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KEEPING TRACK
Dateline June 2003
BRITISH LIGHT OVERTURES Volume 2: Plymouth Hoe (John
Ansell); Overture 125 (David Gow); Farnham Festival Overture (Sir
Richard Rodney Bennett); The Moor of Venice (William Alwyn); A Scots
Overture (John Gardner); The Lamprey (Michael Gryspeerdt); Scaramouche
(Peter Hope); A Cleveland Overture (Anthony Hedges); A Snowdon Overture
(Gareth Glyn) Royal Ballet Sinfonia conducted by Gavin Sutherland
Sanctuary Group White Line CDWHL2137, 62:54 mins. While the
nautically jolly Plymouth Hoe will be familiar to many, the
other splendid overtures on this new CD will not. David Gow’s
125 was written to launch British Rail’s new high speed
train in 1976; Richard Rodney Bennett’s offering is self explanatory;
William Alwyn’s Moor of Venice began as a brass band
piece before Philip Lane orchestrated it; while John Gardner’s
original work was in honour of wartime RAF Fighter Command before
being rescored for the 1954 Proms. Michael Gryspeerdt was a doctor
by profession but played in the Gloucestershire Symphony Orchestra
which often repaired to The Lamprey pub near Gloucester Cathedral
while Peter Hope needs no introduction, nor does Anthony Hedges
whose Cleveland Overture is related to Hull University where
he was domiciled for many years. Welshman, Gareth Glyn lives on
Anglesey and looks out to Snowdonia so it is easy to see where he
obtained his inspiration. All the music is in the best British Light
Music tradition and well worth purchasing. Peter Worsley
I have, alas, one or two serious misgivings about
the makeup of this CD, bearing in mind the title British LIGHT Overtures.
I can well imagine some impulse purchasers being misled into thinking
that they are going to enjoy an hour or so of tuneful undemanding
music which, for the most part, this recording doesn’t deliver.
William Alwyn’s The Moor of Venice for example, has
a particularly grim and doom-laden scenario which is fully realised
in the music and could in no way be categorised as ‘light’.
Surely a more accurate generic title (if Sanctuary Classics are
going to continue with this series) would simply be ‘British
Concert Overtures’. Furthermore the age profile, as represented
by the compositional dates of these works is heavily tilted towards
the modern with only two pre-dating 1950, one of which fortunately
is John Ansell’s splendid, stirring and evocative salt-laden
nautical overture Plymouth Hoe. Wonderful to have this at
last in first-class modern sound, but for this listener at least
leaving most of the remainder on this disc obstinately becalmed
and (taking the nautical analogy a little further) outgunned and
outranged! The best of the remainder for me was Rodney Bennett’s
Farnham Festival Overture which includes skilful use of a
piano, and Gareth Glyn’s appealing A Snowdon Overture
which displays a charm and lyricism lacking in most of the remaining
tracks, which I cannot imagine returning to very often. Playing
time is somewhat miserly and there would have been ample room at
the end for Ansell’s companion nautical overture The Windjammers,
referred to in Philip Lane’s notes, and bringing about perhaps
a satisfying concluding symmetry to this disc. Recording and performance
are first rate, and if you think the contents will appeal to you
don’t be put off by the strictures of a curmudgeonly reviewer.
Incidentally, isn’t it about time that such significant figures
of the past as Percy Fletcher, Montague Phillips, Haydn Wood, etc
are represented in this series, assuming the compiler(s) can become
a little less obsessed with ‘modern’? It would considerably
increase the attractiveness and saleability of this series, and
certainly I would have passed by Volume 2 had it not been for Plymouth
Hoe! Roger Hyslop
JOHNNY DOUGLAS ORCHESTRA I won’t
dance, Yesterdays, A fine romance, The Carioca, They can’t
take that away from me, The way you look tonight, I’m putting
all my eggs in one basket, etc.. (22 tracks taken from the Decca
LPs ‘Cheek to Cheek’ & ‘A Handful of Stars’
Dulcima DLCD118, 73:42 mins. Many of us will recall these two
Decca LPs from over 45 years ago with pleasant memories. Johnny
Douglas’s own arrangements have a bright, fresh sound that
won him many admirers back in the 1950s, and this welcome reissue
on his own Dulcima label will please many readers of this magazine.
The LPs date from 1955 and 1957, so they were just too early for
stereo, but the original tape masters still sound fine. To fit both
albums on to one CD, it has been necessary to omit Like Someone
in Love and How High the Moon from ‘A Handful of
Stars’. Just one slight disappointment: the CD booklet doesn’t
say anything about Johnny’s distinguished career. Maybe he
was too modest! As you will have read elsewhere in this issue, sadly
Johnny died on Easter Sunday, 20 April, so this CD will serve as
a lasting tribute to his talent as a superlative arranger of popular
songs. David Ades Dulcima CDs are available from
the RFS Record Service for £13 [US $26] each.
BRITISH STRING MINIATURES Volume 2: Set
of Act Tunes and Dances (Henry Purcell); Serenade for the Birthday
of Frederic Delius (Peter Warlock); Air and Dance (Delius); Serenade
(Matthew Curtis); Suite – The Spanish Lady (Sir Edward Elgar);
Serenata Concertante (Philip Lane) Royal Ballet Sinfonia
conducted by Gavin Sutherland Sanctuary Group White Line CDWHL2136.
You may not hear this music played regularly on BBC Radio 3 which
shows it must be good! It is a delightful light string music CD
of the highest calibre, both ancient and modern(ised). Gareth Glyn’s
characteristic Anglesey Sketches tell the story of different
parts of the island in North Wales where the composer resides.
Particularly pleasant are the scherzo Cemaes, reflecting
exuberant summer beach activities while the elegy Moelfre,
conjures up the hundreds of lost souls down the centuries whose
ships foundered on this dangerous rocky coastline. Matthew Curtis
and Philip Lane prove that modern serious string music can be thoroughly
enjoyable while the rest of the disc can easily be guessed from
the style of the well-known composers listed. Peter Worsley
The Sanctuary Group White Line series of CDs are available
from the RFS Record Service for £10 [US $20] each.
