GUILD LIGHT MUSIC GLCD5155

Melodies For Romantics

1 I Dream Too Much (Jerome Kern)
THE MELACHRINO STRINGS Conducted by GEORGE MELACHRINO
HMV DSD 1751 1958
2 The Boy Next Door (from "Meet Me In St. Louis") (Hugh Martin, Ralph Blane – arr. Conrad Salinger)
CONRAD SALINGER ORCHESTRA Conducted by BUDDY BREGMAN
Verve MG VS-6012 1958
3 You Stepped Out Of A Dream (Gus Kahn, Nacio Herb Brown, arr. Frank Cordell)
FRANK CORDELL AND HIS ORCHESTRA
HMV CSD 1251 1958
4 Could It Be You (Cole Porter, arr. Robert Farnon)
ROBERT FARNON AND HIS ORCHESTRA [LP label credits ‘Jack Saunders Orchestra’] Everest SDBR 1011 1958
5 A Foggy Day (George Gershwin, arr. Angela Morley)
ANGELA MORLEY AND HER ORCHESTRA (as ‘WALLY STOTT’)
Philips SBBL 501 1958
6 Central Park Romance (J. George Johnson)
NEW WORLD THEATRE ORCHESTRA
Stereo Fidelity SF-3000 1957
7 The Man I Love (George Gershwin, arr. Morton Gould)
MORTON GOULD AND HIS ORCHESTRA
RCA Victor LSP 1656 1958
8 Soft Lights And Sweet Music; They Say It’s Wonderful (Irving Berlin)
FRANK DE VOL AND HIS ORCHESTRA
CBS AFS 1010 1958
9 When I’m Not Near The Girl I Love (from "Finian’s Rainbow") (Burton Lane, E.Y. Harburg)
WARREN BARKER AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Warner Bros. WB 1218 1958
10 Shipboard Romance (Joseph F. Kuhn)
THE RIO CARNIVAL ORCHESTRA
Stereo Fidelity SF-5900 1958
11 Enchantment (Otto Cesana)
OTTO CESANA AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Columbia CL 631 1955
12 The Night Is Young And You’re So Beautiful (Billy Rose, Irving Kahal, Dana Suesse)
GLENN OSSER AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Kapp KL 1022 1956
13 Love Is Where You Find It (Nacio Herb Brown, Earl K. Brent)
MICHAEL FREEDMAN AND THE DEBUTANTES
Oriole MG 20018 1957
14 Temptation (Nacio Herb Brown)
FRANK CHACKSFIELD AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Decca LK 4151 1956
15 Jealousy (Jacob Gade, arr. Sidney Torch)
SIDNEY TORCH AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Parlophone R 3114 1948
16 It Can’t Be Wrong (Max Steiner, arr. Ron Goodwin)
RON GOODWIN AND HIS CONCERT ORCHESTRA
Parlophone PMD 1038 1956
17 Yours (Quiereme Mucho) (Gonzalo Roig, Agustin Rodriguez – arr. Mario Ruiz Armengol)
MARIO RUIZ ARMENGOL AND HIS ORCHESTRA
RCA LPM 1292 1956
18 Sur Ma Vie (In My Life) (Charles Aznavour)
BORIS SARBEK AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Epic LN 3317 1956
19 I’m In The Mood For Love (Dorothy Fields, Jimmy McHugh)
JACK PAYNE AND HIS ORCHESTRA
HMV CLP 1160 1958
20 All I Do Is Dream Of You (Arthur Freed, Nacio Herb Brown, arr. Ronald Binge)
RONALD BINGE AND HIS ORCHESTRA
RCA LPM 1458 1957
21 The Kiss In Your Eyes (Richard Heuberger, arr. Eric Jupp)
ERIC JUPP AND HIS ORCHESTRA featuring BILL POVEY, alto sax
Columbia 33SX 1072 1958
22 Too Marvellous For Words (Richard Whiting, Johnny Mercer)
LEROY HOLMES AND HIS ORCHESTRA
MGM E 3378 1956
23 Besame Mucho (Kiss Me A Lot) (Sunny Skylar, Consuelo Velazquez)
DON AMORE AND HIS ORCHESTRA
RCA Custom RAL 1006 1957
24 Why Do You Pass Me By (Vous Qui Passez Sans Me Voir) (Laurent Hess, Charles Trenet, Paul Misraki)
DAVID ROSE AND HIS ORCHESTRA
MGM E 3067 1953
25 People Will Say We’re In Love (Richard Rodgers)
GEOFF LOVE AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Columbia SX 1060 1957
26 Wedding Day (Norrie Paramor)
NORRIE PARAMOR AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Columbia DB 3443 1954
Stereo: tracks 1-10
Mono: tracks 11-26

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.

BOOKLET NOTES

When Long Playing records really caught the public’s attention as the 1950s wore on, many were collections of romantic music played by light orchestras. This era was recaptured by Guild Music in the CD "Amor Amor : Music for Romance" GLCD 5133, and the response from collectors has clearly indicated a desire for more. This time the selection is even more exciting, because it has been possible to include some recordings from the early days of stereo, which have now fallen into the public domain. But – as always – it is the music, not the technology, which is important, so this varied selection also includes some fine performances in glorious mono, which had achieved some amazing improvements in high fidelity during the ten years from the end of the Second World War.

