Keeping Track - Dateline December 2006
ENGLISH STRING MINIATURES Volume
6 – Royal Ballet Sinfonia / Gavin Sutherland. Moorside Suite (Holst), Chacony in G Minor(Purcell), Rosa Mundi (Paul Lewis), Winton Suite (Winchester) (Adam Carse), Bethlehem Down(Warlock), Very English Music (Cuckmere Haven, Cornish Air, Hunt Gathering) (Paul Carr), Waltz in E Minor (William Lloyd Webber) Two Nocturnes (Lionel Sainsbury), From Across La Manche (Malcolm Lipkin). Naxos 8.557753. Just when you thought the series must be running out, up pops another! For those who enjoy atmospheric landscape music then Holst, Adam Carse and Paul Carr fit the bill admirably. William Lloyd Webber was a much underrated and self deprecating composer whose works are only now being afforded the credit they deserve but he did sire two very musical sons!Edmund Whitehouse
RADIO VISION ONE Big City Walk, Dr. Watson’s Vision, The Artful Dodger, Your Perfume, You’re In My Heart, Yesterday On The Champs Elysees, Here In A Smoky Room, Lyric Moon, Early One Morning, Starlight Hours, Blue Lady, Mon Ami Mon Amour, Café Braziliana, Ce Soir, Sounds Latin, Gwendolyn, Mixed-up Mazurka, Hasta La Vista, Skyline Concerto, Dancing In Bavaria, Velvet Moon, For Fiddlers Only Apollo Sound APSCD 237, 57:15 mins. This is the first in a new series from Heinz Herschmann’s Apollo Sound specialising in easy listening music typical of the sounds to be heard on radio and television during the 1960s and 1970s. One track comes from Amphonic, with the remainder all sourced from Mozart Edition. Some composers will be familiar – Brian Fahey, Peter Hope, Heinz Hotter, Neil Richardson and Gordon Langford – whereas the others (presumably from the continent of Europe) are less well-known. Among the orchestras are those of George Hermann, Dolf van der Linden and the Orchestra Raphaele, plus an assortment of ensembles that typified the output of so many production music libraries of that period. Technical director Chris Churcher has put together a pleasing selection that will delight fans of what seems to have become known as ‘Test Card Music’. You’ll probably put it on the CD player as background music, and then suddenly find that it has grabbed your full attention. Let’s hope that Apollo Sound let us have some more like this.David Ades
JOHNNIE RAY – Just Walking In The Rain Prism PLATCD 1428. "The Nabob of Sob" was very big in the early to mid ‘fifties. It is said that he cried himself into a fabulous fortune. His first hit, Crybacked with The Little White Cloud that Cried, sold over two million in 1952; staying at No.1 in the US charts for three months and spending almost a year in the listings. It was followed by a second million seller, [Here Am I] Broken Hearted. His third million seller, Just Walking in the Rain came in 1956; it topped the UK charts for seven weeks. Other hits on this disc include Please Mr Sun, Walkin’ My Baby Back Home, All of Me, Hey There, Hernando’s Hideaway, and Such a Night. He is joined by Doris Day and Paul Weston and his Orchestra on Ma Says, Pa Says and A Full Time Job. Percy Faith and his Orchestra provide stellar support for Alexander’s Ragtime Band. Other orchestras involved are those of Johnny Carroll, Joe Reisman, Les Elgart and Mitch Miller. Apart from the title track all the recordings here are the originals. Also included are 11 "Bonus Tracks" from Johnnie’s Palladium Concert in 1954 when he beat the box office records set a few years earlier by Frankie Laine. With acceptable sound, good liner notes/track listings and a few seconds under 70 minutes music for a penny under £3, this is a big bargain buy – and an ideal stocking filler. Peter Burt
MAID OF THE MOUNTAINS – New London Orchestra / Ronald Corp. Helios CDH55246. If you enjoy Gilbert and Sullivan then you will certainly want to buy this new complete production of Harold Fraser-Simon’s classic musical. It opened during the First World War and ran for more than 1,300 performances, an incredible run bettered only by Chu Chin Chow, both records standing for more than 40 years. The star was Jose Collins and the show would have run longer had she not finally cried "enough!". The most famous songs are "A bachelor gay am I" and "Love will find a way" but some of the other offerings are G & S at their best – except they are not G & S! It is a tale of brigands, suitors and beautiful young ladies. Admirable stuff! Edmund Whitehouse
The Golden Age of Light Music: "Soloists Supreme" & "The Great Light Orchestras Salute Cole Porter" for full tracklistings please see pages 52-57 of the last issue of ‘Journal Into Melody’.The unprecedented success of the GUILD GOLDEN AGE OF LIGHT MUSIC series has, in no small way, been due to imaginative programming of the CDs. With the availability of a large resource of recorded material – much of which is drawn from the collections of RFS members – David Ades and Alan Bunting are constantly developing new ‘theming’ ideas. This has already resulted in two Hall Of Fame issues and the Salute To Richard Rodgers (GLCD5123) which is now joined by Salute To Cole Porter (GLCD5127). In common with Irving Berlin, Cole Porter wrote both his own ‘notes and words’ although, as the booklet comments :– ‘the music still stands up well without the lyrics’. This is obviously assisted by the quality of the arrangements and performing orchestras included here, in recordings spanning a 10-year period between 1945-1955. In addition to American and British GUILD ‘regulars’ such as Andre Kostelanetz, Percy Faith, David Rose, Sidney Torch, Mantovani and Stanley Black, we meet newcomers such as the orchestras of French musicians Guy Luypaerts and Eddie Barclay. This new offering proves conclusively that as a tunesmith, Porter was the equal of Berlin, Jerome Kern, and George Gershwin; his prodigious talent is evident on every one of the 21 tracks. Three of these contain selections or suites, and particularly worthy of special mention is the arrangement, made by the then Wally Stott for Sidney Torch, of the big numbers from Kiss Me Kate. Another conductor making his GUILD debut is Glenn Osser whose work, certainly in the UK, is not widely known, but who arranged for an impressive list of top US bands during the ’50s. Regrettably, the arranger of the final track the Cole Porter Suite by Louis Levy and his ‘Music from the Movies’ orchestra is not credited but it is likely to have been undertaken by one of several distinguished musicians who regularly ‘ghosted’ for Levy.
