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25 May

Guild Light Music - new series of Light Music CDs

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Announcing an important new series of Light Music CDs in March 2004

Guild Light Music

David Ades explains the aims of these new releases

Guild Records already produce a varied selection of classical historical recordings, and they also specialise in church and choral music - their catalogue even contains a few jazz releases. To view a complete list, please visit www.guildmusic.com

Last November I was contacted by their Managing Director, Kaikoo Lalkaka, who informed me that he was considering a new venture in the field of Light Music. Although Guild is well established in its existing markets, he was looking for a new challenge, and had decided that there is still a big demand for older vintage Light Music recordings that is not fully satisfied by other record companies.

After many e-mails and telephone conversations, it was agreed that I would suggest an initial selection of music for three CDs, and that Alan Bunting would handle the digital sound restoration. If the first releases did well, Guild would consider issuing further CDs on a regular basis.

Because they are already known for their restoration of historical sound recordings, Guild wished to concentrate on Light Music that is now out of copyright in Britain (over 50 years old), with special emphasis on the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s. They would be distributed in several countries, so had to be attractive to an international record buying public.

Happily there are already a large number of Light Music CDs already available from various companies, but Guild would need to try and be a little different in order to be recognised as an important player in this particular area of the music scene. This raised some problems, but also posed some exciting challenges.

First of all it is important to identify Guild’s target market. Existing collectors of Light Music will hopefully wish to purchase each CD that comes along, but also it is necessary to offer collections which are likely to appeal to casual purchasers, who may be browsing in their local record store. To attract the latter, you must include at least a few well-known titles and familiar names among the orchestras. This could mean that keen collectors would have to put up with the occasional duplication, but we are trying to minimise this by including different versions of some well-known compositions that may not have been available on CD previously. For example I have not selected the famous Columbia 78 of Edward White’s Runaway Rocking Horse, but the rarer recording by the Orchestre Raymonde on Decca. Also the Grosvenor Concert Orchestra version of Ray Martin’s Dancing Bells which is delightfully different from the composer’s own recording.

You’ll have to forgive me for not including Eric Coates’ own recording of his London Bridge March, but the 1935 recording by the New Light Symphony Orchestra under Joseph Lewis has such a wonderful early Abbey Road sound about it. Arthur Benjamin’s Jamaican Rhumba by the Queen’s Hall Light Orchestra on Columbia is very familiar, so the scintillating arrangement by Percy Faith should come as a pleasant surprise to those who have not heard it before.

The first CD – to quote its title – is intended as ‘An Introduction to The Golden Age of Light Music’, with examples of the many varied styles that will hopefully appear in future releases. The next two CDs concentrate on the 1940s and 1950s – again emphasising the wide variety of tuneful sounds that fall within the general scope of Light Music.

Looking further ahead, future CDs will probably concentrate on more specific areas of Light Music, and we expect to be able to give additional information about our plans in the June magazine. The important thing from the start is to get people interested in these new CDs, so that they will want to investigate each new release that comes along.

On the subject of quality, Alan and I have both decided that any sound restorations which do not reach our high standards will be replaced with something else, until better copies of the original records can be located. The CD booklets will contain detailed notes about the recordings and the composers/ arrangers, and future compilations will concentrate on the inclusion of a greater number of tracks that have not previously been available on commercial CDs. On top of all this, the price of the CDs will be fixed at a level which is competitive with other products on the market. It is hoped that once collectors have purchased one of the CDs in the series, they will want to own them all, gradually building up an impressive library of Light Music.

So far almost all of the tracks have been dubbed from my own collection, although a few have been provided by Alan and members of the Robert Farnon Society. If this new series proves to be as successful as we all hope, then we are going to have to rely upon recordings from other people, so this is a golden opportunity for RFS members to hear some of their own prized 78s (or even early LPs) digitally restored to a pristine condition, and reissued on CD. If there is something very special that you would like us to consider, please write to me first and let me know what you have available (at this stage please don’t send the actual recordings). Naturally a free copy of the CD will be given in return for any records that are used.

Even if you cannot offer any recordings of your own, I’d still like to hear from you if you have any particular requests. Just remember that the recordings must be at least 50 years old, which means that anything issued up to 1953 can be included on CDs released in Britain during 2004.

We hope that all RFS members will share our enthusiasm for this exciting new project. Future releases will depend upon healthy sales; should you already own a few of the tracks on the first issues, I hope that this will not deter you from adding them to your collection, thus ensuring that more will follow soon! And – as mentioned above – you have a real chance to influence what is included later on.

