Various Artists - Very Best of British Dance Bands (CD)

All Music Guide

On one hand there is the title of Very Best of British Dance Bands, not just the best but the very best, implying at the least some kind of honing of performers. Then there is the actual large cast of characters that is featured, providing the impression that just about any musician associated with a British dance band or fool that could wave a baton must have made it onto this compilation. But there really is no proper solution to the problem -- how to present the cream of this historic music scene in the course of one compact disc lasting about 74 minutes -- other than to feature as many of the participants as possible. While a few of the bands present, such as the Jack Hylton outfit, wind up with more than one cut, there are many possible cups of tea to serve up here. Already a hectic scene in the early '10s when recording technology was in its primitive stages, the world of British dance bands had almost as many influences as working participants, including both classic American ja...zz and the gypsy folk music associated with the Romany people. There is almost too much detail in the course of a single CD; some listeners may find their appetites only whetted and will be digging through the record piles looking for complete releases by artists such as Ambrose. Some of these groups will be easier to find additional material by than others. The majority of musicians are British, although there is the presence of American guests such as Nat Gonella and Chick Henderson as well as European players attracted from across the pond. The complete lineup includes the most famed names from the British dance bands as well as leaders and sidemen that are deliciously obscure. The eventual popularity of guitar bands in British rock music is often linked to skiffle groups, yet one of the many interesting aspects of this compilation is the number of guitarists that are featured in these bands. The instrument seems to have a bit more presence than in the pioneering American big-band music, including a guitarist bandleader, Harry Davis. Tracks range from the early '20s, when the latter artist first began collaborating with gypsy-influenced violinist Oscar Rabin, to the second World War period, when the ranks of dance bands were swelled with classical players whose regular orchestras were on hiatus. If anything unites all these diverse groups, it was the fact that they were all playing for dancers. Thus, bouncing rhythms and happy feelings abound. A few Tin Pan Alley standards such as "When Lights Are Low" are on the play list. There are quite a few superb arrangements and throughout a level of musicianship that is quite impressive, by necessity devoid of grandstanding or anything else that would detract from a solid group sound. Big-band fans who want to hear something different and have yet to discover this aspect of British music history will be interested in this release. - Eugene Chadbourne, All Music Guide Read more Less