The other new release also features a new ‘angle’, reflected in its title – Soloists Supreme (GLCD 5126). This is an assemblage of compositions featuring a solo instrument, instrumental section or in two cases, a whistler! It’s a great opportunity to put together a collection of really excellent titles, most of which were recorded in the late-’40s/early-’50s. Sadly, not all of the soloists are known, but those credited include guitarists Dave Goldberg and Bert Weedon, pianists Edward Rubach and Joe Henderson, violinists Reginald Leopold, Mitch Miller playing both oboe and cor anglais and the ‘siffleurs’ Ronnie Ronalde and Muzzy Marcellino. Sidney Torch makes a rare appearance as a solo organist with Carroll Gibbons’ orchestra on a vintage 1932 recording , and I must especially mention the amazing saxophonist Freddy Gardner, with the Peter Yorke orchestra. Whilst this track – Valse Vanite has appeared on previous reissue CDs, it never fails to thrill, and as David writes in the booklet… ‘he [Gardner] finds notes on the instrument that weren’t supposed to be there…’ Virtually all of the orchestras and conductors will be familiar, with Robert Farnon being accorded the honour of three tracks – two with his own orchestra and one with the Danish State Radio Orchestra; the latter is the only non-commercial (Chappell) recording amongst the 25 tracks. So here we have yet another two very enjoyable and most worthy additions to the GUILD series. There are some more interesting issues in the pipeline, which will be reviewed in the next edition of the JIM.
Tony Clayden
VICTOR YOUNG Singing Strings and Orchestra. Manhattan Concerto; Love Letters; Cornish Rhapsody; Geraldine; Tara’s Theme; Invitation; My Foolish Heart; Hi-Lili Hi-Lo; Limelight; Call Of The Faraway Hills; Melba Waltz; Where Is Your Heart; Arizona Sketches; Stella By Starlight; Spellbound; Autumn Leaves; Blue Star…Frank Bristow FBCD151/152. A thousand thanks (from me at least) to Frank Bristow for letting us hear again this batch of four Victor Young 10 inch LPs and one 12 inch album from the Brunswick catalogue of fifty or more years ago which I thought I would never hear or see again. A Musical Sketch Book, Pearls On Velvet, Hollywood Rhapsodies, Love Themes andCinema Rhapsodies between them contain 46 tracks by such as Steiner, Rozsa, Mancini, Korngold, Newman, Kaper and Raksin with Young himself contributing no less than 18 of his own compositions, most of which are now recognised as standards. All of which testifies to the quality of the basic material, much of which knowledgeable readers will probably know anyway, even if not in these particular settings which explore every facet of Victor Young’s genius. in my article on young in JIM159 I quoted Gordon Jenkins’ comment to me that Victor was a lovely man and a great composer, but he always had a bad band. Gordy may have exaggerated this point somewhat, for at that time, and on these sessions at least, I can’t fault the style and sound of his orchestras. You will find however that frank has boobed in reversing track 20 on disc one and track 1 on disc two, which doesn’t affect the quality one little bit. Arthur Jackson
The Massed Bands of HM ROYAL MARINES / Lt Colonel Chris Davis – Music from Beating Retreat 2006. Washington Grays, McAlpine (drum solo), On The Quarterdeck, Monforterbeek, Drummers Call, Band Call, Fall In, Sarie Marais, Royal Flourish, To Fight & Win, Per Mare Per Terram, Globe & Laurel, Royal Salute, Chatham, Portsmouth, Eastney, British Grenadiers, Soldiers of the Sea, HM Jollies, Gladiator, Captain General, The Day Thou Gavest, Sunset, Rule Britannia, The National Anthem, Heart of Oak, A Life on The Ocean Wave, Famous Songs of the British Isles, Mountbatten March, Wellington, Under the White Ensign. (67:00) Chevron / Doyen CHVCD24. Available from: The Blue Band HG06 HQBSRM, HMS Nelson, Portsmouth, PO1 3HH. Cheque for £12 payable to ‘The Blue Band’. Or online at www.royalmarinesbands.co.uk The sessions for this splendid studio representation of the famed Beating Retreat ceremony preceded the actual event held on Horseguards Avenue on June 16-17 by some two and a half months, the Royal Marines band service having wisely elected to go for a studio recording rather than the inherent risk of assorted extraneous off-stage noises of the somewhat limited sonics which accompany any live recording, not to mention the possible vagaries of the English weather. The recordings took place between 3-5 April with a composite band of mainly Plymouth personnel under the baton of Captain M.P. Dowrick. The complete programme of music, some 37 tracks in total – too many to detail here – was composed or arranged by Royal Marine musicians and comes replete with various bugle calls, fanfares, drum solos and an excellent choice of marches by the likes of Kenneth Alford – On The Quarter Deck, HM Jolliesand, by that icon of military music, Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Vivian Dunn, Captain