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KEEPING TRACK
Dateline December 2009
JOHNNY DOUGLAS AND HIS ORCHESTRA AND SINGERS "The
Spirit of Christmas" CD1: White Christmas,
Silver Bells, Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas, It’s
Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas, Home For The Holidays,
The Christmas Song, I’ll Be Home For Christmas, The
Little Drummer Boy plus medleys of carols. CD2 Happy Holiday,
Here’s To You, My Favourite Things, A Merry Christmas
Song, Out Of The East, Do You Hear What I Hear plus medleys
of carols. Dulcima DLCD 122 2CD set, [116:05
mins]. Johnny Douglas will need no introduction to readers
of this Journal Into Melody. Late in his career he
set up his own label, Dulcima Records, and this has been
continued by his family since we lost him in 2003. Every
so often some of his music is made available again, and
this latest collection (on two CDs) provides some enchanting
melodies for the coming festive season. Over 50 years ago
RCA producer Ethel Gabriel worked on the Melachrino Strings’
"Moods in Music" series and in the late 1950s
developed the Living Strings as a package for RCA’s
budget label, Camden, using various orchestras, mainly from
Europe. The albums were all centred on a theme: the sea,
the West, Broadway, night music. The recordings made by
The Living Strings became a mainstay of easy-listening radio
and commercial venues.
Johnny Douglas, widely recognised as one of England’s
masters of string arranging, was the primary arranger and
conductor for the series recorded in England. He brought
great songs to a new life with his arrangements of a mass
of pure velvety strings, mellow brass and superb solos played
by the cream of the British musicians of that era. This
release brings together three of the albums he recorded
in the 1960s and 1970’s. The first CD is purely orchestra,
while the second features some very tasteful choral arrangements
with the orchestra. As the accompanying notes explain, a
few of the titles are repeated, one even twice, but with
different arrangements. To delete the repeats would render
the original albums incomplete and deprive the listener
of the opportunity to experience the versatile arranging
by Johnny Douglas. Many of us like to hear something new
to enjoy at Christmas, and this is a fine new collection
to add to your music library. David Ades
FRED WARING AND THE PENNSYLVANIANS I Hear Music ‘In
Hi-Fi’ I hear music; Dry bones; In the still
of the night; Ol’ man river; Hit the road to dreamland;
Smoke gets in your eyes; Give me your tired, your poor;
A cigarette, sweet music and you; The Whiffenpoof Song [Baa
baa baa]; Hora staccato; Lolly too dum dey; Sometimes I
feel like a motherless child; You’ll never walk alone;
Battle Hymn of the Republic; Sleep ‘All Through
The Night’ Autumn leaves; If I had my way;
The inch worm; Dear hearts and gentle people; Anywhere I
wander; Tennessee Waltz; Greensleeves; Funiculi funicula;
Drink to me only with thine eyes; The unconstant lover;
Comin’ thro’ the rye; All through the night Flare
ROYCD292 [79:25] Those who have been fans of Fred and
his "Gang" for many years will, like me, be delighted
to welcome this single CD of their first two stereo albums,
recorded in late 1957 and early 1958. Well done, Flare!
The spotlight is, of course, on the singers with their gorgeous
close harmonies, deep basses and soaring sopranos, but there
is no lack of felicitous support from the musicians. The
programme is so varied that everyone will have their own
favourite tracks: mine include the brilliant Bones,
Irving Berlin’s Give me your tired, the wonderfully
countrified Lolly, the magnificent Battle Hymn,
the early hit Sleep, the eminently sing-along Dear
hearts, and the traditional songs from the British Isles
given the inimitable Waring treatment. Here is just under
80 minutes of real joy for around £8 [less online] and my
choice for this issue’s Best Album. Peter Burt
FRANK CHACKSFIELD PLAYS LERNER AND LOWE & RODGERS
AND HART My Fair Lady Suite; If ever I would leave
you; Wand’rin’ star; Camelot March; Almost like
being in love; I talk to the trees; Come to me, bend to
me; Gigi Suite / Johnny One-Note; Isn’t it romantic,
Ten cents a dance; Thou swell; My funny valentine; Lover;
With a song in my heart; Bewitched; Falling in love with
love; Where or when; The lady is a tramp; Mountain greenery
Vocalion CDLK 4400 [71:40]. With their late-summer
releases Vocalion has brought us a veritable Frankfest
of quality light music. This 2-on-1 has albums dating
from 1976 and 1975. Roland Shaw is the arranger on the first
and manages to introduce Wagner’s Wedding March
and Offenbach’s Can-Can into the two Suites!
The late, great Kenny Baker’s trumpet is featured on
If ever, a wonderful contra bassoon conjures up memories
of Lee Marvin on Wand’rin’, and Joanne
Brown sings a couple of the songs, as she does on the second
album. There is no arranger credit given on the second album
[no liner notes for either album] but a tad of tango rhythm
is added to Ten cents and Thou swell responds
well to a pizzicato string treatment. Frank’s stellar
French hornist [could be Neil Sanders] pops up on other
tracks throughout the disc, and I suspect it is Kenny Baker
again on Bewitched and The lady. All round
enjoyable.
THE NEW LIMELIGHT & CHACKSFIELD PLAYS BACHARACH
Limelight; The man that got away; In the still of
the night; Scarlet ribbons; Smile; Tonight; Theme from ‘Picnic’;
Come rain or come shine; Night and day; Here I am; Warsaw
Concerto / Raindrops keep fallin’; Alfie; I’ll
never fall in love; This guy’s in love with you; Paper
maché; Trains and boats and planes; [They long to
be] Close to you; You’ll never get to heaven; The look
of love; To wait for love; The green green grass starts
to grow; Wives and lovers Vocalion CDLK 4380 [77:58].
The 1966 Stereo Record Guide opined that ‘The
New Limelight’ LP was "the best of Chacksfield’s
most recent discs" and described the sound as "brilliant
and reasonably atmospheric." Apart from the opening
and closing tracks the arrangements are by Roland Shaw ─
Scarlet Ribbons and Come rain stand out for
me. There is a rather good performance of Richard Addinsell’s
Concerto by an unnamed pianist. The ‘Plays Bacharach’
album is from five years later and well worth acquiring,
even if it does not oust in my affections Ron Goodwin’s
similar album [seven tracks in common] also on Vocalion
but now sadly no longer available. John Keating’s arrangements
are never less than interesting. There is just an occasional
hint of a Kaempfert-style bass and some particularly nice
piano on This guy’s in love. On the first album
Here I am, of course, is another Bacharach composition.
Again a complete lack of any liner notes; perhaps the original
Decca sleeves did not have any.
FRANK CHACKSFIELD AND HIS ORCHESTRA Plays Simon &
Garfunkel and Jim Webb / The Beatles’ Song Book Up,
up and away; Homeward bound; By the time I get to Phoenix;
Mrs Robinson; Galveston; Bridge over troubled water; Scarborough
Fair; Wichita lineman; Cecilia; The sound of silence; MacArthur
Park / Get back; Michelle; Got to get you into my life;
Yesterday; Something; Hey Jude; A hard day’s night;
Norwegian wood; Ticket to ride; The fool on the hill; Come
together; Ob-la-di, ob-la-da Vocalion CDLK 4392 [70:25].
Your reviewer has cherished the second album here since
it first appeared as a Phase 4 Stereo Spectacular LP, incredibly,
nearly 40 years ago. It is far from typical Chacksfield
but every track gives pleasure and should keep your feet
tapping. The first album from a year later is also arranged
by John Keating but for me did not have quite the same immediate
impact. I hasten to add that my initial disappointment has
dissipated somewhat with repeated hearings. The tunes are
all good, well-played, and the arrangements are never dull.
And, after all, the second album alone is worth the modest
price of the CD! Once again no liner notes; what a pity
Vocalion cannot find somebody to do for Chacksfield what
Colin Mackenzie does for Mantovani. Peter Burt
BBC CONCERT ORCHESTRA Conducted by RUMON GAMBA The Film
Music of Mischa Spoliansky Suite from ‘North
West Frontier’, Three Songs from ‘Sanders of the
River’ (Featuring Mark Coles, bass), Suite from ‘The
Man Who Could Work Miracles’, Voice In The Night (from
‘Wanted for Murder’), Suite from ‘ The Ghost
Goes West’, Dedication (from ‘Idol of Paris’
– featuring Roderick Elms, piano), Suite from ‘King
Solomon’s Mines’ (with Mark Coles), Galop from
‘The Happiest Days Of Your Life’, Toccatina for
solo organ (from ‘Saint Joan’). Chandos
CHAN 10543 [73:03]. When I saw this CD among a list
of future releases I was impatient for it to arrive. Finally
when I got it in my hands I clicked on track 22 to hear
the music from the 1950 film The Happiest Days Of Your
Life. I first saw this film as a teenager, and I still
get many laughs from it when it turns up on TV. Alastair
Sim and Margaret Rutherford (both were absolutely brilliant
in roles that could have been created just for them, although
it had previously been a stage play) were supported by a
superb cast of British character actors (Joyce Grenfell,
Richard Wattis et al) and Mischa Spoliansky’s music
was simply perfect for the plot. There wasn’t a lot
of it in the film, and the middle part of Philip Lane’s
finely reconstructed score isn’t familiar to me. Looking
back through old copies of Radio Times (when they used to
list the music played in many radio programmes) you occasionally
come across the galop from ‘Happiest Days…’
so it must have been made available in sheet music form
for orchestras to perform, probably with the extra middle
section added to make it long enough (it lasts well under
two minutes on screen). Why on earth didn’t someone
like Sidney Torch make a commercial recording? We’ve
waited a long time, but for me it’s been worth it.
Two other tracks that quickly caught my attention are Voice
In The Night and Dedication – both originally
on Columbia 12" 78s with the latter featuring the composer
on the piano (it has been reissued on Guild GLCD 5109).
However the music from ‘Idol of Paris’ on this
CD is a longer version, lasting over 7 minutes. Most of
the other tracks are premiere recordings, and they demonstrate
that Spoliansky fully deserves this long-overdue tribute.
We are so fortunate that, in today’s cash-strapped
world, somehow funds can still be found to make worthy recordings
like this. The BBC Concert Orchestra (as usual these days)
plays superbly, and Rumon Gamba clearly understands how
film music of this kind should be treated. The 44 page booklet
(with notes by Philip Lane) cannot be faulted. Chandos deserve
our support, so add this one to your Christmas list. David
Ades
DIE FLOTTEN GEISTER ORCHESTRA Spirit Of Vienna Vol.2
Imperial Riflemen March; The Hunt for Happiness [Gallop];
The Lady Skater’s Waltz; In Flight with Her [Quick
polka]; Harvestehude Swallows Waltz; Common Sense [Quick
polka]; Bucharest Life Waltz; Carmen Waltz; The Beautiful
Viennese Girls [March-Polka]; Pretty Sweetheart [Polka mazurka];
Young Gentlemen’s Dance Waltz; Themes from The Dollar
Princess Tonstudio 02332 [74:40]. The
Johann Strauss Societies of Great Britain and the Czech
Republic are dedicated to the promotion of Viennese music
by the Strauss family and their contemporaries, and this
release complements the first volume reviewed in JIM 173.
The recordings here, all firsts, were made in the Czech
Republic as recently as February of this year. The only
tracks from a Strauss are The Lady, by Johann III,
and In Flight, by his father Eduard, the third brother
of Johann II and Josef. Other composers are Richard Eilenberg,
Oscar Fetrás, C.M. Ziehrer, Iosef Ivanovici, Juventino
Rosas, Carl Drescher, Karl Komzák II, Josef Gung’l
and Leo Fall. Particularly interesting is the longest piece,
Carmen Waltz, by Juventino Rosas, the Mexican composer
of the well-known Over the waves [used for the
song The loveliest night of the year] which often
has been attributed to Johann I, "The Waltz King."
The conductor throughout is Christian Pollack, who has
made recordings for the Marco Polo and Naxos labels, and
without whom many of these tunes may not have been recorded.
This is an extremely pleasant album, all the better for
being of unfamiliar items, well-played and produced with
good programme notes by John Diamond. May we hope for a
third volume in due course? Peter Burt
Available for £12.99 [incl. p&p in the U.K]. from
Discovery Records Ltd, Banda Trading Estate, Nursteed Road,
Devizes, Wilts. SN10 3DY.or www.discovery-records.com
MANTOVANI AND HIS ORCHESTRA To Lovers Everywhere / From
Mantovani With Love The way you look tonight; Tea
for two; September song; Whispering; Quando, quando, quando;
All of a sudden; I will wait for you; Me and my shadow;
I can’t stop loving you; Yellow bird; Winter world
of love / Try to remember; It’s impossible; My prayer;
If I only had time; Loss of love; Gwendolyne; Rosy’s
Theme; Theme from Love Story; Little green apples; Last
summer; Where have all the flowers one?; May each day
Vocalion CDLK 4393 [71:24]
Mantovani Touch / Operetta Memories On a clear
day; Alfie; Release me; A man and a woman; Almost there;
What now my love; Edelweiss; A day in the life of a fool;
My cup runneth over; Days of wine and rose; The impossible
dream; Puppet on a string; / The Merry Widow Waltz; My hero;
Play gipsies, dance gypsies; O maiden, my maiden; The Gypsy
Princess Waltz; The Count of Luxembourg Waltz; Serenade
from Frasquita; Gipsy Love Waltz; The Gypsy Baron Waltz;
Die Fledermaus – Overture Vocalion CDLK 4396
[74:55]. Four more albums from the Decca archives
by the master maestro reissued for our delectation and delight
by Mike Dutton. The first 2-on-1 features albums that originally
saw the light of day in 1971. The first album was also Monty’s
first with Parisian musicians ─ for tax reasons he
could no longer record in England ─ while the second
was his last with all British personnel. Stand-out tracks
for me include Monty’s own poignant composition Last
summer, and May each day, his last UK recording.
On the second 2-on-1 the first album dates from c.1968 [Puppet
from ‘67], the second was recorded during December
1959 and January 1960. ‘Touch’ is an attractive
collection of a dozen contemporary tunes. I especially enjoyed
Alfie, featuring the violin of David
McCallum [father of the actor] who was Monty’s
leader for a decade, the Bolero-like What now my love,
and the lovely My cup runneth over. The titles on
‘Operetta Memories’ are meat and drink
to Monty and I can only concur with Scott Raeburn who writes
online that it is "one of the really great Mantovani
albums and no fan should be without this in their collection."
Peter Burt
BILL SAVILL AND HIS ORCHESTRA In a Dancing Mood / We
Could Have Danced All Night (Quicksteps) So in love,
Do I love You, June is bustin' out all over, Always true
to you in my fashion, You'd be so nice to come home to,
(Waltz) I give my heart, Glamorous Night, (Foxtrot)
Lovely to look at, The folks who live on the hill, (Quicksteps)
Love walked in, Shall we dance, Let's call the whole thing
off, Long ago and far away, Can I forget you, How high the
moon, I've got you under my skin, This is my lovely day,
Most gentlemen don't like love, The last time I saw Paris,
I love Paris, C'est magnifique, (Tango) No other
love, (Rumba) Wish you were here, (Samba) Carioca,
(Foxtrot) September Song, Bewitched, (Quicksteps)
Dance little lady, A room with a view, Pick yourself up,
Easy to love, All of you, I could write a book, I'm gonna
wash that man right out of my hair, There's nothin' like
a dame, Happy talk, A cock-eyed optimist, Bloody Mary, Honey
bun, (Waltz) This nearly was mine, When I'm not near
the girl I love, (Foxtrot) Smoke gets in your eyes,
My funny Valentine, I didn't know what time it was, (Quicksteps)
You were never lovelier, They all laughed, We'll gather
lilacs, I'm gonna sit right down and write myself a letter,
From this moment on, I could have danced all night, I've
grown accustomed to her face, Get me to the church on time,
With a little bit of luck, On the street where you live,
(Cha-cha) Ol' man river, I can't get started, The
man I love, (Samba) The Mayfair Samba, (Quicksteps)
All the things you are, A foggy day, Nice work if you can
get it, My heart belongs to Daddy, Sing for your supper,
It's alright with me. Vocalion CDLK 4397 [77:16].
It has been a long wait, but at last Bill Savill and his
Orchestra have made it to CD. For the benefit of younger
readers, Bill Savill was a society ballroom orchestra leader,
who was regularly heard on radio for well over twenty years.
His 308 'Music While You Work' programmes made his orchestra
the fourth most broadcast combination on the show. If you
are one of those people who find strict tempo ballroom music
a bit monotonous, do not despair, as the Bill Savill orchestra
is as perfect for listening as it is for dancing. Most dance
bands of the fifties and sixties were comprised of brass,
saxes and rhythm but the Savill sound featured a string
section instead of brass, giving a distinctive quality.
Bill once told me that this was at the suggestion of Eric
Rogers, his pianist in the early days of the orchestra.
He also told me that whilst his broadcasting orchestra consisted
of 14 musicians, it was augmented to 19 for his series of
LP records for Decca ─ the additions being in the
string section plus one discreetly used (mainly) muted trumpet.
The beautiful mellow saxophone section (for which Bill Savill
was noted) is particularly enjoyable, particularly when
there is a Glenn Miller style clarinet lead. My only regret
about these recordings was that for two of the Latin numbers,
a brass section replaces the strings [probably some stupid
idea of Decca!] The CD comprises two of Bill Savill's four
LPs and is an absolute delight. I well remember my excitement
when, as a teenager, I came across Bill's first LP 'Shall
We Dance?' in my local record shop. Having been a fan
of the orchestra for several years, I wasted no time in
getting it. The music on this CD (much of it in medley form)
relies heavily on such masters of popular music as Cole
Porter, Jerome Kern, Richard Rodgers and George Gershwin.
If you are a 'Strictly Come Dancing' fan it might come as
a surprise that the pieces are actually in the correct tempos
used by dancers for decades. The one rumba is actually a
rumba and not a pop ballad and the waltzes are in the traditional
three-four time! Vocalion are to be congratulated on releasing
these two albums on CD. Perhaps it is a prelude to their
reissuing the many albums of Phil Tate and Tommy Kinsman,
two other popular broadcasting orchestras of the period.
I highly recommend this CD to all who enjoy well-arranged
and well-performed quality dance music. This is possibly
the best CD of its kind ever produced. Hopefully, you will
love Bill Savill's orchestra as much as I do! Brian
Reynolds
GOLDEN AGE OF LIGHT MUSIC The 1930s Revisited For
full track listing see the Light Music CDs pages in this
website.. Guild GLCD 5163 [78:54]. When
I saw the title of this CD I thought: "Great, just
up my street!" ─ and so it came to pass because
the very first track is Eric Coates’s Miniature Overture
The Merrymakers, recorded on my birthday, November 3rd
1931, with the composer conducting the London Symphony Orchestra.
It was used as the title and incidental music for one of
Austin Motor Company’s many promotional films, ‘Here’s
to Comfort’, made in 1936. Then comes the Fancy
Dress Suite by Cecil Armstrong Gibbs. Usually it’s
only the movement Dusk that gets played but the Regent
Concert Orchestra conducted by William Hodgson include two
more movements, Hurly Burly and Pageantry ─
all from the Boosey & Hawkes Library. Two very contrasting
pieces follow: Entrance of the little fauns by Gabriel
Pierné played by Jack Payne’s BBC Dance Orchestra,
and Jerome Kern’s Smoke gets in your eyes arranged
by Peter Yorke and played by Louis Levy’s Orchestra.
Jerome Kern turns up again on track seven with a selection
from ‘Music In The Air’, played by the
New Mayfair Orchestra, conducted by Ray Noble, which positively
exudes 1930’s atmosphere; then there is a vigorous
march by Charles Ancliffe, The Liberators, with the
London Palladium Orchestra in fine fettle conducted by Jack
Frere. Although probably better known for his waltzes, Ancliffe
has a number of "mood" pieces in the Bosworth
Library as well as another cracking piece on the FDH Label
called The Kinsgmen March. David, please note! Marek
Weber had a super light orchestra with a "sound"
all its own and, although it isn’t so apparent on Forest
Idyll, it’s a smashing piece all the same. John
Ansell’s nautical Windjammer Overture is played
by the Regent Concert Orchestra, William Hodgson conducting,
from the Boosey & Hawkes Library, but it’s slightly
shorter than their disc of the 1940’s. It was used
to good effect in a colour documentary made by the Southern
Region Film Unit called ‘Golden Arrow’, produced
about 1947. John, apart from working in the theatre, also
wrote for feature films, including one I have on tape and
disc called ‘Song of the Road’, made in 1937.
I don’t know who W.C. Polla was but he/she [?] wrote
a very catchy piece called Dancing Tambourine, and
Jack Hylton and his Orchestra recorded it for HMV in 1927
─ but you wouldn’t know it, thanks to Alan Bunting’s
magical restoration. What a pity Hylton and his boys aren’t
around to hear their recordings today, and that goes for
all the musicians featured on this Guild series. The Commodore
Grand Orchestra was reckoned to be one of the finest light
orchestra of its time and it had two conductors, Joseph
Muscant and, later on, Harry Davidson. Here, the former
is wielding the baton on Henry Steele’s Knave Of
Diamonds with Louis Mordish at the piano. It can also
be found in the Bosworth’s Library early recordings
played by the Pall Mall Revellers. Cupid’s Parade,
a Fantasy by somebody called Rivelli, played by The
Little Salon Orchestra has a distinct continental sound
to it. In fact, The LSO sounds just like Marek Weber’s
Orchestra. The Orchestra Mascotte make a super job of Joseph
Lanner Court Ball Dances, as does the Drury Lane
Theatre Orchestra with a selection of Ivor Novello’s
music to ’Glamorous Night’, arranged and
conducted by Charles Prentice. A number from the Bosworth
Library is the penultimate item: Carl Robrecht’s Fata
Morgana played by the Louis Voss Grand Orchestra. Robrecht
is better known for his symphonic foxtrot Samum.
But it is another Foxtrot, which is the Finale to
Edward Künneke’s ‘Dance Suite’,
plays out this revisitation of the tuneful ‘30s
in grand style ─ although you wouldn’t expect
any less from the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra with the
composer on the podium. Ken Wilkins
THE THIRD MAN and Other Classic Film Themes: Original
recordings 1949-1958 featuring Anton Karas, Mantovani,
Larry Adler, Anton Walbrook, Narciso Yepes, Percy Faith,
David Rose and others ‘The Third Man’:
The Harry Lime Theme; The Café Mozart Waltz; ‘The
Lives of Harry Lime’: Radio bridge 1-3; The Third
Man Theme; ‘Passport to Pimlico’: The Siege
of Burgundy; ‘La Ronde’: La ronde de l’amour;
‘The Romantic Age’: Jealous Lover; ‘Whisky
Galore’: Prelude; ‘The Glass Mountain’:
The Legend of the Glass Mountain; ‘The Importance
of Being Earnest’: Can-Can Finale; ‘Jeux
Interdits’: Jeux Interdits, Parts 1 & 2;
‘Anna’: Anna [El negro zumbon]; Non dimenticar;
‘Genevieve’: Themes; Love Theme and Blues;
‘The Kidnappers’: Nova Scotia Rhapsody;
‘La Strada’: Gelsomina [You and you alone];
‘Touchez Pas Au Grisbi’: The Touch [Le
Grisbi]; ‘Summertime’: Summertime in Venice;
‘French Can-Can’: Merry-Go-Round [Complainte
de la butte] Naxos 8.120880 [57:42]. Definitely
this issue’s Budget Choice. Taken from 78s or soundtracks,
this is pure nostalgia all the way. Other participants are
conductors Charles Williams and Benjamin Frankel conducting
their own compositions, Ernest Irving and Muir Mathieson.
The catchy Anna has Flo Sandons dubbing the
voice of the star, Silvana Mangano. Unfortunately we don’t
get "the" Genevieve theme. Transfers and
production are by David Lennick, with digital restoration
by Alan Bunting. There are full recording details, and David
Ades wrote the knowledgeable booklet notes. For example,
he reminds us that Bruce Montgomery, who wrote The Kidnappers
score, was later involved in the ‘Doctor’
and ‘Carry On’ series. But did you
know that he also wrote successful detective novels and
other works under the name of Edmund Crispin? Peter
Burt
THE HEART’S AWAKENING Songs & Piano Solos by
Albert Ketèlby Peter Dempsey [tenor], Guy Rowland
[piano] Songs: The country that I love; Believe me
true; The knight’s return; Aberfoyle; Sweetheart mine
& The morning was bright [from comic opera ‘The
Wonder Worker’]; Blow, blow thou winter wind; Thy throne;
Lady of dreams; Sing heighho!; Young and old; The heart’s
awakening; My heart a-dream; Those bells so softly pealing;
Keep your toys, laddie boy!; In a monastery garden; I dream
of all the worlds; Kilmoren; Piano solos: Alice;
The Phantom Melody; Bells across the meadows; With the Roumanian
Gypsies AWK 1. Eric Coates, Haydn Wood and Wilfred
Sanderson, to go no further, brought the Edwardian ballad
to considerable height. To them we should add Albert Ketèlby,
more usually remembered, like Coates and Wood for other
forms of light music, who gets fine advocacy from Peter
Dempsey, following his similar CDs of Coates and Wood songs.
These songs, which mainly set lyrics by Florence Hoare,
Charles Kingsley, Shakespeare [whose Blow blow is
stormy if not over subtle] and Ketèlby himself, range
from 1896 to 1952 [only two in fact post 1918]. Mr Dempsey
sings them in roughly chronological order, so we can trace
Kètelby’s development. All show him as a fine
tunesmith. I like particularly the passionate title song,
the lilt of Aberfoyle, the insistent polka rhythm
of Sing heigho!, the carillon-ish accompaniment of
Those bells and the heartrending nostalgia
for childhood of Keep your toys. Yearning feelings
indeed run through the disc. Guy Rowland is again a positive
accompanist and contributes four solos: Phantom Melody
was AWK’s earliest hit, Bells across the
meadows sounds as atmospheric on piano as orchestra,
the Roumanian Gypsies cavort brilliantly and Alice
[1906] is a charming find. All tracks, bar perhaps four,
are world premiere recordings at least in this form. The
informative booklet does not reproduce the words but Mr
Dempsey’s admirable diction makes it unnecessary. Strongly
recommended. Philip Scowcroft
Available at £9.95, inc. p&p, from Mr P Dempsey
at 44 Victoria Road, Bedford B50 4AR [Demsini @ aol.com]
GINO BORDIN Virtuose de la Guitare Hawaiienne The
blue bird, Crépuscule Hawaien, Manuska, Hawai nous
appelle, Sérénade bleue, Retour de Hawai,
J’écoute la guitare, En écoutant l’ukulélé,
Addio signora!, Hawaiian berceuse, Je n’ai plus personne,
Reflet viennois, Viens dans ce joli pavillon, Hé
hop la hé, C’est une valse qui chante, Waikiki
en fete, One kiss, La destine du marin, Le jeune pecheur,
L’ile aux reves d’or, Chant d’amour de Tahiti,
Ay, ay, ay, De tout mon coeur, Dans la nuit, Avant de mourir
Grass Skirt Records GSK 1003 [72:15]. Previous
GSK reissues featured Sam Ku West (GSK 1001) and Sol Hoopi
(GSK 1002), both of which were produced to a very high standard.
