Stanley Black
Stanley Black is well-known both as a conductor and composer, although he began his career as quite a talented jazz pianist and arranger. As a conductor, he led various ensembles ranging from dance bands to symphony orchestras; as a composer, he wrote numerous film scores, title themes for radio shows, and other works.
Black began studying piano at the age of seven. He began composing in his pre-teens, enjoying the distinction at 12 of having his first work performed by the BBC Symphony Orchestra during a broadcast concert. Black soon began doing jazz arrangements and won a competition with one in 1929 sponsored by the jazz publication Melody Maker. By this time, he was already a brilliant jazz pianist and soon began to appear on recordings with the bands of Harry Roy and Lew Stone. American artists Louis Armstrong and Coleman Hawkins, on tour in England, engaged him to play on their recordings. Black developed a reputation in the 1930s mainly for his jazz pianism and arranging, but when on tour in South America with Harry Roy's band in 1938, he became strongly attracted to Latin American music, thereafter becoming identified with it in numerous performances and recordings. He signed a contract with Decca Records in 1944 and began regularly appearing on recordings over the next several decades. Among the many album titles from his early years are Jerome Kern's Symphonic Suite, Some Enchanted Evening, Festival in Costa Rica, Cuban Moonlight, Music of Cole Porter, and Sophisticate in Cuba. Black's initial recording career with Decca coincided with his appointment as conductor of the BBC Dance Orchestra in 1944, a post he held until 1952. In 1947, he began writing film scores and eventually became music director on many film projects as well. Some of his better-known film scores include It Always Rains on Sunday (1947), Mr. Potts Goes to Moscow (1952), Wonderful to Be Young! (The Young Ones in the U.S.; 1961), and The Long and the Short and the Tall (1961), where he wrote both the music score and supervised the musical direction. He was associated with more than 100 films either as composer, music director, or both. His last effort as a film composer came with the 1977 Valentino. In 1968, Black accepted the appointment as conductor of the BBC Northern Ireland Orchestra for one season. He also briefly served as associate conductor of the Osaka (Japan) Philharmonic Orchestra, beginning in 1971. He continued to appear as guest conductor throughout the 1970s and 1980s with a variety of orchestras. During this time, he also continued to make recordings for Decca, his efforts including Fiddler on the Roof and a four-volume series of popular film score excerpts entitled Film Spectacular. Black was an immensely popular figure throughout his career in England and was cited in 1986 for his artistic achievements when he was conferred an Officer of the Order of the British Empire. He remained active in the 1990s as a conductor. Among his last appearances was a charity concert in Barbican Hall in 1994, where he was joined by violinist Stéphane Grappelli. Many of Black's recordings have been reissued in the early 2000s, including Music of Irving Berlin and Jerome Kern (2000), and Gershwin Goes Latin (2002).
© TiVo
Similar artists
-
Festival in Costa Rica
Latin America - Released by Vintage Music on 28 Feb 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Big Movie Themes (Original Score)
Film Soundtracks - Released by Eastmill on 9 Oct 2017
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Latin Classics - Stanley Black
Pop - Released by Sonoria on 30 Jul 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
-
Classic Film Themes
London Symphony Orchestra, Stanley Black
Classical - Released by LSO Live on 1 Jan 2005
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Ethel's Ridin' High
Ethel Merman, The London Festival Orchestra, Stanley Black
Pop - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on 1 Mar 1974
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Americana
Robert Merrill, The London Festival Orchestra, Stanley Black
Classical - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on 1 Jan 1965
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Ravel: Bolero; Borodin: Polovtsian Dances
The London Festival Orchestra, Stanley Black
Classical - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on 15 Apr 2015
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Les grands chefs d'orchestre de variété : Stanley Black, Vol. 1
Pop - Released by Mpm on 28 Nov 2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
ITV Themes
London Symphony Orchestra, Stanley Black
Pop - Released by Foyer on 12 Jan 2011
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Presenting Stanley Black
TV Series - Released by Universal Digital Enterprises on 29 Apr 1952
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Guns of Navarone - Music from World War II Films
The London Festival Orchestra, Stanley Black, London Festival Chorus
Classical - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on 1 Jan 1976
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Ultimate Big Bands-Stanley Black & His Orchestra-Vol. 7
Jazz - Released by RP-DSP on 30 Nov 2011
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Cash Box (Instrumental Hits)
Film Soundtracks - Released by GynMusic Srl on 18 Mar 2015
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Exotic Percussion & Intimate Percussion
World - Released by Vocalion on 1 Jan 2003
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
-
Stanley's Rhythms
Pop - Released by Sharp Edge Records on 14 May 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Carnival in the Sun & Compilation
Pop - Released by Vocalion on 21 Nov 2011
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mack the Knife - Original Recordings
Pop - Released by Silver Classics Jazz on 18 Sep 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Exotica Magic - Stanley Black's Exotic Summer Escapes
Pop - Released by Memories on 18 Aug 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Music of Jerome Kern
World - Released by TP4 Music on 6 Jan 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo