Bernie WAYNE
Port-au-Prince (arr. Frank Cordell)
[2:29]
Frank Cordell and his orchestra
Camillo BARGONI
Autumn Concerto (arr. William Hill Bowen)
[3:05]
Melachrino Orchestra/George Melachrino
Irving BERLIN
It’s A Lovely Day Tomorrow (arr. Ron
Goodwin) [2:22]
Ron Goodwin and his concert orchestra
Peter de ROSE
American Waltz (arr. Laurie Johnson)
[2:32]
Ambrose and his orchestra
Louis ALTER
Manhattan Serenade [2:52]
Werner Muller and his orchestra
LLEWELLYN
Highway Patrol – Theme from the TV series
[2:41]
Cyril Stapleton and his orchestra
Van ORSOUW
Spirito [2:41]
Dolf van der Linden and his orchestra
Sidney NORMAN
(real name Norman [‘Norrie’] William
Paramor)
Cornflakes [2:36]
Les Baxter and his orchestra
Albert MCCARTHY
and Richard FREITAS
Fiddlesticks 2:07]
David Carroll and his orchestra
Douglas FURBER
and Philip BRAHAM
Limehouse Blues [2:30]
Ray Martin and his orchestra
Michael DURSO
and Mel MITCHELL
and Murl KAHN
Petticoats Of Portugal [2:36]
Walter STOTT
Quiz [2:45]
Danish State Radio Orchestra/Robert
Farnon
Annunzio MANTOVANI
Toyshop Ballet [2:20]
Mantovani and his orchestra
NEWMAN
Theme from "The Proud Ones"
[2:26]
Leroy Holmes and his orchestra
Edward WHITE
Show Girl [2:56]
Dolf van der Linden and his orchestra
The Polygon Light Music Legacy
Franz WAXMAN
and Mack DAVID
Many Dreams Ago (from film "Elephant
Walk") (arr. Laurie Johnson) [2:49]
Laurie Johnson and his orchestra
Ray MARTIN
Muriella [3:02]
Ray Martin and his orchestra
Carl NIESSAN
Desire Tango [2:39]
Geoff Love and his orchestra
Eddie LISBONA
Elaine (arr. Johnny Gregory) [2:28]
Johnny Gregory and his orchestra
CONSTANTIN
and FRANCIS
Letter To Virginia (arr. Laurie Johnson)
[2:42]
Laurie Johnson and his orchestra
Sammy MYSELS
The Forget-Me-Not Waltz (arr. Johnny
Gregory) [2:12]
Johnny Gregory and his orchestra
Benjamin FRANKEL
Lily Watkins Theme (from film "A
Kid For Two Farthings") (arr. Laurie
Johnson) [2:20]
Laurie Johnson and his orchestra
James KRIEGSMANN
and Douglas WALTERS
The Bridge Of Love [2:59]
Jackie Bond and his saxophone and orchestra
Edward RUBACH
Tinkle Box Samba [2:36]
Bernard Monshin and the Concert Tango
Orchestra
Fred SPIELMAN
Episode [2:34]
Geoff Love and his orchestra
Heino GAZE
Song of the Pearlfishers – Tango (arr.
Laurie Johnson) [3:14]
Laurie Johnson and his orchestra
Tolchard EVANS
The Watermill (arr. Johnny Gregory)
[3:09]
Johnny Gregory and his orchestra
L. SINGER
Petite Ballerina [2:24]
Michael Fredericks and his orchestra
Malcolm LOCKYER
Fiddlers’ Boogie [2:37]
Malcolm Lockyer and his orchestra
I have to admit that
I’ve rather lost track of the series
and volumes-within-series that pour
out of the Guild Light Music foundry.
But I’m not complaining when the results
are so consistently entertaining and
when they cannily push to the outer
reaches of the fifty-year copyright
period. The recording dates of this
particular volume cover the years 1951
to 1956.
This disc concentrates
on two things – popular instrumentals
and the legacy of the Polygon Light
Music series. Polygon was a small but
potent addition to the recorded labels
of the time and it captured a most interesting
selection of songs and artists, of whom
we have here a representative sample.
The range of instrumentals
is much as before. There’s a mini-mini
pocket piano concerto as an introductiuon
to Autumn Concerto – complete
with bossa percussion and "holiday
strings" mood. A constant feature
throughout is some of the sophisticated
voicings fashioned by composers and
especially arrangers – listen to Laurie
Johnson’s articulate voice leading in
the Peter de Rose song American Waltz.
Many of the pieces evoke moods, dance
or otherwise, and plumb the vernacular
– try the bluesy sax in Manhatten
Serenade. There are TV theme tunes,
popular songs, vacation dreamscapes,
and also of course the occasional genre
piece to add piquancy.
The title track is
the rather rinky-dink old time Cornflakes,
written by Norrie Paramor here hiding
under the name Sidney Norman - as well
he might with this boogie and swirling
strings confection. Ray Martin turns
in a rather glutinous Limehouse Blues
whilst Billy Vaughn comes on strong
with some modish percussion in his Iberian
jaunt – complete with mouth organ solo.
Mantovani plumbs the generic for his
contribution and Leroy Holmes goes West
in The Proud Ones.
The Polygon tracks
are invariably finely played. Ray Martin
redeems himself with Muriella,
which is the epitome of lyrical elegance,
and there’s an equally well-turned Forget-Me-Not-Waltz
from Johnny Gregory. The alto saxophone
in light music encouraged some questionable
taste; how you respond to Jackie Bond’s
The Bridge of Love depends on
how far you can take this kind of thing.
Me, not at all – I’ll stick with Hodges
and Benny Carter, thanks. Laurie Johnson
infiltrates some intriguing sonorities
to the tango from the Song of The
Pearlfishers; the Tolchard
Evans delight, The Watermill,
is evocatively arranged and played by
Johnny Gregory. And to finish the Guild
compilers leave us on a high – Malcolm
Lockyer’s scandalously good-time Fiddlers’
Boogie.
David Ades is doubtless
getting thoroughly bored reading how
well chosen his selections and notes
are. More goodies from the Guild stable.
Jonathan Woolf
GUILD LIGHT MUSIC GLCD 5130 [78:21]
