Cool
11-Jul-2006
Reg Vardy Band
Conductor: Ray Farr
Soloists: Mark Nightingale, Steve Waterman, Natalie Farr
Egn Recordings: SFZ 132
Total Playing Time: 58.20
Cool: Steve McQueen in Bullit, Zinedine Zidane's penalty against Italy, a Lamborghini Miura sports car, Mark Rothko's No 10 painting from 1950, Frank Gerhy architecture….
What constitutes cool is a personal thing of course, but there is no denying that some, if perhaps not all of the above fit the bill. As for brass band music? That's a different matter all together.
Fair play to Ray Farr and the Reg Vardy Band, they have really put themselves out on a limb with this recording, and even though it may not quite been up there with old Stevie boy racing around the streets of San Francisco in his 1968 highland green Ford Mustang Fastback with the Lalo Schiffrin score bubbling in the background, but it is a pretty good effort none the less.
Much of the credit must go to the MD who has brought his considerable skill, experience and understanding of the light jazz idiom to bear on the vast majority of the tracks on show. At his best these are brought to thrilling life and are given excellent performances by his band; colorful and textured with a lovely subtle touch of balance and timbre. They are also considerably enhanced by some authentic ‘cool' jazz playing from the featured soloists Mark Nightingale and Steve Waterman, two high class practitioners of their chosen professional art as well as a bit of sublime vocal work from Farr Junior in the shape of daughter Natalie who possesses a wonderfully haunting voice.
The 16 tracks are intended to provide something rather adventurous and stretch the perceived boundaries of what brass band can do. Ray Farr likens them to a desert course of a main meal, the light and tasty confection that clears the musical palette after the heavy deliberations of a main course. He certainly succeeds in doing this, although you do have to question the rather incongruous insertion of ‘Schindler's List' into the mix. Cool isn't a word you would use to describe that particular musical inspiration.
That apart the other 15 tracks work well, (some better than others, but then again you are asking a great deal for a brass band to mimic the style and sound of some of these originals) and the band are on top form with a special mention to the percussion section who make the most of their chance to shine.
The opening ‘It's Just Talk' which was featured by the band at Brass in Concert works so much better here without the stage choreography losing the blending of the colours, whilst Pat Methany's ‘Minuano' is clever and complex, yet very accessible. Mark Nightingale is on top form throughout and his interjections and main solo work is playing of the highest class on each of the tracks on which he is featured. The same goes for trumpeter Steve Waterman who can really squeal like a pig in a pork chop factory and whack it out like a super charged Ducati 988 as well. Some players these lads.
Not all the pieces ask for the pyrotechnics, and as mentioned Natalie Farr brings a wonderful lyrical coolness to her features, ‘On My Own' and ‘Over the Rainbow'. A talented lass for certain. We wonder where she got it from?
Elsewhere there is plenty of stylish work from band and soloists on numbers such as the old Dione Warwick stomper ‘I Say a Little Prayer', ‘The First Circle', and even ‘The Cup of Life' which sounds 100% better than the original perhaps because the unctuous Ricky Martin is not singing it! There are also neat shifts in style, with a cleverly realized bits of work on ‘A Taste of Honey and ‘Alabamy Sound' which show a band capable of bringing a deft touch to a different genre.
This is a really enjoyable hour or so of entertainment from Reg Vardy and Ray Farr. It's certainly different and has been very well prepared and produced by both the performers and backroom staff. Brian Hillson's recording is excellent, whilst the artwork from GK Graphic Design certainly has that cool minimalist feeling and a subtle nod and a wink Audi, those purveyors of Über-cool automobiles, with the linked up circles in the title.
Our only gripe is that we would have liked to possibly hear a bit more, whilst it would also have been nice to have read something about the three featured artists. Apart from that, sit back stick the CD on your Bang and Olafson (if you are that cool) and enjoy. It's well worth it.
Iwan Fox.
What's on this CD?
1. It's Just Talk, Pat Metheny arr. Ray Farr, Mark Nightingale (Trombone), 4.49
2. Minuano, Pat Metheny and Lyle Mays arr. Ray Farr, Mark Nightingale (Trombone) and Steve Waterman (Trumpet), 5.35
3. Girl Talk, Neil Hefti arr. Ray Farr,�����3.44
4. On My Own, Claude-Michelle Schonberg arr. Ray Farr, Natalie Farr (Vocal), 2.57
5. I Say a Little Prayer, Burt Bacharach arr. Ray Farr, 2.55
6. The First Circle, Pat Metheny and Lyle Mays arr. Ray Farr, Steve Waterman (Trumpet), 8.05
7. You Raise Me Up, Rolf Lovland arr. Ray Farr, 4.55
8. The Cup of Life, Robi Rosa arr. Ray Farr, Steve Waterman (Trumpet), 3.05
9. We've Only Just Begun, Paul Williams and Roger Nichols arr. Ray Farr, Mark Nightingale (Trombone), 2.41
10. Recado Bossa Nova, Luiz Antonio and Djalma Ferreira arr. Ray Farr, Mark Nightingale (Trombone), 3.13
11. Over the Rainbow, Harold Arlen and Yip Harburg arr. Ray Farr, Natalie Farr (Vocal), 3.52
12. Like Always, Larry Ramos arr. Ray Farr, Mark Nightingale (Trombone), 2.21
13. Schindler's List, John Williams arr. Ray Farr, 3.42
14. A Taste of Honey, Bobby Scott and Ric Marlow arr. Ray Farr, 2.29
15. Alabamy Bound, Trad arr. Ray Farr, 3.32
Total CD playing time: 58.20
