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Recordings |
Reformers
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Recordings |
Reformers
Reformers is the second CD to be recorded by the Band, under its Musical Director Jim Davies. Like the first CD, ‘The Deep’, this recording features a major piece of music commissioned by the Band, along with a selection of their recent concert music. The title work was commissioned in 2007 by the Band, with financial assistance from Kingston Upon Hull City Council, to commemorate the 200th Anniversary of the Abolition of the Slave Trade Act, and the leadership of the reforming William Wilberforce. The composer Philip Wilby, was given the challenge that the music should reflect the four themes of the City Council’s Wilberforce Festival – Pride, Freedom, Belief, and Change. Reformers was given its World Premiere performance at the Wilberforce Lecture presented by the Archbishop of York, John Sentamu, on the 30th October 2007, in the Hull City Hall.
Once
again the CD features solo performances by some of its highly regarded soloists.
Principal Cornettist Steve Rudhall plays the Harry James version of Carnival
of Venice, Flugel Horn player Kathy Newiss performs A Time
For Peace, arranged by the composer Peter Graham and taken from his
As with the Band's popular concert programmes, this disc contains music from different styles, from the classical style Winter, from the big band Caravan and Malaguena. Once again music from stage and screen features heavily, with music from Singin' In The Rain, Pirates Of The Caribbean, The Mask Of Zorro, and Everybody Needs Somebody from the highly popular film The Blues Brothers. Continuing the contrasting styles are the opening and closing pieces. James Curnow's Fanfare And Flourishes opens the disc in a traditional manner, and Mark Freeh's energetic arrangement of Ol' Man River provides the big finish.
This CD (including comprehensive programme notes, with contributions from Philip Wilby and Mark Freeh) will be released on the 30th October 2007. Reformers is available to order from the Band, at £11:50 per CD, including postage and packing. Should you wish to order a copy, please contact the webmaster at eymsbrassband@yahoo.co.uk
The Deep
Recorded in November 2005, The Deep is the latest addition to the collection of CD's released by the Band. The CD title comes from the piece commisioned by the Band, to celebrate the opening of the world's first submarium 'The Deep'. This suite by Bram Wiggins has movements entitled Bridge Across The Humber, Requiem for Lost Mariners, and Storm and Thanksgiving. Three of the Band's principal players feature as soloists. First is the current Cornet Solo Champion of New Zealand, Steve Rudhall who performs Robert Childs's arrangement of Bellstedt's Napoli. Liz Grosvenor plays James Curnow's Rhapsody for Euphonium and Brass Band. Lastly is a performance of In The Wee Small Hours Of The Morning, by Mark Unsworth the Band's Principal Trombonist. This Dave Mann & Bob Hilliard song was made famous by singers such as Frank Sinatra, and has been arranged for trombone by Alan Fernie.
To appeal to those who like a traditional element in a concert style recording, the Band's Musical Director Jim Davies has included the contest march Honest Toil by William Rimmer, Mendelssohn's overture Ruy Blas, and the hymn tune Nicaea, skilfully arranged by William Himes.
The film theme Somewhere Out There from An American Tail by James Horner, Barry Mann and Cynthia Weill, arranged by Darrol Barry provides a relaxing contrast to The Russian Sailors Dance by Glière arranged by Tommy Dodd, and to Philip Sparke's A Klezmer Karnival, a lively adaptation of three Jewish Russian dances. Two other lively pieces complete the programme. Valero, a Latin style piece by James Swearingen, arranged by Sandy Smith, and Paddy's Wake, an original composition by Stephen Tighe.
Released on 1st September 2006, The Deep is available to order from the Band, at £11:50 per CD, including postage and packing. Should you wish to order a copy, please contact the webmaster at eymsbrassband@yahoo.co.uk
To celebrate the millennium, 2000 years since the birth of Our Lord Jesus Christ, the Band joined with the children of St. Mary's Roman Catholic Primary School, Market Weighton to record Jubilee, a celebration of Christmas.
The disc features the Band backing the children singing several of the more popular Christmas carols (Jingle Bells, Away In A Manger, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, and We Wish You a Merry Christmas). As well as including some more modern and unusual songs, Little Drummer Boy, See Him Lying on a Bed of Straw and two that just feature the children, 2000 Years Ago and Come and Join the Celebration.
The Band feature in four pieces, O Come All Ye Faithful, Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas, Sleighride, and James Curnow's ever popular Christmas Triptych. For this recording the Band were conducted by Martin Battersby and Alan Morrison.