An Introduction to The Golden Age of Light Music

1 Gateway To The West (Robert Farnon)
QUEEN’S HALL LIGHT ORCHESTRA Conducted by ROBERT FARNON

2 Going For A Ride (Sidney Torch)
SIDNEY TORCH AND HIS ORCHESTRA

3 With A Song In My Heart (Rodgers, Hart)
ANDRE KOSTELANETZ AND HIS ORCHESTRA

4 Heykens’ Serenade (Jonny Heykens, arr. Ron Goodwin)
RON GOODWIN AND HIS ORCHESTRA

5 Martinique (Warren)
RAY MARTIN AND HIS ORCHESTRA

6 Skyscraper Fantasy (Donald Phillips)
CHARLES WILLIAMS AND HIS CONCERT ORCHESTRA

7 Dance Of The Spanish Onion (David Rose)
DAVID ROSE AND HIS ORCHESTRA

8 Out Of This World – theme from the film (Harold Arlen, Johnny Mercer)
MANTOVANI AND HIS ORCHESTRA

9 Paris To Piccadilly (Robert Busby, Eddie Hurran)
L’ORCHESTRE DEVEREAUX Conducted by GEORGES DEVEREAUX

10 Festive Days (Charles Ancliffe)
LONDON PROMENADE ORCHESTRA Conducted by WALTER COLLINS

11 Ha’penny Breeze - theme from the film (Philip Green)
PHILIP GREEN AND HIS ORCHESTRA

12 Tropical (Morton Gould)
MORTON GOULD AND HIS ORCHESTRA

13 Puffin’ Billy (Edward White)
DANISH STATE RADIO ORCHESTRA Conducted by HUBERT CLIFFORD

14 First Rhapsody (George Melachrino)
MELACHRINO ORCHESTRA Conducted by GEORGE MELACHRINO

15 Fantasie Impromptu in C Sharp Minor (Chopin, arr. Robert Farnon)
KINGSWAY SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA Conducted by CAMARATA
featuring Arthur Gleghorn, flute and Reginald Kell, clarinet

16 London Bridge March (Eric Coates)
NEW LIGHT SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA conducted by JOSEPH LEWIS