The same care has been taken with these 25 mainly 1930s
recordings by this French exponent of the Hawaiian steel
guitar. Instrumentation is varied, and includes violin,
zither, accordion, xylophone, and even musical saw on one
track, and some feature French singers. Superbly remastered
by Ted Kendall, the CD sports a reproduction Salabert label,
and comes in a gatefold sleeve which also houses a 44-page
booklet, half in French with an English translation and
illustrated throughout. Barry McCanna
Full details at www.GrassSkirt.co.uk
or from Grass Skirt Records, PO Box 371, Hyde, SK14 9AB,
UK.
AL BOWLLY The Complete Maurice Winnick & Sidney
Lipton Sessions Topical Tunes Part 1 - In The Mountains
of the Pine/What A Fool I’ve Been*/Twilight Waltz;
Springtime Reminds Me Of You; The Waltz You Saved For Me;
Topical Tunes Part 2 – Life/Pardon Me, Pretty
Baby*/Shake And Let Us Be Friends; Bei Mir Bist Schoen;
There’s A Gold-Mine In The Sky; Kiss Me Goodnight;
Rosalie; In The Still Of The Night; Once In A While; When
The Organ Played "Oh, Promise Me"; Somebody’s
Thinking Of You Tonight; My Heaven On Earth; Chatterbox;
When You Wish Upon A Star; Turn On The Old Music Box; Who’s
Taking You Home Tonight?; Arm In Arm; There’s A Boy
Coming Home On Leave; My Capri Serenade; The Lonesome Trail
Ain’t Lonesome Any More; It’s A Long, Long Way
To Your Heart; Souvenir Of Love; Trusting My Luck Memory
Lane MLCD 002 [68:37]. Al recorded a total of 20 sides
with Maurice Winnick, and four with Sydney Lipton. One could
be forgiven for wishing those statistics were reversed,
because around the mid-thirties Winnick hitched his wagon
to Guy Lombardo’s star. The result was a sort of musical
kitsch, which has not worn well, whereas Sydney Lipton’s
music was as elegant as the man himself. The compilation
falls naturally into five segments. There’s the mid-1931
session with Winnick, that is two waltzes topped and tailed
by the Topical Tunes set, of which Al sings the second tune
in both cases. The best of the three tunes from the late
December 1937 session is Bei Mir Bist Du Schoen,
and the quality of the next three songs also rises above
the instrumental schmaltz. For me the nadir was reached
in the mid-1938 session, when the sound of the orchestra
seems to have become homogenized into a sort of musical
broth. The problem is compounded by the overly sentimental
nature of some of the songs, which sound as though they
originated in a Victorian drawing room. Having said that,
the vocal is another matter; Al’s innate sincerity
transcended the material, and the end result is better than
might be expected. For me, Chatterbox is Al’s
best Winnick recording, which demonstrates his mastery of
phrasing, and the trumpet section’s triple-tonguing
skill deserves a mention also. Of course, all three songs
from that session came from the Walt Disney cartoon ‘Pinocchio’,
and the accompaniment is suitably animated. The final Winnick
session produced four more good tunes, one of which is a
reminder that this was now wartime. The four tracks with
Sydney Lipton which conclude this compilation revert back
to the beginning of 1938. The first is a cowboy song, a
tongue-in-cheek lament for the vanished world of the Wild
West, and includes a most musical yodel. That’s followed
by three ballads, the last two from the film ‘Sailing
Along’ which starred Jessie Matthews and Jack Whiting.
A fair number of these tunes were reissued piecemeal on
vinyl, but a complete release on CD was long overdue, and
despite it being something of a curate’s egg the balance
is firmly in its favour. The original Decca recordings present
something of a challenge in their remastering, but Dave
Cooper has achieved as good as we’re likely to get,
and Ray Pallett’s liner note completes the package.
You should have ordered your copy already, but if not don’t
miss out. Barry McCanna
The CD is priced at £5.99 inc. p&p to a UK address,
or £7.99 inc. air mail p&p to overseas (inc. Eire).
Sterling cheques should be made payable to Memory Lane,
and sent to Memory Lane, PO Box 1939, Leigh-on-Sea, SS9
3UH, England. Alternatively, log on to www.memorylane.org.uk
where you can order using PayPal.
Please note that the following CD is not scheduled
for release until the end of January
THE GOLDEN AGE OF LIGHT MUSIC A Trip To The Library
Guild GLCD 5164
1 The Merrymakers – Miniature Overture (Eric Coates)
LONDON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA Conducted by ERIC COATES
Fancy Dress – Suite (Cecil Armstrong Gibbs)
2 Hurly Burly
3 Dusk
4 Pageantry
REGENT CONCERT ORCHESTRA Conducted by WILLIAM HODGSON
5 Entrance Of The Little Fauns (from the ballet "Cydalise
et la chèvre-pied") (Henri Constant Gabriel
Pierné, arr. Mouton)
JACK PAYNE AND HIS BBC DANCE ORCHESTRA
6 Smoke Gets In Your Eyes (Jerome Kern, arr. Peter Yorke)
LOUIS LEVY AND HIS ORCHESTRA
7 "Music In The Air" – Selection (Jerome
Kern) There’s A Hill Beyond A Hill, I’ve Told
Ev’ry Little Star, When The Spring Is In The Air, The
Song Is You, I’m So Eager, In Egern On The Tegern See,
We Belong Together, One More Dance.
NEW MAYFAIR ORCHESTRA Conducted by RAY NOBLE
8 The Liberators – March (Charles W. Ancliffe)
LONDON PALLADIUM ORCHESTRA Conducted by JACK FRERE
9 Hearts And Flowers (Theodore Moses Tobani, arr. Willoughby)
J.H. SQUIRE CELESTE OCTET
10 Forest Idyll (Esslinger)
MAREK WEBER AND HIS ORCHESTRA
11 Windjammer Overture (John Ansell)
REGENT CONCERT ORCHESTRA Conducted by WILLIAM HODGSON
12 Dancing Tambourine (W. C. Polla)
JACK HYLTON AND HIS ORCHESTRA
13 Swamp Fire (Harold (Hal) Mooney)
ANDRE KOSTELANETZ AND HIS ORCHESTRA
14 Escapada (Sid Phillips)
AMBROSE AND HIS ORCHESTRA
15 Knave Of Diamonds (Henry Steele)
COMMODORE GRAND ORCHESTRA Conducted by JOSEPH MUSCANT Piano
: LOUIS MORDISH
16 Irving Berlin Waltz Medley (Irving Berlin) All Alone;
Always; What’ll I Do?
COVENTRY HIPPODROME ORCHESTRA Conducted by CHARLES SHADWELL
17 Cupid’s Parade – Fantasy (Rivelli)
THE LITTLE SALON ORCHESTRA
18 Court Ball Dances (Hofballtanze) (Jos Lanner)
ORCHESTRA MASCOTTE
19 "Glamorous Night" – Selection (Ivor Novello,
arr. Charles Prentice) Her Majesty Militza, Shine Through
My Dreams, Fold Your Wings, When The Gipsy, Far Away In
Shanty Town, Glamorous Night, Royal Wedding.
DRURY LANE THEATRE ORCHESTRA Conducted by CHARLES PRENTICE
20 Fata Morgana (Carl Robrecht)
LOUIS VOSS GRAND ORCHESTRA
21 Finale – Foxtrot (from "Dance Suite")
(Eduard Künneke)
BERLIN PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA Conducted by EDUARD KÜNNEKE
[77:19]. This is not about a jaunt to your local for a
book but a selection of music from the extensive recorded
libraries of firms like Bosworth, Boosey and Hawkes, and
Chappell. For me, it’s rather a mixed bag with less
to enthuse about than previous offerings in Guild’s
magnificent and ground-breaking Light Music series. The
64th CD in the series begins well enough with
the 1950’s Livin’ It Up by Harry Rabinowitz,
Trevor Duncan’s haunting The Girl from Corsica
played by the New Concert Orchestra under Cedric Dumont
[a performance that doesn’t perhaps have the élan
of other versions, in particular Robert Farnon’s 1977
Cheltenham Festival ─ music not horses ─ recording
with the BBC Northern Orchestra, now the BBC Philharmonic,
on BBC Radio Classics], and the delicious Jacaranda Melody
by Paul Dubois, famous for his Shadow Waltz [recorded
elsewhere with typical sonority by R.F. and the Danish State
Radio Orchestra]. Then follow several pretty ordinary tracks
including Jack Beaver’s Helicopter Journey,
which doesn’t really get off the ground, Country
Capers by Ivor Slaney with its echoes of Leroy Anderson’s
Fiddle Faddle, and the soporific Sunday Driver
by Peter Dennis, a name unknown to me. R.F. comes to
the rescue with his Danish band [listed on the 78 label
as ‘Melodi Light Orchestra conducted by Ole Jensen’]
and Stardom; but Karl Rehfield and Roger Roger with
ensembles in Stuttgart and Paris put their string players
through their paces with little real music reward in a couple
of busy but slight moto-pepetuo-style pieces, music not
in the same class as Anderson’s Fiddle. Things
start looking up with Henry Croudsen’s harmonically
imaginative Serenade to the Moon performed by the
excellent Louis Voss and one of the highlights of the disc,
and with a departure from Guild’s norm, Pat Lynn’s
Remembrance, a strict-tempo Victor Sylvester sound-alike
version featuring some wizard playing from two pianos. The
1940’s are represented by another curate’s egg
of a selection where, perhaps, the problem with some library
music is particularly highlighted. Often it doesn’t
travel well and out of context sounds contrived and vacuous,
bereft of stimulus of, say, newsreel pictures or documentary
footage. Haydn Wood’s A Love Song is a nice
post-Elgarian example of how to write a good tune but it
does rather draw attention to the lack of memorable melodies
on this disc in general. It is good to hear the BBC stalwart,
Stanford Robinson, for whom I had the pleasure of playing
a few times in the studio and in concert with his brother
Eric, in music by Arthur Benjamin, whose big hit was of
course Jamaican Rumba. His Overture to an Italian
Comedy is a worthy inclusion and can stand on its own
two feet; but a couple of pieces by the admirable Charles
Williams and one by Frank Tapp, another rarely-heard name,
really need some pictures to have any effect. Montague Ewing’s
Clown with a Tambourine isn’t of the standard
of his other, better-known, pieces and even Alan "Merlin"
Bunting can’t conjure up more presence for this tricky
instrument. At one stage I began to think that the clown
in question had forgotten to take his tambourine to the
session! Arthur Wood’s Barwick Green must be
a contender for the most-played piece of music ever, light
or otherwise, but it’s not hard to see why only this
movement of his suite ‘My Native Heath, is heard
nowadays. Ilkley Tarn and Knaresboro Status are
very ordinary and, in the latter, Arthur Wood seems to imply
that this fine old Yorkshire town with its magnificent railway
viaduct is located in some distant Gaelic outpost. As usual,
David Ades provides excellent liner notes: well-researched,
erudite but eminently readable. Over the span of sixty-odd
discs the amount of invaluable information he has passed
on to us enthusiasts is utterly remarkable. Glyn Bragg
GOGI GRANT Mad About the Boy 22 tracks incl.
Welcome to my heart; The more I see you; Paradise; Love
walked in; So do I; They didn’t believe me; But beautiful;
Love letters; With all my heart; If I should lose you; At
last! At last!; How deep in the ocean; Bewitched; Mad about
the boy … Flare ROYCD296 [78:26]. "
…an unforgettable voice, singing songs that will last
for ever." The opinion of liner note writer Colin Villani
─ and I would not disagree with that. These are songs
"of love and loss and longing" from two albums:
‘Torch Time’ and ‘Welcome
to My Heart’ [both from 1958]. The first 12
tracks listed above are from the latter and have the added
interest for RFS members of being arranged and conducted
by Dennis Farnon. The accompaniment for Love letters
alone is almost worth the price of the disc.
Henri René conducts on the remaining tracks. For
readers who may not have come across Miss Grant before:
she had hits in the ‘50s notably the Top 10 Suddenly
there’s a valley and No.1 The wayward wind,
and then dubbed Ann Blyth’s singing voice in the film
biography of Helen Morgan, the famous 1920s torch singer.
More, please! Peter Burt
ANNETTE HANSHAW I’ve Got A Feeling I’m Falling
When I am housekeeping for you; Fit as a fiddle;
I’m following you; I’ve got it bad but it don’t
do me no good; My future’s just passed; I want a good
man [and I want him bad]; I hate myself for falling in love
with you; You’re the one I care for; You’re just
too sweet for words honey of mine; I cover the waterfront;
Just another day wasted away; Are you happy; Is there anything
wrong in that; My sin; If you see Sally; Black bottom; I’ve
got a feeling I’m falling; Daddy wont you please come
home; What wouldn’t I do for that man; If I can’t
have you Sounds of Yesteryear DSOY781 [60:25].
I reviewed Annette’s previous album in the last
issue; much of that review could be repeated for this outing.
Once again many well known musicians are present. In the
twenties Annette was America’s Queen of Song, and as
well as singing she could play ukulele and piano. An example
of her keyboard playing is heard on Are you happy;
competent but little different from the other pianists in
her various groups. Her quaint but infectious singing [sometime
speaking] does intrigue and reminds me of happy days playing
my Dad’s 78s. Paul Clatworthy
VINCE MENDOZA and THE METROPOLE ORCHESTRA El Viento
– The Garcia Lorca Project 12 tracks incl. La
Cancio’n del Mariquita; Historietas del Viento [in
three parts]; La Tarara, De Los Cuatros Muleros, Angeles
Negros … ACT 9490-2 [70:45]. As the
Metropole was involved I just had to have this! Opera fans
will probably revel in it but I did not know the language
and I found the impassioned singing of the soloists intruded
on the beauty of the orchestral settings. I will console
myself with the breaks in the vocals where the orchestra
as usual excels. Paul Clatworthy
THE GLENN MILLER SINGERS Re-unions 1948, 1954, 1959
Tex Beneke, Marion Hutton, Ray Eberle, Johnny Desmond, Dorothy
Carless, The Modernaires with Paul Kelly He sez,
she sez; So far; It could happen to you; You don’t
have to know the language; Brooklyn Love Song; Golden earrings;
Sure thing, St Louis Blues March; I’ll be seeing you;
Surprise Symphony; Begin the beguine; Memories of you; Because,
Blue champagne; Moonlight serenade; A nightingale sang in
Berkeley Square; Sweet Eloise; [I’ve got a girl in]
Kalamazoo; Wham [Re-Bop-Boom-Bam]; Don’t sit under
the apple tree; Serenade in blue; Elmer’s Tune; Booglie
wooglie piggy; Chatanooga choo choo; Perfidia Sounds
of Yesteryear DSOY 783 [76:15]. Good quality
transcription recordings complete with announcements. Some
of the tunes are not sung so I almost included this review
in Big Band Roundup. Tracks with strings I enjoyed most
were It could happen, Golden and Sure;
the arranger on the last, Gerry Gray. Other arrangers
credited: Norman Leydon, Bill Finegan, Ray Mackinley, Perry
Burgett, Ray Wright, Eddie Durham and Billy May. Paul
Clatworthy
CLIFF RICHARD & THE SHADOWS Reunited 22 tracks
incl. I could easily fall [in love with you]; The young
ones; Living doll, Bachelor boy; Travellin’ light;
In the country; Willie and the hand jive; Summer holiday,
Do you wanna dance? …. EMI 9996878832L [61:07].
Here’s another one for the festive season ─
and sheer nostalgia all the way. The principal participants
sound as good as they did when first recording these tracks
up to 50 years ago. For good measure there are three tracks
newly minted: C’mon everybody, Sea cruise
and Singing the blues. As well as the named artists
you get violins, cellos, saxophones and an accordion for
your tenner. Interesting to read that Cliff’s vocals
were recorded in Miami and Hank Marvin’s guitars and
vocals in Perth, Western Australia. Peter Burt
DINAH SHORE Moments Like These 26 tracks incl.
Deep purple; When the world was young; Moments like these;
I’ll remember April; These foolish things; I fall in
love too easily; Until; West of the mountains; Pretty mandolin;
Tempting; The Stowaway; I could have danced all night ….
Flare ROYCD283 [73:03]. Miss Shore started studying
sociology but became in the early ’40s the leading
American female singer on records and radio, having her
first million-seller with Blues in the night. On
this CD we hear her last album made for RCA Victor in 1958
─ a dozen ballads largely about love, or the loss
of it. Then we have 14 singles recorded during the final
years of her long association with her record company, the
very last being the amusing tango The scene of the crime
that brings this desirable disc to its close. There
are some attractive photographs of the star in the accompanying
booklet and comprehensive tracks listings with full notes
by Colin Villani. Most of the songs are conducted by Harry
Zimmerman, although Vic Shoen, Harry Geller, Henri René
and Hugo Winterhalter ─ a rather attractive The
Whistling Tree, where Dinah duets with herself ─
as well as The Peter King Singers, The Skylarks and The
Notables also play their part.
Dinah! The One and Only Dinah Shore ‘This Is
The Moment’ Tall hope; Tenderly; These foolish
things; Three o’clock in the morning; I could have
danced all night; Smoke gets in your eyes; I cover the waterfront;
Begin the beguine; It never entered my mind; I’ve got
you under my skin … & 12 others ‘Dinah!’
Blues medley: St Louis blue, I got a man, Shake rattle
and roll, Let the good times roll, Boogie blues, Blues in
the night, Dinella Blues; Wrap your troubles in dreams;
Hello young lovers, After you’ve gone; Please don’t
talk about me … & 7 other tracks Flare SPEC1037
[65:45 & 43:22]. I make a passing reference
to ‘The Dinah Shore Chevy Show’ in Back Tracks
on page 68 without it probably meaning very much to our
UK readers. It was a live, full-colour variety hour that
ran on NBC in the States for 125 performances from 1956
until 1963. On the first of this 2-CD set there are 22 tracks
taken from some of those Emmy Award-winning appearances
mostly with conductor Fred Zimmerman in attendance. Frank
DeVol is the conductor for the second album which is taken
from Miss Shore’s "unforgettable" one-woman
show recorded in Los Angeles on 14th October
1962. Credit, too, to Dinah’s pianist Ticker Freeman.
Her Spiritual Medley [Some times I feel like a
motherless child; Joshua; All God’s chillun and
Ezekiel] forms a fine finish to a disc of delights.
Another admirable all-round production from Flare, not least
the 10-page booklet. Peter Burt
THE MAGIC OF THE HOLLYWOOD TENORS Mario Lanza, Felix
Knight, Dennis Day, Dennis Morgan, Jan Peerce, Kenny Baker,
Allan Jones and more... 24 tracks incl. The Rose
of Tralee; The Donkey Serenade, In the still of the night;
The moon of Manakoora, Love walked in, The moon and I, Two
dreams met, Wait and see, The Desert Song, My wild Irish
rose; Hush-a-bye [Wee rose of Killarney]; Ma belle Marguerite;
I’ll build a stairway to paradise; Amapola; California
moon…. Flare ROYCD289 [77:38]. A very well-filled
album of the familiar and not-so-familiar, some even forgotten,
spanning the years 1930 [the first track sung by John McCormack]
to 1958 [Jan Peerce’s On the street where you live].
Tony Middleton’s liner notes are most informative,
like why tenor Oreste Kirkop, starring opposite Kathryn
Grayson in the 1956 Paramount musical ‘The Vagabond
King’, had to have his speaking voice dubbed! The track
listings helpfully give credit to the accompaniments by
orchestras and chorus including those of Ray Sinatra, Lennie
Hayton, Michael Collins, Johnny Green, Henri Rene, and George
Stoll, who conducts for Mario Lanza on Serenade and
Beloved from the soundtrack of ‘Student Prince.’
Devotees of the genre need not delay in adding this
CD to their collection. Ray Pavene
JUST WE TWO The Stars Sing Duets From The Musicals Jane
Powell & Vic Damone, Bing Crosby & Ann Blyth, Judy
Garland & Margaret O’Brien, Robert Merrill &
Dinah Shore, Ethel Merman & Joan Carroll, Fred &
Adele Astaire ... many more 24 tracks incl. Let’s
be buddies; Two dreams met; Under the bamboo tree; My one
and only Highland fling; Oh, ‘tis sweet to think; Darn
it baby, that’s love; Just we two; I have dreamed;
Still water, You belong to my heart; Deep in my heart, dear;
One boy sends you a rose; Is it you?; I talk to the trees;
I adore you ….Flare ROYCD291 [76:04].
Another even more fascinating collection of tracks,
this one spanning the years 1931 [Hoops from ‘The
Band Wagon’ with the Astaires] to 1958 [Indian
love call from ‘Rose-Marie’ with Julie
Andrews and Giorgio Tozzi]. Always worth hearing is Irving
Berlin’s great standard Easter Parade from ‘Thousands
Cheer’, and never more so than in the version
here by Paul Whiteman, his orchestra and singers Joan Edwards
and Clark Dennis. Other favourites among many on this CD
are the classic You’re just in love from ‘Call
Me Madam’ sung by Russell Nype and Dinah
Shore, and Make believe from ‘Showboat’,
which Victor Lewis describes in his full liner notes as
"one of the most famous duets to emerge from the world
of the musical." It is sung here by Howard Keel and
Kathryn Grayson. Our dear late Edmund Hockridge is joined
by Joy Nichols, of BBC’s radio’s ‘Take It
From Here’ fame, for a wonderful version of There
once was a man from ‘The Pajama Game’ enhanced
by the musical direction of Robert Lowe. Again,
there are full track listings. I had forgotten that Andre
Previn was the MD for Maurice Chevalier and Hermoine
Gingold on I remember it well from ‘Gigi.’
Ray Pavene
DANIEL SMITH "Blue Bassoon" The Jody
Grind, Billie’s Bounce, Things Ain’t What They
Used To Be, Scotch And Water, My Baby’s Gone, Sack
Of Woe, Nostalgia In Times Square, Wquinox, The Double Up,
From Four Till Late, Break Out The Blues, Footprints, Solid
Summit Records DCD 530 [47:55]. I do not pretend
to be an expert on the bassoon, let alone one that performs
jazz. Ten years ago I would have expressed surprise if anyone
had suggested that I would enjoy a concert featuring jazz
music with the bassoon as the central instrument. Yet on
13 September in Malvern I did just that, when Daniel Smith
gave a sensational premiere performance of Robert Farnon’s
Bassoon Concerto. Understandably the audience wanted
more, and Daniel treated us to three numbers from this new
CD. Some of the concertgoers that evening may not have fully
appreciated how fortunate they were to be in the presence
of an instrumentalist who has received heaps of praise from
critics who know what they are writing about. As Michael
J. West says in the booklet notes: "just as Daniel’s
bassoon defies conventions of jazz and blues instrumentation,
his playing of it challenges typical notions of jazz and
blues phrasing. Along with the rich and reedy bass timbre
that is his instrument’s stock in trade, Blue Bassoon
is chock-a-block with Smith’s clipped staccato melodic
statements, surprise glissandi, risky and virtuosic note
bends, double-quick pacing, and rhythms that challenge the
orthodoxy of swing". On this CD Daniel is supported
by Martin Bejerano, piano; Edward Perez, bass; Ludwig Afonso,
drums; and Larry Campbell, guitar. The strength of jazz
is that it is a continually developing art form. Music lovers
sometimes prefer certain periods of its evolution, and there
is no doubt that today’s performers will one day be
overtaken by new ideas and sounds as fresh generations find
it impossible to resist its challenging appeal. Daniel Smith
must surely be proud of his unique and invaluable contribution
to the wonderful world of jazz, and it seems that each new
release from him takes us further along the long road of
discovery. Maybe one day he will return again to classical
music to express his love for the bassoon. Whatever he does
you can be sure that it is inspired by a passion that makes
him such an exciting performer. David Ades
HERB ELLIS & CHARLIE BYRD TRIO The Navy Swings 15
tracks incl. One note Samba; Lady be good; Carolina in
the morning; Chung king; St Louis blues; Someone to light
up my life; Danco No.5; Limehouse Blues … Sounds
of Yesteryear DSOY 787 [60:18]
COUNT BASIE AND JOE WILLIAMS Let’s Go To Town 15
tracks incl. It’s a wonderful world; Three eighteen;
Keep your hand on your heart; Moten swing; One o’clock
jump; Shake rattle and roll; In a mellow tone … Sounds
of Yesteryear DSOY 786 [61:37"]
PEGGY KING and ANDRÉ PREVIN TRIO The Navy Swings
16 tracks incl. I could have danced all night; More
than you know; Stars fell on Alabama; I’m beginning
to see the light; Mad about the boy; I remember you; Zip
… Sounds of Yesteryear DSOY 784 [61:01]
GEORGE SHEARING QUINTET The Navy Swings 14 tracks
incl. Polka dots and moonbeams; For every man there is
a woman; Nothing ever changes my love for you; You’re
my girl; Night mist, Imagination … Sounds of
Yesteryear DSOY 795 [61:07]
These four CDs have one thing in common: they were all
made to recruit soldiers and sailors to the US Forces; each
consists of four programmes complete with announcements.
The music and recordings are excellent. Herb and Charlie,
both consummate artists, ease through all their songs providing
a relaxed mood only interrupted by the commercials. Sound
is studio quality. The Basie set offers more contrast, well-known
big band favourites augmented with eight vocals for Joe.
The Basie penned instrumental, Three eighteen, a
real treat for the ears. I never tire of listening to Neal
Hefti’s Lil Darlin’ or Whirly bird.
The recording is live complete with cheering audience. The
Previn trio has Red Mitchell on bass, Frankie Capp on Drums;
they include two songs from ‘My Fair Lady Swings’
which was high in the charts at the time although under
Shelly Manne’s name. Peggy really hits the spot with
her versions of I remember you and Happiness is
just a thing called Joe. Peggy and the group are a happy
match. This is also studio quality. George’s Shearing’s
selection also has the benefit of studio sound, the tunes
chosen could hardly have been better. Along with Toots Thielman
on harmonica, Emil Richards vibes, Al Mckibbon bass, Percy
Brice drums and Amando Peraza bongos, they breeze through
the songs smoothly. Several other jazz names are mentioned
during the announcements, so I expect more dates will be
issued. These fifties recordings are available from The
Woods (contact details in my ‘Big Band Roundup’
column), Amazon, HMV and most dealers. Paul Clatworthy
NICOLA BENEDETTI Fantasie Sarasate: Zigeunerweisen;
Vaughan Williams: The Lark Ascending; Saint-Saëns:
Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso; Massenet: Meditation
from Thais; Ravel: Tzigane; Pärt: Spiegel im Spiegel;
Rachmaninov: Vocalise; Fauré: Après une Rêve
Deutsche Grammophon 476 3399 [68:54] Although on a famous
classical label, I hope that JIM readers will not overlook
this release especially with Christmas just around the corner.
