With this release, Paul Whiteman and His Orchestra make their second appearance on the Vocalion label. In this superb compilation, which spans Whiteman’s recordings from the late 1920s through to the mid-’30s, his legion of vocalists are in tow, and on many of the numbers the dulcet tones of Bing Crosby, Jack Fulton, Bob Lawrence, Peggy Healy, John Hauser and Ramona Davies can be heard. Whiteman’s love of music from the movies is in evidence, and here his orchestra is heard performing, in its typically immaculate style, Au Revoir, L’Amour and Singing a Happy Song (both from ‘The Man from the Folies Bergere’), Thanks a Million (from the film of the same name) and Shanghai Lil (from ‘Footlight Parade’), among many others. Songs from the shows are well represented including tunes from Cole Porter’s ‘Anything Goes’ as well as ‘Makin’ Whoopee’ and ‘Hollywood Revue of 1929’.

CDEA 6137

Vocalion’s previous Lew Stone release – CDEA 6056 Vol.2 ‘ Georgia ’s Got a Moon’ – appeared in 2001, so, seven years later, we’re very pleased to announce the return of this great bandleader’s music to our catalogue. Once again, the focus is on Stone’s Decca recordings, in this case from the early to late 1930s, and the sensational Al Bowlly is heard singing on all but two of the twenty-four tracks constituting this release. Under Stone’s guidance, Bowlly reached the pinnacle of his career. Here his elegant vocal style is backed by Lew Stone’s regular band and, on some numbers, his Monseigneur Band and Orchestra – the latter two so named because Stone was for a time the resident bandleader at the London restaurant of the same name. The superb music-making that is the hallmark of the Stone-Bowlly partnership is heard to excellent effect throughout and includes enchanting renditions of tunes such as Ti-Pi-Tin, Pick Yourself Up, By an Old Pagoda and You Couldn’t Be Cuter.

CDEA 6138

British bandleader and pianist Percival Mackey makes his first appearance in Vocalion’s dance band series, with A Tiny Flat Near Soho Square. A somewhat neglected figure of the British dance band era, Mackey did much for theatre music in the UK . During his career he was the musical director for many West End shows, and was one of the first to employ jazz and dance band musicians in those shows’ pit orchestras. Mackey’s love of the theatre and its music is reflected in this compilation, which features his recordings spanning from the mid-1920s to the early ’30s. With vocalists Jack Morrison, Maurice Elwin, Harry Fay, Harry Glen, Phyllis Robins and Val Rosing on board, Mackey leads his band through an enchanting selection of tunes, many of which are from musicals. Songs, among others, include The Half of it, Dearie, Blues (from ‘Lady, Be Good’), Who Cares? and I Fell For You (from ‘Charlot’s Masquerade’) and Let’s Be Sentimental and I Have No Words (from ‘Little Tommy Tucker’).

CDEA 6139

Vocalion serves up the latest release in its ongoing series of Carroll Gibbons CDs, and once again the magnificent sounds of Carroll and his Orpheans are heard in a set of beautifully performed numbers. The recordings are from 1926-’27, and on several pieces Carroll hands over conducting duties to either Reg Batten, Debroy Somers or Ramon Newton, enabling him to concentrate on providing the piano accompaniment. Ramon Newton also sings on two of the numbers he directs (He Left Her Behind Before and What About Me?), while the vocals of vaudeville trio the Hamilton Sisters & Fordyce are heard on Someone to Watch Over Me (from ‘Oh, Kay!’) and The Blue Room (from ‘The Girl Friend’). Those titles, along with all the other superb music on this volume, make Fascinating Rhythm a superb addition to Vocalion’s Carroll Gibbons series.

CDEA 6140

The Lew Stone-Al Bowlly partnership is heard once again on Vocalion, with this, the fourth volume in our series of Lew Stone’s recordings. As with Volume 3, we again concentrate on his Decca output and, as before, the inimitable vocals of Al Bowlly are heard on the majority of the tracks. Recorded between 1932-38, each track displays why Stone was held in such high regard as a bandleader: the elegance, grace and sheer good taste he brings to each recording is a joy to behold. Al Bowlly’s vocals are the icing on the cake – just listen to his impeccable delivery and phrasing in Rolling Home, Lonely Feet, Experiment and Love in Bloom as just a few examples. Other vocalists heard include Nat Gonella, Mary Charles, Joe Ferrie, Joe Crossman and The Jackdaws.