George Miltiades Melachrino (1909-1965) was certainly among the masters of lush light orchestral music. His numerous recordings (especially LPs) sold in large numbers around the world and, in the post-war years, he built up a thriving entertainment organisation also involved in films, theatre and broadcasting. EMI used his talents extensively when stereo arrived, and our opening track I Dream Too Much (probably arranged by his right-hand man, William Hill-Bowen [1918-1964]) surely reveals his orchestra at its peak.

In Guild’s "Strings And Things Go Stereo" collection (GLCD 5153) we profiled one of Hollywood’s great arrangers, Conrad Salinger (1901-1961). Buddy Bregman (b. 1930) A&R Manager of the fledgling Verve Records label took his orchestra into Studio A at Capitol Records on 20 & 21 March 1957 and conducted 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". For these sessions Salinger recreated some of his memorable scores first heard in movies such as "Meet Me In St Louis", from which comes The Boy Next Door sung in the movie by a wistful Judy Garland.

Frank Cordell (1918-1980) was a fine British composer, arranger and conductor and a regular contributor to Guild Light Music CDs. His 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 fine LPs which quickly became collectors’ items.

Cole Porter’s Could It Be You is another track taken from the recording sessions at Walthamstow Town Hall in London, first featured in Guild’s "Strings And Things Go Stereo" collection (GLCD 5153). At the behest of Elizabeth Taylor, this involved an album of melodies associated with shows and films produced by her late husband, Mike Todd. Robert Farnon (1917-2005) was engaged to arrange and conduct his orchestra, although his name could not appear on the album for contractual reasons. At this time Canadian-born Farnon was much in demand for broadcasting, films and recording; his Decca albums of the 1950s were hailed as arranging masterpieces, and it was claimed that his ideas had influenced the top arrangers of his generation on both sides of the Atlantic.

When Philips Records launched in Britain in 1953, Angela Morley (1924-2009) was placed under contract to arrange and accompany many of their stars. At the time she was working as ‘Wally Stott’ and she was fortunate in being given the opportunity to record many orchestral numbers, both on singles and LPs. In 1958 an album of melodies associated with London (from which comes A Foggy Day) received numerous plaudits from critics and fans alike, and it is still regarded as one of the finest musical tributes to Britain’s capital city. Recorded at the behest of American Columbia as part of their series of LPs featuring capital cities, it was originally destined to be in mono. However, Angela insisted that, as it was for America, it really had to be in stereo, so it turned out to be the first Philips stereo recording made in Britain and they had to hire in the equipment to make it! Angela was also a frequent contributor to the Chappell Recorded Music Library, with several of her works already available for the first time on previous Guild CDs. In her later career she has been much in demand for film scores, and has also assisted leading composers on major projects – working with John Williams on "Star Wars" being a prime example. Her TV credits include "Dallas" and "Dynasty".

Our researches have suggested that it is highly likely that The New World Theatre Orchestra and The Rio Carnival Orchestra may have been the same players used by the American Miller International Company on their bargain basement priced Essex, Somerset and Stereo Fidelity labels. The recordings usually employed various European symphony and radio orchestras and were linked by the name of Joseph F. Kuhn who composed, arranged, scored or conducted most of the early ones. Doubtless there would have been many more had it not been for his untimely death in March 1962 at the age of 37. He was musical director for the Miller International Co., producer of Somerset and Stereo Fidelity record albums and was well known for his recording work in Hollywood, the US east coast and Germany. The composer of Central Park Romance, J. George Johnson, is listed as having written several pieces connected with New York, but so far his musical achievements seem to have escaped the usual reference works.

Morton Gould (1913-1996) became one of the most highly respected American composers, arrangers and conductors, and his distinguished career was crowned with a Pulitzer Prize (for his Stringmusic, commissioned by Mstislav Rostropovich for the National Symphony Orchestra of Washington) just a year before his death at the age of 82. Among his best-known works were the ballet Fall River Legend and American Symphonette No. 3,which became better known as Pavanne (the mis-spelling was deliberate) – a charming version by Jay Wilbur’s Serenaders can be heard on Guild GLCD 5139. From 1986 to 1994 Gould was President of the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP).

In the USA Frank De Vol (1911-1999) is known primarily as the composer for the radio and TV series "The Brady Bunch", 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. In the 1950s his own Hollywood orchestra, called "Music of the Century", played frequently at the Hollywood Palladium. His many motion picture scores included the following which were all nominated for Oscars: the Doris Day/Rock Hudson comedy "Pillow Talk" (1959), "Hush, Hush Sweet Charlotte" (1964), "Cat Ballou" (1965), and "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner" (1967). Frank also appeared as a character actor in several US television series, such as "I Dream of Jeannie", "Bonanza" and "Petticoat Junction".

Warren Barker (1923-2006) had a career firmly rooted in the film, radio and television studios around Hollywood, and in the 1950s he was a musical director at Warner Bros Records. He also worked on many popular TV series such as "Hawaiian Eye", "Bewitched" and "Daktari" although (like so many indispensable ‘backroom boys’ in the music business) his name didn’t always appear on the credits. Barker has also been associated with the 20th Century Fox, Columbia and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studios as composer/conductor for motion pictures and television and in 1969 was on the arranging staff for the Oscar-winning film "Hello Dolly". The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences honoured him in 1970 for his original music in the award-winning series "My World And Welcome To It", based on the life of James Thurber.

All the composers, arrangers and conductors featured in this collection deserve to have their careers profiled in detail, but sadly lack of space prevents this. Many have already been (or are likely on a future occasion to be) given a fairer share of the limelight, but on this occasions the following thumbnail sketches will have to suffice.

