Customer Reviews

Raymond Scott: Chesterfield Arrangements 1937-38

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

RAYMOND SCOTT CHESTERFIELD ARRANGEMENTS performed by the Metropole Orchestra & featuring the Beau Hunks Saxtette

On a US research expedition, Beau Hunks leader Gert-Jan Blom discovered a collection of large-scale orchestral arrangements for 17 Scott Quintet titles. These had been commissioned by noted bandleader PAUL WHITEMAN for his late 1930s Chesterfield radio program. The catalog included two very different treatments of "Powerhouse," along with familiar RS tunes like "War Dance for Wooden Indians" and "The Toy Trumpet." Blom also found scores for an unknown and never-recorded tune called "Suicide Cliff," and charts for the rarely heard "Tia Juana" and "Mexican Jumping Bean."

Blom has now recorded these works with the Metropole Orchestra, one of the finest large European jazz ensembles. (The Metropole Orch. has worked with BRIAN ENO, among others). The orchestra is accompanied by the virtuoso Beau Hunks "Saxtette." The Chesterfield arrangements are very unlike the original RSQ versions -- they are radically re-arranged, almost CARL STALLING-like in their majesty. Will Friedwald writes in the liner notes: "The Whiteman Orchestra was, in some instances, better equipped to carry out Scott's artistic vision than his Quintette. Where the six-piece group can simulate only a handful of "wooden Indians," the full band gives you the entire tribe. The Whitemanites expand "Dinner Music for a Pack of Hungry Cannibals," "Twilight In Turkey," and "Egyptian Barn Dance" to Cecil B. DeMille-like proportions.".

Big-band arrangement is one of America's most undersung contributions to the world, and these pieces are absolutely smashing examples, rendered to a turn by the magnificent Beau Hunks. That their subject is Raymond Scott's fantastic pieces makes this even more a desert island disc. As much as I hate to admit it, I like these a little BETTER than the smaller Scott arrangements the Beau Hunks have recorded, as marvelous as those are. As Will Friedwald hints at in his liner notes, Scott's genius is often brought out by the larger arrangements.

In my opinion, the masterpiece is "The Penguin", followed by "The Happy Farmer" (one of those snippets you often hear in Warner Brothers cartoons) and the fantastic "Mexican Jumping Bean".

One discomfiting aspect of listening to old radio shows is that so often the orchestral renditions of great songs just go by, in the often inferior sound quality that these shows come down to us in. I have often wished some of these arrangements were somehow retrievable, and it is a miracle that the Beau Hunks actually went to the trouble to unearth and record these arrangements in all of their glory.

I hope the Beau Hunks next record some of the wonderful Looney Tunes scores. The two Carl Stalling albums from the 90s are great, but concentrate on the 50s, generally presenting earlier scores in excerpt. To hear some of Stallings' marvelous swinging work from the 30s and 40s resuscitated on disc in modern sound, with the Beau Hunks' trademark exhaustive liner notes, would help make life worth living. The "Powerhouse" renditions on this Chesterfield album only make the mouth water even more on this score.

God bless the Beau Hunks for recognizing some of the best art from this culture too stupid to realize what is sitting under our noses.

* * * * *

From: EYE MAGAZINE - January/February 2000 - by Sam Gaines - The Beau hunks are an American treasure. Well, they are Dutch: but few musical groups have done so much to celebrate and promote the underappreciated early 20th century music of true American originals like Raymond Scott. So original is the best music of Raymond Scott that you can`t accurately classify it: it seems like jazz, but it really isn`t. The compositions on The Chesterfield Arrangements were expanded versions for orchestra created from the Raymond Scott Quintet originals by orchestra leader Paul Whiteman for his Chesterfield radio program in 1937-38. In spite of those performances, only a couple were ever recorded, and of course they are extremely difficult to find - that is, until Beau Hunks leader Gert Jan Blom discovered the catalog while doing research in the U.S. The arrangements called for a large orchestra, so Blom approached the Metropole Orchestra, adding his own saxophonists from the Beau Hunks Orchestra. The results are pure magic, offering up fresh approaches to even the most familiar of Scott`s music ("Powerhouse", the universally beloved cartoon theme, gets two unique treatments here!). But it is the unrecorded (or seldom-heard) tunes that truly amaze, especially the breathtaking, noir-esque "Suicide Cliff". Remember, this was on radio in 1938! What has always grabbed me about Blom and the BHO is their absolute, heartfelt dedication to reviving some of our most wonderful music in its pure form. (These are no punks-turned-swing-band, either: bot the BHO and Metropole Orchestra are critically acclaimed jazz orchestras.) Their recordings of LeRoy Shield and T. Marvin Hatley compositions for Hal Roach`s comedies are absolutely joyous. These two releases are every bit as marvelous, rich, and appealing - not for their "retro" cred, but because they re-vivify music as vibrant today as ever. Factor in Basta`s typically exhaustive liner notes and gorgeous cover art (ROBERT CRUMB contributes that to the Saxophone Soctette release), and you have two essential documents for fans and the merely curious alike.

