|
|
KEEPING TRACK
|
KEEPING TRACK
Dateline December 2010
WINTER WONDERLAND – A Christmas Celebration Fred
Waring and His Pennsylvanians 32 tracks incl. Ring
those Christmas Bells; Caroling, Caroling; Carol. Brothers,
Carol; The Star Carol; Gesu Bambino; O Come All Ye Faithful/Come,
Dear Children; Bright, Bright the Holly Berries; While By
Our Sleeping Flock We Lay; I Wonder As I Wander; Silent
Night, Holy Night; O Holy Night …The Meaning of Christmas;
The Song of Christmas // The Andrews Sisters, Guy
Lombardo and His Royal Canadians 20 tracks incl.
Winter Wonderland; Christmas Island; Christmas Candles;
Merry Christmas Polka; Stars Are the Windows of Heaven
… Dick Haymes There’s A Big Cloud [Next
to Heaven]; Christmas Dreaming; The Christmas Song; The
First Noel; Cradle Song of the Virgin; Ave Maria [Schubert];
It Came Upon a Midnight Clear; O Little Town of Bethlehem;
Joy to the World Jasmine JASCD 149 [79:29 &
79:06] An essential part of the Christmas celebrations
in chez Burt has been Fred Waring’s ‘Now
is the Carolling Season’ [Collectors Choice CCM
01662] ever since I bought it on a World Record Club LP
more years ago than I care to remember. So imagine my delight
on finding this new reissue – sensibly released in
good time for this Christmas – with the first [stereo]
disc giving us just under three dozen sacred and secular
tracks, none taken from the earlier album. Five of the carols
were written by jazz musician Alfred S Burt [no relation!]
Listening to these pieces, it is no wonder Fred’s Christmas
albums were best sellers in the ‘50s and ‘60s.
Of the second [mono] disc, it is no surprise to learn that
the joint recordings by the Andrews Sisters and Guy Lombardo
listed above also sold in their millions. Mr Lombardo, like
Robert Farnon Canadian-born, migrated to the USA in the
early ‘20s where his Royal Canadians became billed
as "The sweetest music this side of Heaven." Completing
the disc is the entire Christmas album recorded by Dick
Haymes, considered a strong rival to Crosby and Sinatra
in the 1940s, appearing on CD for the first time. We have
here, then, two attractive exceptionally well-filled discs
available for around £9 – and unquestionably my Best
Buy for Christmas! Peter Burt
MANTOVANI AND HIS ORCHESTRA Christmas Carols Adeste
Fideles [O Come, All Ye Faithful]; Hark! The Herald Angels
Sing; God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen; White Christmas; Good
King Wenceslas; O HolyNight; The First Nowell; Joy To The
World; Silent Night; Holy Night; O Tannenbaum; Midnight
Waltz; Nazareth; O Little Town Of Bethlehem; Skaters’
Waltz // Classical Encores Slavonic Dance
No.2 In E Minor, Op.46; Etude No.3, Op.10; Tango; Barcarolle
[from Tales of Hoffman]; On Wings Of Song; Hungarian Dance
No.5; Solveig’s Song [from Peer Gynt]; Air For The
G String; Cradle Song; None But The Lonely Heart; Ave Maria;
Largo Vocalion [Catalogue number & timings
not available on going to press] The Christmas album is
the CD Mantovanians have long been expecting from this source.
[It was released on the US Collectors Choice Music label
CCM 20852 very late last year]. This is the 1958 stereo
re-recording and is, along with Percy Faith’s no longer
available ‘Music for Christmas’, just about
the finest album of Christmas music by a light orchestra.
At the Kingsway Hall organ featured on some tracks is Harold
Smart, whose father Charles played on the original mono
LP ‘An Album of Christmas Music’ in 1953.
Midnight Waltz is one of the maestro’s loveliest
compositions. The album joins Monty’s follow-up ‘A
Song for Christmas’, already available
on Vocalion CDLF 8122, and is a happy reminder of the
first 78 rpm record I ever bought, White Christmas/ Adeste
Fidelis, which began my affair with our kind of music.
This new 2-CD set is completed by an album recorded in May
1962 for issue in America but held back until 1965 for British
release and then, inexplicably, only briefly available.
With it I understand that Vocalion have now reissued all
of Monty’s stereo LPs. Including it does mean, of course,
that this release is not just for Christmas! And there is
also the customary added value of Colin Mackenzie’s
authoritative liner notes. Three cheers all round for Mike
Dutton. Peter Burt
BOTTICELLI AND HIS ORCHESTRA Presenting
Tie A Yellow Ribbon Round The Ole Oak Tree; My Love; Killing
Me Softly With His Song; It Never Rains in Southern California;
Day by Day; Mammy Blue … Unlimited Seasons In
The sun; Waterloo; Melody of Love; I Won’t Last a Day
Without You; The Air That I Breathe; etc. … 22 tracks
Dutton Vocalion CDLK4431 [67:24]. I wonder
how many of us missed these recordings the first time, nearly
40 years ago? There seemed to be a glut of similar outfits
around, with few clues as to who was responsible for them.
The title of the orchestra almost suggests that it might
be pseudo-Mozart, but nothing could be further from the
truth. It is not what we would call "light music",
because there are pop elements in the gentle rhythm and
the girly chorus, which happily is only occasionally and
quite tastefully used. The music concentrates on what was
popular at the time, rather than harking back to the 1920s
and 1930s, which many others were still doing in those days.
The string section is really quite lush at times –
pity it wasn’t used more extensively. I suspect many
of the players may have been recruited from the ranks of
the superb Metropole Orchestra, because the man behind the
"Botticelli" albums was Dick Bakker, who later
became conductor of that fine outfit founded in the mid-1940s
by Dolf van der Linden. The recordings were made in the
Dutch Dureco studios, where Bakker was appointed manager
when they opened in 1972. Five years later he started his
own music production and focussed on composing, arranging
and conducting film music, audiovisuals, company presentations,
commercials and album projects. In London he established
an orchestra with musicians from The London Philharmonic,
St. Martin in The Fields and top musicians from the freelance
sector. With this orchestra "The London Studio Symphony
Orchestra" he recorded his music for the next fifteen
years, often for leading multinational companies. By 1987
Dick Bakker was enjoying his international success which
resulted in recognition such as the Edison Award for ‘Musica
di Gloria’. Today Bakker remains actively involved
as an artistic adviser with productions involving the Metropole
Orchestra, and occasional music specials on radio and television.
With such a pedigree you’d expect a quality product,
and if you enjoy the kind of pleasing, undemanding sounds
you sometimes hear in the background in public places, then
this is for you. As an accompaniment to happy moments spent
simply relaxing, and reminiscing about the 1970s, this could
hardly be bettered! David Ades
PHILIP GREEN AND HIS ORCHESTRA Moments in Mayfair
These Foolish Things; Someday I’ll Find
You; Room 504; She’s My Lovely; Midnight in Mayfair;
Love is the Sweetest thing; London Fantasia; A Nightingale
Sang in Berkeley Square; We’ll Gather Lilacs; Limehouse
Blues. Music for Leisure – Easy Listening Stardust;
La Vie en Rose; Barcarolle; Caravan; Dizzy Fingers; Maneater;
Mexican Madness; Farewell Blues; The Merry Mountaineer;
Arkansas Traveller; (Back Home Again in) Indiana; West of
Pecos; Moonlight in Vermont; St Louis Blues; The Missouri
Waltz; By the Waters of Minnetonka Dutton Vocalion
CDEA6177 [78:03]. This has to one of the best CDs of
2010. At long last that superb Philip Green 10" Columbia
LP from 1956 has been reissued, and now for the first time
in stereo! Before stereo LPs arrived EMI issued a small
number of "stereosonic" reel to reel tapes, and
this was one of them. Very few will have been purchased
for two reasons: their high price and the lack of equipment
on which to play them. Top marks to Mike Dutton for securing
the stereo tapes that have transformed this collection,
which sounded great in mono but is now simply amazing. The
music has taken on a new vibrancy, thanks to Mike’s
expertise, and the sound quality is equal [if not better]
to the very latest recordings. The titles confirm that Philip
Green chose his material with great care [mostly by British
composers] and one assumes that he had a hand in the arrangements.
It is nice to hear the romantic theme from Clive Richardson’s
London Fantasia which takes on a pleasing new identity
divorced from the war atmosphere of most of the work. The
title of the other album in this collection has probably
prompted some head scratching! Almost as a bonus Mike Dutton
has unearthed another early EMI tape to pair with ‘Mayfair’.
Before cassettes were invented, EMI and some other companies
were trying to encourage us to use our growing number of
tape recorders as tape players. The reel to reel tape featuring
Philip Green was compiled from various sources – previous
78s, tapes and an LP [the final seven tracks are taken from
‘Pan-American Panorama’]. Highlights include
a wonderful – almost hectic – version of Caravan;
the Zez Confrey "classic" Dizzy Fingers;
Laddie Busby featured on trombone playing his own Maneater;
Philip Green’s The Merry Mountaineer; and Mexican
Madness by Cyril Stapleton and Bob Sharples. Finally
there is even more good news: this great CD is in Dutton’s
low price CDEA series. Simply a most enjoyable selection
of music, expertly restored, that will be on many RFS members’
"wants" list this Christmas! David Ades
THE LOST TRANSCRIPTIONS Volume 1 For full track
listing please see details in the ‘Light Music’
section of this website. Guild GLCD5174. Previous
issues in the Guild Light Music Series have explored the
vaults of the Recorded Music Libraries. For this release
another musical treasure house has been tapped, namely recordings
of the various transcription services made of live performances
for use by, eventually, broadcasters worldwide, although
the practice began in the US in the early 1940s when they
were also distributed to Service personnel. A number of
such transcriptions have, almost against the odds, survived
and a generous selection is reproduced here in recordings
excellent in quality for their time and with modern wizardry
sounding very enjoyable even in the 21st century.
Many of the names of bands and conductors familiar from
previous Guild releases reappear here: Dolf van der Linden,
Percy Faith, George Melachrino, Philip Green and David Rose.
Yet there are surprises to be found among them. Rose’s
catchy The Butterfly and the Alligator seems to be
otherwise unknown; new to me also were Rose’s Pepper
Tree Lane from his ‘Hollywood Bowl Suite’
and his arrangement of Ding Dong the Witch is Dead
from "The Wizard of Oz" [Rose was briefly
married to Judy Garland] which begins like a piece of "train
music". A Jota by Anthony Collins and performed
by Philip Green’s orchestra has breathtaking energy.
Several tracks are from the Second World War, especially
those by Melachrino and the young Sidney Torch with the
RAF Concert Orchestra, about which not much is known except
that it seems to have been based in Blackpool. The junior
service, incidentally, headhunted most of the best available
musicians during 1939-45. The last nine tracks have
perhaps most interest for me personally. Don Gillis is best
known for Symphony No.5½; here his Three Sketches
[Enchantment, Whimsy, and Day Dreams]
are small in scale and economical in instrumentation but
are distinctive. Lamar Springfield was also American and
his Dance of the Frogs, based on the nursery rhyme
A frog he would a-wooing go [inserted, as many will
remember, as a fugato in Roger Quilter’s A Children’s
Overture], is a gorgeous find. I first encountered Jarnefelt’s
Praeludium in the 1940s when it was used to introduce
a radio adaptation of one of Walter Scott’s novels;
maybe even this performance was used, ‘though at that
time there was a commercial 78 of it and its companion piece
Berceuse. The name Eric Robinson as conductor of
this wartime track is of interest. Eric Coates’ ‘Three
Men Suite’ is pieced together by combining recordings,
also wartime, from Melachrino’s Orchestra in Khaki
[first movement] and Dunn’s Royal Marines Portsmouth
Orchestra – a characterful, energetic overall performance.
And finally to music by Keler-Bela [1924-84], born in Hungary
and who played in theatre or dance orchestras in Vienna
and Berlin and later toured Europe, including England, with
his own orchestra. He composed 12 overtures, perhaps his
major compositions, and lots of dances [a Keler-Bela Czardas
was appropriated by Brahms for his Hungarian Dance No.5];
if all have the same colour and sparkle as this Romantic
Overture, then a revival of his music generally is overdue,
indeed imperative. I hope I have written enough to tempt
prospective purchasers; repertoire and performances are
alike stimulating, exciting even. Very highly recommended;
let’s have more "found" transcriptions!
Philip L Scowcroft
PAUL MAURIAT AND HIS ORCHESTRA El Condor Pasa Love
Story; El Condor Pasa; To Be The One You Love; Melancholy
Man; Black Harlem; My Sweet Lord, etc… L.O.V.E.
Oh Happy Day; Get Back; Windmills of your Mind; Aquarius;
Serenade to a Summertime; etc. … 22 tracks Dutton
Vocalion CDLK4437 [xx:xx] When the album ‘El
Condor Pasa’ was released in 1971, Paul
Mauriat had already made more than thirty LPs, and he was
in the happy position of knowing that he had an army of
admirers who would readily snap up everything new that he
offered them. His ‘L.O.V.E.’ LP had been
released two years earlier – in France it was called
‘Un Jour, Un Enfant’ – and both collections
tended to reflect the way in which popular music was developing
in the post-Beatles era. Considering how prolific Paul Mauriat
was [looking at lists on the internet one is tempted to
say that he may have made more LPs than any of his peers]
it is surprising that new CD releases do not feature many
more examples of his work. In 1968 he shot to fame when
his recording of Love Is Blue was number one in the
US charts for five weeks. It had been written by his fellow
countryman André Popp as Luxembourg’s entry
for the 1967 Eurovision Song Contest where it came a disappointing
fourth [Sandie Shaw was the winner for the United Kingdom
that year with Puppet On A String], but Mauriat’s
elegant orchestration managed to capture the public’s
attention. Already well-known in France, his career was
now firmly launched internationally. In 1965 Mauriat signed
a recording contract with Polygram, and this lasted until
1993. He produced a large catalogue of recordings, selling
more than 40 million albums worldwide. He embarked on the
first of many world tours in 1969, visiting countries like
United
States, Canada,
South
Korea, Brazil
and especially Japan, where he would undertake 28 tours
in the following years, during which it is estimated that
he conducted well over 1,000 concerts. Such was his popularity
in Japan that he appeared in television commercials, and
made new recordings with their Pony record label when his
Polygram contract expired. Paul Mauriat gave his final performance
in 1998 in Osaka,
Japan, where tribute concerts have been held in recent years.
He died on 3 November 2006 at Perpignan in southern France,
aged 81. RFS member Serge Elhaik has been a champion of
Mauriat’s music for many years, having written his
biography with Mauriat’s blessing. This new Vocalion
release should help to make music lovers take further notice
of a talented man who created a vast army of adoring fans,
especially in Japan. David Ades
GLENN MILLER AND THE ARMY AIRFORCES BAND Medley
Time 2 CDs 34 tracks Sounds of yesteryear
DSOD812 [79:03 & 77:36] Fourteen medleys that according
to sleeve were songs most often requested. Guests include
Johnny Desmond, Artie Malvin, Peanuts Hucko, Tony Martin,
Bob Carroll and the Crew Chiefs. These fifteen minute medleys
were broadcast three times a week: by using this format
Glenn could double the tunes used! Paul Clatworthy
THE PRISONER The Complete Chappell Recorded Music Library
Cues DJR 001a [58:50] DJR 001b [50:29] DJR002
[65:19] For the benefit of any readers who might
still be unfamiliar with the cult 1967 television series,
it contains a vast range of often spectacular and very tuneful
light music, with many items by Robert Farnon, that can
be relied on to cater for all tastes. This special Collectors’
3-CD set makes available for the first time the complete
archive collection of incidental music as used in the 1967
Everyman TV production. Aimed at the connoisseur of "Prisoner"
music and specialist communities dedicated to the appreciation
of library music, television incidental music and British
light music, its features include a 56-page booklet containing
an episode by episode, scene by scene listing of all the
music library original soundtracks and commercial tracks
used in the series. There is a total of 174 minutes of music
on 100 tracks, many on CD for the first time, and all in
high quality sound. For contractual reasons some commercial
tracks are omitted but these can mostly be obtained from
other sources. This CD set is beautifully presented in a
limited edition of 1,000 sequentially numbered and is highly
recommended. It is not available from any shops and is available
at £26.99 [+ £1.99 p&p] by personal application only
from No2YourVillage, 65 Oxford Avenue, Guiseley, Leeds LS20
9BY or on-line. Further details including track-listing
etc. can be seen at www.theunmutual.co.uk
Peter Luck
JOHN FOULDS Keltic Suite, etc. BBC Concert Orchestra
conducted by Ronald Corp Keltic Overture; Keltic
Suite; Sicilian Aubade; Isles of Greece; Holiday Sketches
– Festival in Nuremburg, Romany from Bohemia,
Evening in the Odenwald, Bells at Coblenz; An Arabian Night;
Suite Fantastique – Pierrette and Pierrot, Chanson
Plaintive, The Wayside Cross, Carnival Procession Dutton
Epoch CDLX7252 [68:06]. A few weeks ago in my locally
owned recorded and sheet music/instruments shop I ordered
a John Foulds CD I’d seen on a forthcoming issues list,
and since receiving it it’s hardly been out of my CD
player. Apart from Paxton and Bosworth recordings of his
music, I really didn’t know much about John Foulds
[1880-1939] but this Dutton Epoch disc is light music at
its best. Lewis Foreman in the CD booklet notes that Foulds
was frustrated that his light music was played in preference
to his more serious works and listening to this CD I can
see why. The programme begins with the Keltic Overture,
rather similar I think to Hamish MacCunn’s The Land
of the Mountain and the Flood and this is followed by
The Clans, A Lament and The Call, which
make up the Keltic Suite. All very colourful especially
The Call, which begins as a jig and works up to a
grand martial movement then coming back to its original
dance rhythm before once again returning to a martial climax.
Sicillian Aubade could have come from a mood music
catalogue, it has that Mediterranean melody yet it is one
of eleven tracks having their world premiere recordings
on this CD. Isles of Greece is a plaintive piece
which apparently was dedicated to a couple of dancers, Alexandre
and Clotilde Sakharoff , who used it for a short ballet.
The suite Holiday Sketches was published by Bosworths
but to my knowledge hasn’t ever appeared in their mood
music library catalogue as has the Keltic Overture
and Lament. The first movement is Festival in
Nuremburg but nothing to do with the infamous rallies,
it’s a holiday style march and very catchy. The BBC
Concert Orchestra’s Cynthia Fleming is the solo violinst
for the gipsy Romany from Bohemia as is cello soloist
Katherine Wood in the quiet Evening in the Odenwald.
Holiday Sketches ends in quite a tumultuous fashion
with Bells at Coblenz ringing out. An Arabian
Night is a quiet affair with as you’d expect eastern
overtones but the CD ends with four movements from the Suite
Fantastique; The Wayside Cross builds to an impressive
organ climax played by Roderick Elms, and the final movement
Carnival Procession has the Concert Orchestra and
conductor Ronald Corp sounding as though they’ve enjoyed
themselves immensely playing this much neglected composer’s
light music. Ken Wilkins
RAIE DA COSTA – The Parlophone Girl Volume 3 The
First Thing I Knew; One Hour With You – Medley; Sunshine
Susie – Medley; Hexentanz; Fairies’ Gavotte; The
Punch and Judy Show; Butterflies In The Rain; Sarie Marais;
I’ll Follow My Secret Heart; etc. … 24 tracks
Shellwood SWCD 40 [70:00]. This is Shellwood’s
third collection devoted to a young lady pianist from South
Africa with considerable talent, who died at the tragically
early age of 29. Many of her recordings could best be described
as syncopated piano solos, but sometimes she was joined
by musicians such as Fred Hartley [on celeste] and in duets
with the likes of Harry Jacobson. From the brief tracklisting
details above, keen eyes will have spotted compositions
by top songsmiths such as Sherman Myers [who we all now
know was Montague Ewing], and she is also featured as composer
on Toyland Holiday. If you’ve enjoyed the first
two volumes you’ll be keen to get this one as well.
The fine restorations are complemented with comprehensive
booklet notes and recording information. David Ades
If you have difficulty finding Shellwood CDs, they can be
obtained from the RFS Record Service.
PETER DEMPSEY My Dreams : Songs by Francesco Paolo Tosti
26 tracks incl. Io son l’amore!; O Ma Charmante;
Shall We Forget?; Marechiare; Beauty’s Eyes; Ici-bas!;
Triste ritorno; On Lido Waters; Because of You; Le Rose
che mi desti; Senza l’amore!; My Dreams;
Petite Valse Romantique [piano solo]; Spring; Serenata allegra;
Inverno Triste!; Serenata Allegro; Inverno
triste!; Seconda mattinata; ‘A vucchella … FPT
1 [78:39] Here is another of tenor Peter Dempsey’s
growing collection of CDs devoted to Victorian or Edwardian
ballads and notable, as always, for his clear, passionate
delivery and admirable diction. Tosti [1846-1916] is best
remembered for the English ballad Good-Bye [not recorded
here], but his output of 350-plus songs included, besides
English ballads [mostly to lyrics by Fred Weatherly, with
six of them here], French chansons [three here including
the charming Pour un baiser!, beloved of Caruso]
and Italian songs, many specifically Neapolitan ones. Strongly
recommended, not least because at least 12 of the 25 song
tracks have probably not previously been recorded. Recording
quality is excellent. Accompanist Guy Rowland, who supports
well, arranged his own solo from a Tosti waltz song. Available
from Peter Dempsey at 44 Victoria Road, Bidford-on-Avon,
Alcester, Warwicks B50 4AR at £9.95 including postage Philip
L Scowcroft
GEORGE BEVERLEY SHEA The Wonder Of It All 2 CDs
48 tracks Jasmine JASCD 674 [65:13 & 69:33]
The canyon-deep baritone of "Bev", now in his
102nd year, was a key part of Dr. Billy Graham’s
great Christian crusades held throughout the world during
the second half of the 20th century. Many old
favourites are here such as Somebody bigger than you
or I, If I can help somebody, How great thou
art, He’s got the whole world in His hands,
The Lord’s Prayer and Blessed assurance.
The last 12 tracks on Disc 2 are devoted to Christmas titles.
Both generously-timed CDs [at mid-price] will bring back
moving memories to many people of their lives being changed.
Peter Burt
CENTRAL BAND OF THE ROYAL AIR FORCE Reach For The Skies
Battle Of Britain March; Fanfare For The Common Man;
633 Squadron; RAF March Past; Lawrence Of Arabia;
It’s A Long Way To Go; The Dambusters March; Winston
Churchill: "Their finest hour" [Jerusalem]; Reach
For The Sky; Danny Boy; Pomp And Circumstance; Those Magnificent
Men In Their Flying Machines; Spitfire Prelude; Wind Beneath
My Wings; Evening Hymn and Sunrise; Winston Churchill: "Never
in the field of human conflict" [The Day Thou Gavest]
Decca 2747513 [48:36] Released to mark the 70th
anniversary of the Battle of Britain, this is guaranteed
to lift the spirits with its mix of RAF-related classics,
including three composed by Ron Goodwin, and tunes traditional
and modern. The 45-strong band is conducted by the RAF’s
principal director of music, Wing Commander Duncan Stubbs.
I am not enthusiastic about the three vocal tracks: It’s
a long way sung by Fl. Lt. Matthew Little, which was
especially written for the album by two of the bandsmen,
Danny Boy [Hayley Westenra], and Wind beneath
[Kerry Ellis]. The two speech extracts give added poignancy
to an otherwise fine album with a very high level of musicianship.
I recall 55 years ago how proud I was to march behind this
band with bayonet fixed as RAF Wyton received the Freedom
of Huntingdon. Not for the first time my main quibble
with this CD is the short measure. When will Decca match
the quality with quantity on their popular band releases?
Peter Burt
BOB SCOBEY AND HIS FRISCO JAZZ BAND featuring CLANCY
HAYES Feelin’ The Spirit Frisco jazz
parade; Georgia blues; Too much mustard (take five) There’s
nothing in Dixie (take three) Memories of bunk; Sudan (take
six) Geary Street blues; Feelin’ the spirit; That’s
for sure; Strawberry time; My hearts in Dixie (take three)
Hobo blues (take two) Don’t count your kisses; Southern
comfort; Bourbon street; Tailgate romance; Cable car swing;
Clarinet capers; While you are away; Along the Wabash shore;
Hobo blues (take three) Too much mustard (take four) What
a lonesome day (take five) Bob’s blues (take one) Two
beat (take four) Sounds of yesteryear DSOY
817 [67:50] One for Chris Barber fans! Paul
Clatworthy
JOE VENUTI AND HIS BLUE FIVE Blue Five Swing
Hoe-down low down; Tango interlude; Hot ‘N’
trot; Bohemian bounce; Blue five swing; Nobody loves me;
Red sea rumba; Fickle fiddle; Orchids; Concerto for new
sounds; Black rhythm; Desert flower; Fleur-de-lis; Beautiful
Oregon; Loco motives; Gee its great; Could I care; Noveletta;
The distant lake; Sambalina. Sounds of yesteryear
DSOY 815 [55:02] Joe Venuti is considered the father
of jazz violin. He worked with major big bands such as Bix
Beiderbecke, Jack Teagarden and Benny Goodman. Bing Crosby’s
radio show featured him on a regular basis. A great practical
joker, he used to send one armed trumpet player Wingy Malone
a single cufflink every Christmas. Another time annoyed
by a band member’s insistent foot tapping he nailed
the culprits shoe to the floor! These tracks were recorded
in 1957 and make pleasant listening; few violinists could
coax so much joy out of the instrument in a small group
setting.
