"HEY THERE" a New Vocalion CD featuring

Arrangements by ROBERT FARNON
JANE PICKLES flute
THE ROYAL PHILHARMONIC STRINGS
leader ROLPH WILSON
Conducted by JACK PARNELL

1 HEY THERE (Richard Adler, Jerry Ross)
2 LA CASITA MIA (Robert Farnon)
3 LITTLE MISS MOLLY (Robert Farnon)
4 IN A CALM (Robert Farnon)
5 MAGIC ISLAND (Robert Farnon)
6 FANTAISIE IMPROMPTU IN C SHARP MINOR (Chopin)
7 CAN I FORGET YOU (Jerome Kern, Oscar Hammerstein II)
8 THE GIRL WITH THE FLAXEN HAIR (Claude Debussy)
9 PICCOLO FLIGHT (Robert Farnon)
10 THE NEARNESS OF YOU (Hoagy Carmichael, Ned Washington)
11 THE SPHINX - flute solo (Trad. arr Debussy, Jobert)
12 I DREAM OF JEANNIE - featuring Rolph Wilson, violin (Stephen Foster)
13 WHEN I FALL IN LOVE (Victor Young, Edward Heyman)
14 FLUTE FANTASY (Robert Farnon)
15 TÊTE-À-TÊTE (Robert Farnon)

Vocalion Digital CDSA6811

In this magazine a year ago we reported that the eagerly awaited recording sessions for this CD were scheduled to take place in London in January 2004, and we are delighted to report that the final result is now in record stores. Even more satisfying is the fact that the CD is being released by Michael Dutton, who has been responsible for restoring so many fine Farnon albums of earlier years for CD release on his prestigious Vocalion label. Readers will not need reminding that Robert Farnon is generally regarded as the greatest living composer of Light Orchestral music in the world. He is also revered as an arranger of quality popular songs, having influenced most of the top writers on both sides of the Atlantic during the second half of the 20th century. His illustrious career has filled many pages in this magazine for almost five decades, and we are so fortunate that he continues to arrange and compose at an amazingly prolific rate. Long may he continue! Robert Farnon’s music has been at the forefront of the current revival of interest in Light Music. He is particularly pleased when new projects involve him working with talented young musicians, such as the flautist Jane Pickles, for whom he has specially arranged the music in this collection. Born on 5 December 1952, Jane Pickles completed her studies at the Guildhall School of Music with Peter Lloyd and Trevor Wye, and began her career with a summer season in Scarborough with the celebrated English violinist Max Jaffa. She then went on to work with the Welsh National Opera, Scottish Ballet and the BBC Northern Ireland orchestras, before joining the BBC Radio Orchestra in London as principal flute. This brought her into contact with all the major arrangers in the capital, including top names from abroad such as Nelson Riddle. When the BBC axed the Radio Orchestra, Jane moved over to the BBC Concert Orchestra, and was frequently heard live on radio as a featured soloist in "Friday Night Is Music Night". Since leaving the Concert Orchestra Jane has appeared as guest principal with all the major London orchestras, is currently principal with the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra, and has recently appeared on compact discs conducted by Johnny Douglas and Jack Parnell. She has long held Robert Farnon’s arranging and composing talents in the highest esteem, and hugely enjoyed making this CD. Over the years Farnon conducted many "Friday Night Is Music Night" broadcasts, and he recently said that he particularly noticed the marvellous flautist in the BBC Concert Orchestra. "I have no hesitation in saying that she is the finest orchestral flute player in Europe – she is absolutely marvellous". Whenever possible Jane has been booked for Farnon recording sessions, and her playing has made such an impression upon the maestro that he decided that she deserved to have a complete collection devoted to her talents. When it came to choosing a conductor for this recording, Robert Farnon had no hesitation in asking his old friend Jack Parnell. Their long friendship, and musical association, goes back over 50 years, during which time Jack’s distinctive drumming style has driven many Farnon sessions. Jack is certainly one of the best-known, and widely admired of British jazzmen. Born on 6^th August 1923, his fans remember him as the superb drummer with the Ted Heath Band in its glory days after the war. Then his career took a different direction, and for many years he conducted numerous television programmes for Associated TeleVision – notably the famous "Sunday Night at the London Palladium", and in later years "The Muppet Show". But jazz has always been Jack’s first love, especially when sitting behind a drum kit. Yet his acknowledged accomplishments as a conductor have inevitably generated many offers of work, and commissions such as fronting Laurie Johnson’s London Big Band have been impossible to resist. The same applies to Jack’s association with Robert Farnon and the Royal Philharmonic. Their first major project together was an album called "Lovers Love London" released in 2002, where the magical flute of Jane Pickles first took centre stage. Farnon decided that she deserved to have an entire album firmly in the spotlight, and "Hey There" is the result. Writing about these latest sessions recently, Jack Parnell stated: "Once again I have been given the privilege of conducting and listening to some more of Bob’s beautiful music. The orchestra, again superb, led by the incomparable Rolph Wilson, who also contributes an emotional rendition of Stephen Foster’s I Dream of Jeannie that I understand Foster wrote just after the love of his life had left him! But the album really belongs to Jane Pickles, whose playing on all the flutes is quite beautiful throughout, and includes a very rhythmic Piccolo Flight. All very enjoyable, and my thanks to the great musicians involved in the making of this CD". In choosing the music to be performed in this collection, Robert Farnon has rescored a few of his memorable arrangements from earlier years adding some brand new settings, alongside a handful of his own compositions. Notable among the former are that classic song from "The Pajama Game" – Hey There; Chopin’s famous Fantaisie Impromptu in a Farnon tour-de-force for flute which the composer probably never imagined!; that mellifluous Hoagy Carmichael standard The Nearness Of You; and Victor Young’s When I Fall In Love – surely one of the great love songs by a master tunesmith. Robert Farnon’s own compositions range from the wistful La Casita Mia, In A Calm and Magic Island, to the perky Little Miss Molly. Another virtuoso piece Piccolo Flight, was developed by Farnon from a brief passage in his first symphony. Whether arranging the melodies of some of the greatest popular music writers, or composing his own individual cameos, Farnon’s inspired scores are brimful of the magical harmonies that have become his trademark. Musicians love playing his charts, and this respect and admiration always translates into superlative performances, such as are heard on every single track in this memorable collection.

David Ades

Two more CDs are now available from Guild Music in their exciting new series:

The Golden Age of Light Music

The 1930s

1 Curtain Up – from "Ballerina Suite" (Arthur Wood) BBC VARIETY ORCHESTRA Conducted by CHARLES SHADWELL with REGINALD FOORT, Organ 2 Wedding Of The Rose (Leon Jessel) JACK HYLTON AND HIS ORCHESTRA 3 ‘Westwards’ from "Four Ways Suite" (Eric Coates) NEW LIGHT SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA Conducted by JOSEPH LEWIS 4 Tea Dolls’ Parade (L. Noiret) WEST END CELEBRITY ORCHESTRA 5 Plymouth Hoe (John Ansell) LIGHT SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA Conducted by JOHN ANSELL 6 Glow Worm Idyll (Paul Lincke) NEW LIGHT SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA 7 March Of The Bowmen – from "Robin Hood Suite" (Frederic Curzon) LONDON PALLADIUM ORCHESTRA Conducted by CLIFFORD GREENWOOD 8 The Immortals – Concert Overture (Reginald King) LONDON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA Conducted by WALTER GOEHR 9 Butterflies In The Rain (Sherman Myers) FRED HARTLEY’S QUINTET 10 May Day Overture (Haydn Wood) LIGHT SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA Conducted by HAYDN WOOD 11 Moths Around Tbe Candle Flame (Dolphe, Gordon, Randal) ALFREDO CAMPOLI AND HIS SALON ORCHESTRA 12 Overture from "Tänzerische Suite" (Dance Suite) (Eduard Künneke) BERLIN PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA Conducted by EDUARD KÜNNEKE 13 The Nightingale’s Morning Greeting (Recktenwald) MAREK WEBER AND HIS ORCHESTRA 14 Slaughter On Tenth Avenue – from ‘On Your Toes’ (Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart) PAUL WHITEMAN AND HIS CONCERT ORCHESTRA 15 Dance Of The Icicles – from "The Wooing of the Snowflakes" (Kennedy Russell) LESLIE JEFFRIES AND HIS ORCHESTRA 16 Samum (Carl Robrecht, arr. Phil Cardew) BBC DANCE ORCHESTRA Conducted by HENRY HALL 17 Music From The Movies – 1937 selection March of the Movies, We Saw the Sea, Would You? Top Hat, My Heart and I, Broadway Rhythm, Where Are You? September in the Rain, Thanks a Million, Lovely Lady, I Saw a Ship a-sailing, March of the Movies LOUIS LEVY AND HIS GAUMONT-BRITISH SYMPHONY GUILD LIGHT MUSIC GLCD5106