Italian-born Otto Cesana (1899-1980) spent much of his career working in Hollywood radio and film studios.

Glenn (Abraham) Osser (b. 1914) was a familiar name in the USA during the 1950s for his work on various television shows, and he became closely associated with the "Miss America" beauty pageants for many years.

Michael Freedman (b. 1911) broadcast fairly regularly on the BBC with his orchestra during the 1950s, including the lady musicians heard on this CD. For many years he played viola in the Philharmonia Orchestra.

Frank Chacksfield (1914-1995) conducted one of the finest light orchestras in the world, and during his long recording career with Decca alone, it is estimated that his albums sold more than 20 million copies. In total he made more than 150 long-playing albums which were released in many countries, especially in Europe, Japan and Australia as well as Britain and America.

Sidney Torch MBE (birth surname Torchinsky, 1908-1990) was one of Britain’s finest theatre organists during the 1930s. Later he concentrated on composing, arranging and conducting light music, and was closely associated with the famous BBC Radio series "Friday Night Is Music Night" for many years.

Ron Goodwin(1925-2003) was a brilliant composer, arranger and conductor, much in demand for film scores and among his best-remembered are "633 Squadron", "Those Magnificent Men In Their Flying Machines" and Alfred Hitchcock’s "Frenzy". 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.

Don Mario Ruiz Armengol (b. 1914) has been regarded as Mexico’s foremost arranger and conductor of popular music, as well as one of its leading composers.

Boris Sarbek (born Boris Saarbecoof, d. 1966) emigrated from Russia to live in France, where his orchestra performed a wide repertoire of popular music. When playing Latin American music he used the pseudonym ‘Oswaldo Berkas’ – the surname being an anagram of ‘Sarbek’. Charlie Chaplin commissioned him to record the music of his film "A King In New York".

Jack Payne (1899-1969) fronted one of Britain’s leading dance bands in the 1920s and 1930s. Later he worked as a disc jockey, although he returned to the conductor’s podium in 1958 for an HMV LP of lush orchestral music, arranged by Dick Barrell, Brian Fahey and Tony Osborne.

Ronald Binge (1910-1979) is destined to remain forever remembered as the gifted arranger who designed the ‘cascading strings’ effect for Mantovani, but his true achievements deserve far greater recognition. He was a prolific composer in his own right - Elizabethan Serenade, The Watermill, Miss Melanie and BBC Radio-4’s closing music Sailing By are just four favourites. He also ventured into more serious territory with his Saxophone Concerto in 1956, and his Saturday Symphony a decade later.

Eric Jupp (1922-2003) was well-known in Britain for his recordings and broadcasts, before emigrating to Australia in the 1960s where he was similarly successful – especially for his theme for the television series "Skippy The Bush Kangaroo".

Leroy Holmes (born Alvin Holmes, 1913-1986) scored Hollywood films and radio programmes during his early career, before becoming one of the mainstays of MGM’s conducting ‘team’, also arranging many of their recordings.

Don Amore is remembered for his ‘lounge music’ in the USA, but precise details of his career are elusive.

David Rose(1910-1990) was a brilliant composer and conductor, who will always be remembered for Holiday For Strings (1942) and the satirical number The Stripper (1962).

Yorkshireman Geoff Love (1917-1991) succeeded in so many musical fields during his busy career. Internationally he achieved success as ‘Manuel and his Music of the Mountains’ although his identity was a secret for many years.

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 – such as Wedding Day which appropriately completes this collection.

© David Ades 2009

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 20^th 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 20^th 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

