Results
-
It's Alright - Mike Moran - Len Jenkins
"It's Alright", the theme song for the BBC TV series New Tricks, was written by Mike Moran, whose credits also include composing the song "Barcelona" for Freddy Mercury, the theme to the UK crime series 'Taggart' and the Lynsey de Paul entry to the Eurovision Song Contest. As a producer, he has worked on The Queen Album and Elaine Paige's Piaf. New Tricks follows New Scotland Yard's mythical Unsolved Crime and Open Case Squad, which is staffed by retired police officers who have been recruited to look into unsolved crimes, including murders. Whilst this particular squad is fictitious, the concept is based firmly on fact. Although New Tricks does have serious plots, the series also contains a fair amount of humour, usually revolving around in-house banter, and the lyrics to Mike Moran's song does it justice. Dennis Waterman, who played Gerry Standing, one of the team, was the obvious choice of vocalist, although the song was never released commercially. Sadly Dennis died in May 2022.
-
Zat You, Santa Claus - Jack Fox - Len Jenkins
The Christmas song 'Zat You Santa Claus was written by Jack Fox and was first recorded and released by Louis Armstrong and The Commanders in 1953 by Decca Records. The studio orchestra was under the direction of Toots Camarata (who also made the big band arrangement) and Garth Brooks interpreted the song in the feature film "Nenn' mich einfach Nikolaus" (Just call me Nicholas) in 2001. More recently, the song was featured in the film Dr Seuss' "The Grinch" (2018) and sung by Buster Poindexter. This arrangement features the Bass Trombone.
-
Merry Christmas Polka - Sonny Burke - Len Jenkins
"Sonny" Burke was an American arranger, composer, Big Band leader and producer who during the 1940s and 1950s worked as an arranger for the Charlie Spivak and Jimmy Dorsey bands, among others. In 1955, along with Peggy Lee, he wrote the songs to Disney's Lady and the Tramp.Later he became musical director of Warner Bros. Records / Reprise Records and was responsible for many of Frank Sinatra's albums, and produced Sinatra's recording of "My Way". He was also the bandleader for recordings of leading singers such as Bing Crosby and The Andrews Sisters a highly successful close harmony singing group of the swing and boogie-woogie eras, and it was with them that Merry Christmas Polka became famous.
-
Ah! Les Crocodiles - French Traditional - Lennox Rhodes
'Ah! Les crocodiles' is a popular children's song in France. The song has been around since at least 1860 and relates the adventures of an Egyptian crocodile going to war against Elephants. It has a very catchy tune! This nineteenth-century nursery rhyme is derived from Jacques Offenbach's song Hooray for the Crocodile, part of the "Tromb-al-ca-zar ou les Criminels dramatiques", premiered in April 1856.
-
Christmas Turkey Bones - Various - Lennox Rhodes
Think about Christmas; think about carols; think about turkey with all the trimmings and you have it! Featuring the trombones of the band in a jolly hoe-down setting, you will recognise some favourite Christmas carols; Ding Dong Merrily on High, The First Nowell, I Saw 3 Ships, Adeste Fideles and Deck The Halls. So it only remains for you to "pick the 'bones out of that" and make a wish!
-
Codebreakers : Bletchley Park - Len Jenkins - Len Jenkins
Bletchley Park was the centre for Allied codebreaking in World War 2, responsible for decoding secret military codes used by enemy forces, in particular those related to the use of the 'Enigma' and other encoding machines. In the course of its endeavours it developed what was effectively the first electronic computer and brought to prominence the genius of Alan Turing when its wartime work was declassified and made public. The composer, Len Jenkins, still lives near Bletchley Park, went to school nearby, and attended training courses there when, after the war, it was used as a telecommunications training centre. This march is dedicated to the memory of all those who worked at Bletchley Park.
-
Slap Dash - Len Jenkins - Len Jenkins
Slap Dash is an original composition by Len Jenkins and takes you back to the days of black and white films, Buster Keaton, Charlie Chaplin and Laurel and Hardy. You can almost see, and can certainly hear the frantic dashing about of the characters as they attempt to get things 'right' and of course inevitably get into a 'right' pickle.
-
Badinerie Swings - Len Jenkins - Len Jenkins
Featuring the Eb Soprano Cornet, this 'show-off' piece is based on movement VII of Suite No. 2 for Flute and String Orchestra by J S Bach. Originally written in B minor, it has been transposed to suit the range of normal brass instruments and it is trusted that Bach 'purists' will appreciate this adaptation along with the swing section which may be omitted if desired.
-
Scotch Missed - Len Jenkins - Len Jenkins
Back in the late 1980's a crowd of us went to Scotland to see in the New Year. We were dismayed to find that the pubs were shut early on New Year's Eve, and the only drink and merriment would be in an hotel (if resident or invited), or by 'first footing'. This involved taking a bottle of Scotch and presenting oneself at the door of a complete stranger, whereupon we were relieved of the bottle and welcomed into the general hubbub. The bottle was passed around those gathered there, so that by the time it got back to us it was empty. Just like its homonym, when it got around to us, it simply did not exist.
-
Hickory Mice - Len Jenkins - Len Jenkins
Based on the well-known tune of 'Hickory Dickory Dock', which as kids we all knew, the mice get up to their usual adventures. Frenetic activity is followed by staggering exhaustion, or perhaps they got at the booze...Then the party really gets going, with references to various dance themes (and the behaviour of the visually impaired trio), even taking in the baroque and a stately minuet. Exhausted!