Historic Recordings from Chappell Recorded Music Library (1942-1945)

QUEEN’S HALL LIGHT ORCHESTRA Directed by CHARLES WILLIAMS

1 London Calling (Eric Coates) C105
2 Morning at Bibury (Charles Shadwell) C107
3 Frontier March (John Holliday) C112
4 The Future (Charles Williams) C120
5 Dancing On The Green (Percy Fletcher) C125
6 Mirage (Eric Coates) C148
7 Moon In The Sky (Billy Reid) C154
8 Minuet in F (Sinclair Logan) C155
9 Empire Jubilee March (Denis Wright) C156
10 At The Court Of Cleopatra (Percy Fletcher) C159
11 Beachy Head Overture (Frank Tapp) C161
12 Lulworth Cove (Charles Shadwell) C163
13 Virginia – A Southern Rhapsody (Haydn Wood) C168
14 Overture to an Irish Comedy (John Ansell) C169
15 Hillside Melody (Montague Phillips) C170
16 Naval Splendour (Clive Richardson) C178
17 Manx Rhapsody (Haydn Wood) C180
18 Forest Melody (Montague Phillips) C182
19 Seaford Head (Charles Williams) C189
20 May Day at Helston (John Holliday) C192
21 Marianne (Charles Williams) C194
22 Rhythm on Rails (Charles Williams) C195
23 Witches’ Ride (Charles Williams) C203
24 Tom Tom The Piper’s Son (Charles Williams) C212
25 Always (Kenneth Leslie-Smith) C215
26 Summer Garden (Charles Williams) C217
27 Mulberry (Kenneth Leslie-Smith) C235
28 The Glass Slipper – Overture (Clifton Parker) C239

C105 to C192 were recorded at EMI Studios, Abbey Road, London. From C194 onwards, recordings were made at Levy’s Sound Studios, 73 New Bond Street, London.

GUILD LIGHT MUSIC GLCD5107

These two latest Guild Light Music CDs include a good number of tracks that have never been available on CD before … in fact some are making their very first commercial release. The sound quality achieved by Alan Bunting on the 1930s collection is truly amazing, confirming yet again that the recording engineers at that time were getting far more of the music into those coarse grooves, than the contemporary playing equipment was capable of releasing. The 1930s CD contains several rare 78s that have been provided by RFS members, and even more ‘forgotten treasures’ will be turning up on later releases in this series. David Ades

At last! A new David Rose CD containing many of his brightest and most memorable 78s.

David Rose and his Orchestra
"Holiday For Strings"

1 HOLIDAY FOR STRINGS*
2 POINCIANA
3 DANCE OF THE SPANISH ONION*
4 OUR WALTZ*
5 THE GAUCHO SERENADE
6 ONE LOVE*
7 MANHATTAN SQUARE DANCE*
8 HOW HIGH THE MOON
9 GAY SPIRITS*
10 ESTRELLITA
11 SERENADE (from Student Prince)
12 WHY DO YOU PASS ME BY
13 PORTRAIT OF A FLIRT
14 SUNRISE SERENADE
15 AMERICAN HOE-DOWN*
16 SEPTEMBER SONG
17 FIDDLIN’ FOR FUN
18 ROSE OF BEL-AIR*
19 SOMEONE TO WATCH OVER ME
20 TENDERLY
21 FIESTA IN SEVILLE*
22 AN AMERICAN IN PARIS
23 SERENADE TO A LEMONADE*
24 PARADE OF THE CLOWNS*
25 HARLEM NOCTURNE

*David Rose compositions

Sanctuary Living Era CDAJA5499

This September sees the release of an eagerly-awaited CD of vintage David Rose recordings. Compiled by Living Era A&R Manager, Ray Crick and Peter Dempsey, the tempting selection includes many 78s that collectors have been hoping to acquire on CD for a long time. Apart from David Rose’s own superb compositions, there are many other highlights, including Robert Farnon’s Portrait Of A Flirt which Rose arranged himself. His version is fairly true to Bob’s original, but it is surprising that Rose didn’t provide a more dramatic finale – it almost seems as if he ran out of ideas! The 78 transfers are mainly by Peter Dempsey, although a few have been provided by Alan Bunting and David Ades. The sound restoration was carried out by Martin Haskell.

Readers may like reminding that the following David Rose 78s are available on recent Guild CDs:

GLCD5101 Dance of the Spanish Onion (David Rose)

GLCD5102 Manhattan Square Dance (David Rose)

GLCD5103 Liza (George & Ira Gershwin); Waltz of the Bubbles (David Rose)

GLCD5105 The Bad and the Beautiful (David Raksin); Satan and the Polar Bear (David Rose)

We are all familiar with the great value Vocalion CDs offering two original LPs on one CD. Mike Dutton has been pursuing this policy since the very first CD in the CDLK series back in March 2000. But sometimes this can cause problems if the artist featured has not made more than one LP for the company from which the recordings are being licensed. Occasionally the CD can be ‘topped up’ with a few singles or an EP, but this isn’t always possible. Another solution is to pair two different singers or orchestras, but this hasn’t always met with general approval from record buyers.

Therefore Mike Dutton has launched a new series which will feature just one LP or, exceptionally, two smaller 10" LPs. The prefix for these is CDLF, and observant readers will note that ‘LF’ was familiar with Decca 10" LPs, whereas the 12" discs had ‘LK’. The price of this new series of CDs will be the same as for the CDEA and CDUS releases – typically £5.99 in most record stores. They appear to be excellent value for money, and it should now be possible for a number of artists to be considered for CD reissue who have previously been ruled out.

Here are the first releases:

CDLF8100 HARRY JAMES The Golden Trumpet of Harry James
CDLF8101 LES PAUL Les Paul Now!
CDLF8102 TED HEATH BAND In Concert
CDLF8103 VIC LEWIS Mulligan’s Music & Progressive Jazz Vol. 1
CDLF8104 KISMET Mantovani, Robert Merrill, Adele Leigh, Kenneth McKellar
CDLF8105 DAVID HUGHES 16-18^th Century Songs of Love
CDLF8106 JOSEF LOCKE The World of Josef Locke Today
CDLF8107 BING CROSBY Feels Good, Feels Right
CDLF8108 ANTON KARAS Vienna City of Dreams
CDLF8109 JOHNNY KEATING Swing Revisited
CDLF8110 DAVID SNELL The Subtle Sound of David Snell
CDLF8111 JEANNIE CARSON The Girl with S.Q.

Other August releases from Vocalion include:

CDVS1942 FATS WALLER Ain’t Misbehavin’
CDEA6096 AMBROSE Volume 6 : As Time Goes By – The War Years
CDLK4241 RONNIE ALDRICH Two Pianos in Hollywood/Invitation to Love
CDLK4242 EDMUNDO ROS Latin Melodies/Standards A La Ros

No doubt some of these new CDs will be reviewed in our next issue. In the meantime, all of them are available now from the RFS Record Service.

ditor: we have already reviewed Alan Bunting’s excellent 2-CD compilation of PERCY FAITH recordings in this magazine. However, the respected author DONALD CLARKE has raised so many interesting points about this compilation, that I make no excuse for giving Alan (and Sanctuary Group) further publicity in JIM!

DELICADO …………. by Percy Faith

Living Era CD AJS 278 (www.sanctuaryclassics.com)

A double CD compiling all of Percy’s pre-Columbia recordings, and then some, remastered by Alan Bunting

Having moved from Texas to Iowa recently, and registering my motor vehicle in the land of corn and pork, I decided to buy myself a personalised licence plate. Every other car in Iowa is a NIKKI or a TINY3 or a TOYCAR2, so I thought I would give myself a number that I cannot forget, instead of an alphanumeric jumble generated by a computer. I chose 39708. Everybody will know it’s a personalised plate, but nobody will know what it means except me, which is cool.

So what is 39708? I am just about ready for my bus pass and my old age pension; I have forgotten scores of PIN numbers, telephone numbers and postal codes, but I cannot forget the American Columbia catalogue number of the international hit "Delicado", by Percy Faith. It blew me away in 1952, the first grown-up record I bought with my own money; I wore out several copies of the 78, and was launched upon a lifetime of musical discovery.