GUILD LIGHT MUSIC GLCD5157

A Box of Light Musical Allsorts

1 My Object All Sublime (from "The Hot Mikado") (William S. Gilbert, Sir Arthur Sullivan, arr. Robert Farnon)
ROBERT FARNON AND HIS ORCHESTRA*
Everest SDBR 1011 1958
2 Southern Holiday (Felton Rapley)
THE CONNAUGHT LIGHT ORCHESTRA
Conroy BM 105-B 1958
3 Take Me To Your Heart (Werner Müller)
WERNER MÜLLER AND HIS ORCHESTRA (as ‘Ricardo Santos’)
Polydor LPHM 46091 1958
4 Three-Two-One-Zero (Al Carson – real name Norman William [‘Norrie’] Paramor)
ERIC JUPP AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Columbia 45-DB 4030 1957
5 Pigalle (Georges Koger, Georges Ulmer)
BORIS SARBEK AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Epic LN 3317 1956
6 Mannequin Melody (Clive Richardson)
QUEEN’S HALL LIGHT ORCHESTRA Conducted by ROBERT FARNON
Chappell C 615 1958
7 "A Letter To Three Wives" Film Music (Alfred Newman)
ALFRED NEWMAN AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Mercury MPL 6500 1956
8 A Canadian In Mayfair (Angela Morley, as ‘Wally Stott’)
SIDNEY TORCH AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Parlophone R 3732 1953
9 Thou Swell (Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart)
ANDRE KOSTELANETZ AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Columbia CL 772 1955
10 Vendetta (Ken Jones, Chris Armstrong – real name Ray Martin)
RAY MARTIN AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Decca F 9721 1951
11 Military Samba (John McGregor)
EDMUNDO ROS AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Decca F 10314 1954
12 Let’s Go Shopping (Charles Williams)
DANISH STATE RADIO ORCHESTRA Conducted by ROBERT FARNON (as ‘Melodi Light Orchestra Conducted by Ole Jensen’ on 78 label)
Chappell C 567 1957
13 Concerto In Jazz (Donald Phillips)
THE MELACHRINO ORCHESTRA Conducted by GEORGE MELACHRINO featuring PAT DODD, piano
HMV CSD 1276 1958
14 Super Six (Andy Thurlow, real name Harry Rabinowitz)
GROSVENOR STUDIO ORCHESTRA Conducted by DOLF VAN DER LINDEN
Synchro FM 168 1958
15 Casbah (Angela Morley, as ‘Wally Stott’)
QUEEN’S HALL LIGHT ORCHESTRA Conducted by ANGELA MORLEY
Chappell C 615 1958
16 Polka Dot (Eric Cook)
THE NEW CONCERT ORCHESTRA Conducted by CEDRIC DUMONT
Boosey & Hawkes O 2297 1957
17 Rahadlakum (from "Kismet") (Alexander Borodin, arr. Percy Faith)
PERCY FAITH AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Columbia CL 550 1954
18 The Happy Hippo (Eric Winstone)
THE CONNAUGHT LIGHT ORCHESTRA
Conroy BM 131-A 1958
19 The Three Bears – Fantasy (Eric Coates)
LONDON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA Conducted by Sir CHARLES MACKERRAS
Columbia BTD 705 1956
20 Melody In Moccasins (Wilfred Burns, real name Bernard Wilfred Harris)
PHILIP GREEN AND HIS ORCHESTRA
MGM 537 1952
21 Fly Past (Cecil Milner, full name Edward Cecil Milner)
DANISH STATE RADIO ORCHESTRA Conducted by ROBERT FARNON (as ‘Melodi Light Orchestra Conducted by Ole Jensen’ on 78 label)
Chappell C 425 1951
22 Worcester Beacon (Horace Dann)
LONDON PROMENADE ORCHESTRA Conducted by WALTER COLLINS
Paxton PR 438 1946
23 St. Boniface Down (Trevor Duncan, real name Leonard Charles Trebilco)
STUTTGART RADIO ORCHESTRA Conducted by KURT REHFELD (as ‘Lansdowne Concert Orchestra’ on 78 label)Impress IA 190 1957
24 London Pride (Noel Coward, arr. Angela Morley)
ANGELA MORLEY AND HER ORCHESTRA (as ‘Wally Stott’)
Philips SBBL 501 1958

* LP credits ‘Jack Saunders Orchestra’
Mono recordings, except tracks 1, 13, 19 & 24 in stereo.

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.

BOOKLET NOTES

Robert Farnon (1917-2005) certainly provides a bright opening number for this collection, and his brilliant arrangement takes full advantage of the opportunities offered by the arrival of stereo on the recorded music scene. Gilbert and Sullivan purists were not exactly pleased, but the American public enjoyed Mike Todd’s production of "The Hot Mikado", his first Broadway musical in 1939.

Southern Holiday by Felton Rapley was one of the early releases in 1958 on the new Conroy Recorded Music Library, founded by Ron Berry, a director of London publishers Campbell Connelly. A year later it was selected as the theme for a television play "Sudden Holiday" and the strong reaction to the music prompted the new Top Rank label to issue it under the play’s title as one of their early 45s (45-JAR 111) with the anonymous orchestra credited as ‘The Serenaders’. In reality it was probably one of the European broadcasting orchestras employed by the British production music libraries due to the recording ban imposed by the Musicians’ Union. A likely candidate is the Stuttgart Radio Orchestra, since its conductor, Kurt Rehfeld, is also represented as a composer in the Conroy catalogue at that time. Edmund Felton Rapley, ARCM, graduated from being a church organist in Gosport, to a familiar name on the BBC especially during the 1940s and 1950s. He studied at Winchester Cathedral School, and was a regular organist for the Gaumont British Picture Corporation – sometimes being invited to perform the opening concert on newly installed organs such as the Wurlitzer in Hanley on 11 February 1929. He was a prolific composer and arranger, seemingly at home in varied styles although many of his arrangements were hymns and religious works. His own pieces included the Overture Down The Solent (on Guild GLCD 5140) and the catchy Peacock Patrol (written under the pseudonym ‘Peter Barrington’) on GLCD 5143. Among his other notable compositions of light music were Portrait of Claire (based on Schumann’s song Devotion), Ecstasy, Evening in Capri and Romantic Rhapsody. Into the 1960s he remained a celebrity, often being billed as "the famous BBC Organist" when appearing in concerts.

When considering the great film composers from Hollywood’s Golden Age during the middle years of the last century, Alfred Newman (1901-1970 – some references give his birth date as 1900) is occasionally overlooked, yet for much of his career he was probably the most influential and respected among his peers. In 1920 he became the youngest musical director on Broadway, and in 1930 his Hollywood career began. He composed the famous 20^th Century Pictures logo theme, which was retained when the studio merged with Fox films; in 1953 he added some extra bars for CinemaScope releases – still in use today. One of his early scores was "Street Scene" in 1931 (the music is included on Guild GLCD 5153), and until John Williams finally overtook him in January 2006 he was the most Oscar-nominated composer/conductor, with a tally of 44 nominations resulting in 9 Academy Awards. From 1939 until 1959 he was the musical director at 20^th Century Fox, reputed to have worked on around 225 films. The 1949 film "A Letter To Three Wives" featured a memorable Alfred Newman score, which vividly recaptures the atmosphere of so many black and while melodramas of that era. Newman must have thought that it also suited the sensual charm exuded by Marilyn Monroe, because he adapted the same theme for "The Seven Year Itch" six years later.