Paul Clatworthy
DON REDMAN ORCHESTRA featuring COLEMAN HAWKINS
Free And Easy Last night in town; To the river;
Ballad ‘N’ bounce; Dreamy melody; Desert dance;
Chevy’s chase; Christmas in the valley; Donnybrook;
Ain’t gonna get fooled again; Voodoo; Peetni Petite;
Waiting on the corner; My dream of yesterday; Fall leaves;
At the swing cats ball; Free and easy; Echoing; Coffee light;
The black cat; I dream of summer. Sounds of yester
year DSOY 816 [51:58] Don Redman made his mark as an
arranger in early big band jazz providing scores for Louis
Armstrong, Ben Pollack and Paul Whiteman [my Dad’s
favourite band]. He later worked for Jimmy Dorsey, Count
Basie then as musical director for Pearl Bailey. All twenty
tracks are absorbing listening, I would dearly love to know
who did the composing and arranging as there are no credits
on the sleeve. Coleman Hawkins puts extra colour in to these
rare sessions which are undated. The sleeve says Don stopped
leading his own band in 1940 so I assume the music predates,
if so either excellent first recording or wonders worked
in the remastering. I loved the title and tune Chevy’s
chase although unfair to pick one among so many goodies.
Paul Clatworthy
LALO SCHIFRIN Mambo in Paris featuring the Orchestras
of Eddie Warner and Lolo Martinez Harkit Records
HRKCD8347 [63:15] Twenty-one tracks arranged by Lalo.
His piano teacher told him the Conservatoire de Paris was
offering scholarships for foreign students, so he set off
with his book of arrangements. The year was 1952, these
tracks were originally issued on The Barclay and Odeon labels
between 1953 and 1955 A fascinating look at Lalo’s
early writings, four original compositions, others by Gillespie,
Perez Prado, Juan Tizol, Morales and names familiar in South
America but less well known in Europe. Paul Clatworthy
MONICA MANCINI I’ve Loved These Days These
days: God only knows; American tune; Blame it on the sun;
Without him; How can I be sure; I’ll follow the sun;
Ballad of the sad young men; Something so right; I’ve
loved these days. Concord 08880072307452 [43:15].
Despite arrangements by Jorge Calandrelli I wish I had given
this one a miss. Revisiting hits by others only works if
you can improve or add something. Some tracks have the original
artists involved but it is still a letdown.
Paul Clatworthy
FOLLOW THAT GIRL 17 tracks incl. Tra La La; I’m
away; Follow that girl; Solitary stranger; Life must go
on; Three Victorian mermaids; Doh, Ray, Me; Song and dance;
The Chase; Taken for a ride; Lovely meeting you at last
… & 2 other tracks Hooray For Daisy! 12
tracks incl. She coming on the 4.48; I feel as if I’d
never been away; No lullaby; How when and where?; If only
you needed me; Nice day … Must Close Saturday
Records MCSR 3047 [76:21]
FOLLOW THAT GIRL [Original London Cast] 17 tracks
…& 7 other tracks Sepia Records Sepia 1156
[72:64]
Not a blast from the past but the gentle zephyr of a breeze!
My wife and I celebrated our first wedding anniversary by
going to the Vaudeville Theatre in London to see Julian
Slade and Dorothy Reynolds’ delightful follow-up to
their then record breaking show "Salad Days."
And now, 50 years on, here is not only its first re-issue
on CD but mirabile dictu its second as well. Starring
Peter Gilmore [later of the popular BBC series ‘The
Onedin Line’] and Susan Hampshire [later of ‘Forsyte
Saga’ and ‘Monarch of the Glen’ fame] with
musical direction by Philip Martell, it ran for 211 performances
and was one of the first show recordings to be made in stereo.
The story is about a young Victorian girl whose parents
want her to marry a businessman so she runs away followed
by her two suitors, Tancred and Wilberforce. The policeman
sent to find her, who himself was lost 20 years ago while
his parents [played by Marion Grimaldi and Newton Blick]
were Shopping in Kensington, falls in love with her.
Among the good tunes and witty lyrics Waiting for our
daughter, sung in mock-opera style by James Cairncross
and Patricia [Hyacinth "Bucket"] Routledge, is
especially fun. Slade and Reynolds also wrote the Christmassy
‘Hooray for Daisy’, a dozen numbers from
which are included on the Must Close album performed by
the Bristol Old Vic Company. As well as the tracks from
the two stage shows there are two additional tracks: Michael
Collins’ orchestral selection from ‘Follow’,
and the title tune played as a slow foxtrot by Victor Sylvester
and his Orchestra. This CD also has the added appeal of
the recording being restored by our friend Alan Bunting.
Aside from that the Sepia album is only slightly shorter
in length and is £2 or so cheaper. It has some fascinating
"bonus" tracks: two selections from ‘Follow’
played by composer Julian Slade himself at the piano,
a "pop version" of the title tune sung by Mr Gilmore
backed by Tony Osborne and his Orchestra, three tracks [two
songs from ‘Follow’] from the 1955 recording
‘The Music of Julian Slade’, and Christmas
Madrigal from another Slade show "Look Who’s
Here". All wonderfully nostalgic. Peter Burt
LANG LANG The Best Of Lang Lang 27 tracks Deutsche
Grammophon 4779014 [131:70] Here is the phenomenally
talented 28-year-old pianist [his name translates as "very
brilliant"], about whom some music purists are a bit
sniffy, playing on a new mid-price 2-CD collection of recordings
ranging from Liebestraum to – of special interest
to JIM readers – Nigel Hess’s 23½-minute Piano
Concerto, commissioned by The Prince of Wales
in memory of the late Queen Mother. In between there is
an eclectic mix of pieces: Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini;
Träumerei; Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto
No.1, 3rd movt.; Mike Oldfield’s
Harbinger; Alexandre Desplat’s River Waltz [from
the film "The Painted Lady"]; The Yellow
River Piano Concerto, 2nd movt. Ode to the Yellow
River; Schiller’s Time for Dreams, other
tuneful works by Liszt, Beethoven, Mozart, Chopin, Satie,
Rachmaninov, Schumann, and some particularly fascinating
ones by Chinese composers, about which I would have liked
some information in the booklet notes. Put this on your
Christmas gift list. Edward Trub
More reminders from Wilfred Askew of recently received
releases
THE CREATIVE SOUNDS OF FRANK DE VOL – Portraits
55 tracks on 2-CDs incl. Stranger in Paradise; Moments
to Remember; My Foolish Heart; Unchained Melody; Chances
are; Tammy; True Love; Say One for Me; Love Letters in the
Sand; Silver Moon; When I Grow Too Old to Dream; Wonderful
one; I’ll See You Again …Jasmine JASCD
538 [156:51] Original Capitol, CBS & RCA
Recordings including 21 vocal tracks: Bing Crosby, Jo Stafford,
Margaret Whiting, Dinah Shore, Mel Torme & Gordon Macrae.
MAURICE JARRE ‘Lion Of The Desert’ & ‘The
Message’ The Original Film Sountracks on 2-CDs
Tadlow Music Tadlow 008 [138:32]
HENRY MANCINI Mancini Marches [issued in 1959 as
‘March Step In Hi-Fi’] National
Emblem; Entry of the Gladiators; The Billboard March; Under
the double Eagle; Colonel Bogey; On the Mall … &
six more titles Sousa In Hi-Fi [reissued in 1963
as ‘Sousa’s Greatest Marches’] Semper
fidelis; National Fencibles March; Stars & Stripes Forever;
The Invincible Eagle March; King Cotton; Manhattan Beach
March … & six more titles Collectors’
Choice CCM-959 [65:05] Original Warner Bros. albums
from 1959.
RALPH MARTERIE Into The ‘Fifties 50 original
Mercury recordings on 2-CDs: Pretend; Caravan; Shish-Kebab;
Moonlight in Vermont; La Rosita; Beautiful Ohio; Alice Blue
Gown; Alone; Once in a while; Boulevard of Broken Dreams,
John and Julie; In a Persian Market … Jasmine
JASCD 541 [132:13]
THE ARHUR MURRAY ORCHESTRA directed by Ray Carter Arthur
Murray’s Music For Dancing Cha Cha 12 tracks
incl. Watermelon Heart; Cheerful Little Earful; Arrivederci,
Roma; Rico Vacilon; Arthur, you should smile more; It might
as well be Spring … Sbme SBMk700725 2 [31:40]
Fox Trot 12 tracks incl. Mack the Knife; Autumn
Leaves; Canadian Sunset; There’s a small hotel; April
in Portugal; Arthur Murray taught me dancing in a hurry
… Sbme SBMk 700726 2 [28:26] Mambo, Rumba,
Samba, Tango, Meringue 12 tracks incl. Red Petticoats;
Tequila; Dansero; Bandolero, [La La] Colette; Ole Guapo
… Sbme SBMk700727 2 [29:06] Waltz
12 tracks incl. Tenderly; Wunderbar; Under Paris Skies;
A Kiss in the Dark; Alice blue gown; Wonderful One …
Sbme SBMk 700728 2 [29:43] Original RCA recordings
1959.
KEN THORNE ‘Juggernaut’ & ‘The Bed
Sitting Room’ Original Motion Picture Soundtracks
Kritzerland 20016-1 [33:56] 1,000 copies
|
|
|
KEEPING TRACK
Dateline September 2010
THE BEST OF BRITISH LIGHT MUSIC BBC Concert Orchestra,
Martin Loveday [leader], conducted by Vernon Handley 633
Squadron; Coronation Scot; Westminster Waltz; London Suite
- Knightsbridge: March; Covent Garden: Tarantelle; Nights
of Gladness; Mexican Hat Dance; Sailing By; The Horse Guards
- Whitehall; Elizabethan Serenade; Little Suite - March;
Jamaican Rumba; Concert Jig; By The Sleepy Lagoon; Puffin’
Billy; Vanity Fair; Jumping Bean; Grasshoppers’ Dance;
Barwick Green; Dam Busters March Sony Classical 88697707372
[68:24] Hot from HMV, this release plopped through
my letterbox on the last date for reviews to be sent in.
Although the last to arrive it is the first this quarter
deserving an enthusiastic recommendation. The selection
of mellow 1997 recordings here presents no big surprises
for the light music lover ─ some of the British connections
may raise a quizzical eyebrow or two ─ but it will
make a wonderful introduction for someone who has little
knowledge of or thinks they have no liking for our kind
of music, conducted as it is by the acclaimed British classical
conductor and champion of all British music, the late Vernon
"Tod" Handley. And it is meat and drink to the
orchestra involved. The Concert Jig is from Ernest
Tomlinson’s ‘Silverthorn Suite’, the
‘Little Suite is by Trevor Duncan, and Peter
Hope arranged the Mexican Hat Dance. At a list price
of £4.99 [I got it for a pre-release price of £2.99!] it
is a great bargain. So, go on, buy it for yourself and treat
an "unbelieving" friend. It’s not long until
Christmas! Peter Burt
BUDDY BREGMAN CONDUCTS Symphony Of The Golden West The
Brussels World Fair’s Pops Symphony Orchestra
Song of the Golden West, The Streets of Laredo, Bury Me
Not on the Lone Prairie, Colorado Trail, The Cowboy, Whoopee-Ti-Yi-Yo,
Billy Boy, Red River Valley, Home on the Range, The Old
Chisholm Trail, No Use For Women, Jesse James ; A
Lovely Afternoon The Conrad Salinger Orchestra The
Continental, I Cover The Waterfront, Long Ago and Far Away,
The Boy Next Door, Our Love Affair, That’s Entertainment,
I Concentrate On You, Singin’ In The Rain, Let’s
Fall In Love, The Trolley Song, I’ve Told Ev’ry
Little Star, I’m In Love With A Wonderful Guy
Frank Bristow EXCD 59 [67:19]. If you have bought
a Guild ‘Golden Age of Light Music’ CD recently,
the chances are that one of the tracks from the Conrad Salinger
LP ‘A Lovely Afternoon’ may have been included.
Most of the inspired arrangements from this genius of MGM
Musicals have already been made available again on Guild,
but this should certainly not stop you from jumping at the
chance to get the complete album. If you need any further
encouragement, movie-buff Richard Hindley has updated his
article on Salinger from JIM which now appears in full in
the CD booklet. The LP has been remastered to a very high
standard [the booklet doesn’t divulge his or her name]
and listening to twelve great movie songs performed so immaculately
is surely a great way to escape from the troubles of our
modern world. The accompanying LP is almost a bonus. Its
subject matter suggests it was aimed at the American market,
but it avoids too much corny cowboy nostalgia. Billy
Boy [which I had always assumed to be a traditional
British air] receives a most melodic treatment that completely
transforms it. If you share my enthusiasm for the great
days of film musicals, don’t hesitate to get this CD
while you can. David Ades For details of
how to obtain the Frank Bristow CDs mentioned in this feature,
please refer to the review for the Reg Owen albums.
TEX BENEKE ORCHESTRA Goodbye, Glenn Miller Strings
27 tracks incl. Just you just me; Blue champagne;
Cherokee Canyon; The man I love; Saturday date; Can’t
help lovin’ that man; A woman always understands; St
Louis Blues March; A string of pearls; Until; Every day
I love you; Little Jack Frost got lost; East of the sun;
At last … Sounds of Yesteryear DSOY 811
[79:07] Glenn’s Army Band had a large string section
but back in civvy street the economics became too much for
its successor’s budget. Compiler Michael Highton has
collated some of the last string outings made: some bought
from the late Bill Holland, former secretary of The Glenn
Miller Appreciation Society, others from broadcasts made
by the late Jimmy Crawford. Enjoyable, with the highlights
for me being Bill Finegan’s arrangement of My Buddy,
Ralph Wilkinson’s setting of Laura, and Henry
Mancini cutting the band loose on ‘S Wonderful Paul
Clatworthy
JOHNNY DOUGLAS AND HIS ORCHESTRA & SINGERS On Broadway
10 tracks from ‘No, No, Nanette’ incl.
Too many rings around Rosie; I’ve confessed to the
breeze; Tea for two; Take a little one step; I want to be
happy … ; I believe in you; Paris original; The brotherhood
on man; To look upon my love; Inevitable; I’m just
taking my time; Comes one in a lifetime; Shalom; Everything
beautiful; His own little island Dulcima DLCD 123
[62:36] Our esteemed Editor heaped so much praise on
the last Douglas release [JIM 182] he probably thought somebody
else should have a bite at this latest cherry of a disc.
It comprises two original RCA albums in their Living Strings
Collection – the third from this label. The first album
is of the 1925 Vincent Youmans’ stage show [filmed
1930, ’40 and ’50] regarded on its original release
in 1971 as the best recording of the songs. Youmans went
for simplicity and many of his tunes were just a repetition
of three or four notes as in Tea for two. The second
album, after which this CD is named, is a 1962 selection
of unhackneyed hits from the Broadway musicals of the previous
year: ‘How to Succeed in Business Without Really
Trying [Loesser]; ‘Kean’ [Wright/Forrest];
‘Subways are for Sleeping’ [Comden/Green/Styne];
‘Milk and Honey’ [Herman]; and ‘Let
it Ride’ [Livingston/Evans]. All the arrangements
are by the conductor, who captures the real show-music sound
from a full orchestra. Although every track is vocal there
are some superior string sounds surrounding the singing.
Top marks, too, for re-mastering and recording. Peter
Burt
A FIRST A-Z OF LIGHT MUSIC Guild GLCD5169 For
full tracklisting please see page 66 of JIM 184 (June 2010)
This sounded an interesting title for the 69th
Guild release promising more to come, alphabetically speaking,
and it begins in great style with Vivian Ellis’s Alpine
Pastures played by the Queen’s Hall Light Orchestra,
arranged and conducted by Sidney Torch from the Chappell
catalogue. I’ve often wondered why a programme producer
chooses a particular piece of music [Alpine Pastures
was the theme music for the BBC radio programme ‘My
Word’ many years ago 1956-1990], considering the hundreds
of musical themes available in mood music libraries. Alpine
Pastures begins very gently for the first 31 seconds
─ not at all the theatrical opening you might expect
a radio producer to look for. Then the main jolly tune comes
in and I’ll bet Tony Shryane, the producer [I think
it was he], sat back, lit up a cigarette and thought, "that’s
the piece." Another very jolly tune is David Rose’s
The Christmas Tree as played by his Orchestra. David
[Ades] tells us in his notes that this was used each Yuletide
on the Red Skelton TV Show, and it’s not hard to see
why; it’s just the piece to get the audience in a festive
mood. Hans-Georg Arlt and his Orchestra make another appearance
on Guild with an attractive number, Through You This
World Is Beautiful, on the Ariola label. A composer
who’s intrigued me for some time since coming across
her works in publishers’ mood music catalogues is Joyce
Cochrane, and thanks to David’s notes we know more
about her with the inclusion of Flowing Stream from
the Francis, Day & Hunter catalogue. Another of her
compositions I’d like to see included on a future Guild
issue is Round the Square. I’ve got the Chappell
78 but it would be nice to have it on CD. Another mood music
composer, very prolific in his lifetime, was Cedric King
Palmer, and here’s one of his typically catchy numbers,
Going Concern, played by The Grosvenor Studio Orchestra
conducted by Dolf Van der Linden on track seven. The sort
of happy carefree music that used to come off the soundtracks
of short supporting cinema films such as the "Look
At Life" series from the Rank Organization. Another
composer whom we don’t hear too much about is Henry
Croudson whose composition Jump For Joy, played
by The Connaught Light Orchestra, is included in this collection.
Philip Green [writing as Jose Belmonte] provides an exotic
flavour with his number The Kiss played by Angela
Morley and her Orchestra, while Hal Mooney and his Orchestra
follow on track 12 with his own curious march-like rhythmic
piece, Leo. Perhaps it was written in honour of the
MGM Lion… who knows? Another curiosity is Moonlight
on the Ganges by Sherman Myers [Montague Ewing]
and Chester Wallace, played by Gordon Jenkins and his Orchestra.
Not the sort of dreamy piece I expected from Mr. Ewing,
having a number of his lighthearted pieces in my record
collection. Joseph Kuhn was another prolific composer judging
by the times his name crops up on the 101 Strings recordings,
and here’s another of his sparkling contributions,
Noche Amour, played by The Rio Carnival Orchestra.
George Melachrino conducting the Orchestra of the 6th
San Remo Festival play Parole E Musica by Silvestri,
[don’t ask!] Back to my territory, a piece of Bosworth
Catalogue Archive music from 1938, Rose-Beetle Goes A-Wooing
by Jose Armandola and played by the Regent Classic Orchestra
[Louis Voss and his Orchestra?] Still in "mood music"
mode, but this time from 1959, the Group Forty Orchestra
conducted by Eric Cook gives us Jack Cole’s Sunshine
Express from the KPM Library. I first heard this on
an LP collection of mood pieces from KPM issued in 1966
by Amateur Cine World magazine. It included a licence to
re-record on film or tape without payment of additional
dubbing fees and I’m looking at the LP now as I write
this, with its photo on the front sleeve of a young couple
and a Eumig Projector, the same model I still have. Good
old cine days. Yet another library piece, the overture Vanity
Fair by Percy Fletcher from Boosey & Hawkes with
Jay Wilbur conducting the New Concert Orchestra, recorded
at Levy’s Sound Studios I’m sure. It has what
I can only describe as that distinct Levy sound, and it
made me re-read Bill Johnson’s fascinating article
"Memories of Levy’s Sound Studios 1955-1961"
in the June 2004 issue [No.159] of Journal into Melody,
although Vanity Fair was recorded in 1946. Getting
to the end of the alphabet must have been a tricky move
but the compilers have done it with Xarafes, a tango
arranged and played by Dolf Van der Linden and his Orchestra.
This is followed by Jeff Alexander’s Yellow,
a cheerful piece played by a Symphony Orchestra conducted
by Frank Sinatra. And finally Z for Zingara by Cecile
Chaminade, a charming number played by The Melachrino Orchestra,
and arranged by Arthur Wilkinson. A spirited ending for
yet another Guild Light Music CD. Ken Wilkins
MORTON GOULD & HIS ORCHESTRA Showtime ‘Famous
Operettas’: The Waltz Dream; Sari; The Merry Widow;
The Vagabond King; The Cat and The Fiddle; Why Do I Love
you? … ; ‘Oklahoma – Suite’… 4
tracks // ‘Carousel – Suite’ … 5 tracks;
Fanny; Why be afraid to dance?; Almost like being in love;
I’m sure of your love; Three-quarter Blues; The perfume
of your love; My best love; Merry Andrew; Love for two;
Happy with the Blues; Lullabye time; Tonight I love you
more; Once in a million moons; Nightwalk Frank Bristow
FBCD 220/221 [77:49 & 73:57] Coming to this disc
I was aware of Morton Gould [1913-96] for his classical
compositions [the ballet Fall River Legend, Latin-American
Symphonette, etc.] and The Deserted Ballroom,
one of my all-time favourite Mantovani tracks. However,
as arranger, pianist and conductor he bridged the musical
worlds. This generously timed 2CD-set includes tracks from
four albums [one Columbia, three RCA] and is easy listening
melody all the way. Two of the operetta tracks, Cole Porter’s
Silk stockings and All of you, were
originally RCA 45 rpm promotional discs. The Harold Rome
numbers, Fanny and Why be afraid to dance?,
were also recorded on 45s. The most interesting tracks are
the last ten listed above all featuring that master of the
harmonica, Larry Adler. In his informative booklet notes
[although it’s a pity no recording dates are given]
Frank Bristow tells us that these had been discarded for
one reason or another by their creators, and discovered
only after their deaths, apart from those by Gould himself:
Love for two and Nightwalk. Of particular
note is George Gershwin’s Lullabye time [c.1919],
which came to the attention of Adler and is transcribed
here for orchestra with harmonica playing the first violin
part. It was premiered by him at the 1963 Edinburgh Festival.
Time To Listen Love walked in; I’m in the
mood for love; Let’s fall in love; Tell me that you
love me; Speak to me of love; Easy to love; My silent love;
I love you; I love Thee [Ich liebe Dich]; Mack the Knife;
Speak low; Lost in the stars; Train to Johannesburg; My
ship; I got a marble and star; September song; Mack the
Knife; Mary Galante; Surabaya Johnny; Theme from ‘Mahagonny’;
Polly’s Song; Bilbao Song; Morton Gould talks about
Kurt Weill Frank Bristow FBCD 227 [77:52] Another
well-filled RCA originated album arranged and conducted
by the phenomenally talented Mr Gould. The first nine tracks
are a nice selection of romantic titles; things move a bit
up-tempo with some of the remaining Kurt Weill numbers.
The first Mack the Knife track is based on
the first New York presentation in April 1933, the second
on the original Berlin production of 1928. The piece and
its composer are the subjects of the last track: an interesting
three-minute illustrated talk by the maestro. New to me
and very enjoyable are Train, from the 1949 show
"Lost In The Stars", and Surabaya,
from "Happy End" twenty years earlier.
There’s an occasional bit of roughness in the sound
and some might have appreciated a little more warmth in
the recording, but it’s not just time to listen …
it’s time to enjoy. Peter Burt
THE GOLDEN AGE OF HOLLYWOOD Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
conducted by José Serebrier; Roderick Elms [piano]
15 tracks of themes & excerpts from ‘The
Big Country’; ‘Casablanca’; ‘The Guns
of Navarone’; ‘Spellbound’; ‘Psycho’;
‘Ben-Hur’; ‘The Sea Hawk’; ‘Dangerous
Moonlight’; ‘Gone with the Wind’; ‘Taxi
Driver’; and ‘The Magnificent Seven’ Royal
Philharmonic Orchestra RPO017CD [77:26]
THE GOLDEN AGE OF HOLLYWOOD 2 Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
conducted by José Serebrier;
Clio Gould [violin]; Jamie Talbot [alto saxophone] 15
tracks of themes and excerpts from ‘Vertigo’;
‘Citizen Kane’; ‘The Godfather’; ‘To
Kill a Mocking Bird’; ‘North By Northwest’;
‘Dial M for Murder’; ‘The Caine Mutiny’;
‘The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes’; ‘Sunset
Boulevard’; and ‘A Place in the Sun’
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra RPO022CD [73:38]
Composer-conductor José Serebrier continues to surprise.
