All-Stars—and Ken Smith Too

New Zealand Listener, Volume 31, Issue 790, 10 September 1954, Page 23

All-Stars—and Ken Smith Too

\V HEN New Zealand’s most successful cornet player, Ken Smith, returned home in triumph from England this year, he went on a short concert tour of the country giving cornet recitals and playing with brass bands in the main towns. Among his most successful appearances were those with the Wellington-Hutt Valley All-Star Band. The NZBS recorded excerpts from a Grand Welcome Home Concert given by this band in the Wellington Town Hall last May, and the programme will be broadcast from the YA and YZ Stations, starting from 2YA at 9.30 p.m. on Monday, September 13. The programme opens with a Royal Fanfare played by the band. This is

followed by Fucik’s ‘"Marinarella" Overture, and Purcell’s Trumpet Voluntary, played by Ken Smith accompanied at the organ by Brian Barrett. The final item by the band is Tchaikovski’s Italian Caprice. The All-Star Band is conducted by its musical director, James Dow. In a programme note written at the time of the concert, J. H. Mitchell explains the concept of the All-Star Band, which was formed especially for these concerts (a similar band was also formed in Canterbury). The band was. formed as an experiment, he says, and. the bandsmen selected to play in it gave their time freely and without monetary reward. In fact, everyone associated with it was most enthusiastic. The players came from six local bands in the Wellington-Hutt Valley districtthe Lower Hutt Civic, the Wellington Boys’ Institute, the Lower Hutt Municipal, the Wellington Tramways, the Petone Citizens’, and the Wellington Waterside Silver. James Dow, the All-Star’s musical director, is normally conductor of the Lower Hutt Civic Band, where he has done excellent work since his arrival from Scotland.a few years ago. In Scotland he was principal trombonist with the Band of the King’s Own Scottish Borderers before joining the ranks of conductors in 1936 as musical director of the Central London Symphony Orchestra and Choral Society. He later became musical director of the Metropolitan Concert Orchestra and musical adviser to the London Film Society.