CDEA 6143

In the 1920s two talented men met and formed a musical partnership that was to have lasting appeal and become celebrated for their witty, intelligent songs that often made gently satirical comments on the age in which they lived. They were pianist and composer B C Hilliam (‘Flotsam’) and the renowned Australian-born operatic bass Malcolm McEachern (‘Jetsam’). This release compiles some of their most fondly remembered recordings made during the late 1920s and early ’30s including Schubert’s Toyshop, A British Spelling Song, Maud Marie, Little Betty Bouncer, What was the Matter with Rachmaninoff?, Simon the Bootlegger and many more.

CDEA 6144

Victor Silvester, one of the finest exponents of music for ballroom dancing, is the subject of this Vocalion release. Complied here are some of the maestro’s rarest recordings from the mid-late 1940s, many of them making their first appearance on CD. There is a tasteful selection of waltzes, quicksteps, tangos, slow foxtrots and rumbas, each clothed in exquisite orchestral arrangements, and among the tunes are It’s Only a Paper Moon, We’ll Gather Lilacs, Take the ‘A’ Train, I’m Confessin’ (That I Love You), Love is My Reason, I’ll Buy that Dream and many others.

CDEA 6145

Bandleader George Olsen was born on 18 March 1893 in Portland , Oregon . In his early twenties he studied law, but later decided to concentrate on a career in music. He got his big break when he moved to New York , where he provided the musical accompaniment for the Eddie Cantor show ‘Kid Boots’. That was in 1923; by the following year he had secured a recording contract, and the music featured in this collection was recorded by his band during the 1927-34 period. This release features twenty-four tracks recorded in the inimitable Olsen manner, and include The ‘Varsity Drag, It’s Only a Paper Moon, Just Like a Melody Out of the Sky, Do-Do-Do and Gosh Darn!. The vocalists are Ethel Shutta (who at one time was married to Olsen), Fran Frey, Bob Borger and Bob Rice.

CDEA 6147

Vintage dance band sounds of the 1920s and ’30s are the order of the day on this release, the third instalment in Vocalion’s popular ‘Band Parade’ series. Some of the best-known names in British dance band music are featured, and Henry Hall conducting the BBC Dance Orchestra kicks off the disc with eight titles including Sittin’ in the Dark, They all Laughed and They Can’t Take That Away from Me. Composer-arranger-conductor Phil Green leads his orchestra through delightful selections from ‘Big Broadcast of 1936’ and ‘Every Night at Eight’, while dance band stalwarts Ambrose, Billy Cotton, Lou Preager and others all contribute with fine examples of their individual styles. Vocalists featured include Sam Browne, Alan Breeze, Jack Cooper, Barry Gray , Dan Donovan, Marjorie Stedeford and Len Burmon.

CDEA 6148

The band led by Leo Reisman was once dubbed ‘The String Quartet of Dance Bands’ by Jerome Kern, and the sweet sounds purveyed by Reisman and his musicians is much in evidence on this release. Born in Boston in 1897, Reisman initially studied the violin, and his first professional job was as first violinist with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. He began his recording career in 1921, but the recordings heard here span the years 1926-41 and feature a variety of vocalists including Lew Conrad (Reisman’s long-serving violinist), Frank Luther, Frances Maddux and Felix Knight. Tunes include We’ll Make Hay While the Sun Shines, You Will Remember Vienna, Mimi, April in Paris, Someday I’ll Find You and Honeymoon Hotel.

CDEA 6149

The prolific and versatile Stan Greening studied cello, piano and composition at London ’s Royal Academy of Music. He started his career as a cellist, and in 1919 played under Adrian Boult for a season of the Diaghilev Ballet at the Empire Theatre, Leicester Square . However, in 1923 he turned his attention to the world of popular music, taking up the banjo. In that year he also became a bandleader and ‘session fixer’ – someone who books musicians for recording sessions. This release covers Stan’s recording activities from 1926-1931 and features various bands he led under various titles – the Raymond Dance Band, The Rhythmic Troubadours, The Society Serenaders and The Midnight Minstrels. The pleasant, melodic sounds of these bands are heard in twenty-five superb tracks, the tunes including It’s an Old Spanish Custom, I’ll Keep You in My Heart (Adios Muchachos), Would You Like to Take a Walk? and A Little Balcony in Spain . The disc concludes with Charles Penrose singing the eternally popular The Laughing Policeman, for which Stan Greening’s band provided the backing. Other vocalists featured include Fred Douglas, Dan Donovan, Joe Sargent, Tom Barrat and Robert Carr.

