Ambrose

Some Big Band Jazz Swing from the 30's / 40's

AllMusic Review by arwulf arwulf  

Bert Ambrose led one of the finest British dance bands of the 1920s and ‘30s. CD reissues of his extensive discography began to appear in the late '90s, and the Dutton Laboratories have done more to preserve his legacy than any other label. While most Ambrose collections are packed with period pop vocals, Hors d'Oeuvres is an almost entirely instrumental album. This is a very important development! The time line extends from January 1935 through the period immediately following the Second World War. The only vocal tracks are W.C. Handy's "Memphis Blues," with lyrics dutifully enunciated by the Rhythm Sisters, and "Swing Low, Sweet Clarinet," in which Reginald Kell's woodwind artistry is pitted against a carefully controlled choir. Ambrose's orchestra was a fabulous dance band with strong jazz overtones. Worthy examples of wordless delights are "Caravan," "Deep Henderson," "Message from Mars," "Copenhagen," and "Embassy Stomp," which was named after London's original Embassy Club in Bond Street. The swing element is strongly presented in this set, thanks largely to solid arrangements and skilled instrumentalists like reedman Danny Polo, trombonist Ted Heath, and trumpeter Kenny Baker, who pops up on "Dardanella" and "Rose of Washington Square." Shortly after these two sides were cut in 1945, Baker would become one of the great featured soloists with Ted Heath & His Music. The clarinetist on "Dance of the Potted Puppet" has been identified as Carl Barriteau, whereas Jack Simpson plays xylophone on the title track and "Wood and Ivory." This is an outstanding Ambrose collection, and with all due respect to everyone who ever sang with the band, one can only hope for further collections focusing upon its instrumental output.

 

       19. Hor's D'oeuvres

Katyna Ranieri

A Little Gem In Italian !!

Caterina Ranieri (31 August 1925 – 3 September 2018), known professionally as Katyna Ranieri, was an Italian actress and singer. She was born in Follonica, Italy. She had her first hit in 1954 at the Sanremo Music Festival with the song "Una canzone da due soldi".

1. I'm In The Mood For Love

2. Manname Nu Raggio'e Sole

3. A Frangesa

4. Amore Baciami

5. Acqua Amare

1. Amani Se Vuoi

2. Parole e Musiica

3. Estas Commigo

4. Ce Soir

5. Un Mondo Raro

6. Le Tue Mani

       1. I'm In The Mood For Love

Carol Ventura

 Not very much info on this singer which is a pity...I would have liked to hear more of her !

Another great forgotten voice that needs to be heard !!

This Newark-born lady replaced Keely Smith in Louis Prima's orchestra (after Keely left the picture, of course). She came from a musical family. Her father was a vaudeville performer, her mother a singer, her brother a drummer. Carol did her singing apprenticeship by working with a few bands, including Charlie Spivak's. Traveled across the country, and to Europe.Carol recorded the odd single here and there, for a few labels, including Capitol. As far as albums go, she made only two, both of them released on Prestige Records.

Carol's music career never took off beyond these 1960s albums. The liner notes indicate that she was studying acting and dancing, with a view to becoming a Broadway stage performer. Those dreams do not seem to have been realized, either.If word of mouth is true, this New Jersey native wounded up living in the streets, due to mental illness. She allegedly needed to be medicated, and would take to a homeless life on those occasions in which she stopped using medication. She is said to have passed away at a senior home in 2010..... ( Info edited from "Steve Hoffman" Music Forums )

      3. When The World Was Young

Sandie Shaw

 Sandie Shaw, MBE (born Sandra Ann Goodrich; 26 February 1947) is an English singer. One of the most successful British female singers of the 1960s, she had three UK number one singles with "(There's) Always Something There to Remind Me" (1964), "Long Live Love" (1965) and "Puppet on a String" (1967). With "Puppet on a String", she became the first British entry to win the Eurovision Song Contest. She returned to the UK top 40, for the first time in 15 years, with her 1984 cover of the Smiths song "Hand in Glove". Shaw announced her retirement from the music industry in 2013.

Love Me, Please Love Me is the third original album or LP by 1960s British singer Sandie Shaw. It was issued by Pye Records in November 1967, several months after Shaw's triumph in that year's Eurovision Song Contest. The album mainly contains cover versions of songs made popular by other artists, like Michel Polnareff's "Love Me, Please Love Me", though two songs are written by Chris Andrews, who was Shaw's personal songwriter for much of the 1960s.

1. Love Me Please Love Me

2. One Note Samba

3. Smile

4. Yes My Darling Daughter

5. Ne Me Quitte Pas

6. Every Time we Say Goodbye

1. The Way I Remember Him

2. Hold Him Down

3. I Get A Kick Out of You

4. Time After Time

5. That's Why

6. By Myself

       3. I Get A Kick Out Of You

The Popsters They Tried To Rock

Here's 33 tracks of some of the great singer's of the 50's having a stab at Rock !!...some will be a surprise but its a good walk down memory lane !!

      

      10. Hey Naughty Papa.....Sarah Vaughan

Nina Simone

 Wild Is the Wind is the sixth studio album by American singer and pianist Nina Simone released by Philips Records in 1966. The album was compiled from several recordings that were left over from sessions (in 1964 and 1965) for previous Philips albums.

1. I Love Your Lovin' Ways

2. Four Women

3. What More Can I Do

4. Lilac Wine

5. That's All I Ask

6. Break Down And Let It All Out

1. Why Keep Breaking My Heart

2. Wild Is The Wind

3. Black Is The Colour of My true Loves hair

4. If I Should Lose You

5. Either Way I Lose

      2. Wild Is The Wind