There are some gorgeous melodies here, and three of the
tracks are gypsy inspired including the showpiece opening
track. This and two other of the five orchestral accompaniments
are by the excellent Vasily Petrenko conducted Royal Liverpool
Philharmonic Orchestra. For me the CD is worth acquiring
to discover the mesmeric Spiegel by the modern Estonian
composer Arvo Pärt. Miss Benedetti and her violin are
accompanied on the last three items by the Ukranian pianist
Alexei Grynyuk. Beautiful playing throughout. Peter
Burt
NIGEL OGDEN Plays Hammond The Carioca, April
In Paris, The Continental, A Nightingale Sang In Berkeley
Square, One Morning In May, Portrait Of A Flirt (Robert
Farnon), Desafinado, Remembering The Hammond Organists –
Robin Richmond & Jerry Allan, Fly Me To The Moon, You
Made Me Love you, etc… Grasmere GRCD 131 [76:01].
The Hammond Organ was invented by Laurens Hammond in 1934,
and it certainly created a sensation at the time. For decades
afterwards it was the instrument of choice for organists
specialising in popular music, and when you listen to Nigel
Ogden’s latest CD it is not difficult to understand
its enduring appeal. According to the booklet Nigel has
now notched up 70 collections such as this, and his weekly
show on BBC Radio-2 is now in its 30th year.
He has built up a large army of loyal fans, and they will
certainly not be disappointed with his latest offering.
And just in case you missed it in the list of contents …
track 7 is Robert Farnon’s Portrait Of A Flirt
which Nigel performs with a respectful nod towards the original
orchestral arrangement. I really enjoyed this CD! David
Ades
GLAZUNOV Masquerade [Incidental Music] Gnesin Academy
Chorus, Russian Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Dmitry
Yablonsky Naxos 8.570211 [66:57] An immensely enjoyable
collection of easy on the ear music by the Russian classical
composer Glazunov, who died in 1936, for a play that was
banned for some 30 years. An added attraction is the occasional
burst of that characteristic ripe Russian brass sound. The
vocal contribution is quite small but very effective. All
at the lowest possible price. Peter Burt
THE MUSIC OF ITC
Further to their exclusive original soundtrack CDs, Network
has now released single CD volumes of highlights from some
of the series previously issued. Among the 58 tracks spanning
71 minutes, ‘The Prisoner’
[7959017] contains 2 cues composed by Robert
Farnon. Also featured are other incidental themes and the
title theme by Ron Grainer. Other releases currently available
are: ‘Danger Man’ [hour/half-hour
episodes] composed by Edwin Astley 40 tracks [7959020 1:16];
‘Department S’ Edwin Astley 54 tracks
[7959019 1:16]; ‘Man in a Suitcase’
Albert Elms/Ron Grainer 44 tracks [7959021 1:17]; ‘Randall
& Hopkirk [Deceased]’ Edwin Astley 62 tracks
[7959016 1:17]. Of special interest is a 2-CD compilation
‘The Music Of ITC’
[7959016] which contains 113 tracks, some previously unissued,
in addition to tracks from some of the box-set compilations:
‘Gideon’s Way’ Edwin Astley 2 tracks;
‘The Baron’ Edwin Astley 7 tracks; ‘The
Saint’ Edwin Astley 9 tracks; ‘The
Persuaders!’ John Barry/Jackie Trent & Tony
Hatch/Ken Thorne 4 tracks; ‘The Adventurer’
John Barry, etc. 3 tracks; ‘The Zoo Gang’
Paul McCartney & Wings/Ken Thorne 8 tracks; ‘Return
of the Saint’ John Scott/Irving Martin &
Brian Dee/G & M De Angelis 8 tracks. There are also
7 tracks from ‘The Prisoner’ at least one
of which is by Robert Farnon. Of particular interest from
these "new tracks" listed above are those from
‘The Persuaders!’ Apart from John Barry’s
theme, there is a suite of incidental music by Ken Thorne
and the song Gotta get away now which was used in
the pilot episode and sung by Tony Hatch & Jackie Trent.
‘The Adventurer’ theme is also by John
Barry and has so far never appeared commercially in its
original form. The running time of this CD not available
at the time of writing. All releases are available from
wwwnetworkdvd.net Gareth Bramley
LES BAXTER & HIS ORCHESTRA Space Escapade 12
tracks incl. Shooting star; Moonscape; A distant star;
Other side of the moon; The lady is blue; Saturday night
on Saturn + 18 bonus tracks from the mid-50s incl.
Toy tiger; Havana; The left arm of Buddha; Rush-hour romance;
Designing woman; Blue echo; "Houseboat" Love song
…. Cherry Red ACMEM 171 CD [73:15] Original
Capitol recording from 1958.
ELMER BERNSTEIN God’s Little Acre 15 tracks
plus Bonus Suite Kritzerland KR 20012-8 [41:02]
Limited Edition of 1000 copies. Original music from 1958
Motion Picture Soundtrack.
ESQUIVEL & HIS ORCHESTRA Infinity in Sound Vols
1 & 2 24 tracks incl. My reverie; Johnson Rag;
Harlem Nocturne; Macarena; Autumn leaves; So rare ….
/ Baia; Time on my hands; Who’s sorry now; Espana Cani;
Cherokee; Lullaby of Birdland …. Wounded Bird
WOU 2225 [63:51] Original RCA recordings from 1960.
STAND BY FOR ACTION The Music of Barry Gray 40
tracks from "Four Feather Falls"; "Supercar";
"Fireball XL5"; "Stingray"; "Thunderbirds";
"Joe 90"; "Captain Scarlet"; "The
Secret Service"; "Lifo"; "Space 1999"
Silva Screen Records SILCD 1279 [80:00]
Original music including previously unreleased tracks.
HENRY MANCINI The Thief Who Came to Dinner [1973]
The 12 tracks of the original Warner Bros. LP are
followed by 17 bonus tracks. Film Score Monthly FSM Vol.12
No.10 [63:15] Limited edition 3000 copies.
ANDRẾ PREVIN Two For The Seesaw [1962]
Kritzerland KR 20012-8 [41:02] Limited edition of 1000.
Original soundtrack.
BILLY VAUGHN & HIS ORCHESTRA Melody of Love 58
tracks incl. Tennessee Waltz; Little boy blue*; O, main
papa; Unchained melody; Peg o’ my heart; Heartacres;
The ship that never sailed*; Bells across the Rhine, La
paloma; My blue heaven; Twilight time; Tumbling tumbleweeds;
Cool water …. [* narrated by Ken Nordine]
2 CDs Jasmine JASCD 503 [173:16] Original DOT recordings.
Although the back of the jewel case claims boldly that all
tracks are mono, only about a dozen are. Among the tracks
on the first disc is the stereo remake of the LP ‘The
Golden Instrumentals’, originally issued in mono
in 1956 ─ apparently its first appearance on CD.
MITZI GAYNOR Mitzi 12 tracks incl. The nearness
of you; Cheek to cheek; That old feeling; Rain; Lazy; I
only have eyes for you …. + 9 extra tracks incl. 4
from the "South Pacific" Soundtrack; You’re
the top [w. Bing Crosby]; Soon*; I don’t regret a thing,
The half of it dearie blues*… Arranged and conducted
by Pete King except for (*) with Russ Garcia and his Orchestra.
Flare SPEC 1039 [52:04]
HERMOINE GINGOLD Live at the Café de Paris 12
tracks incl. Which witch?; Men are exactly the same;
Only a medium medium +13 bonus tracks incl. Takes two to
tango & Oh Grandma [both with Gilbert Harding]; The
Borgias are having an orgy; Tit for Tat; Thanks, Yanks …
Stage Door Records Stage 9010 [77:20]
"GIGI" 11 tracks from studio recording
with Gogi Grant and Tony Martin with Dennis Farnon’s
Orchestra + 9 bonus French and 3 Spanish tracks with Maurice
Chevalier, Sacha Distel and Jane Markin; and Andre Toffel,
Rosa Me and Lopez Negrette. Stage Door Records Stage
9013 [77:20]
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KEEPING TRACK
Dateline September 2009
"CAPTAIN NEMO AND THE UNDERWATER CITY" Film
Soundtrack (Angela Morley) Conducted by Marcus Dods [USA]
Film Score Monthly FSM Vol. 12 No. 8 [61:35 mins]. Angela
Morley was still working as ‘Wally Stott’ when she composed
the score for this film. This is the premiere release of
the complete score, and the CD is limited to 1,500 copies
making it an instant collectors’ item. But the important
thing is the music, and we hear Angela creating some memorable
tunes and glorious harmonies during a period when she had
rebuilt her career as a major composer for films, following
a self-imposed ‘exile’ due to her disappointment at what
she regarded as poor sound quality in cinemas of the 1950s.
The music was recorded at Anvil Studios, Denham and CTS
London in June 1969. It has been magnificently restored
for this CD, and it is such a pity that Angela was unaware
before she died that it was ‘in the works’. She would have
been delighted – not just with the sound, but also with
the accompanying CD booklet which explains in considerable
detail how the music fitted the film. I know that RFS members
will rush to add this CD to their collections before all
copies are sold. If you have problems finding a copy, the
RFS Record Service will try to help, but this import may
cost around £17. David Ades
GREAT MOVIE THEMES 2 Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra
/ Carl Davis
Batman; The Pink Panther; Mission Impossible Suite;
Love Story; Jurassic Park; Romeo and Juliet; Superman: March;
The English Patient; The Godfather; Superman: "Can
you read my mind?"; Pirates of the Caribbean; The Deerhunter:
Introduction and Cavatina; The French Lieutenant’s Woman;
Shakespeare in Love
Naxos 8.572111 [68:44 mins]. It is great to be able
to recommend this album by one of the UK’s leading symphony
orchestras: a newly recorded release of a kind that in the
‘50s, ‘60s and ‘70s would have made regular appearances
in the lists featuring the finest light music orchestras
such as those fronted by Stanley Black, Percy Faith and
Ron Goodwin. The RLPO under Carl Davis [composer of the
penultimate track] play as to the manor born throughout.
The brass excel, no more so than on Klaus Badelt’s Pirates,
the knockout track for me and everyone else in my family
who has heard it. Unsurprisingly three of the scores are
by John Williams, with the others being by Danny Elfman,
Francis Lai, Henry Mancini, Stanley Myers, Nino Rota [2],
Francis Lai, Lalo Schifrin, Stephen Warbeck and Gabriel
Yared. The recording, made in St George’s Hall, Blackburn,
is very good with the percussion being particularly well-captured.
This is my nomination for best bargain CD – at around £5
online – and also my Best Album choice. There is an earlier
volume on Naxos 8.570505; I have heard excerpts and it sounds
equally attractive. Peter Burt
GOLDEN AGE OF LIGHT MUSIC : Light and Lively For
full tracklisting see the Light Music CDs pages on this
website. Guild GLCD5160 [79:05 mins] We light
music enthusiasts have waited half-a-century for some decent
recordings and then 60 come along together [well, almost!]
With Guild’s latest offering [its 60th, yes 60th
in the series] you get what it says on the tin … something
"light and lively" [in the main], much needed
feel good factors in the present climate. Thirty tracks
at under a tenner strike me as pretty good value for money,
even if we can’t claim it back on expenses! To say I enjoyed
all the tracks may sound a little glib and twee, but I am
at a loss to find anything unkind to say about this selection;
something which will not gain me entrance to the Critics
Club, no doubt. As with Guild GLCD5159 [reviewed below]
there is a fine mix of the familiar and unfamiliar in terms
of repertoire and performers. How good to hear names like
The Amsterdam Symphonic Orchestra, Lou Busch, The Crawford
Light Orchestra Joe Leahy, Michael Piastro, Boris Sarbek
and Florian ZaBach for the first time [for me, that is]
alongside the establishment of Chacksfied, Farnon, Faith,
Hayman, Morley, Ornadel, Rose and Torch – for whom I had
the experience of working with the BBC Concert Orchestra
at the Camden Theatre in the mid-1960s. As a percussionist
just out of short trousers I found Sidney quite scary, but
one cannot help be impressed by his versatile contributions,
as organist, composer, arranger and conductor, to the light
music world in general and, retrospectively, to the Guild
series in particular. It’s interesting, by the way, to discover
that Coronation Street wasn’t the only tune
Eric Spear wrote, and that David Curry wasn’t just a conductor.
The exceptionally informative notes, a splendid feature
of the Guild series, also tell us that the Austrian Robert
Stolz, who contributes the atmospheric African Moon to
this disc, was featured on GLCD5118 in his more familiar
role as composer and conductor of operetta. As David Ades
writes: Stolz fled to the U.S.A. to escape the Nazis but
returned to Vienna straight after the war, reclaimed his
old house and continued to have a very successful career
particularly as a conductor well into his 80s. A very big
name in the Austrian capital alongside Brahms, Mahler, Mozart,
Schubert, and the Strauss family, Stolz [middle name Elizabeth]
provides a bizarre link between Petula Clark and Beethoven.
As a young man he followed in the footsteps of the great
German composer, and also those of Lehar, Millöcker,
Offenbach, von Suppé and Zellar among others, as
a major player in the history of Vienna’s iconic Theater
an der Wien. And in 1961 Petula Clark and M.D. Peter Knight
had a big hit with Romeo, based on Stolz’s quasi-foxtrot
Salome. I would urge all light music lovers to invest
in ‘Light And Lively’ immediately. It’s jam-packed
with goodies, not least Gerard Calvi’s Madame De Mortemouille’s
Ball, a singularly whimsical arrangement which just
avoids being a wee bit silly, although it’s a mystery why
Mr Calvi changed his name from Grégoire Elie Krettly.
It’s an absolute cracker! Glyn Bragg
GOLDEN AGE OF LIGHT MUSIC : More Strings In Stereo For
full tracklisting see the Light Music CDs pages on this
website. Guild GLCD5159 [77:07] Guild’s fabulously
unique light music series seems now well established in
the stereo era. With no less than 25 tracks this album offers
a superb mix of familiar and unfamiliar music and performers.
More knowledgeable light music fans than me will no doubt
have heard many of the tracks in their original form but
I was delighted to come across Buddy Bregman, Pierre Challet,
the Clebanoff Strings and the Rio Carnival Orchestra for
the first time. Once again I was struck by two things: the
high quality of the orchestral playing, in particular the
strings, and the brilliant inventiveness of the arrangements.
There are too many gems to list but Les Baxter’s Harem
silks from Bombay was surprisingly delicious, and the
combination of Angela Morley and A nightingale sang in
Berkeley Square is quite special – even ‘though I never
was able to discover that particular bird in that particular
part of London [nor blue birds over the white cliffs of
Dover, for that matter.] I didn’t enjoy Percy Faith’s rather
pedestrian version of Happy Talk from ‘South Pacific’.
The Gaslight Orchestra’s After the ball seemed slightly
out of place and [dare I say?] I found Leon Pober’s The
Ski Song a touch old-fashioned. But any lack of enthusiasm
for the odd track is more than compensated for by the rest
of the disc, which I can recommend wholeheartedly. Needless
to say, transfers are of the usual high Guild standard and
the liner notes are once again packed with well-researched
information. Glyn Bragg
JOHN IRELAND The Hallé Orchestra / John Wilson
Mai-Dun, The Forgotten Rite, Satyricon Overture, The
Overlanders Suite [arr. Sir Charles Mackerras], A London
Overture, Epic March
Hallé CDHLL 7523 [67:41]. Mr Ireland was
born in Cheshire in 1879 and died in 1962. He destroyed
all the music he wrote prior to 1908. After that his output
included a number of attractive orchestral works, the most
famous being included on this album superbly played by the
North West’s very own symphony orchestra with our own John
Wilson wielding the baton. Well worth acquiring and not
only for the deserving to be more popular Suite,
arranged from music for a 1946 Australian film [the composer’s
sole film score] starring Chips Rafferty and produced by
Sir Michael Balcon, Peter Burt
DANCING ON A SUMMER LAWN The Palm Court Orchestra conducted
by John Godfrey Pink Lady; A Perfect Day; I Love
You Truly; Desire de Moment; Aloha Oe; The Melody; Valse
Pathetique; The Little Grey Home in the West; Mighty Lak
a Rose; Vision of Salome; La Première Fois; When
Irish Eyes Are Smiling; Fairy Dream; The Whirl of the Waltz;
When You Remember Vienna; Thrills; Hearts and Flowers; Dreaming;
O Sole Mio. Dal Segno DSPRCD 401 [64:04] The
orchestra on this CD is essentially a small group comprising
a pianist, violinist, violist, cellist and flautist. Emanating
from Sydney, they still play at tea gardens and small functions
under the baton of Robyn Godfrey, John having died in 1996.
Unfortunately the group, its music and recordings have suffered
various tragedies over the years including the loss of most
of its 15,000 library scores; the studio recordings on this
disc are all that survive of their work. The music comprises
ragtime, lots of English and European waltzes and light
classics. The arrangements and music are sufficiently varied
to avoid a degree of sameness. Maybe this album does not
quite attain to the heights of Shelly Van Loen but it is
immensely enjoyable particularly given the modest price.
Ideal for listening to in the garden on a summer evening
or doing what the title says! The label is somewhat obscure,
but the CD can be obtained from MDT [tel: 01332 540240 or
www.mdt.co.uk ] at £9.07
including p&p. Brian Stringer
ANDRẾ PREVIN : THE GREAT RECORDINGS [The LSO Years
1971-1980]
London Symphony Orchestra / André Previn EMI
Classics 2 67969 2. A 10-CD boxful of delights from
the prodigiously talented conductor-arranger, composer,
pianist and TV personality born Andreas Prewin 80 years
ago in Germany and addressed as Mr Preview by Morecambe
and Wise. Along with the "heavier" items, which
include Boléro, Enigma Variations,
The Planets and Samuel Barber’s Adagio for Strings,
there are discs devoted to Tchaikovsky ballet music, Gershwin
[Rhapsody in Blue, An American in Paris,
etc.] and Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet. Choral
music lovers are catered for by the sacred Belshazzar’s
Feast and the secular Carmina Burana. With splendid
playing, fine digitally remastered sound, well-filled discs,
and a bargain price of around £3 per CD, this box will make
an excellent Christmas gift. Peter Burt
"THE CHAMPIONS" Original TV series Box Set
Network DVD Catalogue Number 2959007. The Network DVD
Original Soundtracks series have released music from ‘The
Champions’, which includes Robert Farnon’s music, written
especially for the ITC series. One of the tracks, entitled
simply ‘Violin’ is a fragment from the Rhapsody for Violin
and Orchestra (a cue in the Chappell Recorded Music Library),
but played unaccompanied. It also sounds like Raymond Cohen’s
playing to me. The series now includes ‘Department ‘S’’,
‘Jason King’, ‘Randall & Hopkirk (Deceased)’, ‘The Strange
Report’, ‘Danger Man (Half Hour Black and White)’, ‘Danger
Man (Hour Colour)’, ‘Man In A Suitcase’, and of course ‘The
Prisoner’, of which RFS members are already aware. The next
in the series will be ‘The Protectors’. The reproduction
on all of them (with exception of the main titles from ‘Department
‘S’’) is extremely good. Franck Leprince Network
DVDs are available from their website. Copies can also be
obtained from the RFS Record Service.
GOLDEN AGE OF LIGHT MUSIC European Tour For full
tracklisting see the Light Music CDs pages on this website.
Guild GLCD 5161 [77:47]. A European Tour, courtesy of
one of Guild’s latest offerings with some evocative tunes
to keep us company - starting in the capital with Voice
of London by Charles Williams played here by his Concert
Orchestra. This is a longer version than the original Chappell
recording by the Queen’s Hall Light Orchestra who used it
to introduce their broadcast concerts. I had an idea it
was also used many years ago by the BBC as intro music for
a radio film programme introduced by Peter Noble, but I
could be wrong. A non-stop trip to Scotland with Bob Farnon
and his Orchestra allows us to hear two of his arrangements
of traditional melodies from his suite "From The Highlands"
– Comin’ Thru’ The Rye and My Love Is Like A Red,
Red Rose. However if there’s a further ‘tours’ CD I’ll
ask David to stop off in the Midlands to hear Leslie Bridgewater’s
homage to Worcestershire – Bromsgrove Fair – played
by the New Century Orchestra conducted by Sidney Torch on
FDH. Back-tracking down to Wales with the Melachrino Orchestra,
Rhondda Rhapsody by the BBC producer Mai Jones used
to introduce a feature in the show she produced "Welsh
Rarebit" – a tuneful ‘Concerto’ style number reminiscent
of the so-called ‘Denham Concertos’. Then we go across the
Irish Sea for a sparkling version of Victor Herbert’s The
Irish Have A Great Day Tonight from Mantovani and his
Orchestra, before setting foot on the European mainland
to the strains of Clive Richardson’s Continental Galop
played by the Danish State Radio Orchestra. There are echoes
of Clive’s Running Off The Rails (Locomotion)
I’m sure. Werner Müller (alias Ricardo Santos and his
Cascading Strings) provide a sound portrait of Copenhagen’s
Tivoli Gardens with Heino Gaze’s Tivoli Melodie followed
by a real lilting melody – Luxembourg Waltz by Geoffrey
Everitt and Frederick Peter Hargreaves, played in fine style
by Frank Chacksfield’s Orchestra. Did the two composers
write anything else? I don’t know, but I’m sure somebody
will! A fiery rendition of Fiesta In Seville by David
Rose conducting his own orchestra gets the feet a’tapping,
as does Tony Osborne’s Lights Of Lisbon with a wordless
chorus. Is this a first for a Guild Light Music CD? When
It’s Spring In Baden Baden played by the Baden-Baden
Symphony Orchestra (now known as the South West German Radio
Symphony Orchestra) conducted by Hans Rosbaud is an absolutely
delightful piece of light music – and to think the orchestra
was originally a Spa municipal group of players! Where I
live we used to have a Spa orchestra but it was a much more
modest affair (more the salon type) disbanded many years
ago. Another David Rose number Roman Holiday is a
really catchy corker of a piece. Apparently Italian motorists
are to be avoided at all costs, so I’ve read, so I wondered
if David Rose had ever visited Rome because I’m sure there
are echoes of frantic motor horns in the music – great stuff!
Passe Partout by Victor Young from "Around The
World In Eighty Days" is played in gradn style by the
Cinema Sound Stage Orchestra – could they be the same players
as are used on the ‘101 Strings; LPs? A very underrated
series, in my opinion. Swiss Holiday by Joe Leahy,
played by his Orchestra, is another tuneful, catchy item
as is Swedish Polka by Hugo Alfvén. Although
credited as the conductor it was Bengt Hallberg, a jazz
pianist and arranger, who took the places of the aged composer
on the podium, although I’d never heard of Hallberg anyway.
Be that as it may, buy Guild Light Music CDs and not only
are you entertained – you’re educated too! Track twenty-two
has Victor Young and his Orchestra playing Sicilian Tarantella
by Balsamo, Conn & Miller (who?!) which is a dead ringer
for Henry Mancini’s score for "What Did You Do In The
War Daddy?" made in 1966 about the same time as I bought
the LP soundtrack, whereas Sicilian Tarantetta was
recorded in 1956. The film is described in Halliwell as
a ‘silly war comedy with insufficient jokes for its wearisome
length’! So there! Georges Auric is a name I associate with
British films of the 1940s such as "Dead Of Night",
"Passport To Pimlico" and "It Always Rains
On Sunday" – but here is his Pavements Of Paris
played by Michel Legrand’s Orchestra. Our European Tour
ends in Belgium with a quirky little number called The
Spider Of Antwerp played by Guy Luypaerts and his Orchestra
– another name I hadn’t heard before until it started to
appear on earlier Guild Light Music CDs. But before Belgium
we’re diverted to the Mediterranean – East Of Malta
to be exact – Ronald Hanmer’s dramatic, slightly oriental
piece from the Francis, Day & Hunter library, played
by the New Century Orchestra with Sidney Torch conducting.
Personally I think that would have given this CD a stronger
finale than ‘Spider’. Either way, another scintillating
choice to add to this ever gowing collection of light music,
enhances as ever by Alan Bunting’s restoration magic. Ken
Wilkins
GOLDEN AGE OF LIGHT MUSIC Hall of Fame – Volume 3
For full tracklisting see the Light Music CDs pages on this
website. GLCD 5162 [77:54]. "Hall of Fame
3" kicks off with Singing In The Rain played
by the Conrad Salinger Orchestra conducted by Buddy Bregman,
which I must confess isn’t my favourite tune. I don’t know
what it is, apart from being a bit repetitive – I was probably
put off by Gene Kelly’s warbling on the film soundtrack!
He should have stuck to dancing! In complete contrast track
two is a corker of a performance from Percy Faith’s Orchestra
of Spanish Serenade by Victor Herbert. It’s number
one of ‘A Suite of Four Serenades’, the others being Chinese,
Cuban and Oriental – the Spanish Serenade being particularly
tuneful. The Percy Faith version is longer than the Paul
Whiteman recording on Naxos which I have, but that includes
the three other serenades. Did Percy Faith conduct the complete
‘Suite’? I bet PF expert Alan Bunting knows! Ron Goodwin’s
Lingering Lovers meanders along nicely on track three,
courtesy of David Carroll’s Orchestra, followed by Philip
Green’s Ecstasy which has (I think) a strong Spanish
flavour, hence the ‘José Belmonte’ pseudonym I suppose.
Richard Hayman and his Orchestra get into the swing of things
with a sparkling, and at the same time exotic, rendition
of Ernesto Lecuona’s Amor Que Bonito (Love And
The World Loves With You), and in a similar vein Hugo
Winterhalter adds another touch of Spain with his own composition
La Muneca Espanola (The Spanish Doll). Now
here’s where I disagree with David: he calls Charles Williams’
Columbia recording of his own Devil’s Galop the definitive
version. My Chambers dictionary defines ‘definitive’ as
‘ final, expert, most authoritative’ – and the only Devil’s
Galop that falls into that category is the Chappell
version recorded at Levy’s Sound Studios. Nobody, but nobody,
plays that piece like the Queen’s Hall Light Orchestra –
crisp drumrolls at the beginning and end, and a sparkly
xylophone in the middle – and fast. No wonder BBC producer
Neil Tuson chose it: he says in "The Inside Story of
Dick Barton", published in 1950, "When I found
the Galop (spelt incorrectly in the book with two ‘ll’s’)
and heard that drumroll I could hardly believe my ears –
so I lit a cigarette and relaxed!" In his defence,
David says he included the well-known Columbia version because
the original Chappell piece only lasted 79 seconds. No such
reservations with Jumping Bean and Shooting Star
– Decca and Columbia releases from 1948, and Elizabethan
Serenade – Ron Goodwin’s Parlophone single from 1957.
