Here is well over two-and-a-half hours of the best of Britain’s finest dance band: Ambrose, on a great double CD set. Warsaw-born Benjamin Baruch Berofski (1896-1971) aka “Bert Ambrose” led what was considered to be the very best British dance band of that golden era, playing dance music with a strong Ellington-inspired jazz flavour.

When Day Is Done, the band’s signature tune, is the title of Retrospective’s distillation of the best from Ambrose’s prolific discography. The sequence carefully balances vocal and instrumental items, many of which benefit from the terrific arrangements of Sid Phillips (no fewer than nine of his are featured, including the wonderful Cotton Pickers’ Congregation). Ambrose employed many of the best musicians around: Danny Polo, Bert Amstell, Ted Heath, Stanley Black, George Chisholm – and it shows!

For the vocal numbers Ambrose again chose the best. His regular singer was Sam Browne (heard on 17 tracks: The Sun Has Got His Hat On), second only to Al Bowlly as Britain’s favourite male dance band singer, but the collection also features the young Vera Lynn, Anne Shelton, Elsie Carlisle, Denny Dennis and even a visiting Connee Boswell (I’ll Never Say “Never Again” Again). This is British dance music of the 30s at its finest.

Tracklisting:

CD 1 (1928-1935)
1. Happy Days Are Here Again
2. Sunshine
3. Singapore Sorrows
4. If I Had You
5. Cryin’ For The Carolines
6. ’Leven Thirty Saturday Night
7. The ‘Free And Easy’
8. The Peanut Vendor
9. I’m Thru With Love
10. Me!
11. Home
12. She Didn’t Say “Yes”
13. The Sun Has Got His Hat On
14. The Clouds Will Soon Roll By
15. Sweet Muchacha
16. Let’s Put Out The Lights And Go To Sleep
17. How Deep Is The Ocean?
18. Lazybones
19. It’s The Talk Of The Town
20. Who’s Been Polishing The Sun?
21. The Continental
22. Embassy Stomp
23. I’m On A See-Saw
24. Hors D’oeuvres
25. Big Ben Is Saying “Goodnight”

CD 2 (1935-1944)
1. Streamline Strut
2. Maracas
3. B’wanga
4. Anything Goes
5. I’ll Never Say “Never Again” Again
6. Copenhagen
7. She’s A Latin From Manhattan
8. Limehouse Blues
9. The Piccolino
10. Night Ride
11. Wood And Ivory
12. Hick Stomp
13. Escapada
14. Champagne Cocktail
15. Cotton Pickers’ Congregation
16. Caravan
17. Deep Henderson
18. Moonlight On The Waterfall
19. Message From Mars
20. Two Sleepy People
21. Blue Skies Are Round The Corner
22. My Prayer
23. I’m In Love For The Last Time
24. I Don’t Want To Walk Without You, Baby
25. Lili Marlene
26. When Day Is Done