Picking Strings

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GUILD LIGHT MUSIC GLCD5156

Picking Strings

1 Vacances (Holiday Time) (Gérard Calvi)
GÉRARD CALVI AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Pye NPL 28003 1958
2 Candid Snap (Frank Chacksfield)
THE SYMPHONIA ORCHESTRA Conducted by CURT ANDERSEN
Charles Brull - Harmonic CBL 428 1958
3 Picking Strings (Ronald Hanmer)
STUTTGART RADIO ORCHESTRA Conducted by KURT REHFELD ?
Josef Weinberger Theme Music JW 107 1957
4 Mimi (Lorenz Hart, Richard Rodgers)
ANDRE KOSTELANETZ AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Columbia CL 811 1956
5 Carriage For Marriage (Ray Martin)
RAY MARTIN AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Polydor 46076 LPHM 1958
6 Night Flight To Madrid (Kermit Leslie & Walter Leslie real surnames Levinsky)
KERMIT LESLIE AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Epic LN 3452 1958
7 Marionette (Otto Cesana)
OTTO CESANA AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Columbia CL 631 1955
8 Beware (Escale A Victoria) (Varel, Bailly, Savoy – arr. Frank Cordell)
FRANK CORDELL AND HIS ORCHESTRA
HMV B 10305 1952
9 Running Off The Rails (Clive Richardson)
PHILIP GREEN AND HIS ORCHESTRA
M-G-M MGM 180 1949
10 Dream Of Tomorrow (Trevor Duncan, real name Leonard Charles Trebilco)
THE SYMPHONIA ORCHESTRA Conducted by CURT ANDERSEN
Charles Brull - Harmonic CBL 430 1958
11 A Song For Penelope (Norman Whiteley)
STUTTGART RADIO ORCHESTRA Conducted by KURT REHFELD ?
Impress IA 194-A 1958
12 Flight By Jet (Angela Morley)
DANISH STATE RADIO ORCHESTRA Conducted by ROBERT FARNON *
Chappell C 597 1958
13 Perpetual Emotion (from Symphony No. 5 ½ - ‘A Symphony For Fun’) (Don Gillis)
NEW SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA OF LONDON Conducted by DON GILLIS
Decca LM 4510 1950
14 Silver Fizz (Earle H. Hagen, Herbert Spencer)
THE SPENCER-HAGEN ORCHESTRA
"X" 0147 1955
15 Fashion Promenade (Alan Perry, real name Ernest Tomlinson)
STUTTGART RADIO ORCHESTRA Conducted by KURT REHFELD ?
Josef Weinberger Theme Music JW 106-A 1957
16 Runaway Romance (F. Andrini, Florian ZaBach)
FLORIAN ZaBACH, HIS VIOLIN AND ORCHESTRA
Mercury MEP 9531 1958
17 Enfin Le Printemps (Finally It’s Spring) (Margueritte Angele Monnot)
DDIE BARCLAY AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Felsted PDL 85014 1956
18 Hollywood Freeway (Norrie Paramor)
THE CONNAUGHT LIGHT ORCHESTRA
Conroy BM 146-B 1958
19 Champagne Time (George Cates)
GEORGE CATES AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Coral CRL 57220 1958
20 La Feria De Las Flores (The Flower Fair) (Chucho Monje, arr. Mario Ruiz Armengol)
MARIO RUIZ ARMENGOL AND HIS ORCHESTRA
RCA LPM 1292 1956
21 El Cumbanchero (Rafael Hernandez)
PÉPÉ GONZALEZ AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Brunswick LAT 8128 1957
22 Swizzlesticks (Steve Kirk)
DOLF VAN DER LINDEN AND HIS ORCHESTRA (VAN LYNN on LP label)
Brunswick LAT 8165 1957
23 Busybodies (George Melachrino)
THE MELACHRINO ORCHESTRA Conducted by GEORGE MELACHRINO
EMI EP 14 1947
24 Road Show (Bob Haymes)
ACQUAVIVA AND HIS ORCHESTRA
MGM E 3696 1958
25 How High The Moon (Nancy Hamilton, Morgan Lewis)
DAVID ROSE AND HIS ORCHESTRA
MGM E 3255 1955
26 Tandem Promenade (Vic Reynaers)
THE BRUSSELS NEW CONCERT ORCHESTRA Conducted by VIC REYNAERS
Synchro FM 187 1958
27 Tom Fool (Van Phillips)
THE CONNAUGHT LIGHT ORCHESTRA
Conroy BM 106-A 1958
28 Passe Ton Chemin (Pass Your Way) (Pierre Delanoe, Gilbert Becaud)
BORIS SARBEK AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Epic LN 3317 1956
29 Through The Town (Rythme Des Rues) (Roger Roger)
ROGER ROGER AND HIS CHAMPS ELYSEES ORCHESTRA
Chappell C 592 1957
30 The Fiddling Bullfighter (Percy Faith)
PERCY FAITH AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Columbia 4-40512 1954