Crazy Violins is a tour-de-force in playing ‘out
of tune; which, if you can actually do something reasonably
well, is a hard thing to do – as Helmut Zacharias and his
Magic Violins must have found out. It’s a delightfully eccentric
melody written by someone called Wildman. Now would that
be a pen name for David Rose, because his March Of The
Pretzels also uses the off-key violins sound in this
very catchy piece played by his Orchestra. Eric Coates rounds
off the main part of the CDD programme with his Rediffusion
March – Music Everywhere with him conducting the Queen’s
Hall Light Orchestra. What busy musicians they were in those
halcyon days of light concert music! Finally there is a
tribute to George Melachrino in which he and his own Orchestra
are featured on four recordings with the maestro as guest
conductor on a fifth – made between 1947 and 1958. It begins
with the Theme from Runnymede Rhapsody by the long-lived
but rather neglected composer/conductor Reginald King. Then
an arrangement by George of Bob Farnon’s Sophistication
Waltz called by its original song title My Song Of
Spring, followed by his own catchy composition Winter
Sunshine. Then something I’ve never heard of: Aprite
Le Finestre (Open The Windows) by one Virgilio
Panzuti – this time George is conducting the San Remo Festival
Orchestra. It was an Italian entry in the first Eurovision
Song Contest in 1956, and also the winner in the San Remo
Festival of the same year. Ten to one this is its first
outing in yonks! And to round off the third Guild ‘Hall
of Fame’ Richard Addinsell’s Warsaw Concerto from
the film "Dangerous Moonlight", the last of the
featured Melachrino recordings with William Hill-Bowen at
the piano Apparently the music became such an instant hit
with cinemagoers that a record was rushed out to satisfy
public demand, but it’s my contention that the issued disc
was a rejected studio ‘take’ because the pianist, Louis
Kentner, isn’t entirely in-step with the orchestra – which
has probably added to the charm of the music! Ken
Wilkins The above two Guild Light Music CDs are
due to be released at the beginning of October. You can
order copies in advance from the RFS Record Service.
FINE TUNING The Music of Roy Dean : Warren Mailley-Smith
[piano], Matthew Jones [violin], Susie Parkes [soprano],
Frances Patton [mezzo], George Bartle [tenor], Henry Grant
Kerswell [bass-baritone] Ceremonial March: Betjemania,
A Century of Songs [12 songs], Lyric Suite: Three moons
[32:17]. Roy Dean is an 82-year-old amateur composer
who, since retirement from the Diplomatic Service, has gone
into music. This CD, which admittedly offers short measure,
presents a selection of his work which he admits is pastiche
[‘though so much light music is] but is certainly tuneful.
It begins with a cheerful march inspired by the former Poet
Laureate, played here as a piano solo. The sequence A
Century of Song is written in various 20th
century song styles: music hall, parlour ballad, New Orleans,
rock musical, Irish song, calypso, Country and Western,
etc. The Three Moons, originally songs and shapely
ones, are transcribed for violin and piano and the Joplinesque
finale, Honeymoon Tune, rounds things off happily.
Well performed, nicely recorded and enjoyable. Available
from the composer at 14 Blyth Road, Bromley, BR1 3RX, £10
[including p&p] Philip L Scowcroft
GOLDEN AGE OF SALON MUSIC The Schwanen Salon Orchestra,
G. Huber Skater’s Waltz; Vienna, City of My Dreams;
The Gypsy Princess: Potpourri; Jocelyn: Berceuse; Serenata;
Portuguese Fisherman’s Dance; Salut d’amour; Il bacio; Blue
Tango; A Waltz Dream, Act 1: Non sai mia bella: Leise, ganz
leise klingt’s durch den raum; Mélodie in F major
[Rubinstein]; Belle of the Ball; Blauer Himmel; Liebesleid;
The Dragon Fly; Hexentanz / Funiculi, Funicula; Mattinata;
The Opera Ball: A Private Room; Humoresque No.7 [Dvorak];
Dark Eyes; Romanian Gypsy Festival; A media luz; Puszta
Fox; Thais: Méditation; Gerhard Winkler Medley; Harlequin’s
Millions: Serenade; Das muss ein Stuck vom Himmel sein;
South of the Alps: In a Port; Sie hören Paul Lincke:
Sie hören – Potpourri Naxos 8.578003-04 Over
two-and-a-quarter hours of salon music on 2-CDs affectionately
played and well recorded. There are no big surprises here
in this compilation from the previous four albums which
the orchestra has recorded on Naxos going back as far as
2000. The potpourris are of quite reasonable length, unlike
similar items that used to appear on 78’s which gave you
about 15 seconds of one title before switching to the next.
A pity that only one movement has been selected from Ernst
Fischer’s delightful South of the Alps suite. However
if the selection of titles appeal, and at around £11, then
you can safely invest. Brian Stringer
STAN KENTON’S MUSIC 1955
Artistry in rhythm theme, One o’clock jump, Alright,
okay, you win, Egdon Heath, It’s only a paper moon, Come
rain or come shine, Harold Arlen song medley, This can’t
be love, Bernie’s tune, Opus in chartreuse, Lover come back
to me, Learnin’ the blues, Blues in D flat, Theme
Sounds of Yesteryear DSOY776 [54:22]
Kenton fans will be disappointed with this one because
the Musicians’ Union would not let him use his own band.
Johnny Richards recruited as many good New York based players
that he could; the line-up changed week by week cutting
down on the tightness of the sound. Guests involved included
Harold Arlen, Count Basie, Ella Fitzgerald, Dizzy Gillespie,
Coleman Hawkins, Ilinois Jacquet, Oscar Pettiford, Jimmy
Raney, Buddy Rich and Joe Williams. Stan did all the announcements.
The CD consists of two shows, the sound dodgy to say the
least, some of the applause should have been edited. Two
from the Kenton band book, Egdon Heath and Opus
in chartreuse, fit uneasily in the show sounding quirky
without the cohesion Stan’s full band could provide. Harold
Arlen was a wonderful composer, here singing himself plus
a couple from Julie Wilson. They really murder great tunes;
the crime increased on As long as I live by including
an organ. The jazz soloists on board do an over the top
frantically paced Bernie’s tune. The penultimate
number Blues in D flat includes most of the sessioneers
in a jam session. In summary: if you listened to the original
broadcasts, a memory jogger but little else! Paul
Clatworthy
EVELYN LAYE Queen of Musical Comedy I’ll See
You Again, Vila, I Love You So, Lover Come Back To me, Dear
Little Café, Zigeuner, Love Is A Song, Let The People
Sing, I See Your Face Before Me, You’ve Done Something To
My Heart etc.. 55 tracks in total Avid Easy AMSC
977 2 CDs [158:10]. Avid have already spoiled musical
comedy fans with 2-CD sets devoted to three famous leading
ladies - Jessie Matthews, Frances Day and Pat Kirkwood;
now compiler Hugh Palmer has turned his sights on perhaps
the greatest of them all, Evelyn Laye. To quote Avid’s own
publicity: Arguably the most historic retrospective double-CD
ever released in the United Kingdom, "Evelyn Laye –
Queen of Musical Comedy" spans 71 years of the glittering
career of the legendary British star whom the director Max
Reinhardt called "that rare and Holy Trinity of the
stage, a great singer, a great actress, and a great beauty".The
55 tracks, many of them never previously released, take
her from her first major London hit as a 19-year-old Gaiety
Girl in the 1920 revival of The Shop Girl
to the last (and hitherto unreleased) studio recordings
she ever made, in 1991, at the age of 91. Along the way
are rare and unreleased performances from The Merry Widow,
in which she took London by storm at the age of 22 in the
1923 revival, but from which she made no commercial recordings;
two songs that she never recorded from her greatest international
success in Noel Coward’s Bitter Sweet; unreleased
soundtrack songs from her two Hollywood films, One Heavenly
Night, with John Boles, and The Night is Young,
with Ramon Novarro; an operatic duet from Verdi’s La Traviata,
and even a stirring and hitherto unreleased version of Elgar’s
‘Land of Hope and Glory’. CD-2 contains still more
unreleased treasures: versions of Joyce Grenfell’s ‘I’m
Going To See You Today’ and Ivor Novello’s ‘Love
is My Reason’; an extreme rarity, ‘Liaisons’,
recorded from the stage in live performance during her last
musical, A Little Night Music, in 1979; duets
from the 1980s with Sir Harry Secombe and with Roy Hudd,
and two songs specially written for her in 1991 by her musical
director, John Dalby, the second of which, ‘Thank You’,
is a moving valedictory to her loyal public during a career
that spanned nine decades. The detailed booklet contains
just about everything you need to know about her career
(and her often troubled private life) with copious recording
information to satisfy those of us who like to know the
source of the music we are hearing. This CD is a poignant
example of the kind of valuable and historic archive that
might be lost if changes in sound copyright law made such
releases uneconomic. The major companies (and their accountants)
certainly wouldn’t be interested in such a project. David
Ades
THE BOSWELL SISTERS The Music Goes Round And Round 19
tracks including the Title tune, The object of my affection,
It’s the girl, Every little moment, Let yourself go, Top
hat white tie and tails, It’s written all over your face,
Coffee in the morning and kisses in the night, The lonesome
road, When I take my sugar to tea, I’m gonna sit right down
and write myself a letter, Dinah etc. Sounds of Yesteryear
DSOY775 [54:28] On this CD the sisters are mainly backed
by members of the Dorsey Brothers various groups. They set
the standard that many later vocal groups tried to compete
with. Elle Fitzgerald is quoted as saying she used Connie
Boswell’s voice as one to emulate. As with many of these
historical issues, tunes are included that have not survived
the passing of time; I only knew ten of the titles. Charming
nostalgia all the way. Paul Clatworthy
BUDDY HOLLY & THE CRICKETS The Very Best Of
Heartbeat, That’ll be the day, Peggy Sue, Oh boy, Rave
on, Think it over, Brown eyed handsome man, Let’s make a
fool of you, True love ways, Raining in my heart, Everyday,
Wishing, Love me, ….. Universal 1797581 [54:45
& 53:49] I enjoyed every one of these 50 tracks by the
singer who, aged 22, was tragically killed in a ‘plane crash;
a very talented pioneer of rock ‘n’ roll whose work, thanks
to his interest in production techniques, sounds as fresh
today as it did nearly 50 years ago. I find what has been
called his "hiccoughing vocal style" most attractive.
Mention, too, should be made of The Crickets in the success
of this 2-CD set, available online at around 17 pence per
track [a consideration in these straightened times].
Peter Burt
BETTY HUTTON At The Saints And Sinners Ball 20
titles incl. My cuty’s due at two-to-two today, Banana boat
[Oomba-oomba-oomba], Sleepy head, Hit the road to dreamland,
Back home, Satins & spurs, This must be the place, Chicken
hawk Sepia 1133 [53:30] Probably better known
as a rather rumbustious character in movies, this is an
interesting album. The first ten tracks are shared by orchestra
conductors Nelson Riddle [4], Vic Shoen [4] and Billy May
[2]. Tennessee Ernie Ford sings on two tracks, one of which
is The honeymoon’s over that became a Top 20 single.
Betty’s sister Marion also joins her on two tracks: Ko
ko mo [I love you so] and Heart throb. The album
from which the CD is named was recorded in 1958 and includes
Whole world in his hands, When the saints come
marchin’ in and Search my heart, which perhaps
presages Betty’s later decision to dedicate her life to
religion and teaching. Ray Pavene
JANE RUSSELL Fine And Dandy 17 tracks incl. The
Title tune, Take love easy, Love on the rocks, When a woman
loves a man, Can’t we talk it over, You don’t know what
love is, Love is here to stay, The one I love, You’re mine,
you, Sepia 1132 [44:43] Miss Russell’s obvious
physical attributes have probably rather overshadowed her
ability as a singer. The first 12 tracks on this album date
from 1958 and the disc became Jane’s personal favourite.
The last five tracks – Sing you sinners, I’ve
got the world on a string, One way ticket to the
blues, Diamond’s are a girl’s best friend and
One for my baby – have never been released before
and there are, as the booklet notes put it, "some rough
edges". Enjoyable, but short measure for this company.
Ray Pavene
KATE SMITH We Remember Kate Smith 26 tracks incl.
Just in time, All the way, It don’t mean a thing, Thinking
of you, The beat o’ my heart, Yes indeed!, High on a windy
hill, Mr Wonderful, Love is a many splendoured thing, Comes
love, Wish you were here, Come rain or come shine, ….
Sepia 1134 [78:08] Well, I don’t remember her … but
glad to make the singer’s acquaintance here. Born Kathryn
Elizabeth in 1907, she had a good soprano voice, first used
in church choirs, and was popular from the mid-‘20s into
the ‘70s. She passed on in 1986. She had been training as
a nurse before moving into show biz. The ever comprehensive
booklet notes tell us that the great classical conductor
Leopold Stokowski said of her voice: "Don’t ever take
a lesson, Miss Smith. Your voice is a gift from God".
She made Irving Berlin’s God bless America [track
25 here] into a substitute national anthem in WWII, during
which she raised $600 million for GIs. Although she had
sole performing rights to the song, proceeds went to the
Boy Scouts. Here is a fine choice of quality songs and this
full measure album can be recommended. Peter Burt
ALMA COGAN Dreamboat: Her 31 Finest including
Bell bottom blues, Half as much, The moon is blue, The little
shoemaker, Canoodlin’ Rag, Little things mean a lot, Skokiaan,
This old house, I can’t tell a waltz from a tango, Paper
kisses, Blue again, Softly, softly, Mambo Italiano, Tweedle-dee,
The naughty lady of shady lane
Retrospective 4121 [76:17] This collection on a
new label complements the broadcast selection from Sepia
reviewed in JIM 178. Nine of the songs here were Top 20
hits including the title tune which made it to No.1 in April
1955. Frank Cordell and his Orchestra accompany on the majority
of tracks although those of Ken Macintosh, Geoff Love and
pianist Felix King are also featured. Penny-whistler Desmond
Lane plays on Willie Can. The label did not reply
to my e-mail so I cannot tell you who made the arrangements.
This is something of a nostalgia trip for those of us who
in the ‘fifties were a little bit in love with "The
girl with the laugh in her voice". Peter Burt
LISA KIRK Sings At the Plaza 22 tracks including
I travel light, I’m sitting on top of the world, Yo’d be
so nice to come home to, Anything goes, Hi-lili, hi-lo,
How come you do me like you do, Why can’t you behave, Good
little girls, Far away places and the Riviera, Limehouse
blues Sepia 1128 [74:53] I must admit to not
having heard of this lady before but the customary informative
liner notes for this label tell me that not only was she
a Broadway star but "truly the Queen in the golden
days of night life entertainment". Nice personality
and voice and well supported by her M.D. Don Pippin and
The 4 Saints, the applause is deserved and not too obtrusive.
In addition to the album titles listed above there are a
further dozen musical theatre tracks such as Shaking
the blues away, Little girl blue, But not for me,
The lady is a tramp and My funny valentine.
With Sepia’s generous timing and the price [around £8],
well worth adding to your collection. Peter Burt
BOZ SCAGGS Speak Low Invitation, She was too
good for me, I wish I knew, Speak low, Do nothing till you
hear from me, I’ll remember April, Save your love for me,
Ballad of the sad young man, Skylark, Sense fine, Dandy,
This time the dream’s on me Decca B 001202602 [52:30]
Long overdue follow-up to his last CD, where singer Boz
started to be more experimental. Inspired by ideas Gil Evans
explored, Boz picks a wide range of ballads arranged by
Gil Goldstein. His distinct vocalising gives a new slant
to some well-known diverse songs. A very nice release with
a few surprises in the repertoire, a real change of style
first explored on his last album which left his early days
as a singer of blues and rock and roll a distant memory.
I hope all his followers have moved with him. Paul
Clatworthy
FRANK SINATRA Nothing But the Best 2-CD Set CD1:
22 tracks including Come fly with me, The best is yet
to come, The way you look tonight, Luck be a lady, Bewitched,
The good life, The girl from Ipanema, Fly me to the moon
[in other words], Summer wind, Strangers in the night, Call
me irresponsible, Somethin’ stupid, My kind of town. CD2:
12 tracks including White Christmas, Go tell it on the
mountain, The little drummer boy, Do you hear what I hear?,
The twelve days of Christmas Reprise 8122798853
[74:38 & 38:17] Perhaps not quite the best, but
still very good. These are digitally remastered Reprise
tracks from the ‘60s, including some Capitol re-recordings.
Arrangers are Nelson Riddle, Billy May, Quincy Jones [with
Count Basie and his Orchestra], Ernie Freeman, Billy Strange
[with Nancy Sinatra], Gordon Jenkins, Skip Martin [the title
tune], Claus Ogerman and Don Costa [including My way].
The final track, Body and soul, is a Torrie Zito
arrangement conducted by Frank Sinatra Jr. and was previously
unreleased. The 2-CD set also includes the "Rare and
Unreleased" 12 Songs of Christmas with Frank
being joined by Fred Waring and the Pennsylvanians, and
Bing Crosby. The main album is available separately. Peter
Burt
ANN SOUTHERN / DOROTHY LAMOUR Southern Lamour After
you’ve gone, Another year, Always, The last time I saw Paris,
You’ll never know, My man, Life is just a bowl of cherries
… & 7 other tracks / You’re mine now, Did you ever see
a dream walking? Why was I born, Can’t help loving that
man, I can’t tell why I love you … and 5 other tracks
Sepia 1127 [66:09] Two successful LP albums from 1957
by two of the silver screen’s songbirds. Ann Sothern was
another new name to me but her 14 tracks, arranged and conducted
by Ian Bernard, who composed the rather wistful Another
year, make for very pleasant listening. Berlin, Kern-Hammerstein
II, Brown-Henderson, Gershwin-Heyward, Rodgers-Hart, Arlen-Koehler
and Porter figure among those supplying the words and music.
There are some splendid instrumental soloists especially
on Ballin’ the jack. Dorothy Lamour was, of course,
known to me through the ‘Road’ films with Crosby and Hope.
She, too, was a "proper" singer and her 10 tracks
are arranged and conducted by Georges Norman. Again, good
compositions equally pleasant to listen to, with Kern-Hammerstein
II responsible for four of them, although P.G. Wodehouse
also got in on one of them, Bill. For all their long
film careers the two vocalists only worked together once,
as chorus girls in the 1933 Busby Berkeley classic "Footlight
Parade". Peter Burt
BITTER SWEET Selections from the Operetta by Noël
Coward, Vanessa Lee, Roberto Cardinali, Julie Dawn and John
Hauxvell, The Rita Williams Singers and Michael Collins
and his Orchestra Overture, The call of life, If
you could only come with me, I’ll see you again, Ladies
of the town, If love were all, Dear little café,
Tokay, Kiss me, Ziguener, Finale … Sepia 1130 [77:29]
The first eleven tracks [of 23] above are by the artists
listed and were recorded in 1958, the first stereo version
of the 1929 show. They are followed by a selection played
by the London Palladium Orchestra conducted by Clifford
Greenwood just before the outbreak of war in 1939. Then
there are the original London cast members, Peggy Wood,
George Metexa and Ivy St Helier, singing the major hits
of the show. Evelyn Laye, the original Broadway star sings
I’ll see you again and Zigeuner, and then
we have four tracks from the Paris production of 1930 starring
Jane Marnac and René Bussy. "The Master"
himself completes the disc with his distinctive version
of I’ll see from a recording made in 1954, exactly
25 years after the show was first seen. A veritable cornucopia
of what was, as the detailed liner notes opine, "Coward’s
first musical and arguably his best". Ray Pavene
"My inspiration is you" ANNETTE HANSHAW.
Moanin’ low, Loveable and sweet, Here we are, I get the
blues when it rains, Mean to me, A precious little thing
called love, My inspiration is you, My blackbirds ere bluebirds
now, Forgetting you, From now on, Miss Annabelle Lee, Ever
since time Began, Would you like to take a walk, Yes indeedy
he do, The way I feel today, Nobody cares if I’m blue, If
I had a girl like you, Telling it to the daises, Cooking
breakfast for the one I love, I have to have you. Sounds
of Yester Year DS0Y779 [59:00]. Old as I am there are
not many tunes here that I know, Identifying titles is not
helped by the fact that the sleeve puts many songs in a
different order to the CD! Her "Betty Boop" voice
puts her into my novelty catalogue although there will be
many nannies and grandpas who would love a copy. Her main
backing group goes under the name "The Sizzling Syncopaters";
other tracks have The Dorsey Brothers, Manny Klein, Adrian
Rollini and Benny Goodman. Rated top notch in the 1920s
her recording really sounds its age! Paul Clatworthy
THE ORIGINAL BLONDE BOMBSHELL : EVELYN DALL VOL. 1 -
Mrs. Worthington; Cohen The Crooner (MB/JC); Lulu’s
Back In Town; The General’s Fast Asleep (RB);The Lady In
Red; Wotcha Gotcha Trombone For?; Woe Is Me (JC); Cuban
Pete; I’m All In; Lost My Rhythm, Lost My Music, Lost My
Man; Organ Grinder’s Swing; Did You Mean It?; On The Isle
Of Kitchymiboko; Swing Is In The Air; Sailor, Where Art
Thou?; I May Be Poor, But I’m Honest (SB,LC); Rhythm’s O.K.In
Harlem; Gangway; Swing High, Swing Low; Poor Robinson Crusoe;
Let’s Call The Whole Thing Off (SB); Fifty Million Robins
Can’t Be Wrong; It’s The Natural Thing To Do; No Songs About
Love (KTMA); It’s The Rhythm In Me (KTMA); The Coster Rhumba
(HFAS); You’ll Love The Army (KAWAG); Actions Speak Louder
Than Words (KAWAG); Sitting On A Cloud That’s Silver-Lined
(TF); Hey There Bellman (TF). MB – Max Bacon; SB – Sam Browne;
JC – Jack Cooper; LC – Les Carew; RB – Rhythm Brothers.
From film soundtracks of: KTMA – Kicking The Moon Around;
HFAS – He Found A Star; KAWAG – King Arthur Was A Gentleman;
TF – Time Flies (acc. Stephane Grappelli) Memory
Lane MLCD00178:05. Memory Lane magazine, in what
promises to be an exciting new venture, has just launched
its own CD label, and this is the first release. It contains
23 tracks with Ambrose & his Orchestra covering just
over two years from September 1935, and seven more from
film soundtracks, and is sub-titled "The Complete Evelyn
Dall Recordings" with a promise of more to come. By
my reckoning around half these tracks have appeared individually
on various CD reissues, but many are now out of print. To
have Miss Dall’s complete output brought together in this
way is a major step for which Ray Pallett and Dave Cooper
deserve every support. The remastering has produced a very
clear sound, and given the timbre of Evelyn’s voice I found
it preferable to listen with the tone setting set towards
the bass. It’s apparent that she had a considerable stage
presence and a strong personality, which was perfectly suited
to the material she was assigned. That included some real
scorchers, which she sang as to the manner born, but she
was equally at home in broad comedy and Latin-American numbers.
The presentation is excellent, with an informative liner
note and a reproduction of the original publicity for "The
Coster Rhumba" (note correct spelling!). I would like
to have seen composer credits included, and a slightly longer
interval between tracks, but as the first of a new label
this is impressive, and highly recommended. Barry
McCanna The CD is priced at £5.99 inc. P&P
to a UK address, or £7.99 inc P&P for air mail post
to an address outside the UK. It can be ordered from Memory
Lane, PO Box 1939, Leigh-on-Sea, Essex SS9 3UH. Payment
can be made by sterling cheque to "Memory Lane",
or you can log on to www.memorylane.org.uk
where there is a PayPal facility.
HANSEL AND GRETEL Original Television Cast Sepia 1125
[76:20] The music for ‘Hansel and Gretel’ was
composed by Alec Wilder with words by William Engvick, who
wrote the English lyrics to the Song from Moulin Rouge
[Where is your heart]. It starred Rudy Vallee, Stubby
Kaye and Paula Laurence. Coupled with this are five numbers
from Gilbert and Sullivan’s ‘Yeoman of the Guard’
with Barbara Cook, Celeste Holm, Bill Hayes and Alfred Drake.
Then there are 16 "Bonus Tracks" by such as Red
Buttons, Barbara Cook, Eddie Bracken, Stubby Kaye, and Rudy
Vallee, one of whose songs is The pig got up and slowly
walked away. Rather a mixture but, surprisingly, enjoyable.
But I can’t see many sales outside the States – especially
if they don’t read JIM! Ray Pavene
"THE THIRD MAN" AND OTHER CLASSIC FILM THEMES
including Passport to Pimlico, La Ronde, The Romantic
Age, Whisky Galore, The Glass Mountain, Genevieve, La Strada
etc.. Naxos 8120880. Featruing recordings by
Anton Karas (zither), Mantovani, Charles Williams, Larry
Adler, Percy Faith, David Rose and others.
BILL SAVILL AND HIS ORCHESTRA "We Could Have Danced
All Night"; "In a Dancing Mood". Original
Decca LPs from the 1950s. A welcome reminder of "Music
While You Work". Vocalion CDLK4397.
INTERNATIONAL POP ALL STARS "Great Film Themes
From Many Lands"; "Vibrations Around The World".
Original Decca LPs from the 1960s. Featuring some pleasant
surprises – pity all the arrangers aren’t known. Vocalion
CDLK4394.