His career has not followed the institutional way of being
principal conductor of this orchestra or that. Opportunities
are instead offered to him, and sometimes taken, often refused.
In this way a real freshness hangs over much that he does.
The recording studio has yielded sessions for recording
the new, the exotic and fairly often the unfashionable.
Examples are legion and his Janáček and Chadwick [Reference
Recordings] leap immediately to mind. In the case of these
two discs Serebrier squares up to film music. It’s
a serious selection too, charting the vintage Hollywood
years from 1939 to 1976. While Hollywood film scores are
not the be all and end all and the time will surely come
to explore methodically the film scores of the USSR, of
Germany and France the fact is that Hollywood has been the
home of some of the most sumptuous music for the silver
screen. That word "sumptuous" certainly applies
to the sound secured by the Serebrier and the engineers
for Volume 2 at Cadogan Hall in London. Herrmann’s
‘Vertigo’ has never sounded as ripe. There’s
also real rosiny grit and the panicky heat of the chase
in the violins of the ‘North By Northwest’ prelude.
The sound of the music is reminiscent of the chilliness
of ‘The Day the Earth Stood Still’. Steiner’s
‘Caine Mutiny’ march has the requisite brazen
blast and sheer excess ─ strangely at odds with the
psychological dimensions of the film. That could never be
said of the Herrmann music for ‘Citizen Kane’
with its sour Gothic afflatus contrasted with childlike
nostalgia. Serebrier sustains the atmosphere without a single
gasp or hesitation. The lush violins are superbly floated
for the Korngold ‘The Adventures of Robin Hood’.
Elmer Bernstein’s miniature suite from ‘To Kill
A Mockingbird’ has a Gallic lightness and yearning
poignancy. Clio Gould cozies up close and husky for the
Rozsa ‘Sherlock Holmes’ music which is drawn from
the Violin Concerto. The Hungarian skirl is a Rozsa
trademark on display again here. The Waxman ‘Sunset
Boulevard’ is given a viciously urgent spur and is
driven so hard that it moves into Herrmann territory. A
year later Waxman turned in another signature score in ‘A
Place In The Sun’ complete with world-weary saxophone
and uncanny pre-echo of the Shostakovich Symphony No.11
in the chase music. Serebrier is especially good, in these
moments, at unleashing a sort of controlled wildness. Tiomkin’s
‘Dial M for Murder’ is a lush romantic score but
Tiomkin lacked the blazing genius of Herrmann or Waxman
and this shows in what ends up being pleasantly intriguing
rather than riveting. Nino Rota’s ‘Godfather’
music is pastoral shimmering in the Sicilian Pastorale,
shiveringly doom-laden in Michael and Kay and operatic
lump-in-the-throat tender in The Love Theme.
There’s lovely legato playing by the RPO’s oboist.
This is altogether a classy album. Volume 1 has its moments
but seems a notch down from its successor in all settings.
There is clarity about the sound but the well known Watford
Colosseum, on this occasion, fails to yield the sort of
lush amplitude balanced with a degree of transparency found
on Volume 2. It’s intrinsically perfectly enjoyable
but suffers in the comparison. I found this in the book-end
Western themes especially ‘The Big Country’ by
Moross, though the ‘Magnificent Seven’ Overture
was less affected. Serebrier certainly knows how to accent
this music and those eruptive golden horns in the Bernstein
are matchlessly glorious. Steiner’s ‘Casablanca’
Suite suffers from what was already pretty much of a
hokum score with much tired play made of national anthems.
Steiner’s fault ─ I had the same problem with
the RCA Gerhardt Steiner Classic Film Music album. Nothing
has changed. The ‘Spellbound’ Concerto
by Rozsa is nicely dispatched by Elms and the rest. The
four movements from ‘Psycho’ have urgency, macabre
cold atmosphere and tensely freighted threat ─ the
latter wonderfully done in the Sibelian tremble that makes
up most of The Stairs. The shrieking violins for
The Murder are very sharply delineated. Tiomkin’s
‘The Guns of Navarone’ lumbers somewhat but soon
develops a rather English film music style perhaps a little
like Addison’s miniature masterpiece ‘A Bridge
Too Far’ [Chandos; Ryko; EMI Classics]. Serebrier imparts
real tenderness to the Love Theme from ‘Ben-Hur’
and plenty of swagger for the Charioteers’ Parade.
Herrmann’s ‘Taxi Driver’ score was his last
and was written contra torrentum in a world where cinematic
scores seemed to be abandoning the orchestra. Phil Todd
delivers a caramel smoochy saxophone solo. I have only recently
heard Previn’s LSO ‘Sea Hawk’ music [Korngold’s
‘Sea Hawk’, ‘Prince and Pauper’, ‘Elizabeth
and Essex’ and ‘Captain Blood’ - Abbey Road,
July 2001, DG 289 471 347-2]. While Serebrier is often more
than very good he is a rung down from Previn in terms of
sheer sound. That said, the brass interlacing and terracing
he secures is impressively and excitingly done. The Addinsell
Warsaw Concerto is well executed but failed to stir
me. ‘Gone With The Wind’ is more Steiner but this
is Steiner at his personal best and Tara’s Theme
yearns very nicely indeed ─ at first in a delicacy
worthy of Elmer Bernstein and later in swooping strings.
Speaking of Bernstein I cannot praise too highly again those
whoopingly exultant RPO French horns in the final ‘Magnificent
Seven’ track ─ glorious glorious. There you have
it: two generously packed CDs, well documented, each with
great strengths and featuring sharply imaginative and challenging
playing. CD 2 stands a step up in recorded sound terms over
CD 1. They’re each a great way to survey the Hollywood
classic scores. It’s what Serebrier brings to the podium
that now makes me want to hear him tackle some of the complete
film scores. I keep whitening on about recording Prokofiev’s
war-time film music (not Nevsky and not Kijé)
but its also well past time that Mario Nascimbene’s
score for ‘The Vikings’ and Hugo Friedhofer’s
‘The Best Years of Our Lives’ were revived and
recorded afresh; the latter has been done in modern sound
but Frank Collura’s conducting on Intrada seemed flat
and undifferentiated to me. Serebrier would be an ideal
choice for these projects. Rob Barnett
The above two reviews are included by kind permission
of Rob Barnett and www.musicweb-international.com
MANTOVANI & HIS ORCHESTRA Mantovani Presents His
Concert Successes Charmaine; Die Fledermaus –
Overture; Moon River; Hora Staccato; Aquarius; Autumn Leaves;
Gypsy Carnival; Seventy-Six Trombones; Greensleeves; Capriccio
Italian; Theme from ‘The Virginian’; Fantasy on
Italian Melodies: Tarantella/ O Sole Mio/ A Frangesa/ Santa
Lucia/ Maria, Mari/ Funiculi, Funicula; Charmaine Vocalion
CDLF 8145 [51:23] It is good that Monty’s
music lives on and hardly an issue of JIM passes without
a review or a mention. This is the first of four new releases.
Previously issued studio recordings are used together with
actual concert sounds from the Royal Albert Hall. Mantovani
introduces the music with what his biographer, Colin Mackenzie,
calls "his usual whimsy." The arrangement of Moon
River, featuring the soprano sax of Norman Baker,
was a new one when the album first came out on LP in
1988. The disc is warmly recommended as a fine reminder
of what a Mantovani concert was like. At budget price,
it is my CD Choice for this issue.
The Magic Of Mantovani Double CD set 40 tracks
incl. Charmaine; September Song; La Vie En Rose; Cara Mia;
Exodus [Main Theme]; Swedish Rhapsody; Some Enchanted Evening;
La Mer // Love Is A Many Splendoured Thing; Stardust; As
Time Goes By; Till; And I Love You So; Moulin Rouge Theme;
Tonight … Decca 5326904 I understand that
this has proved something of a sales success thanks to TV
advertising. We are told that it "takes a lifestyle
approach to the original recording, presenting his best
loved recordings via a new and accessible animated TVC treatment
which references 1950s animation styles." If any reader
can tell me what that means I’ll be grateful [and surprised].
There are no inlay notes and there is a bad error in that
Summertime is played twice, the first time instead
of the listed Summertime in Venice! For anyone not
in possession of a Mantovani compilation CD, however, this
with its good sound quality and low price could be the one
to have.
Mantovani The Complete Collection 5-CD set 125
tracks … Spectrum SPECSIG 2046 For
little more than the price of the set above you can get
this, the biggest collection ever outside of Japan. Most
of the tracks you would expect to find are here [there is,
of course, some duplication with ‘The Magic Of’’]
but there are many less familiar but well-remembered
tracks such as Answer Me, Unchained Melody,
Over The Rainbow, Vaya Con Dios, Hi-Lili,
Hi-Lo, Sibony, Faraway Places, I Dream
of Jeanie, Blue Star, Jamaica Farewell,
A Walk In The Black Forest, The Missouri Waltz,
The Yellow Rose of Texas, The Happy Wanderer,
The Whiffenpoof Song, Tulips From Amsterdam, If
I Only Had Time, The Anniversary Waltz, Little
Green Apples, and Where Have All The Flowers Gone?
This set does have good inlay notes, by Hugh Palmer,
and would be the one I’d go for ─ it’s a
veritable stringfest. And ordering from the likes
of HMV online it works out at around 8p per track!
MANTOVANI & MARIO del MONACO A Song For You Serenade
[from The Student Prince], Musica Prohibita; Love’s
Last Word Is Spoken; To Voglio Tanto Bene; Tonight; Cateri,
Cateri; Be My Love; Girls Were Made To Love and Kiss; Cara
Mia; Lolita; White Dove [Lehár], Ciao Ciao Bambino
Vocalion CDLF 8145 This, recorded in London’s
Kingsway Hall in 1962 and released in the UK a year later,
was never the success it promised to be ─ except in
Japan ─ and this is its first appearance here on CD.
The last two tracks were not on the original album. Sadly,
the once great tenor was past his peak; but not so Monty
and his musicians or Cecil Milner’s arrangements, so
this is worth acquiring at budget price. Peter Burt
GEORGE MELACHRINO Rendezvous In Rome & Memories
Of The Ballet & Waltzes The Melachrino Strings and Orchestra
Rome the City; Volare; Castel Sant’ Angelo from
‘Tosca’; Tesoro mio; Three Coins in the Fountain;
View of the Vatican [St Peter’s]; Colosseum; Autostrada;
Regazza romanza; Vista Roma; Italian Fantasy; Arriverderci,
Roma; Memories of the Ballet … 9 titles; Waltzing through
the Operettas … 9 titles; Woodland Revels Vocalion
CDVS 1953 [58:20] This joins five other collectable
Melachrino CDs on Mike Dutton’s wonderful label: ‘Begin
the Beguine’ [CDEA6014], ‘Soft Lights and
Sweet Music’ [CDVS1956], ‘Our Man in London’
& ‘Lisbon at Twilight [Highlights]’ [CDLK3337],
‘Under Western Skies & ‘The Immortal Ladies’
[CDNJT5205] and ‘Music for the Nostalgic Traveller’
& ‘Music for Relaxation [Highlights]’ [CDVS1960].
Four of the tracks on this new CD’s first album, released
as a stereo LP in 1959, are composed by Melachrino himself
and are quite evocative of the Eternal City. The renowned
oboe player, Leon Goossens, is featured on the ear-catching
Vista. There are also some lovely string sounds throughout.
Three Coins is given an especially fine arrangement.
The dance tempo treatment in the reprise of Volare even
makes my feelings towards that tune soften a little.
The accordion, which I associate more with Paris than Rome,
is used on several tracks. I have always considered Melachrino’s
to be the most symphonic sounding of all the great light
orchestras and so on the second album they have no problems
with the Maestro arranged ballet memories of pieces by Gounod,
Delibes, Tchaikovsky, Rossini, Respighi, Luigini and Ponchielli.
The operetta waltzes come from the pens of Cuvillier, Stolz,
German, Messager, Friml, Kerker and Coward. With these selections
we are offered that old trick of the early electric recording
era, the musical switch. Interestingly this 1956 album originated
as a Stereosonic tape. Recording is good without being outstanding.
The CD is priced at £2.99, but you try buying it for that
[apart from Dutton direct where postage will cost you half
as much again]. It is, of course, still worth adding to
your collection at any bargain price. Peter Burt
REG OWEN AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Music For Your Listening Pleasure featuring tracks
from the RCA LPs ‘Dreaming’, ‘Cuddle Up A
Little Closer’, ‘Coffee Break’ and ‘Holiday
Abroad in Dublin’ FBCD229 [79:34].
Come Relax With Me featuring tracks from RCA
LPs ‘Dream Time Waltzes’ (with Vienna State Opera
Orchestra), ‘Holiday Abroad in Dublin’, ‘I’ll
Sing You 1000 Love Songs’, ‘Candlelight &
Wine’ and ‘Coffee Break’ FBCD230
[79:48].
Two Faces of Reg Owen featuring Bally LP ‘Swing
Me High’ and Palette LP ‘Get Happy’. FBCD231
[79:41].
Nice Knowing You featuring tracks from RCA LPs
‘Deep In A Dream’, ‘Girls Were Made To Take
Care of Boys’ and ‘Coffee Break’ FBCD232
[78:42].
Parisian Flavoured featuring tracks from RCA
LPs ‘Under Paris Skies’, ‘You Don’t
Know Paree’ and ‘Deep In a Dream’ FBCD
233 [79:13].
Twixt England and Ireland featuring tracks from
RCA LPs ‘Holiday Abroad In London’ and ‘The
British Isles’ FBCD234 [79:42]
A Touch of Red, White and Blue featuring the
RCA LPs ‘Fiorello’ and ‘The Best of Irving
Berlin’ FBCD235 [79:42]
Anyone who has previously purchased CDs from our good friend
Frank Bristow will know that he seems to be on a mission
to make available so much glorious music that the major
companies persistently ignore. The latest "neglected"
arranger/conductor to receive his attention is Reg Owen,
and it is clear from the fact that almost all of these LPs
were issued in the USA so it probably made Reg better known
in the USA than in his home country of Britain. Unfortunately
we don’t have enough space here to include all the
track listing details, but you can find this on Frank’s
website. You will have noted that each CD enjoys very generous
playing time, which is achieved through Frank’s careful
selection of extra tracks from certain LPs to fill each
disc. The sound quality is consistently good and, although
Frank confesses that it has proved difficult to discover
a lot of biographical information about Reg, each booklet
is well presented. If you want a comprehensive collection
of Reg Owen’s music, these seven CDs will fill the
bill admirably. Should you just want one or two you have
a varied selection from which to choose, ranging from sultry
mood music [FBCD229] to big band [FBCD231]. Top marks to
Frank for saluting a talented musician who has been unfairly
neglected. David Ades
Frank Bristow’s CDs are only available direct from
him at 2 Cross Street, Brighton, Victoria 3186, Australia.
Tel. 063-9528-3167 Email franbris@optusmail.com.au
website: www.musicfromthepast.com
Credit cards and Paypal are accepted, but no cheques –
details from Frank on request.
ROYAL AIR FORCE SQUADRONAIRES In The Mood : The Glenn
Miller Celebration In The Mood; Pennsylvania 6-5000;
Don’t Sit Under the Apple Tree; Moonlight
Serenade; American Patrol; Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy; String
of Pearls; Chattanooga Choo Choo; Little Brown Jug; Tuxedo
Junction; At Last; St. Louis Blues March; Song of the Volga
Boatman; Adios Decca 2736453 [46:27] Superlatives
cannot do justice to these exquisite renditions of Glenn
Miller classics; smooth trombones and saxophones that are
the Miller trademark "chromium plated" by the
Squads under the direction of their leader Sergeant Ken
Miles. This is big band dance music at its best with the
orchestral polish of the unique Glenn Miller arrangements.
It is difficult to pick out favourites from such jewels,
but String of Pearls [written personally by Glenn
for his wife] and Adios are particularly evocative.
Vocals also deserve an accolade; just listen to voices from
the past, the Andrews Sisters, on Track 3. Finally of historical
interest: The Squadronaires started out in 1939 as the Royal
Air Force Dance Orchestra, which makes their performances
span 71 years. Like good port wine they have matured superbly!
Roger Chantler
WAR AND PEACE : LIGHT MUSIC OF THE 1940S Guild GLCD5171
[xx:xx] For full track listing please see
page xx of this issue.
Another slice of nostalgia from this new Guild release
and it begins in fine style with Charles Shadwell’s
Orchestra and a real curtain raiser, Down The Mall,
by Tony Lowry and Douglas Brownsmith writing as John Belton.
I remember hearing this on the BBC World Service many years
ago as intro music to a long forgotten programme. This piece
has appeared twice before on previous Guild CDs by Philip
Green and his Orchestra and also by Fodens Motor Works Band.
Then Percy Faith and his Orchestra with an arrangement by
him of Hoagy Carmichael’s Stardust which leads
us into Eric Coates’s fine concert waltz Footlights,
with him conducting the Light Symphony Orchestra [thought
to be The London Philharmonic Orchestra]. The Fugue,
divorced from the Spitfire Prelude is next, written
by Sir William Walton for the 1943 film "The First
of the Few", the moving tribute to the Spitfire designer
Reginald Mitchell, with the composer conducting the Halle
Orchestra, later reissued on an HMV45 7P 312. Amongst the
many works by Charles Williams is Girls In Grey,
which I think is one of his best and it’s included
on this Guild CD played as usual by the Queens Hall Light
Orchestra and conducted by him. Boogie Woogie Moonshine
from the 1946 film "Piccadilly Incident" is a
five minute ballet diversion devised by Wendy Toye and played
by Louis Levy and his Music from the Movies, on track ten.
The musical director of the film was Anthony Collins and
Piccadilly 1944 composed by Vivian Ellis was also
in the film. The Voice of Industry by Jack Beaver
on track 11 was a familiar theme in newsreels and documentaries
of this period and it’s used to good effect in a British
Railways LMS colour documentary film I have, made I think
in 1947. About the same time as I became aware of this Beaver
piece, so did I hear on the radio Willie the Whistler
by Bob Farnon. Quickly writing to the BBC for information
came back the dreaded news that it was"a Chappell recording
– not available commercially". Not to be outdone
I wrote to Bob Farnon c/o the BBC and lo and behold a copy
of Willie the Whistler arrived from Bob, the first
Chappell disc I had ever seen and I still have it among
my 78s. And that first Bob Farnon composition for Chappells
is included on this new Guild CD. The Prelude from
the film "A Matter of Life and Death" and played
by the Queens Hall Light Orchestra conducted by Charles
Williams is among a handful of film scores Allan Gray wrote
in his life time. He also wrote the music to the Gaumont
British/UFA co-production film "FP1" and the 1938
London Film Production "The Challenge" about the
climbing of the Matterhorn. I wish this film’s music
could be issued…it was really great. Three very tuneful
library pieces follow in succession: Ronald Hanmer’s
Olympic Games March, The Fairy and the
Fiddlers by Edward White and the grand march Bonaventure
by Frederic Curzon. These are followed by Louis Alter’s
American Serenade played by Meredith Willson’s
Orchestra and for some strange reason the actress Gene Tierney
came to mind whilst listening to the piece. Perhaps there
were echoes of Laura in the melody. A number from
the not so well known EMI Mood Music Library is Marche
Fantastique by Leighton Lucas conducting his Orchestra,
included on this CD with Short Overture to an Unwritten
Opera by Don Gillis and played by the New Concert Orchestra
conducted by Rae Jenkins next. And the penultimate 1940s
item is Royal Cavalcade by Albert Ketèlbey,
played by the Grand Orchestra of Louis Voss. But to round
off this 71st Guild CD is a piece of music from
the film "The Phantom of the Opera", a piano concerto
by Edward Ward, Lullaby of the Bells. The film starred
Claude Rains, Susanna Foster and Nelson Eddy and came out
in 1943. A fitting end to another fine collection of ignored
light music. Ken Wilkins
ROSEMARY CLOONEY : JOHNNY GUARNIERI QUINTET Voice Of
America I still get a thrill; Come rain or come shine;
Grieving’ for you; It’s only a paper moon; A little
bit independent; I didn’t slip, I wasn’t pushed,
I fell; On an ordinary morning; I didn’t know what
time it was; Count every star; I’ll always love you;
I’ve got a crush on you; It had to be you; Them there
eyes; I never had a worry in the world; Nice work if you
can get it; Just you, just me; three little words; How deep
is the ocean; Our very own; It’s love; Crying myself
to sleep; Thou swell; I had a talk with the wind and the
rain; Chicago; Can’t help lovin’ that man; If
I were your girl; Bye Bye baby Sounds of Yesteryear
DSOY 804 [62:32]. I did my National service with a Clooney
fan; I am sure he would have given his right arm for this
recording! Originally broadcast on the Voice of America
so unless a resident of America or having a good radio he
would have been deprived of this delightful set. Ably backed
by the excellent Quintet of Johnny Guarnieri, Rosemary’s
sweet voice works wonders with well known titles plus compositions
not so well known but still worthy of a place. Paul
Clatworthy
MARGOT HIELSCHER Hello Fraulein Double CD
set 53 tracks incl. 4 with Mantovani: Why, I’ll
Never Know; Ding Dong; Frere Jacques; Anette Bear
Family BCD 16162 [86:39 & 83:43] Margot is
a singer and actress who appeared in numerous German language
films over a lengthy period, and this was issued on the
occasion of her 90th birthday in September 2009.
She sings with various orchestras and duets twice with Vico
Torriani, who recorded with Mantovani in the 1950s and appeared
in a couple of films with him. Of interest, too, is a German
language version of Yours, the hit Monty recorded
with Vera Lynn back in 1942; and even Bert Kaempfert turns
up as producer of Margot’s Allein in Barcelona recording.
But the bonuses for Mantovani completists are the four tracks
she recorded with him at Decca in 1951. These perhaps are
meant to show how well she could sing in English [she certainly
could] but were never released commercially and appear here
for the first time. The orchestra Monty used was a pre-Charmaine
one, but the quality nevertheless shines through, and
there is additional support from the Stargazers on the last
two melodies listed above. It would be interesting to know
whether Ronnie Binge did the arrangements. The actual record
labels are illustrated in the notes and show that they were
made in England and issued as samplers [not for sale] in
78 rpm format. Colin Mackenzie
TONY MARTIN and GOGI GRANT with DENNIS FARNON &
HIS ORCHESTRA Gigi 11 tracks incl. Overture,
Thanks Heaven For Little Girls, The Parisians, Waltz at
Maxim’s, The Night They Invented Champagne, I Remember
It Well … Gogi Grant Welcome To My Heart
Title song, The More I See You, Paradise, So
Do I, They Didn’t Believe Me, But Beautiful, With All
My Heart, How Deep Is The Ocean, At Last At Last, If I Should
Lose You Frank Bristow FBCD237 [78:45]. When
was Tony Martin born? Certainly not in 1942 as the booklet
notes state [obviously a misprint] but was his birthday
25 December 1912 or 1913? It could be either, according
to which reference sources on the internet you choose to
believe! His style of singing may not be emulated by today’s
young popular entertainers [unlike Sinatra], but for many
people he had a most pleasing tenor voice and he made a
lot of very good recordings that have stood the test of
time. In the ‘Gigi’ selection Martin shares
honours with Gogi Grant – sometimes in duet while on
other tracks each singer solos. This is a splendid album,
beautifully arranged by Dennis Farnon with the bonus of
a choir in the best Hollywood tradition. All in all this
is a sumptuous production that has top quality stamped all
through it. The second LP on this disc is entirely Gogi
Grant, with a nice selection of carefully chosen standards.
If you are unfamiliar with Miss Grant you may be tempted
at times to wonder if she went to the Ethel Merman School
of Singing, which is occasionally disappointing because
she can handle the quieter moments with great charm and
very clear diction – today’s singers please note!
On both albums arranging and conducting credits belong to
Dennis Farnon, the only remaining member of the three talented
Farnon brothers, born in 1923. For three years he was Artist
and West Coast Album Director for RCA Records, where his
conducting and arranging assignments also included albums
with Harry Belafonte, George Shearing and the Four Freshmen.