General, theMountbatten March and Under The White Ensign. One of the most moving tracks is Captain Green’sFamiliar Sunset, which dates from 1932, and delivered here with great sensitivity and innate dignity. It would have been nice to have some information on the music played and/or a brief history of the Beating Retreat ceremony, but the time-scale involved here was incredibly short, with the resultant disc actually being on sale to the public at the event itself, the Royal Marines having to obtain the necessary street-trading licence! An indication of how little time was available to meet the deadline is that the track information details as shown go a little awry. Track 31 is actually the Mountbatten March, while track 33 is Vivian Dunn’s attractive arrangement of famous songs of the British isles, and not the other way round as shown. For those who attended this military spectacular, this Chevron release will be an invaluable souvenir of a memorable occasion, whilst those unfortunates like myself who weren’t present for an outstanding display of military music prowess at least have a superb and vividly recorded disc of what we sadly missed. An indispensable buy for all admirers of the Royal Marines band service. Roger Hyslop
Orchestral Works of DOUGLAS LILBURN – New Zealand Symphony Orchestra / James Judd. Aotearoa; Birthday Offering; Drysdale Overture; Forest; Song of the Islands; Festival Overture; Processional Fanfare. Naxos 8.557697. A pupil of Vaughan Williams, Lilburn nevertheless developed his own New Zealand style of lighter music and this eminently suitable CD will find a happy home on the shelf of many tuneful music lovers. Serious music with a lighter twist from a composer who deserves to be better known. Edmund Whitehouse
CAPRICE – Alison Balsom (trumpet), Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra / Edward Gardner.EMI 353255-2. Although a Classical release, there should be a fair number of the 18 trumpet transcriptions here that appeal to JIM readers who admire top-flight brass playing. The soloist is the young musician voted "Classic FM Listeners’ Choice" in the Classic FM Gramophone Awards 2006. She had previously won a Brit Award as "Young British Classical Performer of the Year". The opening number will be very familiar: Mozart’s Rondo alla turca. So, possibly, will be Ms Balsom’s version of the same composer’s Queen of Night aria, played on a piccolo trumpet, and Paganini’s Caprice No.24. Opera buffswill appreciate, too, Arban’s Variations on ‘Casta Diva’ from Bellini’s ‘Norma’[at six minutes, the longest item]. There are also nine Latin-inspired pieces by Piazolla and de Falla. An hour of enormously elevating music. Try it! Peter Burt
The Band of the GRENADIER GUARDS / Maj. D. Barton – The Music of the Grenadier Guards. Alwyn - The Young Grenadier; Bashford - Queen’s Company; Clarke - Forgotten Heroes; Godfrey - Guards Waltz; Sousa - King Cotton, The Liberty Bell; Wedderburn - Good Courage; Ewing -Toy Grenadier; Burton - First Guards; Waltts - Nairac G.C.; Hills - Nijmegan Company; Williams - The Guards Patrol; Mason - Invicta Grenadier; Eley - The Duke Of York… (78:00). Specialist Recording Company SRC135. This, the latest offering from the specialist recording company, featuring music associated with specific regiments, directs the spotlight on one of the premier and most distinguished components of the British army, namely the Grenadier Guards celebrating their 350th anniversary. The CD booklet list all the principal conductors – bandmasters and directors of music – of this illustrious band from c.1780-present time. The current incumbent, major Denis Burton, has held this, one of the most prestigious appointments in army music, since 2002, and this new disc features some of his original compositions such as the slow march First Guards, composed for the queen’s birthday parade in 2003, and various attractive arrangements he has forged of English folktunes. Kenneth Alwyn, better known as a distinguished conductor who made some notable recordings for the Marco-Polo and ASV labels of the music of Richard Addinsell in the 1990s, is here represented in less familiar guise as composer of an impressive concert march The Young Grenadier, composed originally for the Queen’s Birthday Parade in 1992 and relating to a photograph depicting the then young princess Elizabeth wearing a Grenadier cap when she assumed the position of Colonel of the Regiment in 1942. Nigel Clarke, chiefly known as a film music composer, penned the concert marchForgotten Heroes. Described in the CD booklet as filmic in style, I found it written in a somewhat abrasive, unappealing modern idiom and distinctly lacking in a good strong memorable tune, which is surely such an indispensable ingredient of a successful well-constructed march. By contrast, a better exemplar of a modern concert march is Robin Wedderburn’s Good Courage, written partly in memory of his father, an army major who was killed whilst on duty in Singapore