"Delicado" was written by a Brazilian bandleader, and turned by Faith into a slam-bang piece of pop; Waldir Azevedo’s "Cavaquinho" (which on the Brazilian record sounds like a sort of amplified mandolin) replaced with Mitch Miller’s favourite toy of those years, the amplified harpsichord. (Did anyone notice that in her autobiography a few years ago Rosemary Clooney said that it was Stan Freberg who played the harpsichord, and that he also aspired to a comedy career? It was of course Stan Freeman; somebody corrected the howler in the late Rosie’s paperback.)

But Faith was not overwhelmed by the Miller influence; there was a lot more to him than that. What I was listening to on a Faith record was effectively the sound of a symphony orchestra: voicings, harmonies, counter-melodies. I also enjoyed Paul Weston, Hugo Winterhalter, Les Baxter, Richard Hayman and all the rest, but to me, Faith was the master. If today I am a weirdo running around central Iowa playing symphonies by John Harbison and Roger Sessions in my pickup truck, it’s Percy Faith’s fault.

There were ten-inch LPs by Faith on Columbia, but there was also a twelve-incher on RCA, called Soft Lights And Sweet Music. I seem dimly to remember a mysterious ten-incher on American Decca, and in a Chicago department store I once saw an ten-inch LP pressed out of coloured vinyl, red or gold, I can’t remember (which then looked to me like the height of technological wizardry), on some label I’d never heard of. Then the dime-store labels proliferated: there were compilations of vintage Faith tracks in a great many editions. Where had they all come from?

The indefatigable Alan Bunting has sorted out the discographical info, now with more detail than ever. Only a few years ago it seemed like we would never see any of this stuff on CD, but now, thanks to Alan, we have a 2-CD set of all of Percy Faith’s pre-Columbia recordings, together with a sprinkling of the early Columbias, and all in better sound than ever before.

Percy Faith came to the USA from Canada in 1940 and was already becoming famous on American radio when he recorded 15 tracks for Decca in 1944-45. It is hard to describe their charm. It is a slightly younger Faith than we are used to, reaching his peak with an unlimited amount of energetic innocence. This was, after all, sophisticated stuff in those days: a roomful of the best musicians in town playing Faith arrangements for the microphone without any gimmicks was about as good as pop got.

Songs by Frank Loesser, Cole Porter, Jerome Kern etc were either brand new or had just been used in a film, or in any case were still in everybody’s mental jukebox, not pushed out by jingles. Ballads are interspersed here with Faith’s Latin-American specialties, and all of his arranging tricks were already well-developed: the throw-away arpeggio in the flutes, and the many ways to arrange a tune so it does not wear out its welcome on a three-minute record.

"Negra Consentida" (My Pet Brunette) is a good example of how Faith finds endless inspiration in a simple composition. Part of the intro to "Embraceable You" intrigues the listener with the first three notes of the melody, repeated in different registers. "Spring Will Be A Little Late This Year" breaks out in the middle with what I take to be muted strings playing the luscious tune full-heartedly and unadorned. "Bim, Bam, Boom!" has a wacky rhythm section; "Tico Tico" has a motif that later became the basis of Faith’s "Brazilian Sleighbells"; "Capullito de Aleli" at one point has a muted trumpet warbling the cute tune, while a trombone chorus plays a slyly humorous obbligato, another typical Faith touch.

"Baia" never fails to remind me of a lick from William Walton’s First Symphony, a decade earlier (a coincidence, or was Ary Barroso a Walton fan?). "If There Is Someone Lovelier Than You" has an unusual structure, and draws me in at the beginning with a viola solo, I think, and incidentally, sounds significantly better here than in any of its previous incarnations, thanks to Alan’s judicious intervention with a touch of reverb. The only thing more remarkable than the quality of the Decca studio sound of nearly 60 years ago is the way Alan has spruced it up.

Faith recorded only four tracks in 1946, accompaniments for Hildegarde; two of them are included here to fill up the CD. Hildegarde Loretta Sell, born in 1906 and raised in Milwaukee, worked in London in the mid-1930s and was big on USA radio in the following decade. She made quite a few records for Decca, but none made the Billboard retail chart. She also recorded with Guy Lombardo in 1946. She sings well enough, without the style of a Rosie or a Doris Day or a Jo Stafford, and she brings a taste of the 1940s with her: she sounds like a scene from a black-and-white movie. (Her dress is cut modestly, but it’s made of black lace; she looks like the girl next door, but she’s a saloon singer; on screen there’s a trio playing, but on the soundtrack it’s Percy Faith and his Orchestra. In the next scene she sets up the hero to be framed for murder. You get the picture.)

Whether dropped by Decca or whether Jack Kapp drove too hard a bargain, Faith next made eight tracks for Majestic in 1947. The label didn’t last long, but Eli Oberstein was involved from the beginning, which is the solution to the rest of the mystery.

Oberstein was a colourful wheeler-dealer. In the 1920s, Ralph Peer offered to record free for Victor in exchange for copyrights on the songs; he then discovered Jimmy Rodgers and the Carter Family, formed Southern Music in 1928 and sold it to what had then become RCA Victor on condition that the company would throw pop copyrights his way. We first hear of Oberstein when Peer recruited him from OKeh to RCA to keep an eye on Peer’s interests, but they became enemies, and Peer was not getting many copyrights. That impasse ended in 1932 when David Sarnoff, busy in other areas, was worried about anti-trust trouble, and sold Southern Music back to Peer.

Oberstein was suddenly fired with no explanation in 1938, so he tried to pull a Jack Kapp. Kapp had left Brunswick in 1934, hired to run Decca Records as a new subsidiary of British Decca; he brought Bing Crosby, the Mills Brothers and Guy Lombardo with him from Brunswick, sold records (during the Depression, mind) to jukebox operators for much less than the other companies and had soon created a major label out of nothing. But Kapp at Brunswick had those artists under personal contract, so he could take them wherever he went. When Oberstein left RCA he had produced a great many records by big-name recording artists and expected the likes of Tommy Dorsey to follow him, but none did, and his United States company floundered.

During WWII Oberstein had labels called Hit and Classic, selling recordings made in Mexico and new releases made as soon as he could sign with the musicians’ union, on strike against the other labels. He was hired back by RCA in 1945 and bounced again in 1947, a scapegoat when the record business was in complete disarray.

When Majestic was formed the label looked like a sure thing, because they had a ready-made distribution system of radio dealers (I think we had a Majestic radio when I was a kid). They bought Oberstein’s moribund labels and his masters to get started with, and Oberstein had a job again. The conservative company didn’t like his flamboyance and bounced him, but the label and its parent company soon collapsed. Many post-war labels died quick deaths because of raging inflation in the USA and the Battle of the Speeds, which began in 1947-8: small labels couldn’t afford to manufacture in two or three speeds, and there was an extra expense for cover artwork for albums. Mercury bought the remains of Majestic, probably to get singer/ bandleader Eddy Howard, who was making hits ("To Each His Own"), and Oberstein was later able to buy what was left of Majestic from Mercury, including the eight tracks by Percy Faith. He spent the rest of his career recycling whatever tracks he controlled, which is why, when I was a kid, Percy Faith tracks appeared on Royale, Varsity, Rondo-lette and perhaps others.

There is a falling off of the sound quality on the eight Majestic tracks compared to the Deccas, again a problem for small labels in that time of fast-changing technology. But Alan was working with the best source material he could get, six Majestic 78s, and the other two tracks, never issued on 78, from a Royale ten-inch LP. They are quite listenable and musically on a par with the Deccas. "The Touch Of Your Hand" is a song that always grabs me, with its exquisite yearning quality. "Tia Juana" is a memorable tune that was co-written by Raymond Scott; one would like to know the genesis of that. "Noche Caribe" (Caribbean Night) is a Faith tune that would soon be remade for Columbia.

The second CD takes us up to 1953. It begins with "Swedish Rhapsody", a reworking of Hugo Alfven, which was on the other side of one of Faith’s biggest hits, "The Song From Moulin Rouge" (Where Is Your Heart?). It ends with "Delicado" and "Moulin Rouge" itself, but Alan has conflated the hit version of the latter, including the famous vocal by Felicia Sanders, with the longer instrumental version, made for an album. The join is impossible to find and the result is a brilliant surprise every time you hear it, even if you know what to expect. And the sound of all three of these tracks is the final testament to Alan’s skill: "Delicado" has of course been issued by Columbia on CD at least twice, but Alan’s transfer sounds better: the harpsichord sparkles, and you can almost feel the rhythm guitar beneath your fingers.

