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The Golden Age of Light Music — A Glorious Century
of Light Music
Track listing below
rec.1929-1961
GUILD LIGHT MUSICGLCD 5200 [78:38]
This is the 100th release in Guild’s Light Music series. It feels as if I’ve reviewed them all. To celebrate they have compiled a disc that praises the conductors and composers of the genre, and have done so in style. Most of the first 20 tracks date from the 1951 to 1961 decade but the final few go right back to the 1930s and, in one case, to 1929, this last being Jack Hylton’s Toymaker’s Dream which is included as a ‘bonus’ track. I have to admit I never really know what bonus tracks mean in this context but I’m glad it’s been included.
The parade of the great starts with Cyril Ornadel playing Jerome Kern in punchy fashion, complete with some snazzy orchestration courtesy of Brian Fahey. Amidst the celebrations for the conductors and composers we must also remember the arrangers. I don’t recall much of Paul Mauriat in this series but he essays April in Paris well, on a Bel Air LP of 1961 and this contrasts well with the typical lush, plush cushion Mantovani provides for The Party’s Over.
There’s concert orchestra charm from Hans Carste on a 1960 Polydor and a snappy offering from Guild ever-present Roger Roger in Beach Parade. Billy Vaughan gives Climb Every Mountain The Treatment — very little is kept in reserve — but it’s rather better to discover Morton Gould playing Villa-Lobos’s The Little Train Of The Caipira. For sonic allure and delicious string tone you need not look any further than David Rose in Stringopation - awful title though. The classy Hans Georg Arlt and Stanley Black are both wisely represented, and they’ve been long-time charter members of this series too. Over-modish percussion, a bit of an occupational hazard at the time rather mars Melachrino’s Butantan.
Charles Williams was an old time maestro of the genre, a fiddle player who had had long experience of the London scene. Playing Delius under Beecham must have left its mark because The Starlings is an evocative piece of nature painting, not quite Delius’s Last Cuckoo but a near avian relative; Delian harmonies abound. Maybe one day we can have an all-Williams album.
Sidney Torch and Robert Farnon sit side by side in this disc, and then we move to the pre-war kings: Marek Weber in 1939, Eric Coates playing The Jester at the Wedding march in 1934, and then finally the Hylton, which provides a genial envoi.
The notes are excellent. The post-war transfers are first class, but the 78s are too treble filtered. This is a splendidly selected tribute. Here’s to the next hundred.
Jonathan Woolf
Here’s to the next hundred.
Track-listing
Look For The Silver Lining (from 'Sunny') Jerome Kern, arr. Brian Fahey CYRIL ORNADEL AND THE STARLIGHT SYMPHONY
April In Paris (from 'Walk A Little Faster') Vernon Duke PAUL MAURIAT AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Puppet Serenade Ron Goodwin RON GOODWIN AND HIS ORCHESTRA
The Party's Over (from 'Bells Are Ringing') Jule Styne, Betty Comden, Adolph Green MANTOVANI AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Love's Sweet Song (from 'Czardas Princess') Emmerich Kalman HANS CARSTE AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Milord Marguerite Monnot, Bunny Lewis FRANCK POURCEL AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Lady In Waiting (Ballet Music from the musical 'Goldilocks') Leroy Anderson LEROY ANDERSON AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Beach Parade Roger Roger ROGER ROGER AND HIS CHAMPS ELYSEES ORCHESTRA
Climb Every Mountain (from 'The Sound Of Music') Richard Rodgers BILLY VAUGHN AND HIS ORCHESTRA
The Little Train Of The Caipira Heitor Villa-Lobos MORTON GOULD AND HIS ORCHESTRA
All The Way (featured in the film 'The Joker Is Wild') Jimmy Van Heusen, Sammy Cahn FRANK CHACKSFIELD AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Stringopation David Rose DAVID ROSE AND HIS ORCHESTRA
How Deep Is The Ocean Irving Berlin HANS GEORG ARLT AND HIS ORCHESTRA
It's D'Lovely (from 'Red, Hot and Blue') Cole Porter STANLEY BLACK AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Pipsqueak Dolf van der Linden DOLF VAN DER LINDEN AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Candlelight Waltz Jack Mason BOSTON 'POPS' ORCHESTRA Conducted by ARTHUR FIEDLER
Butantan Wood THE MELACHRINO ORCHESTRA Conducted by GEORGE MELACHRINO
The Starlings Charles Williams CHARLES WILLIAMS AND HIS CONCERT ORCHESTRA
Sewing Circle Ray Martin RAY MARTIN AND HIS CONCERT ORCHESTRA
Tea For Two (from 'No, No, Nanette') Vincent Youmans ANDRE KOSTELANETZ AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Samba Sud Sidney Torch SIDNEY TORCH AND HIS ORCHESTRA
String Time Robert Farnon QUEEN'S HALL LIGHT ORCHESTRA Conducted by ROBERT FARNON
Stars In Your Eyes (Mar) Gabriel Ruiz, arr. Percy Faith PERCY FAITH AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Dreams On The Ocean Joseph Gungl MAREK WEBER AND HIS ORCHESTRA
The Jester At The Wedding - March Eric Coates SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA Conducted by ERIC COATES
Toymaker's Dream Ernie Golden JACK HYLTON AND HIS ORCHESTRA