ERIC COATES CONDUCTS ERIC COATES For Your Delight For Your Delight, Calling All Workers, Wood Nymphs, Summer Days – Suite, By The Tamarisk, The Three Bears, By The Sleepy Lagoon, Cinderella, A Song By The Way, London – Suite, Saxo-Rhapsody, Footlights, Sound And Vision, London Again – Suite, Springtime – Suite, The Jester At The Wedding – 2 movements, Last Love, The Three Elizabeths – Suite, Four Centuries – Suite, The Dam Busters Eric Coates conducting various symphony and concert orchestras Sanctuary Living Era Classics, 2CD set, AJD2013 total timing 156:49 mins. In 1994 Conifer released an excellent 2CD collection of recordings of Eric Coates’ music, compiled by Hugh Palmer and digitally remastered by Ted Kendall. Two years later the same team produced a second 2CD set and, once again, Coates’ own recordings were augmented by versions conducted by leading musicians such as Clarence Raybould, Basil Cameron, Emanuel Starkey and Charles Williams. These two releases provided a wonderful selection that demonstrated the wide range of Eric Coates’ composing talent, and they deserved to remain in the catalogue for many years since they represented such an important part of Britain’s musical heritage. But shortly afterwards BMG bought Conifer Records, and virtually the entire catalogue was deleted with indecent haste. A few years later Naxos released several CDs of Coates’ music (possibly trying to fill the gap left by the Conifer deletions) but the sound quality on some of the tracks was barely acceptable. Happily the situation has now improved dramatically, thanks to this new 2CD collection from Living Era Classics. Although it is obviously impossible to match the wide scope of the earlier Conifers (this new release is two CDs, not four), this is a superb selection of many of Coates’ greatest compositions, and it is obviously a great bonus to have the composer’s own interpretations. No worries about indifferent sound quality this time … Alan Bunting has expertly treated each and every track with the gentle care and love they all deserve – not always easy when you consider that the earliest 78 dates from 1933 with the most recent in 1955, just two years before Coates died from a stroke on 21 December 1957. It is not possible to discuss all the titles in detail, but it should be mentioned that the recording of By The Sleepy Lagoon comes from a 12" Columbia 78 recorded on 4 March 1935 with a larger orchestra, rather than the usual 1940 version on the reverse side of Calling All Workers. This year marks the 50^th anniversary of Eric Coates’ passing, and it is to be hoped that his importance will be recognised by the BBC and other broadcasting organisations. Whatever you do, don’t miss this new release. It should have pride of place in every light music admirer’s collection, and these days you can never be sure how long CDs will remain in the catalogue. Remember what happened to Conifer … buy this CD now! David Ades

"Don’t look back" WARREN VACHE and The Scottish Ensemble. It was written in the stars, My Mistress’ eyes, Spring, My love and I, Molly on the shore, April in my heart, Valse Prismatique, I fall in love too easily, Love is for the very young, On the street where you live, Don’t look back. 58:45. Arbors Records ARCD19318). Some while ago I read a news snippet in "Crescendo" written by Duncan Lamont saying that Warren had managed to coax Bill Finegan out of retirement to write some string charts for an album. Excited by the news I intended to write to Duncan for further details but dallied longer than intended! Discussing the project with fellow member Malcolm Fraser he hit me with the surprise news that he had the CD! On first playing I wished the dozen strings had been augmented to a lusher sound but after repeat listening I realised the orchestra used perfectly suited Warren’s intimate style of cornet playing. As listed above you can see Warren knows a good tune! Two by David Raksin, "Love is for the very young" arranged by Warren and "My love and I" originally commissioned to Robert Farnon but with his sad passing (see ‘Jumping Bean’ in this issue) handed to Alan Barnes who grasps the opportunity with both hands! Bill Finegan arranged "It was written in the stars", "April in my heart" and "Don’t look back". Bill had not put pen to chart for ten years but it certainly does not show, especially on Johnny Mandel’s eloquent composition "Don’t look back". Yet another bonus contained here, a lost chart by John Carisi "Spring" which was left off of Charlie Parker’s string backed outing. Warren’s creditably emotional interpretation of good ballads clearly show; he likes a strong melody. CDs of this calibre always welcome in my player! Paul Clatworthy

LIGHT MUSIC WHILE YOU WORK – Various artists. Guild GLCD 5128 full tracklisting in JIM170. Those who are aware of my interest in the radio programme Music While You Work will not be surprised that I’ve been rather looking forward to this the 28^th recording in Guild’s splendid series. They will also expect me to listen to it with a critical ear. Fear not, apart from one or two reservations I think it is really very good. The radio programme Music While You Work came about when the BBC was asked to provide programmes of morale boosting tuneful music to Britain’s wartime workers. During the programme’s 27 year run and subsequent revivals, hundreds of dance bands, light orchestras and groups were heard. To supplement the broadcasts in the factories, Decca instituted its own Music While You Work series of records, and it is primarily from this series that the tracks on this CD have been drawn – with the emphasis on light orchestral music – in line with the general theme of these Guild recordings. There is the added bonus of a couple of tracks which were probably earmarked for the Decca series but never issued. Included in this compilation are the orchestras of Richard Crean, Reginald Pursglove, Harry Davidson, Philip Green, Ronnie Munro and Mantovani with the Harry Fryer Orchestra taking the lion’s share with no less than ten items. Whenever I have suggested a CD of Harry Fryer I have been told he is not sufficiently well-known. Well, it’s true that many will be unfamiliar with his name, and even I am too young to remember his broadcasts, but a study of wartime editions of Radio Times shows that he was a big name in radio right up until his untimely death at the age of 50, often broadcasting three times a week, so this CD is partly a tribute to him, particularly as its release date of November 2006 coincides almost to the day of the 60^thanniversary of his death! Another radio stalwart of many years standing was Richard Crean whose orchestra’s final broadcast, conducted by Reginald Kilbey, was actually a few days after the maestro’s death in 1955. His four contributions to this disc include a short but delightful version of theHaunted Ballroom which serves as an antidote to the dreadful rendering of this piece by a contemporary orchestra a few years ago. As most items on this CD are played by orchestras of similar instrumentation, i.e. theatre orchestras, the illusion of an actual MWYW broadcast is created, topped and tailed with an exhilarating version of Calling All Workers. I have to say that I felt it a mistake to use the whole piece at the end of the recording. On radio this signature tune always commenced at the trio section (letter c on the music). Perhaps it was decided that as this version by the Tivoli Concert Hall Orchestra has never appeared on CD it should be reproduced in full, but for me it really jarred, spoiling the authenticity of the recording. Nevertheless I applaud the use of this record as opposed to the hackneyed Phil Green Victory Band version so often used whenever a MWYW compilation has been produced. During radio’s golden years the BBC attached great importance to programme building and so do I – even on a CD where technology enables you to build your own programme. On radio an orchestra leader who included two consecutive waltzes in a broadcast, apart from in a medley, could expect a reprimand from the BBC. Four items out of five in waltz time, such as occur towards the end of this CD, would have seen the orchestra taken off the air! Surely a couple of them could have been used to break up the block of five marches / paso dobles in the middle of this recording? Apart from these minor quibbles I think that this is an excellent CD. Once again, Alan Bunting has worked his magic and produced recordings which sound as if they were performed yesterday. David Ades has again produced comprehensive and informative notes and I appreciate his comment to the effect that my recent book on MWYW was helpful in their preparation. Having said that, I hope he won’t think me churlish in pointing out one or two small discrepancies. The first – probably a typographical error – states that Harry Davidson appeared on MWYW 109 times in the first year of the programme. It was actually the number of programmes which Harry played in the series from 1940-46. Also, following his retirement, the programme Those Were The Days was conducted by Sidney Davey for ten and a half years, not twelve. Finally, Reg Pursglove’s Albany Strings were previously known as the Muted Strings, not the Albany Players, which was a larger and much earlier orchestra. Overall this is a super CD which will appeal to all lovers of traditional light music. Some will say, why were Wynford Reynolds, David Java, Harold Collins and Reginald Burston’s Coliseum Orchestra not represented on this disc? They all recorded on the Decca MWYW label. Well, perhaps they have been earmarked for Volume Two. There has surely got to be one! Brian Reynolds

DIANA KRALL – From This Moment On. It Could Happen To You; Isn’t This A Lovely Day; How Insensitive Plus 8 Other Selections 51:36 mins. Verve B0007323-02. This CD is a most welcome return from the controversial album of songs co-written with her husband Elvis Costello. The mood is, if anything, deeper and richer. This is aided by steamy, hazy arrangements by John Clayton who uses clusters of sound with remarkable Gil Evans-like textures. The opening cut "It Could Happen To You" shows this sound perfectly with sustained brass chords throughout while "Come Dance With Me" is more appropriately Basie / Hefti-like with soft brass and sax with a solid swinging beat. We hear more from Krall as a pianist on this CD than previously on songs such as "Exactly Like You" with a marvellous solo by this singer matching the ebulliently rhythmic vocal line she establishes. And what about the title track "From This Moment On"? The almost passionate arrangement brings practically steals the show! This is a very special CD for it shows off to splendid effect the very best that Diana Krall is capable of providing! Richard Jessen

XAVIER CUGAT – Cugat’s Favourite Rhumbas. Say "si si" (Para vigo me voy) (Lubon; Lecuona); Begin the beguine (Porter); Green eyes (Aquellos ojos verdes); (Utrera; Menendez); Estrallita (My little star) (Ponce); Rumba rumba (Valencia; Parfumy); La golondrina (The swallow) (Serradell); Besamé mucho (Kiss me much) (Velazquez); La paloma (The dove) (Yradier); Cielito lindo (Blue skies); No can do (Tobias; Simon); Bambarito (Rosell); You forgotcha guitar (McCarthy; Monaco); Cugat’s nugats from "Luxury Liner" (Cugat; Angulo); The wedding samba (Ellstein; Small; Liebowitz); Cha-cha-cha (Rizo; Morgan); Zing-a zing-a zing boom (Black-Out-Ze Maria; Moore); Mambo no.8 (Prado); I am a bum (Castro); Night must fall (Shaw; Cugat); Cariberia (Seri); Si si si Senor (Angulo); Para que? (Garcia; Silva); Un poquito de tu amor (Gutierrez); You can in Yucatan (Capullito de alell); (Drake; Shirl; Hernandez); Rio la yagua (Miranda). Vocalion CDVS 1948. This is most certainly my kind of music and my period too but quite a lot of tracks, when reading the titles, do not mean anything to me and it is quite unusual not to see that old standard Brazil listed – perhaps it is not the right rhythm. Outstanding for me are tracks Rhumba Rhumba, Zing-a zing-a zing boom, andUn poquito de tu amor – all titles which I seem to recall from those 40s days of my youth. A lot of these numbers I seem to recall he played when he was fronting his orchestra when appearing in those wonderful MGM musicals. A pity that none of the vocals seem to have the wonderful Lina Romay doing her stuff – a very sexy person was she! I just wonder how long it will be before some more excellent titles in the Latin vein come out. Vocalion certainly seem to have the monopoly in this field these days. Thank you Vocalion for two good CDs for me to end 2006 on. Alec Hellyer

MANTOVANI – Mantovani Today & Musical Moments With Mantovani Midnight Cowboy, Up, up, and away, I’ll never fall in love again, Blowin’ in the wind, Deserted shore, Without love [There is nothing], Everybody’s talkin’, Lemon tree, Good morning starshine, Leaving on a jet plane, Wand’ring star, Love is all / And I love you so, Eye-level, Le Chanson de Maria, For all we know, Tie a yellow ribbon round the ole oak tree, It’s diff’rent now, Say, has anyone seen my sweet Gypsy Rose?, Our last affair, Elizabethan Serenade, Fool, Dear father [70:44] Vocalion CDLK 4315. Another attractive 2-on-1 from the two maestros of music and remastering. The first album saw the light of day in the US in 1970 [there was a UK release of the same name with a slightly different track selection]; the second, recorded in Paris, appeared in the UK four years later on a Decca SKL vinyl. This is the first CD incarnation for both albums. The then newly written Deserted shore, and Our last affair are both Mantovani compositions. Up, up, and away is given a very up-tempo treatment by Roland Shaw. Bacharach’s I’ll never fall oozes class. In his indispensable biography of Mantovani, Colin Mackenzie remarks how in some pieces on the ‘Today’ album the woodwind play a more important role than before. On the second album Monty’s old associate Ronald Binge’s Elizabethan Serenade really is a choice composition. It is good, too, to be reminded of Eye Level, the signature tune for the excellent Dutch-based detective series ‘Van Der Valk’, a version of which by the Simon Park Orchestra topped the British singles chart in 1973. But my favourite track is the arrangement given Neil Diamond’sDear father that closes the programme. If not among his absolute best – using mainly modern pop songs rather than from the classic songbooks precluded that – these albums are two more fine examples of a consummate musician’s legacy to the world of light music. Please keep them coming, Mr Dutton. [NB The CD’s digital information is slightly awry in that there are only 22 tracks shown instead of 23, but it may have been corrected by the time you read this]. Peter Burt

THE MAGNIFICENT MARINES – The Band of HM Royal Marines School of Music / Lt-Col. Vivian Dunn; Frederick Harvey (baritone). Finale from 'Carillon', The Preobrajensky March, Famous Songs of the British Isles, Shenandoah, Up from Somerset, Trade Winds, Glorious Devon, Fleet Air Arm March, Sarie Marais, Lilliburlero, Barcelona, La Ritirata Italiana – Drescher, Marche des Parachutistes Belges, Ponderoso. The Alfalfa Club, The United States Marine Corps Hymn, Theme from 'The Great War', Theme and March Glorious, March of the Victors, The Finest Hours, Here Comes the Band, No Hiding Place, 1812 Overture. Eastney Collection RM HSE CO14. This latest release from the Eastney Collection concludes the series of the many distinguished recordings which Vivian Dunn made with the Royal Marines Band for EMI. They have again been subject to digital remastering by Brian Culverhouse, former EMI record producer, who was responsible for supervising the original sessions. Despite the fact that this compilation embraces tracks ranging between 1954-68, all are in stereo with consistently high quality. An excellent selection of marches includes a resplendent Preobrajensky March adapted as the regimental slow march of the R.M. during the corps’ tercentenary year and which was originally the march of the Preobrajensky Guards, of which a great uncle of Mountbatten was one of the last colonels. Subsequently Mountbatten received the score from King Alfonso XIII of Spain in 1934. Pierre Leemans’ Marche des Parachutistes Belges is a gloriously ear-tickling patrol march and a great personal favourite, whilst the lively Fleet Air Arm Marchemanated not from a professional musician but from Freddie Stovin-Bradford who wrote the march in 1963 whilst chief of staff to Flag Officer Air at Lee-on-Solent. He subsequently sent a copy of the manuscript to Vivian Dunn with a request that it be scored for military band, which was duly done. This disc is particularly valuable in incorporating three more tracks which the well-regarded and much admired English baritone Frederick Harvey made with this band – he has already featured on several other earlier discs in this series. Here he contributes songs which were immensely popular in the first half of the latter century – Up From Somerset, Trade Wins (words by Peter Masefield) and who better qualified than Frederick Harvey, a Devon man born and bred in Plymouth, to intone Edward German’s stirring Glorious Devon. His crystal clear articulation is impressive and surely an object lesson for many a contemporary singer. Any other compelling reasons for acquiring this disc? Well... there is a rarely heard piece here by a certain Robert Farnon whose title and music is quite unfamiliar to me. Mention is made in the CD booklet that the Guv’nor was a long-standing friend of Vivian Dunn and when Farnon settled in Guernsey he was a frequent visitor to the R.M. School of Music at Deal. Here Comes the Band is described as being, appropriately enough, in cheerful light-hearted style, but I wonder whether a kindly member of our society can provide any further information on this particular score? One or two TV theme tunes included here are notably Wilfrid Joseph’s music for The Great War which chillingly and vividly conveys the utter desolation and bleakness of the Flanders battle fields, and on a contrasting lighter note Laurie Johnson’s dramatic score for No Hiding Place, which conveys visual images to those of us of a certain age – of black liveried police cars hurtling at speed, accompanied by screeching tyres from the portals of New Scotland Yard. The disc is brought to a satisfactorily resounding conclusion by the final section of Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture in which the Royds join the Bournemouth S.O. under Constantin Silvestri in a performance recorded at the resort’s Winter Gardens in 1966. An excellent indispensable addition to the ever-growing Eastney collection, well up to the production standards of its predecessors and recommended with all possible enthusiasm. Roger Hyslop

EARLY RECORDED MOVIE MUSIC LIBRARIES For tracklisting please refer to page 76 of JIM 170 – December 2006. This is a special CD, exclusively for members of the Robert Farnon Society, which has been compiled by Graham Newton to accompany his series of articles in Journal Into Melody. There are so many fascinating areas of recorded music during the 20^th century, but surely this CD is truly unique. In every respect it is an historical document, and but for the dedicated research and enthusiasm of Graham Newton (one of the world’s leading sound restorers) it is likely that much of this music would have been lost to future generations. It is certainly a labour of love, and something which Graham felt needed to be done to illustrate the wealth of superb music that was written to accompany the early motion pictures. The sound quality of some of the cues is absolutely outstanding considering when the original recordings were made. As a good example compare The Conspirators on track 8 (from "Marked Money") with the same cue from the Victor Pict-Ur library found on track 37. These recordings were made by expert musicians, who were clearly incredibly good at their craft, in one take with no editing possible! Some tracks last only a few seconds, but others are full length. Clearly this music was not written in the expectation that people would listen to it in their homes, so it may not be something you will place regularly in your CD player. But, on the other hand, you are unlikely to find anything like this elsewhere, and anyone with an interest in the history of film music should have this in their collection. David Ades For details of how to order, please see page 37 of this issue.

SHERRIE MARICLE and the DIVA JAZZ ORCHESTRA present TNT: A Tommy Newsom Tribute. Titter Pipes; Pensativa; Three Shades Of Blue; Moonlight Plus 6 More Selections (1:04:13) . Lightyear 54698-2. There’s no more better tribute to one of the mainstays of The Tonight Show Orchestra than this CD release. Sherrie Maricle is the heartbeat of this CD and is one of the few drummers who truly understands the art of both driving a band without overwhelming everyone. Of all of the selections, "Titter Pipes" is the oldest number, dating from the Newsom’s Skitch Henderson days with the Tonight Show of the 1960s. "Pensativa" and "Three Shades Of Blue" represent the flowing eloquence of Newsom’s style with great solos Karolina Strassmeyer on flute on the former and playing soprano sax in a highly individual lyrical manner on the latter. Newsom’s wit comes through on the Nat King Cole medley with a vocal trio drawn from the orchestra singing "Straighten Up And Fly Right" while the entire ensemble makes "Nature Boy" sound more interesting than most would think. The Zoot Sims - Gerry Mulligan composition"Red Door" end everything on a solidly flowing groove with swinging solos by Anat Cohen on tenor sax and Barbara Laronga on trumpet. If ever there is both an enlivening and instructive CD, this is the one to own and cherish for years ahead. Bravos to both Sherrie Maricle and her superb band and for the arranger/composer Tommy Newsom. Richard Jessen

THE MUSIC OF THE ROYAL ENGINEERS – The Band of the Corps of Royal Engineers / Maj. E.H. Keeley. Sesqui-Centennial Celebration March; Imperial March / Mazurka Militaire (Flux); Public Duties (Pryce); On the Countermarch (Keeley); Royal Standard (Brigham); The Acrobat (Greenwood); Amazing Grace (Newton)... Specialist Recording Company SRC136. This disc represents some fine music associated with the Corps of Royal Engineers – popularly known as the Sappers, which may be largely unfamiliar to the general listener. It is nonetheless well worth his time and pocket to purchase this disc when he will be well-rewarded with an unhackneyed and refreshing collection of military music. The disc is timely as it celebrates 150 years of Royal Engineers music, the original band having been formed in 1856, and because it was one of Major Keeley’s last recordings with the band before he retired in August 2006. He has however not been lost to world of military music since he has subsequently taken up the post as D.O.M. of the Honourable Artillery Company (T.A.) band. Following the R.E. Corps Fanfare the first track is the R.E.’s Sesqui-Centennial Celebration March – rather unwieldy title this – composed by Peter Graham, Professor of Composition at Salford University, and proving convincingly that a modern march can be both contemporary and tuneful. Neville Flux became Bandmaster Royal Engineers in January 1905 on the personal recommendation of Sir Alexander McKenzie, Principal of the Royal Academy of Music, and since he was a civilian, caused a lot of adverse comments from both the military and musical press of the day. Two of his pieces are featured here and are testimony to the fact that he was a highly accomplished composer – an imposing Imperial March and a catchy Mazurka Militaire. Quite properly there are also two of Maj. Keeley’s own compositions – On The Countermarch and Spongs Leap, a distinctly unusual title inspired by a McSpong who lost control of his horse, careered through the arch to Brompton Barracks and horse and rider cleared a 6-foot iron fence and disappeared down a drop of 42 feet! Amazingly neither were seriously hurt and were able to continue on their way. There is even a plaque commemorating this bizarre incident at the R.E. HQ Officers’ Mess! One of the highlights on this CD is an outstanding slow march, Royal Standard, by Earl Brigham, a pseudonym of Maj. A.L.F. Young, D.O.M. of the band 1944-58. The piece has been used by the band as its unofficial slow march and for a while was also used as the Kneller Hall slow march, and deservedly so. John A. Greenwood’sThe Acrobat is one of those infernally irritating pieces you seem to have known forever but never discovered the title. The booklet notes remind us that it was Percy Thrower’s theme tune in his BBC radio gardening series back in the 1960s and it is delivered here flawlessly played on the trombone by L.Cpl. M.P. Lawday. The familiar strains of Amazing Grace come complete with piper in the person of staff Sgt. Kenny Kerr, a past Pipe Major of the Royal Highland Fusiliers. The vivid recording was made in an interesting and unusual location, the Royal Dockyard Church, Chatham. The band are on top form throughout, and the CD comes with usual high standard of artwork and excellent notes – so this production is something of which the recording company and the band can feel justly proud. A noteworthy and fascinating release; one not to be missed. Roger Hyslop

A SONG FOR CHRISTMAS Deck the Halls with Boughs of Holly, Once in Royal David’s City, Jingle Bells, etc. 12 tracks Mantovani and his Orchestra 40:45 mins Vocalion CDLF 8122. Promised at our November 2004 meeting, this was announced too late for mention in the last JIM which was a pity because good sales might encourage Mike Dutton to release the earlier and even better million-plus selling ‘An Album of Christmas Music’. Monty is accompanied by the Mike Sammes Chorus & Singers on the first two tracks listed above as well as on The Holly and the Ivy, It Came Upon the Midnight Clear, The Twelve Days of Christmas, Mary’s Boy Child and I Saw Three Ships. All the tracks are a delight, especially so Monty’s own trademarked Christmas Bells and Charles Chaplin’s Toy Waltz, prompting thoughts again of what an underrated tunesmith he was. The standout track for me is Cecil Milner’s 4.42 minute arrangement of the Handelian O Thou That Tellest Good Tidings from ‘Messiah’. The unacknowledged organist for the recording, made in Holborn’s Kingsway Hall in August 1963, was Harold Smart. If the selection appeals, buy now for around a fiver – it will soon be Christmas! Peter Burt

STANLEY BLACK Conducting the London Festival Orchestra Film Spectacular Vol. 5Casablanca, A Man and a Woman, Intermezzo, Blood and Sand, La Strada, Love Story, Gone With The Wind Film Spectacular Vol. 6 Spitfire Prelude and Fugue, Bridge on the River Kwai, The Guns of Navarone, Victopry at Sea, 633 Squadron, The Longest Day, Western Approached (Seascape), The Great Escape, Mrs Miniver Suite. Vocalion CDLK 4328. These two LPs (now occupying two CDs for the price of one from Vocalion) were, in my humble opinion, highlights in Stanley Black’s career as a conductor (and on some tracks arranger) and I am delighted to see that they are available once more. Decca sound engineers were world leaders in 1975 (when both LPs were recorded) and it certainly shows. Superb music – and spectacular sound! David Ades

MULLIGAN MEETS MONK. ‘Round Midnight; Rhythm-a-ning; Sweet And Lovely; Decidedly Plus 4 More Selections (59:31). Riverside OJCCD-301-2. On paper, this looks like a definite clash of ideas. Yet it’s just the opposite. Gerry Mulligan, baritone sax virtuoso, was actually good friends with pianist / composer / arranger Thelonious Monk which resulted in this remarkably fine album. "‘Round Midnight" is appropriately stark whereas Rhythm-a-ning" is a delightfully crazy romp with a catchy theme as is Mulligan’s own "Decidedly." "Sweet And Lovely" is about as rough as this duo gets with Monk’s pungent chords and runs on the keyboard contrasting with Mulligan’s appealing lyricism. "Straight, No Chaser" refers not only to a drink but also to this relaxed swinger with plenty of room given to not only Mulligan but bassist Wilbur Ware. Everything winds up in everybody’s pocket with "I Mean You" by Monk, a swinging number showing off Monk’s striding pianistic skills while both Thelonious and Gerry accompany Wilbur Ware. Shadow Wilson provides the rock solid rhythm pattern for this session which was originally to be recorded in stereo with an expanding group of musicians. Such isn’t the case as all four men were playing so well that it was decided to keep things just the way they turned out. For 1957, the stereo effect by Riverside engineers is flawless with a good deal of presence and air surrounding the musicians. A truly remarkable recording for all music enthusiasts. Richard Jessen

MANTOVANI and his Orchestra play Strauss Waltzes Blue Danube, Roses From The South, Vienna Blood, Voices Of Spring, Artist’s Life, Tales From The Vienna Woods, Emperor Waltz, Morning Papers, Accelerations, You And You, Wine, Women And Song, Village Swallows, Gypsy Love Waltz, Tell Me You Love Me, Le Chaland Qui Passe [46:25] Goldies GLD 63237. Of Portuguese provenance and not the easiest to find [I obtained my copy online for a few pence under £4.50], this CD consists of ten tracks taken from one of Monty’s earliest and most popular LPs, recorded and issued in 1952, reckoned by some Mantovanians to be better than the subsequent stereo re-make. Although probably not for the purist, these wonderful flowing melodies are given the full Milner/ Mantovani treatment. The second "Bonus Track" is of great historic interest: Tell Me You Love Me being an adaptation of Puccini’s On With The Motley and the very first example of Ronald Binge’s "New Sound" for Monty from 1951 making its first album appearance. Despite rather veiled sonics this is definitely worth seeking out. Peter Burt Editor: to avoid correspondence, may I mention that "Tell Me You Love Me" has already appeared on a Guild CD – Mantovani By Special Request Vol. 2 GLCD 5113.

The Symphony Sessions – THE MANHATTAN TRANSFER. City of Prague Symphony Orchestra / Cory Allen. Route 66, Candy, Embraceable You, That’s the Way it Goes, A Nightingale Sang, Because you are all heart, To You, Vibrate, Clouds, The Quietude, The Offbeat of Avenues, Birdland. (56:49). Rhino 8122-74740-2), available Compact Disc Club. Six of the tracks are arranged by Cory Allen and he provides backgrounds of fine stimulation and subtlety – Embraceable You in particular, vocals arranged by Gene Puerling. Route 66 and Candy are arranged by Billy Byers, the first title with echoes of Nelson Riddle, and Vibrate is arranged by Gil Goldstein. This is group vocalising at its best! Vocals also arranged by Dick Reynolds, Al Capps and group members. Paul Clatworthy

VIKKI CARR: The Ultimate Collection. It Must Be Him (Sung In English, Spanish and Italian) Plus 78 tracks on 3 CDs. EMI Gold 0946 3 68615 2 4. The title explains itself more than adequately. What we get are 3 CDs full of songs exploring every facet by the well loved and honored lady of song, Miss Vikki Carr. And what a collection! Most of these song titles have not been available for more than 40 years which is a shame for they explore every style and genre of song this lady can sing with an overwhelmingly magnetic power. Her big international hit "It Must Be Him" is the thread on all 3 CDs and she sings it with conviction in three different languages (English, Spanish and Italian). The styles covered include the great American Songbook (Where Are You), Broadway (The Surrey With The Fringe On The Top), big band swing (Time After Time), jazz (Moanin’), Latin (Mas Que Nada), current pop standards (Can’t Take My Eyes Off You) and country (Make It Rain). This is not your usual Vikki Carr compilation. Instead, what you get is a collection of songs new and fresh interpreted with vibrancy by one of the truly great artists who is still very much around and performing at the same level of these recordings. No greater tribute need be added except that this record set is consistently beating out all others. The program notes are written with mastery by Randy Cordova and Vito Cifaldi with plenty of thank yous and a special note written by Vikki Carr. And as she so truthfully says, "the best is yet to come." Let’s hope there is a fresh release by EMI of this great artist!Richard Jessen

