... No calamities On the Town Pride of place in recent recordings of musicals must go to TER's new version of On the Town, with five American principals, Gregg Edelman, Tim Ravin, Ethan Freeman, Kim Criswell and Judy Kaye, plus Louise Gold, Valerie Masterson and Tinuke Olafimihan, the exciting score bril liantly played by the National Symphony Orchestra conducted by John Owen Edwards. We know ...

... Still a barrel of fun 50 years on What better way to relax in the glorious summer sun than listen to some music? Peter Hepple tunes in RECORDS REVIEW It is a bit of a shock to realise that it is 50 years since Annie Get Your Gun was first seen in London, but TER's double CD (CDTER2 1229) marks the anniversary in style, with one of the current queens of the American musical stage, Judy Kaye, ...

... Musicians lose out in line dance craze Compiled By Peter Hepple The country music world is being rocked by the new dance craze that is currently sweeping the nation, line dancing. Live country music nights are disappearing by the dozen, as venues that used to host country music are switching to line dancing, which is often organised by disc jockeys and other non-musicians who play CDs through ...

... Clubland's big Baron Roger Holmes looks back over the highs and lows of Salford comedian Dave Baron's long and illustrious career Mention'The Baron' to north west clubgoers and you will be understood immediately. You will be talking about the Salford-based comedian Dave Baron one of those people who have made a con sistent living as an entertainer over the years, just hitting the high spots ...

... Rockers' showcase Rockin' on Heaven's Door, a spectacular new fifties and sixties tribute show, presented by Top Billing Management, receives a showcase performance at Lakeside Country Club, Frimley Green on October 4. With a storyline seen through the eyes of a sixties American DJ, it will feature Johnny Curtis as Roy Orbison, Tony Meyers as Eddie Cochran, Marc Robinson as Buddy Holly and ...

... Caravans and cabaret Mark Ritchie uncovers a rich source of seasonal work for entertainers as he tours the caravan parks of the north east A great source of work for the professional entertainer is provided by the annual migration to the East Yorkshire and North Lincolnshire coast by caravan enthusiasts. Many of them are retired people, others are folk who love the idea of a home by the ...

... Musical legends in full bloom By PETER HEPPLE To my mind South Pacific represents the fullest flowering of the talents of Rodgers and Hammerstein, better constructed than Oklahoma!, less sentimental than Carousel, a magnificent mixture of light and shade and, with There Is Nothin' Like a Dame, the best male chorus number in any musical. Full justice is done to it in TER's recording (CDTER ...

... James is all Miked up There is not much guaranteed for Blackpool next summer, but Tower boss Mark Osborne has been quick in inviting back the Mike James Sound and Singers for a second successive season.. James lives in Stockport but was originally from Stalybridge, Cheshire, where his musical career began with him playing the piano in a trio. His first professional engagement above the ...

... Earlier this century, band players were expected to perform under restricted and testing conditions, as Sheila Tracy discovers I wonder what today's musicians would say if, on joining a band, they discovered there were no music stands and they had to play from memory? Shock, horror, impossible! That was what was expected of 18-year-old Billy Munn when I he joined Jack Hylton's band on piano ...

... Swingin' with the giants Spot Ray Gelato fronting his Giants or soloing with Pete Long's Echoes of Ellington orchestra and you will observe a performer who is clearly having a ball. Whether singing or playing tenor saxophone, Gelato gives it all he's got. His enthusiasm and drive are contagious. This bandstand zest has brought him popularity here and on the continent, with the Italians at ...

... Big band brainwave These days--when live music is generally played by groups of three or four and a seven-piece soul band, with two or three horn players is hardly regarded as a sound commercial proposition..it is worth remembering that in the forties and fifties 15 and 16-piece big bands regularly toured the country, playing for dances, concerts and full weeks in variety. Now we have an ...

... In good hands It seems hard to believe that it was 30 years ago when Syd Lawrence first formed his orchestra in Manchester. It was originally intended to be just a 'rehearsal' band, playing one night a week and giving a chance for musicians to play the type of big band music they really enjoyed. After a couple of changes of venue, the band moved to an upstairs room in the Mersey Hotel. One ...