Happy Birthday Bob

Today marks what would have been Robert Farnon's 92 birthday.

Born in Toronto, Ontario, Robert Farnon was commissioned as a captain in the Canadian Army during WWII and was sent overseas as the conductor/arranger of the Canadian Band of the Allied Expeditionary Force, the Canadian equivalent of the American Band of the AEF led by Major Glenn Miller.

At the end of the war, Farnon decided to make England his home, and he later moved to Guernsey in the Channel Islands with his wife and children.

He was considered by his peers the finest arranger in the world, and his talents influenced many composer-arrangers including Quincy Jones, all of whom acknowledge his contributions to their work. Conductor Andre Previn called him "the greatest writer for strings in the world."

I've put together a small tribute to Mr. Farnon in the form of a selection from his broadcasts with the Canadian Band of the Allied Expeditionary Force. Be prepared for some serious nostalgia.