? The 78 label credits ‘The Crawford Light Orchestra’
? The 78 label credits ‘The Lansdowne Light Orchestra’
* The 78 label credits ‘The Melodi Light Orchestra Conducted by Ole Jensen’

The copyright dates after the catalogue numbers state when the original recording was first released, according to printed catalogues and/or information on disc labels or sleeves.

All recordings are in Mono

BOOKLET NOTES

This collection features some 26 different orchestras and over 30 composers all with one specific aim in mind – to create great music with the strings to the fore. Newcomers to the Guild Light Music series include the talented French composer and conductor Gérard Calvi plus, from the other side of the Atlantic, Don Gillis, Florian Zabach, George Cates and Pépé Gonzalez (a pseudonym for an unidentified classical conductor from South America).

The splendid original painting which graces the cover of this CD sets the scene for two particular tracks in this collection: Clive Richardson’s Running Off The Rails and the opening number which captures the excitement of going on holiday - and 50 years ago that usually meant travelling by train.

Gérard Calvi (real name Grégoire Elie Krettly, born 1922) first came to the attention of the public in his native France when he contributed the music in 1948 to a show called "Les Branquignols", with Robert Dhéry adding witty lyrics to his quirky melodies. The following year he composed the score for "La Patronne", launching a career in mainly European films that would continue for the rest of the 20th Century. By far his best known cinematic work was for the "Asterix" films, but Calvi was equally at home in the theatre and recording studios, and writing popular songs for the likes of Frank Sinatra and Edith Piaf – over 300 in total. Probably his most successful composition internationally was One Of Those Songs - thanks to Will Holt adding the English lyric to a catchy orchestral piece called Le Bal de Madame de Mortemouille.

As well as conducting one of the world’s great light orchestras from the 1950s to the 1980s, Frank (Francis Charles) Chacksfield (1914-1995) also occasionally liked to compose. His Candid Snap (written for the Charles Brull Harmonic Mood Music Library) was heard quite frequently on the radio, but this is the first time that it has been available to the general public on a commercial release. Its instant appeal makes you wish that Frank had been more prolific in this area of his undoubted musical capabilities.

To Ronald Hanmer (1917-1994) goes the honour of providing the title track for this CD. Over 700 of his compositions were published in various background music libraries, and he was in demand as an arranger of well-known works for Amateur Societies. The brass band world was very familiar with his scores – sometimes used as test pieces. In 1975 he emigrated to Australia, where he was delighted to discover that his melody Pastorale was famous throughout the land as the theme for the long-running radio serial "Blue Hills".

Norman Whiteley has previously appeared in this series as the composer of Dusky Aristocrat (GLCD 5124) which is an amusing novelty dating from 1940, and probably his best known number which he described as an ‘impression’. Other pieces to catch the public’s attention included Air For A Summer Evening, Granny’s Spinning Wheel, Fairy-Cycle and Kathleen May. This time we hear his Song For Penelope which finds him in a distinctly wistful mood; it is one of several pieces he contributed to mood music libraries during the 1950s. His pre-war career as a pianist seems to have been centred on the Manchester band circuit of the 1930s, and during the 1950s he formed a Sextet for the BBC series "Music While You Work".

