27 May

The Art Of The Arranger – Volume

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GUILD LIGHT MUSIC GLCD5193

The Art Of The Arranger – Volume

1. A Wonderful Guy (from "South Pacific) (Richard Rodgers; Oscar Hammerstein
II, arr. Conrad Salinger)
THE CONRAD SALINGER ORCHESTRA Conducted by BUDDY BREGMAN
Verve MG VS-6012 1958
2 These Foolish Things (Jack Strachey; Eric Maschwitz, arr. Angela Morley)
ANGELA MORLEY AND HER ORCHESTRA (as ‘Wally Stott’)
Philips SBBL 501 1958
3 And This Is My Beloved (Robert Craig Wright; George Forrest, arr. David Rose)
DAVID ROSE AND HIS ORCHESTRA
MGM SE 3895 1961
4 Soliloquy (from "Carousel") (Richard Rodgers, arr. Brian Fahey)
CYRIL ORNADEL AND THE STARLIGHT SYMPHONY
MGM SE 3817 1960
5 Oh, Lady, Be Good (George Gershwin, arr. Rayburn Wright)
FREDERICK FENNELL AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Mercury CMS 18050 1961
6 When You Wish Upon A Star (Leigh Harline; Ned Washington, arr. Annuzio Mantovani)
MANTOVANI AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Decca SKL 4067 1959
7 East Of Fifth (also known as ‘Stateside Stroll’) (Anthony Tamburello, arr. Bruce
Campbell)
ROBERT FARNON AND HIS ORCHESTRA (LP label credits ‘Everest Concert Orchestra Conducted by Derek Boulton’)
Everest SDBR 1018 1958
8 September Song (from "Knickerbocker Holiday") (Kurt Weill; Maxwell Anderson,
arr. Roland Shaw)
MANTOVANI AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Decca SKL 4002 1958
9 Zandunga - Jesusita E Chihuahua (The Dancing Donkey) (Traditional, arr. Percy Faith)
PERCY FAITH AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Columbia CS 8038 1957
10 The London I Love (Harold Purcell; George Posford, arr. Leon Young)
FRANK CHACKSFIELD AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Decca SKL 4057 1958
11 Where Or When (from "Babes In Arms") (Richard Rodgers, arr. Morton Gould)
MORTON GOULD AND HIS ORCHESTRA
RCA Victor LSC-2552 1961
12 The Lincolnshire Poacher (Traditional, arr. Robert Farnon)
ROBERT FARNON AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Decca LF 1123 1953
13 Yesterdays (Jerome Kern, arr. Frank Cordell)
FRANK CORDELL AND HIS ORCHESTRA
HMV CSD 1251 1958
14 A Little White Gardenia (from the film "All The King’s Horses") (Sam Coslow, arr. Ronald Binge)
RONALD BINGE AND HIS ORCHESTRA
RCA LSP 1890 1959
15 Dancing On The Ceiling (Richard Rodgers, arr. Gordon Jenkins)
GORDON JENKINS AND HIS ORCHESTRA, featuring GORDON JENKINS, piano
Decca DL 8077 1954
16 The Paratroopers’ March (original title Marche des Parachutistes) (Pierre Jules Leemans, arr. Ray Martin)
RAY MARTIN AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Polydor 46076 LPHM 195817 If Ever I Would Leave You (from "Camelot") (Alan Jay Lerner; Frederick Loewe, arr. William Hill Bowen)
THE LIVING STRINGS Conducted by WILLIAM HILL BOWEN
RCA Camden 657 1961
18 Ebb Tide (Robert Maxwell, arr. Johnny Douglas)
THE LIVING STRINGS Conducted by JOHNNY DOUGLAS
RCA Camden 639 1960
19 Volveré (Maria Grever, arr. Laurie Johnson)
AMBROSE AND HIS ORCHESTRA WITH STRINGS Conducted by LAURIE JOHNSON
MGM E 3478 1957
20 Romance (Anton Rubinstein, arr. Arthur Wilkinson)
THE MELACHRINO ORCHESTRA Conducted by GEORGE MELACHRINO
HMV DLP 1083 1955
21 Ill Wind (Harold Arlen, arr. Nelson Riddle)
NELSON RIDDLE AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Capitol ST 1571 1961
22 Elizabeth And Essex Love Theme (George Martin, arr. Ron Goodwin)
RON GOODWIN AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Parlophone PCS 3019 1961
23 The British Grenadiers (Traditional, arr. Clive Richardson)
CHARLES WILLIAMS AND HIS CONCERT ORCHESTRA
Columbia DB 3271 1953
24 Scheherazade Themes (Rimsky Korsakov, adapted and arranged by David Carroll)
DAVID CARROLL AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Mercury PPS 6002 1960

Stereo tracks 1-11, 13, 14, 17, 18, 21, 22 & 24; rest in mono.