CHARLES WILLIAMS ‘Radio and Television
Memories No. 2’ Devil’s Galop, Girls in Grey, The
Old Clockmaker, Quiet Stroll, Voice of London, High Adventure, Rhythm
on Rails, Starlings, Young Ballerina, Pioneer Trail, Trolleybus,
Model Railway, Great Day, In a Hurry, Summer Garden, Follow That
Car, Sports Galop, Workroom, Full Speed, Ten Days’ Leave, Night
Boat to Duiblin (film theme), Alf’s Button Afloat (film music),
SOS, Searchlight, Convoy Attack, Barrage, Naval Action, Commandos,
Said the Bells, Atlantic Brakers, War in the Jungle, Sons of the
Air, March Winds, Storm on the Moors, Seaford Head, Drummer Boy,
Speedway Galop and The Falcons Charles Williams and
his Concert Orchestra, Queen’s Hall Light Orchestra, etc. THIS
ENGLAND CR3. As many readers will know, a new CD of Charles Williams’
compositions was recorded in England earlier this year, and its
release is eagerly awaited. But This England magazine has
just got in first by issuing the first commercial CD devoted entirely
to compositions by this master of Light Music, which will delight
his many admirers. The CD (and cassette) coincide with an article
on Charles Williams in the spring 2003 issue of Evergreen (the
sister magazine of This England). The CD is full of radio
and TV themes, such as "Dick Barton – Special Agent",
BBC Television Newsreel, "Jennings at School", Farming,
"Friday Night is Music Night", "Top of the Bill",
"Dan Dare", television interludes and others. There are
also two rare film soundtracks – from "Night Boat to Dublin"
(1946) and a 1938 Crazy Gang Film "Alf’s Button Afloat";
predictably the sound quality is only average and the extracts are
brief, but the second film is notable for chase music which Williams
must have used later as the basis for his Devil’s Galop.
These two tracks alone make this CD a real collector’s item.
Keen Williams fans will probably have many of the other tracks,
and the need to choose items that are out of copyright (more than
50 years old) means that the compilers have had to resort to a number
of less well-known short mood music pieces from the Chappell Recorded
Music Library of the 1940s. Readers who have previously purchased
CDs from This England will know that they are lovingly produced
by real enthusiasts. The gloss of the major record companies may
be missing, and expensive sound restoration is beyond their reach.
Having said that, the sound quality here is perfectly acceptable,
with only occasional surface noise evident, and it has to be recognised
that this may well be a ‘plus’ factor for some collectors
who value authenticity. This release is strongly recommended as
a slice of English Light Music history. The only thing lacking is
precise information of the recording source and the actual orchestra
playing on each item. David Ades This CD is only
available direct from Evergreen Melodies, PO Box 52, Cheltenham,
GL50 1YQ, England – tel. 01242 515156 or online at sales@thisengland.co.uk
The CD costs £8.95 including postage; a shorter cassette version
is available for £7.50. Overseas members should enquire about extra
postage costs.
MUSIC OF LECUONA Siboney, Danza Iucumi,
Jungle Drums, Gitanarias, Maria my own, Malaguena, Always in my
heart, Andalucia, La comparsa, High in Sierra PLACE PIGALLE
Domino, Why do you pass me by, At last at last, Autumn leaves,
C’est si bon, La mer, Waltz of Paree, Chez-moi, Boom, Mademoiselle
de Paris, When the world was young, Au revoir Stanley Black,
his Piano and Orchestra Vocalion CDLK4176. The early stereo
sound on the ‘Lecuona’ album is quite amazing. Equally
exciting are the arrangements, presumably the work of maestro Stanley
Black, although he did not generally make known the musicians who
must have worked with him on some of his albums. He was so busy
in the recording studios and concert halls, that he surely could
not have scored all his music himself. The accompanying LP "Place
Pigalle" employs much fewer musicians, mainly piano, accordion,
percussion and occasionally electronic organ. The result is an atmospheric
portrait of the kind of sounds one would love to hear emanating
from a smoky French café or bistro, late into the evening.
Sadly things are rather different today, but at least Stanley allows
us to wallow in our nostalgia for what should be. These are two
very different albums, but somehow they are each very satisfying
in their own way. You may not want to play the entire CD through
in one go, but I suspect that you will get a lot of enjoyment from
selecting various portions from time to time, depending upon your
mood. David Ades
EVENING IN PARIS Mademoiselle de Paris,
Love’s last word is spoken, My prayer, Vous qui passez sans
me voir (Why do you pass me by?), Pigalle, La vie en rose, Boom,
Ca c’est Paris, J’attendrai, Valentine, Clopin clopant,
La Seine, Parlez moi d’amour, Can-can EVENING IN ROME
Santa Lucia, Serenade in the night, Mattinata, Luna rossa,
Tell me you’ll not forget, Mamma, Come back to Sorrento, La
montanara, O sole mio, The echo told me a lie, Catari catari, Vieni
sul mar, Anema e core, Funiculi funicular. Frank Chacksfield
and his Orchestra Vocalion CDLK4167. This is really Leon Young’s
CD, with his glorious arrangements excelling in these timeless interpretations
of delightful melodies that still cannot fail to charm. The Chacksfield
Orchestra really was a superb ensemble in the 1950s, strongly supported
by the Decca sound technicians who were in a class all their own.
First issued in 1954 and 1955, these albums just pre-date stereo,
but the mono sound is fine and, after all, it is the music that
really matters. As far as I am concerned, these interpretations
are exactly how I wish to hear this kind of music performed. Rock
‘N’ Roll hadn’t yet fully embarked on the wrecking
spree that killed off so many fine orchestras just a few years later.
David Ades
NAT KING COLE Love Songs When
I Fall in Love, Unforgettable, Very Thought of You, Too Young, Let’s
Fall in Love, The More I See You, Stardust, These Foolish Things,
etc… 24 tracks EMI 581 5132. I suppose that the only ‘problem’
with compilations such as this is deciding how many duplications
you are prepared to tolerate. I haven’t checked in detail,
but I should imagine that keen NKC collectors will already possess
many of these tracks. However if your collection is currently devoid
of this great singer, you could do far worse than purchase this
bargain. David Ades
TED HEATH AND HIS MUSIC
Hits I Missed & Al Jolson Classics Vocalion
CDLK4168
Great Film Hits & Pop Hits Vocalion
CDLK4170
It is difficult to find something new to say about
Ted Heath and his Music. His great band contained some of the finest
soloists that were around in Britain at the time, and all of his
Decca LPs were outstanding in their own way. For example, the idea
of a big band swinging Al Jolson hits might sound a bit far-fetched,
but Heath certainly gets away with it. And how many band leaders
would allow their egos to admit that they had actually missed some
hits? Ted Heath fans continue to be very fortunate that so many
of his albums are now available in superb remasterings such as these.
