It is good to know that James Beyer’s concert with the Edinburgh Light Orchestra last November was a great success. James reports: "It was a most enjoyable occasion and I was extremely delighted with the performance. It was a great evening - everyone played really well and our large audience greatly enjoyed the concert. But above all, we managed to attract an audience of 751 (93% capacity 'house') - our largest for some time! We also presented a cheque for £1000.00 to Marie Curie Cancer Care." The next concert will be on Saturday 25 May at 7:30pm at the Queen’s Hall, Edinburgh. As usual James will be on the podium, and the ELO’s leader is Lawrence Dunn. Tickets: £10.00; £8.50 and £6.50. For bookings and programme details please telephone 0131 334 3140.
As advertised in our last issue (page 35) Gavin Sutherland will be conducting The Magic of Mantovani Orchestra at the Bournemouth Pavilion Theatre on Sunday 14 April at 7:30pm. If you don’t already have your ticket, you can telephone 0844 576 3000. But you’d better be quick – these hugely popular concerts sell out very quickly!
At the beginning of January ITV in Britain (and PBS in the USA) screened the first of ten episodes of "Mr Selfridge" about the American entrepreneur who founded the famous London store. The music immediately impressed, but as usual the credits were squeezed so small that they were impossible to read. Thanks to the internet, the composer was identified as Charlie Mole. He is clearly a talented musician, and someone to look out for in the future. He deserves a full feature in JIM … can any reader oblige?
As a result of the note in the last JIM (page 37) several members tell us that they have ‘discovered’ Radio Six International, which broadcasts a wide range of programmes. Following the death of Gerry Anderson on 26 December, Radio Six MD Tony Currie broadcast a tribute which included music from all the shows associated with the creator of Stingray, Space 1999, UFO and of course Thunderbirds. Before he died, Barry Gray had passed on to Tony some of his precious tapes of music from the many series he worked on, and these provided fascinating listening. It was a superb tribute, and should have been broadcast on the BBC to reach a far wider audience. But it could be heard around the world via the internet, and the added bonus of listening to Radio Six International is that it does not carry advertisements!
RFS member Philip Suffolk compiled an entertaining selection of Robert Farnon’s music for a meeting of the ‘Tuesday Music Group’ in Sutton Coldfield on 22 January. Unfortunately the severe weather conditions on the day forced the event to postponed, and it has now been rescheduled for Tuesday 30 April starting at 1:00pm. The good news is that Philip invites any RFS members within reach of Sutton Coldfield to join him on the day. The Sutton Coldfield Music Group would be pleased to see any of you, as would Philip. The venue is Sutton Coldfield Methodist Chuch, South Parade, Sutton Coldfield, and their meetings are held in Room 2 every fortnight. Philip’s presentation is called "Focus on Farnon" and he will begin with excerpts from Bob’s wartime exploits with the Canadian Band of the AEF, then move on to some of his early BBC broadcasts. Philip’s ‘Journey’ through Bob’s musical career continues through his big hits of the 1940s then focusses on his work with international ‘greats’ including Frank Sinatra, George Shearing and Lena Horne. It promises to be a very entertaining event, and we congratulate Philip on putting together such a well thought-out programme.
Keith Lockhart will be conducting the BBC Concert Orchestra in an attractive programme of British music at London’s South Bank on Friday 7 June at 7:30pm. The concert "The Home Front" will include: Warsaw Concerto (Richard Addinsell); Epic March (John Ireland); Seascape from ‘Western Approaches’ (Clifton Parker); Music from ‘Henry V’ (Walton); ‘Music While You Work’ – sounds of wartime broadcasting; ‘Sincerely Yours’ – music by the Forces’ Sweetheart Vera Lynn. (Thanks to Anthony Wills for this information).
Nigel Burlinson has pointed out that Vocalion catalogues from 2002 to the present date can be viewed and downloaded from the home page on their website – www.duttonvocalion.co.uk
Radio Six International is being mentioned several times in this issue – with good reason … because it regularly carries several programmes for Light Music fans, in addition to "The Golden Age of Light Music". The station’s MD Tony Currie presents his weekly "The Lively Lounge" where you can expect to hear music by the likes of Tony Hatch, Ronald Binge, Herb Alpert, Laurie Johnson, Helmut Zacharias and many similar recording artists from the 1960s onwards – including tracks from production music libraries like De Wolfe and KPM. And RFS member André Leon also crops up weekly with a varied selection of programmes, such as "Sounds Of The Century", "Carry On Crooning" and "André Leon’s Encores". If you have a computer with a broadband connection, you really owe it to yourself to investigate all the internet radio stations out there with some great specialist programmes.