in 1960. The faster outer sections enclose a noble trio tune, not too far removed in character from the world of Sir William Walton. The two Sousa marches included in this collection are the popular Liberty Bell and King Cotton – the latter, famous for its use as a signature tune in BBC radio’s long-running Marching and Waltzing, is delivered with an intoxicating verve and swagger. Albert Williams, a DOM of the Grenadier Guards between 1896 and 1921 gives the band’s musicians an opportunity to exercise their vocal chords in a rousing and lusty rendition of The British Grenadiers, in his descriptive pieceThe Guards Patrol. Also well worthy of mention is a rare performance and rare recording of a light music gem from 1953 in the form of Montague Ewing’s delightful and witty Toy Grenadier. It is perhaps a pity that room could not have been found on this admittedly generously filled disc for Emile Waldteufel’s Grenadier Waltz, a product of a friendship which developed between the composer and Dan Godfrey, bandmaster of the Grenadier Guards whilst the Frenchman was in London conducting at a series of promenade concerts. The piece is however included in volume 9 of Marco Polo’s The Best Of Emile Waldteufel (B223687). There are all-told 28 tracks of music on this CD associated in some way with the Grenadier Guards, and with full, vivid and well-detailed sound, beautifully produced art work, close to maximum playing time and gloriously rich tonal burnished playing from the band, this is yet another outstanding new release from SRC and can be strongly recommended. Next in line in this particular series will feature the music of the Royal Engineers, due for release in a few months time. Roger Hyslop
Deep In My Heart: The Songs of SIGMUND ROMBERG. Living Era CD AJA 5642. Complementing the purely orchestral Mantovani album reviewed a couple of issues ago, this is the 24th release in Living Era’s wonderful "Songs Of" series. There are 22 numbers here – some of the finest from the pen of the Dublin born last giant of American operetta claimed to be the first composer to write for film. So there are tracks from the "dream team" of Nelson Eddy and Jeanette MacDonald who achieved instant stardom in the 1935 movie ‘Naughty Marietta’. And Mario Lanza gets his golden tonsils round four hits from the 1954 picture of ‘The Student Prince’. On the CD’s title tune he is joined by Elizabeth Doubleday. There are duets from Tony Martin and Kathryn Grayson, Gordon MacRae and Lucille Norman, and Larry Douglas and Jean Carlton. Other artists featured are Richard Crooks [You Will Remember Vienna], Shirlee Emmons [Dance, My Darlings], Evelyn Laye [The Night Is Young], Jo Cameron [Lordy, What A Sweet World!], Howard Keel [Your Land And My Land], and Tony Bennett [My Heart Won’t Say Goodbye]. The composer himself conducts on at least three of the tracks. We get all this for around £8. Well done, again, Sanctuary Classics. Peter Burt
ROBERT SIMPSON – The Complete Symphonies. Hyperion budget-price boxed set CDS44191-7. Don’t pass this over because Robert Simpson was the one person at the BBC who put his money where his mouth was. In 1980 he resigned in protest at where Radio 3 and the Proms in particular were going. In his book "The Proms and Natural Justice" he then argued against the "avant garde nutcase school of composing" in favour of our tuneful musical heritage. His symphonies are unlike any other but contain echoes of many past great composers. There are 11 symphonies in all, plusVariations on a Theme of Nielsen. Edmund Whitehouse
CLASSIC CHILDREN’S SONGS. JUSCD003. Available from: Just Accord Music, PO Box 224, Tadworth, Surrey KT20 5YJ. £10 (to LMS members) including p+p. The field of children’s songs, in the sense of songs for children to listen to rather than to sing (though there are plenty of those, some memorable) is attractively explored on this disc. It is impossible to deal adequately with all 35 tracks in a 200 word review, but composers range widely over a period of perhaps a century, and they include light music practitioners like Victor Hely-Hutchinson, Liza Lehmann, Malcolm Williamson, Howard Blake, Harold Frazer-Simpson, Richard Rodney Bennett, Edward German, Christopher Le Fleming, Cecil Armstrong Gibbs, Donald Swann and Lord Berners, and distinguished British composers (just two songs are American) like Arthur Somervelle, Howells, Lennox Barclay, Britten and Ronald Stevenson. Lyric writers are similarly varied, with R.L. Stevenson and Walter De La Mare (five each), Kipling (four) and A.A. Milne and the whimsical Spike Milligan (three each) scoring the most, with Kenneth Grahame, Lewis Caroll and Tolkien among others also represented. There are just three women composers – Betty Roe, Lehman and Barbara Reynolds – and surprisingly only two female lyricists (Eleanor Fargein and Marjory Fleming who died at the age of 8). Not all songs rely purely on charm and melody; some have an underlying sadness. Performances, by baritone Roderick Williams and soprano Elizabeth Atherton, are intelligent, beautifully clear in focus and admirable in diction, with Iain Burnside an alert positive accompanist. Recording first-rate; though no words are reproduced, the booklet has full notes on the music and a general essay on children’s song. Highly recommended. Philip Scowcroft
