27 May

Stereo Into The Sixties

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GUILD LIGHT MUSIC GLCD5192

Stereo Into The Sixties

1 Night And Day (from the film "The Gay Divorcee") (Cole Porter, arr. Brian Fahey)
CYRIL ORNADEL AND THE STARLIGHT SYMPHONY
MGM SE 3843 1960
2 Bidin’ My Time (George Gershwin, arr. Rayburn Wright)
FREDERICK FENNELL AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Mercury CMS 18050 1961
3 Bobsled (Wayne Robinson; Caesar Giovannini; Herman Clebanoff)
CLEBANOFF AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Mercury PPS 6019 1961
4 Italia Mia (Annunzio Paolo Mantovani)
MANTOVANI AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Decca SKL 4135 1961
5 London Serenade (Ron Goodwin)
RON GOODWIN AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Parlophone PCS 3019 1961
6 Coney Island (Don Banks)
THE SINFONIA OF LONDON Conducted by DOUGLAS GAMLEY
HMV CSD 1333 1961
7 Carioca (from the film "Flying Down To Rio") (Gus Kahn; Edward Eliscu; Vincent
Youmans)
JACK SHAINDLIN AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Brunswick STA 3055 1961
8 What Is There To Say (Vernon Duke; E. Y. Harburg)
DAVID ROSE AND HIS ORCHESTRA
MGM SE 4155 1961
9 Jockey On The Carousel (Jerome Kern, arr. Morton Gould)
MORTON GOULD AND HIS ORCHESTRA
RCA LSC 2559 1961
10 Pedro The Fisherman (from "The Lisbon Story") (Harold Vousden Purcell; Harry Parr-Davies, arr. Johnny Douglas)
THE LIVING STRINGS Conducted by JOHNNY DOUGLAS
RCA SF 5072 1960
11 Petite Waltz (Joe Heyne)
DAVID CARROLL AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Mercury SML 30022 1961
12 Amparito Roca (Jaime Texidor)
ASTMAN-ROCHESTER POPS ORCHESTRA Conducted by FREDERICK FENNELL
Mercury SR 90144 1960
13 One Eyed Jacks – Love theme from the film (Hugo Friedhofer)
FERRANTE AND TEICHER at two pianos, with Orchestra and Chorus
HMV CSD 1407 1961
14 Lisa (Percy Faith)
PERCY FAITH AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Columbia CS 8360 1961
15 Ruby (from the film "Ruby Gentry") (Heinz Roemheld; Mitchell Parish)
THE MELACHRINO ORCHESTRA Conducted by GEORGE MELACHRINO
RCA LSP 2412 1961
16 On The Beach At Waikiki (Henry Kaikimai; G.H. Stove, arr. William Hill Bowen
THE LIVING STRINGS Conducted by WILLIAM HILL BOWEN
RCA Camden CAS 661 1961
17 Dream Of Olwen (from the film "While I Live") (Charles Williams)
RUSS CONWAY, Piano, with MICHAEL COLLINS AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Columbia SCX 3299 1960
18 Nobody’s Heart (Richard Rodgers, arr. Frank Cordell)
FRANK CORDELL AND HIS ORCHESTRA featuring NEILL SANDERS, horn
HMV CSD 1294 1960
19 The Alamo - Theme from the film (Green Leaves Of Summer) (Paul Francis
Webster; Dimitri Tiomkin)
BILLY VAUGHN AND HIS ORCHESTRA
DOT DLP 25349 1960
20 Fete Circassienne (Wal-Berg)
WAL-BERG AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Barclay BB 42 1960
21 Mayfair (from ‘London Again’ Suite) (Eric Coates)
ERIC JOHNSON AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Westminster WPS 103 1961
22 Away Out West (from the film "Around The World In Eighty Days") (Victor Popular Young; Harold Adamson, arr. Robert Farnon)
ROBERT FARNON AND HIS ORCHESTRA
MGM SE 3804 1960

All tracks in stereo

By the time 1960 arrived the record industry was gradually getting used to its latest asset – stereo. The initial excitement that had greeted its arrival a few years earlier was being replaced by a desire to use the new technology to its best advantage. Gone (in most cases!) were the ‘ping-pong’ novelty recordings, where instruments flitted about from left to right: they may have helped novices to set up their new stereo equipment correctly, but musically they quickly became tedious. The technology itself was still developing: separate mono and stereo versions of new recordings were issued because old mono pickups could not satisfactorily reproduce the new stereo discs. When production of the mono versions was phased out in the late 1960s owners of mono record players had to either replace them with a stereo one, or change their mono cartridge to a stereo compatible one.