David Ades
MANTOVANI ORCHESTRA Italia Mia & Verzauberter
Klang Aus Germany Vocalion CDLK4173. Just recently Vocalion
have been treating us to several Decca albums featuring music from
the continent of Europe, each being superb examples of the work
of the respective orchestras. Frank Chacksfield with his ‘Evening
in Rome’ (CDLK4167) has concentrated more on the popular sound
of Italian music from the 1950s, whereas this Mantovani collection
veers a little closer to the light classics. The sound and the performance
are both stunning, and some readers may be reassured to know that
the famous Mantovani ‘cascading strings’ sound is only
used very sparingly (Decca probably insisted upon a touch of it
here and there). The title track Italia Mia is one of Mantovani’s
own compositions. This is the first time it has appeared on CD in
Britain: it was previously on CD only in Japan – over a dozen
years ago. The second LP was made for the continental market in
June 1969, and did not appear in the UK, USA or Japan, so its revival
should be of great interest to all Mantovani fans. Somewhat surprisingly,
it was released in Australia as "Enchanting Sounds from Germany",
but has been unavailable for many years. All of the tracks were
big German hits, and many will be familiar to British ears. The
German album is slightly more popular in style than the Italia
Mia, but both fit nicely together, and this new CD is highly
recommended. David Ades
SYDNEY LIPTON ORCHESTRA Sweet Harmony Cocktails
for Two, Love is the Sweetest Thing, Love Walked In, Isn’t
it Romantic, Dance Little Lady etc. Dancing at Grosvenor House
Canadian Sunset, It’s Been a Long Long Time, Five Minutes More,
Sioux City Sue, My Baby Just Cares for Me, Little White Lies, Scatter-brain,
You’re Driving me Crazy etc. Vocalion CDLK4175. I suppose
an obvious comment to make is that the melodies on this CD are so
well-known that other versions of them must already be in the collections
of many readers. So it all really comes down to a question of whether
or not this style of music is your cup of tea – and I use the
term deliberately, because a lot of tea will have been drunk over
the years while Sydney Lipton and his Orchestra were performing
music such as this at some of London’s most fashionable establishments.
Today’s younger record buyers might find this rather quaint,
but for those of us with longer melodies it will be a welcome addition
to our collections. David Ades
EDWARD GERMAN Coronation March and Hymn,
Henry VIII - Three Dances, Welsh Rhapsody, Much Ado About Nothing,
Bourée and Gigue, Nell Gwynn -Three Dances, Gipsy Suite -
Four Characteristic Dances, Tom Jones -Three Dances Band
of the Welsh Guards directed by Major Philip Shannon MBE. Specialist
Recording Company SRC 104 69 mins. This is a further instalment
in SRC's continuing series featuring CDs devoted to a single British
composer and performed by one of our premier military bands - in
this case the Welsh Guards. With the notable exception of Marco
Polo who have included him in their British Light Music Series (No.
8.223419) and issued two volumes of his more serious music (Nos.
8.223695 & 8.223726), Sir Edward German has been largely neglected
by the recording companies, so this new SRC CD is particularly welcome.
Whilst some of these items have already appeared on the aforementioned
Marco Polo album - Gipsy Suite, Henry VIII and Nell Gwynn
Dances - none are exactly over-represented in the current catalogue.
The attractions of this issue are considerably enhanced by the inclusion
of several rarities. The Coronation March and Hymn (for George
V’s Coronation) is based on themes from Henry VIII,
the excerpts from Much Ado About Nothing are quite delightful
and well worth a hearing whilst there are no modern recordings extant
of the Tom Jones Dances. Nimble and agile woodwind playing
are demanded in many of the faster dance movements and the Welsh
Guards are fully equal to the challenges made upon them. Like the
Sullivan disc the sessions were taped in the spacious acoustics
of the Chapel, The Royal Hospital Chelsea. A very good buy! Roger
Hyslop
[available from DISCURIO, 46 High Street, Rochester,
Kent, ME1 1LD. Tel/Fax 01634 845222, www.discurio.com,
or from larger retail outlets such as the HMV Oxford Street stores
in London].
BILLY MAYERL Vol. 1 Original Recordings 1925-1936
Marigold; Puppets Suite (Golliwog, Judy, Punch); Desert Song
(selection); All-Of-A-Twist; Eskimo Shivers; Nippy (medley); Three
Miniatures in Syncopation (Cobweb, Muffin Man, Clockwork); Sennen
Cover; Jazzaristrix; Virginia Creeper; Limehouse Blues; Mignonette;
Three Dances in Syncopation (English, Cricket, Harmonica); Indispensable
You; Honky-Tonk; Honeysuckle; Sporting Love (medley); Have a Heart;
Hollyhock. Naxos 8.120653. An excellent selection
of early Mayerl masterpieces, including selections from two of his
rarely heard musicals from the Thirties, Nippy and Sporting
Love. Sennen Cove is the splendid full orchestral version
conducted by Billy himself, while Ray Noble and Jack Hylton take
the baton for Have a Heart and Indispensable You respectively.
All the other tracks are solos played at the height of his fame
by Mayerl, whose fantastic skills were described in a slow-motion
film of the time as "Lightning Fingers". Peter Dempsey
has done a wonderful job of remastering, including possibly the
first ever piano recordings made by the new electrical process in
Britain, namely All-Of-A-Twist and Eskimo Shivers on
24th September, 1925. All in all a very good buy at bargain price.
Peter Worsley Naxos CDs are available from the
RFS Record Service for £5 [US $10] each.
PAUL MAURIAT AND HIS ORCHESTRA ‘The Best
of …’ Love is Blue, Puppet on a String, Song for
Anna, Les Deux Guitares, Last Summer Day, New York New York, Nocturne,
Pearl Fishers, Guantanamera, Jeux Interdits, Those Were The Days,
etc… 21 tracks (France) Mercury/ Universal 063 687-2. First
of all he wrote the book … now our member Serge Elhaik has
penned the booklet notes (in English and French) for this very entertaining
and welcome new release. In 1968 Paul Mauriat’s Love Is
Blue was top of the charts in the USA for seven weeks, firmly
establishing his credentials as a top international conductor. Mauriat
is also highly respected as a songwriter and arranger, as his work
with the likes of Charles Aznavour and Mireille Mathieu will testify.
