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The Staffordshire Band
Conductor: David Hirst
Soloists: Richard Wigley, Mark Glover, Jo Todd
BHSS Recordings: CDSS0511
Total Playing Time: 68.36

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The concept behind this CD is, on the whole, an admirable one. First and foremost the disc is a commemoration of the sixtieth anniversary of the end of World War Two. Secondly, as band chairman Shaun Elliot explains, the intention is to introduce the music of the war years to today's younger generation of listeners.

Possibly a substantial clue to the origin of the idea is provided by the fact that the recording has been made possible by a grant from the National Lottery Home Front Recall Scheme. Whilst we are not certain of exactly what the Home Front Recall Scheme is all about, the recording was presumably granted lottery funding as an overall concept of celebration forming part of the 2005 sixtieth anniversary commemorations.

It has to be said that as an exercise in commercial viability alone the project does have some glaring doubts. As admirable as the idea may be, the chances of interesting the youngsters of today's society in the music of Glenn Miller, let alone Vera Lynn, do seem to be at best remote. Even if turning to the older generation of listeners who knew this music first hand, the market still has its limitations. And finally, the simple fact of the matter is that the music (or at least most of it) has all been done before….many times.

It may well be that this fact was not lost on the band for they have tried to get round the issue in three ways. Firstly the music is interspersed with original recordings of those famous war time addresses of Sir Winston Churchill including "We will fight them on the beaches", "Never in the field of human conflict" and "God bless you all, this is your victory".

The sound of Lancaster bomber engines is heard as an introduction to The Dam Busters as well as the celebratory cheers of the jubilant crowds prior to Elgar's Pomp and Circumstance March No. 1. Secondly, the band's Arranger in Residence, Wesley Kendrick (originally a cornet player in the band but credited on the CD as a member of the percussion section on this occasion) has provided two new pieces in the form of Variations on the Beer Barrel Polka and Songs that Won the War as a possible antidote to the predictability of the rest of the programme. Finally, young students from the Arthur Terry School in Sutton Coldfield, have been drafted in to add a twist to three of the pieces by providing some added vocal interest.

The overall result is not entirely helped by the fact that at times the band sound as bored with their playing as we were in listening. Glenn Miller Special, that familiar and rather lack lustre arrangement by Derek Ashmore, is one of the items that feature the young singers and whilst the singing does have its moments of insecurity and pitch difficulties, the student's attempts to capture the essential spirit of the music are at least creditable. The band on the other hand are as uninspiring as the arrangement and simply don't get into the swinging spirit. Darrol Barry's anthology of popular wartime songs, Keep Smiling Through, does fare a little better, largely due to the fact that the band are not called upon to swing to the same extent as in the Miller. The young singers are once again prone to the occasional pitching problem but do add a touch of charm to the proceedings, even more so in Philip Sparke's arrangement of I Vow to Thee my Country, sung with an attractive simplicity by Amy Hextall.

Of the band's own contributions we once again get something of a mixed bag. Richard Wigley is a silky trombone soloist in Howard Snell's arrangement of A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square yet in spite of this the performance comes across as dull with a lack of flair, ultimately failing to exploit the nuances of Snell's imaginative scoring. The British Legion March, Ron Goodwin's Battle of Britain March and The Dam Busters similarly fail to ignite whilst a somewhat average and truncated Pomp and Circumstance No. 1 draws the disc to a decidedly lame conclusion.

On the positive side Steve Sykes' percussion rich arrangement of Duke Ellington's Caravan gets a lively airing with Richard Wigley once again featuring on trombone. Of Wesley Kendrick's contributions Variations on the Beer Barrel Polka is a showcase for the band's solo euphonium player, Mark Glover who turns in a technically confident performance, the music often entertainingly contorting the well known theme.

Kendrick's Songs That Won The War is effectively a selection of wartime sing-alongs (childhood memories of Edrich Siebert arrangements at school band practice here!) although thankfully Kendrick's treatment of the various songs is just a touch more sophisticated in its scoring. Kendrick's arrangement of American Patrol is considerably more effective than the Ashmore that precedes it and at least manages to engage the band in playing that gets a little closer to the spirit of the Miller original. Mark Freeh's excellent arrangement of Cole Porter's I've Got You Under My Skin also comes off well with an effective soloist in Staffordshire's flugel horn player, Jo Todd.                 
                          
The Staffordshire Band is an outfit that is capable of polished playing, as borne out by their successful retention of the 2004 Pontins title in 2005. Indeed there is no doubt that they possess the ability to produce playing of far higher quality and consistency than is heard on this recording and as such the overriding feeling is of a missed opportunity.

Christopher Thomas

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