Going by the book to bring back all those memories

An entire evening of the Great British Songbook including works from early masters Noel Coward (Mad About The Boy and If Love Were All) Ivor Novello (We’ll Gather Lilacs), Ray Noble (The Very Thought Of You and Cherokee) Noel Gay (All The Kings Horses) and Albert Ketelby (In A Persian Market).

My first number surprised a few people as it was Jule Styne’s Just In Time. Mr Styne, who also wrote Don’t Rain On My Parade and Diamonds Are A Girl’s Best Friend, was actually born in London.

We lost him to the Yanks when he was just eight after his family emigrated to the land of opportunity.

Songmeisters of the 1960s were also well represented; Lennon and McCartney were Here There And Everywhere, Les Reid and Gordon Mills proved It’s Not Unusual, Anthony Newley and Leslie Briscusse were, on the whole, Feeling Good but to Lionel Bart, Fings Ain’t What They Used To Be when it comes to the delicate question - Where Is Love?

These shows are put together by marrying new arrangements and old stock arrangements from the BBC vaults. Some of these charts haven’t been heard or played for years, so when producer Bob summons them up from the great abyss, I always feel a slight sense of trepidation.

This particular arrangement of Where Is Love? could easily have been in Margot and Jerry’s record collection circa 1975. I just wish I’d had the appropriate disco pant suit to do the performance justice.

This was followed by a great new arrangement of Annie Lennox’s Why?, a joyous rendition of Van Morrison’s Bright Side of the Road and rounded off with a good old blast of James Bond in the form of Diamonds Are Forever with me doing my best Burly Shassey impression.

The shows will be broadcast on Big Band Special, 9.30pm, BBC Radio 2, on Monday, April 18 and 25, and do get out to a big band concert while you can.

Fingers crossed the BBC Big Band will be heading up to Yorkshire during the summer.