At the time when Angela Morley (1924-2009) composed A Canadian In Mayfair she was known as ‘Wally Stott’, and she dedicated it to Toronto-born Robert Farnon whose music had become familiar to her when they were both working for the Geraldo Orchestra in the immediate post-war years. It was just intended as a piece of fun, based on Farnon’s big success Portrait Of A Flirt,and the ‘Mayfair’ tag related to the film "Maytime In Mayfair" which Farnon had recently scored for Anna Neagle and Herbert Wilcox. Farnon was evidently impressed and insisted that Angela’s composition should be shown to his publishers, Chappell & Co, who promptly added it to their mood music library – appropriately conducted by Farnon himself. Broadcasting orchestras soon started to feature it in their programmes, and Sidney Torch (1908-1990) made the superb commercial recording for EMI’s Parlophone, which is featured on this CD. Angela Morley went on to enjoy a long and successful career in recordings and films, eventually being much in demand in Hollywood to assist leading composers on major projects – working with John Williams on "Star Wars" being a prime example. Her many TV credits included "Dallas" and "Dynasty".

London-born Donald Phillips (1913-1994) was a quiet, courteous man who never courted fame although, as a talented pianist and musical director, he worked with many of the top stars of the 1940s to the 1960s including the Marx Brothers, Beverley Sisters, Dickie Valentine, Shirley Bassey, Donald Peers, Alan Jones and Anne Shelton. He took part in the 1954 Royal Command Performance before the Queen at the London Palladium, and in 1958 he won the Ivor Novello award for his outstanding contribution to British popular music with Melody of the Sea. During his long career he was regarded as a true "Tin Pan Alley man" and among his best-known songs were Old Piano Rag and A Live Show is the Best Show - a perennial favourite at seaside concert parties. He composed two major mini-concertos, the more familiar being Skyscraper Fantasy recorded by Charles Williams on Columbia (included on Guild GLCD 5101), and Mantovani on Decca. Its transatlantic style sounded more like the work of an American composer, rather than a Londoner. The other was Concerto In Jazz which attracted commercial recordings by Sidney Torch, Charles Shadwell, The Skyrockets Orchestra and Mantovani in 1948 (on GLCD 5113). When George Melachrino (1909-1965) decided to make it one of his early stereo recordings he gave it a lush treatment which is significantly different from the performances a decade earlier.

The Guild collection "British Cinema and Theatre Orchestras Volume 2" (GLCD 5122) included Eric Coates’ "The Three Bears" played by the Plaza Theatre Orchestra conducted by Frank Tours in a 1928 recording. But such a notable work from Britain’s ‘Uncrowned King of Light Music’ surely deserves to be available in stereo, performed by a large orchestra, and our choice of the London Symphony under the baton of Sir Charles Mackerras comes from a highly regarded Columbia release in the mid-1950s. Eric Coates (1886-1957) began his career as a violinist, and was such an accomplished string player that in 1913 he was appointed principal viola of Sir Henry Wood’s Queen’s Hall Orchestra. His real passion was in composing, and his earliest successes were ballads, notably Stonecracker John. Coates seems to have regarded this as somewhat restrictive: he wanted to express himself through the full orchestra, probably encouraged by the warm reception for his Miniature Suite at the 1911 Promenade Concerts. In the 1920s he absorbed the syncopation that was influencing popular music, and turned his attention to nursery subjects which were sometimes called ‘tone poems’ but which he preferred to label ‘Phantasies’. Of these The Three Bears became the most popular: Coates wrote it in 1926 for his four-year old son Austin, and the opening notes clearly convey the fairytale’s famous line "who’s been sitting on my chair?" The main waltz theme is sometimes heard as a separate concert piece, and the composer’s own recording with the Queen’s Hall Light Orchestra can be found on Guild GLCD 5102.

If Cecil Milner’s Fly Past (its original title was going to be Air Lift) is mildly similiar to the work of Charles Williams it should come as no surprise. Milner worked closely with his famous colleague (composer of Dream Of Olwen and numerous other works), and many of Charles Williams’ own compositions were actually orchestrated by Cecil Milner (1905-1989), who also went on to create many fine arrangements for Mantovani.

Worcester Beacon is a concert march from the pen of Horace Dann (1896-1958) who worked for the BBC from 1932 to 1957. He became a Director of Light Music and was so highly regarded by his fellow musicians that the leading conductors and composers signed the current edition of Grove’s Dictionary which they presented to him upon his retirement at the age of 60. Surprisingly his own compositions appear to have been few in number – perhaps because he might have felt awkward in pushing his own work from a position of influence. (Other writers in similar circumstances often resorted to disguising their work behind pseudonyms). The respected light music authority Philip Scowcroft has expressed his admiration for Worcester Beacon, describing its excellent scoring as being very much in the tradition of Eric Coates. He also wonders if the title implies the composer’s regard for the music of Sir Edward Elgar, who resided in that part of England.

Regular collectors of this Guild series of CDs will already be familiar with the music of Trevor Duncan (real name Leonard Charles Trebilco, 1924-2005). Some 20 titles have now been reissued, and among the best-known are his first success High Heels (on Guild GLCD 5124), Grand Vista (GLCD 5124) and Panoramic Splendour (GLCD 5111). When pressed to reveal his own personal favourite among all his works the reply was not one of his many catchy novelties, but the atmospheric St Boniface Down composed in October 1956. It is named after an area on the south coast of the Isle of Wight, and it was dedicated to C. Gurrieri (the young lady who had inspired The Girl From Corsica) who came from the Auvergne. To quote Trebilco’s own words: "The work celebrates a silent walk along the ridge of St Boniface Down; it was followed by a beautiful correspondence for some weeks." In the string subject, the metre of a Paul Verlaine line is heard: ‘Il pleure dans mon coeur comme il pleut sur la ville’.