Guild’s first album dedicated to arrangers (GLCD5188) explained the importance of these often neglected, but very essential, members of the music fraternity. Their special gifts of being able to transform often simple melodies into masterpieces of orchestration are largely taken for granted by the general public. Hopefully this collection will go a small way to give a few of them the recognition they deserve.

First on the music stands this time is (I’m In Love With) A Wonderful Guy - the work of Conrad Salinger (1901-1961). Guild introduced his inventive charts in the "Strings And Things Go Stereo" collection (GLCD5153) when it was explained that Buddy Bregman (b. 1930), A&R Manager of the fledgling Verve Records label, had taken his orchestra into Studio A at Capitol Records on 20 & 21 March 1957 to conduct an album honouring Salinger. Such was Bregman’s esteem for him that he retitled his orchestra ‘The Conrad Salinger Orchestra conducted by Buddy Bregman’ for the LP "Conrad Salinger – A Lovely Afternoon".

Angela Morley (1924-2009) needs no introduction to Guild ‘regulars’. These Foolish Things was arranged while she was still known as ‘Wally Stott’, and it draws on her early days when she played alto sax with bands such as Geraldo. When the strings surge in to join the small group her experience of working with Robert Farnon becomes obvious. In her later career she left England for the USA where she worked on several big budget movies (one example is the "Star Wars" series assisting John Williams), and on TV shows such as "Dallas" and "Dynasty".

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 5189) and The Stripper sold millions. Many of his original compositions have already been reissued on Guild, but this time the spotlight falls on his skill as an arranger. And This Is My Beloved is one of the glorious melodies that Messrs Wright and Forrest ‘borrowed’ from Alexander Borodin (1833-1887) for their hit musical "Kismet".

Oscar Hammerstein II’s lyrics to Soliloquy probably caused many a proud young parent to shed a tear the first time they encountered this touching scene in the musical "Carousel". The father-to-be automatically assumes that his unborn child will be a boy, but then it dawns upon him that he may be mistaken. Richard Rodgers (1902-1979) cleverly captured the change of mood from rumbustious to tender, and the arrangement by Brian Fahey (1919-2007) perfectly captures the mood of this show-stopping moment. Fahey was born in Margate, Kent, but while still in his twenties he spent five years as a Prisoner of War, where he put his early studies on piano and cello to good use by honing his musical skills, especially arranging which became his passion. During the 1950s he worked for London publishers Chappell & Co and Cinephonic Music, providing numerous scores for dance bands, singers and orchestras, mainly for radio broadcasts. For a while he was Shirley Bassey’s musical director and he was also employed by Cyril Ornadel to provide numerous arrangements for a series of LPs by the Starlight Symphony – mainly aimed at the American market, but released around the world. The lush orchestral sounds conjured up by Fahey were miles away from his ‘pop’ numbers such as Fanfare Boogie, which won him an Ivor Novello Award in 1955.

Rayburn Wright (1922-1990) was an American conductor, trombonist and arranger who taught jazz and film scoring at the Eastman School of Music, where Frederick Fennell was also an important presence. He was a trombonist and arranger in the United States Army Band as well as the Tony Pastor and Glenn Miller-Tex Beneke Orchestras. In 1965 he was named co-director of music and conductor of the orchestra at Radio City Music Hall. He also appeared as a guest conductor with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, the Philadelphia Orchestra and the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra. Wright composed film scores for the prize-winning television documentary series "Saga of Western Man." Such was the high esteem in which he was held that the Eastman School of Music established the Rayburn Wright Award in 1989 recognising distinguished students.

