keeping the music of the past ALIVE!...from the Golden Eras of the 1920's, 1930's, 1940's, 1950's and 1960's including Big Band, Dance Orchestras, Swing, Crooners, Nostalgic, Popular Artists and Harmony Groups plus Contemporary, Retro and Revival artists
Anne Shelton, OBE (10 November 1923 – 31 July 1994) was a popular English vocalist, who is remembered for providing inspirational songs for soldiers both on radio broadcasts, and in person, at British military bases during the Second World War. Shelton was also the original singer in the United Kingdom of the song "Lili Marlene". She began singing at age 12 on the radio show "Monday Night at Eight". By age 15 she had a recording contract. Shelton performed at military bases in Britain during World War II. Her radio program, Calling Malta, was broadcast from 1942 to 1947. In 1944, she was invited by Glenn Miller to sing in France with him and his orchestra. She declined because of prior commitments. Miller died during this tour when his plane crashed. Shelton appeared with Bing Crosby on the Variety Bandbox radio programme. In 1948 she recorded "If You Ever Fall in Love Again", written by Irish songwriter Dick Farrelly, who is best remembered for his song "Isle of Innisfree", which Shelton also recorded. Her songs "Galway Bay" and "Be Mine" were popular in the United States in 1949, and she toured there in 1951. This compilation contains recordings she made with The Bert Ambrose Orchestra and includes tracks that have not been issued on any other collection of her music. See second picture below for further information about this album.
Pink Martini's wildly popular debut, released in 1997, has sold nearly a million copies to date. Described as "breathtaking" by The New Yorker, Sympathique is timeless and beautiful. It is a cohesive blend of Cuban, French, Greek, Japanese, Italian, Spanish, classical, and Brazilian music. It was a big hit in Europe and one of the cuts was included on one of the trendy Parisian Hotel Costes' CDs. The music is hard to classify- Jazz? Latin? House? Retro? Whatever you want to call it, it is marvelous, sophisticated, quirky, cosmopolitan, and international. The group comes out of Portland Oregon and includes 14 talented musicians, covering vocals, trumpet, trombone, violin, cello, bass, guitar, piano, and percussion. Two cuts are augmented with the addition of a string orchestra and children's choir. While the cocktail lounge fad has seen more than a few musicians climb aboard as a career move, the members of Pink Martini are no bandwagon-riding aficionados. Fronted by pianist Thomas Lauderdale, Pink Martini is the real article--a band that approaches the music with unwavering seriousness yet never forgets the fun at the heart of it. Sympathique, the band's debut album reveals an incredibly diverse musical vocabulary on the part of front man Lauderdale. What singer China Forbes may lack in range and dynamics, she more than compensates for in attack, approach, and a clear understanding of the material. While most of the songs are upbeat, in the hands of Lauderdale and Forbes, "Qué será será," with its dark atmospherics should be rechristened "Qué será noir." --Wayne Pernu..Amazon.com 1. Amado Mio 2. No Hay Problema 3. Sympathique 4. Que Sera Sera 5. La Soledad 6. Donde Estas, Yolanda? 7. Andalucia 8. Song Of The Black Lizard 9. Never On Sunday 10. Brazil 11. Lullaby