It is worth mentioning again the problem in identifying orchestras on the mood music recordings issued by the London recorded music libraries (now generally referred to as ‘production music’) during most of the 1950s. A ban by the Musicians’ Union in Britain prohibited their members from performing on these recordings, so top radio orchestras on the continent of Europe were usually employed. Examples on this CD include Southern Holiday (as mentioned above) – the same comments apply to The Happy Hippo; Let’s Go Shopping was recorded in Denmark and credited on the 78 label as ‘The Melodi Light Orchestra Conducted by Ole Jensen’; Super Six would have been recorded by Dolf Van Der Linden’s own Metropole Orchestra in Hilversum, but Syncho chose ‘Grosvenor Studio Orchestra’ as their ‘house’ name; ‘The New Concert Orchestra’ was the Boosey & Hawkes preferred name, although Polka Dot was likely to have been conducted by Cedric Dumont fronting his own orchestra in Switzerland; it was the composer himself who advised that St Boniface Down had been recorded in Stuttgart, although Impress usually named the orchestra on their 78s as The Lansdowne Light (or Concert) Orchestra. The exceptions are Mannequin Melody and Casbah from 1958 which were actually recorded in London when the musicians’ ban was lifted for a short while following negotiations with publishers, but it was later reimposed; Worcester Beacon from 1946 pre-dates the ban, and Paxton’s London Promenade Orchestra recorded at Levy’s Sound Studios in New Bond Street.

All the composers, arrangers and conductors featured in this collection deserve to have their careers profiled in these notes in considerable detail, but sadly lack of space prevents this on every occasion that they appear in this series. Many have already been (or are likely to be in the future) given a fair share of the limelight, and if you have internet access you can read the full booklet notes for all previous releases on the Guild Music website: www.guildmusic.com

© David Ades 2009

GUILD LIGHT MUSIC GLCD5158

That’s Light Musical Entertainment

1 That’s Entertainment (from "The Band Wagon") (Arthur Schwartz, Howard Dietz – arr. Conrad Salinger)
CONRAD SALINGER ORCHESTRA Conducted by BUDDY BREGMAN
Verve MG VS-6012 1958
2 Westminster Waltz (Robert Farnon)
ANGELA MORLEY AND HER ORCHESTRA (as ‘Wally Stott’)
Philips SBBL 501 1958
3 Ruby (from the film "Ruby Gentry") (Mitchell Parish, Heinz Roemheld, arr. Percy Faith)
PERCY FAITH AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Columbia CL 577 1954
4 Waltzes from "Count Of Luxembourg" (Franz Lehar)
ANDRE KOSTELANETZ AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Columbia 33SX 1004 1955
5 All My Life (Theme from film "Eight O’Clock Walk") (George Melachrino)
GERALDO AND HIS NEW CONCERT ORCHESTRA
Philips PB 215 1954
6 This Can’t Be Love (from the musical "The Boys From Syracuse") (Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart)
RICHARD HAYMAN AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Mercury MG 20184 1956
7 I’ll See You In My Dreams (featured in the film "I’ll See You in My Dreams") (Gus Kahn, Isham Jones, arr. Ronald Binge)
RONALD BINGE AND HIS ORCHESTRA
RCA LPM 1458 1957
8 But Beautiful (from the film "The Road To Rio") (Johnny Burke, James Van Heusen)
GLENN OSSER AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Kapp KL 1022 1955
9 "All About Eve" Film Music (Alfred Newman)
ALFRED NEWMAN AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Mercury MPL 6500 1956
10 Blue Theme (featured in the film "True Lies") (Robert Farnon)
THE ALL-STARS
Chappell C 594 1957
11 Love (from the film "Ziegfeld Follies") (Hugh Martin, Ralph Blane)
ANDRE KOSTELANETZ AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Philips BBL 7006 1954
12 "The Girl In Pink Tights" – Overture (Sigmund Romberg, arr. Robert Farnon)
ORCHESTRA CONDUCTED BY SYLVAN LEVIN
Columbia ML 4890 1954
13 This Heart Of Mine (from the film "Ziegfeld Follies") (Harry Warren)
THE MELACHRINO ORCHESTRA Conducted by GEORGE MELACHRINO
RCA LPM 1006 1953
14 Time Was (original title Duerme) (M. Prado, B. Sancristobal – arr, Mario Ruiz Armengol)
MARIO RUIZ ARMENGOL AND HIS ORCHESTRA
RCA LPM 1292 1956
15 Here In My Arms (from the musical "Dearest Enemy") (Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart, arr. Richard Jones)
THE PITTSBURGH STRINGS Conducted by RICHARD JONES
Capitol T 890 1957
16 Buckle Down, Winsocki (from the musical "Best Foot Forward") (Hugh Martin, Ralph Blane, arr. William Hill-Bowen)
HILL BOWEN AND HIS ORCHESTRA
RCA Camden CDN-101 1958
17 Body and Soul (from the revue "Three’s A Crowd") (Johnny Green)
MORTON GOULD AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Columbia ML 4361 1950
18 Make Believe (from the musical "Show Boat") (Jerome Kern)
GEOFF LOVE AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Columbia SX 1060 1957
19 Theme from the Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 2 (arr. William Hill-Bowen) (featured in the film "Brief Encounter")
THE MELACHRINO ORCHESTRA Conducted by GEORGE MELACHRINO featuring ARTHUR SANDFORD, piano
HMV CSD 1276 1958
20 Waltz For My Lady (Frank Perkins)
FRANK PERKINS AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Decca DL 8395 1954
21 Inspiration Point (Frank De Vol)
FRANK DE VOL AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Capitol H 198 1950
22 Enchanted Night (Leroy Holmes)
LEROY HOLMES AND HIS ORCHESTRA
MGM E 3288 1955
23 Come Rain Or Come Shine (from the musical "St Louis Woman") (Harold Arlen)
DAVID ROSE AND HIS ORCHESTRA
MGM C 754 1954
24 "Since You Went Away" Incidental Music from the film (Max Steiner)
MAX STEINER AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Capitol LCT 6005 1954

