Search - Lew Stone :: Dinner & Dance

Great British Big Band

Michael D. Robbins | San Antonio, Texas United States | 11/21/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"During the 1930s, the finest dance bands - as opposed to swing bands - were in England. They played a style of music that combined both hot and sweet elements. The key bands were led by Ray Noble, Bert Ambrose, and Lew Stone, and their only comparable American counterparts were the Casa Loma Orchestra and Isham Jones's band. To many aficianados, the greatest British band was Lew Stone's. Lew Stone's band, at various times, contained such fine artists as Nat Gonella (trumpet and vocal), Lew Davis (trombone), Joe Crossman (reeds), Tiny Winters (bass), Bill Harty (drums), Al Bowlly (vocal), and Sam Browne (vocal). Lew Stone wrote most of the arrangements, which were generally excellent. My only criticism is that, when the Swing Era began, the band played that style a little too politely in comparison with American swing bands.The band's sweet style is heard on "I'll Never Be the Same," "Close Your Eyes" (featuring Al Bowlly at his mellowest), and "East of the Sun." The outstanding hot cuts are "Blue Jazz" and "White Jazz" (both from the Casa Loma repertoire), as well as "Lazy Rhythm" and "Milenburg Joys." "Dinner and Dance" and "Wednesday Night Hop" are examples of the band's polite swing style. "My Kind of Music" is, on the surface, an upbeat celebration of the joys of "London town." In fact, it was recorded during the Battle of Britain, when London was being bombed ... on a daily basis, which makes it a poignant historical document.If you are a fan of British dance bands, this music needs no introduction. If you are a fan of American big bands, I recommend this disk. The music will be in a familiar language, spoken with a slightly different accent."