Dennis was one of the five founders in 1957 of the National
Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, who present the
annual Grammy awards. These two LPs form a most entertaining
package, with both singers on top form. Farnon’s arrangements
are also as good as they get. David Ades
JANE MORGAN Jane In Spain The moon was yellow;
Adios; Perhaps, perhaps, perhaps; Perfidia; You belong to
my heart; Baia; Granada; I get ideas; Be mine tonight; What
a difference a day made; Let me love you tonight; Magic
is the moonlight; Happy anniversary; C’est la vie,
c’est l’amour; The sound of music; I’m in
love; I’m new at the game; Love is like champagne;
With open arms; Climb every mountain; Was it day, was it
night?; My foolish heart; It’s been a long, long time;
If only could live my life again Sepia 1147 [56:59]
Although they are no longer able to supply review copies,
I will be forever grateful to Sepia for introducing to me
such a wonderful singer – surely one of the most undervalued
popular music divas of our time. I recently consulted two
leading encyclopaedias of popular music and she did not
feature in either of them! Jane was born Florence Catherine
Currier on Christmas Day in 1920 and began to train as an
opera singer from the age of five, eventually enrolling
at the Juilliard School of Music in New York City. When
she started singing professionally it was considered that
"Janie Morgan" was a more glamorous name. Her
early opera training is reflected in the excellent quality
of her singing, which has taken in night clubs, television
and Broadway. This, the fourth compilation since 2007, finds
her with orchestra conducted by Frank Hunter in Latin mood
as the first 12 tracks comprise the 1959 stereo LP that
gives the CD its title. So, for example, we get What
a difference as a bolero and I get ideas as a
tango. Most of the tunes will be familiar and are recorded
in a mixture of original Spanish lyrics and English translations.
The second dozen tracks recorded in 1957-59 bring Jane back
to some of the American songbook classics that are probably
her forte. Dominic McHugh maintains the high standard set
by this label with his booklet notes. The CD gives unadulterated
pleasure from beginning to end. Peter Burt
GARY WILLIAMS Gary Williams Meets Frank Sinatra All
or nothing at all; I get a kick out of you; Moonlight Serenade;
You bought a new kind of love; Dancing in the dark; Where
or when; Brazil; The girl from Ipanema; Please be kind;
Day in day out; How about you? I’ve got you under my
skin; The way you look tonight; They all laughed; Luck be
a lady; Let’s face the music BOS 6817 [77:00]
The Best Of Abbey Road I remember you; Music
to watch girls by; Anything goes; You’re never really
dressed without a smile; Why shouldn’t I ?; Life is
just a bowl of cherries; Always look on the bright side
of life; Sweet Lorraine; I thought about you; This can’t
be love; Surrey with the fringe on top; I can’t give
you anything but love; More than you know; All I need is
the girl; My buddy; You’re sensational; Isn’t
it a pity; Save the last dance for me BOS 6808 [72:00]
Has Britain got talent? Well, yes, but we don't need second
rate TV shows purporting to tell us we have. Now there is
a great British talent that has been on the music scene
for many years and two new superb CD's have just been released
that showcase the fine voice of Gary Williams. Gary played
and sang the Sinatra role in the West End production of
‘The Rat Pack’ so he is familiar with "Ole Blue
Eye's" songs. On the first CD we have no fewer than 17 selections.
Many favourites here and all played in their original arrangements
by the great Chris Dean and his Big Band plus strings. Nelson
Riddle's arrangements feature prominently including some
less often heard gems such as Moonlight Serenade,
which Gary gives a lovely reading. The classic Sinatra recording
of I've Got You Under My Skin is a tour de force
for any singer; Gary handles it skilfully complete with
classic trombone break here faultlessly re-created by Gordon
Campbell. Nelson Riddle's daughter has personally endorsed
this album and has written the sleeve notes ─ that’s
praise indeed!
The second collection is a compilation of Gary’s sessions
at the legendary studios during 2004 and 2008. It has to
be said that Gary works with the best of British musicians
and arrangers under the baton of John Wilson. Whilst the
songs may be familiar, the inventive arranger can give them
a new "coat of paint" and, with the likes of Richard Rodney
Bennett, Clive Dunstall and Paul Campbell, be prepared to
be surprised. The Monty Python classic Always Look On
The Bright Side Of Life is given what must be the smoothest
version ever. Small group tracks sit perfectly alongside
the lush string ones. The Cole Porter song Why Shouldn't
I? is quite stunning, an Andrew Cottee arrangement with
a wonderful performance from Gary, is the standout track
amongst many. How often have we remarked "they don't make
records like that anymore." Well, they still do and here's
the glowing proof. There are many so-called "tribute"
singers who just seem to go through the motions. Gary, however,
shows how it could be and should be done, but then it's
Gary who has the talent and, boy, does it show. It seems
like a sign of the times that these superb albums are not
widely available but can be obtained by mail order from
Dress Circle, 57-59 Monmouth Street, London, WC2H 9DG.
telephone (+44 207 240 2227) or as a download from iTunes.
Albert Killman
CLASSIC MARCHES A Grand Procession Of Orchestral Favourites
Elgar; Verdi; Strauss; Beethoven; Bizet; Wagner; Tchaikovsky;
Prokofiev; Coates; Sousa; Berlioz; Mendelssohn … &
more ABC Classics 4763772 [CD1 79:06, CD2 78:59]
This very generous 2-CD compilation set from the Australian
Broadcasting Corporation is culled from recordings made
between 1980 and 2010 featuring mainly the Adelaide, Queensland
and West Australian Symphony Orchestras under various conductors.
Most of the choices are predictable enough, thus The
Dambusters, Colonel Bogey, Pomp & Circumstance
No.1, etc, but also included are some welcome surprises
including Ron Goodwin’s Plymouth Hoe, a very
good account of Mendelssohn’s War March of the Priests,
one of the best accounts I’ve heard of Vaughan Williams’
breezy Sea Songs, the splendidly staggering Marche
Militaire Français by Saint Saëns, and the
quirky Gum-Suckers march by Melbourne born Percy
Grainger. Of considerable interest is a piece with the somewhat
cumbersome title of The United Australia Commonwealth
March by James W Tate, who I believe contributed some
of the music for ‘The Maid Of The Mountains’
and is certainly stylistically closely associated with
the music of the Edwardian musical theatre. It’s sheer
infectious tunefulness positively demands that once heard
it demands instant repetition. An even more obscure choice
is the Lifesavers March from the ‘Sydney
Suite’ by one Tommy Tycho (see www.tommytycho.com.au
- KT Ed.). Occupying the longest track at 9’:55"
is Tchaikovsky’s glorious March Slave in a splendid
performance by the MSO conducted by Hubert Soudant. One
disappointment is that the two Sousa items, Washington
Post and Stars and Stripes, are inexplicably
played straight through without repeats, with the former
clocking in at under 2 minutes. With recording dates spanning
30 years some variation in recording quality is inevitable
but is never less than good and frequently approaches demonstration
standard. The accompanying CD booklet describes the collection
as "bold, inspiring and thrilling" and exhorts
us to "lift your spirits and put a new spring in your
step." At around £21 [cheaper online] this set boasting
40 tracks represents very good value for any connoisseur
of the march. And I have nearly forgotten to mention that
Eric Coates makes another appearance, not with his famous
Knightsbridge but with London Calling conducted
by John Lanchbery who made some well regarded recordings
of all the Tchaikovsky ballets for EMI in the 1970s. Roger
Hyslop
THE REGIMENTAL BAND OF THE COLDSTREAM GUARDS At Their
Very Best : DOM Major R G Swift Walton: Crown Imperial;
Alford: Army of the Nile; Colonel Bogey; Ward-Higgs:
Sussex by the Sea; Reveille; Pope: Nightfall in
Camp … etc. / Sousa: Semper Fidelis; King Cotton;
The Stars and Stripes Forever; The Liberty Bell; Holzmann:
Blaze Away; Bagley: National Emblem; Teike:
Graf Zeppelin; Javaloyes: El Abanico; Texidor:
Ampanto Roce; Verdi: Ceremonial March [‘Aida’];
The Slaves Chorus [‘Nabucco’] … etc.
METRO 643 [122:36]
This 2-CD set is a reissue of material previously available
sometime ago on the Japanese Denon label, and must surely
constitute one of the bargains of the year. Available from
HMV stores for a mere £8 [less online] and, if you are fortunate
enough to track it down, in one of our larger supermarkets
it will cost no more than a fiver. What we have here is
one of the very best bands in the Household Division on
top form recorded in stunningly good sound playing some
of the best marches in the military band repertoire, too
many to fully detail here. The first CD concerns itself
with British Marches including those listed above plus all
the Quick and Slow Marches of the Brigade of Guards. Contrast
is afforded by Reveille and Nightfall, which
are beautifully played and richly atmospheric. The second
CD is devoted to American and European Marches, beginning
with a group of eight Sousa marches played with tremendous
verve and panache, before moving on to such American standards
as Blaze Away. It’s refreshing to note amongst
the European selection Carl Teike represented not by the
very familiar Old Comrades but by the rarely heard
Graf Zeppelin. Of the two Spanish items, El Abanico
stirs distant memories that many years ago a section
of this delightful march was often sung to words which,
if I recall accurately, were "You’d be far better
off in a home" [!] Does anyone know the origins of
this refrain? As for the sprightly charm of Amparito
Roce, there is some doubt as to its origin. It is thought
that it was composed by a British Director of Music at Kneller
Hall, Reginald Ridewood, who apparently failed to apply
for the necessary copyright, and Texidor merely rescored
the piece and claimed it as his own! Two of the concluding
tracks visit Grand Opera. Much of the music here is redolent
of a sunlit parade ground conjuring up all the glitter of
pomp and pageantry vividly conveyed. These two discs are
not just for the military band enthusiast but for the general
collector as well, and are surely guaranteed to elevate
even the lowest in spirit. Roger Hyslop
ELGAR The Fringes Of The Fleet Roderick Williams [solo
baritone], Nicholas Lester, Duncan Rock, Laurence Meikle,
[baritones], Guildford Philharmonic Orchestra cond. Tom
Higgins Elgar: The Fringes of the Fleet [for four
baritones & orchestra]; Elegy for Strings; Big Steamers
[for four baritones unaccompanied]; Ireland: The
Soldier; Blowout, You Bugles; German: Big Steamers
[songs for solo baritone]; Ansell: Plymouth Hoe;
The Windjammer; Wood: A Manx Overture; Elizabeth
of England Somm 243 [61:26] The major work on
this release is an Elgarian rarity: The Fringes of the
Fleet, which duly salutes the contribution of the smaller
warships of the Royal Navy in the First World War. Dating
from 1917 with words penned by Rudyard Kipling the music,
in Elgar’s lighter populist style, was a huge success
with performances at the London Coliseum and subsequently
at various music halls, and within weeks of the show’s
opening a recording from HMV. Alas, Kipling, possibly affected
by the death of his soldier son and feeling perhaps the
piece was too jingoistic, forbade further performances much
to Elgar’s distress. Therefore this new recording is
the first orchestral version since the original one. To
the light music enthusiast the value of the CD lays probably
more in some of the attractive makeweights. Included are
both of John Ansell’s nautical overtures and two items
by Haydn Wood: the march that closes the disc was a late
work ushering in the new Elizabethan age, and the A Manx
Overture from the 1930s here receives what is claimed
as a premiere recording. While we should be duly grateful
to have so much of Eric Coates’ oeuvre in outstanding
modern recordings, it is surely about time that the likes
of Chandos and Dutton turned their attention more to his
illustrious rival, Haydn Wood, and his many as yet unrecorded
splendid orchestral compositions. On the strength of this
excellently recorded disc, perhaps the Guildford Philharmonic,
which is claimed to be the only orchestra in the U.K. completely
owned, managed and financed by a local authority, might
be just the vehicle for such a project. An interesting,
rewarding and enterprising release, then, which can be recommended
with enthusiasm and fully justifies a place in one’s
CD collection. As an additional inducement, our own Philip
Scowcroft gets a mention in the accompanying informative
booklet! Roger Hyslop
LES BROWN & HIS BAND OF RENOWN featuring
PEGGY LEE and GISELLE MACKENZIE Lets
Go To Town Sounds of Yesteryear DSOY 809 [Double CD
58:52 and 61:05] Eight National Guard shows complete with
announcements and enthusiastic audience. I have never heard
a bad Les Brown outing, this is no exception but the commercials
have no relevance today. I admit editing out would have
been difficult as the announcer sometimes insists in talking
over the opening notes. Paul Clatworthy
RALPH FLANAGAN ORCHESTRA Plays For Dancing Volume
Two Linda, Stars fell on Alabama, Joshua, Ballin’
the Jack, Stardust, Shortnin’ bread, Some enchanted
evening, Blue room, Hot toddy, My hero, Penthouse serenade,
Joshua, Irving Berlin medley, Careless, Love is here to
stay, Hot toddy Sounds of Yesteryear DSOY 810
[60:17] I had already submitted the Big Band roundup
when this arrived. This second set consists of one night
stands split between recordings at Steel Pier Atlantic City
and the Starlight Ballroom, Hershey, PA. Vocalists are Kay
Golding and Sandy Cee, this time complete with announcements.
Paul Clatworthy
JOHNNY HODGES QUINTET with LALO SCHIFRIN Buenos
Aires Blues Mama knows, I’m in another world,
Dreary days, I can’t believe You’re in love with
me, B.A. Blues, Wanderlust All too soon, Somebody loves
me, Away from you, Something to live for, In a Sentimental
mood, I didn’t know about you, Guitar Amour, You blew
out the flame, Theme from "The eleventh hour"
Love song from "Mutiny on the Bounty" Solitude,
Satin doll, Don’t blame me, Prelude to a kiss, Warm
Valley Lonehill Jazz LHJ 10373 [67:17] The first
nine tracks are with a quintet, producer Creed Taylor taking
advantage of the fact that Lalo was available. Lalo’s
piano skills and Johnny’s ability to weave his tuneful
sax into every song is particularly well captured. Second
half of the CD has Johnny with an orchestra arranged and
conducted by Oliver Nelson. Something to live for
has a slightly "cheesy" string sound, Johnny saving
the day with his beautiful tone and exemplary improvisation.
The string work on I didn’t know you shows
a good deal more potential. Johnny is on top form throughout
but I suspect Oliver Nelson had to work to a short deadline
because he has written better! Available from Submarine
Records 0208-360-3486.
Paul Clatworthy
FRANK MANTOOTH Ladies Sing For Lovers If
you could see me now [Karrin Allyson]; When did you leave
heaven [Kirsten Gustafson]; You’ll see [Paula West];
You don’t know what love is [Sunny Wilkinson]; It never
entered my mind [Jay Clayton]; Good morning heartache [Margaret
Carlson]; My heart won’t lie [Oleta Adams]; Imagination
[Rebecca Parris]; Why stars come out at night [Stacy Rowles;
Ballad of the sad young men [Sheila Jordan]; The nearness
of you/You’re nearer [Anne Hampton Callaway]; I got
it bad and that ain’t good [Dianne Schuur] Meg
Jazz MCGJ1OI8 [62:29] I wish I had heard this stunning
album when it was first issued in 2005, then maybe it would
be easier to obtain. I’ve always loved Frank’s
big band writings ─ this was pastures new for him
utilizing a full string orchestra. His vivid and moving
orchestrations belie the fact! He never lived to see it
issued but thanks to Carrie Mantooth and his many friends
in the music profession the CD was completed. It is a fitting
memorial to his musical talent. Search the Internet, beg,
borrow or steal a copy or you will always regret not hearing
such a treat in music. Paul Clatworthy
PHIL NAPOLEON AND HIS MEMPHIS FIVE That’s
A Plenty Sounds of Yesteryear DSOY8O5 [78:08]. Second
volume of a CD I gave a pretty uncomplimentary review to
a couple of issues ago so I was surprised to get this one
for review! I am not a "Dixieland" fan but as
with the first set my main grouse is the inordinate space
taken up with commentary. Here there are 31 radio transcription
recordings of "Dixie" music fans would probably
enjoy without the social history lesson taking up so much
space. Evidently the recordings are very rare so serious
collectors will put up with narrator Dean Taylor’s
sometime humorous commentary. Paul Clatworthy
LES PAUL & MARY FORD, WOODY HERMAN and HIS THIRD
HERD Let’s Go To Town Sounds of yesteryear
DSOY 806 [58:34]
LES PAUL & MARY FORD, RALPH MARTERIE AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Let’s Go To Town Sounds of Yesteryear DSOY 807
[59:02] Two albums with the same format and title, the Marterie
band play the sweeter sounds of the big band era, the Herman
puts more meat on the bone! Both CDs contain four National
Guard shows complete with announcements, commercials and
applause. Les Paul and Mary Ford sing and play on their
own, the bands also play separately. Both big bands are
on good form. Les and Mary were very popular in the fifties;
her singing still cuts it but despite Leslie’s dexterity
on guitar today’s more advanced technologies make the
sounds dated. Compere Eddie Carter’s strident introductions
cut into some of the tracks, very annoying! Titles available
if you phone me. All Sounds of Yesteryear CDs available
from The Woods, Bognor Regis. Paul Clatworthy
ARTIE SHAW AND HIS ORCHESTRA The Complete Thesaurus
Transcriptions 1949 52 tracks incl. They
can’t take that away from me; Softly as in
a morning sunrise; Things are looking up; Stardust; Tea
for two … I concentrate on you; ‘S wonderful;
Orinoco; Love walked in; Krazy Kat // I cover the waterfront;
Carnival; Comes love; Together; Too marvellous for words
… Time on my hands; Love for sale; Mucha De Nada; I
get a kick out of you; Love walked in Hep Records
HEP CD 89/90 [76:08 & 79:09] Arthur Jacob Shaw,
once described as one of the two or three outstanding clarinetists
in all of jazz, announced in 1948: "I’m through
with dance bands. There are only so many times you can play
Stardust". How come, then, he is here in 1949
with a new edition of his orchestra? Well, all this and
much else is explained in James Langton’s 10½ page
background notes for this generously timed 2-CD set. The
very acceptable mono recordings were made for RCA/NBC Thesaurus,
one of four major transcription services that leased libraries
of radio shows to affiliate radio stations. The band line-up
was four trumpets, four trombones, five saxophones, four
rhythm and "girl vocalist". Five tracks are by
a new edition of Shaw’s Gramercy Five [Shaw, the rhythm
section and trumpet] and there are five vocals each for
Pat Lockwood and Trudy Richards. Artie is heard introducing
and signing off the music. I was surprised how much I enjoyed
something I would not normally listen to ─ so recommended.
Peter Burt
BLOSSOM DEARIE Four Classic Albums Plus Avid
Jazz AMSC967 [155:20]. I have been a fan of Blossom
since hearing Sweet Georgie Fame [still got the 45!]
and seeing her perform at Ronnie Scott’s club clinched
my devotion. Dave and Anne Bennett have put together four
albums plus tracks from ‘The Blue Stars of France’
and ‘King Pleasure’ into one marvellous
two-CD package, the re-mastering so good it could have been
recorded yesterday. Blossom’s delectable voice and
piano playing gets additional help from Ray Brown, Herb
Ellis, Jo Jones, Mundell Lowe and Ed Thigpen. A recording
to treasure! Available from Submarine Records – in
case of difficulty you can telephone them on 020-8360-3486.
Paul Clatworthy
NAT "KING" COLE & HIS TRIO The Forgotten
1949 Carnegie Hall Concert 15 tracks incl. Yes Sir,
that’s my
baby; Sweet Lorraine; Tiny’s exercise; I used
to love you [but it’s all over now]; Laugh cool clown;
Lush life; Go bongo, For all we know / Embraceable you;
Tea for two … Hep Records HEP CD 91 [51:37]
I did not get to know and appreciate Nat’s singing
until his post trio years, so this is for me an interesting
disc ─ with the added frisson of a live performance.
Particularly entertaining is Cuba Libra, probably
written by Cole, with its quotations from Stars and Stripes
Forever, La Marseillaise and Mendelssohn’s
Spring Song. The trio joins up with the mighty Woody
Herman Orchestra for the closing number, More moon.
Jazz devotees will likely enjoy the album even more than
I did. This and the Artie Shaw [reviewed above] are the
first releases I have come across from Hep and they are
both quality packages, including here half-a-dozen pages
of closely printed but readable background notes by Will
Friedwald. Peter Burt
LAURA COLLINS Introducing Laura Collins Ladies
in Mercedes, On the street where you live, The night we
called it a day, Too close for comfort, Baltimore Oriole,
How deep is the ocean, But not for me, Wichita lineman,
Go away little boy, Blizzard of lies, A beautiful friendship
Spotlight Jazz SPJCD589 [50:33] The sleeve notes
contain accolades from several musicians; I am not a musician
but I know what I like and there is not a single track on
this selection that made me think I must hear that again!
In its favour you can hear every word, but the backing group
have to drag her along, most times she seems a beat behind,
cannot swing and when she "Scats" sounds like
she has forgotten the lyrics. It’s almost amateur night
down your local [if you still have one!] The recording was
sent to me for review via another society member; if it
had passed muster I am sure he would have kept it! Paul
Clatworthy
JOHAN HALVORSEN Orchestral Works Vol.1 Bergen Philharmonic
Orchestra cond. Neeme Järvi; Marianne Thorsen [violin]
Entry March of the Boyars; Andante religioso for
violin & orchestra; Suite from Mascarade; La Mélancolie;
Symphony No.1 in C minor Chandos CHAN 10584 [76:48]
This release makes the bold claim that the native composer’s
music is one of the best kept secrets in Norway; a claim
amply vindicated as one progresses through a generously
filled disc. He was associated for many years with the National
Theatre in Kristianie [now Oslo] as conductor, and as a
result composed a good deal of incidental music for its
various productions including Ludvig Holberg’s ‘Mascarade.’
This may best be regarded as quality light music in
a delightful inventive and tasteful pastiche style deftly
and expertly scored. Halvorsen [1864-1935] turned to the
symphony late in life. He was one of those brave and independently
minded composers who remained completely unaffected and
indifferent to prevailing modern trends in the first part
of the 20th century. He continued to doggedly
plough his own furrow, producing accessible and, above all,
unashamedly melodic music. The shorter pieces are also well
worth having and, since it is one of the few chances you
will get to encounter this attractive and beautifully crafted
music, better buy this excellently performed and brilliantly
engineered disc. Roger Hyslop
FANTASY – A NIGHT AT THE OPERA Emmanuel Pahud,
Juliette Hurel Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra cond. Yannick
Nézel-Séguin Fantasies on ‘La
Traviata’; ‘Rigoletto’; ‘Der Freischűtz’;
‘Die Zauberflöte’ [‘The Magic Flute’]
; and ‘Carmen’; Lenski’s Aria; Menuet &
Dance of the Blessed Spirits; ‘Carmen’ ─
Entr’acte Before Act 3 EMI 4578742 [70:46]
This is a very accessible classical album of gorgeous
operatic melodies for people who don’t care for the
words. It features the flute – the instrument closest
to the human voice – played by the acclaimed Swiss
born long-time principal flautist of the Berliner Philharmoniker,
who is joined on two tracks by the Dutch orchestra’s
solo flute. Pahud recently described the background to this
album: "In the 18th and 19th
centuries, there was a tradition of salon music because
people did not have CD or MP3 players as we have nowadays.
They had no access to the internet or the radio so they
would have to have transcriptions in order to hear this
music in their homes." The enjoyment in the making
of the disc is reflected in the listening. Incidentally,
there is a lovely tune at the start of the Mozart Fantasy
on ‘The Magic Flute’ that the KT Editor tells
me Methodists use to sing the hymn Behold the servant
of the Lord! Edward Trub
CHARLES MACKERRAS CONDUCTS ERIC COATES Favourite Music
Of Eric Coates London Symphony Orchestra The Merrymakers
Overture; ‘At The Dance Suite’ – Summer Days;
The Man from the Sea from suite ‘The Three Men’;
March: Oxford Street from suite ‘London Again’;
The Three Bears [A Phantasy]; By the sleepy Lagoon; March:
Queen Elizabeth from suite ‘The Three Elizabeths’;
Sullivan Overtures Philharmonia Orchestra The
Mikado; The Yeoman of the Guard; Iolanthe; Ruddigore Vocalion
CDVS 1964 [68:04] The passing of the outstanding
Australian-born conductor celebrated for his wide musical
sympathies was announced just before we went to print. He
had a well documented love of both the composers featured
here. So this album taken from original stereosonic tapes
[1956-57], released for the first time on CD earlier in
the year, now makes a fitting light music tribute re-issue.
Peter Burt
More releases noted by Wilfred Askew
JOHNNY DANKWORTH Let’s Slip Away Film &
TV 1960-1973 [2-CD set] Disc 1 – Big Screen
20 tracks incl. Saturday Night and Sunday Morning; The Servant;
Darling; Sands of the Kalihari; Accident; Modesty Blaise
… Disc 2 – Home Entertainment 19
tracks incl. The Avengers; Little Nell; Pickwick Club; Aquarius;
The Frost Report; Off Duty; Night Owl; Tomorrow’s World;
Bitter Lemons … Universal – Eclipse 531761
[107:29] The majority of tracks appeared originally
on Fontana between 1960 and 1973; Cleo Laine is on nine
of them.