ENGLISH LANDSCAPES Arnold Bax – Tintagel; Ralph Vaughan Williams – The Lark Ascending, Norfolk Rhapsody No. 1; Gerald Finzi – The Fall Of The Leaf; Frederick Delius – Summer Night On The River, On Hearing The First Cuckoo In Spring; Edward Elgar – As Torrents In Summer; John Ireland – The Hills The Hallé Orchestra and the Hallé Choir conducted by Mark Elder Sanctuary/Halle CD HLL 7512, 71:40 mins. As readers will be aware from many reviews in this magazine, there is a wealth of glorious English music available today on compact discs and the great news is that so much more is still being written by a new generation of composers. However in this instance, the emphasis is on the acknowledged masters, most of whom were born between 100 and 125 years ago, and anyone approaching this repertoire for the first time couldn’t have a better introduction than this hugely enjoyable selection. When I first heard Tintagel many years ago I was immediately reminded of some of Trevor Duncan’s majestic works – I’m sure that this will have been noticed by other RFS members! Mark Elder certainly pleased many light music fans when he conducted Eric Coates’ Calling All Workers on the Last Night of the Proms in September, and he has already been highly praised for his achievements. He received the CBE as long ago as 1989, and has held prestigious posts in the USA as well as throughout the UK. Clearly this CD is aimed at younger people who may not already have a wide selection of classical music on their shelves, but I suspect that many seasoned collectors will also welcome the opportunity to add new versions of these glorious works to their libraries.David Ades
Wilfred Askew has informed us of the following recent releases:
BILLY VAUGHN and his Orchestra – Sail Along, Silv'ry Moon / Blue Hawaii. Raunchy; Sail Along Silv'ry Moon; Sunrise Serenade; Sweet Georgia Brown; Sentimental Journey; Until Tomorrow; Jealous; Twilight Time; Sleepy Time Gal; I'm Getting Sentimental Over You; Moon Over Miami; Tumbling Tumbleweeds; Hawaiian War Chant; Blue Hawaii; Hawaiian Paradise; Little Brown Gal; My Isle Of Golden Dreams; Sweet Leilani; Coconut Grove; Trade Winds; Beyond The Reef; My Little Grass Shack; Song Of The Islands; Hawaiian Sunset; Aloha Oe. (58:19). Collector’s Choice CCM-0666-2. Original DOT recordings from 1958.
BILLY VAUGHN and his Orchestra – Theme From A Summer Place / Theme From The Sundowners. A Summer Place; Tammy; Tracy's Theme; Climb Every Mountain; Que Sera, Sera; The Terry Theme From Limelight; True Love; The Sound Of Music; Three Penny Opera; Some Enchanted Evening; All The Way; Sayonara; The Dark At The Top Of The Stairs; O Solo Mio; Never On Sunday; Old Cape Cod; The Green Leaves Of Summer; The Church's One Foundation; Mr. Lucky; The Sundowners; Everybody's Somebody's Fool; Walk Don't Run; Remember When; Volare; Love Is A Many Splendored Thing. (62:18). Collector’s Choice CCM-0667-2. Original DOT recordings from 1960.
BILLY VAUGHN and his Orchestra – Look For A Star / A Swingin' Safari. Look For A Star; Snowfall; Mona Lisa; Paper Roses; Greenfields; Beyond The Sunset; Because They're Young; He'll Have To Go; Theme From The Apartment; La Montana; Just A Closer Walk With Thee; Marta; Swingin' Safari; (It's No Sin); Born To Be With You; Alone; Glow Worm March; In The Chapel In The Moonlight; Sunday In Madrid; Love Letters In The Sand; Blue Flame; A Fool Such As I; Throw Another Log On The Fire; When The Saints Go Marching In. (54:19). Collector’s Choice CCM-0668-2. Original DOT recordings from 1960 and 1962 respectively.
LES BAXTER and his Orchestra – Ritual Of The Savage / Passions. Busy Port; Sophisticates Savage; Jungle River Boat; Jungle Flower; Barquita; Stone God; Quiet Village; Jungle Jalopy; Coronation; Love Dance; Kinkajou; Ritual; Bacoa; Despair; Ecstacy; Hate; Lust; Terror; Jealousy; Joy. (59:16). Rev-Ola CRREV171. Original Capitol recordings from 1951 and 1954 respectively.
PADDY ROBERTS – Strictly for Grown Ups / Paddy Roberts Tries Again. Love Isn't What It Used to Be; Follow Me; Don't Upset the Little Kiddywinks; Architect; Big Dee Jay; Anglais Aves Son Sang; Froid; Ballad of Bethnal Green; Love in a Mist; Short Song; Growing Old; I've Got the Blues; Lavender Cowboy; Poor Little; Country Girl; Let Me Introduce the Boys; I Gave My Love a Cherry; You're a Square; We've Never Had It So Good; I Want to Go Home; The Belle Of Barking Creek; Why Did It All Begin?; Awful Lot of Bull; I Love Mary; Pie Eyed Piper; Tattooed Lady; We've Got to Thank Columbus; What's All This Fuss About Love? (73:22). Must Close Saturday Records MCSR3022. Original Decca recordings from 1959 and 1960 respectively.
