shiny Stockings both have an undercurrent of urgency seething beneath their nonchalant atmosphere. The Roulette CD (recorded 1957) is made up of Neal Hefti classic charts such as "The Kid From Left Bank," "Flight Of The Foo-Birds," and the smoulderingly sexy composition "Li’l Darlin’." The remaining cuts are from an abandoned Jimmy Mundy project which includes two takes of "The Late Late Show:" one instrumental and the other featuring one of Basie’s greatest vocalists, Joe Williams, in a masterful performance. Both CD’s were remastered from their original mono tapes. The CD sound is superbly atmospheric and life like. All in all, a pair of vital introductions to the music and legend of Count Basie. Richard Jessen

VIKKI CARR: LOVE STORY / SUPERSTAR. Love Story; If You Could Read My Mind; For All We Know; Superstar plus 19 other songs. (USA) Collectables COL - CD - 7528. 78:14.

VIKKI CARR: EN ESPANOL / HOY (TODAY). Somos Novios (It’s Impossible); Grande, Grande, Grande; Historia De Amor (Love Story); Sin Saber Por Que (The Way We Were) plus 17 other songs. (USA) Collectables COL - CD - 7536. 72:45. Of late, Collectables has become the home of Vikki Carr’s classic LP’s. Producer Dick Glasser and arranger Ernie Freeman join Carr in these classic LP’s from her 1970-1975 Columbia Records era . "Love Story" was her first album in 1970 for Columbia. Such top 40 hits such as "I’ll Be Home" and "Six Weeks Every Summer" are present as are unforgettable accounts of "If You Could Read My Mind" and "For All we Know." The 1971 album "Superstar" is another best seller with great songs such as the title track as well as "Spanish Harlem." As an attractive extra, we have a scintillating "Cabaret" from 1972. The two Spanish language albums ("En Espanol / Hoy") are perfect examples of giving an artist the necessary freedom to record music which is best suited for their talents. Both are scored by Bob Florence and recorded at 1972 and 1974 sessions. Each explores the rise and fall in a love relationship. "En Espanol" has the break-through version of "Grande, Grande, Grande" which prefaced Shirley Bassey’s equally famous version by a year. "Somos Novios (It’s Impossible") compares favourably with Perry Como’s version with Carr sensitively limning every word. "Hoy" is a darker album scored by Florence for a dominant cello section. Everything about these two albums transcends their language barriers, a rarity in the annals of music. My personal hats off to Vito Cifaldi who writes the liner notes on both CD’s with thorough knowledge of his subject, as he should: he’s the President of Vikki Carr’s fan club! The CD mastering of these albums is superb. Nothing more need be said except that these are performances by a great vocalist who is still at her prime! Richard Jessen

NELSON RIDDLE AND HIS ORCHESTRA Romance Fire and Fancy Don’t Break My Heart, Costa Mesa, Midironde, Chemise Noir, Twilight Romance, Dancing Shadows, Nightingale, Sun Spots, Talk About Music, Beautiful Sunrise, Fireflies, Night Winds (Germany) Intersound ISCD 188, 34:18 mins. These tracks were recorded at Capitol Records Studio, Hollywood in 1979, and feature four Riddle originals – Costa Mesa, Chemise Noir, Dancing Shadows and Fireflies. Two others are by the chap who owns the record company, Gerhard Narholz (under his better known ‘Norman Candler’ pseudonym) and all the arrangements are by Nelson. His fans will recognise that these tracks represent the sort of work that he was doing later in his career, so you won’t find the kind of sounds from the 1950s that made Sinatra and Riddle so popular as a great team. The playing time is hardly generous, but remember that this is a production music CD not intended for sale to the general public. We mention it because quite a large number of RFS members have already bought it, so there may still be some of you out there who have not yet discovered that it is available. David Ades This CD is available from the RFS Record Service for £14 [US $28] plus postage and packing.