KEN GRIFFIN [Organ] Drifting & Dreaming [2-CD
set] 52 tracks incl. Ebb Tide; Green Eyes; Until
Tomorrow; Marie; Jealous; Isle of Capri; Always; Valencia,
Whispering; All Alone; Now is the Hour; I’m Lost in
the Clouds; When Irish Eyes are Smiling; April in Portugal;
In the Chapel in the Moonlight … Rex REXX 334
[132:52]
SKIP MARTIN’S ALL STAR JAZZ BAND Symphonies In
Jazz Scheherajazz – adapted from Rimsky-Korsakov’s
Scheherazade [4 movements]; Swingin’ with Prince Igor
- adapted from Borodin’s Polovtsian Dances [4 dances];
Tannhäuser – adapted from Wagner’s overture.
Flare ROYCD302 [62:13] The big band alternates with
a concert orchestra on all nine tracks, recorded in stereo
in 1959.
MIKLÓS RÓZSA TREASURY [1949 – 1968]
Original Picture Soundtracks: Madame Bovary; The
Red Danube; The Miniver Story; The Ashphalt Jungle; East
Side, West Side; The Light Touch; Quo Vadis [on 2 CDs];
The Story Of Three Loves; Young Bess; All The Brothers Were
Valiant; Knights Of The Round Table [UK recording]; Crest
Of The Wave; Beau Brummell; Something Of Value; Crisis;
Tip On A Dead Jockey; King Of Kings; El Cid; Ivanhoe; Knights
Of The Round Table [US recording]; The V I Ps; The Power
FSM Box 04 [19:13:31] 15-CD set, in 3 cases in
a sturdy box with 48pp booklet. Limited to 2,000 copies.
DAVID CARROLL Fascination : The Great Hit Sounds of
David Carroll & His Orchestra 2-CD set of 64
tracks incl. Now is the hour; Till we meet again; It’s
only a paper moon; The ship that never sailed; Sugar loaf;
My Evening Star // It’s almost tomorrow; ‘The
Swan’ Theme; Blue moon; All I do is dream of you; Tambourin
Chinois; I’ll be home for Christmas … Original
Mercury recordings Jasmine JASCD 536 [155:12]
COUNT BASIE Dance Along With Basie Count Basie &
His Orchestra incl. It had to be you; Makin’
whoopee; Misty; Secret love; Give me the simple life; Back
to the apple // M-Squad Theme; Moten Swing; Imagination;
Gee baby, ain’t I good to you; Love me, baby; J &
B … The original LP’s 11 tracks [1954] + 10
bonus tracks [1957/8], arr. Thad Jones & Frank Foster
Poll Winners Records PWR 27206 [75:15]
DIANA DORS Swingin’ Dors with the Wally Stott
Orchestra The point of no return; That’s how
it is; Let there be love; Namely you; Imagination; Roller
Coaster Blues; The gentleman is a dope; April heart; I’m
in love for the very first time; Crazy he calls me; Come
by Sunday; Tired of love Original 1960 recording for
Pye Records Universal-Sanctuary CMFCD 1554 [33:02]
JOE "FINGERS" CARR / LOU BUSCH Let’s
Do It Again! 2-CD set of 62 tracks incl. Portuguese
Washerwoman; Moonlight Bay; Sam’s song; Margie; Aloha
Oe; Down Yonder; The Darktown Strutters Ball … // Zambezi;
Eleventh-hour Melody; Sunrise Serenade; Cumana, Friendly
persuasion; Nola; Rainbow’s End … Original
Capitol recordings Jasmine JASCD 534 [157:34]
JERRY FIELDING ‘Straw Dogs’ Original Motion
Picture Score 16 tracks Intrada Special Collection
Vol. 126 [41:55] 2.000 copies
ALAN HAVEN [Organ] Haven For Sale & St Elmo’s
Fire 10 tracks with Keith Mansfield’s Orchestra
[guest Maynard Ferguson] incl. 1,2,3; Goin’ outa
my head; Norwegian Wood; Exodus; Love for sale; What the
world needs now …. 1969 CBS recording // 10
tracks incl. Charade; St Elmo’s Fire; Girl talk; Soliloquy
[‘Carousel’]; Flying free; Air on a G String …
1971 CBS recording. Cherry Red/RPM Retro 864
[78:40]
HENRY MANCINI ‘The Hawaiians’ 2-CD set:
Original Motion Picture Soundtrack 26 tracks, Original
United Artists Score Album 10 tracks Intrada
Special Collection Vol. 124 [63:45 & 30:40] 1,500
copies
KEN THORNE ‘Inspector Clouseau’ Original
Motion Picture Score 15 tracks Kritzerland KR
20013-9 [34:18]
THE MASTERSOUNDS : WES MONTGOMERY Kismet and The King
And I 17 tracks Cherry Red ACMEM174CD [78:49]
Genteel, chamber jazz reminiscent of the MJQ; and of the
Previn/Manne/ Vinnegar recordings of show tunes on Contemporary.
|
|
KEEPING TRACK
Dateline June 2010
The KT Editor’s CD Choice
CAROL JARVIS Smile What are you doing on New
Year’s Eve; When you wish upon a star; Carol’s
Tune; How high the moon; Polka dots and moonbeams; But beautiful;
Caravan; Sång till lotta; Night and day; Alfie; For
absent friends; Tico-Tico; Principal uncertainty; Spain;
In the wee small hours of the morning; Smile Divine
Art Diversions DV 24150 [62:47] This is something special.
Acclaimed trombonist Carol, who our 12-year-old granddaughter
describes as "well pretty", graduated from the
Royal Northern College with the highest qualification possible
and is now a member of the faculty at Trinity College in
London. Since 2004, when she was in her mid-20s, she has
been fighting ─ and how ─ the disease of Hodgkin’s
Lymphoma involving pioneering treatment. Yet she has maintained
her position as one the UK’s leading instrumentalists.
She recently learnt that a school in London has a class
named after her due to her story. Carol herself says "that
a cancer diagnosis doesn’t have to be a death sentence.
It can be a very dark and lonely place but it also opens
your eyes to the world. If anything my life is so much better
since that diagnosis as I don’t take anything for granted
anymore and treasure even the smallest things." Miss
Jarvis’s rich as molasses timbre is well suited to
a choice selection of tunes, some jazz tinged. The languorous
opening track is a Frank Loesser number new to me. Sång
till lotta was written by Jan Sandstrom for a friend’s
young trombone playing daughter on her birthday. [I understand
she now works for the United Nations sans trombone!]
Jimmy Van Heusen’s But beautiful is arranged
by Miss Jarvis. She is accompanied throughout by 34 hand-picked
musicians, including her pianist brother James, led by Cynthia
Fleming. The conductor is Roderick Dunk, who also wrote
Carol’s Tune and arranged a number of the tracks:
my favourite being the Ellington classic with its clever
quotation from Borodin’s In the Steppes of Central
Asia used as an intro. I like, too, the staccato start
to Tico-Tico. The front of the CD booklet has a Rolf
Harris painting of Carol called "Golden Girl"
donated by the artist. At least £1.50 + VAT of each CD sold
will go towards Macmillan Cancer Support. On grounds of
both musicality and contributing to such a worthwhile cause,
I hope that JIM readers will not think twice about adding
this admirable mid-price album to their collection.
BRITISH CINEMA AND THEATRE ORCHESTRAS – Volume
3 For full tracklisting please see page xx of
this issue GLCD 5168 [79:23] In this latest of
the Guild Light Music Series to come my way, prepare yourself
for a feast of "get-up-and-go" light music that
was an every day "listen to" once ─ but
sadly has gone the way of the dinosaur as far as the BBC
is concerned. The London Palladium Orchestra conducted by
Clifford Greenwood gets the show on the road with a bright
and breezy selection of music from productions that have
graced the Palladium stage up to when the original recording
was made in 1939. It was issued as Palladium Memories
but compiler David puts forward the theory that the two
sides of the 12" HMV 78 were accidentally reversed
in the pressing stage. His full notes in the booklet make
interesting reading. After this energetic ‘overture’
the Commodore Grand Orchestra conducted by Joseph Muscant
on an Edison Bell Winner recording of 1932 (yes, really)
play Leon Jessell’s well known Wedding of the Rose,
followed by Arthur Anton conducting the Paramount Theatre
Orchestra of London in Waldteufel’s valse militaire,
The Grenadier, with Al Bollington at the organ. Another
selection, Vincent Youmans’ Hit the Deck is
next, played in a spirited performance by the London Hippodrome
Orchestra conducted by Joseph Tunbridge and recorded, would
you believe, in 1927? It ran for 277 performances. Walter
Collins was a composer/conductor I’d love to know more
about as he composed and conducted a varied selection of
attractive and catchy pieces for the Paxton Library in the
1940s, and I believe he was the musical director of the
De La Warr Pavilion in Bexhill-on-Sea earlier in his career.
This digressing is caused by track five which has Richard
Crean and The London Palladium Orchestra playing what must
be Walter Collins’s most popular light composition,
Moontime. I’ve got two or three different recordings
of it. Now here’s one to take note of on track six:
Perfection by J H White, (unknown to me) and played
by the Commodore Grand Orchestra, again conducted by Joseph
Muscant ─ but it’s the brilliant solo trumpet
playing of Albert Coupe, coupled with Alan Bunting’s
restoration of this 1933 Edison Bell Winner disc that really
makes one sit up. Quite stunning! Another bright and breezy
selection played by the Adelphi Theatre Orchestra conducted
by Francis Collinson, Home and Beauty by Nicholas
Brodszky, is next and it ran for 128 performances, although
I think most people would associate Brodszky with the film
world. A novelty number by Theo Bendix, The Busy Bee,
(nothing to do with Arthur Askey) and played by The
Plaza Theatre Orchestra conducted by Frank Tours is a catchy
piece as is Les Sylphides by Oliver Cussans and played
by The London Palladium Orchestra, Richard Crean conducting.
This piece is also in the Boosey and Hawkes Mood Music catalogue.
Eduard Kunneke’s The Song of the Sea selection
is played by His Majesty’s Theatre Orchestra, the composer
conducting, and regular purchasers of Guild Light Music
discs will already have three movements from his Dance
Suite. The music from this show is, I think, most impressive
and the production ran for 158 performances in 1928. Herman
Finck was a prolific composer of highly tuneful light music
and the Plaza Theatre Orchestra conducted by Frank Tours
recorded his A la Gavotte on a Columbia disc in 1929.
It’s one of Two Little Dances, the other being
A La Minuet. Really delightful! The Commodore Grand
Orchestra with regular conductor Joseph Muscant, but this
time from a Regal Zonophone recording of 1934, gently waltz
onto the stage with Carl Zimmer’s What the Forest
Whispers; then the London Palladium Orchestra play The
Valley of the Poppies ─ a catchy number by Charles
Ancliffe, usually known for his marches and waltzes although,
as noted previously, he has a number of "mood"
pieces in the Bosworth Archive catalogue. Frantisek Drola’s
Serenade played by The Paramount Theatre Orchestra
and Chanson (In Love) by Rudolf Friml from Frank
Tours and the Plaza Theatre Orchestra lead up to the penultimate
track which is Paul Lincke’s Beautiful Spring,
played by the Regal Virtuosi conducted by Emmanuel Starkey
with Sidney Torch at the organ. David’s booklet notes
tells us that the Virtuosi is actually the second orchestra
used by the Regal Cinema and half the size of the original
─ and doesn’t seem to have lasted long. Finally,
the curtain comes down on a selection of Emmerich Kalman’s
score to Countess Maritza, played in fine style by
the New Coventry Hippodrome Orchestra conducted by William
(Bill) Pethers. But, unlike the Regal Virtuosi, this theatre
orchestra lasted much longer ─ after which the Hippodrome
became a Bingo Hall, finally being demolished in 2002. Rather
a sad note to end on but a super selection of tunes all
the same! Ken Wilkins
Carol is thrilled to have the
opportunity
THETTOMMY DORSEY ORCHESTRA
starring WARREN COVINGTON Tea For Two Cha Chas Tea
for two cha cha; Por favor [Please]; Patricia; I still get
jealous – Cha cha; Corazon de melon; Dardanella –
Cha cha; Rico Vacilon; I want to be happy cha cha; Together
1-2-3; Trumpet cha cha cha; Dinah- Cha cha; Cha cha for
Gia/ More Tea For Two Cha Chas Tea for two
cha cha No.2; An occasional man; Santa Isabel De Las Lajas;
Dream; Everybody’s cha cha; Santiago de Cuba; Sweet
and gentle [Me lo dijo adela]; Nunca; Don’t worry ‘bout
me; Silencio; The Sheik of Araby – Cha cha; Esto es
Felicidad Sepia 1142 [63:05] I think this is
the first orchestral CD I have encountered from this source
and it’s a good ’un. Tommy Dorsey died in 1956
and a couple of years later the brilliant trombonist Warren
Covington was invited to succeed him. The first album on
this 2-on-1 was their first LP recording and the second
came in 1959. The orchestra comprises four trumpets [including
Covington], three trombones, four saxophones, clarinet,
piano, bass and drums. They make a fine sound, brilliantly
re-mastered by Robin Cherry. Some might think that just
over an hour of cha cha rhythm is too much of a good thing
but you don’t have to play all the tracks straight
off. I enjoyed every minute of it and if I did not have
two right feet [I’m a "leftie"] would probably
appreciate it even more for being eminently danceable to.
Peter Burt
DENNIS FARNON AND HIS ORCHESTRA Caution! Men Swinging
& The Enchanted Woods Caution! Men Swinging;
Spring Will Be a Little Late This Year; Lover Come Back
To Me; Shoo-Shoo Baby; Just You, Just Me; Isle Of Capri;
South Of The Border; It Don't Mean A Thing (If it..); Why
Don't You Do Right; Three Little Words; Resume Speed / Among
My Souvenirs; Moonlove; Cecilia; Right as Rain; Fools Rush
In; The Lady Is a Tramp; Snowfall; Winter Wonderland; If
You Are But a Dream; I Hear a Rhapsody; Day by Day Vocalion
CDNJT 5312 [77:44] Dennis Farnon recordings have always
been scarce, and vinyl copies of the these two albums have
been notching up some fair prices on Internet dealer sites,
so this new 2-on-1 reissue from Dutton is particularly welcome.
‘The Enchanted Woods’ is an intriguing
collection because Dennis uses only woodwinds and rhythm
on a fine collection of standards featuring on one track,
Right as Rain, a sax solo from brother Brian
Farnon. There is humour to be found on Cecilia and
The Lady is a Tramp. In contrast ‘Caution!
Men Swinging’ is pure jazz and features two original
numbers from Dennis [Caution! and Resume]
plus great standards all played immaculately by some of
the best West Coast musicians of the time, many of whom
featured on so many recordings of the day. Faultless re-mastering
by Mike Dutton brings out all the detail. It's sad that
Dennis never returned to big band recordings of this nature,
because this is an example of just how good it can get.
This CD deserves a place in your Farnon collection. Albert
Killman
ANDRE KOSTELANETZ & HIS ORCHESTRA Gershwin, Kreisler,
Rachmaninov Love walked in; A foggy day; S’wonderful;
Fascinatin’ rhythm; The man I love; Someone to watch
over me; Medley: I got rhythm, But not for me, Embraceable
you, Wintergreen for President, Promenade; Porgy and Bess
Medley; Strike up the band; Tambourin Chinois; Caprice Viennois;
The old refrain; Stars in my eyes; Melodie in E; Piano Concerto
No.2; 18th Variation on a Theme of Paganini Sounds
of Yesteryear DSOY 798 [67:44] Listening to this
lush recording brought back happy memories of playing my
father’s 78s back in the early fifties. All memorable
tunes with one in particular, Fritz Kreisler’s Stars
in my eyes, played many times with steel needles
becoming almost transparent. Michael Highton’s informative
notes worth the price of the CD alone! As I said when reviewing
Kosty’s ‘Richard Rodgers’ CD, Dick
O’Connor’s article on Kostelanatz arrangers in
JIM December ‘07 is a mine of information. Paul
Clatworthy
STRINGS IN RHYTHM For full tracklisting please
see page xx of this issue Guild GLCD 5167 [77:57]
I thought this sounded a good collective title for this
Guild release and it certainly begins with a fiery opening
courtesy of Percy Faith and his Orchestra and Victor Herbert’s
Habanera from ‘Natoma’ ─ a cracking
start. Frank Chacksfield and his Orchestra follow with a
fine arrangement by Roland Shaw of Swinging on a
Star. If you only remember Victor Silvester’s
strict tempo dance style, his Silver Strings make a really
super job of Cole Porter’s You do Something to Me
on track three, followed by Gordon Jenkins and his Orchestra
with his own composition In the Heat of the Day.
There are names that crop up on these Guild Light Music
releases that I’m afraid I’ve never heard of and
the next two are prime examples of my ignorance: J. George
Johnson whose composition Greenwich Village is played
by the New World Theatre Orchestra, and Eros Sciorilli.
His (?) lively tuneful piece, La Colpa Fu,
is played by the Orchestra of the 6th San Remo Festival
conducted by George Melachrino. Brass and piano vie with
the strings of the Philip Green Orchestra in a relaxing
version of In a Sentimental Mood; however, the mood
changes abruptly with Georges Boulanger’s Da Capo,
in a spirited performance by Hans-George Arlt and his Orchestra
─ it really sets the pulses racing. Paul Weston and
his Orchestra play In Love in Vain by Jerome Kern
from the 1946 Technicolor film Centennial Summe,
starring Jeanne Crain and Cornel Wilde, "a pleasing
family comedy with music" according to Halliwell. Noel
Coward’s well known Poor Little Rich Girl,
in an arrangement by Peter Yorke and played by his Orchestra,
is next; but this is followed by a not so well known piece,
Sunset on the Tiber, by Dave Dexter (and here’s
another example of my ignorance) neither of which I’ve
heard of, but the music is a nice catchy piece played in
a very smooth manner by Norrie Paramor and his Orchestra,
from 1959. While listening to Carmen Dragon and the Capitol
Symphony Orchestra playing La Cumparsita, I noticed
in the play list Neapolitan Nights Mambo, played
by Monty Kelly and his Orchestra, one of the composers being
Zamecnik, a name that crops up frequently in early recorded
mood music. So I was rather interested to read more about
him and to discover John Stepan Zamecnik had written over
2,000 compositions, mainly for the Sam Fox Co. during his
lifetime, 1872 to 1953. This particular number was used
as the theme music for a silent film, "Fazil"
(1925). Pepe Gonzalez and his Orchestra set the feet a-tapping
with a spirited performance of La Cucaracha on a
Brunswick disc of 1957 as does Otto Cesana with his own
piece Let’s Beguine on a Columbia recording
of two years earlier. Wonderful sound recording from that
era, enhanced by Alan Bunting’s magical touch. Dolf
van der Linden and his Orchestra (as Van Lynn) with a delicate
piece by Joseph Francois Heyne La Petite Gavotte,
is on track twenty two. Would they be the same players who
formed the Metropole Orchestra and also recorded for the
Paxton Library? Werner Muller and his Orchestra (as Ricardo
Santos and his Tango Orchestra) bring this fine collection
of light music almost to a close with Jacob Gade’s
Glamour-Tango, a worthy successor to his Jealousy.
Lastly, the Fireworks Polka by Johann Strauss arranged
by Robert Farnon (on the label, Jack Saunders) and played
by his Orchestra. As the orchestra struck up I thought we
were in for The Loveliest Night of the Year, then
the fireworks really began. It wouldn’t
have been out of place in a New Year’s Day Concert
from Vienna. Great stuff! Ken Wilkins
WERNER TWARDY The Fantastic Sound of Werner Twardy
26 tracks incl. Merry Go Round; Ramona; Blueberry
Hill; Siberia; Lovely Lady; It’s a lonesome old town;
On a Persian market; I’m in the mood for love; Avant
de mourir; The more I see you; Always; Old Man Moses …
Polydor 06007 5324561 [77:01] Most of the CDs
I review have to be bought [a fact reflected in my bank
balance!] but sometimes a "freebie" comes my way
and this is one of them. The liner notes are nearly all
in German but I have discovered that Herr Twardy [1926-77]
worked with the Kurt Edelhagen Band as arranger and composer
before leading his own orchestra. It seems that only two
tracks are by Orchester Werner Twardy [my German not being
up to finding out whether they accompany on the others]
but the maestro is responsible for all the arrangements,
which are mainly tracks taken from Polydor’s ‘In
Gold’ series with Hammond organist T.W.Ardy (sic),
trumpeters Horst Fischer, Heinz Schachtner and Leif Ulvemark,
trombonists Otto Bredl and Jiggs Whigham, clarinetist Henry
Arland, and pianists Fritz Schulz-Reichel and Werner himself,
with the Gunter-Kallman Choir on nine tracks. The spine
of the jewel-box spine refers to "Jazzclub/Easy"
and the fact that the album found a degree of favour with
two visiting pre-teen grandchildren for dancing to will
give you some idea of what to expect. It’s sorta-James
Last and at budget price I’ll be surprised if the album
does not make you feel happy, too. Peter Burt
JOSHUA BELL At Home With Friends I loves you
Porgy; Come again; Oblivion; Cinema Paradiso; Para Ti; My
Funny Valentine; Maybe so; Grieg: Violin Sonata No.3, Movement
II; Eleanor Rigby; Rachmaninoff: O, cease thy singing, maiden
fair, Op.4, No.4; Il Postino; Left Hand Song; Chovendo Na
Roseira; Look away; Variant moods: duet for sitar and violin;
I’ll take Manhattan; White Christmas Sony Classical
88697554362 [77:37] Chosen by David Mellor on Classic
FM as his "Crossover CD of the Year" for 2009,
you get what it says on the tin. Classical violinist Joshua
Bell joins with some friends on 17 eclectic tracks including
Sting [singing Dowland], vocalist Josh Groban, sitar player
Anoushka Shankar, trumpeter Chris Botti and pianist/arranger
Marlin Hamlisch. Oblivion by Astor Piazzola and Il
Postino both feature Carel Kraayenhof playing the bandoneon
[a type of concertina popular in South America]. The most
fascinating track is the Grieg piece which, by the wonders
of modern technology, Bell recorded in July last year with
accompaniment at the piano by one Sergei Rachmaninoff, recorded
in September 1928! Altogether a disc that is a bit "different"
but musically rewarding. Peter Burt
A TOUCH OF CLASS [Four Hands At One And Two Pianos]
Rachel & Vanessa Fuidge Milhaud: Scaramouche;
Gershwin arr. H Levine: Rhapsody in Blue; Saint-Saens
arr. composer: The Carnival of Animals; Philip Lane:
Badinages 1 - Mouvement Perpetual; Grieg:
Norwegian Dance No.2; Anitra’s Dance; Casella:
Puppets; Camilleri: Paganiana; Paola di Biase:
Duo Tango; Leroy Anderson: Fiddle Faddle Divine
Art DDV 24146 [70:40] Whether to play or hear,
piano duets are fun. These players, identical twins born
in Glossop in 1988, clearly find them so and the freshness
and bloom of their work ensure that we do, too. The Milhaud,
unique here in being a two piano work, Gershwin and Saint-Saens
are the most recent recordings [2009]. By themselves they
would have offered short measure, so the other tracks are
taken from an earlier CD, now deleted, made by Dunelm Records
in 2005 when the twins were still at school. These latter
tracks offer less well-known but equally tuneful items from
the duet repertoire. Fine recording; the sense of musical
enjoyment is something to treasure. Philip L Scowcroft
PHIL KELSALL Welcome To My World Imperial Echoes;
Second Waltz [Shostakovitch]; The Cactus Polka; Vera Lynn
Medley [Part 1]; George Gershswin Medley; You raise me up;
I’ve got the world on a string/Welcome to my world/What
a wonderful world; La Danza; That’s amore/My resistance
is low/Que sera sera; Limehouse Blues/Vera Lynn Medley [Part
2]; Wurlitzer March; Jerome Kern Medley; Russian Rag; Jerry
Herman Medley; Noel Coward Medley; Twelfth Street Rag Grasmere
GRCD 132 [70:08] This album, only recorded in January,
celebrates 75 years of the distinctive sounding Blackpool
Tower Wurlitzer organ from the current ─ and for the
past 35 years ─ king of its keyboard. Available at
mid-price, it is a very pleasant selection of nicely varied
items. What a potent tune You raise me up is. Based
on the Londonderry Air, it has been recorded more
than 125 times and become popular at funerals and memorial
services, and is well-suited to the Wurlitzer. Peter
Burt
A BREEZY BALLAD Songs and Ballads of Haydn Wood Shae
Apland [bass-baritone], Sharon Wishart [piano], Marissa
Famiglietti [soprano], Marjorie Cullerne [violin] A
Breezy Ballad; The Little Ships [Dunkirk 1940]; The Stars
Looked down; Khaki and Gold; Casey the Fiddler; Think on
these Things; I Bless the Dawn; I Love Your Eyes; Roses
of Picardy; Memories of Yesterday; Bird of Love Divine;
Three Sea songs: The Call, Ship o’ Mine, The Sea Road;
Fairy Water; This is My Dream; Prayer in the Desert [A Soldier
– His Prayer]; A Rose Still Blooms in Picardy; Somebody’s
in Love With You; Love’s Garden of Roses; The Foray;
The End of the World [A Manx Spiritual]; Your Prayers Are
Asked; This is the Song of Life [67:39] Haydn Wood wrote
many ballads and some more serious songs [his wife Dorothy
Court was a popular soprano]. His 50th anniversary
last year brought forth two song CDs, by Peter Dempsey and
Guy Rowland and this one, from Canada, which luckily overlaps
relatively little ─ even Roses, present on
both, appears here in its otherwise unavailable duet version.
The principal singer, Shae Apland, a virile-sounding bass-baritone
clear and fresh in delivery, is positively accompanied by
Sharon Wishart. I could have done with hearing more of Miss
Famiglietti ─ perhaps in songs written for Dorothy
Court ─ as she is only heard in the Roses duet,
but the CD is pleasantly varied: many "outdoor"
songs like the grimly portentous The End of the World
and others [Khaki, Ships and Prayer]
which between them recall two World Wars; the disc spans
the period 1910-50. We hear Bird with Wood’s
violin obbligato played by his great-niece Marjorie Cullerne,
who has devised obbligati for Casey and Love’s
Garden. Recommended heartily. Philip L Scowcroft
[Available at £15.00 from www.haydnwoodmusic.com]
GRACIE FIELDS Our Gracie : The Best Of Gracie Fields
Gracie’s Requests: Sally – My Blue Heaven
– Looking on the bright side; When I grow too old to
dream; Wish me luck [as you wave me goodbye]; Walter, Walter
lead me to the alter; Red sails in the sunset; Danny boy;
A nice cup of tea; Indian Love Call; Little old lady; Love
walked in; Sing as we go*; That old feeling*; Irving Berlin
Medley*: This year’s kisses – The song is ended
– How deep is the ocean; Lancashire Blues*; Smile when
you say goodbye*; The biggest aspidistra in the world; Pedro
the Fisherman; Bless this house; Oklahoma! Part 1: Oh, what
a beautiful mornin’! – The surrey with the fringe
on top – People will say we’re in love; Oklahoma!
Part 2: I cain’t say no – Out of my dreams –
Oklahoma!; How are things in Glocca Morra?; He wooed her
and wooed her and wooed her; Take me to your heart again
[La vie en rose]; Now in the hour; Gracie Fields featuring
Jane Horrocks "Now is the hour" Decca 5324560
[79’43"] Following the very successful showing
last autumn of the BBC4 drama ‘Gracie’, starring
Jane Horrocks, and no doubt hoping to emulate their 2009
best-selling collection from Vera Lynn, Decca bring us a
selection of Miss Fields’ best known recordings, plus
five [see * above] which have never been released before.
These new tracks were taken from Fairy Soap radio programmes
made in 1938 that were discovered in a storage facility
and saved from destruction. The last track is also fascinating:
a duet of Gracie’s biggest chart success, her voice
combining with that of Jane Horrocks. Nine of the first
ten pre-war tracks were originally on the old Rex label
with MDs Jay Wilbur or Fred Hartley. Wish me luck is
from a film soundtrack issued by Regal-Zonophone. On the
majority of the original Decca tracks the MD is Phil Green
although Victor Young wields the baton for Aspidistra,
and on La vie en rose Gracie is accompanied by
our own Bob Farnon and his Orchestra. Where this new collection
scores over previous releases is in the first-rate final
restoration and remastering by RFS member Alan Bunting.
He was most pleased to be able to do something about an
extremely bad edit on the 78 of Wish me luck. Ray
Crick is responsible for the compilation and very good booklet
notes, although it’s a pity that among other listing
errors The Lord’s Prayer track referred to
seems to have got lost somewhere along the way! Surprisingly
there is not a lot of duplication with the two albums featured
in Back Tracks in our March issue. Most enjoyable. Peter
Burt
JUDY GARLAND Over The Rainbow : The Very Best Of Judy
Garland Over The Rainbow, Stompin’ At The Savoy,
You Made Me Love You, Zing! Went The Strings Of My Heart,
I’m Just Wild About Harry, Embraceable You, Swanee,
I’m Nobody’s Baby, I’m Always Chasing Rainbows,
How About You, Blues In The Night, On The Sunny Side Of
The Street, For Me And My Gal, When You Wore A Tulip, That
Old Black Magic, But Not For Me, I Got Rhythm, The Boy Next
Door, The Trolley Song, Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas,
Love, You’ll Never Walk Alone, On The Atchison Topeka
And The Santa Fe, Look For The Silver Lining, A Couple Of
Swells, Get Happy, Can This be The End Of The Rainbow?
Decca 75326184 [77:58] Ray Crick, former manager of
ASV’s Living Era label, has already compiled two big
sellers for Universal/Decca with his Vera Lynn and Gracie
Fields collections. Now it is the turn of Judy Garland,
and if Universal fund a similar amount of TV advertising
this could well prove to be the most successful of the three.
Once again the sound restoration is in the safe hands of
Alan Bunting, so I hardly need comment upon the fine quality
of the recordings ─ some now incredibly 70 years old
(the second track is actually her very first release from
1936 when she was just 14). As for the music, it is a delightful
mix of studio recordings and film soundtracks, and many
of your own favourites must surely be included. Along the
way Judy sings with Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire, and the
forthcoming West End production of "The Wizard Of Oz"
will certainly rekindle the public’s interest in the
original Dorothy. My promotional copy did not include the
CD booklet, but I am confident in predicting that it will
be full of useful information about her recording career.
Top marks to Ray Crick for a delightful collection. I wonder
who he will choose next time? David Ades
MARIO LANZA Serenade: A Mario Lanza Songbook 22
tracks incl. Tosti: Marechiare; Toselli: Serenade;
Tosti: A vucchella; Di Capua: O sole mio;
Fusco: Dicitencello vuie; Padilla: Valencia;
Cottrau: Fenesta che lucive … RCA
Red Seal 88697573892 [66:34] This is rather a splendid
new collection at budget price [I paid under £6 online]
of reissues with seven previously unreleased recordings
by the celebrated romantic tenor prematurely lost to us
at age 38 in 1959. As well as the lovely melodies with titles
we may not recognize, included are songs such as Siboney,
Granada, Besame mucho, Mattinata, Ay-ay-ay,
Because and Arriverderci Roma. A number of
the tracks were originally recorded for ‘The Mario
Lanza Show’ on radio; three of these being introduced
by Lanza himself in a voice as mellifluous speaking as it
is singing. Conducting duties are shared by Constantine
Callinicos and Ray Sinatra. The remastering brings the sound
up as fresh as the proverbial paint, and the excellent booklet
notes by album compiler Derek Mannering help make a most
desirable package. Peter Burt
VERA LYNN Songs From ‘The Vera Lynn Show’
27 tracks incl. I love to sing; In the middle of
an island; When I fall in love; Hey there; Mr Wonderful;
No, not much; With all my heart; In the wee small hours
of the morning; Witchcraft; Put your arms around me, honey;
The last time I saw Paris; Sometimes I’m happy; Only
you, I’ll be seeing you … Sepia 1143 [77:15]
On 13th September last year, Dame Vera became
the oldest living artist to top the UK album chart, at the
age of 92. This album of transcribed radio show numbers,
the majority of titles never having been recorded commercially,
date from 52 years ago ─ although you would never
think so from Robin Cherry’s re-mastering. She did,
however, record How green was my valley no less than
three times: with Mantovani [1941], Robert Farnon [1947],
and Geoff Love [1961]. These are tiptop interpretations
from one of the finest vocalists this country has ever produced.
It is interesting to hear Vera’s "take" on
songs associated with other singers, such as True love,
Mangos, Tammy, and Love letters. No
standout tracks ─ they’re all good! Vera receives
stellar support throughout from the well-remembered Eric
Robinson and his Orchestra. If you, like me, are a Lynn
fan you will need no encouragement to buy this disc. If
you have nothing of hers in your collection, then note Tony
Middleton’s reference in his detailed booklet notes
to Vera’s "perfect diction, attention to lyrics
and overall sincerity" and give this disc a spin. You’ll
not regret it. Peter Burt
RUNAWAY LOVE Billy Mayerl’s 1930s Show Songs Alex
Hassan [piano], Rachel Barrell [soprano], Colin [baritone]
24 tracks incl. Hand in glove; I feel so safe with
you; I’ve got a sweetie on the radio; It’s not
fair; I know something that you know; Song of the fir tree;
Just a little love; A house on a hill-top; Over she goes,
Why not, Madame?; Your sunny disposition and mine; Miss
Up-To-Date … Shellwood SWCD39 [70:27] Another
new release that has come my way, I’m afraid that there
is not a track here that I recognize and the shows they
come from ─ ‘Charlotte’s Revue’, ‘Love
Lies’, ‘Darling I Love You’, ‘Silver
Wings’, ‘Nippy’, ‘Over She Goes’,
‘Runaway Love’, etc. ─ are all equally unknown.
But I enjoyed it quite a bit with the performers sounding
eminently matched to the material. Alex Hassan in his liner
notes writes: "There are some soaring melodies here,
mixed with a healthy dollop of toe-tapping syncopation."
Agreed! It is for the latter, of course, that most of us
will know the name of Billy Mayerl. I understand that this
album is a follow-up to an earlier release ‘Honeymoon
For Three’ [SWCD28]. So if you liked that, you’ll
want this. And if Billy Mayerl the songwriter is new to
you, then this is another disc to try. Peter
Burt
A SONG FOR YOU Favourite Ballads, Songs of Cabaret
and Screen and Piano Solos Peter Dempsey [tenor], Guy Rowland
[piano] Trotère: I Did Not Know; E. Purcell:
Passing By; Bartlett: A Dream; Lohr: Where
My Caravan Has Rested; Silesu: A Little Love;
Gartner: Trusting Eyes; Brahe: I Passed By Your
Window; Penn: Smilin’ Through; Openshaw:
Love Sends a Little Gift of Roses; Kennedy Russell:
Just Because the Violets; "Lozanne": Dark-Haveh
Marie; Schonberger: Whispering; Strickland: Mah
Lindy Lou; Grofe: Wonderful One; Donaldson:
My Blue Heaven; C. Gibbons: A Garden in the Rain;
Lenoir: Speak To Me of Love; Cole Porter: In the
Still of the Night; R. Noble: By the Fireside;
Spoliansky: My song For You; Piano solos: Coates:
Bird Songs At Eventide; F. Hartley: Starry Night;
Mayerl: The Song of the Fir Tree ASFY1
[66:30] Fresh from their success with the CDs of Coates,
Haydn Wood and Ketèlby songs, Messrs Dempsey and
Rowland enjoyably turn their attention to a miscellaneous
disc of ballads, etc. by English composers ─ I like
particularly those by Trotère, really Trotter [!],
Kennedy Russell and Ray Noble ─ and, even more so,
American ones, not to mention Italian [Silesu] and French
[Lenoir]. Several were written for or incorporated in films;
the time scale of the vocal items is 1890-1937. Mr Dempsey’s
passionate, incisive tone and clarity of diction [the French
in the popular Lenoir song is not quite idiomatic] do well
for this repertoire and he is well supported by Mr Rowland,
who extends the CD’s scope with three solo tracks,
all by British composers. "Lozanne", incidentally,
was Canadian-born Alma Rattenbury, accused in 1934 of murdering
her husband but acquitted, ‘though she later committed
suicide. Philip L Scowcroft [Available
from Mr P Dempsey, 44 Victoria Road, Bedford-on-Avon, Warwicks.
B50 4AR [e-mail Demsini @ aol.com] at £9.95 incl. p&p]
THE BEST OF THE COLLIERY BANDS The Music Lives On :
Now The Mines Have Gone The Champions – Desford
Colliery Band; Gallop from William Tell – Grimethorpe
C B; Russian Dance – Point of Ayr C B; Concierto de
Aranjuez – Betteshanger Brass Band; Songs of the Tyne
– Bearpark & Esh C B; He Ain’t Heavy, He’s
My Brother – Hatfield Powerfuel C B; New World Symphony
– Grimethorpe C B; The Day Thou Gavest – Newbridge
Celynen B B; La Danza – Northumbrian Water Ellington
C B; Bayview – Buckhaven & Methil B B; Jerusalem
– Grimethorpe C B; You Needed Me – Thorseby C
B; Lightwalk - Carlton Main Frickly C B; Songs of the Quay
– Thorseby C B; MacArthur Park – Grimethorpe C
B Island 2732604 [63:25] This would be a good
representative album of the genre to have in your CD collection.
It comes to mark the 25th anniversary of the
end of one this country’s bitterest and most decisive
industrial disputes. Subsequently Margaret Thatcher’s
government decimated the pits and the only ones named above
still operational are Thoresby and Hatfield, the latter
closing in 1994 but re-opening in 2006. Here is quite a
varied mix of music with the best pieces being those, like
the opening track, written specifically for bands to perform.
Most of the items are upbeat with little of the longueurs
non-aficionados sometimes associate with brass band music.
Barrie Gott’s Lightwalk really swings. New
World Symphony is a felicitious rendering of the Goin’
Home theme from that work. The day after this disc arrived
I read in The Times that "The British brass band tradition
is under threat from all sides." By buying this mid-priced
album we could be helping the struggle to keep it alive.
Peter Burt
DINNIGTON COLLIERY BAND A Band For Britain Largo;
Death Or Glory; Abide With Me; Floral Dance; Annie’s
Song; Pirates Of The Caribbean; Jerusalem; Great Escape;
Danny Boy; Slaidburn; Conquest Of Paradise; Born Free Decca
2732796 [41:30] 35 years ago there were 35,000
registered brass bands playing in the UK, today there are
only 700. The South Yorkshire based aggregation playing
here has only survived the demise of the local pit in 1992
thanks to a 3-part BBC television documentary leading to
a £1M record deal with Universal. However, they do the band
no favours by providing only 41½ minutes of playing time
for a tenner. What we do have, conducted by MD Jonathan
Beatty, are spirited versions of standard band fare including
the ubiquitous ‘Hovis’ theme, the hymn tune beloved
by the FA Cup Final crowd, echoes of another band of years
past and a Terry Wogan singalong, the John Denver song adopted
by Sheffield United ["The Blades"] football team
as their signature tune, a quartet of toothsome film themes
─ Conquest by Vangelis stands out for me ─
and a couple of items written to be performed by brass bands.
From a revitalized group of musicians, this is an album
with soul and a good listen. Ashley Studdal
BAND OF THE COLDSTREAM GUARDS Music From Trooping The
Colour 1952─2008 Ketèlby: With Honour
Crowned; Bidgood: St Patrick’s March; Wright:
Whitehall; Jansea: The Ambassador; Wagner:
Rienzi; Siebert: Marching Sergeants; Jaeger:
Freedom of Windsor; Double X; Howe: Scottish Colours;
Bellini: Grand March from ‘Norma’;
Renton: Guards Independent Parachute Company; Eley:
Royal Heritage; Machin: Advance to Glory; etc.
… Bandleader BNA 5199 [75:00] This recording
brings to an end a series of releases featuring marches
played at various Trooping the Colour Ceremonies since 1864,
and all have been judiciously selected by the Director of
Music, Lieutenant Colonel Graham Jones, to minimize duplication
for even the most avid collector of military music ─
so there’s not an Alford or Sousa march in sight on
this collection. Instead we have contributions from such
luminaries as "Jigg" Jaeger, long-term and celebrated
DOM of the Irish Guards, Jimmy Howe, long-associated DOM
of the Scots Guards, Frank Renton, still happily presenting
‘Listen to The Band’ on BBC Radio 2, and to bring
as right up-to-date a march by Greg Machin: Advance to
Glory played for the first time in 2008. Also of particular
interest is the inclusion of an example, Royal Heritage,
composed by the Coldstream Band’s first Music Major,
Christopher Eley [1785-1794], in an effective rescoring
for modern military band by Graham Jones. Particularly welcome
is the first track from a composer usually associated with
penning romanticized musical postcards depicting exotic
places such as Persian markets and Chinese temple gardens.
With Honour was written to commemorate the
Silver Jubilee of King George V in 1935 and featured in
the Birthday Parade that year. The only other recording
I possess of this piece is in an orchestral version by the
London Promenade Orchestra under Alexander Faris on a Philips
CD. In sum this is a magnificent cornucopia of military
marches, uplifting and stirring, and played by a band at
the top of their very considerable form. The album is a
superb testimony to the skill and talent of young military
musicians who do not always receive the recognition they
deserve. With vivid recording and generous playing time
this disc is self-recommending. Roger Hyslop
HOLST IN CHICHESTER The Band of HM Royal Marines Portsmouth
[The Royal Band] directed by Principal Director of Music,
Lt Col Nick Grace RM; Chichester Cathedral Choir directed
by Sarah Baldock; Mark Wardell [organ] Holst: First
Suite in E flat for military band Op.28 No.1; Second Suite
in F for military band Op.28 No.2; Hammersmith Op.52; Turn
Back O Man, Planets Suite – Jupiter Op.32; Parry:
I Was Glad; Stanford: Te Deum in B flat; Vaughan
Williams: English Folk Song Suite Chevron CHVCD30
[71:00] Having acquired some three years ago Gordon
Jacobs’ orchestration of the two suites by Gustav Holst
─ available on Lyrita SRCD210 [LPO/Nicholas Braithwaite]
─ I was particularly delighted by this latest and
imaginative release from the "in house" label
of the Royal Marines Band Service that includes the original
military band versions, especially in such outstanding performances
as these. Both are delivered with incisive, crisp and stylish
playing, as are Vaughan Williams’ attractive and jaunty
Suite, a 1923 commission from the Royal Military
School of Music, Kneller Hall, and Jupiter; whilst
the sombre strains of the brooding atmospheric and rarely
performed Hammersmith are vividly conveyed by a band
that possesses a rich tonal palette. Some slight reservations
creep in with regard to the purely choral items. The modest-sized
choir seems a little backwardly balanced and thus rather
lacking in impact and presence, whilst the organist rarely
makes his presence felt. But getting everything into perfect
balance within the difficult cathedral acoustic is a well
nigh impossible task and I’m sure the Royal Marines
engineering team in charge of this production made valiant
efforts to obtain the best possible results in attempting
to blend together band, choir and organ. So the highlights
on this disc are undoubtably the purely wind band items,
vividly recorded and reflecting good inner details, and
it’s difficult to imagine they could easily be bettered
for some considerable time ─ if at all. One final
small quibble: it would have been helpful to have included
individual track timings. Otherwise strongly recommended.
Roger Hyslop [Available from The Blue Band
Magazine HQBSRM, HMS Nelson, Queen Street, Portsmoth, Hants
PO1 3HH, enclosing a £10 cheque made payable to "The
Blue Band", or order online at www.royalmarinesbands.co.uk]
RED NICHOLS AND HIS FIVE PENNIES featuring MARION MORGAN
The Navy Swings Dixie; A foggy day in London Town;
Corky; Marry a rich woman; Fidgety feet; Come rain or come
shine; Buglers Lament; I’m shooting high, Lassus Trombone;
Stardust; Blues at midnight; Almost like being in love;
Parade of the Pennies; My funny valentine; Maple Leaf Rag;
I’ve got a crush on you Sounds of Yesteryear
DSOY 797 [59‘51"] Featuring jazz veterans
of the 1920s who made thousands of records, sometimes under
different names. It is complete with all the usual recruitment
announcements of the 1950s. Paul Clatworthy
THE OSCAR PETERSON TRIO The Complete World Transcriptions
24 tracks incl. Fine and dandy; Someone to watch
over me; Heatwave; Makin’ Whoopee; Just you, just me;
Sweet Georgia Brown; A fine romance; Should I?; How about
you; Zing went the strings of my heart, September in the
rain; Imagination; Don’t blame me … Sounds
of Yesteryear DSOY 800 [58’06"] Three fine
musicians working steadily through a good collection of
standards. Of not a single track could I honestly say, "I’ve
got to hear that again." One for Peterson completists
only. If you have your arm twisted into helping wash-up,
good background sound but still conveyer-belt music. Sounds
of Yesteryear discs are available from The Woods and other
good retailers. Paul Clatworthy
CHOPIN 14 Waltzes, etc. Dinu Lipatti 17 tracks
EMI 9659302 [64:48] This year marks the
200th birth anniversary of the Polish composer
Frederic Chopin, who is described in Classic fM’s ‘Classic
Ephemera’ miscellany [Elliott & Thompson ISBN 1904027814]
as "sort of a Henry Ford of composers, whose catchphrase
might have been ‘you can have any instrument as long
as it’s the piano.’" The waltzes recorded
in 1950, the year the brilliant 33-year-old Romanian-born
pianist tragically died, have never been out of the catalogue
and here they are re-mastered in EMI’s new low-priced
Masters series. Included are the best-known waltzes Minute
[as in tiny] and Brilliant. Delightful! Edward
Trub
TCHAIKOVSKY Sleeping Beauty Ballet Royal Opera House
Orchestra, Covent Garden, conducted by Mark Ermler Sony
88697575302 [172:01] Tchaikovsky’s ballets are
surely in a class of their own in possessing a symphonic
breadth and sweep unrivalled or surpassed, in my view, either
before or since. The Sleeping Beauty received mixed
reviews on its first appearance in Russia and its popularity
didn’t really begin to take off until Diaghilev staged
it with his Ballet Russe in London in 1921. These CDs are
a new reissue of an account recorded in 1989 at St-Jude-on-the-Hill,
Hampstead Garden Suburb [a church designed by the famous
architect Sir Edwin Lutyens]. It straddles three discs simply
because it is commendably played absolutely complete whereas
most rival accounts are contained on two CDs, making some
cuts unavoidable. This is a magnificent and compelling score,
made the more so with melodies pouring from the composer’s
pen in a veritable flood and, with sumptuous recording quality
and a price tag of around £15 [less online], is treasure
trove indeed. Roger Hyslop
SIR ARTHUR SULLIVAN Ivanhoe BBC National Orchestra
of Wales conducted by David Lloyd-Jones Chandos CHAN 10578
Sullivan always wanted to break free of his less serious
mode and succeeded with Ivanhoe, one of the
very few patriotic English grand operas, neatly shown in
the packaging which represents the Cross of St. George. Dedicated
to and therefore possibly commissioned by Queen Victoria,
it deserves a listing because of its epic story and three
hour duration, not to mention its links with the Royal Opera
House built specially by Richard D’Oyly Carte but ultimately
turning into the Palace Theatre. If you like grand
opera then this is for you. Mid-price for a 3-CD boxed set.
Edmund Whitehouse
More releases noted by Wilfred Askew
COUNT BASIE AND HIS ORCHESTRA Play Music by Neal Hefti
: On My Way and Shoutin’ Again! 10 tracks
incl. Dirty Bumps; Jump for Johnnie; Shanghaied;
Skippin’ with Skitch; Rose Bud; Together Again …
Verve 1790904 [34:21] Recorded in 1962.
TONY BENNETT For Once In My Life ; I’ve Gotta Be
Me Something in your smile; Out of this world; Baby,
dream your dream; How do you say Auf Wiedersehen; Keep smiling
at trouble … and 4 more Arranged/conducted by Marion
Evans, David Rose, Torrie Zito & Ralph Burns / Play
it again, Sam; Alfie; What the world needs now is love;
They all laughed; A lonely place; Theme from ‘Valley
of the Dolls’ … and 5 more Arranged/conducted
by Terrie Zito. Original Columbia [CBS] recordings from
1967 and 1969. Beat Goes On Records BGOCD 886 [64:11]
CLASSIC WESTERN SCORES FROM M-G-M, Vol.2 Original
Motion Picture Soundtracks Disc 1: Northwest Passage
[1940] Herbert Stothart 31 tracks; Disc 2: Many Rivers
To Cross [1955] Cyril J Mockridge [cond. Miklos Rozsa] 30
tracks; Escape From Fort Bravo [1953] Jeff Alexander; Disc
3: A Thunder Of Drums [1961] Harry Sukman 25 tracks;
The Godchild [1974] David Shire 14 tracks F.S.M.
Vol.12 No.18 [217:16] Limited to 2,000 copies.
JOHNNY DANKWORTH Let’s Slip Away Film &
TV 1960-1973 [2-CD set] Disc 1 – Big Screen
20 tracks incl. Saturday Night and Sunday Morning; The Servant;
Darling; Sands of the Kalihari; Accident; Modesty Blaise
… Disc 2 – Home Entertainment 19
tracks incl. The Avengers; Little Nell; Pickwick Club; Aquarius;
The Frost Report; Off Duty; Night Owl; Tomorrow’s World;
Bitter Lemons … Universal – Eclipse 531761
[107:29] The majority of tracks appeared originally
on Fontana between 1960 and 1973; Cleo Laine is on nine
of them.
