Happy Days Are Here Again - Ambrose & His Orchestra

AS A YOUNG DRUMMER, I BOUGHT A BOOK BY MAX BACON, WHO PLAYED DRUMS WITH AMBROSE AND FOUND HIS LESSONS ON LATIN AMERICAN DRUMMING TO BE FIRST CLASS, AND BASED ALL MY LATIN AMERICAN WORK ON MAX'S SYSTEM EVER SINCE, OVER A LONG DRUMMING CAREER.I AM NOW 83 AND NO LONGER PLAY, HAVING HAD A STROKE, BUT IT IS VERY NICE TO HEAR A TOP CLASS BRITISH BAND LIKE AMBROSE WHEN, UNLIKE TODAY, MUSICIANSHIP WAS APPRECIATED AND ONE COULD TELL EVERY WORD A VOCALIST SANG.THIS CD IS A FIRST CLASS EXAMPLE OF A PRE WAR BAND AT ITS BEST,AND THE CHOICE OF NUMBERS EXCELLENT AND A NICE CHANGE FROM THE OBSESSION WITH GUITARS AND DRUMMERS SOUNDING LIKE A STEAM HAMMER ON THE OFF BEAT.A FIRST CLASS DELVE INTO NOSTALGIA FROM AMAZON. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.GORDON CLAY

I already had this but my copy had worn out through use. A quite superb selection, with High and Low, Shoo the Hoodoo and Happy Days being highlights for me. And South American Joe is hilarious!

Ambrose, plus other top English dance bands of the 30s, were more than a matchfor their American counterparts. This cd is an example

The Best era of British music and easy listening or even dancing too if I were still young enough! Those were the Days

Item arrived quickly. Very pleased with content, a varied selection of well played numbers.

i remember ambrose playing at the ilford palais great days very nice to listen to thank you ile be back

As described

Eexcellent

If you love the music of British Dance Bands fromthe early part of the 20th Century, you'll love this CD.Bert Ambrose and His Orchestra -"Happy Days Are Here Again" songs include:Jack Cooper sings: We're The Tops on Saturday Night,Elsie Carlilse sings: You've Got Me Crying Again...2 with Sam Browne who sings:`Leven Thirty Saturday Night andThe Object Of My Affection...Sam Browne and Ella Logan sing: Shoo The Hoodoo Away,2 with Lou Abelardo who sings: Little By Little and Who Cares?...4 with Sam Browne: Exactly Like You from The International Revue Of 1930,I'm Just Wearing Out My Heart For You, Till Tomorrow andWhat Good Am I Without You?...Ambrose orchestra: B'Wanga (instrumental),Donald Stewart sings: South American Joe,Lou Abelardo sings: You Want Lovin' And I Want Love...5 with Sam Browne who sings: High And Low, The Show Is Over,The Free And Easy, Laughing At The Rain and I'm On A Diet Of Love...Lou Abelardo sings: Makin' Whoopee from Makin' Whoopee 1928...Denny Dennis sings: Hurry Home,Lou Abelardo sings: Happy Days Are Here Again from Chasing Rainbows 1929Enjoy!

First, the drawbacks. This album is desperately screaming for liner notes. There is no list of performers, no dates of the recordings. No history of the orchestra, no biography of Bert Ambrose. One is left wondering who performed the great clarinet solos, or whether there is a chronological development to the music. Some cuts seem to be from the very late '20's, others, based entirely on the style and quality of recording, may be from a decade later. The bulk I would hazard were recorded in the early '30's. But this is pure guesswork: there is no information provided the educate the listener besides the title of the song and the name of the vocalist. The quality of recording of some of the pieces is also definitely lacking. The reproductions sound as if you are hearing them played directly off a gramophone. It's tolerable, but it means Sam Browne's vocal in "What Good am I without You" (a haunting and beautifully melancholy song) is barely audible, the lyrics almost impossible to discern.This said, the songs performed by Ambrose & his Orchestra make up for all these failings. There is a wide variety of music, from the hot "B'wanga" to the Latin beat of "South American Joe" to the cheery "Happy Days are Here Again" to the sophisticated "Who Cares?" to the classy "The Show is Over." There are some sublime arrangements, as good as anything the British dance bands produced between the wars. Just to have the magnificent "Laughing at the Rain" makes the whole CD worth it. Sam Browne is at his best here, and the dramatic orchestration is simply exquisite.Bert Ambrose may not be as well known in the US as Ray Noble or Lew Stone, but his work is of such quality that enthusiasts of British dance band music ought to give him a listen. For fans of Sam Browne,this album contains 12 vocals by him, all of them first rate. A definite addition to your collection.

Good, but some of the selections seem to be far into the 30's, rather than at the cusp of the hot dance era. Liner notes do not give the performance dates.