Regretably, Angela Morley passed away last year, too, but the John Wilson CD of a number of her arrangements on the Vocalian label (Soft Lights Sweet Music) recorded with her in about 2001 is essential and beautiful listening.

Alyn Ainsworth unfortunately left us many years ago but there is a lovely clip of him conducting the Northern Dance Orchestra in about 1959 at the same Playhouse Theatre studios in Manchester that subsequently housed the NRO in Neil’s time. That building, now sadly all-but disused, still sits surrounded by houses in the middle of Hulme in Manchester.

In the 1970s I and my friend were very fortunate to be allowed by the producer of the Saturday Night with the Radio Orchestra show to visit the Maida Vale studios on several occasions where the sessions for the show were recorded, and watch sessions being recorded by both the strings section (studio 6) and the RBB (studio 3). Consequently I met both Angela Morley and Alyn Ainsworth on a number of occasions and other conductor-arrangers, too, including Alan Moorhouse, but not, regretably, Neil Richardson.

I have a very large collection of reel-to-reel recordings of music from those Saturday night shows and many other shows besides featuring the Radio Orchestra (strings and Big Band) and the NRO with Neil, all taped from the radio on FM. I also have recordings of the SRO and other sections of the radio orchestra that were used (for example, Alan Moorhouse used to conduct a mixed strings, brass and woodwind section of the radio orchestra for the Charlie Chester show).

After over 30 years untouched I recently found a company to repair my old reel-to-reel tape recorder which I used at the time and, on playing some of the tapes for the first time in all those years, was delighted to find that they sounded as good as they did then, and I am sure that they could be remastered, although that is beyond my resources.

I have not yet listened to all the tapes but those that I have heard so far simply demonstrate the ability of those arrangers and session musicians, many of whom I had the great good fortune to meet. I can recall the names of many of those musicians and some can be found still playing in bands up and down the country.

I thought it was about time that I shared these memories, albeit it is a little self-indulgent, and I only regret it comes with the passing of yet another of those people who have given me such pleasure and who, other than to those of us who care passionately about these things, is like many arranger-conductors largely unsung.

We are all extremely proud of Dad and his achievements, and I know it gave him great pleasure to realise the extent of the affection and regard his fellow professionals had for him.

He leaves an enormous hole in our lives, and we will all miss him enormously. I look forward to meeting some of you in due course.

I feel very lucky to have known Neil and to have access to much of his work. Only last week I was listening to some CDs he kindly recorded for me and thinking to myself that there is nothing out there that matches them.

I know that his memory will live on for many years through his legacy of the finest compositions and arrangements I have ever heard.

Paul

No longer will we be pleasured with Neil tinkling the ivories on a Sunday at the Boatyard Bar at El Playazo beach, Nerja.

Dave Jamieson knew Neil and his wife well and his upset was obvious while he was announcing the death of his friend who will be missed by many of us here on the Costa del Sol.

mail: j[dot]uk[at]live[dot]nl

Pls could you fwd my email address to Neil, as I’d like to re-establish contact because I do occasionally get old friends of him contacting me looking for him! I can then fwd them to him

Many thanks and thanks for a great website!

Neal R