This disc contains only two numbers. It was arranged, recorded and produced within four days, to meet a challenge by Kingston Upon Hull City Council, in celebration of the 700th anniversary of the founding of the City of Kingston Upon Hull. It was recorded in 1999 at Beverley Minster. Both tunes (Angelus ad Virginem and Perspice Christicola) were arranged and conducted by John G. Lewis.
In 1998 the band were asked by the local group The Beautiful South to record backing tracks for their forthcoming album. Following this in November 1998, the band recorded their own album, which featured instrumental versions of several of these tracks (Have Fun, Especially For You and I'll Sail This Ship Alone. Brass Compass also six of it's soloists in a mixture of quick and slow, traditional and modern solo's. In Memory Miles Davison, the band's solo tenor player plays Stephen Roberts' arrangement of Andrew Lloyd Webber's popular melody from Cats. The band's principal cornettist Joanne Deane plays the traditional Harold Moss solo The Nightingale. Lorraine Childs performs Share My Yoke, a Salvationist melody arranged here as a Flugal Horn solo. One Day In Your Life has appeared in many varied arrangements since being made famous by Michael Jackson. In this arrangement by Alan Catherall, the starring role is taken by the band's principal trombonist Jonathan Roades. Peter Wilson performs the soprano cornet solo Demelza. The final soloist on this recording is the band's solo euphonium player Melanie Pattison, who performs the song Be My Love.
The remaining tracks played by the band are also a mix of traditional and modern music. No band recording would be complete with out a march and this one is no exception. The band's conductor John Roberts has chosen to include the famous Death Or Glory, used to great effect in the film "Brassed Off". From the classical repertoire the band performs Mouret's Rondeau. One of the greatest of all British composers was Sir William Walton. He was a prolific composer for the orchestra, but here the band plays some of his film music. The theme music for the film "The First of the Few", which tells the story of the development of the Spitfire fighter plane. Now the Spitfire Prelude stands as a fine piece of music in it's own right. The final piece is Philip Sparke's Fugue from his Graduation Day suite written especially for University of Salford which pioneered the study of brass, big and wind bands.
Brass Compass is available to order from the band. The cost is £6:00, which includes a complimentary copy of Time Travel.
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During 1999, the Band were featured on two singles released by The Beautiful South. On Perfect 10, they play I'll Sail This Ship Alone and One Last Love Song. On Dumb, they play Especially For You on one version, and Blackbird On The Wire on the other. All of these tracks were recorded at Whitfield Studios in London.
The first soloist to be featured on this cassette is the principal horn player Garry Oglesby. Garry who is a stalwart of the band has chosen to play Higgy Jig by Goff Richards. This solo was originally written for a horn player of yesteryear, a legend in his own lifetime, Gordon Higginbottom. Next on the tape is Dixon Laing. Dixon needs very little introduction; he has played for the famous Black Dyke Mills Band, Brighouse and Rastrick, and the Yorkshire Imperial Metals Band. Sit back and enjoy Dixon's rendition of Sugar Blues
It's not very often you get the chance to hear the E flat tuba so to hear two is a double delight. This duet was originally arranged for the Childs Brothers but sits very well in the lower tone of the bass. David Fox and John Mathews sound totally relaxed as they sip Tea for Tubas in this classy arrangement by Simon Kerwin. Some people say the euphonium is the cello of the band because of it's sound, range and tone. All three facets are admirably demonstrated here by David Boyes (a member of the National Youth Brass Band of Great Britain) as he skips through Blaydon Races. We then turn to Steve Benfield. Steve has selected I Wish You Love which demonstrates his lovely warm mellifluous sound, played in a beautiful lyrical style which is synonymous with both the trombone and Steve himself. Stewart Kennedy plays the evergreen Memory from Cats on the soprano cornet (arguably the most difficult instrument in the band). In this performance his effortless phrasing, style and grace is a lesson to us all, as is his beautiful tone and intonation. "Play it again Stew!"
This is not just a showcase for the bands soloists, the recording also features several modern classics for the brass band. Star Wars, Mr. Jums, Aspects of Lloyd Webber and Cavatina are all recent compositions. The classic march Entry of The Gladiators and La Danza are examples of earlier compositions, and to complete the recording are the
pop song Music and the pot-pourri Instant Concert, which contains over thirty tunes in the space of three minutes. Definitely an album with something for everybody.
Brass Excursions is only available as a cassette, price £3.50.
© 2008 RMU/EYMS Brass Band