Eric
COATES (1886 – 1957) The
Dam Busters – Film Theme (1954)
DAVIS
Jenny Wren
Robert FARNON
(1917 – 2005) Smiles ‘N’ Chuckles
Jaime TEXIDOR
(1884 – 1957) Amparito Roca (1925)
Ronald BINGE
(1910 – 1979) Flash Harry
Arthur PRYOR
(1870 – 1942) The Whistler and his
Dog (1905)
John Philip
SOUSA (1854 – 1932) High
School Cadets
Easthope MARTIN
(1882 – 1925) Evensong
John BELTON
(pseudonym for Tony
LOWRY and Douglas
BROWNSMITH (1902 – 1965)) Down
the Mall (1927)
P BEECHFIELD-CARVER
The Jolly Airman
Harry PARR-DAVIS
(1914 – 1955) Sing As We Go (1934)
Jack STRACHEY
(1894 – 1972) Eros in Piccadilly
Eric COATES
Knightsbridge (from London Suite)
Eduard WAGNES
Die Bosniaken Kommen
Joseph BERGEIM
Music in the Park
Arnold STECK
(pseudonym for Major
Leslie STATHAM MBE) (1905 – 1974)
Royal Review
Vivian DUNN
(1908 – 1995) Cockleshell Heroes
– Film Theme
Hermann STARKE
With Sword and Lance
Edrich SIEBERT
(pseudonym for Stanley
SMITH–MASTER) (1903 – 1984) Over
the Sticks
Tony LOWRY
Golden Spurs
James L TARVER
(b 1916) El Charro
Kenneth J ALFORD
(pseudonym for Frederick
Joseph RICKETTS) (1881 – 1945)
The Great Little Army (1916)
Roger BARSOTTI
(b 1901) New Post Horn Galop
A E SIMS
March of the Royal Air Forces Association
Karl KOMZAK
(1850 – 1905) Vindobona
Alexander BORODIN
(1833 – 1887), arranged by Dan
GODFREY (1868 – 1939) Prince
Igor - llet Dances (1869/1887)
Band of H M Grenadier Guards/Capt George
Miller (Knightsbridge, Starke); Band
of The Queen’s Royal Regiment/Roger
Barsotti (Barsotti); Band of The Royal
Marines School Of Music/Vivian Dunn
(Dunn); Band of The Royal Netherlands
Navy/Capt G Nieuwland (Lowry, Steck);
BBC Wireless Military Band/B Walton
O'Donnell (Borodin, Martin, Parr-Davies);
Black Diamonds Band (Pryor); CWS (Manchester)
Band/Alex Mortimer (Siebert); Deutschmeister
Kapelle/Julius Herrmann (Komzak, Wagnes);
Fodens Motor Works Band (Belton); Grand
Massed Bands/James Oliver (Alford, Sousa);
Grenadier Guards Band/Major F J Harris
(Binge, Tarver, Texidor); Irish Guards
Band (Bergeim); William Lang (Cornet
Solo) Black Dyke Mills Band/Arthur O
Pearce (Davis); New Era Symphonic Band/Michael
John (Farnon); The RAF Central Band/Squadron
Leader A E Sims (Beechfield-Carver,
Dam Busters, Sims, Strachey)
EMI has its GROC –
Great Recordings of the Century - and
Guild has its GALM, its miscellaneous
compilation albums devoted to that amorphous
sub-genre known as the Golden Age of
Light Music. This one is a continuation
of its Bandstand in the Park sub-series
with its evocative LNER poster art from
1930; Bridlington by Henry George
Gawthorn (1879-1941), all dappled sunlight
on the promenade, blazers and knee length
skirts, a military band visible in the
bandstand; turquoise parasols twirling
in the light breeze. A land where the
Great Crash never intruded.
Despite the specificity
of the cover artwork the dates of recordings
range between 1929 and 1955. The disc
opens with the last of them, a number
that will swell the chests of patriotic
Englishmen everywhere; the Eric Coates
theme from The Dam Busters, a
tune so good even Adrian Boult loved
it. That’s followed by a sparkling and
virtuosic example of cornet playing
from William Lang and the Black Dyke
Mills conducted by Arthur O. Pearce.
Robert Farnon is heard in cheeky form
in Smiles ‘n’ Chuckles whereas
there’s a famous old novelty staple
in the line-up as well – The Whistler
and his Dog. This is played by the
Black Diamonds Band on a 1929 Zonophone
but it was made famous of course by
Arthur Pryor of Sousa’s band.
Easthope Martin’s evergreen
Evensong is played smoothly by
the elite BBC Wireless Military Band
conducted by B. Walton O’Donnell in
1932 whilst the aviation branch
of the fighting forces is represented
by the Central Band of the RAF. They
essay the wholly appropriate The
Jolly Airman from 1956 – confident,
breezy, post-War optimistic and full
of swing. I think it was Terry Jones
of Monty Python (and Chaucerian Studies)
fame who did the dirty on Harry Parr-Davies’s
Sing As We Go - which
is again a BBC Wireless/O’Donnell recording
- and appropriated its melody for one
of his naughty songs. No such fate befell
– or has befallen – the confident swagger
of Vivian Dunn’s Cockleshell Heroes.
His Marines School of Music orchestra
is one of the many and varied such bands
on this disc. Another is the Band of
the Royal Netherlands Navy directed
by Captain G. Nieuwland – and a stirring
show they make of Tony Lowry’s Golden
Spurs. The ‘March King’ – Kenneth
Alford – is represented by The Great
Little Army which is a typically
winning and spruce march. The final
track represents two sides of a 1934
Columbia 78; The Prince Igor Ballet
Dances in this arrangement by Dan Godfrey
and once more in the capable embouchures
of the men of the BBC Military Wireless
Band under O’Donnell.
Charismatic military
blowing has been intelligently harnessed
in the interest of a varied programme.
If some of the earlier sides are too
treble starved for my tastes then the
later ones are better. As ever, top
notch notes.
Jonathan Woolf
see also review
by Bob Briggs
GUILD LIGHT MUSIC GLCD 5147 [78:40]
