Swinging Britain 1938 – Scott Wood, Freddy Gardner, The Ballyhooligans

SWINGING BRITAIN 1938 – Scott Wood, Freddy Gardner, The Ballyhooligans

1. THE SIX SWINGERS directed by GEORGE SCOTT WOOD
The Snake Charmer – vocal sung by Sam Costa
Recorded in London on Monday 7th February 1938

2. FREDDY GARDNER AND HIS SWING ORCHESTRA
Music, Maestro, Please
Recorded in London on Friday 23rd September 1938

3. THE BALLYHOOLIGANS directed by PHIL GREEN
The Hornpipe Swing
Recorded in London on Tuesday 8th November 1936

Personnels:

1. George Scott Wood – piano/director
Max Goldberg – trumpet
Jock Fleming – trombone
Dave Shand – clarinet & alto sax
Joe Young – guitar
Dick Escott – string bass
Max Abrams – drums
Sam Costa – vocal

2. Freddy Gardner – clarinet, alto sax, tenor sax / director
Billy Farrell – trumpet
Norman Payne – trumpet
Ted Heath – trombone
Pat Dodd – piano
George Elliott – guitar
Dick Ball – string bass
Sid Heiger - drums

3. Phil Green – piano/leader
Harry Smith – clarinet
Ernest Wilson – piano
Wally Morris – string bass
Max Lewin – drums
Plus another reed player

The Six Swingers recorded for longer than the other two bands assembled for recording purposes in this small selection from 1938; making records between 1934 and 1940. This was just one of many combinations which George Scott Wood formed, and perhaps his most successful. A skilled pianist/arranger himself, Scott Wood chose his musicians well, and the resulting performances are always of a fine standard. He often engaged the considerable talents of Freddy Gardner, who can be heard here leading his own recording band. His “Swing Orchestra” only went into the Rex studios on five occasions, and “Music, Maestro, Please” was made during the third one. The Ballyhooligans was a studio group which appeared on HMV between 1935 and 1938, and may well have been HMV’s answer to Harry Roy’s Tiger-Ragamuffins on the Parlophone label, or indeed the Six Swingers on Regal Zonophone and Columbia. Phil Green didn’t direct all their sessions, but probably did on “The Hornpipe Swing”; the very last recording The Ballyhooligans made.
Recorded for the Columbia, Rex and HMV labels in 1938, these recordings are long out-of-copyright. These sides have been remastered from original 78rpm discs by this user and are unique transfers. These cannot be copied or sold without the permission of Peter Wallace.