PERCY FAITH AND HIS ORCHESTRA Your Dance Date / American Waltzes / Carefree Rhythms Flight 33⅓, One Night Of Love, My Shawl, Ba-Tu-Ca-Da, What Is This Thing Called Love?, Beautiful Love, Nightingale, Brazilian Sleigh Bells, Carousel Waltz, The Girl That I Marry, Valse Hugette, I’ll Take Romance, Waltz In Springtime, A Kiss In The Dark, While We’re Young, When I’m Not Near The Girl I Love, Carefree, Kitten On The Keys, Nervous Gavotte, The Hot Canary, The Syncopated Clock, Dizzy Fingers, March Of The Siamese Children, Fiddle Derby (USA) Collectables COL-CD 7599, 72:44. Even better than a 2-on-1, this 3-on-1 is a real winner. The original albums were issued on three 10" LPs in the early 1950s. The first, ‘Your Dance Date’, is of a full concert orchestra playing in strict dance tempo eight numbers beginning and ending with Faith originals Flight 33⅓ and Brazilian Sleigh Bells. Fascinatingly, the tracks are segued together with short piano interludes. The second eight, American Waltzes, are all composed not by, but for, Americans "and in the American idiom". Among the composers are Rodgers [Carousel], Berlin [The Girl That I Marry], Friml [Valse Hugette], Kern [Waltz In Springtime] and Herbert [Kiss In the Dark]. All quality stuff. The third set – and to my mind the best of a good bunch – opens with Percy’s own Carefree and continues through the 1920s classic Kitten on the Keys, Nervous Gavotte, The Hot Canary [I could have done without the vocal], Syncopated Clock, Dizzy Fingers and March Of The Siamese Children to Faith’s amusing re-creation of the racetrack, Fiddle Derby. On Kitten and Dizzy we encounter for the first time on record the Faith innovation of the Magic Voices: a female chorus singing wordlessly as another instrument of the orchestra. Definitely one of the best of the recent Faith re-issues. Peter Burt

PERCY FAITH & HIS ORCHESTRA and MITCH MILLER It’s So Peaceful In The Country / European Holiday It’s So Peaceful In The Country, While We’re Young, Goodbye, John, I’ll Be Around, It Could Happen To You, Imagination, Love Among The Young, Moonlight Becomes You, Who Can I Turn To?, So Help Me [If I Don’t Love You], Darn That Dream, It’s Always You, Flyin’ Up To Europe, Dealer In Dreams, Trip Of Your Dreams, The Gourmet Song, Heavenly Holiday, Travelling Through Europe, Entre Nous, Under Paris Skies [Sous Le Ciel De Paris], Autumn Leaves, Without My Lover [Bolero Gaucho] (USA) Collectables COL-CD-7596, 67:52. This second 2-on-1 is really a 1-on-1 for Faith CD collectors as he and his orchestra only feature on the first 12 tracks along with the cor anglais/oboe playing maestro Mitch Miller. The album, originally released in 1956 is a follow-up to their very successful collaboration on ‘Music Until Midnight’ [Collectables COL-CD-6486]. Here we have Percy in lush pastoral mode with tunes written by Alec Wilder and Jimmy Van Heusen such as the title tune, I’ll Be Around, Moonlight Becomes You and Darn That Dream. No wonder this album is a favourite among many Faith fans. The remaining tracks, with three exceptions, is a travel dream set to words [many spoken] and music conducted by Miller which would, in my opinion, have been better left in the Sony vaults. But the CD ends well with Mitch’s versions of Under Paris Skies, Autumn Leaves and Without My Lover [Bolero Gaucho]. Peter Burt

TONY WHITTAKER Music Man Page Boy (Leonard), Beauty and the Beast, Ring Ding (Steve Race), 2 Gershwin Medleys, Sweet and Twenty (Gardner), Dindi, Westminster Waltz (Robert Farnon), Pink Panther Theme, Latin Lover (Tony Whittaker), etc. (17 tracks) TWMS 01/04. The advent of the CD has meant that it is now within the realms of possibility for many talented musicians to release their own material. Sometimes this is mainly for family and friends; on other occasions performers in clubs and theatres can make some extra useful income from sales after the show. Other musicians simply feel the urge to share their enjoyment of music with others, and I suspect that RFS member Tony Whittaker falls into this category. His latest CD features Tony on piano plus organ, electric piano, guitar, bass and drums; he confesses that putting it all together gave him some sleepless nights! The result is a very pleasing mixture of old and new favourites that ought to be promoted by the manufacturers of his equipment as an example of the wide variety of sounds that can be achieved. Page Boy and Ring Ding brought back some happy memories, although I must confess that I could personally have done without the three Andrew Lloyd Webber tunes (am I the only music lover who isn’t tuned in to his talents?). I particularly enjoyed listening to this CD on a long car journey, and it is a perfect example of the pleasing sounds that are possible from electronic equipment – in the right hands. David Ades This CD is available direct from: Tony Whittaker Musical Service, 83 St Helens Road, Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, CV31 3QG, England – price £11 (including UK p & p).