KEN GRIFFIN [Organ] Drifting & Dreaming [2-CD
set] 52 tracks incl. Ebb Tide; Green Eyes; Until
Tomorrow; Marie; Jealous; Isle of Capri; Always; Valencia,
Whispering; All Alone; Now is the Hour; I’m Lost in
the Clouds; When Irish Eyes are Smiling; April in Portugal;
In the Chapel in the Moonlight … Rex REXX 334
[132:52]
QUINCY JONES Explores The Music Of Henry Mancini 12
tracks incl. Baby Elephant Walk; Dreamsville; Mr Lucky;
[I love you] and don’t you forget it; Soldier in the
Rain; Moon River; Peter Gunn Verve 1799574 [38:22]
THE MASTERSOUNDS : WES MONTGOMERY Kismet and The King
And I 17 tracks Cherry Red ACMEM174CD [78:49]
Genteel, chamber jazz reminiscent of the MJQ; and of the
Previn/Manne/ Vinnegar recordings of show tunes on Contemporary.
SHIP MARTIN’S ALL STAR JAZZ BAND Symphonies In
Jazz Scheherajazz – adapted from Rimskky-Korsakov’s
Scheherazade [4 movements]; Swingin’ with Prince Igor
- adapted from Borodin’s Polovtsian Dances [4 dances];
Tannhäuser – adapted from Wagner’s overture.
Flare ROYCD302 [62:13] The big band alternates with
a concert orchestra on all nine tracks, recorded in stereo
in 1959.
MIKLÓS RÓZSA TREASURY [1949 – 1968]
Original Picture Soundtracks: Madame Bovary; The
Red Danube; The Miniver Story; The Ashphalt Jungle; East
Side, West Side; The Light Touch; Quo Vadis [on 2 CDs];
The Story Of Three Loves; Young Bess; All The Brothers Were
Valiant; Knights Of The Round Table [UK recording]; Crest
Of The Wave; Beau Brummell; Something Of Value; Crisis;
Tip On A Dead Jockey; King Of Kings; El Cid; Ivanhoe; Knights
Of The Round Table [US recording]; The V I Ps; The Power
FSM Box 04 [19:13:31] 15-CD set, in 3 cases in
a sturdy box with 48pp booklet. Limited to 2,000 copies.
|
|
|
KEEPING TRACK
Dateline March 2010
CHAQUITO The Great Chaquito Revolution & Latin Colours
Revolution; Aquarius; Carol of the Bells; Old devil
moon; Echo of a Serenade; The Good, the Bad and the Ugly;
Carioca; Mother Earth; Desafinado; Goin’ out of my
head; Maria Elena; The Big Country ⁄ Meditation; Trains
and boats and planes; Africaan Beat; La Paloma; Light my
fire; La Peregrinación; Do you know the way to San
Jose; Little Boat; Walk on by; One summer’s day; This
guy’s in love with you; Upa, Neguinho Vocalion
CDLK 4410 [73:13] Chaquito was the most notable of arranger-composer-conductor
John Gregory’s alto egos and his first great aggregation
was formed in 1958 as an "authentic" Latin American
band. The creative arrangements and the band’s exciting
style ─ many of the players coming from the Ted Heath
orchestra ─ generated much interest. So much so that
in the 20 years to 1977 the Chaquito band went on to record
14 LPs and, including compilations and re-releases, over
20 albums were released during this time, several of which
featured in the charts. The first album here dates from
1970 and the second, a slightly gentler selection, from
two years later. Everyone will have their favourite tracks:
be it Gregory’s own title tune and One summer Day
[Un Jour d’Ėté], the joyful Carol,
Carioca with its brilliant trumpet soloists or Bert
Kaempfert’s bouncy Africaan Beat, but the whole
CD has oodles of oomph and is my Best Disc for this issue.
Peter Burt
JOHN IRELAND: ORCHESTRAL WORKS. HALLÉ ORCHESTRA
Conducted by JOHN WILSON. Mai-Dun, The Forgotten
Rite, Satyricon Overture, "The Overlanders" –
Suite, A London Overture, Epic March. Recorded March
2007 at BBC Studio 7, New Broadcasting House, Manchester.
Hallé Concert Society HLL7523. Born in Bowdon, Cheshire
– just south of Manchester – John Ireland studied
composition at the RCM under Sir Charles Villiers Stanford.
He subsequently returned to teach at the college, where
his pupils included E. J. Moeran, Geoffrey Bush, Helen Perkin
(see JIM 182) and – so it is reported – a somewhat
uninterested Benjamin Britten. These duties were combined
with the post of organist and choirmaster at St Luke’s
Church, Chelsea, London. Considering that he created a not
insubstantial canon of compositions, which have been well
represented on many recordings over the years, it is unfortunate
that Ireland is not as universally known as he really should
be. Rather, he has tended to languish on the sidelines,
in the company of Alwyn, Bax, Finzi and others, all victims
of a totally unwarranted prejudice against much of Twentieth
Century British music, which has only really evaporated
in recent times. As may be deduced from my comments above,
all the compositions represented here have previously appeared
on record. This new CD is nonetheless most welcome, featuring
as it does the undoubted abilities of one of our finest
orchestras, under the direction of a prodigiously gifted
conductor. John Wilson has a real feel for this music and
during a recent conversation said to me that he thinks it
is "amazing". Although he lived in Chelsea for
much of his life, Ireland was drawn to the countryside,
particularly places of historical significance such as hill
forts and burial sites. His frequent visits to Sussex, Dorset
and the Channel Islands of Jersey and Guernsey are reflected
in his compositions, which often also have literary connections.
The programme opens with the symphonic rhapsody Mai-Dun,
which was inspired by Maiden Castle, a prehistoric fortification
near Dorchester, Oxford, and also by the writings of Thomas
Hardy. The music depicts the ancient Briton community at
the castle, which was invaded by the Romans in AD43, and
represents the fort at war and in peace. This is followed
by The Forgotten Rite, an orchestral tone-poem which
was influenced by visits to Jersey, where two sites were
being excavated which were associated with ancient rituals,
some sacrificial, some concerned with witchcraft. The overture
Satyricon is based on the eponymous book by the Roman
writer Petronius, and is subtitled a recital of lecherous
happenings, which include references to the whipping
scene in Petronius’s book! Ireland’s first and
only foray into the world of film music follows next –
a concert suite (arranged by Sir Charles Mackerras in 1971)
for the score of the 1946 Ealing Studios production The
Overlanders . This patriotic movie tells of an epic
journey in Australia, where thousands of cattle were moved
great distances to protect them from possible Japanese aerial
attack or invasion. The 1936 London Overture evokes
a journey around the capital, rather in the spirit of Elgar’s Cockaigne Overture (although not really attaining
the musical heights of the latter) and makes use of some
of the classic hallmarks of British Light Music in the writing
for strings, woodwind and percussion, which are somewhat
suggestive of Eric Coates. The final work is entitled Epic
March and was composed in 1942 as a patriotic piece
of anti-fascist propaganda, in order to foster community
spirit and a democratic aspiration for peace. It was written
for the wartime Ministry of Information, which commissioned
similar works from a number of other composers, including
Ralph Vaughan Williams. Whilst much of this music is not
on the regular RFS "bill of fare", it is well
worth getting to know and this excellent new release deserves
to make many new friends. As we go to press, I have just
received another CD of British music conducted by John Wilson
on the Dutton Epoch label, which I hope to review in the
next edition of JIM. Tony Clayden
RON GRAINER & HIS ORCHESTRA The Maigret Theme &
Other Film and TV Themes Singles The Maigret Theme;
Bistro; Night prowl; Petit Louis; Arlette; Golden fleece;
& 7 other tracks … / Petit Louis [from the TV series
‘Maigret’] [Grainer]; That Was The Week That Was
[Grainer, Sherrin]; Indian Blues [Grainer]; Station Six
Sahara [Grainer]; Theme from the film ‘Sparrows Can’t
Sing’ [Bart]; The Seventh Dawn [Ortolani, Webster];
Main theme from the film ‘Lolita’ [Harris]; My
Lost Love [from the film ‘Big Red’] [Sherman,
Sherman]; Sky West and Crooked [from the film] [Arnold];
Madrigal [from the film ‘The Chalk Garden’] [Arnold];
The Kiss [theme from the TV series ‘Love Story’]
[Parnell]; ‘The Hidden Truth’ theme [from the
TV series] [Parnell]; The Iron Maiden [from the film] [Rogers];
Sweet and Sour [the ‘Bootsie and Snudge’ TV series
film] [Franks, Rusby]; Theme from the TV series ‘Sam
Benedict’ [Riddle]; ‘Hand in Hand’ theme
[from the film] [Black]; The Last Tycoon [from the film]
[Jarre] Vocalion CDLK 4044 [75:46] The album
on this CD was issued in mono on Decca’s Ace of Clubs
label 47 years ago. In stereo Ron Grainer’s pieces
portraying Parisian low life in the ‘30s are even more
effective; the French capital being the background for the
classic 1950’s BBC TV drama of over 50 episodes based
on Georges Simenon’s detective starring Rupert Davies
in the title role. Ah, memories! The second set is a mixed
bag of 17 Decca singles, the earliest being the Bart opus
from May ’61 and the latest, the Jarre, from April
’77. Nothing much here to excite although I did enjoy
the tuneful My Lost Love with soloist Tommy Reilly,
the dramatic ‘Hidden Truth’ Theme composed
and conducted by Jack Parnell, and Stanley Black’s
customary seductive piano on his ‘Hand in Hand’
Theme. Other orchestras involved are conducted by Roland
Shaw, Ivor Raymonde, Eric Rogers and Gordon Franks. John
Dankworth takes the solos on the last track with the Maurice
Jarre Orchestra. Informative booklet notes are provided
by Geoff Leonard and Pete Walker. I doubt that anyone would
buy this disc for the compilation but it is an interesting
addition to an eminently collectable album. Peter
Burt
THE VOICES OF WALTER SCHUMANN La Danza, Shadow
Waltz, Dancing In The Dark, Sentimental Journey, Orchids
In The Moonlight, Spinning Song, Black Is The Colour Of
My True Love’s Hair, Cecilia, That Old Black Magic,
etc…58 tracks on 2 CDs Jasmine JASCD 670 [total
time 154:04]. Walter Schumann died in 1958, so his
name is probably unfamiliar to most people today. His trademark
sound was a small orchestra (often with solo instruments
such as the harmonica or saxophone to the fore) backing
a choir usually comprising nine girls and sixteen men. Some
of the time not a word was sung or spoken: the choir wafts
around each melody in a similar manner to many film musicals
of the 1930s. Walter’s choir was well trained, and
they gained considerable popularity through their concerts
and recordings. The final eleven tracks are given over to
a feature called "Exploring The Unknown" which
is a fictional story about man’s first journey into
outer space. It reminded me of Gordon Jenkins’ "Manhattan
Tower" in the way that the narrator Paul Frees blended
with the choir and orchestra. Certainly an oddity, complete
with some sound effects! The composer was Leith Stevens
and parts of it might be more enjoyable without the narrator.
These two CDs offer a very generous amount of choral music
in one go. I suggest you may want to dip into several tracks
at a time, rather than leave the discs running without interruption.
It is an interesting example of the wide variety of popular
music that was around in the middle years of the last century,
before rock ‘n’ roll became such an overwhelming
force. David Ades
Jasmine Records has recently issued its latest catalogue,
running to an impressive 114 pages (plus index). This company
has produced many interesting collections (including Robert
Farnon on JASCD 661!) and keen collectors should find
many pleasant surprises. Through its mail order outfit ‘Jazmail’
you can also obtain CDs released by Sepia, Flare and other
labels. If you would like a catalogue, write to: Jazmail,
Unit 8, Forest hill Trading estate, Perry Vale, London,
SE23 2LX – or email: jazmail@hasmickco.uk
‘ORCHESTRAL GEMS IN STEREO’ Full tracklisting
on page 72 Guild Light Music GLCD 5165 [78:20
mins]. When I saw the title "Orchestral gems In Stereo"
I didn’t exactly jump for joy – stereo doesn’t
interest me one iota! Who cares which speaker the strings
and brass are coming from? Anoraks – that’s who!
There’s nothing wrong with a good mono recording and
music you like played by a first class orchestra. Okay -
rant over! But stereo or not, it is a first class orchestra
that opens this Guild CD with Tolchard Evans’ Lady
Of Spain arranged by Carmen Dragon, who conducts the
Capitol Symphony Orchestra. It meanders a bit in the middle
but, on the whole, a spirited performance. Paul Weston and
his Orchestra follows on track 2 with Jerome Kern’s She Didn’t Say Yes’ from "The Cat
and the Fiddle" – arranged by Weston. The show
ran in London in 1932 for 219 performances. A track that
caught my eye was Les Baxter’s Shooting Star,
recorded in 1958 with the composer’s orchestra. Would
it be anything like Sidney Torch’s piece of the same
name – no, not a bit. I know which I prefer. Our
Love Affair, a very nice piece from "An Affair
To Remember", a 1957 CinemaScope release, gets a lush
treatment from Conrad Salinger with an orchestra conducted
by Buddy Bregman – but it is Bob Farnon’s Mr.
Punch played by Leslie Jones and his Orchestra of London
which gets the feet a’tapping! I’ve had the EP
since its release in 1959. Peter Yorke and his Concert Orchestra
provide a rather dreamy rendition of Ivor Novello’s Glamorous Night from the 1935 show of the same name.
It ran for 243 performances at the Drury Lane Theatre. Another
tune to set the feet a’tapping once again is Cole Porter’s After You on track 11 with an infectious performance
by Victor Silvester’s Silver Strings. Quite a difference
from his usual ballroom strict-tempo style. But it’s
the David Rose Orchestra that really sets the disc alight
with his own composition Majorca – a sparkling
piece! And in similar lively mood is Ernesto Lecuona’s Damisela Encantadora (quite a mouthful!) played by
Percy Faith and his Orchestra, who also arranged it. Billy
Mayerl’s ever popular Marigold gets an orchestral
treatment for a change, courtesy of Ronald Binge’s
arrangement with him conducting his own orchestra. And lastly
I was pleased to hear the 101 Strings in an effervescent
form with Chabrier’s Espana – a fiery finale! Ken Wilkins
JOHN GREGORY Cascading Strings & Contrasts Raindrops
keep falling on my head; Wand’rin Star; The green leaves
of summer; Love is blue; Plaisir d’amour; Those were
the days; Somewhere my love; The fool on the hill; Four
of hearts; Light my fire; Londonderry Air; The Good, the
Bad and the Ugly / Diamonds are forever, I don’t know
how to love him; Look around and you’ll find me there;
Where did they go?; The theme from ‘The Onedin Line’;
Devils Highway; The theme from ‘The Persuaders’;
Another time another place; Contrasts; My chérie
amour; Sleepy Shores [theme from ‘Owen M.D.’];
Spinning wheel Vocalion CDLK 4407 [69:13] There
have been a number of light orchestral CDs from Vocalion
since our last issue with releases from Frank Chacksfield
[2], Will Glahé, Ray Martin, Ricardo Santos, Roland
Shaw and a Victor Young soundtrack in addition to those
reviewed in this issue. This one is particularly welcome
as John Gregory has been sorely neglected in the reissue
stakes. Born Giovanni Gregori, he was rated one of the UK’s
best ever light orchestra conductors for three decades from
the Fifties, as well as writing numerous vocal arrangements
and accompanying a range of singers. The success of his
Cascading Strings bore witness to his talented writing for
that section of the orchestra, likewise his Moods Orchestral
series. With great expectations of this 2-on-1 release I
can only give it a restrained welcome. All the arrangements
are attractive but for my liking the strings don’t
"cascade" enough and there is a tad too much rhythmic
beat, although the inclusion on some tracks of what sounds
like an electric harpsichord is appealing. The best tracks
include maestro Gregory’s own compositions Four
of Hearts and Contrasts. It is good, too, to
hear again the Khachaturian [arr. Gregory], Johnny Pearson’s Sleepy shores, and Spinning Wheel is a fun
piece. The orchestra sounds smaller than that fronted by
Mantovani or Chacksfield, or it may be Philips not quite
matching the legendary Decca sound. Enjoyable enough, these
albums just do not "light my fire." Many of you,
however, will be looking to add the disc to your CD collection,
and will appreciate our esteemed Editor’s extensive
booklet notes. Peter Burt
ROYAL LIVERPOOL PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA Conducted by
RONALD CORP Music by Ronald Corp: Guernsey Postcards,
Piano Concerto No. 1 (featuring Leon McCawley, piano),
Symphony No. 1 Dutton Epoch CDLX 7233 [65:57].
Ronald Corp has been a magnificent ambassador for light
orchestral music, and there is no doubt that his landmark
recordings for Hyperion have contributed to the revival
of light music as an important part of the music scene.
It is therefore only right that he should be given the opportunity
to record his own music, which makes this CD especially
welcome. Guernsey Postcards was a special commission
in 2004, and the three contrasting movements must have delighted
the locals at the premiere on the island. Ronald’s
first Piano Concerto dates from 1997, and it was
also a special commission. Like many similar new works,
the listener will gain much from repeated hearings. The
most recent work is the Symphony, completed in 2009.
I do not feel that I know the work well enough yet to be
able to write a proper review; all I will say it that I
look forward to becoming acquainted with something which,
even on a first hearing, sounds impressive – especially
the final movement. I’ve said it many times before,
but it needs repeating: today’s lovers of exciting
new music owe a great debt of gratitude to Mike Dutton,
whose Epoch catalogue now contains some truly wonderful
recordings. David Ades
MANTOVANI Golden Hits / More Golden Hits 24
tracks incl. Moon River; Summertime in Venice; Diane; Exodus
Main Theme; True Love; La Vie en Rose; Around the World
… / Stranger in Paradise; Gigi; Deep Purple; A Certain
Smile; Limelight; The way you look tonight; Long Ago [And
Far Away] … Vocalion CDLK 4409 [77:31]
Mr Music …. Mantovani / More Mantovani Film Encores
24 tracks incl. Smile; Ebb tide; Softly as I leave
you; Spanish flea; Theme from ‘The Oscar’; How
soon; Yesterday … / The high and the mighty; A certain
smile; Friendly persuasion [Thee I love]; Whatever will
be, will be; Tammy; Be my love; April love … Vocalion
CDLK 4412 [74:49] It is hard to find anything new to
write about Monty’s discs. What other orchestra maintained
such a high standard of work over so many years? His arrangements
were invariably interesting, not fussy or over-complicated,
and the orchestral playing beneath his baton was impeccable.
As a Gramophone reviewer [remember the days when they covered
our kind of music?] once so rightly wrote about a trio of
his albums: "These testify to his unique niche in the
annals of international light music." If you are only
going to have one Mantovani disc in your collection then
I suppose the first 2-on-1 is the one to have with
four of Monty’s six singles million sellers on the
first album [1967]: Charmaine, The Moulin Rouge Theme,
Greensleeves and Swedish Rhapsody, but not Wyoming
or Lonely ballerina. Two other stand-out tracks
are the string-laden Some enchanted evening ─
surely the best-ever orchestral version ─ and
on the second album [1976] the dramatic Love is a many
splendored thing, although I don’t think
this sounds any better than it did on the LP track I nearly
wore out all those years ago! The second CD, with albums
from 1966 and 1959, is almost worth its price alone for
the spine-tingling string intro to When you wish upon
a star. It is interesting to learn from Colin Mackenzie’s
customary comprehensive booklet notes that two-thirds of
the albums arrangements and the piano playing on Cara
Mia are by the Maestro himself. ‘Mr Music ….’
is less familiar to me than most of Monty’s output
and I think is even more enjoyable a listen because of it.
Peter Burt
"SHOWTIME – 25 Years of BBC Concert Orchestra
Favourites" Crown Imperial (William Walton);
Les Petites Valses Parisiennes (arranged by Sidney Torch);
Farandole from "L’Arlesienne Suite No. 2"
(Georges Bizet); The Two Imps (Kenneth J. Alford); A La
Claire Fontaine (Robert Farnon); Aces High from "Battle
of Britain" (Ron Goodwin); I Love Paris (Cole Porter,
arr. Stanley Black); Main Titles & Love Theme from "Ben
Hur" (Miklos Rozsa); Pops Hoedown (Richard Hayman);
Showtime Carousel (arr. Gordon Langford); Calling All Workers
(Eric Coates). BBC Concert Orchestra Conducted by
Roderick Dunk. Dutton Epoch CDLX 7242 [64:41].
A quick glance at the title of this CD might lead some people
to think that the BBC Concert Orchestra is only 25 years
old, but we all know that it has already celebrated its
half century. ’25 Years’ refers to the BBC Concert
Orchestra’s Supporters Club who sponsored this CD to
celebrate their 25th Anniversary. Rather than
adhere to the usual format of "Friday Night Is Music
Night", readers will be relieved to learn that this
collection is entirely orchestral. And there are some great
gems among some of the more familiar works. Sidney Torch’s
arrangement of French waltzes is so typical of many similar
delightful selections he created over the years. Another
arranger of note is Gordon Langford, whose Showtime Carousel provides over 14 minutes of great show tunes. Naturally
we are pleased to find Robert Farnon’s A La Claire
Fontaine appearing in a new performance; at eight minutes
conductor Roderick Dunk takes it noticeably slower than
the composer, whose Decca version lasts just under six minutes!
I have to confess that I always felt that Bob could have
slowed it down a bit (which he did in his 1991 recording
with the RPO), and Roderick Dunk’s interpretation gives
it an added majestic atmosphere. Members of the BBC Concert
Orchestra’s Supporters Club received a free copy of
this great CD. Everyone else should rush to buy theirs without
delay! David Ades Contact details: BBC
Concert Orchestra’s Supporters Club, PO Box 213, Baldock,
Hertfordshire, SG7 6ZP, UK.
"MEXICO" Cielito Lindo, Pepe, The Three
Caballeros,La Cucarache, La Paloma, etc. "WESTWARD
HO!" Riders In The Sky, The Yellow Rose of Texas,
High Noon, The Big Country, Don’t Fence Me In, The
Magnificent Seven, etc. Roland Shaw and his Orchestra.
Vocalion CDLK4402 [61:34]. Roland Shaw was one of the
great arrangers, and his work provided a touch of class
to many Decca LPs, notably for Frank Chacksfield. Perhaps
Decca felt that he deserved to emerge from the shadows and
have his name on the kind of albums he created for others.
"Mexico" is probably what you would expect –
some may think it a pity that there are some vocals. I prefer
the "Westward Ho!" album, and although an annoying
vocal occasionally creeps in most tracks are purely instrumental.
No doubt both these collections were commissioned by Tony
D’Amato for Decca’s US London label. It’s
a shame that there are no notes to tell purchasers something
about the talented Mr.Shaw. David Ades
HARD TO FIND JUKEBOX CLASSICS : FABULOUS FIFTIES INSTRUMENTALS
& MORE Manhattan Spiritual / Reg Owen*; March
From The River Kwai & Colonel Bogey / Mitch Miller*;
The Yellow Rose Of Texas / Mitch Miller Orchestra &
Chorus; Giant / Les Baxter Orchestra & Chorus; Honey-Babe
/ Art Mooney Orchestra & Chorus; Children’s Marching
Song / Cyril Stapleton with Children’s Chorus*; Joey’s
Song / Bill Haley*; Smiles / Crazy Otto; Glad Rag Doll /
Crazy Otto; Yellow Dog Blues / Joe Darensbourg & His
Dixie Flyers; Little Dipper / The Mickey Mozart Quintet;
"Man With The Golden Arm" – Main Titles &
Molly-O / Dick Jacobs Orchestra & Chorus; Petticoats
Of Portugal / Dick Jacobs Orchestra & Chorus; Theme
From "The Threepenny Opera" / Richard Hayman &
Jan August; Ciao, Ciao Bambino / Jacky Noguez & His
Orchestra*; The Italian Theme / Cyril Stapleton; When The
White Lilacs Bloom Again / Helmut Zacharias; The Poor People
Of Paris / Lawrence Welk; Theme From "The Threepenny
Opera" / Lawrence Welk; The Bandit (O Cangaceiro) /
Eddie Barclay; 11th Hour Melody / Lou Busch;
Almost Paradise / Lou Stein; Autumn Leaves / Steve Allen
with George Cates & His Orchestra; Around The World
/ Mantovani; My Beloved / Otto Cesana; Devotion / Otto Cesana*;
Fascination / David Carroll*; It’s Almost Tomorrow
/ David Carroll (with chorus); Melody Of Love / David Carroll (* = Stereo) Hit Parade Records 12310 [72:00]
Bill Buster of Canada’s Eric Records has put together
this superb collection based on the 1950s American Billboard
charts. All of the recordings are the original versions,
not later re-recordings. Many of the tracks are orchestral,
several with chorus, plus a sprinkling of instrumental and
solo ones, some by artists not familiar to me such as Joe
Darensbourg, Jacky Noguez and Micky Mozart. One or two tracks
may come as a surprise to British listeners as different
artists charted the songs in the UK. For example, although
there are two excellent versions of Theme From The Threepenny
Opera, we are probably more familiar with the one by
The Dick Hyman Trio. Similarly I recall that, in my record
shop days, we sold more copies of Henry Leca’s The
Bandit than the equally good Eddie Barclay one featured
here. Nor do I remember the Steve Allen/George Cates version
of Autumn Leaves being very popular, although it
deserves to have been. Several titles never featured in
the UK charts at all so I enjoyed hearing them for the first
time. Sound quality is first class with only Mantovani’s Around The World and David Carroll’s Fascination not quite attaining the 5-star rating I can give to the
impeccable re-mastering on the other 27 tracks. A 12 page
booklet with comprehensive and informative notes by Greg
Adams completes this very attractive package, very little
of which has previously been available on CD. I don’t
know if it can be ordered from local record shops in the
UK but it’s readily available from several on-line
sources including Amazon and Play.com or direct from ericrecords.com. Alan Bunting
SHIRLEY BASSEY The Performance Almost there;
Apartment; This Time; I love you now; Our time is now; As
God is my witness; No good about goodbye; The Girl from
Tiger Bay; Nice Men; After the rain; The performance of
my life Geffen 2720780 [42:07] Despite some of
the titles this is an album of all new compositions and
the 73-year-young diva Dame’s first studio performance
for over 20 years. Produced by David Arnold with songs by
such popular music luminaries as Gary Barlow, John Barry,
Don Black, The Manic Street Preachers and KT Tunstall, to
my mind this album is up there with her best ─ a remarkable
achievement. The track I have returned to the most, not
least for the arrangement, has been Rufus Wainwright’s
Cinderella fairytale song The Apartment. The orchestrations
and conducting are in the hands of Nicholas Dodd, with a
few stellar names among the musicians. No plaudits to Polydor
for the short measure, though. Peter Burt
‘HIGHLY STRUNG’ Full tracklisting on
page 76 Guild Light Music GLCD 5166 [79:38 mins].