The second CD also includes all 12 tracks recorded by Faith for RCA Victor in 1949. Ten of these were issued on 78s; a different selection of ten were issued on the RCA LP, and I cannot understand to this day why all 12 weren’t on the LP, but the other two were on an EP. This is the first time all have been issued in one collection. "I Got Rhythm", with its pizzicato strings, and "La Mer" (Beyond The Sea) with its feathery, rocking strings, are two of my all-time favourite Faith tracks. "Oodles Of Noodles" was written by Jimmy Dorsey as a vehicle for his expertise on the alto sax, but the centre section is one of those languid, unforgettably blasé Manhattan-at-night themes. Readers of a certain age from the Chicago area will recognize this track because it was used as the theme for a late-night old-movie showcase on local TV, sponsored by a car dealer ("Jim Moran, the Courtesy Man").

There is "Deep Purple" and "Soft Lights And Sweet Music"; and a word about "Body And Soul": this track is a superb example of Faith’s ability to find the best things in a great song. Not so long ago, during the best years of my life, in the back room of a pub in rural Norfolk, I heard the great English jazzman Brian Lemon play "Body And Soul" solo on an old upright piano. He got everything out of the tune that was in it, and I heard Coleman Hawkins, and yes, I heard Percy Faith. As the famous novelist said, everything that rises upwards must converge.

The rest of the second CD includes a sprinkling of Columbia tracks. There were four ten-inch LPs on Columbia in the early 1950s; my favourites were Carnival Rhythms and American Waltzes, but the others were fun too: Carefree Rhythms and Your Dance Date (soon reissued as Fascinating Rhythms). There is another CD called Delicado from Sony or Columbia which any Faith fan should have, because it includes all eight tracks from Carnival Rhythms, in my opinion Percy Faith’s single greatest achievement. The other three ten-inchers have recently been issued complete on a CD from Collectables (Sony Music Custom Marketing Group). Alan couldn’t have known that was going to happen, and he has included in the present set six tracks from the last two named ten-inch LPs. Oh, well. A transfer engineer and compiler of this quality should be allowed to indulge himself.

The remaining five or six tracks were Columbia singles, most of which I had never heard before. The premise of "Da-Du" is that the lover is tongue-tied upon seeing his beloved; the trouble is that one cannot imagine the buttoned down, tightly disciplined chorus of those Columbia years (under the control of Mitch Miller?) being tongue-tied at all; and the tongue-tied gag was worked many years earlier and funnier in a throwaway bit of monologue by Fats Waller.

It is interesting to know that Percy Faith made kiddie records (again, the influence of Miller, who was the boss at Golden Records for years?) It is even more interesting that "Mosquitoes’ Parade" has a Columbia master number and an RCA Victor catalogue number; was Columbia custom-recording kiddie records for RCA? In any case, do not put that catalogue number on my licence plate; I do not ever need to hear "Mosquitoes’ Parade" again.

There are few compilations of 50 tracks of which you can say that there are only two you do not much care for. Little did I know when Alan wrote to me out of the blue more than a decade ago, because I had included an entry for Percy Faith in the Penguin Encyclopedia of Popular Music, that he would end up laying these riches on us all. Thanks, mate.

Donald Clarke

An eagerly awaited second collection from a Mantovani expert is now available from Vocalion

COLLECTOR'S MANTOVANI - VOLUME TWO

by Colin MacKenzie

1 Tania
2 Sail Away
3 Summer Night
4 Someone Nice Like You
5 Far Away
6 Mutiny On The Bounty
7 Love Song from Mutiny On The Bounty - Follow Me
8 Only Yesterday
9 Non Dimenticar
10 The Churchill March
11 In The Spring (Il y Avait)
12 Red Petticoats
13 Rickshaw
14 A Girl Named Tamiko
15 Japanese Lullaby
16 Willow Tree
17 Games That Lovers Play
18 The World's A Lovely Place
19 Love Theme from The Carpetbaggers
20 Taras Bulba
21 March In 3/4
22 Greengage Summer
23 Anthony & Cleopatra
24 The Orange Vendor
25 Where Shall I Find Him?
26 Teddy Bears' Picnic
27 Let Me Be Loved 

Vocalion CDLK 4233
Tracks 15, 18, 21 and 25 previously unissued

1, 3, 5, 13, 20, 24, 27 previously available only in Britain as mono 45 rpm singles
2, 4, 9, 22, 26 previously available only in USA as mono 45 rpm singles

1, 8, 12, 13,15, 21, 24 composed by Mantovani

This second volume of Collector's Mantovani is possibly even more important for Mantovani collectors than its predecessor (Vocalion CDLK 4152, issued in 2002). As before, there are unissued recordings, rarities and undiscovered delights, but this time the majority of the performances are presented in a stereo format. The fact that just two of them (Red Petticoats and Games That Lovers Play) were released on LPs does not imply that the others were of inferior quality. It just happens that Mantovani was so active in the Decca recording studios especially in the early 1960s that some material was left out of his many album releases for one reason or another.

The vaults have now been dusted down again and numerous "lost" gems hovered up for an excitingly varied collection generously sponsored by RFS members Nicholas Briggs and Alan Dixon, and a keen Mantovani fan Paul Barrett. Hopefully, the rich variety of choice on display will again show that
Mantovani was a fine composer of light orchestral themes (there are seven of his pieces here) as well being a leading purveyor of lush mood music. Listeners should also enjoy re-discovering several imposing film themes too, most of which are now unavailable elsewhere.

The earliest melody comes from June 1952, this being an unusual symphonic version of Teddy Bears’ Picnic which was issued only in America on a London single. It's not clear who did the jaunty arrangement, but you may wonder whether it bears the fingerprints of Ronnie Binge, Mantovani's
principal arranger until mid-1952. The British version of Let Me Be Loved from the film "The James Dean Story", with a pulsating trumpet solo by Stan Newsome, comes from August 1957; the earlier American one which sounds very similar would have been fitted into volume 1 had not a portion of the tape been missing!

Emerging from June 1958 is the beautifully understated theme Only Yesterday by Roy Faye which was tucked away quietly on an EP and the B side of a 45; the composer's name masks the identity of a certain Mr Mantovani who is also playing the piano!

The evocative Continental waltz In The Spring and the lively tango The Orange Vendor were recorded at Decca in January 1960, the latter piece bearing the name of "Rodilo" as composer, but hiding the identity of Mantovani who wrote the number after seeing a colourful orange vendor plying his wares on a Venetian canal. For the lovely Italian song Non Dimenticar from March 1961 one might have anticipated an arrangement with guitars, mandolins and accordion, but Mantovani surprises us with a delightfully original rendition featuring saxophonist Norman Barker. Like several others in the collection this hidden gem appeared only on a London (USA) 45 and has not been heard in Britain until now.

On the other hand, American listeners may be intrigued to hear at last on record the lively Mantovani composition Tania from July 1960 which was issued only in Britain; it may still be familiar to them, however, as the opening number from his concert tour of America later that year.

Those admirers of British composer Richard Addinsell will be pleased to find here an excerpt from his memorable score for the film "The Greengage Summer", recorded in June 1961 for another US single release. In the following August Mantovani taped the frothy title track and the carefully structured Where Shall I Find Him? from the Noel Coward musical "Sail Away". One suspects that on the latter melody this might be Mantovani again at the piano.

The year 1962 spawned two outstanding melodies from the Marlon Brando movie "Mutiny On The Bounty", its stirring main theme introducing Shenandoah and the beguiling love song Follow Me. Also from that year are two worthy Lionel Bart show songs, The World's A Lovely Place, a feature for master accordionist Emile Charlier and later used in the 1964 production of "Maggie May", and the delightful Far Away from "Blitz". A fine piano inspired version of Someone Nice Like You from the Bricusse-Newley show "Stop The World - I Want To Get Off" comes from the same period, but just who is that mystery pianist who sounds like a combination of Ronnie Aldrich and Mantovani himself?

During the summer of 1962 Mantovani recorded his own Rickshaw with its interesting change of tempo and the glorious Summer Night which was written by the late Benny Carter, more usually known for his jazz numbers. The interesting story behind this neglected title and why it was recorded only by Mantovani can be followed in the inlay notes for the CD. With its waves of strings and seductive accordion Summer Night is quintessential Mantovani and is given its rightful prominence at last. Of all the wonderful recordings made by Mantovani of our type of music this is surely one of his
very best.