EDMUNDO ROS and his Orchestra – New Sounds on Broadway / Broadway Sing Along. New Sounds On Broadway (Decca LP PS 352 (1963) Stereo) The Cutty Wren from the show "Chips With Everything" (Farrell); High Is Better Than Low "Jennie" (Dietz; Schwartz); Gonna Be Another Hot Day "110 In The Shade" (Schmidt; Jones); Waitin’ For The Evening Train "Jennie" (Dietz; Schwartz); My Wish "Here’s Love" (Willson); Here And Now "The Girl Who Came To Supper" (Coward); That Man Over There "Here’s Love" (Willson); I’ll Remember Her "The Girl Who Came To Supper" (Coward); Is It Really Me "110 In The Shade" (Schmidt; Jones); London (Is A Little Bit Of All Right) "The Girl Who Came To Supper" (Coward); You Don’t Know "Here’s Love" (Willson); Where You Are "Jennie" (Dietz; Schwartz). Broadway Sing-Along (Decca LP SKL 4123 (1961) Stereo). (There’s No Business Like) Show Business from the show "Annie Get Your Gun" (Berlin); People Will Say We Are In Love "Oklahoma" (Rodgers; Hammerstein); Get Me To The Church On Time "My Fair Lady" (Loewe; Lerner); There Is Nothing Like A Dame "South Pacific" (Rodgers; Hammerstein); I Love Paris "Can Can" (Porter); Hey There "The Pajama Game" (Adler; Ross) Heart "Damn Yankees" (Adler; Ross); I Could Have Danced All Night "My Fair Lady" (Loewe; Lerner); They Say It’s Wonderful "Annie Get Your Gun" (Berlin); On The Street Where You Live "My Fair Lady" (Loewe; Lerner); Standing On The Corner "The Most Happy Fella" (Loesser) Almost Like Being In Love "Brigadoon" (Loewe; Lerner).CDLK 4330. What a terrific collection this is, especially New Sounds On Broadway. And it is nice to get 12 tracks of rarely if ever played numbers - and I for one would not expect many people to know many of them. For myself, I am lucky in that I have original cast recordings of them all, and just to see the titles like High Is Better Than Low, Waitin’ For The Evening Train and Where You Are fromJennie brings to mind Mary Martin in the show. Then there are numbers from 110 In The Shade,Here’s Love and The Girl Who Came To Supper - and in fact the only number on this collection I had not heard before is the first track The Cutty Wren from the show "Chips With Everything"; perhaps it is because I did not see the play or the film. When it comes to Broadway Singalong, I thought when I saw the list of numbers, oh no not again, but then get them dressed up as merengue and cha-cha-chas you can’t go wrong – they come out very well with this treatment. What a shame that the dances on BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing don’t dance to these rhythms as the rhythms they dance to are unrecognisable. As usual the Ros rhythms are superb and I am glad to have this album at last. A must for all Ros fans. 24 tracks in all. Alec Hellyer

THE WORLD’S GREAT MARCHES – The Band of HM Royal Marines / Lt-Col. Vivian Dunn.Grand March from 'Tannhauser', Soldiers Chorus from 'Faust', Entrance and March of the Peers from 'Iolanthe', March Militaire from 'Suite Algerienne', All Marcia from 'Karelia Suite', The British Grenadiers, The Dashing White Serjeant, A Southerly Wind and a Cloudy Sky, Braganza, Espana, Le Pere de la Victoire, Belphegor, Under the Banner of Victory, Old Comrades, The Gladiators' Farewell, Under The Double Eagle, The Champion, National Emblem, On The Square, Blue Devils, Namur, Army and Marine, Glorious Victory, March from 'Little Suite' (Arnold). Eastney Collection RM HSE CO13. Eastney continue their trawl through the rich legacy of recordings which Sir Vivian Dunn and the Royal Marines Band made for EMI, concentrating on this new release on the years 1960-67. Like others in this series, Brian Culverhouse, who supervised the original recordings made at Abbey Road, has been responsible for the digital remastering of these valuable tapes. The first tracks are taken from the concert hall and opera house, thus the Grand March from Tannhauser, the Soldier’s Chorus from Faust and the Alla Marcia from Karelia. Particularly valuable, however, is the inclusion of Saint-Saens’ splendid march from his Suite Algerienne, of which there are not exactly a plethora of alternative recordings, and fascinating to listen to Chabrier’s Espana, cleverly transformed into an effective quick march. The remainder of the disc is a compilation of familiar parade marches with the exception of the concluding item, the march from Malcolm Arnold’s Little Suite. Despite the familiarity of such pieces as Old Comrades, Under The Double Eagle, National Emblem and On The Square, you will never hear them better played than here; they positively sparkle under the inspired baton of Sir Vivian. Look out especially for Charles Williams’ Blue Devils, composed early in his career and a great favourite with military bands. The Blue Devils of the title was the nickname given to a T.A. unit called the Kensington Rifles that had served in South Africa during the Boer War. Eastney’s claim that this disc features really stunning foot-tapping stuff is certainly borne out and if you want only one representative military band CD on your shelves – shame on you! – this quality production could be it. As with all this series of re-releases; strongly recommended. Roger Hyslop

PRODUCED BY GEORGE MARTIN Highlights from 50 years in recording including George Martin and his Orchestra – Theme One, The Pepperland Suite, Friends and Lovers; Ron Goodwin – Elizabethan Serenade; Tommy Reilly – Melody on the Move; plus various pop stars and comedy records EMI 375 4862. Five years ago EMI issued a 6CD box set of recordings produced by George Martin, from which the tracks on this CD have been extracted. As one would expect, the Beatles are included, together with Cilla Black, Gerry and the Pacemakers and Billy J. Kramer. A bit more up-market are Shirley Bassey and Matt Monro, and to provide variety we have Peter Sellers, Spike Milligan and Flanders & Swann. It is particularly nice to have Tommy Reilly’s 1952 recording of Clive Richardson’s Melody on the Move which, according to the booklet note, showed George Martin’s "position at the front of new recording technology with the first use of tape echo". Tommy’s widow Ena has told us that Tommy returned home from this particular Abbey Road session on the back of George Martin’s motorcycle! Full marks for the CD booklet – and the CD label which reproduces a familiar Parlophone 45. Even without his work as the Beatles’ recording manager, Sir George Martin has secured his place of honour in the British recording industry, and he fully deserved to be inducted into the UK Music Hall of Fame on 14 November last year. David Ades

FRANK CHACKSFIELD AND HIS ORCHESTRA "KING OF KINGS" : King of Kings, Song of Delilah, The Robe, Quo Vadis, The Green Leaves of Summer (from 'The Alamo'), Exodus, Parade of the Charioteers and Love Theme from 'Ben Hur', The High and the Mighty,The Prodigal, The Sundowners. FILM FESTIVAL : The Good, The Bad and The Ugly, Elvira Madigan, Doctor Zhivago, The Mercenaries, A Countess from Hong Kong, Zorba's Dance, Alfie, The Umbrellas of Cherbourg, Irina (from 'Shalako'), James Bond Theme, Rose of Saigon (from 'Tell Me Lies'), A Man and a Woman. Vocalion CDLK 4322　 71:45 mins. For some years now the Vocalion label has been responsible for the very commendable reissue of several Frank Chacksfield albums from the 1950s and 1960s, and this particular disc, released in 2005 but not previously reviewed in this magazine, should also command your attention, as it encompasses this orchestra's excellent interpretations of selected film themes from the era in question. Included are several items not available elsewhere, thus adding to the attractions of this mid-price reissue. Of the LPs under consideration, the first to be issued originally was 'King of Kings', and this is by far the rarer - it appeared originally, in mono only, on the Ace of Clubs Label in 1962, with only ten tracks. Here we have an expanded version in stereo, available for the first time in Britain. As the title track suggests, we have Frank Chacksfield's lavish and tasteful recordings of music which dates from a time when 'road show' spectaculars were designed to lure people away from the ever-encroaching challenge of TV in the home. Many will be familiar with the two selections on offer from 'Ben Hur', of course, but the rest of the LP included several rarities such as 'The Prodigal' and 'Francis of Assisi', the latter being a particularly beautiful piece. Even the extract from 'Quo Vadis' contains music not normally found on any other soundtrack album for this film. Amongst the other highlights are a stirring rendition of Ernest Gold's magnificent theme from 'Exodus' (so much a part of the film music 'scene' in the early 1960s) and a beautiful realisation of Alfred Newman's theme from 'The Robe'.　 The sound has come up very well indeed, and Mike Dutton's usual wizardry has ensured that the best possible stereo spectrum has been derived from the original tapes, with particularly enticing string tone, as befits much of the scoring for these pieces. The second LP here reissued (actually placed first on the CD) dates from 1968, and the difference in mood is immediately apparent - epic lushness has been replaced by shorter, more varied melodies reflecting the change in cinematic tastes of this period. Frank Chacksfield's ability to alter his interpretations to 'suit the occasion' is immediately obvious, and we have an extremely colourful selection of items in arrangements by Roland Shaw. Robert Farnon enthusiasts will be delighted to have his 'Irina' (from 'Shalako') included - aptly described by Nicholas Briggs in his liner notes as 'a slow, swaying theme of deceptive simplicity'. Two other rarities are the themes from 'The Mercenaries' - a highly rhythmic yet memorable track - and the alluring 'Rose of Saigon' from the somewhat obscure feature 'Tell Me Lies'. Even the James Bond theme here sounds freshly minted, and the familiar main theme from 'Doctor Zhivago' is given a very effective 'piano concerto' treatment. The original LP was in the Decca　 Phase 4 format, and again the remastering has resulted in sound which is both clear yet comfortably full, with a wide stereo 'spread'. It is good to see that much time and effort has gone into providing extremely informative notes, as the original LPs were notably deficient in this regard; both the films and their music are placed in the correct historical context. This is therefore a significant release, which should be high on your list of priorities. Lawrence Preston

"LONDON TOWN" Film soundtrack: Overture, You Can’t Keep a Good Dreamer Down, Daffodil Hill – ballet music. My Heart Goes Crazy, If Spring Were Only Here to Stay, So Would I, The ‘Ampstead Way, Sid Field Plays Golf featuring Sid Field, Beryl Davis, Ann Sullivan, Scotty McHarg with Salvador Camarata and the London Town Orchestra plus 13 ‘bonus tracks’ featuring the film’s stars plus the Film Songs Selection by Peter Yorke and his Concert Orchestra on Columbia.SEPIA 1076, 79:26 mins. For many years I had noticed the 78s from "London Town" in the Decca catalogue but none of them ever seemed to come my way. So I was pleased to discover this recent release from Sepia Records, a small British independent producer that has built up an impressive catalogue since it was launched in 2002. They believe in giving full value for money, because the remaining time available is fully utilised with 78s from the same period by some of the stars who appeared in the film. Foremost among these (from a light music viewpoint) is the fine Peter Yorke non-vocal selection. Although J. Arthur Rank is reported to have spent £1 million on the film in 1946 (compared with around £50,000 for "Spring in Park Lane" which was a massive hit) it was a financial disaster, and is remembered today mainly because both public and critics panned it. It should have succeeded: it was in glorious Technicolour, and Rank hired top American talents Camarata (music director), Wesley Ruggles (director) and Jimmy Van Heusen and Johnny Burke (music and lyrics). Sadly Van Heusen and Burke failed to come up with a hit song – only So Would I being vaguely memorable. The ballet sequence Daffodil Hill composed by Camarata is similarly disappointing; a certain Robert Farnon would have been a much better choice! And as for Sid Field’s golfing sketch … words almost fail me. Over the years we have been told that Field was greatly admired within the profession, but maybe the big screen couldn’t capture the magic of his stage act. I’m pleased that Sepia has made this available, and the extra tracks are certainly entertaining (for example there is Beryl Davis with Stephane Grappelly and George Shearing in 1944). The booklet is excellent for a medium priced release, but it would have been nice to have included the original catalogue numbers of the records. David Ades

GORDON JENKINS – A Musical Prodigy Manhattan Tower, You Have Taken My Heart, Blue Prelude, When A Woman Loves A Man, With You So Far Away, Homesick That’s All, P.S. I Love You, Blue Evening, Goodbye, Alone Again, Marietta’s Waltz, The Lady And The Cellist, Mood At Midnight, California – a Musical Narrative, Maybe You’ll Be There, I Don’t See Me In Your Eyes Any More, Again, Don’t Cry Joe, My Foolish Heart, Bewitched, Seven Dreams – a Musical Fantasy Gordon Jenkins and his Orchestra plus soloists Jasmine JASCD 660, 2-CD set, 138:55 mins. In Britain many of us are probably unaware that Gordon Jenkins made a lot of 78rpm recordings featuring singers, because his name in later years was mainly associated with his orchestral albums plus, of course, his superb arrangements for the likes of Nat ‘King’ Cole and Frank Sinatra. The big exception is his ‘Musical Narrative’ Manhattan Tower which launches this collection. It was warmly received in the USA, where it was recorded more than once, and resulted in another similar tribute a few years later in praise of California. The other fascinating work in this collection is Seven Dreams which I have to confess is new to me. It is similar in style to Manhattan Tower and California but I do wonder how often people would wish to hear it since the narrative is something you’ll either love or hate. If you want an interesting collection of Gordon’s popular recordings from the 1940s and 1950s then don’t hesitate to add this to your collection, but if you prefer his purely orchestral offerings you’ll have to look at what is currently on offer in the Guild Light Music series. David Ades

FRANK SINATRA ‘Romance – Songs from the Heart’ I’ve Got You Under My Skin, Time After Time, Day By Day, All The Way, Too Marvellous For Words, My Funny Valentine, Love Is Here To Stay, I’ve Got A Crush On You, Cheek To Cheek, Try A Little Tenderness, I Wish I Were In Love Again, Angel Eyes, Nice ‘N’ Easy (previously unreleased version), If You Are But A Dream (CD debut)etc 21 tracks EMI 363 3772. Released in February in time for Valentine’s Day, this collection is taken from Frank’s time at Capitol (1953-1960). Sinatra fans will already have most of these on various CDs or LPs, but EMI state that the tracks have all been remastered from the original tapes so you may find that the sound quality is better than your existing copies. As we went to press we had only received a promotional CD and list of titles, so we cannot comment on the booklet. David Ades