More new releases noted by Wilfred Askew
THE BEST OF BROADWAY VOL. 1 South Pacific 8 tracks
with Peggy Lee, Margaret Whiting & Gordon Macrae; Orchestra
conducted by Dave Barbour and Frank DeVol [1950 Capitol
album] Kiss Me Kate 8 tracks with Jo Stafford
and Gordon Macrae; Orchestra conducted by Paul Weston [1949
Capitol album] DRGCD 19113 [45:41]
MEL TORME SINGS HIS OWN CALIFORNIA SUITE The
1949 Capitol recording conducted by Hal Mooney plus the
1957 Bethlehem recording arranged and conducted by Marty
Paich, in an attractive digi-pack with two booklets, one
containing the lyrics of the two versions. Fresh
Sounds FSR-CD 496 [67:14]
VINTAGE CINEMA Erich Kunzel and the Cincinnati Pops
Orchestra Selections from King Kong, The Adventures
of Robin Hood, Spellbound, Sunset Boulevard, A Streetcar
Named Desire, A Place In The Sun, On The Waterfront, North
By Northwest, El Cid, To Kill A Mockingbird and Taras
Bulba Telarc CD-80708 [53:13]
HENRI RENĖ AND HIS ORCHESTRA Compulsion To Swing
In Rhythm A coupling of the two albums ‘A Compulsion
to Swing’ & ‘Riot In Rhythm’: 24 tracks including
The blue room, Cry me a river, Baubles, bangles and beads,
Compulsion to swing, It don’t mean a thing if it ain’t got
that swing, Just a gigolo, ‘S wonderful, Nature boy, The
hot canary, Blue chartreuse, The surrey with the fringe
on top, Don’t cry Joe, Whispering … Jasmine JSCD
490 [63:46] RCA stereo recordings from 1958
JANE MORGAN Fascination : The Ultimate Collection Original
Kapp recordings on 2 CDs: 56 tracks including The
heart you break, Why [are there things we can’t explain],
Why don’t you leave us alone, Give me your word, Flyin’
high, In Paree, Take me away, Let’s go steady, I’ve got
bells on my heart, Only one love, I may never pass this
way again, Catch a falling star, Where the blue of the night,
Makin’ love … Jasmine JASCD 489 [149:58]
THIS IS IT : The Best Of Jack Leonard and Tommy Dorsey
28 tracks including I’m in a dancing mood, Where
are you, If my heart could only talk, You’re here, you’re
there, you’re everywhere, Dedicated to you, Marie, Sweet
is the word for you, Love is never out of season, Have you
any castles, baby?, An old flame never dies, In the still
of the night, Blue Orchids Flare ROYCD 281 [77:47]
BOB EBERLY Sings Tender Love Songs with the Enoch
Light Orchestra 12 tracks from ‘Sings Tender Love Songs’
[1957] including Brazil, Moonglow, Tangerine, I understand,
Amapola, Maria Elena, Green eyes, September song …13 tracks
from ‘Best Of the ‘Fifties Singles’ including This much
I know, Long before I knew you, Alone, I made a promise,
You’ll never know how it feels, The beat o’ my heart, I’ll
always be following you ... Flare ROYCD 276
[70:49]
TEDDI KING ‘Round Midnight Extended album plus
‘Very Best Of The Singles’: 25 tracks including I
concentrate on you, Little girl blue, It never entered my
mind, What’s new, Prelude to a kiss, ‘round midnight, I
saw stars, Love is a now and then thing /Are you slipping
through my fingers, Mr Wonderful, There’s so much more,
Married I can always get, Travelling down a lovely road,
Say it isn’t so … Flare ROYCD 275 [77:05]
MORTON GOULD Star Dust Symphony Blues In The
Night, Birth of the Blues, Solitude, Old Devil Moon, Nocturne,
Limehouse Blues, Mood Indigo, St Louis Blues, Sophisticated
Lady, Big City Blues, Moonglow, Deep Purple, The Surrey
With The Fringe on Top, Besame Mucho, I Get a Kick Out of
You, Speak Low, Body and Soul, What Is This Thing Called
Love, My Silent Love, That Old Black Magic, Night and Day,
The Very Thought of You, Poinciana, You And The Night And
The Music, Summertime, Star Dust, Smoke Gets In Your Eyes,
Pavanne, Stormy Weather, Beyond the Blue Horizon, Cresta
Blance Waltz, Where or When, Orchids in the Moonlight, Over
The Rainbow, Time on my Hands, Holiday for Strings, I Love
You, My Blue Heaven, Serenade in the Night, Mexican Hat
Dance. 2 CDs Jasmine JASCD 666 [148:17]
LEROY ANDERSON Blue Tango Bells of the Ball,
Promenade, Syncopated Clock, Serenata, Saraband, Waltzing
Cat, Trumpeter’s Lullaby, Jazz Pizzicato, Jazz Legato, Plink
Plank Plunk, Horse and Buggy, Phantom Regiment, Blue Tango,
China Doll, Penny-Whistle Song, Irish Washerwoman, Bluebells
of Scotland, Song of the Bells, Fiddle-Faddle, Typewriter,
Girl in Satin, Sandpaper Ballet, Buglers’ Holiday, Summer
Skies, Sleigh Ride, Last Rose of Summer, Forgotten Dreams
Bygone Days BYD 77025
ELMER BERNSTEIN Staccato / Paris Swings Original
Capitol LPs from 1959 and 1960 DRGCD 19110 [64:51]
LES BAXTER & HIS ORCHESTRA Thinking Of You 2
CDs, 60 tracks including The poor people of Paris, Blue
star, Zing zing – zoom, zoom, With my eyes wide open I’m
dreaming, The Shrike, Tropicana, Ruby, Temptation / Unchained
Melody, The nearness of you, The roving kind, Out of this
world, The high and the mighty, The breeze and I, Shrimp
boats, Blue Tango … Jasmine JASCD 672 [159’48"]
JEFF CHANDLER You And I : Sings Songs Of Love U.S.
Decca recordings 1953/4 and Liberty recordings 1957/8
DRGCD 19110 [64:51]
LOVE LETTERS FROM YVONNE DeCARLO / MAUREEN O’HARA SINGS
─ their debut albums from 1957 and 1958 Flare
ROYCD 278 [72:24]
THE HOLLYWOOD LADIES SING - ELIZABETH SCOTT Lizabeth
[1957] / DENISE DARCEL Banned In Boston [1958] Flare
ROYCD 277 [64:06]
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KEEPING TRACK
Dateline June 2009
FRANK CHACKSFIELD & HIS ORCHESTRA
My Gypsy Love & Great Themes from Great Operas [Highlights]
Gypsy moon, Tzigane, Play gypsies, dance gypsies, Waltz
of the gypsies, The gypsy, Golden earrings, Czardas [Monti],
Play to me, gypsy, Budapest, At the Balalaika, Gypsy love,
Dark eyes / Intermezzo from ‘Cavalleria Rusticana’,
Nessun dorma, Oh! my beloved father, La donna è mobile,
Your tiny hand is frozen, Caro nome, E lucevan le stelle,
Musetta’s waltz song
Vocalion CDLK 4387 [76:12]
Another splendid 2-on-1 CD comprising albums originally
issued as mono LPs in the early ‘60s on one of the
very first budget labels, Decca’s Ace of Clubs. Much
of light music stems from the styles and technique of gypsy
players. You will find here – in very decent stereo
– a lot of the fire and lushness associated with gypsy
music, and this album must feature quite highly in the Chacksfield
canon. Even if you are not "into" opera, the melodies
by Mascagni, Puccini and Verdi on the second album are irresistible
in these Italian-tinged arrangements. Here’s hoping
for more reissues from this source, notably ‘Songs
of Sunny Italy’. Peter Burt
A Box of Light Musical Allsorts For full tracklisting
details please see page the Light Music CDs pages on this
website Guild GLCD 5157 77:51 mins. Where would
light music enthusiasts be without Guild and a few other
labels of a like mind – reissuing the sort of fare
not supplied by the major record companies and radio stations?
I ask this after listening to this latest Guild Light Music
release, which opens in cracking style with Bob Farnon’s
Orchestra and his arrangement of My Object All Sublime
from "The Hot Mikado" – Gilbert and Sullivan
(sort of!). It has a big ‘show-bizzy’ opening
with, I’m sure, echoes of Bob’s Alcan Highway,
leading to a swinging version of Sullivan’s well-known
melody accompanying a tap dancer! A novelty indeed! Felton
Rapley’s very attractive Southern Holiday and
Werner Müller’s likewise Take Me To Your Heart
continue this melodic programme. A dip into the Chappell
catalogue brings a welcome CD release of Clive Richardson’s
Mannequin Melody and then Alfred Newman conducts
his own film music to "A Letter To Three Lives"
from a Mercury LP I’ve had since its release in 1956.
Angela Morley’s tribute to Bob Farnon A Canadian
In Mayfair is given a spirited performance by Sidney
Torch and his Orchestra, the same recording I think David
Ades included on his Sidney Torch Great British Light Orchestras
HMV compilation of 1992, long deleted. Thou Swell
is a catchy number from "Words and Music" and
was sung in that film by June Allyson in 1948; here it is
played by Andre Kostelanetz and his Orchestra. However the
track I can’t get over is Military Samba by
John McGregor, a name new to me – but it’s so
infectious as played by Edmundo Ros conducting what sounds
like a fairly large Concert Orchestra. I had forgotten that
he’d ever recorded with such an ensemble, then I remembered
his recording of Marching Strings on an earlier Guild
CD which probably came from the same session. Charles Williams’
Let’s Go Shopping played by the Danish State
Radio Orchestra recalls newsreels and Pathé shorts
of the 1950s, as does Polka Dot by Eric Cook played
by the New Concert Orchestra conducted by Cedric Dumont.
Rahadlakum from "Kismet" was new to me
although I knew the score had been adapted from Borodin’s
work; here it’s played in fine concert style by Percy
Faith who arranged it for his orchestra. The Happy Hippo
from the Conroy Library by Eric Winstone is another catchy
melody, as of course is Eric Coates’ ‘Phantasy’
"The Three Bears" played by the London Symphony
Orchestra under the baton of Sir Charles Mackerras in 1956,
although he did not receive his knighthood until 23 years
later. Four more library numbers follow which take me back
to the 1940s and 1950s. Melody In Moccasins by Wilfred
Burns is played by Philip Green and his Orchestra on a rare
MGM 78, then Fly Past by Cecil Milner (incorrectly
credited to Charles Williams when Chappell resurrected it
for their ‘Archive – Adventure’ CD CHAP 166).
I’m very pleased with the inclusion of Horace Dann’s
Worcester Beacon because my Paxton 78 copy has a
very poor surface as other copies probably also have, so
Alan Bunting’s excellent restoration (not a trace of
surface noise) is very welcome – and he’s managed
to retain what I call that unique Levy’s Sound Studios
sound – wonderful! The fourth library piece in this
group is St Boniface Down by Trevor Duncan. The jury’s
still out on this one! And finally Noel Coward’s London
Pride rounds off another great Guild Light Music CD
and – as the title suggests – a veritable Box
of Allsorts. Ken Wilkins
WERNER MÜLLER & HIS ORCHESTRA – Teldec
Archives
Auf Grosser Europa-Tournee & Über Sieben Meere
– Sailing Along
28 titles including Das ist die Berliner, Auf der Reeperbahn
nachts um halb eins, Copenhagen Polka, Tulips from Amsterdam,
Lisbon Antigua, Moulin Rouge, Frühling in Wien, Münchner
Kindl, Gondellied, O mia bella Napoli, Isle of Capri, Arriverderci
Roma / 21 tracks including Rolling home, Down by the riverside,
Kari waits for me, Señorita Dolores, Aloha Oe, What
shall we do with the drunken sailor, Rolling home, Good
bye, fare you well
Vocalion CDLK 4382 [65:39]
Expecting the first album on this 2-on-1 to compare with
the Melachrino above, I could not have been more disappointed.
This is not the Müller sound from previous CDs I have
heard but a dance band playing a series of potpourri: foxtrots
from Berlin, Paris, Vienna and Rome, rock from Hamburg,
waltzes from Amsterdam and Munich, polkas from Copenhagen,
bossa novas from Lisbon, cha-chas from Venice, tangos from
Naples, and the twist [some ripe bass guitar here] from
Capri. There is no mention of it being recorded in front
of a live audience [actually there is no explanation for
anything in the complete absence of liner notes] so I can
only assume that all the background crowd noise, the vocalising
and the applause is dubbed. Pity they bothered. These are
12 tracks I’ll not be returning to again in a hurry
– glad I did not have to pay postage and packing on
this one! The collection of seafaring songs on the second
album, although vocal with orchestral accompaniment, is
a different kettle of fish; my wife thought it "a nice
CD", which is high praise! It is largely sung in German
but some titles are in English. The men’s voices in
the shanties are especially effective. The slow waltz Farewell
is Greensleeves in a most attractive arrangement
with a plaintive harmonica. This time there are
background sounds of ships and sailors; more acceptable
on a first hearing, at least. You, of course, may like the
whole disc. Peter Burt
ARTHUR FIEDLER & THE BOSTON POPS Fiedler Favourites
Faust: Ballet Music, Waltzes [Gounod], Der Rosenkavalier:
Waltzes [Richard Strauss], The Queen of Sheba: Ballet Music
[Goldmark], Jewels of the Madonna: Dance of the Camorristi
[Wolf-Ferrari], Kemenoi-Ostrow Op.10 [Anton Rubenstein],
Turkish March [Beethoven], Ballet Egyptien [Luigini], Le
Cid: Ballet suite [Massenet]
Frank Bristow FBCD182 [78:30]
Like the Kostelanetz below, this is another selection from
the basic catalogue of Boston Pops recordings over the years.
Familiar classics make this a varied, well thought out and
unhackneyed orchestral album of mass appeal. In this respect
it will be like all of Fiedler’s well-edited and [naturally]
immaculate musicianship, beautifully atmospheric in its
overall sound and presentation. Arthur Jackson
ANDRE KOSTELANETZ & HIS ORCHESTRA Miscellany
Liza, Laura, Waltz from Sari, Vienna, city of my dreams,
Falling in love with love, Intermezzo, Gold and Silver Waltz,,
Gypsy Love Waltz, Someone to watch over me, Lady be good,
Two hearts in three-quarter time, Emperor Waltz, Vilia,
Have you met Miss Jones?, Waltz dream, Gypsy Baron Waltz,
Diane, Love walked in, You made me love you, Serenade [Pierne],
Bali-Hai, We kiss in a shadow, Moon over Miami, Now is the
hour
Frank Bristow FBCD91 [78:30]
"Miscellany" this most certainly is…everything
from light opera, evergreens and other pop classics, to
the best of show tunes by Gershwin, Rodgers and even Strauss.
Thus, it might be a collection of older recordings which
may be familiar to long-time Kosty addicts – like myself,
for instance, who bought my first Kostelanetz 78s something
like sixty-six years ago, and fell in love with his sound
which even then was progressive indeed. Altogether 78½ minutes
of a master at his best. Arthur Jackson
Frank Bristow’s CDs are ONLY available direct from
him at 2 Cross Street, Brighton, Victoria, 3186, Australia.
Tel. 03-9528-3167. E-mail: franbris@ozemail.com.au Credit
cards and PayPal are accepted, but no cheques – details
on request. Please visit Frank’s website for information
about other CDs in his catalogue: www.musicfromthepast.com
50 Years of the Music of LAURIE JOHNSON – Volume
3 Disc One "The New Avengers" Disc
Two "Lock Up Your Daughters", "The Four
Musketeers" Disc Three Film Scores – "The
Moonraker", Hot Millions, Captain Kronos, A Hazard
of Hearts, The Lady and The Highwayman, A Ghost in Monte
Carlo, A Duel of Hearts; TV Themes – No Hiding Place,
Shirley’s World; Works for Military Band – Airborne,
A Christmas Carol; London Big Band – Crazy for Gershwin,
Jeepers Creepers, Come Rain or Come Shine, Suddenly, From
This Moment On, My Romance, Swanee, Mean To Me, I Love Paris,
Mack the Knife, It Could Happen To You, Begorra! Edsel
EDSD 2027. The incredible talent of Laurie Johnson is
vividly illustrated in the wide range of music contained
on these three CDs. Readers who have already purchased the
first two volumes in this series will know that each disc
comes in its own jewel case with an excellent booklet crammed
with text, pictures and recording information. This set
has been compiled and annotated by Laurie himself, and packaged
with photos and memorabilia from his own collection. It
represents amazing value, and is warmly recommended. David
Ades
MANTOVANI & HIS ORCHESTRA Songs Of Praise
A mighty fortress is our God, Whispering hope, Nearer
my God to Thee, The Lord’s my shepherd, Abide with
me, Onward Christian soldiers, The Holy City, Eternal Father
strong to save, Beautiful Isle of Somewhere, Jesus, lover
of my soul, Jesus, joy of man’s desiring, Little brown
church in the vale, All people that on earth do dwell, Rock
of ages
CDLF 8135 [51:28]
As a churchgoer and avid Mantovani album collector, I do
not know how I failed to add this to my collection on its
first appearance in 1961, and was resigned to it being the
one that got away! Now, hallelujah, here it is in all its
God-given glory. Yet again we are indebted to Mike Dutton.
With five wordless contributions from the Sammes Chorus,
the superb Kingsway Hall organ on three tracks and nine
masterly arrangements by Cecil Milner [the maestro writing
the other five], Mantovani thought it was one of his best
ever albums and is quoted in his biography as saying: "No
matter what religious inclinations one may have, it can
only be pleasing to everyone." Biographer Colin Mackenzie’s
words that "it remains a listening joy, a source of
comfort in troubled times" could not be more apt today.
The story behind the album is told for the first time in
the comprehensive liner notes. And all for around a fiver.
Peter Burt
Bargain Basement : Light Music Classics Volume 4 With
Emma to town (Collins), Vanity fair (Collins) The London
Promenade Orchestra/Anthony Collins; Bowin’ and scrapin’
(Casson), Sombrero (Brown), Celtic snapshots (Pagan) The
New Century Orchestra/Sidney Torch; Poodle polka (Walters),
Midsummer madness (Watters), Chiming strings (Richardson),
Eternal melody (Hanmer), City centre (Ewing), Shop window
(Hanbury) L’Orchestre Devereaux/Georges Devereaux;
The beachcomber (Richardson), Getting together (Richardson),
Paris interlude (White), Bargain basement (Watters) The
New Concert Orchestra/Jack Leon; Savoir faire (Curzon),
The juggler (Liter) The New Concert Orchestra/Nat Nyll;
Hey presto! (Wilson arr Duncan), Melody at moonrise (Watters),
Ski jump (Dollimore), Making tracks (Duncan), Bob-sleigh
(Jupp) The New Concert Orchestra/Frederic Curzon; Piccadilly
spree (Watters) The New Concert Orchestra/R de Porten; A
mood for lovers (Burns) The Symphonia Orchestra/Jack Talbot;
Practical joker (Spass muss sein) (Van Phillips), Moonlight
with Maxine (Van Phillips) The Lansdowne Light Orchestra
Vocalion CDVS 1958. As the title suggests, this is
Vocalion’s fourth collection of Light Music at a bargain
price, which should be snapped up by all readers of this
magazine (it is available from the RFS Record Service for
only £3.00). Seasoned collectors will already have many
of these tracks on other CDs, but even if only three or
four pieces are new to you it is surely worth paying the
price to acquire them. Wonderful value. In case you have
missed any of them, the previous issues in this series are:
"Fingerbustin’" CDVS 1946, "Stringopation"
CDVS 1954 and "Dreamtime" CDVS 1957. Buy them
all while you can! David Ades
THE GEORGE MELACHRINO ORCHESTRA / MELACHRINO STRINGS
Music For The Nostalgic Traveller / Music For Relaxation
[Highlights]
England: Big Ben chimes, English hymn, Oranges and lemons
Ireland: Irish washerwoman Wales: David of
the White Rock Scotland: The road to the Isles France:
Sur le pont d’Avignon, Madelon [Quand Madelon],
La rêve passé, Auprès de ma blonde,
Il était une bergère, Danse Apache, Sur les
soits de Paris, Can Can Italy: Funiculi, funicula,
Tarantella, Catari, catari, Gondola song, Parlami d’amore
Mariù, La Danza Spain: España, Tango,
Valencia, Andaluza, Spanish Gypsy dance Central Europe:
Liber Augustin, Wiegenlied, Swiss dance, Vienna, city
of my dreams, The Blue Danube, Komme Tzigany, Gypsy carnival
Tropics: Cielito lindo, Jamaican rumba, Pila pilo,
Brazil, Solamente una vez, Aloha Oe / Moonlight serenade,
While we’re young, Valse bluette, By the sleepy lagoon,
La serenata, Berceuse de Jocelyn
Vocalion CDVS 1969 [73:37]
It is just as well that this CD is worth at least twice
its listed cost of £2.99 as none of my usual sources of
supply had it at that price [HMV told me that the recommended
price from Vocalion was £6.99, hence their price of £4.99]
so, reluctantly, I had to pay half as much again in postage
and packing. The last half-a-dozen tracks are from a 1958
stereo album and are typical of Melachrino’s suave
sound. The first album comes from two years earlier and
is in mono. The French and Italian selections have already
appeared on Guild Light Music CDs. Vivid well-played arrangements,
largely shared between maestro Melachrino and William Hill-Bowen,
would have benefited from the extra dimension of stereo.
Buy it [for £2.99 if you can], put it on your player, maybe
turn up the volume a tad and enjoy! Peter Burt
This CD is available from the RFS Record Service for
£3.00.
PETER YORKE & HIS CONCERT ORCHESTRA Roses Of Picardy
The bells of St Mary’s, By the sleepy lagoon, Hearts
and flowers, Somewhere a voice is calling, Love here is
my heart, Just a wearyin’ for you, ‘Bambi’
Medley, To a wild rose, Moonlight and roses, I’m in
the mood for love, I only have eyes for you, Roses of Picardy,
These foolish things, ‘Look For The Silver Lining’
Medley, Valse vanité, Body and soul, Smoke gets in
your eyes
Sounds of Yesteryear DSOY 772 [62:04]
A pleasant way to remember those good old days when the
BBC played light music on Sunday afternoons! The last two
tracks feature the sweet saxophone of Freddy Gardner. Paul
Clatworthy
That’s Light Musical Entertainment For full
tracklisting details please see the Light Music CDs pages
on this website Guild GLCD 5158 78:29 mins. That’s
Entertainment played by the Conrad Salinger Orchestra
kicks off another Guild selection of melodies - most of
which are bereft of airtime from our national broadcasting
service. Angela Morley’s orchestra is next with Robert
Farnon’s classic Westminster Waltz, then a name
I usually associate with horror films, but here in partnership
with Mitchell Parrish for Ruby from the film "Ruby
Gentry" – Heinz Roemheld, a German musical director
long in Hollywood. He was responsible for the scores to
"The Invisible Man", "Dracula’s Daughter",
"The Creature Walks Among Us" and others –
not all of them horror movies. Andre Kostelanetz makes the
Waltzes from "Count of Luxembourg" sound
as though they were written just for his orchestra –
a marvellous sound enhanced by Alan Bunting’s restorative
treatment. David Ades confessed to me that he has included
this track because it reminds him of the days in the mid-1950s
when the English service of Radio Luxembourg used to open
with this music around 7:00pm, although he has not been
able to establish whether or not it was actually the Kostelanetz
version that was used. Geraldo’s New Concert Orchestra
does a fine job of All My Life by George Melachrino
from "Eight O’Clock Walk", but the film itself
is dismissed by Halliwell as ‘minor league courtroom
stuff; an adequate time passer’. Very disheartening
for the composer, I would think. This Can’t Be Love,
I’ll See You In My Dreams and But Beautiful
continue the romantic screen themes, but Alfred Newman (from
my same Mercury LP that David used in ‘A Box of Light
Musical Allsorts’) steps us the pace with his music
for the Bette Davis classic "All About Eve" which
also featured a very young Marilyn Monroe. I didn’t
realise that Bob Farnon’s Blue Theme from a
Chappell 78 was featured in the film "True Lies",
so I turned again to Halliwell for his verdict – ‘it
long overstays its welcome though the destruction is on
an extremely lavish scale’. It stars the present Governor
of California. Track 12 has the Overture by Sigmund Romberg,
arranged by Robert Farnon, to "The Girl In Pink Tights";
the music is new to me but very enjoyable. Harry Warren’s
This Heart Of Mine from the film "Ziegfeld Follies"
gets a great treatment from George Melachrino’s Orchestra,
as does Time Was played by Mario Ruiz Armengol and
his Orchestra – a name I’d never heard of until
he started to appear on Guild CDs. Buckly Down Winsocki
from the 1943 MGM film "Best Foot Forward" (which
has, I think, a military college background) starred Lucille
Ball who’s singing voice was dubbed on the soundtrack,
but the odd-titled piece is played here by (William) Hill-Bowen
and his Orchestra. Body and Soul by Johnny Green
is given a too dreamy treatment for my liking by Morton
Gould’s Orchestra, but Geoff Love’s Orchestra
makes the very best of Jerome Kern’s lovely song Make
Believe from "Show Boat". Waltz For My
Lady written and conducted by Frank Perkins could easily
have come from a mood music library – it has a most
infectious swing, while Leroy Holmes’ Enchanted
Night has a real film ‘smoochy’ night club
feel and one can imagine the camera following a particular
couple round the dance floor. And finally the curtain comes
down on another fine Guild programme with the incidental
music by Max Steiner to "Since You Went Away"
with the composer conducting. I also have a shortened version
on another CD of the score, but as this Guild recordings
is just over nine minutes you get, as usual, value for money
with this series. Ken Wilkins
THE MUSIC OF ERIC COATES For Your Delight
19 tracks [all mentioned below]
Bygonedays BYD 77026 [72:21]
This long awaited Eric Coates CD will indeed "delight"
the many thousands of fans of the nation's foremost composer
and, at £5.99, is a "give away". From In Town
Tonight, the foxtrot version of the Knightsbridge
March, by Teddy Joyce and his Band to the very
obvious finale of Eric conducting his outstandingly successful
Dam Busters March, it presents the listener
with a collection [17 conducted by the composer] very
easy on the ear. It is right to say about Eric Coates that
"Music was in his life and life was in his music". This
music is still fresh and entertaining, patriotic, stirring
and able to carry the listener into realms of quiet relaxation
with so many mental images of long gone times: people,
places, events, sunlit byeways, mist-filled meadows after
summer rain and sun; also busy streets, the shuffle and
click of leather on paving, the mingle of traffic and ongoing
workers weaving their ways to the daily grind. Here are
favourites like By The sleepy lagoon, London Bridge
March, Symphonic Rhapsody on ‘I
heard you singing’ and ’Bird songs at eventide’,
Song of Loyalty, Summer Afternoon [Idyll],
and Footlights [Concert Waltz], all with Eric conducting
the Columbia Symphony Orchestra. For Your Delight
is the title track with Eric conducting the HMV Light Symphony
Orchestra with which group he also fronts for The Man
About Town [No.2 from ‘The Three Men’] and
At the Dance [No.3 from ‘Summer Days’].
Eric conducts his own Orchestra for Wood Nymphs [Valsette],
the Band of H.M. Life Guards play the march Over To You.
With Television March, Oxford Street March,
Westminster [Meditation], Rhythm [No.4 from
‘The Four Centuries’] and Sound
& Vision – The A.B.C. TV March, all combine
a feast of music through the length of the disc. The disc,
like all of those produced for the nostalgia market, is
a fine and varied work. The technical expertise rendered
upon recordings of over 75 years of age provides the ambient
qualities associated with the era, with the dramatic advantage
of next century technology that completely converts the
listening pleasure for ages to come. Full and impressive
booklet notes by Peter Dempsey make for a wealth of information;
he leaves no musical stone unturned. Whether at home or
abroad this disc is a must for your CD shelves. I look forward
to the next one, and trust that you will too. Geoff
Sheldon
Geoff Sheldon is Chairman of the Eric Coates
Society in Hucknall, the composer’s birthplace.
DAVID SNELL CHAMBER MUSIC FOR HARP Lyric Sonata;
Elegie, Fantasie; Cavatina and March; Intrada and Waltz.
Skaila Kanga (harp), Karen Jones (flute),
Judith Busbridge (viola), Caroline Dearnley (cello),
Nicholas Buckall (clarinet), Richard Bissill (French
horn), Marcia Crayford (violin). Divine Art
Diversions ddv 24130. Don’t be put off by
"Chamber Music"! David Snell is, I am told, a
member of the RFS and this disc shows that he has a gift
for melody and several of the items here are light music
miniatures. Debussy and others wrote sonatas for the same
combination of instruments as the Lyric Sonata (flute/harp/viola)
but the "Lyric" part of the title is dominant;
all three movements overflow with melody and even nod towards
jazz. The Fantasia explores fascinating and shapely
material for harp, clarinet and horn; the lighter items
are Elegie (flute/harp/cello), Intrada and Waltz,
a pleasantly lilting example, (harp/violin), and Cavatina
and March (flute/harp) in which a touchingly wistful
Cavatina is followed by a March which reminds
me of Trevor Duncan’s ("Dr. Finlay") example.
David Snell has been a harpist with many orchestras, a conductor
and a composer of film and "production" music.