In January 1963 the alluring film themes from "Taras Bulba", which starred Tony Curtis and Yul Brynner, and "A Girl Named Tamiko", featuring Laurence Harvey, were taped, followed by the wistful Anthony & Cleopatra theme from the Richard Burton-Elizabeth Taylor epic "Cleopatra" in May. From early 1964 comes the recording of Love Theme from "The Carpetbaggers" which has previously appeared fleetingly on an obscure CD, but which disappeared from sale so quickly that it was thought worthy of repetition here. Ron Grainer's magnificent The Churchill March from the acclaimed film docu-drama "The Finest Hours" is from the same year and will surely be welcomed by movie buffs because of its unavailability elsewhere.

As already indicated, Games That Lovers Play from 1966 and Mantovani's own Red Petticoats, originally recorded in late 1952 but re-recorded in the summer of 1968, have appeared in stereo format on American LPs, but not in Britain, hence their inclusion here. From 1968, too, comes another obscure single Willow Tree and, finally, we should take note of two late unissued Mantovani compostions, the frisky March In 3/4 (from June 1968) and the wonderfully ethereal Japanese Lullaby from January 1969.

If you have problems in obtaining this CD from your local record store, copies are available from the RFS Record Service for £10 [US $20] each, plus p&p.

This June sees a new collection of fine recordings conducted by Sidney Torch "All Strings and Fancy Free"

The Music of SIDNEY TORCH

1 ON A SPRING NOTE (Sidney Torch) The Queen’s Hall Light Orchestra Conducted by Sidney Torch 2 SIBONEY (Lecuona) The Sidney Torch Orchestra 3 MAGIC CIRCLES (Marshall Ross) The Sidney Torch Orchestra 4 CORONATION SCOT (Vivian Ellis) The Sidney Torch Orchestra 5 RADIO ROMANTIC (Sidney Torch) The Queen’s Hall Light Orchestra Conducted by Sidney Torch 6 BEACHCOMBER (Clive Richardson) The Sidney Torch Orchestra 7 DESTINY (Sidney Baynes) The Sidney Torch Orchestra 8 CORNFLAKES (Norman) The Sidney Torch Orchestra 9 ALL STRINGS AND FANCY FREE (Sidney Torch) The Sidney Torch Orchestra 10 WITHOUT MY LOVER (Gerard) The Sidney Torch Orchestra 11 A SONG BY THE WAY (Eric Coates) The Sidney Torch Orchestra 12 MEANDERING (Sidney Torch) The Queen’s Hall Light Orchestra Conducted by Sidney Torch 13 JUST ONE OF THOSE THINGS (Cole Porter) The Sidney Torch Orchestra 14 HIGH HEELS (Trevor Duncan) The Sidney Torch Orchestra 15 DOMINO (Louis Ferrari) The Sidney Torch Orchestra 16 ELFINETTE (Jansen) The Sidney Torch Orchestra 17 A CANADIAN IN MAYFAIR (Angela Morley) The Sidney Torch Orchestra 18 LONDON PLAYHOUSE (Sidney Torch) The New Century Orchestra Conducted by Sidney Torch 19 BLUE NIGHT (Sidney Torch) The Sidney Torch Orchestra 20 OUT OF THE BLUE (Robert Busby) The Queen’s Hall Light Orchestra Conducted by Sidney Torch 21 AMORE MIO (Sidney Torch) The Queen’s Hall Light Orchestra Conducted by Sidney Torch 22 FANDANGO (Sidney Torch) The Sidney Torch Orchestra 23 CRESTA RUN (Yvoire) The Sidney Torch Orchestra 24 SHOOTING STAR (Sidney Torch) The Queen’s Hall Light Orchestra Conducted by Sidney Torch 25 PAN AMERICAN FANTASY El Rancho Grande (Uranga); Noche de Ronda (Lara); Tico Tico (Abreu); Frenesi (Dominguez); Perfidia (Dominguez); The Cactus Polka (Plumb). The Sidney Torch Orchestra Sanctuary Living Era CD AJA 5540

Commercial CDs have to appeal to the general record buying public, as well as committed enthusiasts, which can sometimes pose a problem for compilers. It is necessary to present a rounded view of the talents of the artist or orchestra being featured, yet at the same time there is a desire to appeal to existing fans by offering something that may not already be in their collections. Another important factor is to try and present the best possible sound restorations which modern technology can offer, so that new CDs may well benefit from superior sound quality compared with earlier releases. On top of all that there is the opportunity to write comprehensive notes for the CD booklet that will give purchasers – both today, and many years ahead in the future – some useful information about the music and the performers. Hopefully I will have achieved some of these objectives in this new Sidney Torch CD. Certainly I am confident that RFS members will appreciate the fine digital sound restoration that Alan Bunting has bestowed on these vintage 78s. Even if you already have many of these 78s in your collection, I hope that you will be encouraged to add this latest CD to your shelves – not only for the sake of completeness, but also to assure record companies that there is still a genuine demand for new light music CDs, otherwise they will simply cease to be released. This collection is intended as a tribute to one of the great names in British Light Music, yet it has to be admitted at the outset that it is incomplete. The reason is simply that Sidney Torch is remembered today not only as a leading figure in orchestral music, but also as one of England’s foremost cinema organists. Other CDs have remembered his many fine performances on the legendary electronic organs of the 1930s – notably the large Christie at the Regal, Marble Arch, and the mighty Wurlitzer at the Gaumont State cinema in Kilburn. The many 78s he recorded from those magical picture palaces reveal him to have been an exceptional performer, coaxing sounds from those amazing instruments that make it difficult to believe that only one person was sitting at the keyboard. His skills that he developed during his formative years were to play an important part in his later career, when he regarded his orchestra somewhat like a painter approaches a blank canvas: it is the embellishments that define a masterpiece, and separate the superb from the mundane. Sidney Torch always treated his listeners to an exciting musical experience, leaving them with fresh delights to be discovered on repeated visits. Not for him the simple melody performed without any light or shade: his recordings sparkled with inventiveness, constantly surprising with unexpected changes of key and tempo. Sidney Torch, MBE, was born of Russian parents on 5 June 1908 at 27 Tottenham Court Road, London. His father Morris Torchinsky, an orchestral trombonist, decided to anglicise the family name, and it was he who introduced his son to the rudiments of music.

Torch’s first professional engagement was as accompanist to the celebrated violinist Albert Sandler. He then moved into several cinema orchestras playing for silent films, but the arrival of the talkies forced him to consider a musical change of direction. For a while he became assistant organist to Quentin Maclean at the Regal, Marble Arch, taking over this famous Christie Organ full time from 1932 to 1934. From Marble Arch Torch moved on to the Regal, Edmonton, leaving in 1936 to join Union Cinemas, opening many new organs and recording at their flagship theatre, the Regal Kingston. In 1937 he opened the magnificent Wurlitzer Organ at the Gaumont State, Kilburn, which was then the largest cinema organ in England.

In 1940 he was called into the Royal Air Force, and initially was stationed near Blackpool, where he continued to record at the Opera House. He first trained as an air gunner in the RAF, but was subsequently commissioned and attained the rank of Squadron Leader. He became conductor of the RAF Concert Orchestra, which gave him the opportunity to study more closely the intricacies of orchestral scoring. Torch realised that the days of the cinema organ as he knew it were numbered, so he turned to light orchestral composing, arranging and conducting, where he quickly discovered that his composing talents were ideally suited to the requirements of the production music (mood music) publishers, that were rapidly establishing libraries in London. From 1946 onwards Sidney Torch contributed many different works to the Chappell catalogue, both under his own name and also as Denis Rycoth (an anagram). He also conducted the Queen's Hall Light Orchestra on these special recordings, working alongside Charles Williams, Robert Farnon, Peter Yorke, Angela Morley, Clive Richardson and many other luminaries of light music in the post-war years. Francis, Day & Hunter employed Torch to conduct their New Century Orchestra when their library was launched in 1947, and he remained with them for two years until a Musicians' Union ban halted all such work in Britain.

