This is another edition to Vocalion’s comprehensive series of Mantovani reissues. This release compiles two further albums from the light music legend’s vast Decca discography. ‘Gypsy Soul’ (1970) contains, as its title suggests, music of gypsy origin, featuring classics such as Dinicu’s Hora Staccato and Sarasate’s Zapateado along with gypsy-flavoured film themes including the title music from The Singer Not the Song and Villa Rides. ‘Stereo Showcase’ (1959) is something of a curio, being an album Mantovani recorded exclusively for the American market at Decca’s request. This was done in order to exploit the then-new stereo recording process and gain all-important stereo album sales in that territory. Nevertheless, it offers up several Mantovani orchestral gems including the theme from Limelight, Some Enchanted Evening, Village Swallows and Greensleeves among others. Unusually, the album also offers the listener the opportunity of hearing Mantovani’s voice, as he presents each piece and explains how the stereo process enhances his music.

CDLK 4351

Famous Scottish tenor and Decca stalwart Kenneth McKellar appears on this CD, which compiles two of his albums from the 1960s. ‘Kenneth McKellar’s Scotland’ (1967) features well-known folk songs including Loch Lomond, Will Ye No Come Back Again and The Long Ships, with McKellar’s unmistakable voice accompanied by Peter Knight’s immaculate orchestral arrangements. ‘Folk Songs from Scotland ’s Heritage’ (1964) includes typically engaging McKellar renditions of traditional folk melodies such as A Pair of Nicky Tams, McGregors’ Gathering and The Laird o’ Cockpen, all of which are set to tasteful arrangements by Bob Sharples.

CDLK 4352

Master pianist and arranger Ronnie Aldrich features on these two albums from his Decca ‘Phase 4’ output of the 1970s. Modern songwriters are the common factor in this release, and in this instance are two of the most successful America have produced. ‘Webb Country’ (1977) focuses on Ronnie’s enchanting orchestral interpretations – with backing from vocal group The Ladybirds – of some of Jim Webb’s most enduring melodies including MacArthur Park , By the Time I Get to Phoenix, Wichita Lineman and Up, Up and Away among others. ‘The World of Burt Bacharach’ (1972) features timeless songs from that songwriter’s remarkable catalogue of hits; among the ones to receive the Aldrich treatment are Wives and Lovers, Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head, Alfie and many more.

CDLK 4353

The first of the two Decca ‘Phase 4’ albums compiled on this CD showcases orchestra leader/arranger Stanley Black in a very modern musical setting, and one for which he is not usually known. ‘Black Magic’ (1976) sees Stanley focusing on contemporary 1970s material including music drawn from the worlds of film and disco. The aggressive wah-wah guitar pyrotechnics and funk groove of Isaac Hayes’s Theme from ‘Shaft’, with which the album opens, signals to the listener that this will be a very different Stanley Black experience, and the ’70s grooves continue to flow thick and fast including exciting arrangements of Van McCoy’s disco hit The Hustle and Morris Albert’s Feelings. Satan Superstar (1978) heads off in a slightly more conventional direction, and features spine-chilling arrangements for full orchestra of music from horror films including Exorcist II, The Omen and Rosemary’s Baby.

CDLK 4354

CDLK 4356

CDLK 4358

Go Latin! and Latin Voices and Guitars, the Teldec albums compiled on this release, feature the combined talents of Caterina Valente and her brother Silvio Francesco. They play guitar and sing on both albums as well as playing all other instruments. Go Latin! (1966) features Latin American classics such as Brasil, El Cumbanchero and Saudades da Bahia, while Latin Voices and Guitars (1971) follows a similar path with more Latin American standards including Samba em Preludio and Lapinha. This album also sports charming Latin American arrangements of ’60s/’70s pop hits such as Do You Know the Way to San Jose? and El Condor Pasa.

CDLK 4361

Trumpet maestros, German Horst Fischer and Belgian Bob Powels are accompanied by the Werner Müller Orchestra on the two albums compiled on this release. Originally issued in 1969, Goldene Trompete in Stereo features the virtuoso trumpet style of Horst Fischer as he interprets beautiful melodies including film themes such as Rififi, A Man and a Woman and a medley from the film Dr Zhivago alongside other contemporary material such as Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In from the ‘Hair’ musical, and Jim Webb’s Up, Up and Away. Bob Powel’s exhilarating trumpet playing is heard on Golden Trumpet Highlights from 1971. More films themes are on offer in his readings of, among others, The Windmills of Your Mind from ‘The Thomas Crown Affair’, Deguello from ‘ Rio Bravo ’ and Once Upon a Time in the West as well as popular numbers such as I Dream of Naomi and Butterfly. Werner Müller’s fabulous arrangements provide the perfect accompaniment for these two superb soloists.

CDLK 4362Muller Mueller Müller

Werner Müller makes his second appearance in Vocalion’s February 2008 releases, with two albums that prove that this orchestral maestro could also swing with the best of ’em! The first album compiled on this release is A Salute to the Kings of Swing, in which Müller and his big band inject new life into numbers such as Duke Ellington’s C-Jam Blues and Erskine Hawkins’s Tuxedo Junction. More of the same is on offer in Original Glenn Miller Sound, which focuses on the music of the swing era icon, with Müller and his men making classic numbers such as Pennsylvania 6-5000, A String of Pearls, Moonlight Serenade, Little Brown Jug and many others swing like the clappers. Essential listening for all who appreciate the finest in big band sounds.