MIKLOS ROZSA　 : Selections from QUO VADIS and BEN HUR. Quo Vadis: Prelude, Marcus and Lygia, Fertility Hymn, The Burning of Rome, Petronius' Banquet, Ave Caesar, Chariot Race, Assyrian Dance,, Aftermath/Hail Galba, Finale, Epilogue. Ben Hur : Fanfare, Friendship, The Burning Desert, Arrius' Party, Rowing of the Galley Slaves, Parade of the Charioteers, The Mother's Love, Return to Judea, Ring for Freedom, Lepers' Search, Procession to Calvary, Miracle and Finale. Royal Philharmonic / National Philharmonic Orchestras and Chorus, conducted by Miklos Rozsa.Recording dates : 1977 / 1978. Vocalion CDLK 4332 (Two-disc set). During the late 1970s, the Decca Record Company invited Miklos Rozsa to London to record selections from two of his finest scores, using the cream of the capital's best musicians. The two resulting LPs originally appeared on Decca's Phase 4 label, but disappeared quite quickly when Decca was subsumed into the Universal group. Both titles did appear, apparently, in the very early days of CD, but were again quickly deleted and soon commanded the inevitable (and regrettable) inflated prices for interested collectors. This Vocalion reissue, therefore, represents quite outstanding value for money and should be eagerly snapped up by all those who appreciate some of the finest film music ever written in Hollywood's 'Golden Age'.　 The two LPs here reissued far surpassed in terms of sound quality and orchestral playing all previous selections of this material, and did much to cement the renewal of interest in classic film scores which had been growing throughout the 1970s, when several record companies spared no expense in releasing newly-recorded selections of vintage material which one could only vaguely appreciate when viewing the films in question. It is difficult to decide which is the finer of the two scores. 'Ben Hur' has always been regarded as Rozsa's 'magnum opus' - the composer, fully conscious of the fact that the future of MGM rested on this epic, certainly regarded this score as the apex of his career, and several of the themes (particularly the Parade of the Charioteers) became very well-known in the late 50s/early 60s. The score for 'Quo Vadis' was much less familiar, partly because much of the music was buried under the dialogue in the film, which certainly disappointed the composer at the time. The CD in question here revealed for the first time the extremely varied nature of Rozsa's score : not for him the writing of two or three main themes with endless reprises ( a fault of many modern scores) - the selection from 'Quo Vadis' on this CD is, if anything, more varied musically than its companion, but it was always difficult to choose ideal extracts from such an interwoven score as Ben Hur to make an ideally balanced LP. Rozsa's own selection for Decca was about the best that could be achieved for this purpose. Mike Dutton has worked his usual magic in re-mastering the two LPs. The sound quality on both　discs was, and remains,　extremely good, with none of the excesses of balance which sometimes marred earlier 'Phase 4' issues.　 We have here two of the best examples of orchestral sound in the late analogue era - resplendent brass, rich string tone and a wide stereo spread. Probably 'Quo Vadis' has the slightly finer quality in terms of clarity and presence. My own LP of the 'Ben Hur' selection was cut at such a high level that there was a tendency to overload, but this has been rectified for this CD reissue. The two-disc set is released at the cost of a single mid-price CD. As if all this were not enough, we also have five pages of exemplary notes by Alan Hamer of the Miklos Rozsa Society. It is almost certain that these two LPs will not be re-released again in such a convenient form, and Vocalion is to be congratulated for its enterprise in offering such high-quality material for such a reasonable outlay. Nicholas Briggs

ANTHONY COLLINS - Orchestral works. Festival Royal – Overture, Vanity Fair, The Song of Erin, Victoria the Great – suite, The Saga of Odette - Valse Lente, The Lady with a Lamp - Prelude & Valse Variation, Eire – suite, Santa Cecilia, Louis XV Silhouettes, Symphony for Strings. BBC Concert Orchestra conducted by John Wilson. Dutton 'Epoch' CDLX 7162.　　 73:52 mins. For most　readers, the name of Anthony Collins (1893 - 1963) will be synonymous with either his much-praised set of the Sibelius symphonies recorded for Decca in the early 1950s (recently reissued on the Beulah label, incidentally) or else his own best-remembered composition 'Vanity Fair', which has indeed been recorded several times in the past. That 'bonne bouche' is, of course, included on this new CD under review, but a glance at the remaining titles will show that there was very much more to　the man than this short calling-card. As the excellent notes by Lewis Foreman　make clear, Anthony Collins pursued an extremely varied career within both the UK and the USA, which allowed him to make full use of his manifold talents as　composer as well as conductor. A great deal of time and effort has gone into producing this most enterprising CD, as much of the music was difficult to source - indeed, were it not for the tenacity of all concerned, it　is doubtful if several of the pieces on the disc would have　surfaced at all, let alone　have been recorded. Specifically, Collins was able to fuse a generous melodic gift with great clarity of orchestration, and the disc in question portrays an excellently-balanced programme in which the level of inspiration remains consistently high. The opening 'Festival Royal' overture has　a magnificent central theme for strings　 (almost a cross between Elgar and Walton) framed by passages of brassy splendour, into which　Collins subtly interweaves references to 'God Save the Queen' and the Westminster chimes - a marvellous start to the disc. My own favourite piece, however, is the short 'Song of Erin', which employs a haunting, wistful melody initially given to cor anglais and harp. The composer was also responsible for the scores of several well-known films of the period, the best remembered of which is probably the waltz from 'The Saga of Odette'. In all these pieces one notes again the subtle variety of mood and texture, underpinned by sharply memorable themes. Moving to the suite 'Eire', this is one instance where Collins does use existing melodies but is able to imprint his own characteristic arrangements on the material, resulting in another delightful short work. I also particularly enjoyed the 'Louis XV Silhouettes', which comprise　a series of pastiche dance numbers - light music at its very best. I was rather reminded of the composer Gretry, whose often obscure pieces Sir Thomas Beecham used to dig out (and sometimes record) on his periodic visits to France later in his career - he would surely have approved of Anthony Collins's short work, which was published in 1939. The final　item on the disc, 'Symphony for Strings', instantly belies its rather severe title by offering three short movements of immediate melodic appeal, of which the highlight for me was the wistful central 'adagio'. The recording quality, as one would expect from this source, is in the finest traditions of the house : it has a very wide dynamic range, great clarity of detail and broad stereo information, all set within a sympathetic acoustic - just right for appreciating the composer's flair for a colourful orchestral patina. In his notes, Lewis Foreman reveals that many of Collins's works are either missing or definitely lost, which is a pity, as the quality of what is on offer here would certainly justify a second CD. In the meantime, the combination of unhackneyed yet memorable material, excellent performances and recording quality, together with superb liner notes, leads me to conclude that this was one of the most significant new releases of 2006, which should be investigated urgently by all those who are looking for something quite special. Nicholas Briggs

... And with thanks to Wilfred Askew for news of the following releases

MIKLOS ROZSA – Three Choral Suites. Cincinnati Pops Orchestra / Kunzel; Morman Tabernacle Choir. Ben-Hur; Quo Vadis; King of Kings. Telarc CD-80631

NELSON RIDDLE and his Orchestra – Sing a Song with Riddle (1959) / Hey Diddle Diddle (1959, released 2005-6). Little White Lies Darn That Dream Near You; Day In-Day Out; The More I See You; My Baby Just Cares For Me; Everywhere You Go; I Had The Craziest Dream; Fools Rush In; You Make Me Feel So Young; It’s A Sin To Tell A Lie; You’re Driving Me Crazy! (What Did I Do?); The Farmer In The Dell; Little Jack Horner; Oh Dear What Can The Matter Be; Jack And Jill; Little Bo Peep; London Bridge; Tom, Tom, The Piper’s Son; Polly Put The Kettle On; Three Blind Mice; Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star; Hickory Dickory Dock; The Muffin Man. DRG Records DRGCD 19097

HORST JANKOWSKI – A Walk in the Black Forest (1967-69). Chitty Chitty Bang Bang; A Walk In The Black Forest; My Gerti; Moon River; By The Time I Get To Phoenix; Turkischer Marsch; Tiflis Melody; Our Beach Affair; Games Of Memories; This Guy's In Love With You; I Will Wait For You; Slick; Man & A Woman; Yesterday; Days Of Wine & Roses; Fly Me To The Moon; Lover's Concerto; Mcarthur Park; Violinkonzert D Dur; And We Got Love. Universal 983 776-2

GEORGE SHEARING – Swinging in a Latin Mood (1974). Lullaby Of Birdland; Continental; Do You Know The Way To San Jose; East Of The Sun And West Of The Moon; Thine Alone; Aquarius; We'll Be Together Again; I'll Be Around; Alone Again (Naturally); Nearness Of You; Hands Of Time; To A Wild Rose; Superstar; Eleanor Rigby; When Your Lover Has Gone; Roses Of Picardy; You Are The Sunshine Of My Life; Killing Me Softly With His Song; Someone To Watch Over Me; Way We Were.Universal 985 857-4

THE MARIACHI BRASS – A Taste of Tequila (1966) / Hats Off (1966). Featuring Chet Baker, Arrangements by Jack Nitzshe and George Tipton. Flowers On The Wall; Tequila; Mexico; Love Me With All Your Heart (Cuando Calienta El Sol); Hot Toddy; Twenty Four Hours From Tulsa; .Speedy Gonzales ; Come A Little Bit Closer ; El Paso ; La Bamba ; Happiness Is ;.Sure Gonna Miss Her; Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down) ; The Phoenix Love Theme (Senza Fine) ; These Boots Are Made For Walking ; On The Street Where You Live ;.Armen's Theme ; Spanish Harlem ; Chiquita Banana ; When The Day Is All Done ; You Baby ; It's Too Late ; Colonel Bogey March (Bonus Track). Ace CD BGPD 178

LENNY DEE – Double Dee-Light: Hi-Fi Organ solos with a beat (1954-56). 2 CD compilation.Plantation Boogie ; Laura ;Yes Sir That's My Baby ; Birth Of The Blues ; Little Brown Jug ; September Song ; Ballin' The Jack ; Exactly Like You ; Siboney ; Sweet Georgia Brown ; World Is ; Waiting For The Sunrise ; Donkey Serenade ; Coquette ; I'm Beginning To See The Light ; Chinatown; Charmaine ;Five Foot Two Eyes Of Blue ; Out Of Nowhere ; Caravan ; That's My Weakness Now ; This Ole House ; Five O'Clock Whistle ; Twelth Street Rag ; Good Night Sweetheart ; Delicious ; Stompin' At The Savoy ; Diane ; Honky Tonk Train Blues ; Alabamy Bound ; Tarragona ; At Sundown ; Jersey Bounce ; Hawaiian War Chant (Ta Hu Wa Hu Wai) ; What Is This Thing Called Love ; Toot ; Toot Tootsie Goodbye ; Jumpin' On The Organ ; Avalon ; Somebody Stole My Gal ; Hot Foot Boogie ; Josephine ; Way Down Yonder In New Orleans ; Oh You Beautiful Doll ; Indian Love Call ; Ain't She Sweet ; Yodelin' Organ ; Let Me Call You Sweetheart ; China Boy. Jasmine JASCD 427

CARMEN CAVALLARO – Stairway to the Stars (1941-55). 2 CD compilation. You're Mine, you; Dancing In The Dark ; I'm Always Chasing Rainbows ; Oh, Marie ; I Love You ; Medley of hits from 1932 - In A Shanty In Old Shanty Town/Speak To Me Of Love/Play Fiddle Play/Paradise; Medley of hits from 1932 - Forty Second Street/Of Thee I Sing/Shuffle Off To Buffalo; Someone To Watch Over Me ; Tonight We Love ; If I Had You ; Medley of hits from 1921 - Peggy O'Neil/When Francis Dances With Me/Song Of Love ; Medley of hits from 1932 Louisiana Hayride/You're Getting To Be A Habit With Me/Alone Together ; Come Back To Sorrento ; A Bushel And A Peck ; I've Never Been In Love Before ; I'll Know ; Fugue For Tinhorns ; My Time Of Day ; Medley of hits from 1932 - April In Paris/I've Told Every Little Star/The Song Is You ; I'll Follow My Secret Heart ; My Reverie ; Moon Love ; Body And Soul ; Our Love ; It's All Right With Me ; Medley of hits from 1932 - Soft Lights And Sweet Music/Night And Day/Underneath The Harlem Moon ; Medley of hits from 1932 - Brother Can You Spare A Dime/Just An Echo In The Valley/Let's Put Out The Lights ; Dream Of Love ; Lover ; Medley of hits from 1921 - Say It With Music/Tuck Me To Sleep In My Old Kentucky Home/My Mammy ; Guys And Dolls ; More I Cannot Wish You ; Luck Be A Lady ; If I Were A Bell ; Sue Me/Sit Down You're Rocking The Boat ; Medley of hits from 1921 - Ma, He's Making Eyes At Me/Yoo-Hoo/I'm Just Wild About Harry ; Medley of hits from 1921 - Sweet Lady/Make Believe/April Showers ; All Through The Night ; I Concentrate On You ; Falling In Love With Love ; Stairway To The Stars ; Ain't Misbehavin' ; Will You Remember? ; So In Love ; Love, Your Magic Spell Is ; Everywhere ; P.S. I Love You ; Between The Devil And The Deep Blue Sea ; September Song ; Tenderly. Jasmine JASCD 430

DANNY KAYE In Selections From The Soundtrack Of MERRY ANDREW Arranged And Conducted By NELSON RIDDLE (1958) / Music Of The BIG TOP CIRCUS BAND Conducted By Nelson Riddle (1950). The Pipes Of Pan ; Chin Up, Stout Fella ; Everything Is Ticketty Boo ; You Can’t Always Have What You Want ;. The Square Of The Hypotenuse ;. Salud (Buona Fortuna) ;. Medley: Thunder And Blazes / Billboard March ; Hippopotamus Rag ; Circus Waltz ; Lassus Trombone ; Minor March ; Bozo’s Song (March). DRG Records DRGCD 19082

BING CROSBY – A Musical Autobiography. 4 CDs. AVID AMBX147. Includes the complete 1954 5-LP set with between-track chat by Bing, accompanied by Buddy Cole and his Trio, followed by recordings with co-stars Mary Martin, Bob Hope, Andrews Sisters, Judy Garland, Al Johnson, Louis Armstrong and Jane Wyman. Selections from Paris Honeymoon and The Star Maker complete CD3. The 4^th CD has 20 tracks of film soundtracks and publicity discs.

