The song is Irving Berlin, the style is swing, the decade for the most part is the 1930s, and the performers more than half the time are British. U.K. reissue label ASV Living Era here has compiler Colin Brown delve into his record collection of old 78s, remastered for CD with plenty of audible crackles. That collection favors British society orchestras like those of Geraldo, Harry Roy, and Bob Farnon, each of whom is heard multiple times. They play either instrumental versions of the Berlin favorites or arrangements in ...
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The song is Irving Berlin, the style is swing, the decade for the most part is the 1930s, and the performers more than half the time are British. U.K. reissue label ASV Living Era here has compiler Colin Brown delve into his record collection of old 78s, remastered for CD with plenty of audible crackles. That collection favors British society orchestras like those of Geraldo, Harry Roy, and Bob Farnon, each of whom is heard multiple times. They play either instrumental versions of the Berlin favorites or arrangements in which a vocal chorus is taken only briefly and long after the band has had its say. There are some American singers, notably the Boswell Sisters and Al Jolson, but these are not the American hit renditions of the songs. The album serves primarily to demonstrate the influence of Berlin on the British dance bands of the '30s. For that, it's a fine selection. ~ William Ruhlmann, Rovi
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