CDEA 6150

Victor Silvester, doyen of music for ballroom dancing, is back on Vocalion with another fine release, once again charting his 1940s recordings. This charming selection features a variety of rhythms including waltzes, sambas, foxtrots, tangos and quicksteps, and is ideal for dancing or just listening. Among the twenty-four tracks are Spring Will Be a Little Late This Year, Long Ago (and Far Away), Pretending, This Heart of Mine, Pale Hands I Love, September Song and There Must Be a Way.

CDEA 6151

Bandleader and pianist George Scott Wood provides the music on this Vocalion release. As the leader of his Six Swingers, Scott Wood was one of Britain ’s early jazz and swing pioneers; in fact, he was the first bandleader to record, broadcast and televise swing music in Britain . Indeed, in 1938 Scott Wood’s orchestra was voted top of all radio entertainment in the Daily Mail ‘Radio Popularity Poll’. Throughout his career he also worked with many famous musicians from outside the dance band world, writing arrangements for Gracie Fields, Richard Tauber, Campoli, Ivor Novello, Sir Harry Lauder and a host of other British, American and Continental stars too numerous to mention. On this disc, Scott Wood leads his Six Swingers through twenty-four numbers including Georgia’s Got a Moon, Swing and Sway, Is it True What They Say About Dixie?, Rockin’ Chair and Dere’s Jazz in Dem Dere Horns. The vocalists are Sam Costa, Frank Kerslake and Georgette Vedey.

CDEA 6153

CDEA 6154

Hot on the heels of Vocalion’s third volume of George Scott Wood’s recordings, comes this further investigation of the maestro’s output – this time from the mid-late 1930s. However, whereas volume three concentrated on Scott Wood’s ‘Six Swingers’ aggregation, this fourth volume throws the spotlight on Scott Wood’s orchestra. Indeed, during the dance band era, Scott Wood probably made more gramophone records than any other British bandleader. In addition to the hundreds of sessions with his own orchestras (under many names), he arranged the music and conducted his orchestra in accompaniments for artistes such as Richard Tauber, Gracie Fields, Sophie Tucker, Sir Harry Lauder, Beatrice Lillie, Maggie Teyte, Roy Henderson, Campoli, Gertrude Lawrence, Ivor Novello and many others. Scott Wood brings his artistry and expertise to bear in all the music on this compilation, which includes numbers such as Love Locked Out, This is Romance, Hiawatha’s Lullaby, Shadow Waltz, Lover’s Lane, Stormy Weather and Dreaming a Dream. The vocalists include Sam Browne, Harry Bentley, Jack Plant and Scott Wood himself.

CDEA 6155

More strict-tempo delights are in store in this release, which features material by that doyen of music for ballroom dancing, Victor Silvester. The recordings compiled here were originally made between 1934-51 and feature maestro Silvester and his orchestra at the top of their form. Their immaculate performances of evergreens such as You’re the Top, On a Slow Boat to China, Baby Face and S’Wonderful are a joy to behold, and there is much more music to savour on this superb release, all of course in the unmistakable ‘Silvester Style’.

CDEA 6156

Vocalion’s fifth volume of the Lew Stone Band’s recordings concentrates on the mid-1930s, a period often overlooked in the band’s recording career. In August 1934 Lew lost the services of his chief vocalist, Al Bowlly, who was off to the US with bandleader Ray Noble; and the following year Lew also lost the services of Nat Gonella, his ‘hot’ trumpet player, who was starting out with his own band, The Georgians. How was losing these two key members going to affect the Lew Stone Band? Put this CD into your player and the answer is revealed by the very first track, Lookie, Lookie, Lookie, Here Comes Cookie. That irrepressible ‘Lew Stone sound’ is evident from the first bars, and the vocal is taken by Tiny Winters who had been with the band since the early 1930s. Indeed, that irrepressible ‘Lew Stone sound’ is evident in each track making up this compilation, which includes numbers such as You Never Looked So Beautiful, Yes Suh!, Dinner and Dance, Love Made the Song, Camptown Races, Cherokee and many more. Alongside Tiny Winters, featured vocalists include Alan Kane, Ronnie O’Dell, Joe Ferrie, Joe Crossman, Sam Browne, Brian Lawrence, Alfie Noakes, Bert Yarlett and The Radio Three.

CDEA 6157

CDEA 6159

CDEA 6160

CDEA 6161