Classic Rey – ALVINO REY and his Orchestra with the Four King Sisters. Original recordings from 1940-44. Tiger Rag ; Not a Star in Sight ; Rose Room [Instrumental] ; Cielito Lindo (Beautiful Sky) ; Oh! For Heaven's Sake ; Dearly Beloved ; Drowsy Old Riff [Instrumental] ; Lover's Lullaby ; He Wears a Pair of Silver Wings ; Strip Polka ; How Green Was My Valley ; Gobs of Love ; William Tell [Instrumental] ; Daybreak ; Woodland Sympathy [Instrumental] ; I'm Old Fashioned ; Army Air Corps Song ; Sand in My Shoes ; Liebestraum (A Dream of Love) [Instrumental] ; Yo Te Amo, Oh! Baby ; Ferris Wheel ; Having a Lonely Time ; My Buddy ; San Fernando Valley. Flare ROYCCD 242

LENA HORNE with ROBERT FARNON AND HIS ORCHESTRA and featuring PHIL WOODS saxophone: "Lena – A New Album" I’ve Grown Accusomed to His Face, Someone To Watch Over Me, My Funny Valentine, Someday My Prince Will Come, I’ve Got The World On A String, Softly As I Leave You, I Have Dreamed, A Flower Is A Lovesome Thing, I’ve Got To Have You, My Ship Vocalion CDLK 4342, 43:03 mins. Last February Mike Dutton asked me to pen some notes for this reissue of an album which – I must confess – I hadn’t listened to carefully for several years. To say it was a magical experience is something of an understatement. Around that time, in the mid-1970s, we were in the happy situation of receiving a steady supply of new Farnon albums, each one containing some priceless gems. To coin a familiar phrase, it was like being let loose in a sweet shop; there were so many treats all around that you didn’t always realise how wonderful some of them really were. I am facing the same situation today when I make selections for the Guild Light Music CDs. I often include individual tracks from Bob’s early Decca LPs (now out of copyright) and in many cases they stand out from the rest. In their original settings, among twelve or so of similar works all receiving his masterly touch, the orchestrations still sounded wonderful – but not as wonderful as they seem today when placed in the spotlight on their own. After several years of negligence I have now returned to the Lena Horne project, and it has been a true revelation. At times I struggled to find the words to express my overwhelming feelings of admiration for the way in which Bob treated each number – the only exception being A Flower Is A Lovesome Thing which Lena’s husband Lennie Hayton arranged. When three unique talents met at London’s Olympic Studios in April 1976, the result was bound to be something rather special. Lena Horne had already been at the top of her profession for almost forty years, beginning with her international fame in great musicals such as "Stormy Weather " and "Cabin In The Sky" (both in 1943), leading to her many concert appearances at the finest venues. She felt equally at home at the plushest nightspots in London, Paris, Monte Carlo, Stockholm, Chicago and New York, and the talented little girl who grew up in Brooklyn never short-changed her legions of doting admirers. By the time she was 16 she appeared at the famous Cotton Club, and this tended to set the tone for her life in show business. Lena was in her element entertaining the diners in nightclubs, yet to the millions who adored her around the world it was her films and recordings that were so magical. Her taste in choosing her material was undoubtedly helped by her marriage to Lennie Hayton, from 1940 to 1953 one of the leading musical directors at M-G-M. The third ingredient in the magical mix of unique talents was Phil Woods, a bebop-influenced alto-saxophonist whose impressive credits included working with Benny Goodman, Quincy Jones, Gene Krupa and Thelonious Monk – to pick just four at random. He honed his craft during four years at the Julliard in New York where he majored in clarinet. Critics and readers of Downbeat praised him with awards, and he received two Grammys around the time that he went into the studios with Lena Horne and Robert Farnon. The bonus of an album such as this is that it allows those involved to express the music in a way that may be completely different from the version that has already become familiar. Divorced from "My Fair Lady", I’ve Grown Accustomed to his Face takes on an almost doleful feel, bringing out the full meanings in Alan Jay Lerner’s lyrics which cleverly convey the realisation that familiarity has moved on to a new, higher plane. Composers must get frustrated when their carefully crafted verses get omitted by singers, but happily Lena Horne does not disappoint in Someone to Watch Over Me. This track marks the first appearance of Phil Woods, far removed from his bebop roots, but his saxophone provides the perfect foil to Lena’s complete grasp of the meanings in the lyrics. My Funny Valentine reveals the Robert Farnon strings in all their glory, with an almost religious feel encompassing the singer who clearly worships her lover. The earlier comment about familiar versions of well known tunes certainly applies to Someday My Prince Will Come. For a while after the release of Walt Disney’s 1937 masterpiece "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs", Adriana Caselotti’s high soprano frightened off anyone else but by 1976 a new generation had emerged largely untouched by the original, and receptive to a new interpretation. Robert Farnon always knew when simplicity was best, and Lena begins with the intimate sound of Gordon Beck on piano, with the strings gently ushering in Phil Woods as the chorus ends. This is late night music par excellence. The simple theme is maintained in I’ve Got the World on a String with Phil Woods and Gordon Beck supported by Chris Laurence on bass, before the strings eventually shimmer in and alert us to the fact that the lady is about to sing – preceded by a suitable fanfare from the brass. Softly As I Leave You gets the tender treatment it deserves, with the strings providing a heart-rending backdrop before the piano provides just the right touch of perception.I Have Dreamed recreates the jazzy sound of saxophone, keyboard and bass, but the rich orchestral colours are never too distant. Lena’s husband Lennie Hayton provides the lovely string setting for A Flower is a Lovesome Thing, then I’ve Got to Have You is the one track that acknowledges that popular songwriters were still around in the 1970s, although styles had changed quite dramatically. Personally I feel that this is the one number that was out of place in this collection. Kurt Weill composed My Ship for the 1941 show "Lady in the Dark" and it now seems incredible that some bands at the time treated it as an up-tempo number (which you can find on a future Guild CD!), especially when you hear the magnificent setting created for Lena Horne and Phil Woods. Farnon always filled his orchestras with the top session players: his regular Concertmaster, and first violinist, was Raymond Cohen (for whom Farnon composed his "Rhapsody for Violin and Orchestra") and the usual choice of harpist was David Snell, today a leading composer and conductor for films. Each and every performer involved in this album was at their peak when this recording was created in 1976, and the sheer quality shines through in every track. I urge every reader to add it to their collection while they can. If you need an extra incentive, in the booklet there is a colour photo of Bob with Lena relaxing during a break in the sessions. David Ades This CD is available from the RFS Record Service for £10 [$20].

VINTAGE TV & RADIO CLASSICSSea Songs (Vaughan Williams), Marigold (Billy Mayerl), Waltzing with Sullivan (Gilbert Vinter), Sound & Vision (ATV March) (Eric Coates), Radio 4 Theme Tune (Fritz Spiegl), Holiday Spirit (Clive Richardson), Imperial Echoes (Arnold Sarfroni), Top Dog (Ivor Slaney),A Thousand Kisses (Archibald Joyce), Parisian Mode (Woolf Phillips), Willow Waltz (Cyril Watters),Non Stop (John Malcolm), Winter Sunshine (George Melachrino), Paris Promenade & Paris Metro(William Hill-Bowen), Out of the Blue (Hubert Bath), Barnacle Bill (Ashworth Hope), Galop (Alan Langford), Three Dance Revels (Montague Phillips), Widespread World (London Rediffusion Call Sign)(Johnny Dankworth). Royal Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Paul Murphy and Gavin Sutherland Naxos 8.570332. These are all new recordings of old favourites and jolly good they are too. Try listening to them without first reading the liner notes and see if you can identify the programmes they introduced. Need a few clues? Oh all right then: try Billy Bunter, The Men from the Ministry, Children’s Newsreel and What’s My Line – but that’s only for starters. Edmund Whitehouse

While nothing can really match the original broadcast version of a famous signature tune, we have here a good varied collection of themes played by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. In particular, Vaughan Williams’ Sea Songs, the Radio 4 UK theme, Barnacle Bill and ATV’s Sound And Vision by Eric Coates are given rousing performances and, despite that ‘something’ which is nearly always lacking in the sound quality from Naxos, the whole package is very good value. The crowning glory is the quite outstanding reconstruction by Gavin Sutherland of Sir John Dankworth’s Rediffusion marchWidespread World. You can almost hear the voice of ITV’s Redvers Kyle introducing the TV station after the opening fanfare – great stuff! – well done the RPO (and Naxos).

Bill Watts

Of special interest here for many will be Fritz Spiegl’s Radio 4 UK Theme for early wakers over which there was such a hoo-ha last year when it was axed by the BBC. Some of the other 21 pieces on this disc have not been heard since the shellac years – three even had to be reconstructed – and here they are all freshly minted and played by one of our leading symphony orchestras. It is refreshing to find, among others, well-loved pieces by Billy Mayerl, Clive Richardson, Ivor Slaney, Archibald Joyce, Hubert Bath, and Montague Phillips given such a sparkling modern treatment. Among the memories evoked are those of ‘Radio Newsreel’ by the Arnold Safroni [real name, A.S. Middleton] march,Imperial Echoes, and there are reminders of two defunct TV stations in Eric Coates’ Sound and Vision ATV March and John Dankworth’s Widespread World, the original call sign music for Rediffusion London. And who of a certain age has ever forgotten Ashworth Hope’s Barnacle Bill, long-time signature tune for ‘Blue Peter?’ A warm welcome and **** from me for a collection that will give much pleasure.

Peter Burt This CD is available from the RFS Record Service for £6 [$12].

FLORILÈGE DE MUSIQUES PITTORESQUES ("Bouquet of Picturesque Music") 4CD set - CD 1 features later recordings of old favourites Post Horn Galop (Orchestre Champetre), Teddy Bears’ Picnic (Teddy Petersen Orchestra), Doll Dance (Robert Maxwell, harp), Hot Canary (Florian Zabach), Fairy On The Clock (Reginald Foort, organ), In A Clock Store (JanCorduwener Orchestra), Tritsch Tratsch Polka (Johnny Nelson, whistler), Nola (Sidney Torch Orchestra), Toy Trumpet (Tommy Reilly, harmonica), Whistler And His Dog (Florian Zabach) 26 tracks; CD 2 includes separate sections with light music from Denmark , The Netherlands, France, Italy, Germany and the USA (Fiddle Derby – Percy Faith, Bugler’s Holiday – Leroy Anderson, On A Little Country Road In Switzerland – David Rose, Oriental Polka – Mitch Miller, Sandpaper Ballet – Leroy Anderson & Rainfall – Percy Faith) 26 tracks; CD 3 is a tribute to Britain’s contribution to Light Music from the late 1940s onwardsCoronation Scot (Sidney Torch), Messenger Boy (Ron Goodwin), Alpine Festival (Fred Hartley), Henpecking & Dancing Bells (Ray Martin), Comic Cuts & Song Of The ‘Maggie’ (Sidney Torch), Tic-Toc Tango (Ray Martin), Cornflakes (Sidney Torch), Jumping Bean (Robert Farnon), Waltzing Bugle Boy (Frank Chacksfield), Stringopation & Running Off The Rails (Philip Green), Flying Colours (Queen’s Hall Light Orchestra conducted by Robert Farnon), Strings On Parade (Ray Martin), Little Jumping Jack (Camarata – the one non-British conductor who crept in to this CD!), Tickled Pink (Ray Martin), Runaway Rocking Horse (Orchestre Raymonde), New Baby & Rip Van Twinkle (Norrie Paramor), Pied Piper (Frank Chacksfield), Elephant’s Tango (Cyril Stapleton), Ballet Of The Bells (Jackie Brown), Woodpecker’s Waltz (Ray Martin), Copenhagen Polka (George Melachrino), Little Laplander (Ron Goodwin) and Back Track (Stanley Black) 28 tracks; CD 4 focuses on virtuoso soloists Holiday For Strings (David Rose), Callahan’s Monkey (Norrie Paramor), Peanut Polka (Busketeers – Harmonica Group), Plink Plank Plunk (Florian Zabach), Galloping Comedians (Hotcha Harmonica Trio), Red Wings (Florian Zabach), Laughing Violin (Noucha Doina), Pizzicato Waltz (Helmut Zacharias), High Horse (Tommy Reilly), Fiddle Faddle (Wagn Sorensen, xylo-marimba), Fiddlin’ For Fun (David Rose) 23 tracks. (France) Marianne Melodie 071901 4 CDs not available separately. This incredible compilation is the brainchild of veteran French broadcaster Pierre-Marcel Ondher, and in the English section of the booklet Ralph Harvey accurately describes it as a ‘mini-anthology’. These four CDs contain a wide cross-section of so many music forms which PMO feels come within the umbrella of ‘light music’ in its widest sense. The emphasis is on what he calls ‘the juniors’, meaning the orchestras and soloists who carried the banner for light music following the second world war. PMO rightly believes that he has covered the earlier period (the 1920s and 1930s) comprehensively in his previous compilations such as ‘The Wonderful Music That Tells A Story’, and readers who have purchased his previous collections (following reviews in this magazine) will know that his immense knowledge of his subject is beyond doubt. He manages to find records that many of us simply didn’t know existed – for example, were you aware that a harmonica group called ‘Busketeers’ has recorded Robert Farnon’s Peanut Polka on the Tell Record label? It’s amusing to see Bob’s famous works listed as ‘Le Haricot Sauteur’ and ‘Cacahuète-Polka’ – alias Jumping Bean and Peanut Polka! Although there are some notes in English, the bulk of the highly informative booklet is in French. PMO has generously listed many of his friends in Light Music, including our own magazine. This collection – to put it simply – is a joyful celebration of the fun side of light music. It does not pretend to offer the more serious works in the genre that are widely available elsewhere, but the kind of bright pieces that make you smile when you hear them. The digital sound restoration appropriately provides clear, bright and crisp results that seem just right for this repertoire. Obviously the abridged tracklisting at the head of this review will alert you to the fact that you probably have many of these titles already in your collection. But at least one third – probably more like half – of the tracks are sufficiently rare to have eluded even the most assiduous collector over the years. A great deal of sheer hard work has gone into these four CDs, and everyone involved should be very proud of the finished product.David Ades This 4CD set is available to special order from the RFS Record Service – see page 96.