He will be delighted, as I am, with the fine playing, especially
Ms Kanga, one of our finest harpists, and the excellent
recording. Highly recommended. Philip Scowcroft
SENTIMENTAL JOURNEY The Singers Unlimited with Robert
Farnon and his Orchestra The More I see You,
Sleepy Time Gal, I Get Along Without You Very Well, Angel
Eyes, As Time Goes By, I’ll Remember April, If I Didn’t
Care, Sentimental Journey, In The Still Of The Night, Deep
Purple, Put Your Dreams Away, Mona Lisa, How Beautiful Is
Night MPS Jazzclub 06025 1794292, 53:07. This compilation
revisits those two memorable 1970s LPs "Sentimental
Journey" and "Eventide". The first is included
in full, whereas five tracks have been selected from "Eventide".
With vocal arrangements by Gene Puerling, allied to the
orchestral magic created by Robert Farnon, these are surely
impeccable performances that will continue to amaze music
lovers for the rest of this century – and beyond. It
is a pity that some tracks on "Eventide" have
been omitted (there would have been time on the disc), but
many of you will know that the original albums have already
been reissued in full on CD. If you missed them previously,
this is your chance to enhance your collection with some
superb sounds! David Ades Available from
the RFS Record Service.
MUSIC FROM THE MOVIES OF DANA ANDREWS
Now I know, Manic depressive presents, Tess’s torch
song, Jive number, Cradle song, Smoke gets in your eyes,
Yesterdays, Lovely to look at, Summertime, Sophisticated
lady, Laura, Isn’t it kind of fun?, It might as well
be spring, That’s for me, It’s a grand night for
singing, Slowly, Ole buttermilk sky, My foolish heart, Hey!
ba-ba-re-bop, Among my souvenirs, Lazy river, The voice
of Dana Andrews
Sounds of Yesteryear DSOY768 [65:31]
Compiler Michael Highton has latched on to a good idea
here. Everyone is catered for, film buffs, good music lovers,
romantics and anyone who needs their spirits lifted. Instead
of the same theme repeated in different guises you get a
very varied collection, not even limiting you to one film!
The key to holding the CD together is film star Dana Andrews,
picking parts of his films from 1944 to 1949. Orchestras
involved are Glenn Miller, Tex Beneke, Victor Young, Ralph
Flanagan, Andre Kostelanetz and Frank Cordell. Singers are
Hoagy Carmichael, Danny Kaye, Diana Shore, Allan Jones,
Dick Haymes and Ray Eberle. Bill Finegan’s arrangement
of The cradle song, Norman Leydon’s score for
Now I know and David Raksin’s Laura are
worth the price alone. Not all tracks are from soundtracks,
some are transcriptions but they all fit together in a wonderful
montage of entertainment. Paul Clatworthy
WONDERFUL WORLD OF ROMANCE Unforgettable Melodies
Of Haydn Wood - Peter Dempsey [tenor], Guy Rowland [piano]
Songs: O flower divine!, Wonderful world of
romance, Little Yvette, A song of quietness, I look into
your garden, Dearest I love the morning, Praise, I think
of you, my sweet, The unforgotten melody, Singing to you,
I shall be there, The stars looked down, This is my dream
… and seven other titles
HW 1 [71:45]
Generally speaking, Haydn Wood is best known for
light orchestral miniatures, but he also composed around
200 songs of the ballad-type [his wife was a professional
singer], of which the most popular were Roses of Picardy
[it won hands down], Love’s garden of roses
and A brown bird singing. This disc gathers together
19 of them [including those three] written between 1914
and 1946 in performances which are, as in the Dempsey/Rowland
CD devoted to Eric Coates reviewed in the last JIM, notable
for clarity of delivery and diction and thoroughly recommendable.
They appear in roughly chronological order; although the
songs from around 1940 seem to have a rather desperate optimism,
generally they exhibit a recognizable family likeness, so
it was a good idea to intersperse four short piano solos
[some were also orchestral] to supply contrast and an opportunity
for Guy Rowland to display solo as well as accompaniment
skills. Many tracks, vocal and instrumental, are doubtless
premiere recordings, but which are not specified. An admirable
and unusual anniversary tribute. Philip L Scowcroft
Available from Peter Dempsey at 44 Victoria
Road, Bidford, Warwickshire, B50 4AR. [e-mail: Demsini @aol.com]
- £9.95 incl. p&p
BY THE RIVER IN SPRING
Kenneth Smith [flute] and Paul Rhodes [piano]
Hamilton Harty: In Ireland; Edward German: Intermezzo,
Suite for Flute and Piano; Michael Head: By the river in
spring; Havelock Nelson: Eirie cherie, In Venezuela; William
Alwyn: Flute Sonata; Thomas Dunhill: Valse Fantasia; Kenneth
Leighton: Flute Sonata; Stanford Robinson: The Moon-Maiden’s
Dance
Divine Art Records DA 25069 [77:34]
This is a honey of a disc. Two of the items are styled
"Sonata" but Alwyn’s, in one movement and
reconstructed from unpublished bits, is recognisably by
the film composer we know, while the Leighton’s slow
movement is one of the loveliest things I have heard for
a while. Harty’s ‘In Ireland’ has
atmosphere, the German pieces are perfect late Victorian
salon miniatures, the Head alternates a cadenza-like motto
theme with songlike episodes, the Dunhill has both tunefulness
and brawn. Two BBC stalwarts of light music’s great
period are represented: Stanford Robinson, who, as we hear,
could compose as well as conduct, and Ulsterman Havelock
Nelson, whose two pieces recall his associations with the
Americas. Performances and recording enhance this unusual
but wholly delightful repertoire. Generous measure, too.
Philip L Scowcroft
CLASSICAL BEATLES
Baroque Chamber Orchestra, The King’s Singers,
Lesley Garrett, Manuel Barrusco [guitar], Rostal & Schaefer,
The Swingle Singers, Vienna Boys’ Choir, Kindred Spirits,
David Tanebaum [guitar]
45 songs by Lennon & McCartney and George Harrison
EMI 2167842 [73:14 & 73:58]
Yeah, yeah, yeah! Without question the most entertaining
new release I have reviewed this time round and, despite
stiff competition, gets my accolade for the June JIM’s
Best Album. I don’t think it is intended exclusively
for classical music buffs as there is much here to appeal
to the light music enthusiast, not least Arthur Wilkinson’s
‘Beatle Cracker Suite’, which cleverly
blends Tchaikovsky with the Fab Four, and ‘The Beatles
Concerto’, arranged by John Rutter, played
by piano duo Rostal and Shaefer with the Royal Liverpool
Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Ron Goodwin. This combination
also contribute Maxwell’s silver hammer, Fool
on the hill and A hard day’s night. It is
difficult to choose standout tracks – they are all
so good – but I particularly enjoyed the Vienna Boys’
Choir All you need is love, Lesley Garrett and orchestra
conducted by George Martin with For no one/Blackbird
and the five tracks by the Baroque Chamber Orchestra
conducted by Richard Edinger. Tremendous value at around
a tenner. Peter Burt
BING CROSBY Through The Years Volume Three
26 tracks including Misto Cristofo Columbo, Your own
little house, When the world was young, A weaver of dreams,
At last! At last!, Just for you, Sailing down the Chesapeake
Bay, Ida, sweet as apple cider, It had to be you, Two Shillelagh
O’Sullivan, Rosaleen, Don’t ever be afraid to
go home
Sepia 1129 [76:30]
Richard Tay’s enterprising label continues its chronological
look at Bing’s recording career. On track one, from
June 1951, he is joined by Jane Wyman for In the cool,
cool, cool of the evening; not only a Top 20 winner
but receiver of the Oscar for Best Film Song. Domino,
recorded in October of the same year, also made the Top
20. Two weeks later he recorded The Isle of Innisfree,
which appeared in the first ever UK charts in November 1952
and peaked at No.3. Also included are duets with The Andrews
Sisters [I’ll si-si ya in Bahia and The live
oak tree] and a couple of Christmas songs [Christmas
in Killarney and It’s beginning to look
a lot like Christmas]. The final two tracks have a "Nashville"
sound with Grady Martin and his Slew Foot Five [Just
a little lovin’ and Till the end of the world].
Versatility was certainly one of the great Bing’s qualities.
Peter Burt
EDMUND HOCKRIDGE The Best of Edmund Hockridge
20 tracks incl. No other love, By the fountains of Rome,
Young and foolish, A woman in love, Long ago [and far away],
Moon river, ‘S Wonderful, The way you look tonight,
Tonight, They can’t take that away from me, Tenement
Symphony, Love letters, Only a rose, Falling in love with
love, I love Paris
Pulse PLS CD 254 [60:35]
Although not a new release but mentioned here in tribute
to the fine baritone who starred in seven Broadway hits
in London’s West End theatres, and passed away in March
this year, aged 89. "Ted" was a friend of the
RFS [he sang with Bob’s band during WW2] and charmed
those of us who had the privilege of meeting him. These
are all classic songs and something to remember him by.
Peter Burt
ETHEL MERMAN Memories
56 songs incl. Ta-ra-ra-boom-der-e, The band played
on, The Bowery, On a Saturday night, While strolling thru
the park one day, Hello my baby, I’ve got rings on
my fingers, In my merry oldsmobile, In the good old summertime,
Sweet Rosie O’Grady, Little Annie Rooney, Waltz me
around again Willie, Sidewalks of old New York, A bicycle
built for two, She’ll be comin’ round the mountain,
Put on your old grey bonnet, M-i-s-s-i-s-s-i-p-i / Dialogue
and I got rhythm, Embraceable you, You’re an old smoothie,
Anything goes, Ridin’ high, Way down in the depths
of the 90th floor, This is it, I’ll pay
the check, Do I love you? Friendship, How deep in the ocean
Sepia 1131 [74:25]
A bit of a surprise here as I’ve always thought of
this artist as a bit of a "belter" but there is
warmth and a degree of light and shade in this vast selection.
She had a powerful voice and was undoubtably one of the
great ladies of the musical stage. The first ten tracks
are from a Decca album called ‘Memories’,
recorded in 1955, arranged and conducted by Jay Blackton
with The Mitchell Boys Choir and the Old Timers Quartet.
It consists of 41 songs taking the listener on a journey
through musical America from the 1890’s to the 1920’s
… and is great fun. The second part of the disc is
a 15-track selection from ‘A Musical Autobiography’,
also recorded in 1955, in which Ethel narrates her career
to date with "a stampede" through her songbook.
She is accompanied by The Buddy Cole Quartet. Although she
has a very pleasant speaking voice, I wonder about discs
with dialogue for repeated listening. This aside, I don’t
think anyone buying the CD will be disappointed.
Peter Burt
JANE MORGAN Sings Popular Favourites
27 tracks including Around the world, It’s not
me to say, An affair to remember, My heart reminds me, April
love, All the way, Young in heart, Just a-wearyin’
for you, Melodie d’amour, Till the end of time, Till,
Tammy, Where the blue of the night meets the gold of the
day, Catch a falling star
Sepia 1126 [76:13]
A wonderful follow-up to the two previous Sepia discs:
‘An American Songbird in Paris’ and ‘Sings
Showstoppers’, Jane must be one of the most overlooked
singers of our time. This album has a choice selection of
quality songs including her January 1959 UK singles chart
topper The day the rains came, in both English and
French versions. Accompaniments are provided either by The
Troubadours, or orchestras conducted by Marty Gold or Vic
Schoen. Excellent booklet notes by Dominic McHugh. I would
happily listen to Jane singing every day and this will surely
feature in my top choices for 2009. Peter Burt
ARTIE SHAW ‘The Complete Spotlight Band 1945 Broadcasts’
Tabu, If I Loved You, Little Jazz, Out Of This World,
Begin The Beguine, Summit Ridge Drive, Together, Lucky Number,
My Heart Stood Still, Stardust, I Cover The Waterfront,
Scuttlebutt, It Had To Be You, Dancing In The Dark, Along
The Navajo Trail, S’Wonderful, Hindustan, Night And
Day … 39 tracks on 2 CDs Hep Records CD
84/85. The above titles give an indication of the
repertoire covered by this great collection of fine performances
by the Artie Shaw Band – well-known hits from earlier
(such as Begin The Beguine and Stardust) plus
new pop tunes and instrumentals featuring fine scores by
the calibre of Eddie Sauter, Ray Conniff, George Siravo
and Lennie Hayton. Audiences in those days seemed to appreciate
true musicianship much more than today. As the title of
the collection states, these are radio broadcasts and you
will hear audience reaction. Happily it is not too obtrusive,
and at times I wondered if the applause was dubbed to make
it sound like a ‘live’ show in front of an audience.
Considering the age of these recordings, and the fact that
they have probably passed through the hands of several collectors,
the sound quality is fine and Doug Pomeroy is to be congratulated
on his undoubted expertise in handling modern digital restoration
equipment. The booklet is packed with interesting notes
and photographs, and anyone interested in the swing era
should look this one out. Some of these recordings have
been issued before, but the booklet claims that this is
the first time that all of Shaw’s music from these
broadcasts has been brought together in one collection.
David Ades
BLESS THE BRIDE Original London Cast
24 tracks including Croquet, croquet, Too good to be
true, Thomas T, Oh! What will mother say?, I was never kissed
before, Ducky, Bless the bride, Bobbing, bobbing, Mon pauvre
petit Pierre, This is my lovely day, The fish
Sepia 1124 [78.09]
With words by A. P. Herbert and music by Vivian Ellis,
this show opened at London’s Adelphi Theatre on 26th
April 1974 and stayed for 886 performances. The stars were
Lizbeth Webb and Georges Guétary. Also in the cast
were Betty Paul, Anona Winn [of ‘Twenty Questions’
fame] and Brian Reece [BBC radio’s ‘PC 49’].
The opening track is a selection from the show played at
the piano by Vivian Ellis himself with the theatre orchestra
conducted by Michael Collins. There are four "Bonus
Tracks" from Monsieur Guétary including Table
for two [not on the cast album] and Ma Belle Marguerite
[in French]. Pure nostalgia. Ray Pavene
|
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KEEPING TRACK
Dateline March 2009
LEROY ANDERSON Orchestral
Music Volume 5
BBC Concert Orchestra conducted
by Leonard Slatkin; Kim Criswell, Soprano; William Dazeley,
Baritone
Goldilocks [excerpts],
Suite of Carols [version for woodwinds], Goldilocks: Lady
in Waiting [waltz], Shall I Take My Heart [instrumental]
Naxos 8.559382 [52:16]
New releases in this
series from the man described as "one of the great
American masters of light orchestral music" came regularly
throughout 2008, Anderson’s centenary year, and very
enjoyable they have been. As I write, Vol.3 is No.15 in
the Naxos bestsellers list. Although equally welcome for
some unfamiliar material, including four world première
recordings, this is the last in the series and a less varied
collection than its predecessors. ‘Goldilocks’
was a musical from 1958 which ran for 161 performances
on Broadway and won two Tony awards. Pyramid Dance
is probably its best known piece. To those who, like me,
prefer their orchestral CDs voiceless there are three vocal
numbers here. I can’t think why Naxos has separated
the excerpts [tracks 1-11] from the other two numbers [tracks
18-19] with the Christmas carol arrangements. Richard S
Gimell’s booklet notes are again hugely informative;
and there is delightful photo of the composer on the cover.
Incidentally, not one of this splendid series is reviewed
in the latest Penguin Guide – shame on it! Peter
Burt
FRANK CHACKSFIELD
& HIS ORCHESTRA
Immortal Classics / Immortal
Lullabies [Highlights]
Clair de lune, Minuet
in G, The Swan, Salut d’amour, Waltz of the flowers,
Liebestraum no.3 in A flat major, Melody in F, Morning song,
Humoresque, Air on the G string, Valse d’Été
/ Sweet and low, Sleep, my baby, sleep, An Eriskay love
lilt, Mighty lak’ a rose, Slumber Song, Too-ra-loo-ra-loo-ra!
[That’s an Irish lullaby], Lorelei, Golden slumbers,
Viennese Lullaby, Brahms’ Lullaby
Vocalion CDLK 4384 [78:09]
The first album is another foray
into the world of classical music by a light music orchestra,
as well played as you would expect from this source. And
where else would you hear this kind of programme on disc
nowadays? Both albums were originally released as mono LPs
in 1951 and 1952 respectively on Decca’s ‘Ace
of Clubs’ label. Here they are remastered from the
stereo tapes and are quality late night listening material,
even if not quite as good as ‘Immortal Serenades’
[reviewed in JIM a year ago]. There are no booklet notes,
but the CD is very good value and warmly commended. P
B
"The Golden
Age of Light Music" : FROM STAGE AND SCREEN
For full tracklisting please
refer to page 77 of JIM 178.
Guild GLCD 5152
With the Guild Light
Music series up to the fifty-second issue, we’re well
and truly into the world of Show Business, and opening with
a cracking recording by Geoff Love and his Orchestra of
June Is Busting Out All Over from a 1957 disc. Sounds
great! Henry Mancini’s theme from "The Glenn Miller
Story" played by Jackie Brown’s Orchestra is next,
but track 3 for me is a ‘show stopper’ –
Geraldo and his Concert Orchestra playing a selection of
Frank Loesser’s score to "Guys and Dolls",
arranged by Roland Shaw. I’d never given Geraldo much
thought before, but this track really made me sit up. It’s
Only A Paper Moon and Secret Love played by the
orchestras of David Rose and Robert Farnon keep up the musical
flow, until the Victor Young Singing Strings take over with
Alfred Newman’s theme to the film "Anastasia"
with the composer conducting. Not having seen the film I
checked it out in Halliwell’s Film Guide and apparently
it marked Ingrid Bergman’s return to Hollywood after
several years in Europe, and it won an Oscar. Alfred Newman
was nominated as musical director. Sidney Torch and his
Orchestra follow with the maestro’s own arrangement
of music from Ivor Novello’s "The Dancing Years"
played in his usual fine style, and I’m positive that
Alan Bunting’s restorative treatment gives the recording
that extra ‘kick’ – apart from removing unwanted
hiss and crackle. As Time Goes By, featured in "Casablanca",
but written some years earlier, is played by Ron Goodwin
and his Orchestra, then Morton Gould and his Orchestra follow
on track 9 playing Old Devil Moon, opening almost
in oriental style then turning to a more sophisticated mood.
Frank Chacksfield jollies the programme along with The
Wedding Of The Painted DollI from the early sound film
"Broadway Melody". Percy Faith goes continental
with the "Moulin Rouge" theme Where Is Your
Heart in an extended version, after which he markedly
changes tempo with Show Me from "My Fair Lady".
It’s Alfred Newman’s turn again as composer with
a smooth rendition arranged by Frank Cordell of the Song
From ‘Desiree’ – a very attractive theme
in waltz time. This is followed by Victor Young conducting
his own theme for "Samson and Delilah" with a
powerful performance by The Paramount Symphony Orchestra.
‘Blockbuster stuff’ years before the word was
bandied about! George Melachrino’s waltz theme for
the film "Dark Secret" deserves to be better known
than the film appears to be. Once again I turned to Halliwell’s
Film Guide (1999 edition) to see what the rating was, but
it wasn’t even mentioned. But "So Long At The
Fair" is listed, and Benjamin Frankel’s themes
(especially Carriage And Pair) follow in the famous
Charles Williams Columbia recording. "Obsession"
(1948) does appear in Halliwell but the view is that "it
was an implausible, overstretched thriller, but bearable".
However, Nino Rota’s themes, as played by the Sidney
Torch Orchestra, are more than bearable – in fact they’re
very attractive, and was that Arthur Sandford on the piano?
"The Passionate Friends" from the novel by H.G.
Wells is another 1948 movie, with music by Richard Addinsell
and played by the Philharmonia Orchestra under that marvellous
film music man Muir Mathieson. And last, but not least,
a lively score by Nicholas Brodszky, arranged by Albert
Sendrey, to an Anglo-American Technicolor and CinemaScope
movie starring Vera Ellen and Tony Martin, described in
the afore-mentioned film guide as "a footling musical".
Forget the description: just enjoy the music, played from
the soundtrack by the Associated British Studio Orchestra
conducted by Louis Levy. Another excellent, well-filled
Guild Light Music ‘concert’ deserving a wide audience.
Ken Wilkins
MANTOVANI & HIS
ORCHESTRA
Strauss Waltzes / Mantovani
Favourites
Blue Danube, Voices of
Spring, Roses from the South, Emperor Waltz, A thousand
and one nights, Treasure Waltz …and 6 other titles
/ Londonderry Air, A walk in the Black Forest, Dream, Dark
eyes, Welcome home, The party’s over, The Happy Wanderer,
Polonaise in A [Chopin], A trumpeter’s lullaby, The
Whiffenpoof Song, Tulips from Amsterdam, Auld Lang Syne
Vocalion CDLK 4385 [78:19]
Mantovani Magic / Concert Encores
Misty, Red roses for a
blue lady, Chim chim cher-ee, Love me with all your heart,
Goodnight sweetheart, Cara mia, I wish you love, Lover,
Stardust, Mona Lisa, Most beautiful girl in the world, Auf
wiederseh’n, sweetheart / Clair de lune, Spanish dance
[Granados], Can-Can ‘La Boutique Fantasque’, Gipsy
airs [Zigeunerweisen], Autumn, Song of India, Schön
Rosmarin, Méditation, Perpetuum Mobile
Vocalion CDLK 4388 [77:51]
Mike Dutton will never have to
scrape the bottom of the barrel for Monty re-issues –
they are all top quality – but there cannot be too
many stereo albums left now waiting for him to release on
CD. For ‘Strauss Waltzes’ the wonderful
melodies of the waltz king and the signature string sound
of the master of light orchestral music were made for each
other and the 1952 album, re-made in stereo in 1958, has
been a best seller in all its formats. It will no doubt
gain a lot more sales in its resurrection here. Arrangements
are shared between Mantovani [seven] and Cecil Milner [five].
‘Favourites’ was one of Monty’s last
original issues and is a delightful amalgam from 1977 of
material hitherto unreleased, or that had not achieved album
status, or had only been issued on the Continent. ‘Magic’
is from 11 years earlier and was described in Monty’s
biography¹ as "a cracker of an album." Consequently,
it went to No.3 in the LP charts – imagine that happening
today! The great man himself is the piano soloist on his
own composition of Cara Mia. Another early stereo
release from 1959, ‘Concert Encores’,
is a nice souvenir for those of us who attended Monty’s
live performances at the Royal Festival Hall and around
the country. Mantovani again arranged seven of the items,
Milner two, and Respighi the joyful Rossini Can-Can.
With generous timings, both CDs are easily recommendable.
P B
¹ A Lifetime in Music by Colin
Mackenzie [Melrose Books]
BRITISH LIGHT MUSIC
FAVOURITES CD 1: Runaway Rocking Horse, Calling All
Workers, Melody On The Move, Muse In Mayfair, Jamaican Rhumba,
Greensleeves, Waltz from ‘The Three Bears’, Manhattan
Playboy, Pictures In The Fire, etc. 20 tracks. CD2: Portrait
Of A Flirt, Peanut Polka, The Old Clockmaker, By The Sleepy
Lagoon, Shooting Star, Bells Across The Meadow, etc. 22
tracks. CD3: Devil’s Galop, Jumping Bean, Goodwood
Galop, Elizabethan Serenade, The Young Ballerina, Coronation
Scot, etc. 20 tracks Reader’s Digest 0349623 price
£29.99. A few years ago Reader’s Digest put out a British
Music Classical CD set including some light music by Eric
Coates, Frederic Curzon and Ronald Binge. The present 3-disc
British Light Music set offers a very good transfer to CD
of some old favourites from across the spectrum with an
occasional transfer into light classical, including a complete
performance of Elgar’s Nursery Suite conducted
by the composer – well transferred, but with too little
space between movements. As regards light music composers
none of the 1924 birthday set are included, but Charles
Williams, Robert Farnon and Sidney Torch are well represented.
There are a couple of errors as regards the list of recordings
- the version of Shooting Star is not the Columbia
one as stated, but the earlier Chappell; also the performance
of Edward White’s Caprice for Strings is not
the London Promenade version, but the later replacement
by Dolf van der Linden which Paxton substituted some years
later. Generally, apart from a rogue sentence in the sleeve
note, the whole set is very well produced although –
as mentioned in the last issue – most (but not all)
of the items are available much cheaper elsewhere. David
Mardon
RAY MARTIN &
HIS ORCHESTRA
Favourite TV Themes Volumes
1 & 2
European Football ["The
World at Their Feet"], Kung Fu: Caine’s Theme,
Ironside, Spring and Autumn, Mission Impossible, The High
Chaparral, Kojak, Upstairs Downstairs, Hawaii Five-O, Emmerdale
Farm, International Golf ["Red Carpet Ride"],
Warship, etc. / Van der Valk ["Eye Level"], Nationwide
["The Good Word"], Match of the Day, Softly, Softly
– Task Force, News at Ten … and 8 other tracks
Vocalion CDLK 4375 [76:47]
Here’s a reminder of many
happy hours spent in front of the old "goggle box"
way back when. The two albums on this well-filled CD first
appeared in 1973 and 1975 respectively. They were recorded
following Ray Martin’s 15 year sojourn in the United
States and in style bear little relationship to the two
earlier ‘In the Martin Manner’ CDs on this
label. In his informative booklet notes Oliver Lomax refers
to "Martin’s skilful, hip arrangements",
so you know what to expect. Film ’74, Sale of the
Century, and Star Trek on Vol.2 are previously
unissued. There is also a new arrangement of Martin’s
[aka Marshall Ross] own Top of the Form ["Marching
Strings"] that is not particularly to my liking.
Although all well played and recorded, I felt a modicum
of disappointment with this release. P B
GEORGE MELACHRINO
& HIS ORCHESTRA
The Immortal Ladies / Under
Western Skies
Sweet Sue, Liza, Mona Lisa,
Dolores, Louise, Laura, Rosalie, Irene, Maria, Sally, Chloe,
Dinah / Home on the range, Wagon wheels, Riders in the sky,
The last round-up, Colorado River, Cool water, San Francisco,
Tumbling tumbleweeds, The one-armed bandit [Nevada], Empty
saddles, Red River Valley, Northwest trail
Vocalion CDNJT 5205 [71:17]
This is the third Melachrino CD
we have had from Vocalion recently, so perhaps they are
hoping to do for him what they have done so successfully
for Mantovani. Although his music making is less distinctive,
Melachrino might well be the connoisseurs’ orchestra
of choice. First is a mono album from 1956 with an imaginative
programme and good sound. The second is from a year later
and in stereo apart from the last three tracks. The original
LP was given three stars and rated demonstration-worthy
in the old Stereo Record Guide, and I would imagine sounds
even better here. The arrangements are never less than interesting
and especially descriptive are the three pieces Melachrino
himself composed [San Francisco, The one-armed bandit
and Northwest trail] after visiting the American
West. Top trombonist Lad Busby wrote the vivid Colorado
River. The hornist’s contribution throughout is
engaging and this is altogether a most enjoyable disc, possibly
the pick of the CDs I have reviewed this time. P B
PALM COURT SOUVENIRS
– Celebrating Victoria's Edwardian Heritage
Palm Court Light Orchestra
Conductor Charles Job with Kenneth Lavigne [tenor]
The Boulevardier, Moonlight
Dance, Poem, Brown bird singing, Rendez-Vous, Bal masque,
Karisma, Love's old sweet song, Down the Mall, Fairy on
the clock, Piccadilly promenade, Phantom Melody, Macushla,
In the shade of the palms, The Dicky Bird Hop, Dusk, Because,
Colonel Bogey
CD004 [65:06]
The term "Palm Court"
probably originates from the early days of radio when a
small orchestra would give weekly concerts of light music
from the Grand Hotel, Eastbourne, on a stage bedecked with
palm trees. In later years these concerts would transfer
to the studio and be broadcast under the title 'Grand Hotel.’