His later career found him much in demand in Japan, where it is
reckoned that he gave at least 1,200 concerts until 1998. The Paul
Mauriat Orchestra still continues under Gilles Gambus. This CD presents
the maestro in some of his most popular recordings (seven are his
own compositions), and it should win him many new admirers. David
Ades
THE FILM MUSIC OF RICHARD ADDINSELL Goodbye
Mr. Chips; Dangerous Moonlight (Warsaw Concerto); Love on the Dole;
Blithe Spirit; The Black Rose; Scrooge; Tom Brown’s Schooldays;
The Admirable Crichton; Out of the Clouds (Flame Tango). BBC
Philharmonic conducted by Rumon Gamba Chandos CHAN 10046, 79:50
minutes. A real feast of light music for cinema and non-cinemagoers
alike. The vast majority of these orchestral masterpieces have been
reconstructed by Philip Lane and what a labour of love was that!
By listening to the soundtrack over and over again he has recreated
the deliberately destroyed scores and put back into the musical
repertoire what would surely have been lost for ever. It seems strange
to us now that such musical gems were discarded as worthless once
the movie had been made but there was so much good music around
at the time that it is understandable, if not forgivable. The recordings
are first class with the addition of the choirs of both Chetham’s
and Manchester Cathedral, plus the piano playing of Martin Roscoe
in The Warsaw Concerto. If you remember the films then you
will remember the music but even if you are too young it doesn’t
matter because the splendid music stands alone. Peter Worsley
While welcoming this release wholeheartedly, it
is only right that I should draw readers’ attention to the
previous two CDs of Addinsell’s Film Music (ASV CDWHL2108 &
2115). Philip Lane was also involved with both of these, and it
is understandable that Chandos would wish to include many of Addinsell’s
best-known works, so it is inevitable that some duplications have
occurred. However, on this latest release, the only items that may
already be in the hands of keen collectors are Warsaw Concerto,
Blithe Spirit, and Scrooge. This not only serves to illustrate
the considerable output achieved by Addinsell, but it should also
reassure his admirers that they must not hesitate to acquire this
latest release. Full marks also for the excellent booklet. David
Ades
…Warsaw Concerto – that seemingly
indestructible veteran evergreen – receives from Martin Roscow
a performance of genuine symphonic breadth imbuing the piece with
a surprising verdant freshness which is very appealing. A highlight
for me was the music from Love On The Dole which I found
particularly poignant and touching. Rumon Gamba deftly steers the
highly accomplished and polished BBC Philharmonic through these
scores with unerring sensitivity and complete sympathy. Roger
Hyslop This CD is available from the RFS Record Service
for £12 [US $24].
MARTIN BÖTTCHER Film Music Unser
Haus in Kamerun, Der Fälscher von London, Strasse der Verheissung,
Auf Engel Schiesst Man Nicht, Lufthansa-Suite plus 3 bonus tracks
(Germany) Peermusic CD 0103. I feel sure that our German members
will be familiar with the work of Martin Bőttcher – and
rightly so, because his music is inventive and very pleasing. This
new CD (conceived by our member Volker Rippe) offers the music from
five films, plus three bonus tracks which I suspect were popular
singles in the 1960s. The first film Unser Haus in Kamerun
has a very pleasant theme, which is attractively arranged in a variety
of moods with strings well to the fore. Several of the tracks would
stand up very well on their own as fine examples of production music.
Der Fälscher von London veers more towards jazz and
(presumably!) the seamier side of London night life. A somewhat
similar style is evident in Strasse der Verheissung, with
nods towards West Coast Jazz and the more blatant pop sounds of
the 1960s. Glenn Miller sounds emerge (intentionally) in Auf
Engel Schiesst Man Nicht. Then bright holiday sounds take over
in the Lufthansa-Suite. This is an interesting collection,
with varied styles that prove that the composer can turn his talents
towards any kind of mood, as required by the storylines in the films.
The CD booklet (in German only) reproduces four film posters –
a ‘plus’ point for collectors of film music. Scores such
as this deserve to be preserved for posterity. David Ades
TED HEATH & HIS MUSIC Listen To My Music
Opus 1; East of the Sun; Bakerloo Non-Stop; Donegal Cradle
Song; On Ilkla Moor Baht’at; Baia; London Suite (Chelsea, Whitechapel,
Limehouse, Bond Street, Piccadilly, Soho): Deep Forest; Pagan Love
Song; You Go To My Head; Dark Eyes; Harlem Nocturne; Song of the
Vagabonds; Listen To My Music; Hindustan; Lady Byrd; Sophisticated
Lady; Lyonia; Euphoria; Cuban Crescendo; Roumanian Roundabout. Sanctuary
Group Living Era CD AJA 5459. Ted Heath lovers will be pleased
with this CD which includes Fats Waller’s complete London
Suite which was released before the wartime Waller piano solo
originals (which were destroyed in the Blitz) were commercially
recorded from inferior copies made at the time. All the tracks were
mono and made between 1944 and 1950 when Heath was arguably at his
peak. The band was initially formed at the behest of the BBC Variety
Department for broadcasting purposes only but soon outgrew this
role and became Britain’s most famous big band. A fine tribute
to a fine set of musicians. Edmund Whitehouse
LEROY ANDERSON – ‘Blue Tango’
Sleigh Ride, Promenade, The Waltzing Cat, The Syncopated
Clock, Saraband, Serenata, Jazz Pizzicato … Jazz Legato, A
Trumpeter’s Lullaby, Plink Plank Plunk, Horse and Buggy, Belle
of the Ball, Blue Tango, China Doll, The Penny-Whistle Song, Fiddle-Faddle,
The Phantom Regiment, Irish Suite, Christmas Festival Leroy
Anderson and his ‘Pops’ Concert Orchestra Sanctuary
Group Living Era CDAJA5481, 75:12 mins. This new CD has been
compiled by RFS member David Lennick (who is based in Ontario, Canada),
so the recording information given in the booklet refers to North
America. Which is why all of the 78s are quoted as having Decca
catalogue numbers, but this is the US Decca company, not the familiar
British one. (To avoid confusion, I feel that there should have
been a note in the CD booklet to explain this). In the UK these
tracks were issued on Brunswick with completely different catalogue
numbers, although the matrix numbers will have been the same. The
recordings date from 11 September 1950 to 5 November 1952, and the
running order of the tracks simply reflects the sequence in which
they were released in the USA (except for the final item). In 2002
Jasmine issued a CD containing the first 16 titles (JASMCD 2580
– reviewed in JIM 152), but these are not all the same performances.