BOX OF DELIGHTS (British Light Musical Gems) London Fields- Springtime at Kew, Maze at Hampton Court, St. James Park, Hampstead Heath (Phyllis Tate), Three Waltzes (Samuel Coleridge-Taylor), Russian Scenes - At the Fair, Mazurka, Polka, Valse, Cossack Dance (Granville Bantock),Fancy Dress Suite - Hurly Burly, Dance of the Mummers, Dusk, Pageantry (Cecil Armstrong Gibbs),En Voyage - Golden Arrow, Channel Crossing, Yvette, Paris Soir (Elisabeth Lutyens). London Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Barry Wordsworth and Simon Joly. Lyrita SRCD 214. 15 years is a long time to wait for a CD but gosh, it was worth waiting for. This is one of the Lyrita discs shelved in the early 1990s but now, happily, resurrected. The recordings are outstanding and the music superb. Phyllis Tate’s marvellous London Fields was composed for the 1958 BBC Light Music Festival, and is a shining example of what Light Music is all about. Joie de vivre pulsates through every movement with daffodils wafting gentry in the breeze at Kew and the xylophone running amok in the Hampton Court Maze. Meanwhile, swans glide along the pond at St. James Park and bank holiday makers go ape on the Hampstead Heath funfair during the exciting finale, subtitledRondo for Roundabouts. Samuel Coleridge-Taylor composed much wonderful light music during his short life, including the three rare waltzes heard here. Sir Granville Bantock is often regarded as austere but his Russian Scenes are real foot tapping eye openers. Armstrong Gibbs’ complete Fancy Dress Suite is rarely heard but this will hopefully now be redressed. Elisabeth Lutyens later eschewed her tuneful works, one of which is the rare En Voyage, a journey from London to Paris by boat and train. This "Box of Delights" really is a collection of "British Light Musical Gems"! Edmund Whitehouse

MATT MONRO From Matt Monro With Love When I Fall In Love, On Days Like These, From Russia With Love, Days Of Wine And Roses, Till Then My Love, Walk Away, Portrait Of My Love, etc 23 tracks EMI 3845212. This CD was released just in time for Valentine’s Day but beautiful music such as this deserves to be heard at any time of the year. He was one of the finest singers of his generation, and when you listen to his songs it makes you realise that today’s entertainment business seems to be lacking the kind of quality that Matt always exemplified. His daughter Michele has penned an excellent booklet note, but I would have liked to see his fine backing orchestras and arrangers given some credit in the tracklisting. David Ades

OLIVER CROMWELL Rutland Boughton 1st Symphony (Oliver Cromwell), Edgar Bainton 3rd Symphony. BBC Concert Orchestra conducted by Vernon Handley. Dutton Epoch CDLX 7185. Recognise the orchestra and conductor? Then you will realise straight away that this must be tuneful music. Oliver Cromwell was composed as long ago as 1905 when British music was undergoing a renaissance, with Elgar a prominent figure championing his contemporaries. Bainton, a much underrated composer, was also active but was unfortunately interred during the First World war after being stranded during a European tour. He eventually emigrated to Australia as Director of the Sydney State Conservatory. This is a fine and timely CD premiering two forgotten works, made possible by generous separate donations from the Bainton, Boughton, and Oliver Cromwell Societies.Edmund Whitehouse All Dutton Epoch CDs are available from the RFS Record Service for £10 [$20].

THE MELODY LINGERS ON – 100 Unforgettable Memories on 4 CDs. Original Recordings, Original Artists. V2TV1031392. This is a stellar selection of songs largely from the early 1950s. Obviously not all the tracks can be listed here but from Nat ‘King’ Cole’s Pretend to Blue Tango by Ray Martin & His Concert Orchestra, from The Harry Lime Theme by Anton Karas to The Weavers’Goodnight Irene, from Judy Garland’s Over The Rainbow to Glenn Miller’s In The Mood, from It Might As Well Be Spring by Dick Haymes to Sinatra’s One For My Baby, this is a wonderful nostalgia inducing box-set. Most of the artists are from the U.S. but as well as the likes of Astaire, Clooney, Crosby, Day, Fitzgerald, The Ink Spots, Kelly [Gene], Lanza, and Waller there are contributions from, Calvert, Chacksfield, Mantovani, Josef Locke and Whitfield – not forgetting Chevalier, Piaf, and Trenet. If you shop around online the set can be found for less than £12.

Peter Burt

THE FILM MUSIC OF JOHN ADDISON Themes from I was Monty’s Double; Centennial;  Swashbuckler; A Bridge Too Far; The Maggie; Reach for the Sky;  Strange Invaders; The Man Between; Tom Jones; Charge of the Light  Brigade; Brandy for the Parson; Torn Curtain; Touch and Go; Sleuth;  Carleton-Browne of the F.O.; Murder She Wrote. BBC Concert Orchestra conducted by  Rumon Gamba. Chandos CHAN 10418 Another fine film  music CD from the enterprising  Chandos label. You are sure to  recognise many of the tunes on offer, especially from Reach for the  Sky but probably also the jaunty melody called The Maggie based on a  Scottish puffer boat adventure. The rest varies from sheer suspense  and drama such as Strange Invaders, The Charge of the Light Brigade  and I was Monty’s Double to the comedy of Carleton-Browne of the  Foreign Office. Watch out for five other premiere recordings amongst this great offering.  Edmund Whitehouse

I have always enjoyed John Addison’s scores; for me they always included that certain ‘something’ which was lacking from many other film composers. I was disappointed that commercial recordings were not always available, especially of catchy themes such as I Was Monty’s Double. Happily soundtrack albums started to become more commonplace as his career developed, and his music made Torn Curtain far more enjoyable, even though I always felt that Julie Andrews was badly mis-cast – despite that memorable scene with the two buses – what suspense! I have to admit to some disappointment with the Sidney Torch version of Reach For The Sky; I heard a different arrangement played by the BBC Concert Orchestra on radio about thirty years ago, and other themes were introduced which I felt gave it a better balance. For many people it will be the theme for TV’s Murder She Wrote which is now Addison’s most familiar work, although that memorable march from A Bridge Too Far (a film which made me despair of the ability of high ranking officers of all nations to make the right decisions in wartime) surely runs it a close second. John Addison was a superb composer of film (and TV) music, and this collection is long overdue. Bravo Chandos! David Ades This CD is available from the RFS Record Service price £12.50 [$25]. SIR EDWARD ELGAR Wand of Youth Suite No. 1 (Overture, Serenade, Minuet, Sun  Dance, Fairy Pipers, Slumber Scene, Fairies & Giants); Wand of Youth  Suite No. 2 (March, Little Bells, Moths & Butterflies, Fountain  Dance, Tame Bear, Wild Bears); Nursery Suite (Aubade, Serious Doll,  Busyness, Sad Doll, Wagon Passes; Merry Doll, Dreaming); Dream  Children. Ulster Orchestra conducted by Bryden Thomson and  Bournemouth Sinfonietta conducted by Norman del Mar. Chandos CHAN  10422 X. Unmistakably Elgar but unmistakably light music of a very  high quality. Both the charming Wand of Youth Suites date back to  Elgar’s early years when children playing make believe fascinated  him as a young man while The Nursery Suite was a late work dedicated  to the young Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret. Meanwhile Dream  Children provided a perfect introduction to an E. Nesbitt children’s  television series. This release of a previous LP (now at budget price) is very welcome indeed.    Edmund Whitehouse

STANLEY BLACK & The London Festival Orchestra – France & Russia. France -

Original Decca LP PFS 4110 (1967) Stereo: I Love Paris (Porter) ; What now my Love (Becaud; Delanoe) ;Hi-Lili, Hi-Lo (Kaper; Deutsch) ; At Last! At Last! (Miles; Trenet) ;Gigi medley (Loewe; Lerner) ; Gigi medley - The night they invented Champagne; Thank heavens for little girls ; La Normandie – Can Can (Offenbach arr Black) ;Mademoiselle de Paris (Durand; Maschwitz; Contet) ;La Mer (Trenet; Mair; Lawrence; Lasry) ; Plaisir d’Amour (Martini arr Black) ; French Soldiers medley (arr Black) - Can Can (Offenbach); Aupres de ma blonde; Vive la Compagnie; Alouette; La Marseillaise. Russia - Original Decca LP PFS 4084 (1966) Stereo: Meadowlands (Trad arr Black) ;Two Guitars (Trad arr Black) ; Under Moscow Skies (Trad arr Black) ; At the Balalaika (Posford; Maschwitz) ; Sabre Dance (Khachaturian) ; Dark Eyes (Trad arr Black) ; Trepak (Tchaikovsky) ; Song of the Volga Boatmen (Trad arr Black) ;Baba Yaga’s Hut – The Great Gate of Kiev (Mussorgsky orch Ravel). Vocalion CDLK 4336 2 LPS on 1 CD. Some very familiar titles here, but given the Black treatment this a superb disc – especially his rendering of the Cole Porters. I Love Paris is pure joy, enhanced by its stereo effects. Alec Hellyer All Dutton Vocalion CDs are available from the RFS Record Service for £10 [$20].

Orchestral Sweets 4 – Emerald Concert Orchestra / Christopher Ball.

Eric Coates – Merrymakers Overture ; Dance In The Twilight ; Knightsbridge March ; Charles Williams – Rhythm On Rails ; The Old Clockmaker ; Devil’s Galop ; David Rose – The Tiny Ballerina ; Holiday For Strings ; Ernest Tomlinson – Dick’s Maggot ; Little Serenade ; Peter Hope – Jaunting Car ; Playful Scherzo ; Trevor Duncan – The Girl From Corsica ; High Heels ; March From A Little Suite ; Victor Herbert – March Of The Toys ; Wally Stott – Rotten Row ; Pink Champagne ; Ron Goodwin – The Headless Horseman ; Anthony Collins – Vanity Fair ; George Gershwin – Walking The Dog ; Ronald Binge – The Watermill ; Vivian Ellis – Coronation Scott ; Peter Yorke – Sapphires And Sables. Dimore Records DRD108. Orchestral Sweets 5 – Emerald Concert Orchestra / Christopher Ball.Robert Farnon – Portrait Of A Flirt ; Westminster Waltz ; Little Miss Molly ; Jumping Bean ; How Beautiful Is Night ; Peanut Polka ; Manhattan Playboy ; Leroy Anderson – Serenata ; Trumpeter’s Lullaby ; The Waltzing Cat ; Sandpaper Ballet ; Fiddle Faddle ; Sarabande ; Jazz Legato ; Jazz Pizzicato ; Chicken Reel ; Horse And Buggy ; Promenade ; Plink Plank Plunk ; Pennywhistle Song ; The Typewriter ; The Syncopated Clock ; Forgotten Dreams ; Bugler’s Holiday ; Sleighride ; Holiday For Trombones ; Belle Of The Ball. Dinmore Records DRD109. The above two discs are available from Dinmore Records, 11 Romsley Hill Grange, Romsley, Worcs. B62 0LN. Tel/Fax 01562 710 801.www.dinmore-records.co.uk Email: . £5 per disc inc p+p, cheques only. A glance at the titles at the head of this review will tell you that the essence of this pair of discs is primarily popular light music classics which exist already in a number of alternative versions available in various compilations, many of them boasting modern stereo recordings. Before you dismiss these new releases as non-essential additions to your collection and turn the page, may I suggest that they have a number of positive features going for them which might make you wish to reconsider? They of course have the advantage of modern recording technology resulting in very good sound and furthermore Dinmore display a decent sized professional concert orchestra with an adequate number of strings, so vital in this type of repertoire – and you certainly get all the appropriate special effects, notably in the Leroy Anderson pieces on the second disc. All the music portrayed here is played with satisfying elan and style and obvious affection – and when all these virtues are coupled with maximum playing time and a super budget price they do make an exciting proposition. Indeed some of the titles on these discs receive better and more attractive performances than rival accounts. I cite, for example, Anthony Collins’ Vanity Fair which receives a less distant and fragile interpretation than John Wilson’s version on his all-Collins disc – Dutton Epoch CDLX7162 – whilst Vivian Ellis’ famed Coronation Scott definitely has noticeably more impetus than Ernest Tomlinson’s somewhat under-powered performance on Marco Polo 8.223522. As an added inducement there are several novelties included here – disc 1 includes Peter Hope’s Playful Scherzoand The Tiny Ballerina by David Rose, whilst a rare Leroy Anderson piece, Holiday For Trombones, appears on the second disc, all of which were new to me. There are no booklet notes with these discs but it would be churlish to make too much of this in view of their exceptional value, although it would have been interesting to have at least some background information about the orchestra and conductor and where the recording sessions took place. All light music aficionados should support this imaginative and welcome venture, and let us hope that Christopher Ball and the Emerald Concert Orchestra may be emboldened and encouraged to go on to record more of our sort of music. Roger Hyslop

Songs of STEPHEN FOSTER – Ashokan Farewell / Beautiful Dreamer. Jay Unger, Molly Mason [guitar], Thomas Hampson [baritone], David Alpher [piano]. Ashoken Farewell, Bound for Another Harvest Home, Prairie Spring, Haymaker’s Hoedown, Solstice Hymn, Thanksgiving Waltz, Le Chanson de Mardi Gras, Boneparte’s Retreat/Hoedown, Jeanie with the Light Brown Hair, Hard times, come again no more, The Voice of Bygone Days, Foster Favourites Medley, Beautiful Dreamer, etc. 20 tracks EMI Classics for Pleasure 09463 382225 2 1 [77:21] What wonderful releases it has been my privilege to review recently and this is one of the very best. The title track, another version of which is much requested on a certain radio station, is almost worth the cost of this budget priced re-issue alone. It was written by Jay Unger who also plays fiddle and violin, as well as arranging and being musical director throughout the disc. The Nashville Chamber Orchestra under Paul Gambill accompanies on a couple of tracks. The first eight tracks [listed above] celebrate farming and the seasons: half of them are Jay Ungar compositions, one is by Mrs Ungar [aka Molly Mason] and three are traditional. If you can listen to Haymaker’s Hoedown without tapping your feet, I’ll be surprised. On La Chanson de Mardi Gras you’ll find an interesting line-up of instruments including Cajun accordion, horse clops and triangle. The classical composer Aaron Copland used the melody of Boneparte’s Retreat as the primary theme for the ‘Hoedown’ in his ballet ‘Rodeo’. There are a dozen Stephen Foster tracks, most of them being graced by the sensitive singing of the superb Thomas Hampson. Although Beautiful Dreamer, described by David Foil in his very full liner notes as "the consummate Foster love song", sets the standard every track has its merits. I can’t imagine anyone who appreciates heart lifting music of any genre will regret adding this CD to their collection.

Peter Burt

EDMUNDO ROS and his Orchestra - Dancing With Edmundo & Heading South Of The Border. Dancing With Edmundo, Original Decca LP SKL 4100 (1960) Stereo: Cuban Love Song (Stothart; McHugh; Fields) Rumba ; Toku (Lecuona) Rumba ; Brasil (Barroso) Samba ;Lua do Brasil (Rios) Samba ; Spanish Gipsy Dance (Marquina) Paso Doble ; Te Quiero Y Ole (Laredo) Paso Doble ; Tony’s Cha Cha Cha (Osborne) Cha Cha Cha ; Pao Pao Cha Cha Cha (Monchito) Cha Cha Cha ; Te Quiero Dijiste (Grever) Rumba ; Divina Mujer (Moral) Rumba ; Copacabana (Ribeiro; De Barro) Samba ; Rio Brasil (Carvalinho; Monteiro) Samba ;La Morena de mi Copla (Catellanos; Villegas) Paso Doble ; Que me Estas Queriendo (Guijarro) Paso Doble ; Puerto Rican Peddler (Brandon) Cha Cha Cha ; Fanfare Cha Cha Cha (White) Cha Cha Cha. Heading South Of The Border, Original Decca LP PFS 4193 (1970) Stereo: Heading South (Rios) ; Mrs Robinson (Simon) ; Light My Fire (Morrison; Manzarek; Krieger; Densmore) ; What Now My Love (Becaud; Sigman; Delanoe) ; Forbidden Games (Yepes; Stellman) ; United We Stand (Hiller; Simons) ; Up, Up and Away (Webb) ; My Cherie Amour (Wonder; Moy; Cosby) ; I Was Kaiser Bill’s Batman ; (Greenaway; Cook) ; The Skaters’ Waltz (Waldteufel arr Ros; Hanmer) ; I’ll Never Fall in Love Again (Bacharach; David) ; Hey Jude (Lennon; McCartney). Vocalion CDLK 4334 - 2 LPS on 1 CD. There are some unfamiliar titles here among the familiar ones, all given the excellent Ros treatment. Alec Hellyer

ERIC COATES conducts ERIC COATES – For Your Delight. For Your Delight ; Calling All Workers ; Wood Nymphs ; Summer Days suite ; By The Tamarisk’ ; The Three Bears ; By The Sleepy Lagoon ; Cinderella ; A Song By The Way ; London suite ; Saxo-Rhapsody ; Footlights ; Sound And Vision ; London Again suite ; Springtime suite ; The Jester At The Wedding ballet concert suite ; Last Love ; The Three Elizabeths suite ; Four Centuries suite ; The Dam Busters. Sanctuary Living Era AJD 2013 – Double CD. This is another excellent collection which has received the magic touch of Alan Bunting. The sound quality is superb throughout. It is great to see five of Coates’ suites appearing complete in one package, including the infrequent Three Elizabeths and Four Centuries. Another gem from Living Era. Bill Watts This 2CD set is available from the RFS Record Service for £11 [$22].

