Creative Brass

Waitakere City 'Trusts' Brass
Conductor: Howard Taylor
Total Playing Time: 69.00 mins

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Waitakere City 'Trusts' Band is one of the leading bands in New Zealand, and was awarded the title of New Zealand Band of the Year in 1999, 2000 and
2001. Under their English-born conductor Howard Taylor they present a mixture of the familiar and the unfamiliar, not to say unusual on this CD release!

As well as their contest successes in New Zealand, in 2003 they travelled to Australia where, under the baton of another Englishman, Andrew Snell, they captured the Australian Championship to add to their collection of trophies.

It is clear, then, that here is a band of some pedigree and with a high reputation. First impressions on listening to the first track - James Anderson's Salvation Army march "Goldcrest" - are that the recording itself is not as immediate as some, with the sound being slightly recessed. Once one adjusts to the sound however, the playing of the band comes over well. The march is one that calls for some crisp articulation and receives a good brisk reading, if lacking that final sparkle.

Vaughan MacDonald, the band's Principal Cornet, joined the band in 1992 and is given a fine display vehicle in Herbert Clarke's "From the Shores of the Mighty Pacific". He demonstrates good control across the full range of the instrument, with some effective use of rubato helping to bring the music to life - no mere technical exercise this. Indeed the solo items are amongst the highlights of the disc as a whole.

The playing of hymns and hymn-tune arrangements is central to contesting in the southern hemisphere, forming part of the championships each year, and so
it is not surprising that Philip Wilby's setting of "The Day Thou Gavest" receives a thoughtful, considered reading, the balance in the chamber-music-like opening and closing sections being very good, with the important subsidiary parts coming through well. The sections dovetail well together, helped by some sensitive work from the percussion section, in a
piece that can sound a little disjointed.

Peter Maunder's arrangement of Jerome Kern's "All the things you are" features a quartet of euphoniums and tubas, topped by the silky tones of Riki McDonnell. Commencing very attractively with the soloists on their own, the band seems quite at home when joining in to accompany them in swing style.

Albert Elms was a prominent composer of music for film and television, responsible amongst other thing for the music for such diverse series as "Ivanhoe", "Love thy neighbour" and "The Champions". He wrote "The Battle of Trafalgar" for the Royal Marines, and it was premiered at the Mountbatten Festival of Music in 1975, with Kenneth More reciting the narration, written by Richard Baker. Some may be familiar with the piece already, as it featured on the Fodens Centenary Brass recording. Here the narrator is John
McGough, and once an adjustment has been made for the accent, it is very effective. The recording itself copes well with the juxtaposition of the various elements, as a number of familiar tunes are used to illustrate the prelude to the fight, the battle itself and its aftermath, including some menacing-sounding field drums, although there is a little untidiness in the
playing of the cornets towards the end.

Robert Redhead's "Reflections in Nature" uses the Salvation Army tune "Fewster" in conjunction with words by Catherine Baird to reflect on Christ's ministry, death and final victory. After some delicate playing in the central sections the music builds to a climax to illustrate the triumph of the resurrection and the band maintain the tension very well, with the
bass trombone adding considerably to the impact of the final chords.

John Psathas is one of New Zealand's leading composers, having won the prize for the best classical album at their new music awards. Particularly known for his writing for piano and percussion, his double concerto for percussion and piano was premiered by Evelyn Glennie with the Halle Orchestra at a concert marking the close of the Commonwealth Games. "Saxon" was written for the New Zealand Championships in 2000, and was his first work for brass band. From a dark opening, full of ostinato figures and cross rhythms, individual fanfare-like passages emerge for various solo instruments or sections. The music shows some influence of minimalism, but seems more intricate, and certainly tests the band, with repeated listening bringing out different elements and strata that may go un-noticed at first. Even in the quieter sections there is the feeling that the music is being driven on, with an underlying pulse particularly from the percussion.

John Rodgers, soloist in Hoagy Carmichael's "Georgia my Mind" is clearly very much at home in the idiom. With many years' experience as a trumpeter in big bands and show orchestras his relaxed phrasing, coupled with a nicely laid-back accompaniment, makes this number much more effective than most brass band efforts. This is followed by Goff Richard's "Light as Air", combining Bach and Procul Harum in what has become a popular programme item.

Don McGlashan's "Quinella" was commissioned by Creative New Zealand, the composer being a prominent percussionist and singer with the rock group "The Mutton Birds", who accompanied INXS when they toured the UK, as well as writing music for film and television. He is quoted in the sleeve-notes as saying that he had always wanted to combine the thrill of a racing commentary with rhythmic music for brass and percussion. "Quinella" is a term for a bet for two specified horses to cross the line first or second in any order, and the second movement incorporates the rattling tones of the commentator as the band gallops away. It is certainly unusual, with the percussion driving the band onwards relentlessly as the commentary proceeds, often on a monotone. The first movement depicts the New Zealand forest, punctuated with the songs of the birds as they mark out their territory, giving opportunity for some extended solos and atmospheric percussion effects. Inspiration for the third movement came from a picture showing an old church overlooking a beach, seeming quite out of place, and the scene is portrayed using a chorale and processional, with the music eventually fading into the distance. The quieter sections of the piece bring out some of the best playing from the band.

The final item is Evelyn Glennie's "A Little Prayer", originally written as a marimba solo, but making an effective band piece in Robert Childs' transcription, although the climax seems a little too intense on this occasion.

The sound of the band is good, a little bass-heavy at times, and with occasional lapses of intonation, most noticeable in the cornets, but these do little to detract from the overall impression. They clearly have dependable corner men, with flugel and euphonium being especially impressive throughout the recording. The two new pieces are well worth exploring, and any efforts to introduce new composers to writing for band should be encouraged.

Peter Bale

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