Globetrotting

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Globetrotting

1 Broad Horizon (Trevor Duncan real name Leonard Trebilco)
STUTTGART RADIO ORCHESTRA Conducted by KURT REHFELD
2 Lovers In Paris (Lou Logist)
RAY VENTURA AND HIS ORCHESTRA
3 Alpine Festival (Fred Hartley)
FRED HARTLEY AND HIS ORCHESTRA
4 Swiss Boy (Cedric Dumont)
CEDRIC DUMONT AND HIS ORCHESTRA
5 Music for the Nostalgic Traveller in Italy (arr. William Hill-Bowen)
THE MELACHRINO ORCHESTRA Conducted by GEORGE MELACHRINO
6 The Italian Theme (Angelo Giacomazzi)
ARTURO CHAITE AND HIS ORCHESTRA
7 Flamenco Love (Larry Wagner)
REG OWEN AND HIS ORCHESTRA
8 Portuguese Party (Gilbert Vinter)
STUTTGART RADIO ORCHESTRA Conducted by KURT REHFELD
9 Majorca (Midinette) (Gaste, Bonnett)
JOE LOSS AND HIS ORCHESTRA
10 In The Mystic Land Of Egypt (Albert William Ketèlbey)
NEW SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA Conducted by STANFORD ROBINSON
11 Oriental Bazaar (Peter Yorke)
DANISH STATE RADIO ORCHESTRA Conducted by ROBERT FARNON
12 Madagascar (Richard Hayman)
RICHARD HAYMAN AND HIS ORCHESTRA
13 Tahiti Tango (Ray Martin)
JACKIE BROWN AND HIS ORCHESTRA
14 Indian Mail – Descriptive (Lamothe)
ORCHESTRE RAYMONDE
15 Chinese Serenade (Victor Herbert)
ROCHESTER POPS Conducted by MORTON GOULD
16 Cuban Love Song (Jimmy McHugh)
MONTY KELLY AND HIS ORCHESTRA
17 Mexican Hat Dance (Jarabe Tapatio) (Partichela, arr. Morton Gould)
MORTON GOULD AND HIS ORCHESTRA
18 Street In Manhattan (Frank De Vol)
FRANK DE VOL AND HIS ORCHESTRA
19 "Song Of Norway" – selection (Robert Wright, George Forrest – based on melodies by Grieg)
PALACE THEATRE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA Conducted by GIDEON FAGAN
Three English Dances (Roger Quilter)
20 No. 1
21 No. 2
22 No. 3
NEW CONCERT ORCHESTRA Conducted by RAE JENKINS
23 Journey’s End (Jack Beaver)
NEW CENTURY ORCHESTRA Conducted by SIDNEY TORCH

Guild GLCD 5141

The popular song spoke of "Faraway places with strange sounding names", and it is a fact that many of the places mentioned in the music in this collection were just names to most people when the recordings were made in the middle years of the last century. Since then ‘Globetrotting’ has become a pastime for millions, and the music has taken on the additional role of providing pleasant memories of past visits, both near and far from home.

No longer do exotic locations appear out of reach to intrepid adventurers, so the opening track Broad Horizons seems an appropriate way to commence our journey. It is one of many works depicting the beauty of the great outdoors created by Leonard Trebilco (1924-2005), who composed most of his music under the pseudonym Trevor Duncan. ‘Treb’ (as he was known to his friends) contributed hundreds of pieces to background music libraries, and there are already many examples of his work in this Guild Light Music series, including the special tribute to him on GLCD5124 – ‘Hall of Fame’ Volume 2.

Fred Hartley (1905-1980) was a familiar name in British broadcasting for many years, having made his first appearance on the BBC as a solo pianist as early as 1925. He was then employed as an accompanist, and founded his famous Novelty Quintet in 1931. In 1946 he was appointed the BBC’s Head of Light Music

Cédric Dumont (1916-2007) was born in Hamburg, Germany, but during his long career he became known as "Mr. Music Man of Switzerland". Growing up in the 1930s he came into contact with Jack Hylton in England, and over in the USA he seems to have worked briefly with Teddy Wilson, Harry James and Benny Goodman. He settled in Switzerland at the outbreak of World War 2 and was soon broadcasting from the studios in Basel. His career touched the classics as well as jazz, but it was in the sphere of light music that he became known throughout Europe. British mood music libraries engaged him to conduct their works (often anonymously) when they were unable to record in Britain due to a Musicians’ Union ban, particularly during the 1950s.