The American composer Don Gillis (1912-1978) seemingly did not get the full attention from the American record industry which his talents deserved. It was the British Decca label that brought him to London in 1950 for several sessions at the Kingsway Hall which has preserved for posterity some of his best – and most quirky – creations. Anyone who can compose a piece of music called "Symphony No. 5½" is almost demanding not to be taken too seriously, and to make sure that nobody missed the joke Gillis subtitled his work "A Symphony For Fun". The first movement Perpetual Emotion is so typical of the carefree, almost whimsical, work that he offered to music lovers in the middle years of the last century.

Florian ZaBach (1918-2006) was an American violinist and conductor who became a well-known television personality in post-war years. He appeared on many top shows from New York, including Ed Sullivan, Arthur Godfrey, Milton Berle, Red Skelton and Steve Allen, before moving to Hollywood to film the weekly "Florian ZaBach Show". His 1951 78 The Hot Canary sold a million, and during a long career he was invited as violinist and conductor to perform many ‘Pops Concerts’ with orchestras around the world.

New Yorker George Cates (1911-2002) started out as a saxophone player with bands such as Russ Morgan, Henry Busse and Dick Stabile, for whom he also did some arranging. He was also closely involved with Lawrence Welk (1903-1992) from 1951 onwards, and his composition Champagne Time was Welk’s theme for his television shows which continued (sometimes showing Cates conducting the orchestra) until 1982. Back in the mid-1950s George Cates was Artists and Repertoire Manager at Coral where he accompanied many of their top stars including Bing Crosby, Andrews Sisters, Teresa Brewer and Danny Kaye.

Herbert Spencer (1905-1992) began contributing music to films as early as 1933, and he was still in demand from Hollywood as an orchestrator in 1990 when he worked on "Home Alone". During the 1950s he made several albums with Earle Hagen (1919-2008 – famous as the composer of the jazz standard Harlem Nocturne) and the Spencer Hagen Orchestra is still remembered today by collectors of what has become known as ‘lounge music’. They collaborated on composing Silver Fizz and it was included on their first album for the short-lived RCA "X" label. This was launched in 1953 and, although a wholly owned subsidiary label of RCA, it had its own independent distribution system. It seems that the slightly unusual name is taken either from RCA Victor's mysterious "Project Madam X" (which was the code name for the development of the 45 rpm record in the post-war forties), or the name used by trade press reporters concerning RCA's hush hush approach to their new project.

All the composers, arrangers and conductors featured in this collection deserve to have their careers profiled in considerable detail, but sadly lack of space prevents this. Many have already been (or are likely to be in the future) given a fair share of the limelight, but on this occasion the following thumbnail sketches will have to suffice for some of those not mentioned above.

Andre Kostelanetz (1901-1980) was one of the biggest names in American light orchestral music during the middle years of the 20th Century. His broadcasts and recordings were enjoyed by millions.

Viennese-born Ray Martin (1918-1988) was one of the biggest names in British popular music during the 1950s. As well as conducting his orchestra for records, radio and television, he was also a talented composer.

Kermit Leslie (born Kermit Levinsky in New York City) often composed with his brother Walter, and it seems a pity that he appears to have made relatively few recordings.

Although born in Brescia, Italy, Otto Cesana (1899-1980) spent much of his career in California, and was especially active in radio and films during the 1940s and 1950s.

Frank Cordell (1918-1980) was a fine English composer, arranger and conductor responsible for several distinctive LPs which quickly became collectors’ items.

Clive Richardson (1909-1998) originally composed Running Off The Rails as a short work for the Francis, Day & Hunter Mood Music Library called Locomotion. But it quickly became noticed, requiring a change of name and an extended middle section so that light orchestras could perform it in their radio broadcasts.