In his book "Mantovani – A Lifetime in Music" (Melrose Books 2005) Colin MacKenzie describes Mantovani’s own arrangement of When You Wish Upon A Star as "remarkable…which begins and ends with a descending run from the high strings to the low basses in imitation of a falling star". Although he regularly employed top arrangers such as Cecil Milner (1905-1989), Ronald Binge and Roland Shaw, the maestro occasionally found the time to orchestrate a melody that specially appealed to him. He was also a composer, though few people realised it because he used a variety of pseudonyms, such as ‘Pedro Manilla’, ‘Paul Remy’, ‘Roy Faye’, ‘Leonello Gandino’, ‘Paul Monty’ and ‘Tulio Trapani’. Annunzio Paolo Mantovani (1905-1980) became the conductor of one of the most famous light orchestras from the 1950s onwards. Born in Venice, his family came to England when he was aged four and he was something of a prodigy on the violin by the time he reached sixteen. But he leaned more towards popular music, and fronted many different kinds of ensembles before long-playing records (especially when stereo arrived) brought him worldwide acclaim. Although there is no doubt that he retained a warm affection for the land of his birth, he became a British citizen in 1933.

When Tony Tamburello died in September 1992 at the age of 72 a short report on his passing in the New York Times described him as a pianist and vocal coach. But he also loved to compose tunes like East Of Fifth, but lacked the expertise to arrange for a full orchestra. An ideal choice for this work was Bruce Campbell, one of several writers who owed much to his association with Robert Farnon. He was a fellow Canadian, who actually came to Britain some years before Farnon, and played trombone with various British bands during the 1930s. Towards the end of the 1940s Campbell realised that he possessed some skills as a composer, and Farnon encouraged him and provided some valuable guidance. (East Of Fifth was renamed Stateside Stroll when the music was leased to the Chappell Recorded Music Library).

Mantovani’s Orchestra returns with September Song arranged by Roland Edgar Shaw-Tomkins (better known as Roland Shaw, b. 1920), who Colin MacKenzie reveals in his Mantovani biography was affectionately known as ‘young Roly’ by Monty. Shaw’s long career (usually out of the limelight) involved working with countless stars and orchestras, many of them in the Decca ‘stable’. Colin explains that "when arranging for Mantovani Shaw usually received the newest material containing the dodgier harmonies but managed with his taste and ability to soften the edges. Roland did most of his arranging at night when the phone had stopped ringing, sitting at a piano with a board in front of him, sometimes until 3 am. He went to the recording studios for the sessions and sometimes helped out in the control box, using his scores".

Another Guild favourite is Toronto-born Percy Faith (1908-1976) who moved permanently to the USA in 1940 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 most of his contemporaries, Faith arranged all his own material, and he had a particular love of Latin American music: his contribution to this CD will be better known to many as The Cactus Polka.

Leon Young (1916-1991) learned the piano with organist and composer Percy Whitlock (1903-1946), and the trombone with the Salvation Army. After war service in the Royal Navy, back in civilian life within two years he was contributing arrangements for Tommy Handley's "ITMA", then the most popular and prestigious show on radio. In 1953 Decca issued two 78s containing two of Leon's most famous and memorable arrangements, Charlie Chaplin's theme from Limelight and Ebb Tide. The label had recently signed up Frank Chacksfield with a 40-piece orchestra comprising a large string section and Leon was approached to provide the arrangements. From one of the many products of this fortuitous partnership we hear The London I Love. Leon would eventually be a regular broadcaster in his own right on the BBC, notably with his ‘String Chorale’.

Morton Gould (1913-1996) became one of the most highly respected American composers and conductors. He generally also arranged the works he conducted in the concert hall and on records (such as Where Or When), and from 1986 to 1994 he held the important position of President of the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP).

The Canadian composer Robert Joseph Farnon (1917-2005) produced a wealth of light music, and he had a special affection for folk tunes, such as The Lincolnshire Poacher from a collection of music from the British Isles in celebration of the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953.

Frank Cordell (1918-1980) was a talented English composer, arranger and conductor, and it is his latter two talents that produce the ethereal version of Yesterdays chosen for this collection.

Today it is well-known that the English musician Ronald Binge (1910-1979) deserves recognition as the talented arranger responsible for creating the distinctive string sound (sometimes called ‘cascading strings’) which made Mantovani famous throughout the world. He was also an accomplished conductor and composer (Elizabethan Serenade on GLCD5162 springs immediately to mind), and his arrangement of A Little White Gardenia comes from one of his LPs aimed at the American market.

