The Golden Age of Light Music: Salon, Light and Novelty Orchestras
Track-listing at end.
rec. 1929-1946 (compilation). ADD and mono.
GUILD GLCD 5204 [75:04]
The CD title makes it very clear what to expect from this release, the latest
in Guild's huge and continuing 'Golden Age of Light Music' series, which features
pieces from an era when "the boundaries between light music and dance bands
became somewhat blurred". Incredibly, the label has now released over a hundred
CDs under this rubric, all of which are listed in the back of the accompanying
booklet. Whether or not each and every one of these can be said to be part
of that Golden Age is debatable. Some of the recordings have seemed more Bronze
Age than anything, and others might as well have been issued by a company
called Gild. Moreover, as books can sometimes be judged by their covers, so
CDs by their titles: 'Strings and Things Go Stereo!', 'A Trip to the Library',
'Mantovani - by Special Request, vol.2' and 'Melodies for the Starlight Hours'
are typical of anonymous commercial compilations rather than the catalogues
of serious, high-quality labels like Guild.
Furthermore, when ensembles have names like 'Alfredo Campoli and His Salon
Orchestra', 'Reginald Pursglove and His Music Makers', the 'International
Novelty Orchestra' and even "unnamed orchestra", musical expectations should
not be high. In that respect 'Salon, Light and Novelty Orchestras'does
not disappoint. Nonetheless, within their own realm, these orchestras had
good reputations and their performances are professional and polished. The
music itself is what it is - predictable, glutinous, derivative - and in combination
with the sound quality - see below - would not be out of place as the soundtrack
to a pre-talkies Laurel and Hardy or Mickey Mouse short; the later ones, an
Ealing comedy. Yet thanks to its tunefulness, rhythmic certainties and above
all its nostalgic properties, this music is unarguably attractive to certain
demographics, above all those that grew up listening to it.
Even those who enjoy this kind of thing should take note that these are antediluvian
analogue recordings in mono, all taken from the private collections of two
individuals. On the other hand, engineers can sometimes work wonders on items
of this vintage, and, whilst the generally hissy, narrow-band sound experience
offers no actual miracles, there is no denying either that quite a remarkable
restoration job has been done by Alan Bunting for Guild. In some cases he
has even managed to fashion a sense of true stereo.
The booklet notes provide plenty of information on the various band leaders,
cuttings from an old scrapbook bandying names and places from a bygone age.
The track-listing supplies original catalogue IDs for those who may be inspired
to head off to rummage through independent record store basement bins or charity
shops.
Byzantion
Contact at artmusicreviews.co.uk
Thanks to its tunefulness, rhythmic certainties and nostalgic properties,
this music is unarguably attractive to certain demographics, above all those
that grew up listening to it.
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Full track-listing:
a Fairy On The Clock (Sherman Myers) [2:31]
b* La Petite Tonkinoise (My Chin Chin Lou) (Vincent Scotto and Henry Christine)
[2:08]
c Parade Of The Pirates (John W. Bratton) [2:59]
b Neapolitan Serenade (Gerhard Winkler) [2:54]
d** Magic Notes (Fritz Steininger) [3:07]
b Tango Habanera (Jose F. Payan, arr. Fred Hartley) [3:31]
e Intermezzo (Souvenir de Vienne) (Heinz Provost) [3:22]
f Secrets Of The Adige - Waltz (Felice Carena) [2:44]
g Grasshoppers’ Holiday (Herman Bick) [2:52]
a Finesse (Bernard Maltin and Anthony Raymond Doll) [2:37]
h A Birthday Serenade (Paul Lincke) [3:09]
c Rose Mousse (Fabrice Gabriel Lemon) [3:13]
i If You But Knew (Reginald King) [2:54]
j Hiawatha - Cake Walk (Neil Moret) [2:41]
k The Wedding Of The Rose (Leon Jessel, arr. Willoughby) [3:04]
l Fairy Whispers (Rhode) [3:25]
m The Cuckoo In The Clock (Walter R. Collins) [2:39]
n The Excuse Me Waltz (Nicholas Brodszky) [3:00]
o Fiddle Dance (Percy Fletcher) [2:52]
b The Dancing Doll (Eduard Poldini) [2:55]
b The Butterfly - Morceau Characteristique (Theo Bendix) [3:06]
l Dolls’ Games (Lederer) [3:01]
f Sphinx Waltz (Francis Popy) [3:13]
i Dark Red Roses (Philip Braham) [3:06]
c King Chanticleer (Seymour Brown and Nat D. Ayer) [2:40]
* Ronald Gourlay (whistler)
** Rudy Starita (xylophone)
a New Mayfair Dance Orchestra / Ray Noble
b Alfredo Campoli Salon Orchestra / Alfredo Campoli
c International Novelty Orchestra (m Quartet)
d unnamed orchestra
e Jay Wilbur's Serenaders
f Orchestra Mascotte
g Louis Voss Grand Orchestra
h London Palladium Orchestra / Richard Crean
i Reginald King Orchestra / Reginald King
j Alfredo Campoli Novelty Orchestra / Alfredo Campoli
k J H Squire Celeste Octet
l Victor Ricardo Orchestra / Victor Ricardo
m International Novelty Quartet
n Reginald Pursglove Music Makers / Reginald Pursglove
o Albert Sandler Orchestra / Albert Sandler