Cyril Watters’ daughter Jill Coward has just launched a new website dedicated to her late father, who was a member of our Society for many years. If you have access to the internet, do visitwww.cyrilwatters.com where you can read all about Cyril – both his home life and his impressive list of compositions.
The final programme in the first series of "The Golden Age Of Light Music" was broadcast on Radio Six International at the beginning of June. The good news is that the programmes are going to be repeated later this year, and some new ones will be added after the first 32 have been heard again. The repeats might begin before you receive the next Journal Into Melody, and you can check the Latest News page of our website to discover more. Alternatively visit www.radiosix.com and click on ‘schedule’.
Light Music enthusiast and author Philip Scowcroft, RFS member and frequent writer for JIM and elsewhere, turned 80 on 8 June. Unsurprisingly the birthday was celebrated musically: on 12 June by a visit from the Fitzwilliam String Quartet in the Doncaster Museum and Art Gallery lunch hour concerts Philip has organised since 1966; and on 9 June, in an end-of-course concert by Doncaster’s Beechfield Youth Orchestra, which included the premiere of a piece composed by local musician James Belbin Wood in honour of the event – entitled Scowcroft’s Scherzo (Philip was presented with a handsome bound copy of the score). Philip tells us that its main section was cheerful and tuneful, befitting a light music man, but with just enough spicy harmonies to provide contrast!
We are very sorry to report that our good friend Frank Comstock died on 21 May aged 90. Frank has been a loyal supporter of the RFS for many years, and through him a number of great musicians from the glory days of Hollywood came to know about the RFS, not least Doris Day with whom Frank worked on "Calamity Jane" and other projects. Forrest Patten got to know Frank in recent years, and he has contributed an obituary in this issue.
Also in May the RFS lost another loyal and long-serving member, Stan Coates. At one time Stan used to travel down to London from the north-east of England to attend our meetings, and he first introduced the young John Wilson to our society around 18 years ago. Stan had an encyclopaedic knowledge of big band music, and one of his favourites was Geraldo. His diligence in seeking out rare manuscripts enabled John to include some great arrangements in his concerts, including some long-forgotten ones by Robert Farnon.
James Beyer tells us that his latest Edinburgh Light Music Concert on Saturday 25 May went extremely well; and everyone on both sides of the podium seemed to enjoy themselves. As is the norm at this time of year – the holiday season coupled with a particularly good day weather-wise slightly reduced attendance numbers. This pattern is nothing new and the shortfall is always compensated by a larger turnout at our winter programmes. It is a sad fact – but nevertheless something out-with anyone’s control – that the current economic situation is also affecting audience numbers in all branches of the performing arts. However, an audience totalling 672 (78% capacity) is still an excellent attendance in this day and age. The orchestra’s next concert is on 16 November at Edinburgh’s Queen’s Hall as usual. Website: http://edinburghlightorchestra.moonfruit.com E-mail:
The American copyright of Happy Birthday To You came into the news just recently. In June it was reported that Good Morning To You Productions Corp, a New York company said it was making a documentary about the song. Facing a penalty of $150,000 if it used Happy Birthday without permission, the company said it paid a $1,500 licensing fee in March. Happy Birthday to You has been performed around the world in tribute to everyone from toddlers to centenarians for nearly 120 years, but few people know that the ubiquitous song is owned by a private company. Now, the most famous ditty in the English language has found itself in the middle of a legal battle after a film production company filed a lawsuit seeking to overturn the copyright protecting the song. The proposed class action asks a federal court to declare the song to be in the public domain and that Warner/Chappell Music Inc, the music publishing arm of Warner Music Group, return ‘millions of dollars of unlawful licensing fees’ it has collected for reproductions and public performances of the song. ‘More than 120 years after the melody to which the simple lyrics of Happy Birthday to You is set was first published, defendant Warner/Chappell boldly, but wrongfully and unlawfully, insists that it owns the copyright to Happy Birthday to You,’ the lawsuit said. Under a revised US copyright law, works created after 1923 are guaranteed 95 years of protection. Although the song was first published in 1893, according to Billboard.com, the song has been considered as protected by copyright because the lyrics appeared in a songbook in 1924 and a piano arrangement for it was released in 1935. Just another example of the crazy situation which afflicts music copyright, especially in the USA.