(Jasmine gives no recording information whatsoever, and there was
insufficient time available to make further investigations before
this review had to be ready for the printers. If any readers can
shed more light on this, we’ll be pleased to give the relevant
details in a future issue). Clearly this new Living Era release
is better value because it also contains Anderson’s six-movement
Irish Suite plus the longer eight-minute version of his Christmas
Festival. For the sake of completeness, I should remind readers
that in 1992 MCA Records/Good Music in the USA released ‘Blue
Tango -The Original Hit Recordings of Leroy Anderson’ on MSD
35334. This had 20 tracks, although Jazz Pizzicato and Jazz
Legato were put on two different tracks, and incredibly separated
by four other numbers – clearly the compiler had little regard
for Anderson’s original concept. The remaining three ‘extra’
tracks were later works – Forgotten Dreams, Sandpaper Ballet
and Bugler’s Holiday. Surprisingly Horse and Buggy
was dropped in favour of The Minstrel Boy. The later stereo
recordings by Leroy Anderson are on the 2-CD set ‘The Leroy
Anderson Collection’ (MCA MCAD2-9815) so there have already
been several opportunities for collectors to obtain the composer’s
own performances on CD. If anyone reading this review still lacks
Leroy Anderson on their CD shelves, then my advice is to choose
this latest release which is the best now available. The sound quality
is very good (although the trumpets in The Wearing of the Green
sound decidedly tipsy!), and these original performances from the
beginning of the 1950s stand as the definitive versions. David
Ades
BOB HOPE ‘Thanks for the Memory’ Title
track, Two Sleepy People, The Lady’s in Love with You, Penthouse
Serenade, Put it There Pal, The Road to Morocco, My Favourite Brunette,
Beside You, Buttons and Bows, That’s Not the Knot, Lucky Us,
Ain’t we Got Fun, Blind Date, Goodnight Irene, Home on the
Range, Wing Ding Tonight, Am I in Love, A Four-Legged Friend, Hoots
Mon, Chicago Style, The Road to Bali, Merry-Go-Runaround Living
Era CDAJA5493, 76:30 mins. British-born Bob Hope has become an American
institution, and he had the rare honour of hearing warm tributes
paid to him by the US Congress a few years ago when what might be
termed a ‘premature’ announcement of his death was made.
Assuming that he doesn’t fall at the last hurdle, by the time
you read this he will have celebrated his 100th birthday
on 29 May, and this new CD is therefore both a timely and a fitting
tribute to his rather sparse recording career. Once again, the compiler
credits are in the name of ‘our’ David Lennick, so my
previous comments (on the Leroy Anderson CD above) about North American
recordings details apply here as well. If Bob wasn’t exactly
prolific in the recording studios, at least what he did commit to
wax was worthy of preservation, proving that he had an astute regard
for quality, rather than quantity. On several tracks he is joined
by the likes of Bing Crosby, Shirley Ross, Dorothy Lamour, Margaret
Whiting and Jane Russell, and there are extra tracks (not listed
above) from radio shows and visits to the troops, for which he became
something of a legend in World War 2. Bob’s films are represented
with numbers from several Road films, plus The Paleface
and Son of Paleface – the latter being a rare example
of a sequel being better than the original. The gremlins appear
to have made mistakes on two track titles, but apart from that minor
niggle this is a splendid production in all respects. David
Ades All Sanctuary Group Living Era CDs are available
from the RFS Record Service for £8 [US $16] each.
BEST OF THE FIFTIES Various Artists 6
CD set, EMI GOLD 582 5542. Selling for around £20 this collection
ought to be good value, although the music on the 6 CDs would easily
fit on to 4. Also EMI are on decidedly dodgy ground with the assertion
that these are "original artists … original hits"
when many are cover versions by EMI contract artists. As for the
1950s tag, how can you describe Judy Garland’s Over The
Rainbow in this way ("The Wizard of Oz" came out in
1939)? This is a very mixed bag, with hardly any instrumental items.
Just treat it as yet another compilation: it certainly isn’t
an accurate portrayal of the overall music scene in the 1950s as
I remember it. David Ades
NORMAN WISDOM ‘The Very Best of …’
EMI GOLD 582 6522. I haven’t listed the tracks because
you’d be hard pressed to associate many of the titles with
Sir Norman. Missing is his big number (accompanied by Robert Farnon)
from the ice show "London Melody" which first made his
name, and it would have been nice to have that catchy tune I’d
Like to Put on Record from "Trouble in Store" (of
course Don’t Laugh at Me is included). Surprisingly
absent also are those two classic sides he did with Joyce Grenfell
(remember Narcissus?). Norman has a pleasant voice, and he
usually had excellent orchestrations backing him. This collection
is quite good, but with a little more thought it could have been
so much better. David Ades
HUMPHREY LYTTELTON ‘The Best of …’
EMI GOLD 583 2802. This is a 3-CD box set which you should be
able to pick up for around £12. I have to admit that my knowledge
of Humph’s recordings is limited, so I cannot say if there
are any glaring gaps among the 60 titles. It begins with Bad
Penny Blues so perhaps the omens are good! Whether or not your
own particular favourites are all here, I suspect that few will
disagree that this is very good value. David Ades
ADAM FAITH What Do You Want, Poor Me,
Someone Else’s Baby etc. 24 tracks. EMI GOLD 583
1132. Pop singers don’t usually get included in this feature,
but we know that a number of our readers are keen fans of John
Barry, so they may be interested in this new release. Faith’s
early successes were distinguished by the pizzicato and strings
effects cleverly achieved by John Barry, with a little help from
the Abbey Road echo chamber. Thanks to Hit and Miss, the
signature tune of BBC TV’s "Juke Box Jury", John
Barry was well known to pop fans around 40 years ago, and he certainly
helped young Terence Nelhams (aka AF), who died earlier this year
on 8 March aged 62. David Ades
ANNE SHELTON The Best of … Let’s
Face the Music and Dance, Smoke Gets in Your Eyes, Bridge of Sighs,
If I Give My Heart To You etc. 23 tracks. EMI GOLD 584 0152.