In 1953 the BBC decided that it needed a new programme and, with Sidney Torch's full participation, the formula for "Friday Night Is Music Night" was devised. The BBC Concert Orchestra had been formed the previous year, and Torch conducted it for almost twenty years in this series, until his retirement in 1972. During this period Torch became one of the most popular and respected conductors in Britain. His countless broadcasts included many celebrity concerts, often at London's Royal Festival Hall as part of the BBC's regular Light Music Festivals. He had a reputation as something of a martinet, according to the musicians and singers who performed under his baton. Following his retirement Sidney Torch seemed to lose interest in his previous musical activities. He rarely wanted to talk about his pre-war stardom as a cinema organist, and similarly dismissed most attempts to get him to recall his great moments in light music. In a rare radio interview in 1983 he admitted that he had been cruel to most of his producers, although he felt that many of them probably benefited from the experience. He was appointed MBE in 1985. He committed suicide at his Eastbourne, Sussex home on 16th July 1990 at the age of 82, having been pre-deceased by his wife Elizabeth Tyson (a former BBC producer) four months earlier. In celebrating Sidney Torch’s ‘World of Light Music’, this CD includes examples of his talents as a composer, arranger and also conductor of the work of some other composers he admired. Light music admirers will be pleased to see the names Marshall Ross (actually Ray Martin), Vivian Ellis, Clive Richardson, Eric Coates and Trevor Duncan included among the other composers featured on Sidney’s 78s. Yet the main billing has to go to the maestro, with his wonderful compositions such as On A Spring Note, Radio Romantic, All Strings And Fancy Free, Meandering, London Playhouse, Blue Night, Amore Mio, Fandango and Shooting Star. Also the scintillating Torch arrangements – among them Coronation Scot (he turns the Vivian Ellis light music classic, which normally sounds like a slow local train, into an express!), Destiny Waltz by Sidney Baynes and Pan American Fantasy where Torch’s love of the music of Latin America is given full rein. Individual composers who deserve special mention include Clive Richardson for Beachcomber (his other major works are London Fantasia and Melody On The Move), Trevor Duncan – who achieved his first big success as a composer thanks to Sidney Torch’s recording of High Heels, and Eric Coates whose A Song By The Way used to introduce a BBC radio programme of the same name. Angela Morley is one of today’s top arrangers and composers and Torch encouraged her during the crucial early years of her career by commissioning several scores including Siboney and Just One Of Those Things; he also made the superb premier commercial recording of A Canadian in Mayfair (which Angela had dedicated to Robert Farnon). Speaking recently, she remembered Sidney as being a stern taskmaster on the podium, but off it he was a most charming man. That seems to sum up the feelings of most of the musicians who came into contact with him during his long and distinguished career. David Ades

An unjustly neglected Light Music composer is finally honoured with a superb new CD of his music

MONTAGUE PHILLIPS

Revelry Overture; Moorland Idyll; Four Dances from "The Rebel Maid"; Symphony in C Minor – Spring Rondo, Summer Nocturne; A Surrey Suite – Richmond Park, The Shadowy Pines, Kingston Market; A Shakespearean Scherzo – ‘Titania and her Elvish’; Arabesque No. 2; Sinfonietta in C BBC Concert Orchestra Conducted by Gavin Sutherland Dutton Epoch CDLX 7140

Compared with such contemporaries as Eric Coates, Haydn Wood, Percy Fletcher and Albert Ketèlbey, Montague Phillips has not, in recent years, enjoyed the recognition which he undoubtedly deserves.

Although his compositions could at one time be heard on radio broadcasts, very little of his output has ever appeared on disc; consequently most of the items here are making their recording debut. All credit is due to Philip Lane, Fiona Shelmerdine of BBC Radio 3, and Mike Dutton for realising this splendid CD, especially as previous similar projects planned by other record companies have never reached fruition.

Born in Tottenham, North London, in 1885, Montague Fawcett Phillips was a chorister at St. Botolph’s, Bishopsgate, before winning a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Music. By the age of 12 he was playing the organ for church services and gained his FRCO at only 19. Four years later he took up residence at the console of Esher Parish Church, Surrey, where he was to serve for 35 years.

After the first world war, he was appointed a professor of harmony and composition at the RAM; this enabled him to pursue a second career as a soloist, accompanist, conductor and, most relevantly, as a composer.

Like Albert Ketèlbey and Haydn Wood, Phillips was married to a singer (Clara Butterworth), and for her he wrote over 100 songs; with these, together with his operetta "The Rebel Maid", he was to achieve his greatest success. Also in common with Haydn Wood – and Edward German (not to mention their illustrious predecessor, Arthur Sullivan), he aspired to write ‘serious’ music. He produced two Piano Concertos, a Fantasy for Violin and Orchestra, a String Quartet and a number of solo piano pieces.

His other main area of interest was the well-crafted orchestral miniature, and although this genre tends to be classified as ‘light music’, in reality much of the material bridges the gap between our out-and-out ‘light’ on the one hand, and ‘serious’ on the other – yet another significant parallel with Wood and German.

Not surprisingly, Phillips’ music has a considerable affinity with the works of the other composers mentioned so far; in addition there are occasional overtones of Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, and at other times foreshades of Frederic Curzon. The Spring Rondo and Summer Nocturne are Phillips’ own reworking of the two central movements in his Symphony in C. Here are strong suggestions of Antonin Dvorak and Edward Elgar; the latter’s guiding hand is also most apparent in the Moorland Idyll.

The programme includes familiar items such as the Overture – Revelry and the "Rebel Maid" Dances, which could often be heard on the BBC in the good old days, together with the Surrey Suite. This has been recorded before, albeit in the composer’s own arrangement for military band, and it is good to hear it now in its original form.

All-in-all, there is much to delight the listener. Gavin Sutherland and the BBC Concert Orchestra are in sparkling form, whilst engineer Paul Waton has worked wonders with the acoustics at the BBC’s Maida Vale Studio 1. Put together with Lewis Foreman’s excellent liner notes, this has to be one of the most important new CD releases of 2004, and must be regarded as a mandatory addition to every serious collector’s library.

Tony Clayden

This CD is available from the RFS Record Service for £10 [US $20] plus postage and packing.

Two more CDs are being released by Guild this June in their "Golden Age of Light Music" series

Great British Light Orchestras

1 Honey Child (Joyce Cochrane, arr. Robert Farnon) QUEEN’S HALL LIGHT ORCHESTRA Conducted by ROBERT FARNON 2 Gypsy Fiddler (Raphael) RAY MARTIN AND HIS CONCERT ORCHESTRA 3 Carnavalito (Linda, Zaldiver) CYRIL STAPLETON AND HIS ORCHESTRA 4 Romantic Interlude (Clive Richardson) CHARLES WILLIAMS AND HIS CONCERT ORCHESTRA 5 Magic Circles (Ray Martin) GERALDO AND HIS NEW CONCERT ORCHESTRA 6 Oh Dear What Can The Matter Be (Trad., arr Frank Cordell) FRANK CORDELL AND HIS ORCHESTRA 7 Television March (Eric Coates) LONDON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA Conducted by ERIC COATES 8 April in Portugal (Ferrao) NORRIE PARAMOR AND HIS ORCHESTRA 9 Cactus Polka (Trad., arr. E.H. Plumb, G. Walter) MAYFAIR ORCHESTRA Conducted by WALTER GOEHR 10 Kashmiri Song – from "Four Indian Love Lyrics" (Amy Woodforde-Finden) MANTOVANI AND HIS CONCERT ORCHESTRA 11 Rainbow Run (Edy Mers) RON GOODWIN AND HIS CONCERT ORCHESTRA 12 Prelude To A Memory (Frank Chacksfield) FRANK CHACKSFIELD AND HIS ORCHESTRA 13 Goodwood Galop (Robert Farnon) QUEEN’S HALL LIGHT ORCHESTRA Conducted by ROBERT FARNON 14 The Roundabout (Edward White) NEW CONCERT ORCHESTRA Conducted by JACK LEON 15 Spring Morning (George Melachrino) MELACHRINO ORCHESTRA Conducted by GEORGE MELACHRINO 16 Songs My Mother Taught Me (Dvorak, arr. Peter Yorke) PETER YORKE AND HIS CONCERT ORCHESTRA 17 Sand In My Shoes (Victor Schertzinger) ROBERT FARNON AND HIS ORCHESTRA 18 Canadian Capers (Chandler, White, Cohen – arr. Angela Morley) SIDNEY TORCH AND HIS ORCHESTRA 19 Rhapsody In Rhythm (Henry Croudson) LOUIS VOSS AND HIS ORCHESTRA 20 The Jolly Brothers (Robert Vollstedt) RON GOODWIN AND HIS CONCERT ORCHESTRA 21 From Here To Eternity (Karger, Wells) STANLEY BLACK AND HIS ORCHESTRA 22 Parade Of The Clowns (David Rose) CHARLES WILLIAMS AND HIS CONCERT ORCHESTRA 23 One Summer Day (Reginald King) HARMONIC ORCHESTRA Conducted by HANS MAY 24 Ragamuffin (Joe Rixner) PHILIP GREEN AND HIS ORCHESTRA 25 Valencia (José Padilla) EDMUNDO ROS AND HIS ORCHESTRA 26 "Oklahoma!" Selection (Rodgers, Hammerstein II – arr. Sidney Torch) I Cain’t Say No, Oh What A Beautiful Mornin’, People Will Say We’re In Love, Surrey With The Fringe On Top, Out Of My Dreams, Oklahoma! SIDNEY TORCH AND HIS ORCHESTRA