William Hill-Bowen (1918-1964) 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. Such an example is the charming selection of well-loved Italian melodies, which includes Funiculi Funicula (Denza), Santa Lucia (Cottrau), Tarantella (traditional), Catari Catari (Cardillo), Gondola Song (Vassini), Parlami d’Amore Mariu (Bixio) and La Danza (Rossini). Later Hill-Bowen was to receive due recognition for his talents, partly thanks to a series of LPs commissioned by RCA.

Gilbert Vinter (1909-1969) is mainly remembered in Britain as the conductor of the BBC Midland Light Orchestra when it was one of the foremost contributors of quality light music on the BBC. As a young man he played bassoon in the BBC Wireless Band and the London Philharmonic, and taught at the Royal Academy of Music. During World War II, he was a member of the Royal Air Force Central Band and later led several RAF bands. After the war, Vinter joined the BBC as a staff conductor and he also developed his skill as a composer. Many of his works were for brass band, and among his finest works is The Trumpets, which is scored for a large brass band, chorus, and bass soloist. Portuguese Party was a bright piece he wrote in 1956 for Inter-art Music Publishers when they launched their new production music library Impress. It was well-received, and enjoyed many broadcasts and eventually a commercial recording on HMV. The Guild Light Music CD "Musical Kaleidoscope – Volume 1" (GLCD 5139) includes Gilbert Vinter’s arrangement Music of the People – England played by the BBC Midland Light Orchestra under his baton in 1952. It is a clever work which incorporates some of the street cries of old London as well as traditional English airs.

It may seem strange to find the name of Joe (Joshua Alexander) Loss (1909-1990) on this CD, because most of his career was firmly built on the solid rock of dance music, at which he was supremely successful. But like many others who have tended to get ‘pigeon-holed’ simply because they have been so good at providing what their public wanted, there is always the urge to expand horizons. Maybe Joe Loss looked with envy at what his peers were doing with large light orchestras in the 1950s, which encouraged him to add strings to his fine band. The result is a pleasing arrangement of the popular melody Majorca which certainly did the image of that popular Mediterranean island no harm at all. Joe’s career stretches from the 1930s to the 1980s and such was the kudos attached to his name that he was able to operate several bands within his organisation to satisfy the many demands from society functions, including royalty.

Albert William Ketèlbey (1875-1959) was a highly successful composer, who earned the equivalent of millions of pounds during the peak of his popularity. Pieces such as In a Monastery Garden, In a Persian Market and In The Mystic Land Of Egypt (on this CD) brought him international fame, no doubt assisted by his enthusiastic participation in the rapidly growing business of producing gramophone records.

In the USA Frank De Vol (1911-1999) is known primarily as the composer for the radio and TV series "The Brady Bunch" (and later as an actor), but light music fans appreciate that his career has been far more substantial. It was not uncommon to see the credit ‘Music by De Vol’ on many films, and he started playing violin in cinema orchestras just as the silent films era was coming to an end. After touring with the Alvino Rey orchestra, in the 1940s he began a recording career, first as an arranger for vocalists Ella Fitzgerald, Tony Bennett, Doris Day, Vic Damone and Nat "King" Cole. His arrangement of "Nature Boy" sung by Nat "King" Cole became a number one hit in 1948. In the 1950s his own Hollywood orchestra, called "Music of the Century", played frequently at the Hollywood Palladium, and he worked on numerous motion picture scores.

Gideon Fagan (1904-1980) was born in Cape Town, South Africa, and studied music under Vaughan Williams at London’s Royal College of Music from 1922 to 1926. He worked in films and his conducting assignments included a spell with the BBC Northern Orchestra (now the BBC Philharmonic) from 1939 to 1942, and several West End shows. He contributed a few compositions to recorded music libraries, and his best-known work was probably Pastoral Montage (for Chappell) which the BBC used as the music accompanying its television interlude film of a windmill. Fagan returned to South Africa in 1949 and was appointed a music director of the South African Broadcasting Corporation in 1963, then lectured at Cape Town University from 1967 to 1973.

Roger Quilter (1877-1953) has been regarded essentially as a miniaturist, and it is for his songs (particularly his settings of poems by Shakespeare and Herrick) that he is and always will be chiefly remembered. His famous Children's Overture was featured on Guild GLCD 5125, and this time it is the turn of his Three English Dances which were orchestrated by Percy Fletcher (1879-1932) and received their première at London’s Queen’s Hall on 30 June 1910.

Jack Beaver (1900-1963) was another ‘backroom boy’ who provided many scores for the Louis Levy organisation – in total he was responsible for over 100 films and documentaries. He was also a very prolific contributor to several different production music libraries, and Journey’s End is one of the early pieces he wrote for the fledgling Francis, Day & Hunter mood music library, which was launched in the late 1940s.

David Ades

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