Christmas Praise
7-Dec-2007
Bellshill Band of The Salvation Army
Conductor: Ian Dickie
BHSS0521
Playing time: 59.59 mins
Prefacing his choice of CD of the Year in British Bandsman, Tim Mutum explained that he was looking for a recording that “. . . offered me something significant I did not already have”.
When it comes to the fairly full market for Christmas CDs, one would expect there to be a fair amount of duplication, but the question is still just as relevant: Is there something that would make this particular release stand out from the crowd?
Christmas Praise, from the Bellshill band of The Salvation Army under their Bandmaster Ian Dickie is comprised largely of standard arrangements of Christmas carols, played more or less straight from the carol books, with a couple of marches and lighter seasonal items, whilst tonal variety is provided by two quite striking vocal contributions from members of the band.
Listening to the carols brought to mind an erstwhile colleague who would often maintain his dislike for what he described, in a broad Yorkshire accent, as “mucked-up food”, proclaiming his preference for plain home cooking. The playing of the carols here will appeal to some because of their straightforward nature, but there will also be those who may find them a little bland and uninvolving.
Where an individual approach is taken, such as the extended pause between the two verses of a carol, or a sustained note from the basses, it is not entirely convincing, and seems to interrupt the flow unnecessarily.
On the whole, the more extended items fare somewhat better, offering more variety in both style and dynamics, although intonation is shaky at times. Whilst the booklet is quite attractive, with notes by Derick Kane on the music and a page by Deputy Bandmaster Melvyn Shanks giving information on the band itself, details concerning the arrangers of the various tracks are rather sketchy and inconsistent.
No doubt considerable thought was given to the choice of settings, but it is a pity Richard Phillips’ setting of “Calypso Carol” was chosen rather than that by Peter Graham, and Jan Van Kraedock’s version of “Silver Bells” simply does not work.
With the vocal items, the music suddenly seems to come alive, with attractive accompaniments and excellent enunciation of the words. Olwyn Mathie is most expressive in Joel Lindsey’s ”Heaven’s Child”, whilst Gemma Gunn’s gospel-tinged interpretation of “O Holy Night”, with updated lyrics, shows a great gift for communication, even if it is a version that may not appeal to all listeners.
Listeners may also be divided over William Gordon’s “Still, Still, Still”, in which he incorporates the music of Bach (“Air on a G string”). Noel Jones’ “Christmas Praise”, Kenneth Cook’s “The Spirit of Christmas” and Trevor Davis’s “Carolcade” each combine several familiar carols, the last in the style of the “Hooked on Classics” recordings, and these tracks include some of the best playing from the band.
Philip Sparke’s arrangement of Howard Blake’s “The Snowman” and John Golland’s version of “When a Child is Born” both display the composers’ customary craftsmanship, whilst I Bartram’s take on “The Coventry Carol” is quite striking. T
he performance of “Snow Waltz” however – here under its alternative title of “Worldwide Christmas Message” – seems rather lack-lustre, lacking the expected sense of pulse and emphasis on the start of each bar, and Leroy Anderson’s “Sleigh Ride”, whilst played well enough, also seems rather tame, particularly when one is used to the swing-style version.
To return to the question posed in the opening paragraph, whilst this recording is more than acceptable as background music, and may satisfy many listeners, there is little to distinguish it from the plethora of other recordings of seasonal repertoire.
The vocal contributions are undoubtedly attractive, but the rather mundane versions of the carols are a real letdown, particularly disappointing when the band makes much of the contrast and dynamics in the other arrangements.
Peter Bale
What's on this CD?
1. Christmas Praise, 2.47
2. Hark! The Herald Angels, 1.49
3. Silent Night, 2.06
4. Silver Bells, 3.20
5. Worldwide Christmas Message, 2.28
6. Heaven's Child (vocal solo by Assistant S/Coy Ldr Olwyn Mathie), 4.11
7. Away In A Manger, 1.45
8. Spirit Of Christmas, 2.50
9. Jingle Bells, 1.23
10. Still, Still, Still, 4.52
11. O Come, All Ye Faithful, 1.45
12. When A Child Is Born, 3.50
13. Joy To The World, 1.24
14. The Snowman, 4.56
15. O Little Town Of Bethlehem, 1.48
16. O Holy Night (vocal solo by Gemma Gunn), 5.50
17. Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer, 1.51
18. Coventry Carol, 3.36
19. Calypso Carol, 1.15
20. Carolcade3.06
21. Sleigh Ride, 3.06