GUILD LIGHT MUSIC GLCD5104

There has been a great response to the April release of the first three CDs in the new Guild Light Music series. RFS members have flooded our Record Service with demands for copies, and equally heartening has been the many messages from individual collectors offering to assist with tracks from their own prized 78s and LPs. These two new releases actually feature several numbers that are a direct result of the many offers of help that David Ades and Alan Bunting have received. Among the RFS members whose own records are on these CDs are John Fountain, Malcolm Powell, Stuart Sonley, Terry Viner and Ronnie Woodhouse; there are many more lined up in releases planned for later this year. Other members have assisted us by supplying names of ‘friendly’ broadcasters who are likely to feature these recordings in their programmes. By now they should have received their promotional copies, so hopefully many of you will already have heard some of these records ‘on the air’. New names to add to the list are always welcome, but please understand that it is expensive to send out promotional material, so only those people who will definitely be interested should be recommended.

Great American Light Orchestras

1 Fiddle Faddle (Leroy Anderson) LEROY ANDERSON AND HIS ‘POPS’ CONCERT ORCHESTRA 2 The Bad And The Beautiful – theme from the film (David Raksin) DAVID ROSE AND HIS ORCHESTRA 3 Brazilian Sleigh Bells (Percy Faith) PERCY FAITH AND HIS ORCHESTRA 4 Anna (Roman, Giordano, Godfrey) VICTOR YOUNG AND HIS ORCHESTRA 5 No Strings Attached (Richard Hayman) RICHARD HAYMAN AND HIS ORCHESTRA 6 Rain (Eugene Ford) PAUL WESTON AND HIS ORCHESTRA 7 Holiday In Rio (Terig Tucci) ACQUAVIVA AND HIS ORCHESTRA 8 Sophisticated Lady (Duke Ellington, arr. Morton Gould) MORTON GOULD AND HIS ORCHESTRA Violin Max Pollikoff 9 Marguerite Waltz (Meredith Willson) MEREDITH WILLSON AND HIS ORCHESTRA 10 Blue Violins (Ray Martin) HUGO WINTERHALTER AND HIS ORCHESTRA 11 No Other Love (Richard Rodgers) GORDON JENKINS AND HIS ORCHESTRA 12 Three O’clock In The Morning (Robledo, Terrliss) MONTY KELLY AND HIS ORCHESTRA 13 La Mer (Charles Trenet) MGM STUDIO ORCHESTRA Conducted by MACKLIN MARROW 14 If You Are But A Dream (Jaffe, Fulton, Bronx – adapted from ‘Romance’ by Rubinstein) FRANK DE VOL AND HIS ORCHESTRA 15 Satan And The Polar Bear (David Rose) DAVID ROSE AND HIS ORCHESTRA 16 Carriage Trade (Richard Hayman) RICHARD HAYMAN AND HIS ORCHESTRA 17 Tradewinds (David Carroll) DAVID CARROLL AND HIS ORCHESTRA 18 Manhattan Serenade (Louis Alter) ANDRE KOSTELANETZ AND HIS ORCHESTRA 19 The Cavalier’s Ball (Nicolas Acquaviva) ACQUAVIVA AND HIS ORCHESTRA 20 Tropicana (Bernie Wayne) MONTY KELLY AND HIS ORCHESTRA 21 Smoke Gets In Your Eyes (Jerome Kern) GORDON JENKINS AND HIS ORCHESTRA 22 Andalucia (Ernesto Lecuona, arr. Morton Gould) ROBIN HOOD DELL ORCHESTRA Conducted by MORTON GOULD 23 Dance of the Violins (Jeanjean) MGM STUDIO ORCHESTRA Conducted by MACKLIN MARROW 24 Tic-Tac-Toe (Lou Singer) HUGO WINTERHALTER AND HIS ORCHESTRA 25 Toyland Waltz – from "Babes in Toyland" (Victor Herbert) HARRY HORLICK AND HIS ORCHESTRA 26 Manhattan Masquerade (Louis Alter) PAUL WHITEMAN AND HIS ORCHESTRA

GUILD LIGHT MUSIC GLCD5105

When looking back over the history of recorded sound, and the involvement of British Light Orchestras in what has become known as the ‘Golden Age of Light Music’, there is a tendency to concentrate on the 1940s and 1950s. Indeed this was a period of great musical riches, as has already been touched upon in the three previous Guild CDs in this series. Possibly one of the main reasons for concentrating upon these two decades was due to the fact that sound recording had advanced to the stage where reproduction in the home was achieving satisfactory results, and the availability of new recordings (especially as the 1950s dawned) greatly increased the choice on offer.

In the USA light orchestras also featured on radio and records, and these two new CDs illustrate the wide diversity of glorious sounds that were at the command of record buyers over half a century ago. In the post-war years new microphones were making big improvements in sound quality, which certainly benefited orchestral recordings. Although the record players in domestic homes were relatively primitive compared with today’s magnificent sound reproduction systems, it is clear that the recordings themselves contained far more detail and warmth than may have been generally realised at the time. Modern sound restoration experts are now unearthing these riches from the depths of the dusty grooves.

For more information, and other recent reviews of these Guild Light Music CDs, please visit: www.guildmusic.com You can also order all Guild CDs via this website.

PDF file of the text below

THE GOLDEN AGE OF LIGHT MUSIC
An introduction

Whether you happen to know it as Easy Listening, Middle-of-the-Road, Concert Music, Mood Music - or simply Light Music, there is no doubt that these are the sounds that will rekindle some happy memories. Because Light Music has been around all our lives, and not so long ago it was heard regularly on radio stations around the world.Some broadcasters may no longer realise just how much their listeners would like to hear this kind of pleasant, easy-on-the-ear music, but thankfully record companies like Guild are aware that Light Music is currently enjoying a revival.This CD is intended as a ‘taster’ to illustrate the different styles that will be found in this new series, featuring many of the great composers and conductors who were once household names. Their vintage recordings have been digitally processed to the highest standards, ensuring that you only hear the music - sounding better today than it did when originally released.
GLCD 5101

THE GOLDEN AGE OF LIGHT MUSIC
The 1940s

If the names Robert Farnon, David Rose, Sidney Torch, Percy Faith, Eric Coates, Stanley Black, Morton Gould and Andre Kostelanetz already mean something to you, then you will need no further encouragement to go back in time to a period when ‘popular music’ was simply a term that meant it was enjoyed by millions. Light Music is tuneful music, you hear the melody and you feel better for it. Although the world was blighted by war, the 1940s nevertheless managed to produce an amazing outpouring of many musical styles. In retrospect it can be seen that Light Music was at the crossroads: would the genteel sounds of the early years of the 20th century be swept away by a brash tide of mediocrity, or would new talents emerge to adapt and even improve upon what had gone before? Happily for us, Light Music would survive, and reach even greater heights.
GLCD 5102

THE GOLDEN AGE OF LIGHT MUSIC
THE 1950s

With the new decade came a revolution in the way in which music would be heard in the home, thanks to the arrival of high fidelity sound and the long-playing record. Both were ideally suited to the requirements of light orchestras, and before long their albums were selling in millions. But for a while 78 and 45rpm singles still dominated the market, and Light Music featured regularly in the lists of latest releases from the record companies. New names such as Ray Martin and Ron Goodwin emerged to challenge the past masters, but there was plenty of room for everyone and the record-buying public were the main beneficiaries.This third CD in Guild's new Light Music series provides a ‘snapshot’ of a world that was determined to start enjoying itself once again, and the bright and breezy sounds produced by so many orchestras world-wide undoubtedly contributed towards those happy feelings.
GLCD 5103

Tracklistings:

