Peter Yorke - Plays Irving Berlin And Other Great Composers [CD]

Peter Yorke was born on December 4th 1902 to a printer and his wife in North London. He showed musical ability as soon as he was able to walk, and progressed swiftly through his piano lessons. However, as soon as he heard the organ in his local Church of England, he wanted to become an organist. As the late Frank Wappat, the beloved broadcaster of the North of England, put it, "The organ for him was more than a piano; one could paint pictures with it. It was in effect a small orchestra of tonal sounds." Peter became a Fellow of the Royal College of Organists, and organist and choirmaster of the church when he was eighteen, but he was already being seduced by the new dance band sounds of the 1920s. So Peter returned to his piano stool to practise syncopation and dance tempo.In July 1927 Peter enlisted in Percival Mackey's Band, switching the next year to George Fisher at the Kit Kat Club. In September 1928 he crossed over to Jay Whidden at the Carlton Club. In January 1929 Jack Hylton hired him as pianist-arranger. Three years later the first two records bearing the billing, "Peter Yorke and his Orchestra", were issued. Peter used Hylton musicians for these "Pantomime Hits".Suffering from the stress of touring the UK and Europe with the Hylton Band, Peter left the great Show Band leader to form his own orchestra to broadcast on European commercial radio. In 1936 he landed another top job, chief arranger for Louis Levy and his Gaumont British Film Orchestra. This is where he developed his unique concert style sounds and orchestrations, recording selections of film songs for Louis on Columbia and HMV, as well as on BBC National Radio, often backing pre-war broadcasts of Arthur Tracy, the Street Singer and Sam Browne and Judy Shirley. Louis Levy's Orchestra began to sound like the Peter Yorke Orchestra which would emerge in 1947." However, World War II intervened and Peter volunteered for the RAF in 1942, and was eventually transferred to the broadcasting section of the three services. He was demobilised in 1946 and reformed his orchestra.In 1947 he received work with Columbia Records backing vocalists such as Steve Conway, and using the pool musicians to form a large 30 to 40 piece concert orchestra known as Peter Yorke and his Concert Orchestra. This coupled with a regular BBC series called Sweet Serenade using the Orchestra every Sunday brought him the fame he deserved. Peter then became Musical Director of EMI, accompanying singers such as Donald Peers, and musicians of the calibre of Eddie Calvert. Peter Yorke was probably the greatest arranger, orchestrator and conductor of light popular and light classical music that this country has ever produced. He died on February 2nd 1966 at the age of 63.