Brass 10

Brass 10
Ref: B10 CD001
Total Playing Time: 62.47 mins

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Since its formation in 2001, when its members were all music students in London, Brass 10 has established a good reputation and an impressive portfolio of performances and successes.  For their debut recording, they have selected a programme that displays their versatility, ranging from Bach and Gabrieli to Sondheim and Brubeck, with a couple of new additions to the repertoire thrown in for good measure.

As the name would imply, the group consists of ten brass players, taking as their model the line-up established by Philip Jones for his larger group: 4 trumpets (doubling on various instruments including flugel as required), French horn, 4 trombones and tuba.  They are all busy players in their own right, and come together as Brass 10 as the opportunity allows.

They open their programme with "Fanfare for Ten Brass" by Andrew Trent-Davies, written for them in 2003.  Only just over a minute long it is full of interest, with a mixture of 3/4 and 7/8 time in the opening and closing sections and a luscious chorale in between.  It sets the tone for the disc, with crisp articulation and well-blended sounds across the ensemble.

400 years ago in Venice the Gabrieli family was at the fore-front of brass writing, although their intended instruments would have been the wooden cornett and the sackbut rather than our modern brass instruments.  Opinions differ over whether such music is effective on modern brass, but Brass 10 make out a very good case here with George Bartle's transcription of Giovanni Gabrieli's "Canzon Primi Toni a 10".  The ornamentation from the trumpets appears much less forced than is sometimes the case and the parts flow freely, although the tuba down in the depths for the final chord seems a little out of place.

Johann Sebastian Bach was quite adept at adapting both his own music and that of other composers for various forces, and his music does seem to "fit" better than some of his contemporaries, with the contrapuntal lines standing out clearly when spread out onto individual parts.  The "Prelude and Fugue in D Minor" may not be as well known as some of his other keyboard works, but the arrangement (also by George Bartle) allows the group to demonstrate a suitably organ-like tone.

Australian Percy Grainger is possibly at his best when writing miniatures, deftly put together with his rather quirky harmonic twists.  "Shepherd's Hey", based on an old country dance, is more straightforward than some, but still calls for some deft tonguing and finger-work if it is to come off as successfully as in this performance.

"Aubrey's Maske" is a suite by Simon Wills, best known for his operatic and choral music.  Inspired by brief biographical sketches written by John Aubrey in the 17th Century, it parodies the masque music of the time in much the same way as Kenneth Hesketh's "Danceries", with 20th Century harmonies and techniques colouring the material, which includes the occasional quotation from popular songs.  The seven movements, including such titles as "Blount's pig" and "Sir Walt's rude boy" – based on the hooligan son of Sir Walter Raleigh - give the players ample opportunity to demonstrate their skills and to portray a wide range of emotions, from exuberance to melancholy, with tuba player Alex Redpath getting to join in the fun with some clean semiquaver runs in the last couple of movements.

Brass 10 commissioned composer and tuba player Edwin McClarty to write "Sinfonietta for Brass" in 2002.  Premiered by the group at St Martin-in-the-Fields in February 2003, it is a challenging work, both for players and listeners, but repeated listening brings rewards, and it is a fine addition to the repertoire. In three sections, linked by two short aleatoric interludes for the trombones (where the timing is at the players own discretion), the music is very dark at times.

The remainder of the programme consists of lighter fare, starting with Henry Mancini's "Days of Wine and Roses", as arranged by John Iveson, and featuring Dave Eaglestone on bass trombone.  This is followed by Chris Hazell's "Another cat: Kraken", written for Philip Jones, for whom the composer often acted as record producer.

"Georgia on my Mind" allows the groups very fine trombone section a chance to shine, with some excellent close harmony ensemble work.  Another John Iveson arrangement, and one which has become very popular in both brass ensemble and brass band versions, is "Tico Tico", played here in exemplary style by trumpeter Paul Munday.

One of the most poignant songs to come out of the musical theatre in recent years is Stephen Sondheim's "Send in the Clowns", presented here in a setting by Roger Harvey, with Joe Sharp, the group's Artistic Director, as the eloquent flugel soloist.  In total contrast is another Roger Harvey arrangement, this time of Dave Brubeck's "Blue Rondo a la Turk".  With its changing meter and rhythmic patterns Brass 10's reading flows beautifully, with suitably idiomatic solos from Joe Sharp and George Bartle on trumpet and trombone respectively.

The final track is a "Gershwin Selection" arranged by horn player Richard Bissell., including such songs as "I got plenty o' nuttin'", "Summertime" and "Let's call the whole thing off".  This combination of familiar melodies and skilful arranging brings the disc to a rousing conclusion.

Presentation is good, with brief notes on all the items, although some may find the printing (yellow and red type on a brown background) a little awkward to read, and the names of the performers take a bit of finding – they're printed on the screws shown on the centre page of the insert!  Brass 10 acknowledge the support of Gerrard Limited in the production of the recording, and they are to be commended for assisting an up-and-coming ensemble in this way.  The playing is first class and stands up well even in repertoire associated with Philip Jones or London Brass.  Some may have reservations over the mix of items, and it may be that future recordings will concentrate either on the more serious or lighter side, but that is only a minor quibble, and there is much to enjoy in all the pieces.


Peter Bale

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