GLCD 5101 - An introdcution

1. Gateway To The West (Farnon) - QUEEN'S HALL LIGHT ORCHESTRA/ROBERT FARNON 2:57
2. Going For A Ride (Torch) - SIDNEY TORCH AND HIS ORCHESTRA 2:47
3. With A Song In My Heart (Rodgers, Hart) - ANDRE KOSTELANETZ & HIS ORCHESTRA 3:30
4. Heykens' Serenade (Heykens, arr. Goodwin) - RON GOODWIN & HIS ORCHESTRA 2:30
5. Martinique (Warren) - RAY MARTIN & HIS ORCHESTRA 3:13
6. Skyscraper Fantasy (Phillips) - CHARLES WILLIAMS & HIS CONCERT ORCHESTRA 3:53
7. Dance Of The Spanish Onion (Rose) - DAVID ROSE & HIS ORCHESTRA 2:53
8. Out Of This World - theme from the film (Arlen, Mercer) - MANTOVANI & HIS ORCHESTRA 3:06
9. Paris To Piccadilly (Busby, Hurran) - L'ORCHESTRE DEVEREAUX/GEORGES DEVEREAUX 3:04
10. Festive Days (Ancliffe) - LONDON PROMENADE ORCHESTRA/ WALTER COLLINS 3:15
11. Ha'penny Breeze - theme from the film (Green) PHILIP GREEN & HIS ORCHESTRA 4:10
12. Tropical (Gould) - MORTON GOULD & HIS ORCHESTRA 2:28
13. Puffin' Billy (White) - DANISH STATE RADIO ORCHESTRA/HUBERT CLIFFORD 3:00
14. First Rhapsody (Melachrino) - MELACHRINO ORCHESTRA/GEORGE MELACHRINO 4:15
15. Fantasie Impromptu in C Sharp Minor (Chopin, arr. Farnon) KINGSWAY SO/CAMARATA 3:25
16. London Bridge March (Coates) - NEW LIGHT SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA/JOSEPH LEWIS 3:59
17. Mock Turtles (Morley) - QUEEN'S HALL LIGHT ORCHESTRA/ROBERT FARNON 2:14
18. To A Wild Rose (MacDowell, arr. Peter Yorke) - PETER YORKE & HIS CONCERT ORCHESTRA 3:21
19. Plink, Plank, Plunk! (Anderson) - LEROY ANDERSON & HIS 'POPS' CONCERT ORCHESTRA 2:24
20. Jamaican Rhumba (Benjamin, arr. Percy Faith) - PERCY FAITH & HIS ORCHESTRA 3:07
21. Vision in Velvet (Duncan) - NEW CONCERT ORCHESTRA/JACK LEON 3:14
22. Grand Canyon (van der Linden) - DOLF VAN DER LINDEN & HIS METROPOLE ORCHESTRA 2:33
23. Dancing Princess (Hart, Layman, arr.Young) - FRANK CHACKSFIELD & HIS ORCHESTRA 2:15
24. Dainty Lady (Peter) - REGINALD KING & HIS LIGHT ORCHESTRA 2:43
25. Bandstand ('Frescoes' Suite) (Haydn Wood) - NEW CONCERT ORCHESTRA/SERGE KRISH 3:55

GLCD 5102 - 1940s

1. Music In The Air (Lloyd, arr.Torch) - QUEEN'S HALL LIGHT ORCHESTRA/SIDNEY TORCH 3:07
2. Just One Of Those Things (Porter) - BILLY TERNENT & HIS ORCHESTRA 2:34
3. Melody On The Move (Richardson) - QUEEN'S HALL LIGHT ORCHESTRA/CHARLES WILLIAMS 2:45
4. Out Of My Dreams (Rodgers, Hammerstein II) - THE GERALDO STRING ORCHESTRA 3:11
5. Linda Chilena (Orefiche, Connelly) - THE STANLEY BLACK ORCHESTRA 3:17
6. Laura (Raksin) - MORTON GOULD & HIS ORCHESTRA 3:24
7. Golliwog's Cakewalk (Debussy, arr. Douglas) - MAYFAIR ORCHESTRA/WALTER GOEHR 2:27
8. Manhattan Square Dance (Rose) - DAVID ROSE & HIS ORCHESTRA 2:22
9. Runaway Rocking Horse (White) - ORCHESTRE RAYMONDE/ROBERT PRESTON 3:05
10. Woodland Revel (Melachrino) - MELACHRINO ORCHESTRA/GEORGE MELACHRINO 3:09
11. Music for Romance (Sherwin, Maschwitz) - ALBERT SANDLER & HIS PALM COURT ORCHESTRA 2:52
12. Canadian Caravan (Farnon) - QUEEN'S HALL LIGHT ORCHESTRA/CHARLES WILLIAMS 2:50
13. Waltz from "TheThree Bears" (Coates) - QUEEN'S HALL LIGHT ORCHESTRA/ERIC COATES 3:09
14. Metropolis (Brown) - NEW CENTURY ORCHESTRA/SIDNEY TORCH 2:31
15. Gorgeous Hussy (Gray) - THE HARMONIC ORCHESTRA.HANS MAY 2:53
16. Ascot Enclosure (Yorke) - QUEEN'S HALL LIGHT ORCHESTRA/CHARLES WILLIAMS 3:00
17. Ten Green Bottles (Trad. arr. Hanmer) - BBC VARIETY ORCHESTRA/CHARLES SHADWELL 3:04
18. Wagon Lit (Torch) - QUEEN'S HALL LIGHT ORCHESTRA/SIDNEY TORCH 3:02
19. Roving Fancies (Wood) - THE REGENT CLASSIC ORCHESTRA 3:04
20. "The Way To The Stars" - Film Themes (Brodszky) - TWO CITIES SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA/CHARLES WILLIAMS 6:38
21. Theatreland (Strachey) - NEW CONCERT ORCHESTRA/JAY WILBUR 3:06
22. Dancing Tambourine (Polla, arr. Gould) - ROBIN HOOD DELL ORCHESTRA/MORTON GOULD 2:58
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 & HIS MUSIC FROM THE MOVIES 8:03

GLCD 5103 - 1950s

1. Liza (I & G Gershwin, Kahn) - DAVID ROSE & HIS ORCHESTRA 2:27
2. Caravan (Ellington) - PHILIP GREEN & HIS ORCHESTRA 2:35
3. Marching Strings (Ross) - EDMUNDO ROS & HIS ORCHESTRA 2:21
4. Fandango (Perkins, Bradford) - HUGO WINTERHALTER & HIS ORCHESTRA 2:48
5. Heart-O-London (Williams) - CHARLES WILLIAMS & HIS CONCERT ORCHESTRA 2:42
6. Hey Presto! (Wilson, arr. Duncan) - NEW CONCERT ORCHESTRA/FREDERIC CURZON 2:46
7. The Melody Maker (Gay) - ROBERTO INGLEZ & HIS ORCHESTRA 3:01
8. Proud Canvas (Farnon) - QUEEN'S HALL LIGHT ORCHESTRA/ROBERT FARNON 2:07
9. Festival (Addinsell) - MANTOVANI & HIS ORCHESTRA 2:55
10. Blue Moon (Rodgers, Hart) - PAUL WESTON & HIS ORCHESTRA 2:55
11. Dancing Bells (Martin) - GROSVENOR CONCERT ORCHESTRA/PEDER VAN ZUIDER 2:47
12. Granada (Lara) - MONTY KELLY & HIS ORCHESTRA 2:42
13. Petite Waltz (Heyne) - BILLY COTTON & HIS BAND 3:04
14. Shortcake Walk (Torch) - SIDNEY TORCH & HIS ORCHESTRA 2:16
15. Flirtation Waltz (Heywood) - FRANK CHACKSFIELD & HIS ORCHESTRA 3:03
16. Angel Cake (Morley) - DOLF VAN DER LINDEN & HIS ORCHESTRA 2:45
17. Waltz Of The Bubbles (Rose) - DAVID ROSE & HIS ORCHESTRA 2:15
18. Sportsmaster (Busby) - DANISH STATE RADIO ORCHESTRA/ROBERT FARNON 2:50
19. Paris Interlude (White) - MUSIC BY CAMARATA 3:05
20. At Last,At Last (Trenet) - RAY MARTIN & HIS ORCHESTRA 2:50
21. Roller Coaster (Busch, Delugg) - HENRI RENE & HIS ORCHESTRA 2:54
22. The Moon Was Yellow (Ahlert) STANLEY BLACK, HIS PIANO & HIS ORCHESTRA 2:37
23. Piccadilly Spree (Watters) - NEW CONCERT ORCHESTRA/R. de PORTEN 2:34
24. Champagne March (Henman) - QUEEN'S HALL LIGHT ORCHESTRA/ROBERT FARNON 2:48
25. Jungle Fantasy (Esy Morales) - PERCY FAITH & HIS ORCHESTRA 3:13
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/GEORGE MELACHRINO 9:22