Mono recordings, except tracks 1, 2 & 19 in stereo.

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.

BOOKLET NOTES

This compilation is largely a collection of show and film music inspired by the wonderful tune That’s Entertainment, which reached a worldwide appreciative audience through the 1953 MGM musical "The Band Wagon" starring Fred Astaire, Nanette Fabray, Cyd Charisse and Jack Buchanan. It is probably second only to Irving Berlin’s There’s No Business Like Show Business (the Wally Stott/Angela Morley version is on GLCD 5149) as a show business anthem, and its enduring appeal is partly due to the original orchestration of Arthur Schwartz and Howard Dietz’s melody by the legendary Conrad Salinger (1901-1961). In 1957 he adapted it as a purely instrumental number which was included in a collection in his honour conducted by Buddy Bregman (b. 1930), at the time A&R Manager of Verve Records. In Guild Music’s "Strings And Things Go Stereo" collection (GLCD 5153) we took a first dip into this rare LP with TheTrolley Song, followed by The Boy Next Door on "Melodies For Romantics" (GLCD 5155).

In 1958 Angela Morley (1924-2009 - working as ‘Wally Stott’ until 1972) recorded an album of music associated with London, and Robert Farnon’s Westminster Waltz was a natural choice. It had been extremely popular ever since it was first heard in 1956, even making the best selling charts and winning a prestigious Ivor Novello Award. Among the many glowing obituaries to Angela Morley following her death on 14 January 2009 aged 84 was a comment from fellow arranger Tony Osborne (1922-2009): "Wally Stott was at the top of the range. We all looked up to him because we knew that he was second only to Robert Farnon, and it was a pretty close run thing at that!"

Percy Faith (1908-1976) was born in Toronto, Canada, and originally he expected that his musical career would be as a concert pianist. But he injured his hands in a fire, which forced him to turn to composing, arranging and conducting. During the 1930s his CBC programme "Music By Faith" was carried by the Mutual network in the USA, which prompted offers of work south of the border. He eventually succumbed in 1940, leaving Robert Farnon (previously his lead trumpeter) to conduct his Canadian orchestra. Initially Faith concentrated on broadcasting, and his occasional recording sessions during the 1940s were for several different companies. Things were to change when he signed a Columbia (CBS) contract in 1950, and he soon discovered that his singles sold well and the new long playing records needed the kind of popular instrumental sounds that had formed the basis of his broadcasts for so many years. Unlike most of his contemporaries, Faith arranged all his own material, and his exciting and vibrant scores made his work stand out among the rest. He accompanied many of Columbia’s contract singers, and even contributed the odd popular song, such as My Heart Cries For You for Guy Mitchell. But today it is his numerous albums that have created a resurgence of interest in his work, thanks to their reissue on CD. Faith was always busy, whether working in the recording studios, radio, television or films. Jennifer Jones, Charlton Heston and Karl Malden were the stars of the 1952 film "Ruby Gentry", and the theme music, usually just called Ruby, became a minor hit. Faith’s own extended arrangement not only reveals the melody in all its romantic glory, but he also touches upon the film’s rather tormented plot involving scandal in a small American town where love between a poor girl and a rich man was bound to cause social tensions.

Richard Attenborough was the star of a 1953 British film "Eight O’Clock Walk" (the title refers to the time of day when convicted murderers were hanged, before the death penalty was abolished in Britain in 1965). George Melachrino (1909-1965) provided his usual accomplished music score for the movie, from which the Geraldo orchestra performs the main theme All My Life. During his long career Geraldo (1904-1974) was a major figure on the British entertainment scene for four decades, having fronted just about every kind of ensemble and influenced the successful careers of numerous top singers. During World War 2 he was Head of Light Music for ENSA (Entertainments National Service Association) providing live shows for troops, who amusingly decided that the acronym stood for ‘Every Night Something Awful’! Post-war he ran a highly successful theatrical agency, in addition to all his other musical activities. In the early 1950s he formed a concert orchestra for the newly-launched Philips label, competing for a short while against the likes of Sidney Torch and Charles Williams on EMI. Although many reference books state that Geraldo’s real name was Gerald Bright, his birth on 19 August 1904 at 56 Royal Mint Street, Whitechapel, was actually registered as Gerald Walcanbright. His father, Isaac Walcanbright, was a jobbing tailor, and his twin brother Sidney Bright was a highly respected pianist, often performing in Geraldo’s orchestras (one example is Prelude to Peace on Guild GLCD 5119).