Recently seen on ebay: a seller offering ‘a rare 10" 78 recording of Robert Farnon’s Symphony No. 1’ for the bargain price of £188.13 plus £19.67 postage! This must be another copy of a direct from air recording of the first broadcast way back in 1941 by the Toronto Symphony; fortunately we already have this in the RFS archives.
Our friends in The Light Music Society are holding their annual AGM Weekend with plenty of music and feasting back in Lancashire this year, over the holiday weekend 24, 25 & 26 August. The familiar venue is Ernest Tomlinson’s home, Lancaster Farm, Longridge. On the Sunday morning Tony Currie of Radio Six International will be doing his hour-long show "The Lively Lounge" live from the Library of Light Orchestral Music at the farm. It will be broadcast from 10:00am to 11:00am BST and will be heard world-wide via the internet. Tony’s shows are always very varied and enjoyable, and RFS members with internet access are urged to listen in. The programmes enjoy several repeats, so wherever you are in the world it should be available at a time to suit you. Visit www.radiosix.com and click on ‘schedule’ to check when you can hear "The Lively Lounge". It’s sure to be fun!
Our US representative Forrest Patten has reported that the 1977 film "The Disappearance", with a music score by Robert Farnon, has been released on Blu-Ray in the USA by Twilight Time. Bob’s score is apparently going to be isolated on a separate track, so maybe it will be possible to hear it in its entirety. Jumping Bean has discovered that this film was previously issued on DVD in the UK in 2003. A well-known internet mail-order website has been offering new copies at a penny under £100!
The author Chris Way died in August. Some RFS members may remember meeting him at several London meetings around 20 years ago. Chris was an authority on Glenn Miller, and his first book in 1987, ‘In The Miller Mood’, was a day-to-day record of Miller’s Army AirForce Band. In 1991 ‘The Big Bands Go To War’ was published. It claimed to be the full story of the Allied Services Bands of World War Two, and Robert Farnon provided an introduction. There is a detailed listing of the broadcasts by Captain Robert Farnon and the Canadian Band of the AEF from July 1944 to December 1945. Despite a few inaccuracies, this is a valuable record of Bob’s work in programmes such as The Canada Show, Canada Show In Swing Time, Night Cap, Canada Dance Band, Piano Parade, Canada Sing Show, Variety Bandbox, Canada Guest Show, AEF Special, Empire Day Programme, Farewell AEFP, Canadian Caravan and Farewell AFN. In total the entries relating to Robert Farnon occupy 79 of the book’s 288 pages. The British Band of the AEF conducted by RSM George Melachrino is also featured prominently.
British broadcasting legend David Jacobs presented the last of his long running Radio-2 Sunday evening programmes on 4 August. It was good to hear him include Robert Farnon’s beautiful arrangement of Dancing In The Dark. Sadly David died four weeks later on 2 September.
Gordon Gray, MD of Memoir Records (and other labels previously) told us recently that he remembers some session musicians telling him many years ago that they’d be willing to play for Bob Farnon for nothing, such was their admiration for him. Gordon now wishes that he had made some albums with Bob ... "rather than some others I could name!"
During the summer months there were rumours going around in the music business that the failure of some European Governments to ratify the legislation might be the death knell of the increase in sound copyright in the European Union from 50 to 70 years. Sadly our hopes were dashed when the UK Government issued a press release confirming that the change passed into law on 1 November, as originally planned. Any member states failing to ratify by this time would be punished, but this would not stop the increase to 70 years going ahead. So we are saddled with the situation which means that independent companies cannot reissue sound recordings made later than 1962, unless they pay to license the material from the copyright owners, thereby considerably increasing the cost of the CDs. Fortunately for Light Music lovers, there is a wealth of earlier untapped recordings still available for future releases by Guild Music, Sepia, Jasmine, Vocalion and other labels who specialise in this repertoire.