THE DAY THE TV STOOD STILL – Winchester Hospital Radio WHRCD701. A double CD of melodic tunes compiled by Steven Wills, so you know the quality is going to be good. Here we have over 60 tracks from a wide range of composers, orchestras and bands. John Cacavas, Roger Webb, Angela Morley, Roger Roger, Syd Dale, Steve Race, Peter Yorke to name a few. But I’m sure of particular interest to Robert Farnon fans will be the tracks included here from the great man himself, namelyPleasure Drive, A Lonely Affair, Blue Moment, and Drum Dramatics No.13. This CD brings a host of lovely instrumentals together tunefully from those carefree "interlude" days when the TV stood still!Malcolm Batchelor

The advertisement on page 59 of this issue give you an idea of the contents of this 2CD collection, which mainly comes from original recordings in the Chappell Recorded Music Library from the late 1950s onwards, with the emphasis firmly in the 1960s. Thus the repertoire is mainly from a later period than that which is currently being covered in the Guild Light Music CDs, and the 61 tracks will provide many pieces which readers will not have had the opportunity to purchase previously. If you like this kind of repertoire, don’t hesitate to buy while this set is still available! David Ades Please refer to page 59 for details of how to purchase this collection. It is not available from the RFS Record Service.

ANDRẾ PREVIN Plays My Fair Lady & a dozen great standards – André Previn [Piano], Shelly Manne [Drums] and Leroy Vinnegar [Bass] 20 tracks including: I Got It Bad And That Ain’t Good, Take The "A" Train, This Can’t Be Love, Should I?, Hallelujah!, Just One Of Those Things, September In The Rain, Lullaby Of Broadway, Black And Blue, I’ve Got A Feeling I’m Falling, Honeysuckle Rose, Who’s Sorry Now? Sanctuary Living Era CD AJA 5656 [75’42"]. What a delight to find yet another fondly remembered recording resurrected on compact disc, with terrific tunes and immaculate instrumentalists. ‘Shelly Manne & His Friends: My Fair Lady’ was a hit LP recorded in August 1956, originally issued on the Contemporary Record label, that eventually became a classic of its genre. It also started the vogue for jazz treatments of Broadway scores. The ‘dozen great standards’ are all performed by the multi-talented Previn with either his Trio, Quartet or, in the case of the last track, Quartet plus Strings. The first six tracks listed above are from 1946-47, the rest from the ‘50s. If, like me, you are not in the habit of buying jazz CDs, then I urge you to make an exception for this one – it should be available online at £5.99. Sanctuary: I salute you for making an old[ish] man very happy.

Peter Burt Sanctuary Living Era single CDs are available from the RFS Record Service for £8 [$16].

GORDON JENKINS – A Musical Prodigy. Jasmine JASCD 660. Double CD. In his review of these recordings in JIM 171, David Ades rather damned with faint praise what arguably might be regarded as Jenkins' finest work, The Seven Dreams. I believe this is the first full version since the original LP on Decca DL9011, back in the early 50s (?) and, in my opinion, far outshines the earlier, more widely known and acclaimed Manhattan Tower, which here is a fair way short of the complete work. The Seven Dreams was wider in range and larger in scenario than he had previously attempted, with some memorable and beautiful melodies. There is indeed much narration, witty and highly original.The Blessing which ends The Pink Houseboat is gloriously uplifting. The whole theme of The Girl on the Rock is hauntingly enchanting. Even if you are not particularly a Jenkins' fan, this is well worth getting for The Seven Dreams alone. Ray Greaves This CD is available from the RFS Record Service for £12 [$24].

FRANK CHACKSFIELD – Frank Chacksfield in the Limelight Limelight theme & incidental music, Flirtation Waltz, Prelude to a Memory, Pulling Strings, Meet Mister Callaghan, Gin Fizz, Little Red Monkey, Golden Violins, Golden Tango, Dancing Princess, Pied Piper, Song of Canterbury, Misty Valley, Mademoiselle de Paris, Black Velvet, Someday I’ll Find You, Dance Little Lady, Twentieth Century Blues, Smile, Sur Le Pave de Paris, A Kid for Two Farthings, Cockleshell Heroes, Song of the Trees, Love is a Many Splendoured Thing, In Old Lisbon, The Donkey Cart, Memories of You, Waltzing Bugle Boy, Ebb Tide Sanctuary Living Era CD AJA 5655 [77:14]. If you have the 2001 Vocalion‘Presenting Frank Chacksfield’/’Dinner At Eight-Thirty’ [no longer in their back catalogue] there are over a dozen duplications here but if you are without a CD of early Chacksfield or no other copy of his mini-hit novelty number Little Red Monkey or The Donkey Cart – both UK chart entries – or the catchy Meet My Callaghan, which like Monkey features the clavioline, you will be interested in this. Many of the 30 mono tracks represent the late-flowering maestro [he achieved fame with Limelightand Ebb Tide in his 40^th year] at his best. The aforementioned million sellers top and tail the collection. The lovely Song of Canterbury is from the pen of Ronald Binge, and Waltzing Bugle Boy is reckoned to be marginally superior to composer Ray Martin’s own version. Chaplin’s Smile is also included together with three Noel Coward numbers, two of Chacksfield’s own compositions, Georges Auric’s atmospheric Sur Le Pave De Paris, and a trio of 1955 movie themes. There are voices on four tracks which I would have preferred not to be there. The audio was in the hands of the masterly Alan Bunting and the informative liner notes are by David Ades, who gives due credit to arranger Leon Young – so what further recommendation to buy do we need?

Peter Burt

JOHN PHILIP SOUSA - Music for Wind Band Volume 6. Royal Artillery Band / Keith Brion.Easter Monday on the White House Lawn; The Golden Star; The Dauntless Battalion; Sextet from The Bride Elect; The Federal March; Three Quotations (Suite for Band ; The Liberty Bell; The Gridiron Club; La Reine de la Mer; The Chariot Race; The Gladiator; New Mexico March; The Picador March. Naxos American Classics 8559132. Quite a time has elapsed since the appearance of volume 5 in this Sousa series, reviewed as far back as the December 2004 issue of JIM (p.85) – but with the arrival of this latest splendid addition we have I think been amply rewarded. By far the best known piece in this new release for the general collector is Liberty Bell which came even more to resonate in the public memory by its adoption as the signature tune for BBC television’s popular comedy seriesMonty Python’s Flying Circus. The disc gets off to a lively enough start with a piece composed in ragtime and bearing the extraordinary title of Easter Monday On The Whitehouse Lawn, replacing the stately Coronation March as the concluding movement of Tales Of A Traveller suite. Thereafter comes an abrupt change of mood as the succeeding march The Golden Star, dating from 1919 and dedicated to Mrs Theodore Roosevelt, is cast in the form of a solemn and poignant funeral march written in honour of members of the American military who fell in the first world war and displaying a less familiar and more serious side of Sousa. Track 3 restores a more light-hearted genial mood withThe Dauntless Battalion, a fine march dating from 1922 to honour cadets of Pennsylvania Military Academy. Keith Brion has recorded the enigmatically titled three quotations previously on a Marco Polo disc carrying the appellation volume 3 on Wings of Lightning with the Bratislava-based Razamovski Symphony Orchestra, (catalogue number 8.223874). The quotations seem to have a fairly obscure origin, two coming from the 16^th century, and whilst the music is entertaining enough, the individual movements labour under some bizarre titles such as The King Of France (with twenty-thousand men marched up the hill and then marched down again) and I Too Was Born In Arcadie. Interestingly enough Keith Brion takes more than a minute longer over the former movement with the Royal Artillery Band than he does with the Razamovski Symphony Orchestra. Track 11 on this CD amply demonstrates the ease with which Sousa moves from 4/4 to 3/4 when the occasion demands with a lovely lilting Waldteufian waltz which appropriately bears a French title La Reine De La Mer. The lady Sousa had in mind, alas, was the rather prosaic figure of the wife of the secretary to the US navy! The chariot race is a vivid descriptive piece which could easily have lent itself as suitable background music to many an action sequence in a feature film down the years, whilst theNew Mexico March with its Spanish inflections is a product of his later years. All the marches in this collection are played as usual with superb panache and swagger and the recording sessions, based at Woolwich town hall dating as far back as January 2002, incidentally were produced and edited by Mike Purton of the Specialist Recording Company and the resultant sound can be best described in one word – magnificent! If you haven’t already embarked on this outstanding series I do urge you to give it a try, particularly as the super budget price of these discs won’t exactly break the bank, and let us hope that Naxos doesn’t keep us waiting quite so long for the next one!

Roger Hyslop Naxos CDs are available from the RFS Record Service price £6 [$12].

MANTOVANI – Waltz Encores & American Waltzes Charmaine, Wyoming, Love Makes The World Go ‘Round [La Ronde De L’Amour], Love, Here Is My Heart, Lovely Lady, The Moulin Rouge Theme, Greensleeves, Lonely Ballerina, The Kiss In Your Eyes, Dear Love, My Love, I Live for You, Dream, Dream, Dream/The Waltz You Saved For Me, Beautiful Ohio, When The Moon Comes Over The Mountain, The Sidewalks Of New York, Marcheta, The Whiffenpoof Song, Let Me Call You Sweetheart, Missouri Waltz, The Sweetheart Of Sigma Chi, Meet Me In St Louis, Louis, Clementine, Alice Blue Gown [74:45 ] Vocalion CDLK 4341. With this release "CD" could well stand for "cracker of a disc" – Mantovani and waltzes were made for each other. Neither album has been issued in the UK before or on CD in the States. ‘Waltz Encores’, recorded in 1958, features stereo recordings of old favourites [several from Monty’s very first album and including five million sellers] with the stereo intensifying the tingle down the spine feeling those early cascading strings still give. The second album, from 1962, includes tracks which I imagine have never been heard before by many of Monty’s admirers. For those who appreciate voices with their orchestra, the female Sammes Chorus provide support on five of the songs. There is a delicious jangle piano on Sidewalks and Meet Me. Mantovani guru Colin Mackenzie tells me of something that only came to light after he had written his extensive liner notes: that when London [Decca] issued the Let Me Call You Sweetheart track on LP they chopped all 19 seconds off the lovely intro to the tune. The mistake was subsequently repeated on the Japanese CD. Mike Dutton discovered the abandoned intro at the end of the tape supplied to him by Universal and has restored it to where it belongs. Monty never made a less than good album but this 2-on-1 brings us two that bear comparison with his finest. An obvious "must have" for all Mantovanians, I would like to think that anyone who is aiming to build a representative collection of the best in light music will also consider giving it a spin.

Peter Burt

ERIC COATES – London Philharmonic Orchestra / Barry Wordsworth. The Three Men suite; Dancing Nights ; I Pitch my Lonely Caravan ; Birdsongs at Eventide / I Heard You Singing ; Summer Afternoon ; The Enchanted Garden ; Footlights ; Rhythm (from Four Centuries suite) ; London Bridge.Lyrita SRCD213. Lyrita has been busily engaged in recent months re-issuing much of their distinguished back catalogue, but this Coates compilation they have kept up their sleeves since this would appear to be its first appearance in any format. Further they have been somewhat coy regarding the details of this recording – no dates are given for the recording sessions or any indication where they took place. I would guess that they probably originate from the late 1980s or early 90s but Lyrita’s sense of timing is certainly impeccable since this year of course marks the 50^thanniversary of the composer’s death. Centrepiece on this new disc is a splendid account of Coates’ longest single movement based upon a story suggested by his wife and briefly all about a princess menaced by the spirits of darkness and protected by the birds and animals in the garden until her prince returns – in the nick of time! The scenario of The Enchanted Garden is easy enough to follow through the genius of Coates’ vividly descriptive music and Barry Wordsworth’s beautifully structured and characterised interpretation which completely holds the attention from first bar to last. Also included is a complete The Three Men suite, the final movement of which – The Man From The Sea – finally resolves into a fugue in which Johnny Come Down To Hilo and Three Blind Mice are cleverly interleaved and two of Coates’ elegant and graceful waltzes Footlights and Dancing Nights, the latter sounding suitably and stylishly svelte. Alas, there is only room for the concluding movement of theFour Centuries suite with its emphasis on the dance rhythms of the 20^th century, but Wordsworth compensates by bringing out the rich heady art-deco feel to this music. This disc is brought to a resounding conclusion by one of Coates’ inimitable marches, the stirring London Bridge, dating from 1934, and if memory hasn’t failed me completely, this was deployed as the signature tune of a daily BBC radio soap which predated Mrs Dale and I think might have been called The Robinson Family. This Lyrita release comes at premium price £15 although by shopping around a little you may find a cheaper copy – but nonetheless this is unmistakably a Rolls Royce product and you will be amply compensated by superb accounts of Eric Coates’ music, excellently recorded and with generous playing time. Unmissable!

Roger Hyslop

NEW YEAR’S CONCERT IN VIENNA 1987 – Wiener Philharmoniker / Herbert von KarajanDie Fledermaus: Overture, Music of the Spheres, Anna Polka, Delirium, Pleasure-train, Pizzicat-Polka, Beloved Anna Polka, Thunder and Lightning, Voices of Spring, Without a Care!, The Blue Danube, Radetzky March. Emperor Waltz [80:29] DG Grand Prix 477 6336. Those for whom Mantovani’s‘Strauss Waltzes’ [reviewed in our last issue] would not have been to their liking, this is the "real" thing. Originally released in the year of recording it is now reissued at mid-price with an added "bonus" track of the glorious Kaiser-Walzer. The orchestra was, and still is, arguably the best in the world ─ certainly in this repertoire. Karajan was one of the greatest conductors ever and this live foray into the lighter end of the classical genre is still regarded as foremost in a long line of such recordings. The soprano Kathleen Battle is a charming soloist in Voices. I find the music of Johann Strauss the elder and his two sons Johann and Josef irresistible, and this release is highly recommended.

