More Wally Stott (Angela Morley)

Yes, there's no business like show business, and nothing conveys the glamour of show biz like a sickly green photo of a conductor, eh?

Poor Wally Stott did not have much luck with the art directors, as this very early Epic LP demonstrates. Fortunately, the music inside is much lovelier than the packaging. Stott was one of the best arrangers of the day, and this is a delightful compilation of Irving Berlin tunes.

Wally Stott

As a bonus, I've added a Columbia EP containing extended versions of "Deep Purple" and "September Song". The cover (below) is a clumsy combination of a magenta blob and a yellow explosion left over from a dime-store sales circular.

Some of the songs on the LP also appear on my previous Wally Stott post from a few years ago, where I pointed out that Stott later became Angela Morley, composer of such movie scores as Watership Down and an arranger who worked closely with John Williams among others. She died in early 2009.

Angela Morley

One of the recurring themes in this blog has been paying tribute to musical figures who have recently passed on. Sad, but I guess it's to be expected when a blog covers music of 50-60 years ago.

Today's tribute is to arranger and film composer Angela Morley, who died last week. She was one of the best ever at her craft, in my view, and had been so for more than a half-century.

The early records presented here were made under her birth name of Wally (Walter) Stott soon after she joined Philips Records in London as music director in 1953. This issue is a repackaging on the American Epic label, which licensed Philips' product.

The LP contains music by Kern, Gershwin, and Berlin - four songs each. I suspect it may have originated as three EPs, but who knows. Whatever the origin and whoever the composer, each arrangement is very imaginative and just plain lovely.

For more on Morley, see an appreciation on the Robert Farnon Society site

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