CDLK 4363Muller Mueller Müller

CDLK 4365

The big band sound (with strings) of the Frank Chacksfield Orchestra is featured on this release, which compiles two of his mid-1960s Decca ‘Phase 4’ albums. The common factor here is music drawn from the worlds of television and film. In All Time Top T.V. Themes, Frank applies his usual stylish approach to classic TV signature tunes such as Nelson Riddle’s Route 66, Jerry Goldmsith’s The Man from U.N.C.L.E and Doctor Kildare, Henry Mancini’s Peter Gunn and Earle Hagen’s theme from The Dick Van Dyke Show. Music from Doctor Doolittle sees the Frank Chacksfield Orchestra performing songs from Leslie Bricusse’s charming score for the film of the same name. Frank and his musicians create spellbinding instrumental renditions of songs including Talk to the Animals, Beautiful Things, Fabulous Places and Where are the Words, and on I Think I Like You are joined by vocalist Jackie Lee.

CDLK 4366

CDLK 4367

CDLK 4368

CDLK 4369

CDLK 4370

Malcolm Arnold’s score to the 1963 British film ‘Nine Days to Rama’ is heard on this Vocalion release. Arnold was an uncommonly versatile composer, who has taken his rightful place amongst the pantheon of great British composers of the 20th century. His works ranged from film scores such as this to chamber music to full-scale classical concert works to recording in the 1970s with legendary British rock band Deep Purple. Starring Horst Buchholz, José Ferrer and Robert Morley, ‘Nine Days to Rama’ depicts the life of Nathuram Godse (Horst Buchholz), the man who assassinated Mahatma Gandhi. Filmed almost entirely on location in India , Arnold ’s superb score underlines perfectly the film’s tension and drama as well as capturing India ’s mystique.

Also included is the equally rare Decca EP of selections from Arnold ’s score for the film ‘The Lion’ (1962) starring Trevor Howard, William Holden and Capucine.

Remastered from the original analogue tapes.

CDLK 4371

CDLK 4373

German orchestral maestro Werner Mueller makes his ninth appearance on Vocalion with two further albums drawn from his extensive Teldec catalogue, both of which demonstrate that he was a master of light classical music repertoire in addition to the Latin and big band idioms for which he was best known. Echoes of Italy presents several timeless melodies from the land of song, including numbers that found international fame once English lyrics had been written for them: Quando, M’innamoro (A Man without Love), Ti Guarderò Nel Cuore (More), Alla Fine Della Strada (Love Me Tonight). Müller also turns his attention to works by composers such as Toselli (Serenade No.1, Op.6), Rossini (Finale from ‘William Tell’) and Tchaikovsky (Capriccio Italien, Op.45), and these and every selection in the album are treated to typically exquisite Müller orchestrations. Great Strauss Waltzes is, as the title suggests, dedicated to the undisputed master of the waltz, Johan Strauss. Classics including the Accelerations Waltz, Tales from the Vienna Woods, Roses from the South, Blue Danube Waltz and many more are given new leases of life under Müller’s expert direction.

Mantovani, light music’s biggest name, makes a welcome return to Vocalion with another two albums from Decca’s archives, both of them serving to remind us just why he was so popular. Gems Forever was originally issued in mono in 1957 under a different title, but here Vocalion present it in all its stereo glory, enabling Mantovani’s trademark sweeping string sound to envelop the listener. As he had done on many occasions, Mantovani dips into the American songbook and comes up with twelve sumptuous orchestral interpretations of numbers including All the Things You Are, A Woman in Love, True Love, Love Letters and Hey, There! From a decade later, Mantovani … Memories serves up more of the same, and, with the assistance of his regular team of arrangers (Roland Shaw and Cecil Milner), we are treated to another helping of elegant ‘Mantovani-style’ versions of standards such as Try to Remember, Sweet Leilani, Sunrise, Sunset, Embraceable You and more.

CDLK 4374

With this Vocalion release, one of Britain’s best-known orchestra leaders of the 1940s and ’50s shows that he was more than capable of getting in a funk groove, ’70s-style. Composer of ’50s light music classics as Marching Strings and Blue Violins, here Ray Martin displays a very different side to his musical persona. Both volumes of Favourite TV Themes were recorded for Decca, and for each album Martin assembled a studio orchestra built around a very tight and very funky rhythm section. Indeed, the funk is particularly apparent on Martin’s skilful, hip arrangements of the themes for International Golf, Kojak, Hawaii Five-0 and Ironside (from Favourite TV Themes Vol.2), as well as the themes for Wheelbase and General Hospital (from Favourite TV Themes Vol.1). This compilation features a host of other classic TV themes from the 1960s and ’70s including Eye Level (from ‘Van der Valk’), News at Ten, Grandstand, Midweek, Nationwide and Mission Impossible, all in immaculate new arrangements and brilliantly performed by Ray Martin and His Orchestra. This release features an exciting bonus in that it contains three previously unissued Ray Martin recordings from the ’70s – namely the themes for Anglia TV game show Sale of the Century, BBC TV’s long-running film review series Film ’74 (or whichever year it’s shown in) and cult sci-fi series Star Trek.

CDLK 4376

CDLK 4380