Four Decades of Light Music - Volume 2 1940s & 1950s

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Four Decades of Light Music - Volume 2 1940s & 1950s 

The 1940s

 1 March For Americans (Ferdé Grofé)
MEREDITH WILLSON AND HIS ORCHESTRA
2 Stringopation (David Rose)
PHILIP GREEN AND HIS ORCHESTRA
3 Over To You (Eric Coates)
ROYAL AIR FORCE CENTRAL ORCHESTRA Conducted by W/Comd. R.P. O’DONNELL
4 The Old Clockmaker (Charles Williams)
QUEEN’S HALL LIGHT ORCHESTRA Conducted by CHARLES WILLIAMS
5 Fascination (F.D. Marchetti)
ALBERT SANDLER AND HIS PALM COURT ORCHESTRA
6 World Of Tomorrow (Jack Beaver)
NEW CENTURY ORCHESTRA Conducted by SIDNEY TORCH
7 Turkish Patrol (Michaelis)
LEW STONE AND HIS CONCERT ORCHESTRA
8 If There Is Someone Lovelier Than You (from "Revenge With Music") (Arthur Schwartz)
PERCY FAITH AND HIS ORCHESTRA
9 Song Of Loyalty (Eric Coates)
ROYAL AIR FORCE CENTRAL ORCHESTRA Conducted by W/Comd. R.P. O’DONNELL
10 Down With The Curtain (Charles Shadwell)
CHARLES SHADWELL AND HIS ORCHESTRA

The 1950s

11 Bali Ha’i (from "South Pacific") (Rodgers, Hammerstein arr. Carl Stevens)
DAVID CARROLL AND HIS ORCHESTRA (Harp solo by PETER EAGLE)
12 Traffic Boom (Roger Roger)
ROGER ROGER AND HIS CHAMPS ELYSEES ORCHESTRA
13 Song Of India (Rimsky-Korsakov, arr. Laurie Johnson)
LAURIE JOHNSON AND HIS ORCHESTRA
14 Surprise (Richard Shores)
RICHARD SHORES AND HIS ORCHESTRA
15 Spellbound – theme from the film (Miklos Rozsa, arr. Wally Stott)
WALLY STOTT AND HIS ORCHESTRA
16 Forty Second Street (Harry Warren)
WERNER MÜLLER AND HIS ORCHESTRA
17 Purple Wine (Alan Green)
ALFREDO ANTONINI AND HIS ORCHESTRA
18 Look Sharp Be Sharp (Marlon Merrick)
BOSTON ‘POPS’ ORCHESTRA Conducted by ARTHUR FIEDLER
19 The Velvet Glove (Harold Spina)
GERALDO AND HIS NEW CONCERT ORCHESTRA
20 The Piccolino (Irving Berlin)
KINGSWAY PROMENADE ORCHESTRA Conducted by STANLEY BLACK
21 Louisiana Hay Ride (Arthur Schwartz, arr. Robert Farnon)
ROBERT FARNON AND HIS ORCHESTRA
22 A Garden In The Rain (James Dyrenforth, Carroll Gibbons)
RAY MARTIN AND HIS CONCERT ORCHESTRA
23 What’s The Rush (Lou Snider)
CHARLES DORIAN AND HIS ORCHESTRA
24 Forgotten Dreams (Leroy Anderson)
LEROY ANDERSON AND HIS "POPS" CONCERT ORCHESTRA
Brunswick 45-O 5485 1955
25 Tokay (Noel Coward, arr. Roland Shaw)
FRANK CHACKSFIELD AND HIS ORCHESTRA
26 "Front Page Story" – Theme from the film (Michael Carr)
THE MELACHRINO STRINGS Conducted by GEORGE MELACHRINO
27 Sport And Music (Lothar Brühne)
LOUIS VOSS AND HIS ORCHESTRA

Guild GLCD 5135

The first volume in this survey of "Four Decades of Light Music" (1920s and 1930s – Guild GLCD 5134) witnessed a gradual transformation from the sedate styles prevalent at the dawn of sound recording, to the full influence of the jazz era as it permeated many forms of music with composers such as Eric Coates warmly embracing it in their creations. The changing styles are even more apparent in this volume, where there is evidence that the 1940s still produced performances reminiscent of a more genteel era before the composers, arrangers and conductors of the 1950s began more fully to exploit the exciting opportunities offered by high fidelity sound.

Light music during World War 2 tried to provide a measure of reassurance during a terrible period by retaining many of the characteristics of previous, more peaceful times, yet it was not possible to eliminate the influences for change. Radio was the main source of entertainment in the home, and record sales were still struggling to reach the figures seen in the late 1920s before the great depression dealt such a knockout blow to the economies of the developed world. It was hardly surprising that record companies would ‘play safe’ by concentrating on 78s of music that would be familiar through the radio and films, and many regular broadcasters on both sides of the Atlantic were placed under contract by the leading labels.

The high fidelity sound that burst upon the 1950s is vividly illustrated with Bail Ha’i. David Carroll(b. 1913) was musical director of Mercury Records from 1951 to the early 1960s, during which time he accompanied many of the label’s contract singers as well as making some instrumental recordings of his own. Several of his LPs had a ‘dance’ theme, often including his own compositions, and he employed the cream of Chicago’s session musicians. Some people regard him as one of the pioneers of exploiting stereo sound to enhance his orchestral scores, and this 1956 recording gives an idea of what he would achieve a few years later.

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