East of England Co-op Band recently welcomed Cory Band principal cornet Tom Hutchinson as guest soloist for their concert held at Ipswich Citadel Salvation Army.

The Besson artist enthralled the packed audience with his performances on cornet, trumpet and flugel, which in the first half included 'Jubilance' and 'Don't Doubt Him Now', and the second, 'The Green Hornet' and 'Mr Bojangles'.

He also joined the band's cornet section for a rendition of 'Cornet Carillon' and for a whiplash run through 'Perpetuum Mobile'.

Eclectic programme

The concert also saw the band on fine form with an eclectic programme under the baton of MD, Mark Ager.

It embraced traditional works such as the overture 'Morning , Noon and Night' and the march 'Simoraine' as well as detours to New York Broadway with 'Mack and Mabel', Quincy Jones and 'Soul Bossa Nova', and Brodsky's famous 'Il Walk with God'.

The band rounded off a memorable concert with Dan Price's uplifting 'An American Tale' and famous 'Farandole' by Bizet as the demanded encore.

Brilliance

Speaking about Tom's visit, a band spokesperson stated: "It was a fantastic concert of high standard music making from the band, topped by the brilliance of Tom.

It was wonderful to have him with us, and especially with his connections to the area through his godparents and to the Salvation Army."