THE INDEPENDENT ORDER OF FORESTERS sponsors the Robin Hood Band as one of its community and youth services. The I.O.F. is one of the largest fraternal benefit societies, with nearly 500,000 members throughout the English-speaking world. It is non-sectarian and non-political.

The Foresters fraternity is headed by one of North America´s most public-spirited citizens, Lou Probst, who has not only led the I.O.F. to great heights, but also conceived the idea of sending the Robin Hood Band on a goodwill tour of Europe in 1961. This ambitious undertaking received the endorsement of the U.S. State Department, ANTA and the President´s Music Committee.

For this tour, the band was expanded to include a complete stage revue, called "Musical Americana", and appearances scheduled included´the leading cities of Canada, Europe, the United Kingdom and the U.S.A.

The affairs of the Robin Hood Band and Musical Revue are guided by the I.O.F. Band Commission, with Leetate Smith as chairman, Robert Bigelow, well known throughout Canada and the U.S. for his work with young musicians in music festivals, and David Baskerville. Mr. Smith founded the band, produced "Musical Americana", and is also producing a motion picture of the same name which will feature the band and revue on their world tour.

SIDE 1
1. GRAND ENTRY SWING MARCH (Baskerville) (Tor Music)
Composed for the Robin Hood Band by its director, David Baskerville, and played (in another arrangement) by bands all over the world. This rousing opener demonstrates the modern flair maestro Baskerville has brought to contemporary band music.

2. WESTERN ONE STEP (Bennett) (Chappell)
This is an excerpt from Robert Russell Bennett´s Suite of Early American Dances, and establishes that the Robin Hood Band can not only swing modern jazz, but render a flawless performance of the most advanced symphonic band literature.

3. MALAGUENA (Lecuona) (Campbell Connelly: Mecolico: BIEM: NCB)
Ernesto Lecuona wrote this famous piece for virtuoso piano players. Arranger David Baskerville has scored this hot-blooded Latin American piece for his symphonic woodwinds, brass and percussion. Can your sound-system handle the 30 to 20,000 cycles we pressed in this vinyl?

4. DIZZY FINGERS (Confrey) (Lawrence Wright)
The old Zez Confrey jazz-age hit barrels along at a new jet-age tempo. For sceptics, the woodwind players in the Robin Hood Band use only ten fingers (each) in this number.

5. MOON RIDE (Baskerville)
Ever since Sousa, composers have been seeking a new form worthy to succeed the tried and true marches of the "March King". If the old master were alive today, we suspect he would add this David Baskerville original to his repertoire. Perhaps, in this new conception, we may be hearing a preview of band music of tomorrow.

6. ST. LOUIS BLUES (Handy) (Francis Day: NCB)
A brand new arrangement of a standard that refuses to die. This Robin Hood Band plays every style. Ever hear 57 pieces swing?

SIDE 2
1. GREAT DAY (Youmans) (Campbell Connelly: Francis Day)
David Baskerville´s new arrangement includes the verse to this song, which is just as distinctive as the famous chorus. Vincent Youmans´ great song, a great band.

2. DEEP RIVER (Arr. Baskerville)
The beloved spiritual, scored anew by director Baskerville for symphonic winds. When oboe soloist John Craig´s teacher heard this record, he enquired of 17-year-old John if maybe he could take lessons from him.

3. WESTERN HOE DOWN (Baskerville)
Even if you don´t dig square dancing, you´ll have a lot of fun hearing this all-American hoe down music, including "Oh, Dem Golden Slippers", "Jubilo", "L´il Liza", "Skip to my Lou", and the whole rousing affair ends with a tongue-in-cheek treatment of the famous "Chicken Reel".

4. BLACK IS THE COLOR OF MY TRUE LOVE´S HAIR (Arr. Baskerville)
This most beloved of American folk songs was, ´probably, first sung in the Appalachian mountain country. It is sung here by the exquisite voice of ANNE TURNER, a featured artist with the Robin Hood Band and Revue.

5. EL CAPITAN (Sousa) (Boosey:A. Kalmus Ltd.; BIEM)
Played ´straight´, with tremendous verve.

6. BLUE SKIES (Berlin) (Francis Day: Mecolico: NBC)
Irving Berlin´s evergreen standard is scored by arranger Baskerville in a new conception which passes from symphonic to progressive. Featured throughout is trumpeter Jack Groban, whose tender age you wouldn´t believe, so we won´t even mention it.

DAVID BASKERVILLE
Although spelled differently, "Robin Hood Band" and "David Baskerville" are synonymous, Say the one and you say the other, for Baskerville started the group and in a short time built this young crew into what is probably the outstanding young band anywhere today.

The Robin Hood Band is at home in any style, probably because director Baskerville´s background, even before his Master´s degree in music, was broad indeed, including association with NBC Hollywood, 20^th Century Fox, U.C.L.A. assorted name bands, and the Los Angeles Philharmonic.

David Baskerville has a fantastic way of getting young musicians to sound like top professionals. To account for this neat feat, we must turn to the scores Dave prepared for this album. Maestro Baskerville has arranged nearly all the music the band plays here on this record, sharing the honours only with Robert Russell Bennett and John Philip Sousa. But Baskerville up-dates his illustrious colleagues with such a distinctive flair that modern band music can never again be quite the same.

Dave´s pen and baton have hurled band music right into the space age with this album.

THE ROBIN HOOD BAND
The original Robin Hood Band-middle-aged yeomen-lived in the 12^th century in Sherwood Forest. Legend has it that they robbed the rich to help the poor. The contemporary Robin Hood Band-of young musicians-lives in the 20^th century, in Hollywood. But theirs is quite a different kind of larceny.

Today´s musical Robin Hood Band robs the rich repertoire of music, and shares the treasure with you on this record. Now of course, everyone knows what a good band sounds like-but wait just a minute, friend. Better forget all your prior conceptions about a "band", for there never was caught on a disc before such a fantastic adventure in sound as you will hear when you lower that stylus on side one.

When the experts in the Hollywood recording booth heard this 57-piece band of young virtuosos cut loose, the big concern was that no one would believe that the average age of the Robin Hood Band musicians is well undertwenty summers! How does it happen that such glorious sound comes from so young a crew? There are several reasons. First, Hollywood is overflowing with brilliant musicians, and the Southern California sunshine seems to mature young talents early. Another reason for the fantastic sonority of sound on this record is the band´s luxurious INSTRUMENTATION: Piccolo, 4 flutes, alto flute, 2 oboes (English horn), 9 clarinets, bass clarinet, contra-bass clarinet, 2 alto saxophones, 2 tenor saxophones, baritone sax, bass sax, 4 horns, 9 trumpets, 4 trombones, 2 bass trombones, 3 baritones, 3 tubas, 2 string basses, electric accordion, harp, and 6 percussionists playing the usual drums plus Latin American rhythm instruments, orchestra bells, glockenspiel, vibraphone, xylophone.

Oh yes! Add one gorgeous soprano, Anne Turner.

Royalties from this record donated to THE NATIONAL PLAYING FIELDS ASSOCIATION
President: H.R.H. THE DUKE OF EDINBURGH, K.G., K.T.