The prize for providing the opening track for this collection goes to a man who was already well-known in Britain, mainly through his television work, but whose recording career owed much to the USA. From the late 1950s onwards Cyril Ornadel (1924-2011) made many fine orchestral albums with his ‘Starlight Symphony’, aimed primarily at the American market. His regular arranger was Brian Fahey (1919-2007), recognised in Britain as a busy musical director, arranger and composer. Night And Day by Cole Porter (1891-1964) first delighted audiences in 1932 in the Broadway musical "The Gay Divorce" which starred Fred Astaire. Two years later it was filmed by RKO with Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers: for the cinema the title was changed to "The Gay Divorcee".

Following their first Guild appearances with Love Is Sweeping The Country (Guild GLCD5189) and ’S Wonderful (GLCD5191), Frederick Fennell (1914-2004) returns with his Orchestra for another popular George Gershwin (1898-1937) title, Bidin’ My Time. The gifted arranger of these numbers was Rayburn Wright (1922-1990) 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. Fennell conducts the Eastman-Rochester Pops Orchestra later in this collection in Spanish composer Jaime Texidor’s (1884-1957) familiar Amparito Roca which dates from 1925. Apparently it was named after his 12-year-old music student.

Chicago-born Herman Clebanoff (1917-2004) had a sound education in classical music and was an experienced violinist and concertmaster before he was 20. Usually just known as ‘Clebanoff’, he had a long association with NBC, and later Mercury Records. Bobsled is one of several bright string numbers he composed with Wayne Robinson and Caesar Giovannini.

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. Despite a very busy schedule embracing radio, television, concerts and recordings he also found time to compose and arrange for his magnificent orchestra, and Italia Mia is one he wrote for an album devoted to his native Italy.

Ronald (Ron) Alfred Goodwin(1925-2003) was a brilliant British composer, arranger and conductor, whose tuneful music reached the furthest corners of the world. As he gained recognition for his original compositions, such as London Serenade, he became in demand for film scores and among his best-remembered are "633 Squadron" (1964), "Those Magnificent Men In Their Flying Machines" (1965) and Alfred Hitchcock’s "Frenzy" (1972). In 1994 his talents were recognised when George Martin presented him with the Ivor Novello Award for Lifetime Achievement in Music. His big album sales also earned him gold and platinum discs.

The Australian composer Don Banks (1923-1980) gained his basic musical education ‘down under’, then came to Europe in 1950 to continue his studies. He also earned his living in London as a professional orchestrator and composer of music for feature films, documentaries, advertisements, publishers’ libraries and the theatre. In fact he became widely known and recognised within the music business for his abilities, and his Coney Island (a tribute to New York’s famous amusement park) is an outstanding work of light music. It receives a fine performance from fellow Australian Douglas Gamley (1925-1998) conducting the Sinfonia of London.

Carioca first caught the attention of film audiences in 1933 in "Flying Down To Rio", the movie usually quoted as launching the screen career of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. It receives a lively performance under the baton of Jack Shaindlin (1909-1978) who was a big name in American music circles for most of his life. He worked as a pianist for silent films, and his career eventually embraced composing, arranging and conducting (in the late 1940s he was musical director of the Carnegie Pops Orchestra). His music was used extensively in films and television, ranging from documentaries to cartoons. He was musical director of the March of Time newsreels which became a part of US popular culture.

David Rose (1910-1990) was one of the biggest names in American light music circles during the middle years of the 20th century. Born in London, England ‘lost’ him when the family moved to the USA when he was aged just four, but he retained a love for his birthplace and in his later life his fascination with steam railways often brought him back across the Atlantic. A prolific composer and arranger, he is an established Guild favourite, and What Is There To Say reveals the lush string sound of his superb orchestra at its very best.

The towering talents of two great American musicians combine in Jockey On The Carousel by Jerome Kern (1885-1945). Kern was responsible for some of the finest popular music of the last century, and Morton Gould (1913-1996) conducts a version that would surely have met with the composer’s approval.

The legendary American record producer, Ethel deNagy Gabriel (b. 1921), is reputed to have created ‘The Living Strings’ as a foremost easy listening icon for RCA’s budget label Camden at the end of the 1950s. It was an immediate success, but far from being one orchestra it was, in fact, many different ones. Leading arrangers and conductors were engaged to make mood music albums, and many of these were recorded in London, using top session musicians. Two are featured in this collection: first is the catchy Pedro The Fisherman arranged and conducted by Johnny Douglas (1920-2003). He made his first professional appearance as a pianist in 1939 but soon afterwards he was called up for war service in the Royal Air Force where he formed his own dance band. Later an arm injury prevented him from playing the piano for about two years, so he concentrated on his real love – arranging and composing, winning a Melody Maker Jazz Jamboree award for the best dance band composition. After the war he began scoring for many famous bands, gradually expanding his arranging skills. He recorded over 500 titles for Decca, and received many commissions for radio and television work. In 1958 he was asked to arrange and conduct "Living Strings Play Music of the Sea" for RCA, which was recorded at the Kingsway Hall, London, with an orchestra of 61 musicians. This began his long association with RCA, New York, and during the next twenty-five years he made 80 albums for RCA alone and received a Gold disc for the RCA album entitled "Feelings". Johnny has to his credit over 100 albums and 36 feature films, the most well-known of the latter being "The Railway Children" for which he received a British Academy Film & TV Arts Nomination.