Gordon Jenkins(1910-1984) arranged for many of the top bands in America before carving out an impressive career for himself in radio and films. He signed with US Decca in 1945, and eventually became their managing director. Dancing On The Ceiling comes from that period of his career. When he later moved to Capitol he created some fine arrangements for Nat ‘King’ Cole and Frank Sinatra.

Viennese Raymond Stuart Martin (1918-1988) was born Raymond Wolfgang Kohn, but after he fled from the Nazis and settled in England before the outbreak of World War 2 he chose to be known as ‘Ray Martin’. He became one of the biggest names in British popular music during the 1950s, and The Paratroopers’ March comes from one of several LPs he arranged and conducted for the German label Polydor.

The Living Strings make a welcome return to Guild in the next two tracks, with performances arranged and conducted by two top English musicians. William Hill-Bowen (1918-1964) takes to the podium first for If Ever I Would Leave You, closely followed by Johnny Douglas (1920-2003) for a memorable version of Ebb Tide.

Laurie Johnson (b.1927) has been a leading figure on the British entertainment scene for 50 years. A gifted arranger and composer, Laurie has contributed to films, musical theatre, radio, television and records, with his music used in many well-known productions such as "The Avengers" and "The Professionals". Early in his career he was asked by MGM to make a series of recordings as conductor and arranger, but at the time the bandleader Ambrose was still well-known, so it was his name that appeared on the labels. Volveré was included on an LP of Latin-American melodies.

Arthur Harold Wilkinson (1919-1968) was a British musician who began composing while serving in the Royal Air Force during World War II. Back in civilian life he became known through his work as a composer and arranger for radio, television and films, and he was commissioned to write the music which opened the daily broadcasts from the UK’s Tyne Tees Television station – he called it Three Rivers Fantasy. From his arrangements for George Melachrino (1909-1965) we have selected Rubinstein’s charming Romance.

Nelson Riddle (1921-1985) was a trombonist during his early career, which could explain why that particular instrument was featured in some of his most inventive arrangements for Frank Sinatra. Riddle’s scores also enhanced the recording careers of many top stars, from Nat ‘King’ Cole and Dean Martin to Judy Garland and Peggy Lee. Fortunately for us he made a few instrumental albums on his own, and Ill Wind showcases his scoring for strings.

Ronald (Ron) Alfred Goodwin(1925-2003) was a brilliant British composer, arranger and conductor, who excelled in the spheres of recording, broadcasting and films. Elizabeth And Essex Love Theme was originally written for a projected LP which was intended to contrast the two Elizabethan periods in British history. The LP never materialised, but the gently lilting love theme by George Martin (yes, the same man who recorded The Beatles) deserved to be heard, so Ron Goodwin included it on his "Serenade" album.

Clive Richardson (1909-1998) was best-known as a pianist during his early career, but working on many pre-war British films (usually without any credit on-screen) honed his talents as an arranger and composer. He seems to have enjoyed making amusing versions of popular traditional tunes, such as The British Grenadiers.

The final track is courtesy of David Carroll (1913-2008) – real name Rodell Walter ‘Nook’ Schreier – who was well-known in his native USA as a conductor and arranger. In the mid-1940s he joined the newly formed Mercury Records where he spent the next 15 years. Initially employed as an arranger and conductor, he progressed to being a producer and was later promoted as head of artists and repertoire. Guild recently reissued his version of Dance Of The Slave Maidens (GLCD5189), and the requests for more from the same collection are answered here with the haunting music that Rimsky-Korsakov (1844-1908) created for Scheherazade.

David Ades

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About Geoff 123
Geoff Leonard was born in Bristol. He spent much of his working career in banking but became an independent record producer in the early nineties, specialising in the works of John Barry and British TV theme compilations.
He also wrote liner notes for many soundtrack albums, including those by John Barry, Roy Budd, Ron Grainer, Maurice Jarre and Johnny Harris. He co-wrote two biographies of John Barry in 1998 and 2008, and is currently working on a biography of singer, actor, producer Adam Faith.
He joined the Internet Movie Data-base (www.imdb.com) as a data-manager in 2001 and looked after biographies, composers and the music-department, amongst other tasks. He retired after nine years loyal service in order to continue writing.