REGINALD KELL & his Quiet Music – Swing Low Sweet Clarinet***. Clarence Raybould - The Wistful Shepherd**; Fritz Kreisler – Liebesleid*; The King Steps Out* (Stars in my Eyes);Liebesfreud*; Schön Rosmarin*; Caprice Viennois*; Claude Debussy - Le Petit Berger* (Children's Corner); La fille aux cheveux de lin*; Rêverie*; La plus que lente*; Walter Mourant - Blue Haze*;The Pied Piper*; Ecstasy*; Anonymous - The Gentle Maiden; Stephen Collins Foster - Gentle Annie; Some Folks; Irish Traditional - The Snowy Breasted Pearl; Has Sorrow Thy Young Days Shaded; Sebastián Iradier - La paloma; Annie Fortescue - Harrison In the Gloaming; Michael William Balfe -Killarney; Reginald Porter-Brown - Dance of the Three Old Maids*; George H. Clutsam - Ma Curly-headed Baby**. (*with Camarata and his Orchestra; **with the BBC Salon Orchestra; ***with Ambrose and his Orchestra). (73:59). Clarinet Classics CC0049. Recorded 1942-55.
LAURIE HOLLOWAY – The Piano Player. Surrey With The Fringe On Top; People Will Say We Are In Love; Every Time We Say Goodbye; How To Handle A Woman; My Favourite Things; Hello Young Lovers; Some Enchanted Evening; Honeysuckle Rose; I Guess I'll Have To Change My Plans; Forgotten Dreams; Blue Skies; Pick Yourself Up; I Won't Dance; Smoke Gets In Your Eyes; They Can't Take That Away From Me; Cute; Blind Date/Beadle's About; Gymnopedie No 1; Shall We Dance; They Say It's Wonderful. (72:01). Universal 986 754-8.
ANDRE KOSTELANETZ – Sounds of Today / Today's Greatest Movie Hits. Born Free; Dommage, Dommage (Too Bad, Too Bad); Games That Lovers Play; In the Arms of Love; Summer Wind; Man and a Woman; Sound of Silence; Cabaret; Alfie; Strangers in the Night; Guantanamera; Two for the Road; Barefoot in the Park; Tara's Theme (from Gone With the Wind); Thoroughly Modern Millie; What to Do? (Theme from Woman Times Seven); The Eyes of Love (from Banning); Doctor Dolittle; This Is My Song (from A Countess from Hong Kong); Fabulous Places (from Doctor Dolittle); Dreamsville (from Peter Gunn); Happy Barefoot Boy (from Two for the Road). (56:11). Collectables COL-CD-7601. Original Columbia recordings from 1967.
HUGO WINTERHALTER and his Orchestra – Through the Years. With Peter Hanley, June Valli, Billy Eckstine, Ginny Gibson, Stuart Foster, Eddie Heywood, Sunny Gale, The Ames Brothers, The Rhythmettes and Don Cornell & The Ray Charles Singers. Blue Tango; Melancholy Serenade; Foggy River; The Second Star To The Right; I Understand; Wrong Wrong Wrong; Orchid Room; The Flying Dutchman; More Than You Know; Dream Of Olwen; Penthouse Serenade (When We're Alone); The Chosen Few; My Heart Says No; Smoke Dreams; Blow Blow Winds Of The Sea; Blue Christmas; Smilin' Through; If I Could Tell You / In My Garden; Memory Lane; Take A Look In The Mirror; The Winter Snow; Beyond The Blue Horizon; These Foolish Things (Remind Me Of You); Mama; Land Of Dreams; Music Box In Blue; Vanessa; Salute To Industry; Make Believe Land; Something To Remember You By; Swingin' On A Star; Stairway To The Stairs; Stay With The Happy People; Are You Lonesome Tonight?; Prelude To The Stars;.My Destiny; Canadian Sunset; The Coca-Cola Company Theme; Let Me Go, Lover!; Unsuspecting Heart; Always; White Christmas; Music Of Manhattan / Memories Of Yesterday; Flaherty's Beguine; Leave It To Your Heart; Hopelessly; Seems Like Old Times; On The Trail; Through The Years. (155:22). Jasmine JASCD436. Original RCA recordings.
EMI has recently sent us a batch of new releases which should find their way into many Christmas stockings later this month.
Pride of place must go to a 3-CD box set that will certainly delight those with a soft spot for a certain American pop star. BOBBY VEE – The Singles Collection contains no less than 95 tracks spanning the years 1959-1977. The publicity notes inform us that this is a complete collection featuring all the hits, the US A-sides and B-sides, UK-only singles and rare material including tracks never previously released on CD – and even some Italian language versions. This collection has been produced in the UK, and the CD booklet is an example of how this kind of material should be treated; there are numerous photographs of Bobby Vee plus record labels and covers, some very comprehensive notes (you might like to have a magnifying glass handy!) plus full credits for the composers – one trackSwahili Serenade is even the work of Sir Malcolm Arnold! I am slightly amused to see that the contents of sets of more than one CD are no longer identified as CD1, CD2 etc, but ‘Component 1’ etc! EMI Gold 367 3792.