Six tracks later On The Beach At Waikiki finds the Living Strings conducted by William Hill-Bowen (1918-1964). He was George Melachrino’s right-hand man in the years immediately following World War 2, often appearing on piano but, perhaps, more importantly as a brilliant arranger who managed to recreate his master’s famous style to perfection. He was also a talented composer, and The Living Strings especially gave him the opportunity to showcase his own creations.

Petite Waltz features 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. He was particularly successful writing TV jingles for advertising, and became familiar to the American public through his work with The Smothers Brothers, eventually becoming their General Manager.

Arthur Ferrante (1921-2009) and Louis Teicher (1924-2008) decided to form a piano duo when they met as students at the famous Julliard School of Music in New York. They launched their full-time concert career in 1947, and many of their recordings became big sellers. Film themes seemed to suit them particularly well, such as Hugo Friedhofer’s (1901-1981) Love Theme from "One Eyed Jacks".

Percy Faith (1908-1976) hardly needs any introduction to Guild ‘regulars’. Born in Toronto, Canada, 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 most of his contemporaries, Faith arranged all his own material, and his compositions, such as Lisa, confirm his mastery of the light orchestra.

The haunting theme from the 1952 film "Ruby Gentry" is played by the fine orchestra conducted by George Miltiades Melachrino (1909-1965), one of the big names in British light music from the 1940s to the 1960s. Born in London, he became a professional musician, competent on clarinet, alto and tenor saxophone, violin and viola, and he worked with many British dance bands in the 1930s – sometimes as a vocalist. After war service he built an orchestra which became one of the best in the world; when long playing records arrived, Melachrino’s sold in vast quantities, especially in the USA.

Russ Conway (born in Bristol Trevor Herbert Stanford, 1925-2000) was a largely self-taught British pianist who recorded a string of hit records for EMI’s Columbia label in the 1950s. His ‘reward’ was a number of prestigious albums backed by full orchestras, resulting in accomplished performances such as Charles Williams’ (1893-1978) Dream Of Olwen.

Frank Cordell (1918-1980) was a highly regarded English composer, arranger and conductor whose work first became noticed through the tuneful backings he often supplied to some contract singers on HMV singles in the 1950s. Occasionally he was allowed his own 78s, and he was also responsible for several distinctive LPs which quickly became collectors’ items. From one of these we hear Richard Rodgers’ (1902-1979) Nobody’s Heart which originally appeared in the 1942 Broadway musical "By Jupiter".

The 1960 United Artists’ film "The Alamo" was directed by John Wayne, who also starred as Davy Crockett. The main theme became a popular song as The Green Leaves Of Summer, and the version by Billy Vaughn (1919-1991) concentrates more on the drama of the story, rather than the tender moments which have influenced some other arrangers.

Wal-Berg (born Voldemar Rosenberg, 1910-1994) studied at both the Berlin and Paris Conservatories of Music, and for a while during the 1930s he was closely associated with French recordings by Marlene Dietrich. In his later career he made many orchestral recordings which often had a Russian, Austrian and Gypsy feel – this is clearly felt in his atmospheric Fete Circassienne. One of his best-known works is Danse du Diable (Devil’s Dance) which Mantovani conducts on Guild GLCD5181.

The English composer Eric Coates (1886-1957) was widely regarded as ‘the uncrowned King of Light Music’ during the first half of the last century. For much of his life he lived in London, and many of his works portray his love of the city. Mayfair comes from his suite "London Again" which was a sequel to his famous "London Suite" which contained his Knightsbridge march; this is already featured on Guild in versions by the Band of H.M. Grenadier Guards (GLCD5147) and Henry Hall and the BBC Dance Orchestra (GLCD5115). Eric Johnson and his Orchestra perform Mayfair on a rare stereo LP from 1961.

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 Portrait Of A Flirt (on Guild GLCD 5120) and Jumping Bean (GLCD5162) are familiar to millions around the world. Farnon conducts the closing track Away Out West which Victor Young composed for the Mike Todd Todd-AO big screen version of Jules Verne’s "Around The World In Eighty Days" in 1956. Todd died in an air crash eighteen months after the film’s premiere, and composer Victor Young died (on 10 November 1956, aged 56) before he knew that his score had won an Oscar.

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.