Philip Green (1910-1982) began his professional career at the age of eighteen playing in various orchestras. Within a year he became London’s youngest West End conductor at the Prince of Wales Theatre. His long recording career began with EMI in 1933, and he is credited with at least 150 film scores, and countless mood music compositions.

Trevor Duncan (real name Leonard CharlesTrebilco, 1924-2005) was working as a BBC sound engineer when one of his first compositions, High Heels (on Guild GLCD 5124) made the light music world sit up and take notice. Eventually his successful and prolific output mushroomed to such an extent that he had to give up his ‘day job’ at the BBC, and also find several different publishers simply because he was writing too much for just one to handle.

Angela Morley (1924-2009) was regarded as one of the finest arrangers and film composers in recent years. In her later career she worked on several big budget movies - one example is the "Star Wars" series assisting John Williams. She also contributed scores to prestigious TV shows such as "Dallas" and "Dynasty". In the 1950s she made numerous recordings under her former name, Wally Stott, also providing the priceless musical backings for BBC Radio’s "The Goon Show".

Canadian-born Robert Farnon (1917-2005) is widely regarded as one of the greatest light music composers and arrangers of his generation. His melodies such as Jumping Bean and Portrait Of A Flirt (on Guild GLCD 5120) are familiar to millions around the world.

Ernest Tomlinson(b.1924) is one of Britain’s most talented composers (often using the pseudonym ‘Alan Perry’), working mainly in light music, but also highly regarded for his choral works and brass band pieces.

Eddie Barclay (real name Edouard Ruault, 1921-2005) was a leading light in France’s entertainment scene due to his numerous recordings, where he became known as the ‘king of microgroove’.

Norman William (Norrie) Paramor (1914-1979) tended to be better known by the public for his work with pop stars on EMI’s Columbia label, but he also made numerous instrumental recordings and wrote several catchy numbers that greatly appealed.

During the middle years of the last century Don Mario Ruiz Armengol (b. 1914) was regarded as Mexico’s foremost arranger and conductor of popular music, as well as one of its leading composers.

Dolf van der Linden (real name David Gysbert van der Linden, 1915-1999) was the leading figure on the light music scene in the Netherlands from the 1940s until the 1980s. As well as broadcasting frequently with his Metropole Orchestra, he made numerous recordings for the background music libraries of major music publishers. His commercial recordings (especially for the American market) were often labelled as ‘Van Lynn’ or ‘Daniel De Carlo’.

George Melachrino (1909-1965) was one of the top British conductors of light music, with his records (especially LPs) selling in large numbers around the world.

The American composer and conductor Nick (Nicholas Paul) Acquaviva (1925-1998) -although not a frequent visitor to the recording studios, gained recognition in the USA through his involvement with the Symphony of the Air orchestra and as conductor of the 135-strong New York ‘Pops’ Symphony Orchestra which promoted new works by young composers.

London-born David Rose (1910-1990) became one of the truly great light orchestra leaders in the USA, and his compositions such as Holiday For Strings (on Guild GLCD 5120) and The Stripper sold millions.

The American Van Phillips (1905-1992) was a respected member of London’s dance band fraternity from the late 1920s onwards, but after the Second World War he discovered a new talent for writing background music for publishers’ libraries. When this failed to satisfy his creative instincts he eventually became a highly regarded professional photographer.

Boris Sarbek (born Boris Saarbecoof, d. 1966) emigrated from Russia to live in France, where his orchestra performed a wide repertoire of popular music.

Roger Roger (1911-1995) was a leading figure on the French music scene for many years, and his fine compositions and arrangements also won him many admirers internationally. 

Percy Faith (1908-1976) was born in Toronto, Canada, and an injury to his hands from a fire forced him to rethink his plans for a career as a concert pianist. He turned to arranging, composing and conducting and in 1940 he moved permanently to the USA where he quickly established himself through radio and recordings. From the 1950s onwards his fame spread internationally, due to the great success of his numerous long playing albums. Unlike many of his contemporaries, Faith arranged all his own material, and his exciting and vibrant scores made his work stand out among the rest. 

© David Ades 2009

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