Uploaded March 2026 | Updated September 2026, 12 hours ago
A British studio band named "The All Stars" play "Strawberry Jam", written by Canadian-born composer, arranger and trumpet player Robert Farnon, who also directs the band. This is one of the most jazz-inclined sides to have been released by Chappell Recorded Music. There are other examples, but none that I have heard swing as much as this! It was recorded in 1957, near the end of the 78 era.
The records produced by Chappell were "Library Music" recordings for use as incidental music in radio, film and television productions. The Chappell Recorded Music Library was one of the big players in British library music, beginning in 1941, and is still active today under Universal PPM. Library music songs are "pre-cleared" - meaning that they circumvent the songwriter and mechanical copyright fees and are thus cost-effective and simple to use.
l cannot identify for certain the "stars" on this all-star side, but.....the tenor sax player is almost certainly Tommy Whittle. He tentatively identified himself when I played this side to him (he lived just up the road from me), and his solo certainly sounds like him. Tommy thought that the trumpeter might be Kenny Baker and, again, it does sound like him. The trombonist sounds very much like Keith Christie. There is a connection here as all of these were members of the Ted Heath band at the time, and it's known that Robert Farnon often used musicians from Heath's band on recordings for this and other labels (e.g. Decca). So, continuing along the Ted Heath trail, could that be Henry Mackenzie on clarinet, Frank Horrox on piano, Ike Isaacs on guitar, Johnny Hawksworth on bass and Ronnie Verrell on drums?
THE ALL-STARS
Robert Farnon directing: ?Kenny Baker - trumpet / ?Keith Christie - trombone / ?Henry Mackenzie - clarinet / Tommy Whittle - tenor sax / ?Frank Horrox - piano / ?Ike Isaacs - guitar / ?Johnny Hawksworth - string bass / ?Ronnie Verrell - drums
Recorded in London, 1957
CHE 1500…….Strawberry Jam…….Chappell C.569
A British studio band named "The All Stars" play "Strawberry Jam", written by Canadian-born composer, arranger and trumpet player Robert Farnon, who also directs the band. This is one of the most jazz-inclined sides to have been released by Chappell Recorded Music. There are other examples, but none that I have heard swing as much as this! It was recorded in 1957, near the end of the 78 era.
The records produced by Chappell were "Library Music" recordings for use as incidental music in radio, film and television productions. The Chappell Recorded Music Library was one of the big players in British library music, beginning in 1941, and is still active today under Universal PPM. Library music songs are "pre-cleared" - meaning that they circumvent the songwriter and mechanical copyright fees and are thus cost-effective and simple to use.
l cannot identify for certain the "stars" on this all-star side, but.....the tenor sax player is almost certainly Tommy Whittle. He tentatively identified himself when I played this side to him (he lived just up the road from me), and his solo certainly sounds like him. Tommy thought that the trumpeter might be Kenny Baker and, again, it does sound like him. The trombonist sounds very much like Keith Christie. There is a connection here as all of these were members of the Ted Heath band at the time, and it's known that Robert Farnon often used musicians from Heath's band on recordings for this and other labels (e.g. Decca). So, continuing along the Ted Heath trail, could that be Henry Mackenzie on clarinet, Frank Horrox on piano, Ike Isaacs on guitar, Johnny Hawksworth on bass and Ronnie Verrell on drums?
THE ALL-STARS
Robert Farnon directing: ?Kenny Baker - trumpet / ?Keith Christie - trombone / ?Henry Mackenzie - clarinet / Tommy Whittle - tenor sax / ?Frank Horrox - piano / ?Ike Isaacs - guitar / ?Johnny Hawksworth - string bass / ?Ronnie Verrell - drums
Recorded in London, 1957
CHE 1500…….Strawberry Jam…….Chappell C.569