Anne Shelton has been quite well served with CD reissues just recently,
but mainly they have concentrated on her repertoire from the 1940s.
This new collection from EMI comes mainly from the 1950s, and it
includes a mixture of hits of the day plus a few well-loved standards.
Anne was a very good singer, so we mention this for the benefit
of her many admirers. David Ades
NATURAL BORN FILLERS Big Beat, Trippin
the Blues, Waltz Cool, The Charmer (John Cacavas); Fancy Flutes,
Kiddies Corner, Dancing Harp (Roger Roger); Swing Song, Happy Folk,
For Deborah, The Waiting Game, The Winners (Roger Webb); Autumn
Love (Paul Lewis); The Gentle Touch (Herbert Chappell); Regency
Street (Sam Fonteyn); Dancing Youth Waltz (Douglas Gamley); The
Storyteller (Harry Rabinowitz); Horn-a-Plenty (Robert Farnon); Like
Spring (Steve Race) etc.. 66 tracks Double CD. Total Time 158
minutes Codename Music CMCD1970. "Diamonds are forever"
should capture your mind when you see the cover of this well compiled
CD of BBC and ITV Daytime Interlude classics from the late 1960’s
and 1970’s. You should be mesmerized by the cover alone. On
opening this double CD will unfold one primary disc and one secondary
disc from schooldays past containing 64 tracks of catchy little
pieces of light musical charm played before schools and children’s
programmes on TV. Plus two distinctive bonus tracks featuring the
primary school’s diamonds music and the secondary school’s
diamonds music. The whole school timetable can be fondly remembered
here as you listen to well loved and often aired musical miniatures
from the world famous Chappell Recorded Music Library featuring
enchanting pieces from the pens and pencils of John Cacavas, Brian
Fahey, Roger Webb, Gordon Franks and Robert Farnon to name a few.
So rustle up your old school kit and make space in your satchel
for this little gem from days gone by. Malcolm Batchelor
The thought of 64 Chappell tracks should be enough
to tempt many RFS members to buy this great new collection, especially
as so many of the numbers will not already be in your collections.
Steven Willis is a true enthusiast who has clearly put his heart
into this compilation … and it shows! David Ades
For full details of how to order this 2-CD set please go back to
the full-page advertisement on page 5 of this issue.
ANDRE KOSTELANETZ AND HIS ORCHESTRA – A
MISCELLANY. Liza, Laura, Sari Waltz, Vienna City of My Dreams,
Falling in Love with Love, Gypsy Love Waltz, Gold and Silver Waltz,
Intermezzo, Someone to Watch Over Me, Lady Be Good, Two Hearts in
¾ Time, Empore Waltz, Vilia, Have You Met Miss Jones?, Waltz Dream,
Diane, Gypsy Baron Waltz, Love Walked In, You Made Me Love You,
Serenade (Pierne ), We Kiss in a Shadow, Bali Ha’i, Moon over
Miami, Now is the Hour, Frank Bristow FBCD91 78:30 mins. This
is more or less Kosty’s recording career in microcosm, ranging
from 12" 78s of anything up to 60 years ago (some of which
…the Lehar, Stauss, Kalman, Stolz and Oscar Straus….startes
me off as a collector) , on through Rodgers and Gershwin of the
mid–forties and on to some early stereo recordings. Those six
tracks are hardly typical of the Kostelanetz we admired for something
like 30 years, either technically or musically. One, You Made
Me Love You is so bad in both respects it’s all one can
do to listen to it, but that is only one title out of many. Otherwise
this ’Miscellany’ is a typical cross section of Kostelanetz’s’
work in all fields over the years and can be safely recommended.
Arthur Jackson
ANDRE PREVIN & DAVID ROSE ORCHESTRA –
LIKE BLUE/SONGS FOR YOUNG LOVERS. You and the Blues, Blue
Room, Serenade in Blue, Blue Holiday, Blue Again, Like Blue, Black
and Blue, Little Girl Blue, Between the Devil and the Deep Blue
Sea, Blue Turning Grey Over You, Blue Subterranean, Born to be Blue,
Blame It on My Youth, Young Man’s Lament, You Make Me Feel
So Young, Young and Tender, While We’re Young, Too Young to
be True, Last Night When We Were Young, Like Young, Younger Than
Springtime, Year of Youth, Too Young to go Steady, Love is for the
Very Young. Frank Bristow FBCD94 70.30 mins. It must be forty
years since I had a Polydor/MGM double LP called " Like Young,
Like Blue ", which turned out to be one of those albums one
keeps coming back to when all else fails to satisfy. Here is the
identical set complete on a very welcome CD from our friend Frank
Bristow, with both soloist and orchestra on top form. Previn and
Rose are equally adept as interpreters also in no fewer than eight
cases, composers of standard music such as we used to know in those
happy days of yore. I would imagine most JIM readers will be familiar
with these recordings, so if your original copies have been showing
signs of wear, now is your chance to replace them. Arthur
Jackson
DAVID ROSE & HIS ORCHESTRA – EASY LISTENING
Kiss of Fire, In a Sentimental mood, You Stepped out of a Dream,
Ebb Tide, Caravan, Blue Prelude, All the Things You Are,Misty, Flamingo,
Man with the Golden Arm, Shangri – La, Autumn Leaves, Autumn
Waltz, September in the Rain, Blue Autumn, ‘Tis Autumn, Indian
Summer, Shine on Harvest Moon, Autumn Serenade, Autumn Nocturne,
And This is My Beloved, October Mist, Autumn in New York, Misirlou,
What Is There To Say? , It’s a Most Unusual Day, Love Makes
the World Go Round. Frank Bristow FBCD95 78:46mins. "Easy
Listening" as an album title sounds most inappropriate to me.
One thing the musicianly David Rose was not was a mere purveyor
of bland mood music, as this collection of familiar and well loved
standards proves. The basic material stems from three American MGM
LP’s, "21 Channel Sound", "Autumn Leaves"
and "Spectacular Strings", none of which as far as I have
been able to ascertain, were ever issued in the U.K. Everything
is nicely contrasted as far as tempi and styles are concerned, varying
between big band sounds and the lush Rose string sound. It’s
always perfect and musicianly and in no way can it be classed as
"Easy Listening". Arthur Jackson Editor:
Sorry to correct Arthur, but to avoid correspondence(!) "21
Channel Sound" was released in Britain – on MGM C901 and
MGM CD 6057 (stereo).
JOHN PHILIP SOUSA, Works For Wind Band –
Volume 3 The Corocan Cadets, Semper Fidelis, Selections from
: The Free Lance, The New York Hiippodrome, La Flor di Sevilla,
Waltzes from ‘El Capitan’, A Century of Progress Suite:
The Last Days of Pompeii, The White Rose, With Pleasure, Dance Hilarious,
The Belle of Chicago, The National Game. Royal Artillery
Band conducted by Keith Brion. Naxos 8.559092 54mins. Naxos
have ambitiously set their sights on recording Sousa’s Wind
Band music in its entirety, so this will be a substantial and significant
series with several more instalments apparently already in the can.
They have invested very wisely in the Royal Artillery Band, one
of the largest and best bands in the British Army and in obtaining
the services of Keith Brion, an American conductor who is a specialist
in Sousa’s period style. The third volume was recorded in Woolwich
Town Hall, a venue where often the Royal Artillery Orchestra have
given public concerts. Sousa said a march ‘should make a man
with a wooden leg step out‘ and that he succeeded spectacularly
in his own philosophy cannot be in doubt. All the marches are played
here with quite superb panache and swagger. La Flor de Sevilla
composed for the Ibero – American Exposition in 1929 has
a particularly attractive and beguiling trio, whilst A Century
of Progress written in the year prior to his death showed the
‘March King’ had lost none of his flair for the idiom.
The selection from the 1905 operetta The Free Lance, contains
some appealing melodies, whilst the early suite The Last Days
of Pompeii (which includes harp) has some interesting special
effects as does the final piece on the disc The National Game.
This is a series to collect and cherish especially at the Naxos
price and one waits impatiently for Volume 4. Incidentally, this
disc has the rare distinction for a military band CD in being ‘mentioned
in despatches‘ during BBC Radio 3’s CD Review on Saturday
15th March, when Semper Fidelis followed on from
a particularly unattractive and impenetrable piece by Schnittke!
Roger Hyslop
Production Music CDs
BIG SCREEN LITTLE SCREEN 2-CD collection
of Archive tracks classified as Horror, The Westerns, Epics &
Adventure and Dark Drama Cavendish CAV CD 155. This interesting
collection has been put together by André Leon, from the
Boosey & Hawkes archives, some dating back to 78s issued in
the 1950s. Many of the tracks are quite short in duration, and the
CDs are obviously not intended for leisure listening at home. But
there are some interesting tracks that will appeal to enthusiasts,
and the list of featured composers illustrates the quality of the
writing – Trevor Duncan, Don Banks, John Scott, Eugene Cines,
Joseph Cacciola, Dudley Simpson and Monia Liter, among others. Our
good friend Heinz Herschmann is represented by his classic 78 The
Galleon, and I have to say that it sounds better here than it
did on his own Apollo Sound CD APSCD 205. Trevor Duncan’s gems
include Revelation, four tracks of Mob Violence and
two tracks from The Unwanted – The Boy. Enthusiasts
are fortunate to have the opportunity to hear mood music of this
calibre. David Ades Cavendish CDs are only available
from the RFS Record Service.
CLASSIC FILM & TV Vol. 4 ‘Comic Cuts’
Hey Buddy, Quack Track, Camilla, La Tour Eiffel, Allo Paris! (Nino
Nardini); Puffing Joe (Harry Rabinowitz); Dolly Flapper (Peter Dennis);
Saloon Rag, Adios Amigo, Clown in Town (Philippe Pares); Chase Me
Chester, Slap and Tickle, Dandy Andy, The Moke, Caliope Carousel,
River Police (Roger Roger); Goon Time (John Scott); Capering Clowns
(Max Saunders); Yom Kippur, Irish Spree, Scottish Frolic (Leslie
Bridgewater), etc… 54 tracks Bruton BRO21/356. The
above details give titles of some of the longer pieces, but others
are of a very short duration – often just a few seconds. The
comments about leisure listening for the Cavendish CD above, equally
apply here. The previous three CDs in this series were listed in
JIM 153 – page 87. David Ades Bruton CDs are
only available from the RFS Record Service.
A further selection of recent releases from
Vocalion. Unfortunately we had to go to press before review
copies were received, but we felt sure that you would wish to know
that these CDs are being released in the late Spring.
BOB SHARPLES ORCHESTRA Contrasts in Hi-Fi
On the Road to Mandalay, Will You Remember, By the Bend
of the River, Giannina Mia, A Perfect Day, Donkey Serenade, Sylvia,
Sweethearts etc. Dimensions in Sound Tuxedo Junction, Singing
the Blues, Mack the Knife, The Whistler and his Dog, Strike Up the
Band, Satin Doll, Trolley Song, etc. Vocalion CDLK4169.
WINIFRED ATWELL Hall of Fame Melodies
in the style of other famous pianists including Bill Snyder (Bewitched),
Eddie Heywood (Soft Summer Breeze), Fats Waller (Ain’t Misbehavin’),
Carmen Cavallaro (Manhattan), George Shearing (I’ll Remember
April) etc. …plays Gershwin Nice Work if You Can Get
It, Love Walked In, Somebody Loves Me etc and Rhapsody in
Blue with Ted Heath Orchestra Vocalion CDLK4177.
CATERINA VALENTE Great Continental Hits (with
Stanley Black Orchestra) If You Go, Autumn Leaves, Melodie
d’Amour, Too Soon, Volare, I Wish You Love, Song of the Sea,
Why Do You Pass Me By etc. Valente & Violins (with Roland
Shaw Orch) Love Letters, It Might as Well be Spring, This is
all I Ask, Ebb Tide, What Now My Love, Somewhere etc. Vocalion
CDLK4125 (postponed from last year).
RONALD BINGE Aldershot Brass Ensemble A
Variation on Alouette, A Tune a Day, Trombonioso, Rushlake Green,
The Jolly Swagman, A Song for all Comets etc. The Romantic Guitar
with Gerald Tolan Echoes of a Dream, The Ever-Changing Sea,
Summer’s End, Fugal Fancy, Where the Sun Shines etc. The
Wimbledon Girl Singers Where the Gentle Avon Flows, Sailing
By, Down by the River, String Song, The Watermill, Alas My Love
You Do Me Wrong etc. Vocalion CDLK4129.