The Essential RONNIE RONALDE 50 tracks 2 CDs 2:20 mins EMI Gold 370 2352. This collection concentrates on Ronnie’s recordings for EMI, so you won’t find the four sides he recorded with Robert Farnon for Decca (one of these is on the new Guild CD "Soloists Supreme"). Now in his eighties and living in Australia, Ronnie continues to perform and he has a loyal following of devoted fans. Paul Hazell has assembled an enjoyable selection (assisted by Ronnie) and the booklet cannot be faulted. I have not listed the titles because Ronnie’s admirers can be reassured that their favourites such asIf I Were A Blackbird, In A Monastery Garden and Dream Of Olwen are all here. Like Bobby Vee (above) and the two collections which follow below, EMI have excelled themselves with informative and attractive booklets, and after criticising a lack of information in some instances in the past I am delighted to say that purchasers of these collections are certainly getting value for their money.
DICK HAYMES – The Complete Capitol Collection 2 CDs EMI Gold 371 3892. 36 tracks include It Might As Well Be Spring, The More I See You, The Very Thought Of You, You’ll Never Know etc.. This collection is simply what the title says – it contains the two LPs Dick Haymes recorded for Capitol in 1955 and 1956, plus a handful of singles. The LP "Rain or Shine" was conducted by Ian Bernard, who also contributed most of the arrangements, the others being by Johnny Mandel. "Moondreams" was entirely arranged and conducted by Ian Bernard. Billy May, Gordon Jenkins and Jackie Gleason had a hand with the singles. Musicologist and film historian Ken Barnes is responsible for this high quality product which stands as an example of the heights to which popular music had risen during the 1950s. A superb collection in every respect.
MATT MONRO – The Rare Monro Other People, Mirage, All Of A Sudden, Yours Alone, Let Me Choose Life, Can’t Take My Eyes Off You, Try To Remember, When I Look Into Your Eyes, Where In The World, New York New York, Taking A Chance On Love, Blue Moon, Birth Of The Blues, etc. 51 tracks EMI Gold 372 5582. British readers may have seen an excellent documentary on BBC4 about Matt Monro in recent months, subsequently repeated on BBC2 (pity the Radio Times couldn’t spell his name correctly). EMI’s blurb states: "Each time Matt Monro went into the studio with George Martin he would lay down five or six recordings. Those were then listened back to and a song was chosen that they thought would be the next hit. But what about the discarded songs? Well, they’re here!" The collection contains many previously unreleased tracks, and is largely the brainchild of Matt’s daughter Michele, who has also contributed the booklet notes and supplied a good selection of photos. Several songs are from non-EMI sources and the final track is a medley of four TV commercials sung by Matt early in his career. He was one of the few British singers of quality popular music during a period when rock ‘n’ roll just about overwhelmed everything else. It is good to know that his unique talent is still appreciated today, David Ades
Also new from EMI …
DEL SHANNON Home & Away A selection of ‘new’ material and a re-recording of his big hitRunaway – album recorded at Olympic Studios, London in February 1967. EMI seem to have resurrected a fondly remembered name from the past, although the repertoire used to be rather different – Zonophone! EMI Zonophone 374 8532.
CLIFF RICHARD Two’s Company The now familiar ploy of linking the ‘star’ with other singers. Someone must still be buying Cliff Richard CDs, because EMI keep issuing them! EMI 377 0722.David Ades
The American label Monstrous Movie Music may be unknown to many readers. It has come to our attention following the recent release of a rare Ron Goodwin score.
"THE DAY OF THE TRIFFIDS" (Ron Goodwin) 1962. The CD also includes music from "War Of The Satellites" (Walter Greene) 1958, "This Island Earth" (Herman Stein, Hans Salter and Henry Mancini) 1955 and "Earth vs the Flying Saucers" (Daniele Amfitheatrof) 1956 – Radio Symphony Orchestra of Slovakia. 60:12 mins, Monstrous Movie Music MMM-1954. The extremely detailed, and utterly fascinating booklet notes tell us that both Ron Goodwin and his colleague Ron Shillingford assisted in the preparation of the manuscripts for this recording, but it is clear that the film was not a happy experience for many people who worked on it. Both Allied Artists (of the USA) and the Rank Organisation (from Britain) were involved in the original production, and the first version was decimated to remove scenes where the special effects were far from special. Around 25 minutes was cut, including a lot of Ron Goodwin’s music. Extra scenes were subsequently shot to make the film sufficiently long for a first feature, but by then Ron had moved on to other projects. Johnny Douglas was brought in to add some music for the new material, but the producers also used some of his work to replace parts of Ron’s original score. Some music cues ended up being used in parts of the film for which they were not intended. Johnny Douglas did a good job, but it would have been far better if either he, or Ron, had been responsible for the complete film, because it seems that Johnny Douglas was not told to make sure that his music fitted the rest of the film. It all sounds like a typical case of producers thinking they know better than the creative artists themselves, and no doubt this kind of thing still goes on today. The CD is worth buying for the fascinating story in the booklet, and all admirers of Ron Goodwin will want to add this to their collections. Monstrous Movie Music is the only soundtrack label specialising in music from classic science fiction, fantasy and horror films, and if you are on the internet you should visit their website:www.mmmrecordings.com where you can buy by mail order.