From: COOL & STRANGE MUSIC MAGAZINE- November 1999 - by David Greenberger - This is a treasure trove of Raymond Scott scores which were discovered by the leader of the Beau Hunks, Gert Jan Blom. They were originally commissioned by Paul Whiteman, to be performed by a large-scale orchestra on his radio show in the late thirties (which was sponsored by Chesterfield cigarettes). Though they were played on the program, for the most part, none of these arrangements were ever recorded. They appear here in new performances by the Metropole Orchestra, accompanied by the Beau Hunks Saxtette. The set includes the familiar ("Powerhouse", "War Dance for Wooden Indians", "Toy Trumpet"), the obscure ("Mexican Jumping Bean", "Tia Juana") and the previously unknown ("Suicide Cliff"). With these bracing and energetic compositions, one need do no more, production-wise, than give everything its proper depth, breadth and warmth. Hearing Scott`s music cascading out of a large orchestra is dazzling from beginning to end.

From: CLASSIC CD (U.K.) - February 2000 - Last year I warmed to a disc of the music of Raymond Scott (1910-1994), the American composer, arranger, bandleader and pianist whose novelty numbers recorded by his `Quintette` in the 30s were later bought up by Warner Bros and used as cartoon background music. You can now hear why Scott has a cult following at The Chesterfield Arrangements (* * * * * = five stars!). In new recording played by the Metropole Orchestra and `featuring the Beau Hunks Saxtette' are the eighteen band arrangements of Scott`s elaborate and intricate novelty jazz numbers commissioned by no less than Paul Whiteman. "Powerhouse", "Toy Trumpet" and the other hot foot-tappers are played with amazing verve and precision. Strongly recommended.

Raymond Scott was an innovator of high order, bringing something a little wacky to the controlled world of written musical composition. This stuff is Amazingly hard to play, say the Musicians, and this recording shows the intricacy and skill of the arrangements in a way the original recordings could never do because of the limited recording techniques of the day. Although not as energetic or frantic as some of the originals, repeated listenings don't seem to wear you out like so many other novelty Jazz recordings. Try listening to an hour of Spike Jones for instance. Instead this stuff grows on you, leaving you wanting more.

to the chorus of acclaim? This would have to be the most exciting recording I've heard in a long time. The reviews below pretty much say it all, but I would add that much of this music is sheer, sensuous joy, and an astonishing surprise for those who may think big band music of the 30s is musty history. Highly, fervently recommended.

This is, to my knowledge, the only recording of these orchestrations of Scott's works. They are lavish and very enjoyable - evoking an era, as well as hinting at some of the composers later musical ideas. Most of the pieces here are available in smaller arrangements on other recordings, but others seem purpose-written for this larger pallet (Christmas Night in Harlem - a very enjoyable song - and Tia Juana, in particular, comes to mind here).

As with the other Beau Hunks recordings of this music, my only criticism is that these performances are, at times, a bit too smooth. The Scott style is simultaneously unstable and finely-wrought, making for a certain tension in listening. Some of the cuts on this disc, particularly The Penguin, have the rhythms polished to lapidary perfection, but the sense of amazement that it all fits together is lost in the process.

This is, however, a very small censure. The overall effort - as with their other Scott recordings - is extremely well done and well worth purchasing. This small renaissance of Scott's early compositions is great to see. I only hope that an American ensemble will try at some point have the courage to try these arrangements!