Traditionally the orchestra, which became known as the Palm
Court Orchestra, consisted of about nine players with the
leader playing his violin at the front of the stage. It
was a programme of refined, genteel light music, perhaps
at times a little insipid, with rather too much emphasis
on nostalgic old melodies which appealed mostly to its older
listeners. This recording, which has been privately produced
in Canada, retains many of the elements of the Palm Court
era and, whilst certainly including some of the sentimental
numbers associated with the idiom, also gives us plenty
of contrast with a wide range of light music, including
many personal favourites such as The Boulevardier,
Fairy on the clock, Bal masque, Henry
Croudson's Piccadilly promenade and Reginald King's
gorgeous In the shade of the palms. There is also
a delightful Herman Finck composition Moonlight Dance,
which I must confess is new to me, but I considered one
of the best items on the disc.The Palm Court Light Orchestra
was formed by Charles Job in 1986 and is regarded as Canada’s
Premier Light Orchestra. Charles is the first to admit that,
despite its title, it really is a theatre orchestra rather
than a Palm Court Orchestra, having twenty-six players and
incorporating a brass section, which curiously includes
a bass trombone rather than a tenor. Indeed their only tenor
is the guest vocalist Kenneth Lavigne who sings four songs.
I have to say that,
right from the outset, this orchestra really impressed me.
The tight ensemble and crisp performance on this CD suggests
an orchestra which not only enjoys what it is playing, but
has complete confidence in its conductor. How nice to hear
a contemporary orchestra which is happy to play music in
the manner intended by its composers. Highly recommended
to all light music aficionados! Brian Reynolds
Available from www.palmcourtorchestra.com
SIMPLY ACCORDION
Light Music by Norvic Concordia [Accordion Ensemble]
Old Comrades (Teike), In
Party Mood (Jack Strachey), Chanson de Matin (Elgar), The
Phantom Melody(Ketelbey), Astor Piazzolla Suite, Misty (Garner),
Canadian Capers (Chandler, White & Cohen), Longing (Oppenheimer),
Heart of Paris (Auric), Spring in Tuscany (Gerhard Winkler),
Evensong (Easthope Martin), Standchen (Heykens), March from
A Little Suite (Trevor Duncan), The Grasshoppers’ Dance
(Bucalossi), Manha do Carnival (Luiz Bonfa), Lazzarella
(Domenico Modugno). DJC Records DJC 030, 64:12 mins.
Although always enjoying
the occasional burst of accordion on a Mantovani or French
music disc [or, indeed, on the Melachrino reviewed above],
I have never had to review a complete album of accordion
music and here there is not just a solo accordionist but
five of them – all non-professional musicians. Although
I missed the colouring of a full orchestra the music avoids
sounding "samey" by the variety of the pieces
played. They go from marches to waltzes, from tangos to
swing. I especially enjoyed Jack Strachey’s Party
Mood as a reminder of George Elrick on the BBC radio
programme ‘Housewives’ Choice’, a fine Chanson
de Matin [not a bad composer, that Elgar], the classic
piano rag Canadian Capers, George Auric’s descriptive
Heart of Paris and Heykens’ bouncy Stänchen
[Serenade]. A reviewer in another place who, unlike
me, is well-versed in all things accordion has written that
"the music is very well arranged and the playing is
of a high order." That’s good enough for me. And
I rate the recording tiptop, too. P B
Available for £10 +
£1 postage & packing from Peter Ayers, 40, St Michaels
Way, Brundall, NORWICH, NR13 5PF. (It can also be ordered
by sending an e-mail request to peter@norvicconcordia.co.uk
NELSON RIDDLE Sea
Of Dreams / Love Tide
Out of the night, Tangi
Tahiti, Dream, There’s no you, Bali Ha’i , East
of the sun, Till the end of time, Caravan … plus 16
more
EMIGOLD 5970532 [67:43]
There simply are no
adequate words to describe this superb pairing of classic
albums arranged, composed and conducted by the great Nelson
Riddle. ‘Sea Of Dreams’ has been my favourite
album, describing a peaceful, restful getaway from the stresses
of the day. The music is uniformly great with My isle
of golden dreams, Drifting and dreaming,
and Nelson’s title number being the most beautiful
tracks. And from ‘Love Tide’, another wonderful
album from about 1961, we have the title track (also written
by Nelson Riddle), Ill wind and the haunting Take
me into your arms capping the list of musical therapy
one could ever have in one lifetime. The transfer to CD
preserves the original balances which were always great
on Capitol. What Nelson Riddle could have accomplished had
Capitol or Reprise let him write his soul! Unfortunately,
EMI is deleting much of its magical catalogue in this series,
including Paul Weston’s masterworks, as well as of
this gentle master, Nelson Riddle. Maybe EMI can be persuaded
to just let us have a few more times with these exquisite
masterpieces in sound! Richard Jessen
[Although this is obviously not
a new release and has been reviewed in JIM before, we share
Richard’s enthusiasm for the CD and have included it
in view of his concluding sentence.]
AMBROSE & HIS
ORCHESTRA Hors D’Oeuvres
Plain Jane, Early morning
blues, A Burmese ballet, Hullabaloo, Deep Henderson, Message
from Mars, Swinganola, Hick Stomp. Embassy Stomp, Champagne
cocktail, B’wanga … and 14 others
Vocalion CDVS 1959 [74:03]
Here is another of this label’s
reissues selling for an almost unbelievable £2.99. The tracks
originate from the ten years up to 1945. Many of them were
composed by Sid Phillips, including eight of those listed
above. Fire Dance is by classical composer de Falla.
The Rhythm Sisters are the vocalists on W.C. Handy’s
Memphis blues, featured soloists are clarinettists
Carl Barriteau on Dance of the potted puppet and
Reginald Kell on Swing low, sweet clarinet. Although
[Bert] Ambrose was always reckoned to use the best musicians
around, I am unable to identify the personnel here as there
are no booklet notes [understandably so at the price] but
in his time Ambrose included such luminaries as Ted Heath,
Lew Stone, Stanley Black, and George Shearing. P B
THE INTERNATIONAL
STAFF BAND OF THE SALVATION ARMY Together
Largo [‘New World
Symphony’], Nessun dorma, Somewhere over the rainbow,
Nimrod, You raise me up, When I survey the wondrous cross
– O Waly Waly, Let it be, Nearer my God to Thee, Wind
beneath my wings, Make me a channel of your peace [with
Aled Jones], O Christmas tree, In the bleak midwinter,
You’ll never walk alone [with Lesley Garrett],
Going home [with The Fron Male Voice Choir]
UCJ 1782154 [53:32]
It is good to see the Salvation
Army’s premier band being taken up by a leading commercial
label. I understand that good sales were achieved last Christmas
and that the proceeds will help "The Army" in
its so worthwhile charitable work. The playing is obviously
of a very high standard and the repertoire is varied. The
added percussion did at times come close to irritating me.
The timing of the CD is nowhere near as generous as the
cause it supports. P B
GALA NIGHT WITH NIGEL OGDEN
Nigel Ogden at the Wurlitzer
Organ of Stockton Town Hall
Lover/ A wonderful
day like today, Sons of the brave, Song of the bells,
Selection from ‘The History Boys’: L'Accordioniste/
Bewitched/ Wish me luck as you wave me goodbye/ Bye bye
blackbird/ Excerpt from Piano Concerto No.2 in C Major/
Happy birthday dear Eliza, Songs of the Sixties: Song of
Mexico/ Apache/ Anyone who had a heart/ I remember you/
How do you do it?/ I want to hold your hand/ You don't have
to say you love me/ March of the Mods, Georgia, Selection
from ‘Mrs. Henderson Presents’: The girl in the
little green hat/ All the things you are/ I'll string along
with you/ Sails of the windmill/ Goody goody/ Doreen, Waltzing
with Waldteufel: Estudiantina/ Dolores/ The Skater's Waltz/
The Sirens/ Mon rêve, Music from France: Ca c'est
Paris/ Boom/ Windows of Paris/ Louise/ Pigalle/ I wish you
love/ Farandole/ Under Paris skies/ Under the bridges of
Paris/ Can-can, Celebration March, The Hour of Parting,
The Best of Nacio Herb Brown: Broadway melody/ You are my
lucky star/ All I do is dream of you/ Should I?/ Wedding
of the painted doll/ You were meant for me
Grasmere GRCD 129 [75:53]
The cinema or theatre organ, like
the accordion, is an instrument which you either like or
you don't. As an exponent (of sorts) of both instruments
you can guess where I stand! Many people of my age group
remember the regular cinema organ spots on the Light Programme
– notably the 10am slot most weekday mornings in the
Fifties featuring the likes of William Davies, Lloyd Thomas,
Gerald Shaw, Robinson Cleaver and Robin Richmond, who later
presented a weekly show entitled 'The Organist Entertains'.
Well, that programme is still going but for many years it
has been in the capable hands of Nigel Ogden, who is the
featured artist on this CD which contains a plethora of
tuneful melodies, mostly in the form of medleys. One such
medley is ‘Songs of the Sixties’ which,
in his accompanying notes, Nigel Ogden describes as "one
of the greatest decades for popular song". Personally,
I have always considered this period as being the beginning
of the end of popular music. Fortunately, for this selection,
Nigel has chosen [for the most part] some of the better
tunes. There is a curiously titled item called Happy
birthday dear Eliza which is based on Beethoven's
Für Elise, that I have always disliked ever
since being forced to play it in piano lessons as a child!
I have often found over the years that cinema organists,
[even some of the best known] have a habit of rushing passages
and getting out of tempo. There is none of this, however,
in Nigel Ogden's performances which are really first class!
This is an entertaining and well-played recording, packed
with good tunes which will appeal to all enthusiasts of
this giant of musical instruments. Brian Reynolds
ARNELL The Great
Detective / The Angels – Ballet Music
BBC Concert Orchestra conducted
by Martin Yates
Dutton Epoch CDLX 7208
[66:17]
Richard Anthony Sayer Arnell,
or Tony to his friends, is considered by many to be our
leading symphonist. Beecham recorded his ‘Punch
and the Child’ in 1950 with the RPO and described
Arnell as "one of the best orchestrators since Berlioz…"
Having been educated at the Hall School, Hampstead, and
University College School, Arnell entered the Royal College
of Music in 1935, where he studied composition with John
Ireland and piano with St. John Dykes. Vaughan Williams
was chair of the panel that awarded him the Farrar Prize
for Composition in 1938. He spent a number of years in America
where his music was championed by Bernard Herrmann and other
conductors and a number of his major works received performances.
Back in England after World War II, Beecham became a patron,
but Arnell’s prominence eventually faded when composers
of anything considered "tuneful" were consigned
to near-oblivion by the musical fashion-police, principally
William Glock, Controller of Radio 3 [1959-73].Both of these
ballets were commissioned by Sadler’s Wells and appear
for the first time on CD. ‘The Great Detective’
[1953] is a witty comedic ballet based on the great fictional
detective created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The ballet
opens in sparkling fashion and no one can be in any doubt
as to the skill of the composer as an orchestrator. The
humorous Distressed Ladies episode is reminiscent
of the ballet music of Constant Lambert, while the melodramatic
Fiends and Villains could well have been written
for an old silent film. The Dance of Deduction is
another witty episode and the whole work is eventually brought
to a satisfying conclusion by a big tune and a few remaining
musical heroic afterthoughts.
‘The Angels’
(1957) is more of a substantial piece which takes the
form of a three movement symphony. The original scenario
is abstract, but concerns a life-giving angel who brings
men and women together, selects one of them for immortality
and makes them shine with heavenly light. It is a powerful
work and seems well suited for the concert hall. Of particular
note is the extended central Roundelay movement –
one of Arnell’s most beautiful and inspired slow movements
– and here the influence of his extended stay in the
US is clearly evident, with echoes of his American contempories,
Aaron Copland and Roy Harris.There is much to enjoy on this
CD, and for those tempted to explore Arnell further I can
thoroughly recommend the Third Symphony (Dutton Epoch CDLX
7161) – a stirring masterful work which has received
universal praise. The artwork/sleeve design and copious
liner notes make for an attractive package and both the
recording and performance from Martin Yates and the Royal
Scottish National Orchestra are of a high standard. An essential
purchase for anyone interested in British orchestral repertoire
of the "lost generation" and full marks to Vocalion
for making Arnell’s music available to us after decades
of neglect. Incidentally, Arnell is now in his nineties
and lives in a Musicians’ Benevolent home in Kent where
he continues to compose. Malcolm
Osman
"The Golden
Age of Light Music" : STRINGS AND THINGS GO STEREO!
For full tracklisting please
refer to page 76 of this issue.
"Strings And Things Go
Stereo" is the first 100% stereo selection in the Guild
Light Music series but if, like me, sound technology isn’t
your first priority – fear not – the music’s
grand and so are the orchestras! Beginning with the curtain
opening on Victor Young’s theme to "Around The
World in Eighty Days" played by The Cinema Sound Stage
Orchestra - and I’d suggest a brighter, breezier recording
than the composer’s own version. Still with show music
A Wonderful Guy from "South Pacific" (without
Mary Martin!) played in fine style by Warren Barker’s
Orchestra; I’m afraid I’d never heard of him but
thanks to David’s inclusion, and his booklet notes,
I have now! Following on from the Rio Carnival Orchestra’s
rendition of Brazil is The Trolley Song,
originally sung in a similar style by Judy Garland in
"Meet Me In St. Louis" – this time played
by Buddy Bregman and his Orchestra, but renamed for the
original album ‘The Conrad Salinger Orchestra’
in honour of the esteemed arranger responsible. Two more
film titles Love Is A Many Splendoured Thing and
Change Partners (coupled with Mandy) played
by Mantovani and Frank De Vol respectively continue this
very entertaining programme; then a restful Tahiti: A
Summer Night At Sea by Les Baxter is followed by a smoochie
Harlem Nocturne with Norrie Paramor and his Orchestra.
First Row Centre by Joe Reisman (any relation to
Leo Reisman?) gets the feet tapping again before being lured
into Alfred Newman’s Street Scene with the New
World Theatre Orchestra. Then in complete contrast we step
straight into the Chappell catalogue with Tony Tamburello’s
Saucy Sailor, although it first appeared several
years earlier on a US Everest LP as Naughty Nautical,
which is how it is listed on this CD. Robert Farnon is conducting
his Orchestra in London, although at the time he was still
under contract to Decca so the LP credited ‘The Everest
Concert Orchestra under the direction of Derek Boulton’
(Bob’s manager!). A super piece of cheery mood music.
There’s No You, a romantically tuneful concoction
as played by Nelson Riddle, is followed by Morton Gould
and his Orchestra with a seductive version of Orchids
In The Moonlight written by Vincent Youmans from the
RKO film "Flying Down To Rio". It was sung by
Raul Roullen to either Ginger Rogers or Dolores del Rio,
but I can’t remember which and it doesn’t say
on the soundtrack LP I have! Track 14 has David Carroll
and his Orchestra with Ron Goodwin’s Swinging Sweethearts
but we in Britain know it as Skiffling Strings –
thence to Victor Schertzinger’s Sand In My Shoes
with the Melachrino Strings. It was featured in the 1941
film "Kiss The Boys Goodbye" starring Don Ameche,
Mary Martin and Connee Boswell. Hubert Bath’s Cornish
Rhapsody, written for Margaret Lockwood to appear to
play (but actually recorded for the soundtrack of the 1944
film "Love Story" by Harriet Cohen) is played
here by pianists Rawicz and Landauer with Mantovani and
his Orchestra – and a very nice performance and recording
from all involved. And staying with Hubert Bath, I wonder
if David would consider issuing his march Admiral’s
All on Boosey & Hawkes 1930s Archive, and his other
two nautical pieces on Paxton – Threatening Waves
and Ode To the Sea. They deserve a wider audience
for this neglected composer. Lucky In The Rain gets
a really spirited performance from Robert Farnon and his
Orchestra, as does Hal Mooney’s Orchestra playing his
own composition Gemini - another piece that could
easily come from a mood music catalogue – as could
Pavement Pigalle from Joseph Kuhn, a name familiar
to anybody with Golden Guinea 101 Strings LPs in their collection.
It graces track 19 and is played by the Paris Theatre Orchestra.
My LP copy is in mono, but on this CD – like all the
tracks – it is in stereo. Canadian Sunset and
Saraband are both pretty familiar, but Phil Boutet
and his Orchestra playing Evening Star not so –
until I realised that it’s actually an arrangement
of O Star Of Eve from Tannhauser by Wagner. The Clebanoff
Strings play La Seduccion in a smoth manner, but
Leo Shuken’s Spring Madness is alternately spritely
then almost pastoral, ending as it began in vigorous style.
And finally The Song Is Ended by Irving Berlin –
a fitting tribute to another fine selection of concert items
– which I’m sure the national BBC stations will
ignore as usual, but anybody with any musical sense will
add to their CD shelf immediately! Ken Wilkins
"The Golden
Age of Light Music" : MUSICAL KALEIDOSCOPE - Volume
3
For full tracklisting please
refer to page 77 of this issue.
Guild GLCD 5154
With expectations high
I put "Musical Kaleidoscope – Volume 3" in
the CD player and sat back – and I wasn’t disappointed.
Three spectacular pieces to open, the first being Charles
Williams’ Winged Messenger in which I thought
I could detect strains of his Sons Of The Air on
Chappell C209. David Ades writes in the booklet notes that
Winged Messenger was used extensively by US networks
NBC and ABC in the late 1950s and early 1960s as programme
promo music and theme music for radio shows and I can understand
why! A very powerful opener – as is track 2 Baden
Baden, a grand theatrical-type march which develops
into a galop, then simmers down to a definite finale. I’d
never heard of the composer ‘Raymond’ but he (she?)
wrote a good tune and it is very well played by the Baden
Baden Symphony Orchestra – now known, according to
David’s notes, as the South West German Radio Symphony
Orchestra. The third ‘blockbuster’ on the CD is
Holiday For Trombones by David Rose with him conducting
in fine fettle. A novelty number by Kermit Leslie is next,
which he calls Jalopy and includes a recording of
one (a Model T Ford, perhaps?); then in complete contrast
a smoochie piece Just For Two by Raymond Ellis and
arranged by Angela Morley, rather similar to Dolf van der
Linden’s Lady Of Leisure on Paxton. Track 6
is White from ‘Tone Poems Of Color’ by
Victor Young; I wasn’t sure what to expect, but it
turned out to be a delightful piece of concert music with
a sleigh bells opening – very nice indeed. Another
great novelty piece to follow – this time Ronald Binge’s
Tales Of The Three Blind Mice played by Sidney Torch
for the American transcription service Lang-Worth conducting
what seems to me to be a slightly larger orchestra than
usual, but I could be mistaken. Jack Strachey is another
composer featured, and I’m very pleased that David
included an unfairly neglected theatre march Shaftesbury
Avenue from the Bosworth library – equal, I think,
to his more famous Theatreland (already featured
on two Guild CDs by B&H’s New Concert Orchestra
– GLCD 5102, and Harry Fryer in Decca’s Music
While You Work series – GLCD 5137). Irving Berlin’s
Lady Of The Evening is arranged by Peter Yorke and
played by his Concert Orchestra in its usual immaculate
manner, followed by Robert Farnon’s Playtime
with the Telecast Ensemble and Bob at the piano (replacing
the session pianist who wasn’t up to scratch!). I’ve
got the Chappell 78 of this piece, and I wondered how long
it would be before Alan and David included this number in
the Guild Light Music series. Actually David tells me it
was a special request from an RFS member! Forgive my ignorance,
but I didn’t recognise Domani until Richard
Hayman and his Orchestra struck up on track 14, and then
the tune became very familiar; but Valse Bluette
by Drigo sounds very different to my George Melachrino LP
recording, as played here by Victor Young and his Orchestra
with trumpeter Rafael Mendez doing his stuff. Harry Fryer
was a great light music conductor and he makes a splendid
job of Roger Barsotti’s march Banners of Victory.
Between That’s All by Bob Haymes and Gershwin’s
Swannee is Ecstasy by Otto Cesana and played
by his orchestra. A lush melody that could easily find a
place in any publisher’s mood music catalogue. Rudy
Vallee co-wrote Deep Night presumably for himself
to sing, and I have an LP of him doing just that –
but here it’s played by the Pittsburgh Strings in fine
form. Captain Of The Guard was new to me, but La
Muse Legere wasn’t, as I’ve had the 78 since
it was issued – but I particularly liked Captain
Of The Guard and I’m told that it was also a special
request, like several more in this collection. Alla Marcia
from Sibelius’ ‘Karelia Suite’ and Sinding’s
Rustle Of Spring are both very familiar concert items,
but Gabriel Pierne’s Serenade not so –
at least to me, but very tuneful all the same as played
by the Andre Kostelanetz Orchestra. Henry Litolffs’
Scherzo played here by Winifred Atwell is a real
eye-opener, especially as she was more identified with her
honky-tonk ‘joanna’! And finally two ‘bonus
tracks’: Desperate Moment and Sinister Street
No. 1 from the De Wolfe library – two good examples
of dramatic music used in the Two Ronnies’ comedy serial
"The Phantom Raspberry Blower Of Old London Town".
If David would like some more suggestions for dramatic items
perhaps he’d consider East Of Malta by Ronald
Hanmer and Jack Beaver’s The Sword Of Damocles
– both from the FDH library for inclusion on future
Guild CDs. This is altogether a very satisfying and melodic
addition to the series and Alan Bunting’s magical restorations
are first class as usual! Ken Wilkins
MAURICE BLOWER SYMPHONY
IN C MAJOR
Havant Symphony Orchestra
conducted by Peter Craddock
with Elgar: Wand Of Youth
Suite No.2, and Brahms: Academic Festival Overture [57:00]
Strange bedfellows? Not really
because all three offerings are tuneful delights but, while
the latter two are well known, the former piece is a rarity
indeed with a fascinating story behind it. Blower died in
1982 and some time later his son Thomas, pottering around
in the loft, discovered a symphony which had lain unpublished
and unperformed since it was completed in the pre-war summer
of 1939. A few years ago he transcribed it into Sibelius
software and, with the help of conductor Peter Craddock,
set-up the full score for a première performance
given in Fareham by the Havant Symphony Orchestra, which
took place in March 2008. It was duly recorded for posterity
and is now available for £8 from Sandra Craddock, 152 West
Street, Havant, PO9 1LP; cheques payable to "HADOS."
This is a jolly piece of music which will appeal to all
Robert Farnon lovers. Edmund Whitehouse
STOKOWSKI BACH TRANSCRIPTIONS
· 2
Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra
José Serebrier
Toccata and fugue in D
minor, Wachet auf [Sleepers Awake!], Ein feste burg [A Mighty
Fortress], Jesus, Joy of Man’s Desiring … etc
Naxos 8.572050 [64:59]
Fans of the Disney film ‘Fantasia’
will be familiar with the opening track on this splendid
budget priced disc. All the transcriptions by the old musical
magician Leopold Stokowski are very come-at-able and as
well as the 11 originating from Bach there are half-a-dozen
others, eminently tuneful, by Palestrina, Byrd, Jeremiah
Clarke [the Trumpet Voluntary tune], Boccherini [Minuet,
used in Ealing Films’ ‘The Ladykillers’],
Mattheson and Haydn [the well-known Andante Cantabile].
Buy and enjoy! P B
DAVID NADIEN
Beethoven & Mendelssohn Violin Concertos [US]
Cembal d’amour CD 137 [67:31] To many
readers of this review, David Nadien may seem an odd choice
for inclusion. Yet he was the leader (or concertmaster)
of the recording orchestra Robert Farnon arranged and conducted
for Tony Bennett on his famous ‘Snowfall’
Christmas album of nearly 40 years ago. At the time of that
distinguished recording, David Nadien had been the leader
of the New York Philharmonic Orchestra since 1966 and would
be at that post until 1971. Nadien is still with us and
occasionally plays in public. On this CD he shows just how
insightful of a performer he truly can be in the heavier
forms of music. The Beethoven Concerto is considered (with
the Brahms) as a test of endurance of the player, for it
is nearly as long as a symphony and just as demanding. David
lends a special insight and feeling into this very emotional
performance. He was aided in this 1952 performance by Leon
Barzin and his college level National Orchestral Association.
The Mendelssohn Concerto is a case of the soloist bringing
a group of unknown musicians, the Chappaqua Orchestra under
Wolfgang Schanzer, up to his level of conception. Again,
there is a very strong bond between orchestra members and
soloist that gives us a rare moment of psychic purity in
which each participant accompanies each other with perfect
balance. Although this may be a hard to obtain CD, the musical
rewards and soothing sound of David Nadien’s artistry
combine to create a marvelous listening experience seldom
found in today’s musical world. Richard Jessen
Available from www.cembaldamour.com
"RHAPSODY BY
REQUEST" Por Una Cabeza, Mack the Knife, Souvenirs
de Paris, The Girl From Ipanema, La Vie En Rose, Jazz Medley,
Tasha’s Waltz, Anne of Green Gables medley, Processional,
Viktor’s Tale, Schindler’s List, Heaven Can Wait,
Caravan, Les Patineurs Valse, Um Momento, Bohemian Rhapsody
Rhapsody Quintet. RHAP CD005, 65:32 mins. Available
from Rhapsody Quintet, 1240 Edward Street, Halifax, N.S.,
B3H 3H4, CANADA. Website www.rhapsodyquintet.com
RFS members who have bought previous releases by this versatile
Canadian group of musicians will be pleased to learn that
a new collection is now available. Familiar favourites are
mixed with some less well-known numbers, and the players’
enthusiasm which they display towards their repertoire is
certainly infectious. Unlike sixty or seventy years ago,
there are few examples of small ensembles playing light
music these days, so it is good to know that this more genteel
style still survives today. David Ades
JOPLIN The Easy Winners
& Other Rag-Time Music
PREVIN A Different Kind
Of Blues
Itzhak Perlman [violin],
André Previn, Shelly Manne [pianos], Jim Hall [bass],
Red Mitchell [guitar]
The Rag-Time Dance, The
Easy Winners, Bethena [A Concert Waltz], Magnetic Rag, The
Strenuous Life [Rag-Time Two-Step], The Entertainer, Elite
Syncopations, Solace, Pine Apple Rag, Sugar Cane / Look
at him go, Little Face, Who Reads Reviews, Night Thoughts,
A Different Kind of Blues, Chocolate Apricot, The Five of
Us, Make Up Your Mind
EMI Encore 2357272 [78:06]
A well-filled low-priced disc
with premium performers. Ragtime swept the world between
c1897-1920, its syncopated melodies set against a march-type
bass line. Scott Joplin was thought of as its greatest composer.
