Search - Hal Kemp :: Hal Kemp & His Orchestra 1934 & 1936

MID-30s BROADCASTS OF SUPERB ARRANGEMENTS

Barry McCanna | Normandy, France | 11/04/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"It is tempting to classify Hal Kemp's as a sweet band, indeed the liner note writer credits him jointly with Guy Lombardo for having created "the basic sweet band style". And yet it's clear, listening to the these transcriptions of two broadcasts that such a description sells the band well short. Because the band played complicated arrangements (by John Scott Trotter) with a precision that makes it sound easy.



The degree of clarity that's been achieved in the transfers and remastering makes it possible to appreciate every musical nuance, and the musical patterns woven by the orchestra are several removes from the homogenised sound of lesser orchestras.



I normally find radio announcements banal and distracting, but those here are also a cut above. As to the vocals, Skinnay Ennis, Bob Allen and Kay Thompson acquit themselves well, and if the last-named's Rhythm Sisters sound reminiscent of The Chipmunks be comforted that they feature only on two tracks. One of which is "The Old Man Of The Mountains" which is enlivened appropriately by the theme from Grieg's "In The Hall Of The Mountain King" from the Peer Gynt Suite.



In short, this is a highly enjoyable reissue and a reminder of the Golden Age when such bands broadcast nightly across the airwaves."