Another recent release is "MIGHTY JOE YOUNG" (Roy Webb) 1949, plus "20 Million Miles To Earth" Mischa Bakaleinikoff and the Columbia Pictures’ music library) 1957, and "The Animal World" (Paul Sawtell) 1956. 61:48 mins, MMM-1953.
David Ades
THE BRITISH LIGHT MUSIC CLASSICS SERIES 77 tracks in a 4-CD box set The New London Orchestra Conducted by Ronald Corp Hyperion CDS44261/4. Most readers will already have one – if not all – of the CDs in this set; the first was released to considerable acclaim as long ago as 1996 with the fourth arriving in 2002. These modern stereo recordings introduced a new audience to the delights of 45 fine light music composers including Charles Ancliffe, Ronald Binge, Ernest Bucalossi, Eric Coates, Frederic Curzon, Robert Farnon, Herman Finck, Albert W. Ketelbey, Lionel Monckton, Sidney Torch, Gilbert Vinter and Charles Williams – to select just a few. We have not been advised that the four single volumes have been deleted, but if any RFS members would like all four this is surely a great bargain - not to be missed. David Ades This 4-CD set is available from the RFS Record Service for £19 [US $38].
For full details log on to the brilliant Hyperion website at www.hyperion-records.co.uk and go to Catalogue by Collection. You will also discover many other superb lighter music CDs from this very enterprising British company. Edmund Whitehouse
"Precious moment" EDDIE HENDERSON. To wisdom the prize, Blue in green, Around the world in 3/4, Precious moment, Dear old Stockholm, Unforgettable, Dance cadaverous, Wild flower, Silent night, (Kind of blue. KOB 10008) 55:53 mins. The opening tune written by Larry Willis with the crystal clear piano playing by Kevin Hays promises much for the rest of the CD. Things go slightly off form with Bill Evans’ beautiful "Blue in green". Eddie’s soloing rings changes in the Miles Davis version but not with the same tragic melancholy, so sounds aimless. Eddie is an inventive improviser - one I have enjoyed since his "Fusion" outings such as "Say you will", "Butterfly" and "Prance on". His rhythm section Kevin Hays, Ed Howard and Billy Hart have been with him for many years and the empathy shows. Two titles were written by his wife Natsuko, "Around the world in 3/4" and the title track. To be honest I wish he had kicked these into touch as they are the most forgettable! He should stick to ballads and better known composers. For me the most fascinating number is Eddie’s take on "Silent night" ticking percussion, wispy synthesiser sweeps and his soloing making up for lesser delights. Paul Clatworthy
"The Arthur Schwartz songbook" HERB GELLER. Dancing in the dark, Then I’ll be tired of you, Alone together, I see your face before me, A shine on my shoes, Come a wandering with me, By myself, Haunted heart, Girl in calico, I guess I’ll have to change my plan, You and the night and the music, They’re either too young or too old, How sweet of you, (medley Oh but I do, Something you never had before, Something to remember you by, That’s entertainment. (Hep Jazz CD2089) 60:58. Sleeve writer Gene Lees must have had a senior moment when he states "this is the first instrumental album devoted to the music of Arthur Schwartz". He is a Farnon Society member! That small quibble aside this album is bursting with good tunes immaculately played. Herb arranged all tracks which included some Schwartz songs new to me, and because I am a Big Band fan after a while the tracks set into a pattern, one medium tempo one medium fast - rather a churlish criticism as it was sent to me as a promo! (which probably means no more!) Lovers of small group jazz will love the album. Paul Clatworthy
"Rendezvous in Rio" MICHAEL FRANKS. Under the sun, Rendezvous in Rio, The cool school, Samba do Soho, The critics are never kind, Scatsville, The chemistry of love, Hearing "Take five", The question is why, Songbirds. (Koch records KOC-CD9964) 52:41. I have never heard a Michael Franks album that disappointed, this is no exception! His voice is unique, he writes most of his own output and always chooses so right backings. As befits the title this has a mainly Latin slant, one to put alongside the album he did with Eumir Deodata. I was hooked from track one till the end, beautiful tunes, sometimes "Bossa" other times "Samba" exceptionally clever lyrics, "I grew up listening to Mose and Chet" on "The cool school" summing up what he thinks of most critics by using quotes from Degas, Van Gogh and Gaugin on "The critics are never kind". There are no poor tracks on the album, the arrangers are Chuck Loeb, Charles Blenzig, Scott Petito, Roger Burns and Jeff Lorber, all raising their game to new
heights. Paul Clatworthy
PHIL KELSALL The Classic Collection Tritsch Tratsch Polka, Sailing By, Nola, My Heart and I, Bugler’s Holiday, The Girl From Corsica, Narcissus, In a Persian Market, Marigold, etc 21 tracks. Grasmere GRCD 126. This is a compilation of previous recordings which Phil describes as ‘my greatest tracks’. He has made an astonishing number of CDs, and has a big following in the organ fraternity. David Ades