Search - Al Bowlly, Ray Noble Orchestra :: Hmv Sessions 6: 1930-34

FREDDY GARDNER ARRIVES, AND MAKES HIS PRESENCE FELT

Barry McCanna | Normandy, France | 01/22/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This compilation starts with the final side recorded on 24th May ("Seven Years With The Wrong Woman", with its up-tempo passages) and finishes halfway through the 12th October 1933 session. Perhaps the most significant factor in terms of the accompaniment was the arrival of master saxophonist Freddy Gardner, who first makes his presence felt in the introduction to "You're Mine, You". The preceding track is "All Over Italy (They Sing So Prettily)" a harmless bit of nonsense sung by Max Kester, to which Al and Ray Noble contribute some patter. Al also succeeds in elevating the semi-novelty number "Something Came And Got Me In The Spring" to a higher level, but even he cannot do much about "Oh! Johanna!" .



Those aside, this is a splendid selection in which Al sounds completely at ease, producing some of his best vocals. I mentioned, reviewing an earlier release in this series, that many of the recordings were issued also in America on the Victor label. Just to add by way of a footnote, that about this time Noble began recording non-vocal versions of some tunes for release on the Continent, on the HMV K series."