Here the violin and piano of a classical "dream team"
does him full justice on this 1974 album. The Previn piece,
from 1980, anticipated the rash of "crossover"
albums by classical artists from the late ‘80s onwards
and is most enjoyable, with the violin virtuoso clearly
taking to the jazz idiom at his first attempt. Previn is
reunited with fellow pianist Shelly Manne, reminding us
of their classic ‘My Fair Lady’ album [recently
reissued with final restoration and remastering by Alan
Bunting] on Retrospective RTR 4122. P B
"LE PIANO ‘BASTRINGUE’"
featuring the pianos of Floyd Cramer [Fancy Pants,
Five Foot Two Eyes Of Blue], Dolores Ventura [Celebration
Waltz], Eddie Smith [Ragtime Melody], Johnny Maddox [St.
Louis Tickle], Michel Legrand [La Pendule], Crazy Otto Rag
[Will Glahe], Russ Conway [Chicago, The Lantern Slide, Buttons
and Bows], Eddie Miller [Somebody Stole My Gal, Whispering],
Joe ‘Fingers’ Carr [Maple Leaf Rag, Down Yonder,
Entertainer’s Rag], plus Winifred Atwell, Crazy Otto
and many more. 61 tracks on 2 CDs. (France) Marianne
Melodie 081902. Once again our friend Pierre-Marcel Ondher
has put together a varied selection that will delight everyone
who enjoys the kind of piano music performed by the talented
artists listed above. The 28-page booklet contains comprehensive
notes, but you will need to understand French! However the
full tracklisting details give alternate titles in English
where appropriate and this is a wonderful opportunity to
become acquainted with talented pianists from France and
Germany that may be unfamiliar to you. Highly recommended
for those who enjoy popular piano music from the 1950s.
David Ades This collection is available
from the RFS Record Service to special order. The price
is likely to be in the region of £20 but may vary due to
current volatility in the currency markets.
BENNY GOODMAN SEXTET
Slipped Disc 1945 – 1946
After you’ve gone;
Slipped disc, Rachel’s dream, I got rhythm … plus
14 more songs
Columbia CK 44292 [53:18]
Probably one of the unique sounds
in the history of jazz was Benny Goodman’s performances
with small groups ranging in size from trios to quartets
and finally into sextets. Although many prize the Charlie
Christian sets (and they are justifiable classics), Goodman
in the 1940's had lost none of his touch and continued to
record for Columbia some magnificent performances. One that
sticks out is After you’ve gone which has a
great Slam Stewart singing solo on his bass along with crisp
playing from vibist Red Norvo. Slipped disc is another
fabulous item found on this disc, relating as it does to
Goodman’s constant back pains. The music just ripples
along like a happy, babbling brook aided in no small part
by Teddy Wilson sitting at the piano and dispensing his
famous crisp, articulate piano. The engineering from the
original recordings is as perfect as can be had on this
side of paradise. And of course, this is music for putting
one in the mood for the happiest of all days Richard
Jessen
DANIEL SMITH Blue
Bassoon
The Jody grind, The double
up, Sack of woe, Things ain’t what they used to be,
My baby’s gone, Billie’s bounce, Nostalgia in
Times Square, Equinox, Scotch and water, From four till
late, Break out the blues, Footprints, Solid
Label & release date
to be announced [47:50]
I am not a musician so maybe I
am missing something. As I said when reviewing Daniel’s
previous CD, ‘The Swinging Bassoon’, his
technique is marvellous but as a solo instrument the bassoon
in this setting sounds incongruous. The number of musicians
has been increased and once again the compositions are all
written by veterans of the jazz scene, most no longer around.
I can only guess if they would approve of their music with
this treatment. One thing is for sure, none of these tunes
were written for a bassoon! The CD arrived with an impressive
list of accolades from jazz critics with more knowledge
than me. I can only repeat the first sentence of this review.
Paul Clatworthy
AL BOWLLY This Is
Romance
Double CD, 52 titles
Sounds of Yesteryear DSOY756
[77:05 & &9:14]
Fans of Bowlly, who is believed
to have influenced many singers in his short lifetime, really
get their money’s worth here! The songs are with the
bands of Lew Stone, Ray Noble and Geraldo. Most personnel
are listed; interestingly the Lew Stone orchestra had Stanley
Black and Monia Liter, who later found fame on their own,
in its ranks. Recordings date between 1932 and 1939. I was
not born until four years after the first was made, so the
only titles I was familiar with were Ray Noble’s The
touch of your lips, Irving Berlin’s Top hat,
Harold Arlen’s As long as I live, and Mack Gordon’s
Did you ever see a dream walking. Transfers are painstaking
good by John Bennett. Put in on your shopping list for Grandma’s
next birthday. Paul Clatworthy
[1936 was a very
good year! - KT Ed.]
BING CROSBY Through
The Years Volume Two 1951
25 tracks including Maria Bonita,
Granada, Indian summer, The loneliness of evening, Sparrow
in the treetop [with The Andrews Sisters], Here ends
the rainbow [w. Betty Mullin], Moonlight Bay, When
you and I were young, Maggie, Blues [w. Gary Crosby],
I whistle a happy tune, Getting to know you, Gone fishin’
[w. Louis Armstrong], Shanghai, Row, row, row
Sepia 1122 [73:52]
Another entertaining selection
of tracks from "The Old Groaner" with on hand
the orchestras of John Scott Trotter [natch!], Vic Scoen,
Lynn Murray, Victor Young and Dave Barbour; also The Bando
Da Lua, Matty Matlock and his All Stars, and the Jud Conlon
Choir. Popular singing par excellence. The music is enhanced
by extremely comprehensive booklet notes. P B
DORIS DAY TODAY A
Musical Comedy Special [DVD]
BMG 88697176059 [1hr
30 mins]
I must admit to having a fondness
for music specials and especially anything with Doris Day
makes my day. In the waning days of music specials, CBS-TV
telecast ‘Doris Day Today’ in 1975. Sadly, this
was to be Day’s last major network special. Happily,
this is a fun special showing off Day’s talents as
actress, comedian and, most importantly, singer. There are
vibrant duets with John Denver including probably the greatest
filmed performance seen anywhere of songs associated with
each performer. There are also comedy sketches with Rich
Little offering up his vast repertoire of celebrity impersonations
(he was one of the best) as the leading man in the many
films Day was involved with, with humour. Another great
comedian was Tim Conway who was known for cutting up hilariously
with the late Harvey Korman on ‘The Carol Burnett Show.’
Here he has a funny sketch with Doris Day where they are
stuck out in the middle of nowhere close to the Grand Canyon.
Not only are both hilarious but also there is a brief appearance
by Day’s best friend Biggest (a very large but very
dignified male poodle). But it’s the music and voice
that carries this excellently produced show. There is an
update with very fast, edited costume change of the Cole
Porter classic Anything goes, a very soulful performance
of Day by day from ‘Godspell’ done
as only Doris Day could do with a song. The most moving
performance is The way we were, where all of Day’s
male co-stars are remembered in a deeply emotional performance.
There are also extras such as Doris Day’s appearance
on the John Denver Show in 1974, 1940's musical short with
Les Brown as well as data on her movies and many recordings.
This DVD is available on both sides of the Atlantic. Thank
you Doris Day for being the wonderful performer and human
being you have always been. Here’s hoping you will
be around for a few years more! Richard Jessen
DICK HAYMES It’s
A Grand Night For Singing
You’ll never know,
It can’t be wrong, How blue in the night, Let the rest
of the world go by, The more I see you, I wish I knew, They
didn’t believe me, Love letters, Laura, Isn’t
it kinda fun, It might as well be spring, That’s for
me, It’s a grand night for singing, How deep in the
ocean, Oh! what it seemed to be, Aren’t you kinda glad
we did, For you, for me, for evermore … and 32 other
tracks
Sounds of Yesteryear DSOY759
[74:40 & 72:27]
A double album collecting the
first nine years of the singer’s solo career with Decca,
1943 to 1952. Many of the titles were rushed through to
beat the imminent recording ban of 1948. They do not sound
rushed, his distinctive mellow voice coaxing the best out
of each tune. Orchestra backing include Tommy Dorsey, Earl
Hagen, Gordon Jenkins, Lyn Murray, Artie Shaw, Vic Shoen
and Victor Young. Among the vocalists are The Andrews Sisters,
Helen Forest, Judy Garland, Ethel Merman and Song Spinners.
Paul Clatworthy
The Unforgettable
PAT KIRKWOOD Just One of Those Things, Save a Little
Sunshine (with Dave Willis), Dinah, Nobody’s Sweetheart,
My Heart Belongs to Daddy, Most Gentlemen Don’t Like
Love, The Only One Who’s Difficult Is You, You’ve
Done Something to My Heart, Oh Johnny, Oh Johnny, Oh! Where
or When, This Can’t Be Love, In the Mood, My Kind of
Music, The Victory Roll, South American Way, Listen to Me
– and many more. AVID AMSC 966 2-CD set. 66 tracks,
total timing 157:19 mins. "Glamorous, dynamic,
and an international sex symbol, Pat Kirkwood was for two
decades the undisputed queen of British stage and screen
musicals, with a voice rivalling that of Broadway’s
Ethel Merman. Cole Porter, Noël Coward and Leonard
Bernstein chose her to play the leading roles in their musicals,
and her performances in 15 pantomimes caused a leading critic
to hail her as ‘the greatest Principal Boy of the 20th
century’. When she died on Christmas Day 2007, the
world-wide media coverage focussed on two things: her fabulous
legs, once described by Kenneth Tynan as ‘the eighth
wonder of the world’, and her rumoured relationship
with Prince Philip, a source of feverish speculation by
royal biographers and gossip columnists for 60 years. This
historic double CD, released by AVID Entertainment to mark
the first anniversary of her death, spans 56 years of her
glittering career, from her first film at the age of 17,
to her last stage appearance in 1994. It features no fewer
than 29 performances that have never previously been released
on CD. These include a duet with her Hollywood co-star,
Van Johnson, recordings she made in the United States, which
were never issued in Britain, rare soundtrack footage from
her 1950s screen musicals, and five songs in live performance
in 1993.Along the way are superlative interpretations of
all-time great standards by Cole Porter, Noël Coward,
Rodgers and Hart, Irving Berlin, Leonard Bernstein, Jule
Styne, Anthony Newley and Leslie Bricusse. This superb compilation
not only encapsulates the magic of Pat Kirkwood, and of
one of the great show business talents, but also the history
of the musical in the 20th century." The above details
(copied from Avid publicity) give a fair description of
the wide-ranging repertoire to be enjoyed in this collection,
expertly compiled by Hugh Palmer, who was also responsible
for similar recent collections from Avid featuring Jessie
Matthews and Frances Day. As well as commercial and private
recordings, there are soundtrack excerpts which should delight
film buffs. If you are a fan of Pat Kirkwood you will not
hesitate to add this to your collection. The well illustrated
booklet is packed with information. A top quality product
at a very reasonable price. David Ades This
2-CD set is available from the RFS Record Service price
£9.00.
KATHERINE JENKINS
Sacred Arias
Abide With Me, Pie Jesu,
The Lord’s My Shepherd, Down in the River to Pray,
May The Good Lord Bless and Keep You, Hallelujah, Panis
Angelicus, In Paradisum, Silent Night, Ave Maria, Misa Criolla:
Kyrie, Agnus Dei
UCJ 476 697-2 [48:24]
The lovely young mezzo-soprano
returns to her Welsh church roots with this album. I guess
the booklet’s photographic studies of Miss Jenkins
add value to the package, but less than 50 minutes of music
is a bit meagre for a top price disc. What we have, however,
is very good. The Pie Jesus is by Andrew Lloyd Webber,
and the Lord is my shepherd is the Howard Goodall
version used in ‘The Vicar of Dibley.’ Meredith
Wilson wrote May the good Lord and Hallelujah
[versions of which were at Nos. 1 and 2 in the pop chart
last Christmas] is by Leonard Cohen. Particularly
winsome is the old spiritual Down in the river to pray,
one of eight tracks enhanced by The Crouch End Festival
Chorus. Another standout track is Simon Lindle’s Ave
Maria with The Redolfus Choir, who also accompany on
three others including the poignant Agnus Dei by
Samuel Barber. P B
MARY MAYO Dancing
In The Dark
Molly Malone, Waiting,
Just a wearyin’ for you, It seemed so right last night,
Dark is the night. Bring back the thrill, Memory book, My
love an’ my mule, I can see you, Who but you, I never
dreamt, A penny a kiss, a penny a hug, It only takes a minute,
Come to baby, do, Heavenly feeling, This is the place …
and 9 other tracks
Sounds of Yesteryear DSOY762
[69:19]
Mary’s voice has a range
of four octaves, well illustrated on CD but not in the "Sumac"
manner. Whilst they were both members of the Beneke-Miller
Band, bass player and arranger Al Ham fell under her spell
and they married. Some of the songs have not been heard
for many a year; five are from films, seven recorded with
the Tex Beneke Band, the remainder with the bands of Al
Ham, Glenn Osser and Ray Wright. Some tracks are a little
"Rinky Dink"; others more worthy of her marvellous
voice, especially when linked with a large orchestra. I
was most intrigued to find a Pete Rugolo written Bring
back the thrill, one I had never heard before. The last
"live" track is obviously from her later years
reunited with the Beneke Orchestra. Charming nostalgia most
of the way. Paul Clatworthy
LIGHT MUSIC FOR PIANO
AND VOICE – JOHN McLAIN Cat In A Flap, Into
My Heart, Mamble, When June Is Come, The Willow, Renunciation
(songs), Soliloquy, Kirsty – in Melancholy Mood, Serendipity,
All In Good Time, The Forest At Dusk (piano solos), Templeton
– Bach Goes To Town, Coates – Bird Songs At Eventide,
Ireland – Sea Fever, Zez Confrey – Dizzy Fingers,
Kitten On The Keys, Lehar – Girls Were Made To Love
And Kiss, Cyril Scott – Danse Negro, Walforde-Finden
– Kashmiri Song, Debussy- Golliwog’s Cakewalk,
Coleridge-Taylor- Onaway Awake Beloved, Godron Pullin
(tenor), Barbara Manning (piano). This excellently recorded
CD is well worth its £5 price to RFS members. Admittedly
John McLain’s undoubted lyrical impulse (John is an
RFS member), whether in songs or piano solos (which are
effectively songs without words) produces results which
are very similar in mood and tempo, so it is perhaps as
well that contrast is offered by vocals and instrumentals
composed by others, which are among the classics of the
light music genre. Performances are highly enjoyable; Mr.
Pullin’s delivery and diction are notably clear (all
tracks are sung in English – words are not supplied
in the insert but are really unnecessary), and Miss Manning’s
playing, whether solo or in accompaniment, is expressive,
fluent and full of character. Available at £5.00 to RFS
members from JOHN McLAIN, 42 Osidge Lane, Southgate, London,
N14 5JG, England. Philip L. Scowcroft
"ROSES ALL THE
WAY" Songs by Eric Coates The Palace of Roses,
Sigh No More Ladies, Melanie, A Dinder Courtship, Asphodel,
The Fairy Tales of Ireland, Roses All The Way, Yearning,
Mendin’ Roadways, By The Sleepy Lagoon (piano solo),
Sea Rapture, Little Snoozy Coon, Bird Songs At Eventide,
Music of the Night, Little Lady of the Moon, Always, As
I Close My Eyes, Your Name, A Song of Summer, Star of God,
Today is Ours. Peter Dempsey (tenor) and Guy Rowland
(piano). Eric Coates is mostly remembered as a composer
of light orchestral miniatures but he began as a writer
of ballads and continued as such for the rest of his life,
albeit less so after the mid-1930s. Several of them can
be heard today, but there are many which are not (there
were about 130 in all); this disc concentrates on the less
well-known of those written between 1912 and 1943. Only
Bird Songs and (sung here appropriately in a ‘Mummerset’
accent) A Dinder Courtship are at all familiar to
most of us, so this release does fill a gap. Further, Peter
Dempsey has a limpid, fluent delivery and notably clear
diction while Guy Rowland is a sympathetic, positive accompanist;
his solo piano version of By The Sleepy Lagoon (presumably
arranged by the composer) recalls that many light orchestral
favourites could, at one time, be found in the domestic
piano stool. Some of these songs sound like other, better
known ballads by Coates, but this is common enough in balladry
and there is much variety here. We catch an Irish flavour
in The Fairy Tales of Ireland; there is a popular,
up-tempo character in the title song and the splendidly
non-PC Little Snoozy Coon. Sigh No More Ladies
ranks high for me in the centuries of Shakespearian vocal
heritage, and the last two songs – one to Coates’
own words – movingly recall that he continued penning
songs into the Second World War. Recording is admirably
clear, and presentation thoughtful. These tuneful imaginations
are sure to give pleasure, as they have done to this reviewer.
Philip L. Scowcroft This CD is available
from PETER DEMPSEY, 44 Victoria Road, Bidford-on-Avon, Warwickshire,
B50 4AR, England – price £11.99 [including p&p].
PIGS COULD FLY Children’s
Choir Music
New London Children’s
Choir conducted by Ronald Corp
Songs by Skempton, Britten,
Corp, Bennett, Bliss, Tavener, Vaughan Williams, Maxwell
Davies, Chilcott, Bliss, Rutter, Godfrey, Maw, etc.
Naxos 8.572113 [66:07]
The conductor is well known to
tuneful music lovers for several CDs of light music and
this choir, which he formed in 1991, is a companion to his
New London Orchestra. The repertoire is wide and varied,
ranging from lively short pieces to more serious sacred
music, with several more in between; 35 different songs
in all. The diction is good and for anyone who likes to
hear children’s voices then this is a welcome addition
to the relatively small catalogue of that genre. Edmund
Whitehouse
AN EVENING WITH BEATRICE LILLIE Original
Cast
20 tracks including Rhythm,
Nanette, Folk Song Cycle, Weary of it all, Piccolo Marina,
There are times, Paint, Maud, There are fairies at the bottom
of our garden, The party’s over now
Sepia 1123 [78:51]
A unique artiste but, possibly,
something of an acquired taste. In addition to the above
there are seven other tracks including Three little fishies,
from the show ‘Auntie Bea’ with an orchestra
directed by Eric Rogers. If you are not a Miss Lillie fan,
the disc is worth acquiring for her co-star Reginald Gardiner’s
classic Decca single Trains [ah, memories!] Nobody
should complain about value for money here. Ray Pavene
IRMA LA DOUCE Original
London Cast
Sepia 1120 [74:29]
The original Parisian version
of this show, music written by Marguerite Monnot, opened
in November 1956 and ran for four years. This English language
version opened on 17 July 1958 at London’s Lyric Theatre,
where it ran for 1,512 performances starring Elizabeth Seal,
Keith Michell and Clive Revill. The book and lyrics here
are by Julian More, David Heneker and Monty Norman; Peter
Brook directs; orchestrations are by Andre Popp; vocal arrangements
by Bert Waller; and the orchestra is under the direction
of Alexander Faris. Not being familiar with the show –
the most recognizable track is probably Our Language
of Love – I enjoyed it a lot. Also included on
the disc are 11 "Bonus Tracks" in French. Sepia’s
customary comprehensive booklet notes complete a well-filled
package. Ray Pavene
‘THIS RECORD
IS NOT TO BE BROADCAST’: 75 records banned by
the BBC 1931-57 Acrobat Music ACTRCD9015 (3CDs with booklet).
It seems rather ironic that
this album should appear at a time that the BBC has been
forced to review its public broadcasting standards following
the recent Ross/Brand affair. Three CDs and a 48 page booklet
comprise a fascinating study of 75 recordings that were
effectively black-listed by the BBC during the years 1931-57.
With the hindsight of living 50 years on, some of the reasons
given by the ‘Dance Music Policy Committee’ for
their decisions now seem ludicrous and trivial – especially
when judged by what is now considered ‘entertainment’.
One such directive ran: "The BBC’s policy is to
encourage a more virile and robust output of dance music
to accord more closely with the present spirit of the country.
To this end any form of anaemic or debilitated vocal performances
by male singers will be excluded. Performance by women singers
will be controlled to the extent that an insincere and over
sentimental style will not be allowed. No numbers will be
accepted for broadcasting which are slushy in sentiment
or contain innuendo or other matter considered to be offensive."
Thus George Formby’s With My Little Stick of Blackpool
Rock (1939) and Johnny Messner’s She Had to
Go and Lose It at the Astor (1938), both fell foul of
the committee. In the case of the latter, both the suggestive
lyrics and the fact that mentioning the Astor was tantamount
to advertising were more than enough reason for an outright
ban. In 1942, the BBC’s Director of Music was none
other than the eminent composer Sir Arthur Bliss. Bliss
was staunchly against tunes borrowed from classical works.
This view led to the banning of whole albums based on classical
themes. Thus in 1938 Tommy Dorsey in an arrangement of Song
of India (from Rimsky-Korsakov’s Sadko) was banned
and in 1942 Glen Miller’s The Story of a Starry
Night (from Tchaikovsky’s Sixth Symphony), suffered
a similar fate. In the words of the committee, "The
Story of a Starry Night is not a parody, but a travesty
of the original.” Not so much the Pathėtique Symphony
as the pathetic in fact…. Perhaps it is hardly surprising
that the Spike Jones version of the Blue Danube
(1945) was also banned, although this was lifted in 1947
when ‘burlesque’ became permissible but ‘dance
tempo distortion’ did not! Sometimes songs were banned
for purely practical reasons. Thus Bing Crosby suffered
a double ban. Deep In The Heart Of Texas (1942),
during working hours, in case factory hands used their tools
for banging machinery to keep time with the infectious melody
and in the following year I’ll Be Home For Christmas
was banned for the reason that it would lower the morale
of the fighting troops. There are many more such examples
to be found in the lavishly illustrated informative booklet.
A fascinating release and one that I think many of our members
will find room for in their collection - if only as a curiosity.
Copies can be obtained from Acrobat Music or from the RFS
Record Service. Malcolm Osman
Other releases noted by Wilfred
Askew
NELSON RIDDLE Let’s
Face The Music
Among the 55 tracks are: Let’s
face the music and dance, Put your dreams away, The love
of Genevieve, Dreamer’s cloth, Darlene, The girl most
likely, Younger than springtime, An affair of the heart,
Where did he go? Port au Prince, Darn that dream, You and
the night and the music, I’m gonna laugh you right
out of my life, Lisbon Antigua, Volare, Easter Isle, Accordion
Willy, Man on fire, Seven nights a week, Walkin’, Holiday
in Naples, Rain, Vilia, Waltz of the blues, Can this be
love, Robin Hood, I can’t believe that you’re
in love with me …
Jasmine [2-CD set] JASCD
495 [158:18]
THE
KEITH MANSFIELD ORCHESTRA
All You Need Is Keith Mansfield
All you need in love, You’ve
lost that lovin’ feeling, Everlasting love, Whiter
shade of pale, Soul thing, Moanin’, Walk on by, Lovin’
things, Reach out [and I’ll be there], Take five, Boogaloo,
Rainbow and [Epic single] Soul confusion
RPM Retro 835 [69:15]
1968 CBS recording plus seven
tracks by Love Affair, Maynard Feguson, Alan Haven &
Selena Jones with Mansfield’s Orchestra.
JUAN GARCIA ESQUIVEL
& HIS ORCHESTRA Mexico Days
Debut album from 1957 including
Collar of Perlas, Poppourri Curiel, Medley [Berlin, Rodgers
and Hart], Universidad rock and roll, Una y otra vez, Sketch
de Glenn Miller … & 6 other titles / Compilation
of singles & EPs recorded in Mexico between 1954-56
including To live again, Port au Prince, AMOR, Moonlight
enchantment, Nightingale, Nocturnal … & 6 other
titles.
Cherry Red ACEM139CD
[76:14]
MIKLOS ROSZA ‘EL
CID’
The City of Prague Philharmonic
Orchestra & Chorus conducted by Nic Raine
World premiere recording
of the complete film score on 3 CDs plus ‘Double
Indemnity Suite’ [arr. Palmer].
Tadlow CD005 [182:04]
HENRY MANCINI &
HIS ORCHESTRA
The Versatile Henry Mancini
Poinciana, Bali Ha’i,
Flamingo, Whispering Sea, Return to Paradise, Naked sea,
Breeze and I, Driftwood and dreams, Moon of Manakoora, Sleepy
Lagoon, Ebb tide, Off shore; plus bonus tracks: What’s
it gonna be, Young love, Free and easy, Cha cha cha for
Gia
Cherry Red ACMEM155CD [79:59]
His first album, ‘Driftwood
and Dreams’, from 1957, appears here in both mono and
stereo versions.
KEN GRIFFIN [Organ]
Skate On
52 tracks including
Cuckoo Waltz, Take me out to the ball game, Doodle
Doo Doo, American Patrol, Little brown jug, If I had you,
Bumble bee on a bender, Till we meet again / Louise, For
all we know, There’ll be some changed made, The Sycopated
Clock, The woman in the shoe, San Antonio Rose, Wunderbar
… etc.
Jasmine [2 CDs]
JASCD 471 [136:42]
NORRIE PARAMOR &
HIS ORCHESTRA
The Zodiac Suite / Dreams
and Desires with the voice of Patricia Clark
An Aries Aria, Taurus Tango,
The Gemini Waltz, Cancerian Concerto, Lonely Leo, The Impatient
Virgo, A Libra Rhapsody, Seductive Scorpio, The Sagacious
Sagittarius, Capricious Capricorn, Mood Aquarius, Ode to
Pisces / That’s my desire, You stepped out of a dream,
If I had you, I’d love to fall asleep [and wake up
in your arms], Once in a while, You’d be so nice to
come home to …& 6 other titles
Vocalion CDNJT 5200 [78:20]
EMI Columbia recordings from 1957.
THE WORLD OF SABU
Music [17 tracks] from
Rudyard Kipling’s ‘Jungle Book’ [1942] narrated
by Sabu with the Victor Symphony Orchestra, composed and
conducted by Miklos Rozsa; ‘The Thief of Bagdad’
[1940] narrated by Hugh Gray with the Frankenland State
Symphony Orchestra, composed and conducted by Miklos Rozsa;
‘Black Narcissus’ [1946] with the London
Symphony Orchestra, composed and conducted by Brian Easdale
El ACMEM151CD [66:54]
VIVIAN BLAINE On
Broadway
‘Songs from the Great
White Way’: If I were a bell, People will say we’re
in love, Hello, young lovers, Poppa, won’t you dance
with me, But not for me, A wonderful guy … & 6
other titles / ‘Songs from The Ziegfeld Follies’:
A pretty girl is like a melody, Row, row, row, I can’t
get started, You’d be surprised, What is there to say,
Shaking the blues away … & 6 other titles
Flare ROYCD 264 [67:45]
Original Mercury recordings from
1956, with Glenn Osser’s Orchestra & Chorus.
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