MANTOVANI Exodus Exodus Main theme
& Karen, A Summer Place, The Green Leaves of Summer, Song Without
End, 76 Trombones, The Sundowners, Irma la Douce etc. Great Films
– Great themes Barabbas, Fanny, Advise and Consent, Goodbye
Again, The Apartment, Never on Sunday etc. Vocalion CDLK4179.
SID PHILLIPS Rediffusion Anthology Vol. 3
Chicago, I’ve Found a New Baby, Ja Da, Bugle Call
Rag, That’s a Plenty, Dar Town Strutters’ Ball, Sweet
Georgia Brown, After You’ve Gone, Nobody’s Sweetheart,
Milenberg Joys, Georgia on my Mind etc. Vocalion CDLK4184.
DENNIS LOTIS and BRIAN DEE piano ‘Mr.
Dee and Me’ (1999 recordings) Skylark, It’s
You or No One, Handful of Keys, I’m So in Love, Day by Day,
I See Your Face, My Shining Hour, My Romance etc. Vocalion CDLK4185.
GRETA KELLER Vol. 2 Vocalion CDEA6084.
JOSEPHINE BRADLEY AND HER BALLROOM ORCHESTRA
‘Dancing in the Dark’ Vocalion CDEA6088.
BERTINI and the TOWER BALLROOM DANCE BAND ‘Hello
Everybody’ Eclipse Records Vocalion CDEA 6092. Editor:
Sadly this doesn’t include his famous number ‘Samum’
which was on Regal Zonophone – not Eclipse.
JACK PAYNE AND HIS ORCHESTRA Vol. 4 ‘Good
Morning Mr. Sun’ Imperial Records Vocalion CDEA6093.
SAMMY KAYE Swing and Sway Vocalion CDUS
3024.
EDDIE FISHER The Early Years Vocalion CDUS3026.
DINAH SHORE Volume 2 Double CD for the price
of 1 Vocalion CDUS3029.
All Vocalion CDs are available from the RFS
Record Service. CDLK series cost £10 [US $20] each; CDEA are £6
[$12]; and CDUS are also £6 [$12] each.
BRITISH FILM COMPOSERS IN CONCERT Clifton
Parker – Thieves’ Carnival Overture, Two Choreographic
Studies; Leighton Lucas – Ballet de la Reine; Anthony
Collins – Eire Suite; Bruce Montgomery – Scottish
Aubade, Scottish Lullaby; Eric Rogers – Palladium Symphony
Royal Ballet Sinfonia / Gavin Sutherland Sanctuary White
Line CD WHL 2145. This new release showcases the concert works of
some of the most interesting British cinema composers in a collection
of world premiere recordings, featuring the likes of ‘Carry
On’ film composers Bruce Montgomery and Eric Rogers, whose
Palladium Symphony was inspired by his time conducting and
composing for ITV’s Sunday Night at the London Palladium.
Another featured composer, Leighton Lucas, went from dancing with
Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes to working with Ivor Novello, later
writing music for Alfred Hitchcock’s Stage Fright and
war epics such as The Dam Busters, for which he provided
the incidental music to supplement Eric Coates’ famous march.
KETỀLBEY CONDUCTS KETỀLBEY Volume
3 A Cockney Suite, Gallantry, I Call You From The Shadows,
Blow Blow Thou Winter Wind, In a Camp of Ancient Britons, A Musical
Jigsaw, Danse a la Tarantelle, Mind The Slide, Jungle Drums, Aberfoyle,
Fiddle Fun, A Desert Romance, Sunset Glow, With Honour Crowned Various
Orchestras Naxos 8110869. This collection of recordings dates
from 1909 to 1940. The previous two volumes disappointed some buyers
who felt that the sound restoration was patchy; it may be worth
waiting to read reviews before deciding to purchase, although the
price of around £5 is certainly not excessive.
THE NEW CONCERT ORCHESTRA Volume 1 Boosey &
Hawkes recordings Citizens of the World – March, Passage
to Windward, Four Old Fusspots, Icicle Ride, Broad Reach, Harvest
Supper, The Scent of Sandalwood, Little Suite – Folk Tune,
The Spirit of Progress – March (Trevor Duncan); Romantic Journey,
Exuberant Youth (Ernest Tomlinson); Music for a Sunday Afternoon
(Willis Schaefer); The Bingola, Paris Taxi, Spring (Vivian Ellis);
Vin Rosé, Song of the Woodlands, Riverside Idyll (Frederic
Curzon); Talking Point, Celtic Melody, Watersmeet (Cyril Watters);
Girl Bird (Dennis Farnon); The Bullfighter (Monia Liter); Diary
of a Debutante (Sam Fonteyn) VOCALION CDLK4192.
DIMITRI TIOMKIN : "Red River" film
score Moscow Symphony Orchestra / William Stromberg Marco
Polo 8225217. Starring John Wayne and Montgomery Clift, Howard Hawks’
Academy Award-winning Red River ranks among the best of the
classic westerns made in the 1940s.
CARL MICHAEL ZIEHRER Selected Dances
and Marches – Volume 4 Razumovsky Sinfonia / Christian
Pollack Marco Polo 8223817.
New PERCY FAITH albums from Collectables in
the USA (due to be released at the end of June):
COL 7561 Clair + New Thing
COL 7563 Lil' Abner + Broadway Bouquet
COL 7564 Bon Voyage! + Carefree - The Music Of Percy Faith
COL 7565 The Columbia Album Of Victor Herbert (Originally a 2-LP
set)
…and finally an interesting CD from Derek
Boulton’s Horatio Nelson
TUTTI CAMARATA Tutti’s Trumpets
(1957 LP) I Can’t Get Started, Boy Meets Horn, What’s
New, Trumpet Soliloquy, Trumpet Tango, Stardust, Tenderly etc. Tutti’s
Trombones (1966) The Sweetest Sounds, Blueberry Hill, I Feel
Pretty, The Pink Panther Theme, The Girl from Ipanema, Mr Lucky
theme etc. Horatio Nelson HN04. Available from the RFS Record
Service for £10 [US $20].
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