* * * * *

From: EYE MAGAZINE - January/February 2000 - by Sam Gaines - The Beau hunks are an American treasure. Well, they are Dutch: but few musical groups have done so much to celebrate and promote the underappreciated early 20th century music of true American originals like Raymond Scott. So original is the best music of Raymond Scott that you can`t accurately classify it: it seems like jazz, but it really isn`t. The compositions on The Chesterfield Arrangements were expanded versions for orchestra created from the Raymond Scott Quintet originals by orchestra leader Paul Whiteman for his Chesterfield radio program in 1937-38. In spite of those performances, only a couple were ever recorded, and of course they are extremely difficult to find - that is, until Beau Hunks leader Gert Jan Blom discovered the catalog while doing research in the U.S. The arrangements called for a large orchestra, so Blom approached the Metropole Orchestra, adding his own saxophonists from the Beau Hunks Orchestra. The results are pure magic, offering up fresh approaches to even the most familiar of Scott`s music ("Powerhouse", the universally beloved cartoon theme, gets two unique treatments here!). But it is the unrecorded (or seldom-heard) tunes that truly amaze, especially the breathtaking, noir-esque "Suicide Cliff". Remember, this was on radio in 1938! What has always grabbed me about Blom and the BHO is their absolute, heartfelt dedication to reviving some of our most wonderful music in its pure form. (These are no punks-turned-swing-band, either: bot the BHO and Metropole Orchestra are critically acclaimed jazz orchestras.) Their recordings of LeRoy Shield and T. Marvin Hatley compositions for Hal Roach`s comedies are absolutely joyous. These two releases are every bit as marvelous, rich, and appealing - not for their "retro" cred, but because they re-vivify music as vibrant today as ever. Factor in Basta`s typically exhaustive liner notes and gorgeous cover art (ROBERT CRUMB contributes that to the Saxophone Soctette release), and you have two essential documents for fans and the merely curious alike.

From: COOL & STRANGE MUSIC MAGAZINE- November 1999 - by David Greenberger - This is a treasure trove of Raymond Scott scores which were discovered by the leader of the Beau Hunks, Gert Jan Blom. They were originally commissioned by Paul Whiteman, to be performed by a large-scale orchestra on his radio show in the late thirties (which was sponsored by Chesterfield cigarettes). Though they were played on the program, for the most part, none of these arrangements were ever recorded. They appear here in new performances by the Metropole Orchestra, accompanied by the Beau Hunks Saxtette. The set includes the familiar ("Powerhouse", "War Dance for Wooden Indians", "Toy Trumpet"), the obscure ("Mexican Jumping Bean", "Tia Juana") and the previously unknown ("Suicide Cliff"). With these bracing and energetic compositions, one need do no more, production-wise, than give everything its proper depth, breadth and warmth. Hearing Scott`s music cascading out of a large orchestra is dazzling from beginning to end.

From: CLASSIC CD (U.K.) - February 2000 - Last year I warmed to a disc of the music of Raymond Scott (1910-1994), the American composer, arranger, bandleader and pianist whose novelty numbers recorded by his `Quintette` in the 30s were later bought up by Warner Bros and used as cartoon background music. You can now hear why Scott has a cult following at The Chesterfield Arrangements (* * * * * = five stars!). In new recording played by the Metropole Orchestra and `featuring the Beau Hunks Saxtette' are the eighteen band arrangements of Scott`s elaborate and intricate novelty jazz numbers commissioned by no less than Paul Whiteman. "Powerhouse", "Toy Trumpet" and the other hot foot-tappers are played with amazing verve and precision. Strongly recommended.

If you like Raymond Scott, Bugs Bunny, old records, or all of the above, you can't afford to miss this one. Great party music as well as great fun!

One of the things about playing music is knowing the style and being comfortable in it. The Metropole Orchestra obviously has played music like this before, but they are just a little too stiff in these arrangements. The running passages in "Powerhouse" actually sound labored. The Warner studio musicians in the forties, knew how to lean into the rhythms, and what to accent, etc. Obviously these are not Carl Stalling's reworkings, but the rhythmic figures are there.
Some music simply requires that you know the idiom (Chicago Symphony under Reiner or Solti, playing Bartok, as opposed to Karajan and Berlin).
I went back to the "Carl Stalling Project".

This review would have been titled "They did it again", if this CD hadn't been released BFORE the "Kodachrome" CD... Conclusion: hey, they did it BEFORE! Great sound, giving a "full color" dimension of the already outstanding original compositions. Even if one doesn't always agree with those arrangements, made in the late thirties for Paul Whitman's "Chesterfield Orchestra", the overall result is splendid, and the legendary Beau Hunks are omnipresent as featured soloists...