The Alban Arena’s 40th anniversary is set to be a night of tribute, but without a tribute band in sight. Instead, Christopher Riddle, son of the late, great Nelson Riddle, arguably the greatest arranger in the history of American popular music, will lead The Nelson Riddle Orchestra in a concert in celebration of his father’s life and music.

Nelson’s compositions feature on many memorable movie soundtracks including Carousel, The Great Gatsby, High Society and Lolita. He was responsible for the Capitol Records sound and that of his orchestra and was musical mentor to the likes of Nat King Cole, Ella Fitzgerald, Bing Crosby, Johnny Mathis, Judy Garland and Frank Sinatra.

When we speak, Christopher, who lives in Vermont, has just arrived in the UK for the concert tour which calls in at the Alban Arena on Sunday, October 19.

He is the third of Nelson Riddle’s six children and the only one to become a professional musician. By the age of nine, Christopher and his Riddle Combo, were providing music for showbiz parties in California. After a year of study at the University of Southern California’s School of Music, he transferred to the Royal Academy in London and later toured the country with his small jazz ensembles, brass quintets and chorales.

“That was 40 years ago,” reminisces Christopher. “I did some concerts with the school orchestra and busking in department stores. I was around 18 or 19 at the time.”

Christopher went on to pursue a career with the big band line-ups, primarily as a trombonist with his father’s orchestra, but also with those of Buddy Rich, Henry Mancini and Don Costa. For his St Albans concert, he will be joined by the 17-piece big band and the critically acclaimed jazz crooner Bryan Anthony. Says Christopher: “He doesn’t try to sound like Frank. He doesn’t seem to be someone he’s not because it would be musically boorish to do that. He just does his own thing.”

On another subject, Christopher tells how his father was held in high esteem by the BBC and he too has reason to thank it – Alan Dell’s Sounds Easy programme was instrumental in his marriage to Londoner Elizabeth Molloy.

“It was December 1985. I’d just come back from Normandy and I had a couple of days to kill before taking the QE2 back to New York. I went to dinner with an old friend and we’d both lost our fathers that year and he was with a woman and I felt I’d been really rude to her. We’re discussing music and she chimes in. She says: ‘I have a daughter and I bet she has more Sinatra and Nat King Cole recordings than you have’ and I say ‘I’d like to see that’.

“So I arrange to meet the daughter in a hotel bar that evening and I’d never been on a blind date before. I’m looking at everyone that comes in and thinking I hope that’s not her and then this cute little girl in a rollneck sweater, a blue jacket and grey flannel trousers comes in and starts asking me questions and we end up getting married at Hammersmith registry office with Alan Dell as one of the witnesses. Sadly she passed away from cancer in 1994, on the same date my father died in 1985.”

While he’s in London, Christopher says he’ll take a trip down memory lane to Elizabeth’s old flat in Chiswick. “I want to walk to it like we used to together.”

A fitting tribute indeed.

See Christopher and the Nelson Riddle Orchestra in concert with Bryan Anthony at the Alban Arena on Sunday, October 19 at 8pm. Tickets: 01727 844 488, or visit: www.alban-arena.co.uk