New Horizons

Nick Hudson - trombone
Belburn Music CD - BELB 008

~ Buy with 4barsrest shopping

Featuring:
Trombone players of the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, The English Northern Philharmonia, Grimethorpe Colliery, Tredegar Band, Simone Rebello - percussion, Alan Morrison - cornet, The Simon Wood Jazz Combo, Thomas Wyss

Ever wondered what it must be like to have the gift to be brilliant at doing something? For the vast majority of us it's a bit of a pipe dream but certain people have the talent to go with skill. We don't know what he's like at football, making Spaghetti Bolognese or being helpful around the house for that matter, but by heck, Nick Hudson is one hell of a brilliant trombone player.

When we asked a few old hand players who they thought was the best trombone player in the brass band movement they were all unanimous in their verdict in favour of one of the nicest blokes ever to put lip to mouthpiece. "Nick Hudson – no doubt about it" came the reply. No one could possibly be this good as well as this nice we thought, but fair play, no one we asked had a bad word to say about him. So what about his playing though?

New Horizons was recorded in late 1999 and represents the virtuoso players latest musical outlook on life. 12 tracks of flexible repertoire are cleverly mixed together so that there is an eclectic selection of styles and moods both from the player himself and the very impressive "backing groups" he has managed to get to help him out.

Thus we get an opening item, "Chelsea Bridge" from the pen of the Idaho born composer Billy Strayhorn, who later became an arranger and pianist for Duke Ellington no less and features Hudson surrounded by drums, keyboard, sax various troms and bass guitar. It's such a joy to listen to a brass band player who is so comfortable at playing in this style and this is reinforced by a superb technique and an ability to change the timbre of his tone to encompass the nature of the music.

With solo CD's you sometimes feel that the content lacks variety, but this is not the case here. Hudson has cleverly chosen works that explore the limits of both his technique and that of the instrument and we therefore have a veritable "Quality Street" selection box of styles that are in many cases poles apart. The talented Simon Wood offers a couple of neat jazz idiom items that make interesting listening in "Li'l Darlin'" and "Water from an Ancient Well", which is impressive in both playing and arranging terms, whilst there is the substantial Salvationist work "New Horizons" which gives the CD it's title at the very end to remind the listener of the authentic qualities of traditional brass band trombone playing.

The highlight for us however is the Aargaard Nilsen "Light" for Trombone and Percussion which features Hudson in a superb four movement work with Simone Rebello for company (and what company). It's a brave choice to put onto a recording and it works splendidly. The "Funeral Oration" from Symphonie Funebre et Triomphale by Berlioz and "Sang till Lotta" by Jan Sandstrom feature the soloist with organ and piano accompaniment respectively, and both come across with a sense of style and purpose.

In this company the Lloyd Webber "All I ask of you" is a little second rate even though it's superbly played, but "Stardust" by Hoagy Carmichael arranged Bill Geldard is dusted off the shelf and given a creamy rendition that is well worth listening to again. "Dark Eyes" also arranged by Geldard is an old hat number that is spruced up and spanked into submission by sheer brilliance of technique and a lip of iron and the quartet, "Kathy" for four trombones is a subtle two and a bit minutes of understated class from Hudson, Rob Burtenshaw, Rob Holiday and Paul Miller. And if you really need a reminder of the soloists art, then the "Adagio" from the Cello Sonata in G minor by Rachmaninov is a master class.

We've reviewed some fine solo CD's in the recent past from the likes of David Childs, Sheona White and Morgan Griffiths, but with respect this is a league apart. It's not just the quality of the playing that so impresses, but the way in which he has been brave enough to put his reputation on the line by exposing himself in repertoire that only the very best of players can make come off.

There is little doubt that Nick Hudson is one of the very best in whatever trombone field he chooses to play in, but just to make us happy and remind us he's mortal we've been told he's useless at DIY. Who's bothered – just get the CD.

~ Buy with 4barsrest shopping

^back to top