17 Mock Turtles (Angela Morley)
QUEEN’S HALL LIGHT ORCHESTRA Conducted by ROBERT FARNON

18 To A Wild Rose (Edward MacDowell, arr. Peter Yorke)
PETER YORKE AND HIS CONCERT ORCHESTRA

19 Plink, Plank, Plunk! (Leroy Anderson)
LEROY ANDERSON AND HIS ‘POPS’ CONCERT ORCHESTRA

20 Jamaican Rhumba (Arthur Benjamin, arr. Percy Faith)
PERCY FAITH AND HIS ORCHESTRA

21 Vision in Velvet (Trevor Duncan)
NEW CONCERT ORCHESTRA Conducted by JACK LEON

22 Grand Canyon (Dolf van der Linden)
DOLF VAN DER LINDEN AND HIS METROPOLE ORCHESTRA

23 Dancing Princess (Hart, Layman, arr. Leon Young)
FRANK CHACKSFIELD AND HIS ORCHESTRA

24 Dainty Lady (Leo Peter)
REGINALD KING AND HIS LIGHT ORCHESTRA

25 Bandstand (‘Frescoes’ Suite) (Haydn Wood)
NEW CONCERT ORCHESTRA Conducted by SERGE KRISH

GUILD GLCD 5100

The Golden Age of Light Music : the 1940s

1 Music In The Air (Byron Lloyd, arr. Sidney Torch))
QUEEN’S HALL LIGHT ORCHESTRA Conducted by SIDNEY TORCH

2 Just One Of Those Things (Cole Porter)
BILLY TERNENT AND HIS ORCHESTRA

3 Melody On The Move (Clive Richardson)
QUEEN’S HALL LIGHT ORCHESTRA Conducted by CHARLES WILLIAMS

4 Out Of My Dreams (Richard Rodgers, Oscar Hammerstein II)
THE GERALDO STRING ORCHESTRA

5 Linda Chilena (A. Orefiche, R. Connelly)
THE STANLEY BLACK ORCHESTRA

6 Laura (David Raksin)
MORTON GOULD AND HIS ORCHESTRA Solo Violin: Max Pollikoff

7 Golliwog’s Cakewalk (Debussy, arr. Douglas)
MAYFAIR ORCHESTRA Conducted by WALTER GOEHR

8 Manhattan Square Dance (David Rose)
DAVID ROSE AND HIS ORCHESTRA

9 Runaway Rocking Horse (Edward White)
ORCHESTRE RAYMONDE Conducted by ROBERT PRESTON

10 Woodland Revel (George Melachrino)
MELACHRINO ORCHESTRA Conducted by GEORGE MELACHRINO

11 Music for Romance (Manning Sherwin, Eric Maschwitz)
ALBERT SANDLER AND HIS PALM COURT ORCHESTRA

12 Canadian Caravan (Robert Farnon)
QUEEN’S HALL LIGHT ORCHESTRA Conducted by CHARLES WILLIAMS

13 Waltz from "TheThree Bears" (Eric Coates)
QUEEN’S HALL LIGHT ORCHESTRA Conducted by ERIC COATES

14 Metropolis (Jack Brown)
NEW CENTURY ORCHESTRA Conducted by SIDNEY TORCH

15 Gorgeous Hussy (Allan Gray)
THE HARMONIC ORCHESTRA Conducted by HANS MAY

16 Ascot Enclosure (Peter Yorke)
QUEEN’S HALL LIGHT ORCHESTRA Conducted by CHARLES WILLIAMS

17 Ten Green Bottles (Trad. arr. Ronald Hanmer)
BBC VARIETY ORCHESTRA Conducted by CHARLES SHADWELL

18 Wagon Lit (Sidney Torch)
QUEEN’S HALL LIGHT ORCHESTRA Conducted by SIDNEY TORCH

19 Roving Fancies (Haydn Wood)
THE REGENT CLASSIC ORCHESTRA

20 "The Way To The Stars" – Film Themes (Nicholas Brodszky)
TWO CITIES SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA Conducted by CHARLES WILLIAMS

21 Theatreland (Jack Strachey)
NEW CONCERT ORCHESTRA Conducted by JAY WILBUR

22 Dancing Tambourine (Polla, arr. Morton Gould)
ROBIN HOOD DELL ORCHESTRA Conducted by MORTON GOULD

23 "Blue Skies" – Selection (Irving Berlin)
Blue Skies, Always, Heat Wave, Getting Nowhere, A Pretty Girl Is Like A Melody, You Keep Coming Back Like A Song, Blue Skies.

LOUIS LEVY AND HIS MUSIC FROM THE MOVIES

GUILD GLCD 5101

The Golden Age of Light Music : the 1950s

1 Liza (Ira & George Gershwin, Sammy Kahn)
DAVID ROSE AND HIS ORCHESTRA

2 Caravan (Duke Ellington)
PHILIP GREEN AND HIS ORCHESTRA

3 Marching Strings (Marshall Ross)
EDMUNDO ROS AND HIS ORCHESTRA

4 Fandango (Frank Perkins, Bradford)
HUGO WINTERHALTER AND HIS ORCHESTRA

5 Heart-O-London (Charles Williams)
CHARLES WILLIAMS AND HIS CONCERT ORCHESTRA

6 Hey Presto! (Brett Wilson, arr. Trevor Duncan)
NEW CONCERT ORCHESTRA Conducted by Frederic Curzon

7 The Melody Maker (Noel Gay)
ROBERTO INGLEZ AND HIS ORCHESTRA

8 Proud Canvas (Robert Farnon)
QUEEN’S HALL LIGHT ORCHESTRA Conducted by ROBERT FARNON

9 Festival (Richard Addinsell)
MANTOVANI AND HIS ORCHESTRA

10 Blue Moon (Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart)
PAUL WESTON AND HIS ORCHESTRA

11 Dancing Bells (Ray Martin)
GROSVENOR CONCERT ORCHESTRA Conducted by PEDER VAN ZUIDER

12 Granada (Augustin Lara)
MONTY KELLY AND HIS ORCHESTRA

13 Petite Waltz (Joe Heyne)
BILLY COTTON AND HIS BAND - piano, Clem Bernard

14 Shortcake Walk (Sidney Torch)
SIDNEY TORCH AND HIS ORCHESTRA

15 Flirtation Waltz (R. Heywood)
FRANK CHACKSFIELD AND HIS ORCHESTRA - solo guitar, Roy Plummer

16 Angel Cake (Angela Morley)
DOLF VAN DER LINDEN AND HIS ORCHESTRA

17 Waltz Of The Bubbles (David Rose)
DAVID ROSE AND HIS ORCHESTRA

18 Sportsmaster (Robert Busby)
DANISH STATE RADIO ORCHESTRA Conducted by ROBERT FARNON

19 Paris Interlude (Edward White)
MUSIC BY CAMARATA

20 At Last, At Last (Charles Trenet)
RAY MARTIN AND HIS ORCHESTRA

21 Roller Coaster (Busch, Delugg)
HENRI RENE AND HIS ORCHESTRA

22 The Moon Was Yellow (Ahlert)
STANLEY BLACK, HIS PIANO AND HIS ORCHESTRA

23 Piccadilly Spree (Cyril Watters)
NEW CONCERT ORCHESTRA Conducted by R. de PORTEN

24 Champagne March (Geoffrey Henman)
QUEEN’S HALL LIGHT ORCHESTRA Conducted by ROBERT FARNON

25 Jungle Fantasy (Esy Morales)
PERCY FAITH AND HIS ORCHESTRA

26 Parade of the Film Hits
Broadway Melody, Laura, Wedding Of The Painted Doll, Please, Over The Rainbow, A Fine Romance, Be My Love, La Ronde, The Trolley Song
MELACHRINO ORCHESTRA Conducted by GEORGE MELACHRINO

GUILD GLCD 5102

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