Ex UK dance band great Jack Payne's later 1958 light orchestral album "Say It With Music".
Here's the title track.
Desmond Carrington used it as his theme tune for his near twenty-five year Sunday afternoon BBC radio programme of easy listening music. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1pGwh14JKmA

 

David Lobosco wrote:

I have been delving into some late 1920s and early 1930s jazz - from people like Red Nichols, Frankie Trumbauer, Fletcher Henderson, and Chick Webb. Anyone a fan of that music?

Absolutely - Bix, Teagarden, Tatum, Benny Carter, Duke Ellington, Coleman Hawkins, Count Basie, Art Tatum, Benny Goodman, Pee Wee Russell, The Dorsey Brothers, Johnny Hodges, Billie Holiday and of course Louis Armstrong.

Ian Kerstein wrote:

Love it!!!
Louis Armstrong's Hot Fives and Hot Sevens recordings from 1925-30 and Bix Biederbecke - both of course associated with our guy. Toe tappingly magnificent and so intricate.
Plus soul seemingly emerged from Artie Shaw's clarinet. I respect his reasons for doing so but I still find it such a potential loss that he permantly laid down his instrument in 1954 with another fifty years of life to live.
 

I didn't think he put it down in 1954. He played the trumpet in High Society in 1956. I thought he put it down maybe around 1966 or so.
 

David Lobosco wrote:

Ian Kerstein wrote:

Love it!!!
Louis Armstrong's Hot Fives and Hot Sevens recordings from 1925-30 and Bix Biederbecke - both of course associated with our guy. Toe tappingly magnificent and so intricate.
Plus soul seemingly emerged from Artie Shaw's clarinet. I respect his reasons for doing so but I still find it such a potential loss that he permantly laid down his instrument in 1954 with another fifty years of life to live.
 

I didn't think he put it down in 1954. He played the trumpet in High Society in 1956. I thought he put it down maybe around 1966 or so.
 

Sorry, David - I should have separated the two players via a new paragraph.
It's Artie Shaw that laid down his instrument forever in 1954.
Musically, he knew he could not surpass what he'd already achieved and didn't see the point in continuing, 

Dear Louis kept performatively blowing in theatre dates until 1970, the year before he died. Admittedly, due to various health problems, his final four years of playing were not his best (1966 onwards). During then, he tended to sing more than play. He took a critical drubbing during his (I think) final "live" engagement, two weeks at the Waldorf Astoria, where even professional musician friends were dismayed at the by then, huge deterioration of his musicianship.

Have you seen this very late appearance he did with Bing in 1971?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gXf1K0QxMJs&t=11s
 

Last edited by Ian Kerstein (18/9/2026 9:31 pm)

The last album Pops played trumpet on was Disney Songs the Satchmo Way, 1968. He did still play on live dates including TV. On the Bing/Pops David Frost interview you can hear Louis warming up while Bing and Frost are chatting.

What non-Bing music have I been listening to recently?
Billie Holiday's Decca recordings
Palestrina's Missa Papae Marcelli

What non-Bing have I been listening to recently?

Probably no surprise to many of you - I've been turning back to my childhood inspiration - 
Herb Alpert and his Tijuana Brass

Today:
Bix Beiderbecke - Giants of Jazz Time Life LP set
and
Robert Schumann, Piano Concerto in A minor, Opus 54 (The Philharmonia Orchestra conducted by Herbert Von Karajan, piano soloist - Dinu Lipatti)

Last edited by Aaron Tickner (22/9/2026 11:02 pm)

Liszt, Piano Concerto no. 1 in E flat Major
Liszt, Piano Concerto no. 2 in A Major
Haydn, The Seven Last Words of Christ on the Cross (oratorio version)
Copland, Rodeo Ballet Suite
John Williams, The Cowboys - film score.

Last edited by Aaron Tickner (17/10/2026 7:01 am)

I've been having a debut listen to a recent CD purchase of Ennio Morricone's gorgeously haunting soundtrack of "Once Upon a Time in America". 

Thanks, Aaron. Due to you, I'm currently having a listen to the Brahms Serenade. Beautiful. Both romantic and majestic.
Yes, I had a smile when I listened to Bing's whistling on your link. I wonder if Paul Smith is still around to ask!

That mouth organ on "Once Upon a Time in the West" is so haunting, isn't it?
I'm also very fond of Morricone's music for "The Mission". Two other films I've yet to see.

I must confess, though - I generally prefer the more traditional Hollywood western film scores. 
My favourites being the main themes from "The Magnificent Seven", "How the West Was Won", "The Big Country" and "The Sons of Katie Elder".

Last edited by Ian Kerstein (Yesterday 6:55 am)

Dvorak, Serenade for Strings in E major, op.22
Tchaikovsky, Serenade for Strings in C major, op.48
Grieg, Holberg Suite, op.40

All three performed by the Academy of St.Martin in the Fields, conducted by Neville Marriner.

Beautiful CD. 

In fact, I choose this recording of the Holberg Suite over a version I have on LP performed by the Berlin Philharmonic with Herbert Von Karajan conducting. I think the Marriner one has greater clarity between the parts. It's like you are sitting within the orchestra.

Lol! Before reading it properly, I thought you had listed "Donkey Serenade" at the top of your current classical listed listens, Aaron.
Years ago, I had some friends, a decades long married couple. The wife adored the record (was it Allan Jones, father of Jack who sang it?) and the husband disliked it hugely. For the husband to play in his car, I made him a compilation tape cassette of his favourites (Bert Kaempfert, Etc). No prizes for guessing which record I couldn't resist opening the tape with, though. 

Last edited by Ian Kerstein (Yesterday 8:12 pm)