In 1953 Canadian-born Robert Farnon (1917-2005) sold his London home at Park Royal and left England with his family for the USA. It was announced that New York would be his new HQ, although he would divide his work between the two countries. An early commission involved assisting arrangers Don Walker and Red Ginzler who were working on the last Sigmund Romberg musical "The Girl In Pink Tights" which eventually opened on Broadway at the Mark Hellinger Theatre on 5 March 1954, starring the French ballet dancer Zizi Jeanmaire. Romberg died in 1951 before the show opened; it was not a success, achieving only 115 performances before closing on 12 June. Farnon’s work was uncredited, but a Broadway cast LP was issued and many years later he admitted that he had arranged the Overture and three of the songs – In Paris And In Love, When I Am Free To Love and My Heart Won’t Say Goodbye. Farnon returned to England soon afterwards, enticed back by Herbert Wilcox to work on a film musical. He bought a home in Gerrards Cross, where he remained until he moved to the British Channel Island of Guernsey in 1959, living happily there for the rest of his life. As mentioned above, Farnon is also represented in this collection as the composer of Westminster Waltz, and the atmospheric Blue Theme which was one of several similar pieces he scored for a small group for the Chappell Recorded Music Library. The musicians were never named, but they were clearly among the top session players at the time. It reached a world wide audience in the 1994 film "True Lies" where it was heard on the radio playing in the background when a sleazy car salesman tried to seduce Jamie Lee Curtis in his caravan.

The piano soloist on the theme from Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2 is Arthur Sandford who won the coveted Mendelssohn Scholarship at London’s Royal Academy of Music. He played with the Debroy Somers Band for several years, and became a regular broadcaster on the BBC. As pianist in Charles Shadwell’s Orchestra he became known to the public through Tommy Handley’s "ITMA" radio show, contributing some of the arrangements of traditional airs which were a regular feature of the programme. Sandford made numerous recordings as soloist with top orchestras, such as Mantovani and Charles Williams in addition to Melachrino.

Maximillian Raoul Walter Steiner (1888-1971) was born in Vienna, but happily for millions of film fans he decided to make his career in America and, particularly, the Hollywood of the Golden Age of the Cinema. Having composed so many classic film scores, it is hardly surprising that some of his works have received less attention than others. The 1944 film "Since You Went Away" falls into this category, yet the various themes interwoven in this suite give clues to Max Steiner’s far-reaching influence on the art of composing for the screen. His first of three Oscars was for "The Informer" (1935) followed by "Now Voyager" (1942); "Since You Went Away" gained him the third, although he received nominations for 17 others, including his early involvement scoring and conducting some Fred Astaire/Ginger Rogers musicals. "Since You Went Away" was largely World War 2 propaganda, although it suffered in comparison with the more popular "Mrs Minniver". The plot describes how a woman copes with looking after the home and family while her husband is away fighting. The finale at a railway station is often cited as a fine example of a typical Hollywood ‘tearjerker’ scene, and Steiner clearly expressed this in his score, which he conducts himself in this recording.

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 each time that they appear in this series. 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 20^th Century. His broadcasts and recordings were enjoyed by millions.

Richard Hayman (b. 1920) was put under contract by Mercury Records in 1950, for whom he made many singles and albums. He also arranged for the Boston Pops, serving as back-up conductor for Arthur Fiedler.

Ronald Binge (1910-1979) is destined to remain forever remembered as the gifted arranger who designed the ‘cascading strings’ effect for Mantovani.

Glenn Osser (b. 1914) became a familiar name in the USA during the 1950s for his work on various television shows, notably the "Miss America" beauty pageants for many years.

Alfred Newman (1901-1970 – some references give his birth date as 1900) for much of his career was probably the most influential and respected Hollywood film composer, because from 1939 until 1959 he was the musical director at 20^th Century Fox, reputed to have worked on around 225 films.

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.

Capitol Records engaged Richard Jones to arrange and conduct The Pittsburgh Strings, formed from the complete string section of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, led by their famous concertmaster Samuel Thavin.

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. Later Hill-Bowen was to receive due recognition for his talents, partly thanks to a series of LPs commissioned by RCA from which comes his vibrant arrangement of Buckle Down, Winsocki.

Morton Gould (1913-1996) became one of the most highly respected American composers, and among his best-known works were the ballet Fall River Legend and American Symphonette No. 3,which became better known as Pavanne (the mis-spelling was deliberate). From 1986 to 1994 Gould was President of the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP).

Yorkshireman Geoff Love (1917-1991) succeeded in so many musical fields during his busy career. Internationally he achieved success as ‘Manuel and his Music of the Mountains’ although his identity was a secret for many years.

Frank Perkins (1908-1988) became noticed in 1934 following a successful collaboration with lyricist Mitchell Parrish which resulted in Stars Fell on Alabama and Emmaline. In 1937 he was engaged as an arranger by Warner Bros. in Hollywood, where he remained until the mid-1960s.

In the USA Frank De Vol (1911-1999) is known primarily as the composer for the radio and TV series "The Brady Bunch", 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 later Frank appeared as a character actor in several US television series, such as "I Dream of Jeannie", "Bonanza" and "Petticoat Junction".

Leroy Holmes (born Alvin Holmes, 1913-1986) scored Hollywood films and radio programmes during his early career, before becoming one of the mainstays of MGM’s conducting ‘team’, also arranging many of their recordings.

In 1943 David Rose(1910-1990) had a big hit with his own composition Holiday For Strings which firmly launched him as a light music composer and arranger.

If you have internet access you can read the full booklet notes for all previous releases on the Guild Music website: www.guildmusic.com

© David Ades 2009