Peter Burt

HALLÉ ORCHESTRA Conducted by MARK ELDER Claude Debussy (1862-1918) La Mer, Preludes Sanctuary/Hallé CD HLL 7513, 67:24 mins. Debussy completed the orchestration of La Meron the south coast of England at Eastbourne in 1905. This magnificent work is now regarded as a fine piece of classical music, and it has probably encouraged many listeners to explore further the riches on offer in similar vein. Yet the critics were less than favourable at its premiere – such is the way in which fashions change over time. I grew up listening to this work on a Decca 10" Medium Play LP (remember those?) by Ernest Ansermet and L’Orchestre de la Suisse Romande. In one’s youth there is a temptation to believe that the first, familiar version of a particular work becomes regarded as the definitive one. Later, when exposed to other conductors’ interpretations subtle changes in tempi and emphasis can add to the understanding of what the composer may have had in mind. Mark Elder’s reading of La Mer seems, to me, to be fairly similar to my familiar Ansermet, apart from a noticeable slowing of the tempo towards the climax which, in my humble opinion, adds to the majesty and grandeur of the work. The composer’s Preludes were written for piano, and in 2001 Mark Elder commissioned Colin Matthews to orchestrate them for the Hallé. The CD booklet explains that "…far from writing note-for-note transcriptions, Matthews has discovered the secret of each piece and in most cases translated it faithfully, which does not mean literally, into orchestral terms." London born Colin Matthews is Associate Composer with the Hallé, and he studied music at the Universities of Nottingham and Sussex, where he also taught, and subsequently worked with Benjamin Britten and Imogen Holst. Apart from the final movement, The Girl With The Flaxen Hair (now in a sumptuous string setting by Matthews) I have to show my ignorance by admitting that I am not familiar with these works; all I can say is that the orchestrations sound faithful to the style of Debussy. If any readers have not yet added La Mer to their collection, I have no hesitation in recommending this version. David Ades

WERNER MÜLLER and his Orchestra – Spectacular Tangos & Gypsy! La Cumparsita, Blue Tango, Jalousie, Tango Bolero, Carminito, Czardas, Hungarian Dance No.5, Zorba’s Dance, Gypsy Love, At the Balalaika, etc. 24 tracks [77:38] Vocalion CDLK 4318. Those of you who, like me, are pushovers for both tango and gypsy music will delight in this 2-on-I as much as I have. The tune selection is fairly predictable but there are some interesting arrangements and the playing is of a high standard. Even the inclusion of a wordless chorus on some of the first album’s tracks does not raise my usual hackles. [I wonder why four of the tracks from the original LP have been replaced.] It’s a pity that Vocalion is no longer giving us the total playing time and, in consideration of those new to Herr Müller’s music, the complete absence of liner notes is also to be regretted. Both the albums were originally issued in Decca’s famed Phase 4 format and have been spectacularly remastered. Enjoy!

Peter Burt

With thanks to Wilfred Askew for bringing the following releases to our attention:

BING CROSBY – Good and Rare (recorded 1949-55). The Yodel Blues ; So In Love ; Someplace On Anywhere Road ; So Tall A Tree ; This Is The Time ; And You'll Be Home ; Milady - (with Dorothy Kirsten) ; The Best Thing For You ; Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo ; Silver Moon ; Don't Ever Be Afraid To Go Home ; On The 10.10 From Ten-Ten-Tennessee - (with Ben Lessey) ; Ohio ; Cela M'est Egal ; What A Little Moonlight Can Do - (with Gary Crosby) ; My Love, My Love ; Mon Coeur Est Un Violon ; La Vie En Rose ; Embrasse-Moi Bien ; Liebchen ; The River ; It's Mine, It's Yours ; The Search Is Through ; The Land Around Us ; Let's Harmonize ; Jim, Johnny And Jonas ; Farewell. Sepia 1071

CATERINA VALENTE – The Hi-Fi Nightingale (recorded 1954-55), original Polydor recordings.Just you, just me ; Istanbul ; Oho Aha ; Casanova ; El mosquito ; Ganz Paris ; I love Paris ; Gespensterblues ; The Breeze And I ; If hearts could talk ; Temptation ; This ecstasy ; Jalousie ; Fiesta cubana ; Malaguena ; The way you love me ; My Lonely Lover ; Begin the beguine ; Siboney ; This must be wrong. Cherry Red ACMEN87CD.

BILLY COTTON and his Band – Wakey Wakey! Featuring Alan Breeze and Doreen Stephens. I've Got A Lovely Bunch Of Coconuts ; Poppa Piccolino ; The Dam Busters March ; When You're Home With The Ones You Love ; Someone Else I'd Like To Be ; He's A Real Tough Guy ; Bring Your Smile Along ; Play Me Hearts And Flowers ; Yellow Rose Of Texas ; Hang On The Bell, Nellie ; When You Hear Big Ben ; The Petite Waltz ; Somebody Goofed ; I Only Saw Him Once ; The Ring Fell Under The Sofa ; Crazy Mixed Up Song ; This 'Ole House ; A Present For Bob ; The Whistling Song ; Where Did The Chicken Lay The Eggie? ; Big Head (Big 'Ead) ; Friends And Neighbours ; Domani ; I Miss My Darling ; Rain ; Two On A Tandem ; Can I Canoe You Up The River ; Oh Little Fish ; I Love The Sunshine Of Your Smile ; Dandelion Clock ; Have You Made The Day Worthwhile ; Longing For You ; Stick It On The Wall, Mrs. Riley ; Daddy's Little Girl ; If I Were A Blackbird ; The Flying Saucer ; London Calls ; The Night The Floor Fell In ; Star Of Hope ; A-Hunting We Will Go. Pulse PDSCD 645 – Double CD.

PAUL MAURIAT and his Orchestra – Blooming Hits. Somethin' Stupid; Penny Lane ; This Is My Song ; Alone In The World ; Inch Allah ; There's A Kind Of Hush (All Over The World) ; Puppet On A String ; L'Amour Est Bleu (Love Is Blue) ; Adieu To The Night ; Mama. Collectors’ Choice CCM-0710-2

MICHEL LEGRAND and his Orchestra – Paris, Rome Vienna. I Love Paris ; Mademoiselle de Paris ; Paris ; Autumn Leaves ; Under the Bridges of Paris ; Seine ; Paris in the Spring ; Paris Canaille ; April in Paris ; Paris ; Vie en Rose ; Under Paris Skies ; Paris, Je T'Aime ; Song from Moulin Rouge ; Last Time I Saw Paris ; I Love Paris (Reprise) ; Vieni Vieni ; Fiorin Fiorello ; Dicitencello Vuie! ; Neapolitan Nights ; Aveva un Bavero ; Munasterio 'E Santa Chiara ; Vola Columba ; Luna Lunera ; Funiculi Funicula ; ; Addormentarmi Cosi ; Torna a Surriento (Copme Back to Sorrento) ; Vilia ; 'Third Man' Theme ; Cafe Mozart Waltz.Cherry Red ACMEM73CD.

VICTOR SILVESTER and his Ballroom Orchestra – Strictly Ballroom Dancing.

Summer Sweetheart ; Rosalie ; Apple Blossom Time ; White Sails ; A Mist Is Over The Moon; Fragrant Flowers; Tears On My Pillow; Love Bells; Green Eyes ; Deep Purple ; Maria, My Own; So Deep Is The Night; I'll Write A Love Song; When You Wish Upon A Star ; Shy ; Begin The Beguine; Once In A While; Faith Forever; My Secret Love Affair; Cuban Lady ; The Lady Is A Tramp ; Mexicali Rose ; Give A Little Whistle. Sunflower SUN2170.

THE SQUADRONAIRES – Wolf on the Prowl. Ring Dem Bells ; Five Minutes More ; Reflections On The Water ; High Society ; Picnic In The Snow ; Somebody Stole My Rose Coloured Glasses ; Winter Wonderland ;Hobo's Prayer ; More Than Ever Before ; Jeeper's Creepers ; The Champ ; Slow And Easy ; Mudhopper ; Wine, Women And Song ; Wolf On The Prowl ; Set Me Free ; Hesitation ; Coach Call Boogie ; Lies ; Donegal Cradle Song ; Eventide ; The Last Waltz. Sunflower SUN2166.

CARROLL GIBBONS and the Savoy Hotel Orpheans – Sweet as a Song. On The Air ; My Romance ; You're A Sweetheart ; A Foggy Day ; My Love For You ; One Song ; Nice Work If You Can Get It ; Tears In My Heart ; Can I Forget You ; Francesca ; The Masquerade Is Over ; In The Still Of The Night ; Sweet As A Song ; With A Smile And A Song ; Over Wyoming ; Rosalie ; The Moon Got In My Eyes ; Please Be Kind ; Silver Wedding Waltz Sentimental Fool ; Goodnight My Love ; Wandering Along. Sunflower SUN2168

Mike Dutton continues to please critics and buyers alike with his interesting mix of new releases. In May it was the turn of his budget labels, and the following details are taken from the press release.

CDBP 9772 focuses on the 1940s Decca recordings of violinist Ida Haendel performing works by Mendelssohn and Stravinsky, as well as those of Szymanowski, De Falla and Albéniz. Malcolm Sargent conducting the National Symphony Orcehstra accompanies Haendel in a performance of Mendelssohn’s Concerto in E minor for Violin and Orchestra, while in contrast Stravinsky’s La Baiser de la Fée: Divertimento for Violin and Piano (arranged by violinist Samuel Dushkin and based on Stravinsky’s ballet music ‘The Fairy’s Kiss’) shows off Haendel in an intimate chamber setting. Among the other works on this disc are Szymanowski’s Tarantella and Albéniz’s Malagueña – the latter in an arrangement by Kreisler.

The legendary Busch Quartet are the subject of CDBP 9773, which contains two of their 1930s HMV recordings of Beethoven’s string quartets. Led by Adolf Busch and acclaimed as perhaps the finest interpreters of the composer’s work in that idiom, their recordings of the Quartet in C major No.3 ‘Rasumovsky’ and the Quartet in C sharp minor No.14 leave the listener in no doubt as to why they enjoy such exalted status among chamber music groups of their era. Also available: Dutton CDBP 9743 The Busch Quartet and Pro Arte Play Schubert and CDBP 9765 Busch Quartet Play Beethoven Vol.1

Several of the finest 1940s and ’50s recordings of Marian Anderson are contained in CDBP 9774, which is one of two discs in Dutton’s May 2007 batch of releases to feature singers. Subtitled Oratorio and Lieder, this release contains superlative examples of her recordings in those styles. Anderson is accompanied by pianist Franz Rupp in Schubert’s Ave Maria and by pianist Kosti Vehanen in Der Tod und Das Mädchen, and by Robert Shaw conducting the RCA Chamber Orchestra in an excerpt from Bach’s Christmas Oratorio and Zum Reinen Wasser from Cantata No.112, among other items.

CDBP 9775 concentrates on the voice of Helge Roswanege, known as ‘The Dane with the High D’. Recorded during the 1930s and ’40s, these remarkable performances show off his unique voice to telling effect in repertoire ranging from Puccini’s Madama Butterfly and Bizet’s Carmen to the works of lesser known but equally engaging composers such as Kattnigg (Balkanliebe) and Wille (Küss die hand, schöne frau). Also available: Dutton CDBP 9728 Helge Roswaenge - The Dane with the High D

CDBP 9776 sees the continuation of Dutton’s commitment to the music of Sir Edward Elgar, in a glorious programme of this giant of British music’s late 1920s and ’30s HMV recordings. Including works such as Falstaff: Symphonic Study in C minor, the charming Nursery Suite (the version presented here recorded in the presence of royalty) and the Cello Concerto in E minor, with Beatrice Harrison as soloist, we are reminded why Elgar was such a force to be reckoned with in 20^thcentury music. On this disc the composer conducts the London Symphony and New Symphony Orchestras. Other Dutton Elgar discs include CDLX 7172 The Spirit of England and CDLX 7148Elgar/Walker Piano Concerto

CDBP 9777 is a particularly remarkable release, as it comprises recordings made in the pre-electric ‘acoustic’ era. Titled British Composers Conduct on Acoustic, it features recordings dating back as far as 1916 of charming orchestral works such as Sir Frederic Cowen’s The Butterfly’s Ball, Elgar’s Fringes of the Fleet recorded for HMV in 1917 and Holst’s Beni Mora – Oriental Suiterecorded in 1924. Music aside, it is quite astonishing to hear how incredibly clear these vintage recordings sound in the 21^st century, owing to Michael J. Dutton’s exquisite remastering.

CDBP 9778 is the latest chapter in Dutton’s ongoing series featuring composers performing their own works, and in this instance the focus is on three very important names in 20^th century music. Bartok plays piano in his fascinating Contrasts for Violin, Clarinet and Piano, which is also notable for featuring clarinettist Benny Goodman. Manuel de Falla is the harpsichordist in hisConcerto for Harpsichord featuring flautist Marcel Moyse, while Poulenc’s pianistic talents are on display in his Aubade concerto scored for eighteen instruments. Rounding off this programme is Jean Françaix’s Concerto for Piano and Orchestra conducted by Nadia Boulanger, andConcertino for Piano and Orchestra conducted by Leo Borchard - both with the composer as pianist.

Several important HMV recordings by conductor Sir Eugene Goossens, spanning the 1920s to the 1950s, are compiled on CDBP 9779. In the main they focus on Goossens’s recordings of Bax’s works – a composer he championed – including Tintagel composed between 1917-19, and his Symphony No.2 in E Minor & C composed between 1924-26. The latter work was broadcast by the BBC in November 1956 as part of their memorial cycle of Bax’s symphonies, and is the recorded version presented here. Also included on this disc are Goossens’s recordings of Australian composer John Antill’s remarkable Corroboree ballet suite, which incorporated Aboriginal musical influences, and Goossens’s own work Tam O’Shanter, inspired by Robert Burns’s familiar poem.

Kenneth McKellar makes his fourth appearance on the Vocalion label with CDLF 8131, which is the first ever CD reissue of his 1965 Decca stereo album Songs of the British Isles. Here the famous Scottish tenor is heard giving unique and beautiful interpretations of traditional songs – in arrangements by Bob Sharples – including Cockles and Mussels, Greensleeves and Island Moonamong many others.