This latest Guild offering begins in cracking style with
Jack Mason’s Pops Polka – can’t say
I’ve ever heard of him but I’m certainly familiar
with the players – the Boston ‘Pops’ (I prefer
‘Promenade’) Orchestra with their long-time conductor
Arthur Fiedler. In the notes David reckons his association
with the orchestra began in 1930, but I have a 12"
HMV 78 of Strike Up The Band which I thought was
recorded in 1929, but I could be wrong. Steve Race keeps
the rhythm going with one of those pieces that seem so familiar
but the title unknown. Here it is – Ring Ding,
played by the Knightsbridge Strings. George French wrote
the CD’s title tune Highly Strung for the KPM
Library and it’s played here by the Group Forty Orchestra
conducted by Eric Cook. It dates from 1959 when the Musicians’
Union ban was briefly lifted, allowing production music
libraries to record once again with British musicians for
a while. It’s a great piece and I hope compiler David
looks kindly on the idea of issuing another French composition
– from the Paxton Library this time – his Parade
Of The Champions played by Dolf van der Linden and his
Orchestra. Eric Jupp and his Orchestra continue this lively
concert with what sounds like a Spanish rhythmic number.
But the inspiration comes from just over the border in Portugal,
and Song Of Lisbon was a minor hit for Carlos Rocha
– whoever he might be. Then a Synchro Library item Paris Pullman by Roger Roger and played by The Paris
Studio Orchestra conducted by Philippe Pares, who also contributed
library music. Philip Green’s theme from the film "Sapphire"
played by the Pinewood Studio Orchestra, conducted by
the composer, featuring Johnny Dankworth’s saxophone
is next. On the other side of the Top Rank 45 from which
this track was taken is Laurie Johnson’s theme to the
film "Tiger Bay", and another Rank 1959 45 I have
is the music by Tony Crombie for the TV series "Man
From Interpol" conducted by the composer. It also appears
in the first edition of the Ember Mood Music Library catalogue.
The three pieces on the disc are Man From Interpol, Interpol
Cha Cha and Interpol Chase. They’re a bit
jazzy but might find favour with film and TV music buffs
– are you listening, David? Two rather gorgeous pieces
played by the orchestras of Boris Sarbek and Ronald Binge
respectively – Le Soir (I’d Love To Fall Asleep) and Afraid To Dream (nice juxtaposition of titles)
– are followed by Fred Hartley and his Music (a light
orchestral name from the past) with his own catchy composition Jack In The Box from the Chappell Library. Gay
Spirits by David Rose and played by his own orchestra
on MGM could easily have come from a recorded music library
catalogue, as does Kurt Schick’s Sheerline (Charles
Brull) and Bob Farnon’s Little Miss Molly (Chappell)
– two very contrasting items. Morton Gould’s orchestra
has fun with Zez Confrey’s Stumbling with what
sounds like a bar room piano and xylophone joining in –
great stuff! Monty Kelly and his Orchestra spring a surprise
part way through Life In New York with a wordless
chorus, while Gerard Calvi’s catchy piece Gigue
Ecossaise (Scottish Jig) really sets the feet a’tapping.
I believe the Harmonic/Charles Brull Library went out of
business some years ago (Editor: they were acquired by KPM
in the mid-1990s) which seems hard to believe when they
could issue such smashing recordings as Frank Chacksfield’s
Sunshine Beguine played by the Symphonia Orchestra conducted
by Curt Anderson, resplendent in Alan Bunting’s treatment.
Ron Goodwin’s orchestra zips along nicely with his
own composition All Strung Up, and I’m sure
there are echoes of the "Miss Marple" films’
theme in there somewhere! Geoff Love’s orchestra gives
a splendid performance of Rudolf Friml’s Ma Belle but it only emphasises the dearth of such light orchestras
and programmes from the airwaves today. The string section
of Percy Faith’s orchestra really work overtime with
his composition Perpetual Notion as we head towards
the end of this "strung up" collection of great
light music. Irving Berlin’s A Pretty Girl Is Like
A Melody is the penultimate track played by Peter Yorke
and his Concert Orchestra. And finally a piece from the
soundtrack from "Some Like It Hot" – Park
Avenue Fantasy scored by Adolph Deutsch conducting the
Studio Orchestra. A fine way to end another great Guild
Light Music compilation! Ken Wilkins
"DR. WHO AND THE DALEKS" & "DALEKS’
INVASION EARTH 2150 AD" Film soundtracks Silva
Screen SILCD1244 [75:23 mins]. It is perhaps
surprising that only two cinema films were made featuring
Dr. Who, considering its huge popularity on TV back in the
1960s. UK readers will not need reminding that Dr. Who is
again one of the BBC’s hottest properties in the 21st Century, after a sustained period of neglect during the
closing decades of the last century. Today the music is
electronic, but back in the 1960s it was felt that orchestral
scores were more appropriate – at least, for the big
screen. So those masters of the soundtrack genre, Silva
Screen, have finally lovingly restored the only
two big screen Dr. Who films ever made - the 1965 release
"Dr. Who And The Daleks" and 1966 "Daleks’
Invasion Earth 2150 A.D.". The music was composed
respectively by Malcolm Lockyer and Bill McGuffie with sections
enhanced by electronic sounds created by Barry Gray. The
album also includes contemporary single releases and a 20
page inlay booklet packed with memorabilia and detailed
production notes. David Stoner at Silva Screen kindly invited
me to contribute some biographical details on Malcolm Lockyer
and Bill McGuffie, so fans of Dr. Who will learn something
about the two talented composers involved. Malcolm has the
larger share of the CD, and his music is more ‘traditional’
light film music: at times I am reminded of Miklos Rozsa’s
superb score for "Double Indemnity". The more
I hear it, the more I find it very appealing. As usual with
releases such as this, the music is often fragmented to
fit in with the on-screen action, and the music created
for "Dr. Who And The Daleks" is presented in its
entirety, including some pieces composed and recorded for
the film, but not subsequently used. Sadly the score to
"Daleks' Invasion Earth 2150 A.D." by jazz pianist
and film composer Bill McGuffie no longer exists but some
of the music has been retained via a music and sound effects
master recording that was sent abroad for foreign dubs to
be made on the film. This is used for the CD release and
Mark Ayres (who deserves special credit for his restoration)
has edited the material to remove sound effects where applicable.
Included also on this release are the instrumental singles
from the original records that promoted the two features
and some of the sound effects (incorporating original material
from the BBC Radiophonic Workshop) produced by Barry Gray
- famous for scoring many of Gerry Anderson's series. Silva
Screen releases are always notable for the very high standard
of the booklets, and this one is certainly no exception.
If you are a fan of soundtracks and/or Dr. Who, you will
not want to pass this by! David Ades
BING CROSBY Through The Years Volume Four 1952─1953 26 tracks incl. On the 10-10 from Ten-Ten-Tennessee;
Zing a little zong [with Jane Wyman], The moon came up with
a great idea last night & Watermelon Moon [with Peggy
Lee]; You don’t know what lonesome is; Open up your
heart; To see you is to love you … Sepia 1139
[75:53] There was nobody quite like Bing Crosby and
this is another fine selection from his œuvre over
the years. As well as the above-named he is also joined
by Bob Hope on three tracks from ‘The Road to Bali’,
The Andrews Sisters [South Rampart Street Parade],
Gary Crosby [Fatherly advice], and Connee Boswell
[That’s a-plenty]. Fred Waring and his Pennsylvanians
are with him on Hush-a-bye and Mother Darlin’;
the former earlier recording their part in New York with
Bing overdubbing his vocals, allegedly using a portable
machine at a golf course. Mitchell Parish’s words to
Leroy Anderson’s Sleigh Ride fit Bing to a T
─ or should that be "tee"? Interesting,
too, to hear the great crooner’s take on two Bernstein-Comden-Green
songs from ‘Wonderful Town’: Ohio and
A quiet girl. Bing is accompanied on eleven of the
tracks by John Scott Trotter and his Orchestra, which includes
Red Nichols on cornet and Buddy Cole on piano. A 16-page
booklet with authoritative notes by Malcolm Macfarlane gives
added value to the disc. Peter Burt
ROSE MARIE 25 tracks incl. the Title tune, Hard-boiled
Herman; The Mounties; Lak Jeem; Indian Love Call; Why shouldn’t
we; Minuet of the minutes; Door of my dreams … Sepia
1140 [76:17] This is a well-filled disc of two contrasting
halves. It has the pedigree of music by Rudolf Friml and
Herbert Stothart with lyrics by Otto Harbach and Oscar Hammerstein
2nd. The first 11 tracks are from the 1958 RCA
Victor early stereo studio cast recording made in London
to accommodate Julie Andrews who was appearing in My Fair
Lady. Her co-star is Metropolitan opera star Giorgio
Tozzi who had provided the voice for Emile de Becque in
the film version of South Pacific. The proceedings are under
the direction of Lehman Engel conducting the New Symphony
Orchestra of London with the Michael Sammes Singers. Equally
enjoyable are eight tracks by the original 1925 London cast
with the Drury Lane Theatre Orchestra conducted by Herman
Finck. The last four tracks are the legendary duo Jeanette
Macdonald and Nelson Eddy singing Indian Love Call
from 1936, Marion Bell [sometime wife of Alan Jay Lerner]
with Pretty things, and two in stereo, Totem Tom
Tom and Finale, sung by Elizabeth Larner
with [on the latter] Andy Cole, The Rita Williams Singers
and Tony Osbourne and his Orchestra. Sepia’s usual
well-produced booklet, notes by Rexton S Bunnett, complete
an attractive package. Ray Pavene
FRANK CHACKSFIELD AND HIS ORCHESTRA
The Incomparable Jerome Kern: The Last Time I
Saw Paris, All The Things You Are, The Folks Who Live On
The Hill, Look For The Silver Lining, etc. FC Plays
Hoagy Carmichael: Skylark, My Resistance Is Low,
The Nearness Of You, Georgia On My Mind, etc. Vocalion
CDLK4408 [75:27].
New York: Broadway Medley, Harlem Nocturne, Manhattan,
Slaughter on Tenth Avenue, Autumn in New York, etc. The
Best of Cole Porter: I Love Paris, Easy To Love,
Begin The Beguine, In The Still Of The Night, etc. Vocalion
CDLK4413 [77:46]. Just before Christmas Mike Dutton
added to his impressive list of Frank Chacksfield reissues
with these two generously filled collections. The Kern collection
(originally a Phase 4 stereo LP in 1974) was arranged by
Roland Shaw, and features the talents of Kenny Baker (trumpet),
Keith Bird (clarinet), and Ronnie Price (piano). There is
also the occasional wordless choir, and several tracks have
anonymous vocals. The arranger responsible in 1977 for Hoagy
Carmichael’s melodies is not credited, but Kenny Baker
is again featured on trumpet in Georgia On My Mind
and a lady called Joanne Brown crops up with vocals on three
titles. The original LP sleeve notes are reproduced in the
booklet. Eric Rogers arranged the 1970 ‘New York’
collection (most enjoyable!), but we are left to guess who
was responsible for Cole Porter’s timeless standards
– the earliest LP of the four dating from 1959 before
Decca introduced Phase 4. This second CD lacks any notes.
The Cole Porter collection is not the same as the one released
by Polygram in 1996. David Ades
"WHITE HORSE INN" Selections 23 tracks
incl. Introduction/Yodel Speciality; White Horse Inn; I
cannot live without your love; High up on the hills [In
Salzkammergut]; We prize most the things we miss; It would
be wonderful … Sepia 1141 [76:26] This disc
is a fascinating compilation. The centrepiece is a 20-minute
rare radio broadcast of the titles listed above from the
first-ever American 1936 Broadway production of the international
hit ─ it premiered at Berlin’s Grosses Schauspielhaus
in November 1930 ─ with among others the legendary
Kitty Carlisle and William Gaxton. By way of an overture
the disc opens with Fox Trot and Waltz Medleys
from Jack Hylton and His Orchestra. Later Alfred Drake sings
It would be wonderful [from a BBC Radio broadcast
of 1959], as does Pat O’Malley who also contributes Your eyes. There is then a track of ‘Vocal
Gems’ from 1931 by The Light Opera Company
with Orchestra conducted by Ray Noble, followed by Good-bye
and My song of love sung respectively by Sam
Browne and Cavan O’Connor, both with Rolando and His
Blue Salon Orchestra. Max Hanson sings Im Weissen Rössl
am Wolfgangsee with the Paul Godwin Dance
Orchestra & Animal Imitations [sic], before the
disc finishes with seven German language vocals never before
heard on CD. Wonderful stuff! Ray Pavene
NEW YEAR’S DAY CONCERT 2010 Vienna Philharmonic
Orchestra / Georges Pretre Decca [2CDs] 4782113
Readers who, like me, were glued to their radio/TV for
the above will want this as a souvenir of the occasion.
It was a happy return to the Austrian capital’s Musikverein
for the 95-year-old French maestro who came to eminence
conducting for the great opera singer Maria Callas. As well
as the customary items by the Strausses [Johann I and II,
Josef and Eduard] the programme, with four premieres, also
includes pieces by Nicolai, Offenbach and Hans Christian
Lumbye. There is also a DVD available. Edward Trub
TCHAIKOVSKY 1812 OVERTURE Mariinsky MARO503 [64:17]
There are folk who are no great lovers of classical
music but have this overture in their collection, and anyone
wishing to join them could do a lot worse than this recent
release conducted by the firebrand Ossetian conductor Valery
Gergiev with the Orchestra, Soloists and Chorus of the Mariinsky
Theatre in St Petersburg. It is coupled with four other
listenable Tchaikovsky compositions: ‘Moscow’
Cantata, Slavonic March [‘Marche Slave’],
Festival Coronation March and Festival Overture
on the Danish National Anthem. Good if not demonstration
quality sound throughout. Peter Burt
PATTI PAGE with PETE RUGOLO orchestra Nevertheless,
Out of nowhere, The lady is a tramp, The thrill is gone,
A foggy day, Mountain greenery, I’ve got my eyes on
you, My kinda love, I didn’t know about you, My sin,
Taking a chance on love, Love for sale, No moon at all,
I’m glad there is you, Nice work if you can get it,
I never knew, The masquerade is over, What am I here for?
Let there be love, Gone with the wind, They all laughed,
I guess I’ll have to change my plan, Here I’ll
stay, Lullaby in rhythm. (Fresh Sound Records FSR CD
544) 55:08. The first twelve tracks "In the land of
hi fi "were issued on CD not long ago and reviewed
in these pages. Here it is coupled with her second with
Rugolo "The west side" I am now the proud owner
of the original LP’s and the first CD transfer! Not
something I regret, you never know how long such good material
will be in circulation! "The west side" adds arrangers
Marty Paich, Bill Holman and Shorty Rogers collaborating
with Rugolo, that really is a star team! It’s a good
guessing game trying to work out who arranged each tune
on the second album! Were they used as presented or did
Rugolo do a little tweaking? Definitely the best jazz Patti
ever sung! Paul Clatworthy
TRAINCHA with the METROPOLE orchestra "Who’ll
speak for love". Any day now, Love is still
the answer, What the world needs now, One less bell to answer,
In between the heartaches, This girls in love, God give
me strength, Who’ll speak for love, Stronger than before,
I just don’t know what to do with myself, Don’t
go breaking my heart, Don’t make me over, Raindrops
keep falling on my head, Painted from memory, On my own. (Blue Note 5099952055126) 62:07. Subtitled "The Burt
Bacharach songbook two" this is something special!
Given the magnificent Metropole orchestra to work with,
arranger Pat Williams pulls out all the stops. Conducted
by Vince Mendoza and mixing less familiar Bacharach songs
with the hits of the past really is a treat. Evidently it
has gone platinum in America, no mean feat nowadays when
some pundits are saying CDs and DVDs are on the way out!
Paul Clatworthy
JILL COREY with BILLY MAXTEDS Manhattan jazz band "Lets
go to town". Another twenty four tracks culled
from the National Guard show (see comments in Big Band
Roundup) Sounds of yester year (DSOY 795) 61:35 The instrumental
songs are firmly in Chris Barber territory of which I am
no expert so I will make no other comment! Jill Corey sings
with unnamed players with run of the mill arrangements.
She has not got the sort of voice that merits repeated playing
but that’s probably my fault! Paul Clatworthy
PHIL NAPOLEON and the Memphis Five "Memphis blues".
Thirty tracks. Sounds of yester year ( DSOY 793)
70:29. "Dixieland" once again, not my bag! Ten
of the tracks are just commentary which in my book is wasted
space! Terrific if you want a social history lesson but
not much in the way of music! Paul Clatworthy
PADDY ROBERTS Strictly for Grown-Ups. 29 tracks
incl : Love Isn't What It Used To Be; Follow Me; Don't
Upset The Little Kiddywinks; The Architect; The Big Dee
Jay; L'anglais Avec Son Sang Froid; The Ballad Of Bethnal
Green; Love In A Mist; A Short Song; Growing Old; I've Got
The Blues; Lavender Cowboy; Poor Little Country Girl; I'm
In Love For The Very First Time; Evermore; The Heart Of
A Man; The Book; It's A Boy; Good Companions; Where There's
You There's Me; 'Round The World In Eighty Minutes.
Must Close Saturday Records MCSR 3046 [76:02]. This
enterprising label mainly known for classic West End cast
recordings, have recently re-issued one of their most successful
non-cast recording titles. The original Decca LP was a surprise
hit in the album charts (where it remained for five weeks,
peaking at position 8) in September 1959. The best remembered
track, and one that received the most airplay on the BBC
Light Programme, was The Ballad Of Bethnal Green, winner
of an Ivor Novello award for the most outstanding novelty
song of 1959. The songs on this LP captured a witty, irreverent
public mood, and although they then seemed a bit risqué,
their effect today invokes nostalgia, with the self-effacing
charm of Paddy Roberts delivery, accompanied by the rather
quaint sounding small group arrangements of Dennis Wilson.
This CD includes the complete 1959 album, plus a
generous selection of bonus tracks featuring earlier songs
written (or co-written) by Paddy Roberts between 1954 and
1959, a period when he was one of the most successful British
songwriters on Denmark Street. He had over 80 published
songs (including several Top 10 hits) recorded by popular
singers of the era including Anne Shelton, Ruby Murray,
Frankie Vaughan, and David Whitfield, all artists included
on this CD. There are also Paddy Roberts film songs from
An Alligator Named Daisy, The Heart Of A Man, and
especially The Good Companions. The five tracks from
the latter (in excellent Alan Bunting restored sound) benefit
from the arranging skills of Laurie Johnson, who skilfully
arranges for large orchestral forces (the Associated British
Studio Orchestra conducted by Louis Levy) and an angelic
chorus in the 8 minute spectacular 'Round the world,
arguably the finest song and dance number staged in a 1950s
British musical film. This CD will make you feel very nostalgic
about the 1950s, and will raise a smile or two as well.
My favourite track (among many) has to The big dee jay
- I cannot imagine this being written today! Roger
Mellor
BERNARD HERRMANN: "Hangover Square", "Citizen
Kane". Another release in Chandos’ acclaimed
Film Music series. BBC Philharmonic conducted by Rumon
Gamba. Chandos CHAN 10577.
More releases [not necessarily new] noted by Wilfred
Askew
RAY CONNIFF The Singles Collection Vol.1 26 tracks
incl. Moonlight brings memories; I’ve got my eyes on
you; Dear world; La Felicidad; A walk in the Spring; Rain;
Look homeward Angel; Sleepy shores; Singalong Song; Loss
of love … Collectables COL-CD-7697 [68:37]
Vol.2 26 tracks incl. Cuddle up a little closer;
And this is my beloved; The world looks good again; Winds
of change; Song of the Islands; Muskrat Ramble; Charlotte’s
Web; Frost Festival; Delta dawn; Are you lonesome tonight?
… Collectables COL-CD-7641 [70:50]
PERRY COMO The Scene Changes ─ Perry Goes
to Nashville ─ with The Anita Kerr Quartet 12
tracks incl. Funny how time slips away; Here comes my baby;
Sweet adorable you; I really don’t want to know; Stand
beside me … Lightly Latin ─ conducted
by Nick Perito with the Ray Charles Singers 12 tracks
incl. How insensitive; The shadow if your smile; Meditation;
Yesterday; Dindi; Baia … Collectables COL-CD-7880
[71:52]
BOBBY HACKETT The Most Beautiful Horn In The World w.
Glen Osser’s Orchestral Pipe Organ Moods 12 tracks
incl. Lazy afternoon; Love letters; Moonlight in Vermont;
Polka dots and moonbeams; Chances are … Night
Love w. Glenn Osser’s Midnight Strings 12 tracks
incl. Themes from 2nd Piano Concerto [Rachmaninov];
3rd Symphony [Brahms]; 5th Symphony
[Tchaikovsky]; Prince Igor [Borodin]; Samson & Delilah
[Saint-Saëns] … Collectables COL-CD-7881
[78:34] Original [US] Columbia recordings from 1962
NEIL HEFTI How to Murder Your Wife and Lord Love A Duck
CD1: Original Soundtrack Recording of ‘How
To Murder Your Wife’ 22 tracks CD2: Original
Album Presentation of ‘How To Murder Your Wife’
and Original Soundtrack Recording of ‘Lord
Love A Duck’ Kritzerland KR 20013-3 [54:27
& 57:19] – Limited to 1000 copies
ERNEST GOLD Exodus The City of Prague Philharmonic
Orchestra conducted by Nick Raine [2CDs] World Premiere
Recording of The Complete Film Score; also music from ‘It’s
A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad, World’; ‘Ship of Fools’;
‘Judith’; ‘QBVII’; ‘Schindler’s
List’; ‘Cast A Giant Shadow’; plus ‘Exodus’:
Rhapsody for Cello & Orchestra; Concert Overture Tadlow
Music: Tadlow 007 [132:36]
FERNANDO LAMAS With Love Original 1958 Roulette
recordings conducted by Glenn Osser 24 tracks incl. You
belong to my heart; Love is here to stay; Tenderly; I love
Paris; Mam’selle; Anema e core; & 10 bonus tracks
incl. The Merry Widow Waltz [with Trudy Erwin]; Indian Love
Call [with Ann Blyth] … Flare ROYCD 288 [68:06]
JERRY VALE Time Alone Will Tell & Other Great Hits
Of Today [1967] Arr.Cond. Marty Manning 10 tracks
incl. My cup runneth over; Born free; Love me with all of
your heart; Games that lovers play; This is my song …
This Guy’s In Love With You [1968] Arr./Cond.
Jimmy Wisner 11 tracks incl. A man without love; Honey;
Do you know the way to San Jose; The look of love; Can’t
take my eyes off you; By the time I get to Phoenix …
Collectables COL-CD-7877 [63:42] Original [US]
Columbia recordings
We apologise that in our last issue the catalogue details
for André Previn’s ‘Two For The Seesaw’
should have read Kritzerland KR20012-5. |
|
|
![[Go to top of page]](clips/top_a.gif){kind=small}
![[Go to top of page]](clips/top2a.gif){kind=small}