SALON ORCHESTRA FAVOURITES Vol. 3 Florentiner (Fucik); Berceuse (Godard); Leise, ganz leise (Oscar Straus); Teufelsmarsch (Suppe); Im Chambre separée (Heuberger); Salut (Elgar); Czardasfürstin (Kalman); Humoreske (Dvorak); Libelle (Josef Strauss); Chanson de nuit (Elgar); Chanson de matin (Elgar); Sturmgalopp (Komzak); Liebesleid (Kreisler); Liebesfreud (Kreisler); Thais (Massenet) Salonorchester Schwanen Conducted by Georg Huber Naxos 8557048, 63:45 mins. This third volume in this popular series focuses mainly on dance music and operetta from Vienna, Prague and Budapest, although England is represented with the three familiar Elgar works. By now fans of this style of music will know what to expect, and they shouldn’t be disappointed. David Ades

KETÈLBEY CONDUCTS KETÈLBEY Volume 4 Men of England: In Holiday Mood (On the Promenade, Down the Stream, Illuminated Fete); Tangled Tunes Parts 1, 2, 3 and 4; Phantom Melody; My Heart Still Clings to You; Silver Cloud; Wildhawk; Sunday Afternoon Reverie; Canzonetta; Wonga; Vision of Fuji-San; Knights of the King; In a Monastery Garden.  Jean Schwiller (cello), Albert Ketèlbey (piano), Edgar Coyle (baritone), Nellie Walker (contralto), Orchestras conducted by Albert Ketèlbey, Louis Voss, Claude Ivy, Harry Wood, Gustave Cloez, Lt. W. J. Dunn, M.C. Recorded 1912-1933. Naxos 8110870, 64:33 mins. The importance of this series is that it is turning up some rare items, and Ketèlbey deserves to have his work preserved for posterity. The only disappointing aspect (and I know that I am repeating myself) is that some of the tracks have excessive surface noise, which really could be largely eliminated using modern technology. David Ades

This final compilation contains quite the rarest Ketèlbey items yet, some of which are more than 90 years old. Given all the difficulties of pre-electric techniques, Naxos are to be congratulated on finally squaring the circle and those of us who enjoy the music should be grateful for this opportunity of hearing it as it was, warts and all. In Holiday Mood is good fun as is the jolly foxtrot, Christmas Medley. If you are really smart then you can unravel all the different melodies in four separate Tangled Tunes. With the exception of the complete versions of Men of England, The Vision of Fuji-San and In a Monastery Garden, all the other pieces are single sided 78s in length and well worth a listen.    Edmund Whitehouse

Forthcoming releases from Vocalion:

MANTOVANI Collectors Volume 2 CDLK4233

WERNER MÜLLER Wild Strings & Percussion in the Sky CDLK4235

Forthcoming releases from Sanctuary Living Era:

DAVID ROSE CDAJA5499

SEMPRINI CDAJA5511

SIDNEY TORCH CDAJA5540

New from Shellwood Productions

Our friends at Shellwood are starting to expand the kind of repertoire offered on their new releases. The Youth Showchoir of London present a very varied selection of songs from musicals of the past 60 years (SWCD 30). And a remarkable young pianist Benjamin Grosvenor – aged only 10 when he made the CD – plays some well-known classics plus several Billy Mayerl novelties that test the most accomplished pianists (SWCD 31).

Some more new CDs just received …

TRIBUTE TO SIR FRED Ballet Music by ANDRÉ MESSAGER ‘Les Deux Pigeons’; FRANK LISZT ‘Dante Sonata’; ALAN RAWSTHORNE ‘Madame Chrysanthème’; FRANCOIS COUPERIN ‘Harlequin in the Street’ Royal Ballet Sinfonia / Barry Wordsworth Sanctuary White Line CD WLS 273. Ballet Music shares many features with true Light Music and this 2-CD set features contains plenty of lovely melodies. The ‘excuse’ for the collection is that each work is closely associated with its choreographer Sir Frederick Ashton (1904-1988).

THE GOLDEN VOICE OF PERRY COMO It’s a Lovely Day Today, You’re Just in Love, A Dreamer’s Holiday, If Wishes Were Kisses, etc.. 25 tracks Memoir CDMOIR 580. Perry Como was certainly in his prime when these recordings were made just over 50 years ago. He still has many admirers today, and they shouldn’t hesitate to add this new release to their collections.

DANCE WITH THE SWEET BANDS featuring Ben Selvin, Leo Reisman, Ted Weems, Russ Morgan, Freddy Martin, Benny Strong, Hal Kemp, Sammy Kaye, Eddy Duchin, Guy Lombardo, Rudy Vallee, Gus Arnheim and Xavier Cugat 25 tracks Memoir CDMOIR 584. This collection is a great idea, because many people like to hear the melody and enjoy some good swing music at the same time.

HITS OF 1953 featuring Perry Como, Teresa Brewer, Outside of Heaven, Kay Starr, Percy Faith, Guy Mitchell, Joni James, Les Baxter, Nat King Cole, Frankie Laine, Frank Chacksfield, etc.. 28 tracks Sanctuary Living Era CD AJA 5553. This is the latest in a long series of ‘Year’ compilations by ASV/Sanctuary. It is probably aimed more at the American market, because every track (except for the two Chacksfield sides which were Top Ten hits in the USA) originate from the USA, making collectors in Britain wonder if any home-grown records made the hit parade in 1953!