Arranger/Conductor Barry Forgie, made this recording one definitely not to be missed even if you're a big band fan who's never heard of Edinburgh! Barry, who has been regularly conducting the Radio Big Band since 1977, has worked as Musical Associate on several Hollywood films, conducted Andrew Lloyd Webber's Song And Dance in the West End and his own compositions include the 50-minute Beatles symphony.
So what about the stars themselves? Well, that amount of talent in the one place is just a bit mindblowing in itself but the recording session in the Pebble Mill Studios was nothing short of electrifying. Nothing about this recording needs any hype, least of all the performances. As we said from the start, Edinburgh deserves the best and that's what you get from these guys!
The Radio(BBC)Big Band have received the British Jazz Award for Best Big Band in 1992, 1994, 1997, 1999 and 2001. They have worked with artists as varied as Tony Bennett, Ray Charles, Michael Bublè, George Benson, Natalie Cole, Van Morrison, Cleo Lane, George Shearing, Arturo Sandoval, Clark Terry, Van Morrison, Cybill Shepherd and now our own John Scott.
The band are:
Altos: Howard McGill, Paul Jones
Tenors Ben Castle, Martin Williams
Baritone: Jay Craig
Trumpets Nigel Carter, Brian Rankine,
Mark White, Martin Shaw
Trombones Gordon Campbell, Ashley Horton,
Eddie Lorkin,
Bass Trombone: John Higinbotham
Rhythm Drums: Harold Fisher
Bass: Ray Babbington
Guitar Phil Robson
Piano Jim Watson
A review from the music editor for EdinburghGuide.com
"The Radio Big Band has a long, distinguished track record. So when a new CD comes our way, I know that it's got to be good - and when its two tracks are called Fascinating City and That Old Forth Bridge and Me - then how can we not listen?
"From its very first bars, Fascinating City, sets the scene as firmly in the Big Band, American songbook tradition. The very word 'Edinburgh' isn't easy to set to music, never mind incorporate it into a tribute song, so the band's done wonders in
capturing the city's upbeat 21st century essence as "the greatest show on earth". John Scott's crystal clear words evoke images which are enhanced by the rise and fall of the melody lines. Track 2 is a very nostalgic hymn to that world engineering icon, the 19th century the Forth Railway Bridge - a truly unexpected subject for a song. The words tell of the memories and emotions the singer feels at the sight of its three great cantilevers and the music's triple spiky rhythms underpin that. However, both songs are very upbeat and don't at any point invoke the more serene, luminous, haunting beauty of Scotland.
"Both songs deserve to be picked up by Edinburgh's City Fathers and seriously considered as emotive musical ambassadors. But they need to be played and sung by many more interpreters to embed them in the big band tradition. For your money you get two brand new songs about Scotland's two world icons, you get music to swing to, you get top quality, bang up to the minute recording and engineering (cut in the BBC's Pebble Mill Studios) and a CD to take to play whenever you need or want to impress folks about Edinburgh's allure. Top quality, good price, would appeal to ex-patriate Scots anywhere!"
A review from mainlybigbands.com
"The fact that there are good, well schooled band singers out there, is a relief. John Scott, who may have listened to a Sinatra album or two gives us all hope. Regardless of what the charts cynically indicate, to be an impressive vocalist is not that easy, it takes a belief in good music, being blessed with genuine talent and hard work. There are two tracks on this CD and the concept is an appreciation of Edinburgh and the Forth Bridge. The genesis of the treatment may lie in Sinatra's homage to Chicago or New York. Arranger Barry Forgie has done two excellent arrangements that allow the band to swing mightily as big bands should.
"Edinburgh deserves the best...
Lyricist Rachel Grainger penned these words to the City of Edinburgh:
You've got the lot, old fascinating city. In all the world - no place I'd rather be.
I love that New Town, elegant and classy, I love to wander in the past the Old Town never cast away.
As darkness grows on your enchanted skyline, that fortress glows; she knows she's well rehearsed.
For when the lights go on in Edinburgh, the capital city of Scotland,
Old Fascinating City, you're the greatest show on Earth.
Composer Jimmy Powdrell Campbell believes that music "is just the most direct medium for emotion. If there's no genuine emotion in the lyric, there will be no great feeling in the music - guaranteed. If there's truth in the lyric - real feeling - the music nearly writes itself. Edinburgh... the greatest show on Earth?... I can relate to that! and Big Band was the only way to go. Might upset the Scottish purists but it can't be helped; there's just so much more to the City of Edinburgh than you can get out of a set of bagpipes!"
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