Two Part Invention

Where would we be without the ladies? Thank heaven for brass band girls like these then...

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Joanne Childs & Michelle Ibbotson
Cory Band
Conductor: Dr Robert Childs
Obrasso Recordings: CD934
Total Playing Time: 71.41

Girl power. Where would the modern day brass band be without it?

Forget the Spice Girls, Germaine Greer or even Emily Pankhurst – brass bands, and the very best brass bands at that, would have withered and died long, long ago without their emancipation. 

Misogynistic

Like the crumbling remnants of Workingmen’s Clubs, a few misogynistic tendencies remain, but even they are now facing the realities of modern day banding life. Forget the sex (and it is difficult for some men to do just that), it’s the talent that counts.

Many of the most successful bands of the past 30 years have been enhanced by the distaff line – from Howard’s Snell’s Fodens right through to David King’s YBS – and now, the likes of Black Dyke and Cory.  It is now hard to imagine them all in any other way.

Contributing factor

Cory though were once a ‘mans’ band for more years than they perhaps care to remember – all Welsh hywl, sweat, beer and fags to go with the robust playing - but today they know that a huge contributing factor to their recent success under Dr Robert Childs has come courtesy of the playing of the likes of Michelle Ibbotson and Joanne Childs (and others too).

The hywl remains, but nowadays the level of sweat, beer and fags is certainly less pronounced in the Ton Pentre bandroom.

Enjoyable

Their particular contribution is celebrated with this enjoyable release of easy listening items – all performed with a sense of style, talent and polish Geri Halliwell would give her union jack dress for.

The 19 tracks are an eclectic mix – from Leo Delibe’s ‘Flower Duet’ to Shirley Barrey’s ‘Big Spender’, Schubert’s ‘Du Bist die Ruh’ to Goedicke’s ‘Concert Etude’.

Big Spender

Some work better than others it must be said – Miss Bassey need not worry too much for instance with a rather spendthrift arrangement of her classic belter, and it would have been nice to hear something a little more extensive from each of the soloists.

That said, both players are on excellent form – Michelle Ibbotson’s soprano playing is wonderfully secure and vibrant, intelligently textured and nuanced, whilst Joanne Childs displays an acute sense of lyricism, lightly burnished in tone, but with an intelligent sense of phrasing and style.    

Well matched

The three duets are well matched (although Barry’s ‘Two Part Invention’ title track is a nice idea that needed more exploration), whilst there is a real question mark over the Brian Adams ‘Run to You’ track, which sounds absolutely nothing like the 1984 original – so much so, you feel it isn’t the right track at all. It would appear that it is a song from the Whitney Houston film, ‘The Bodyguard’.

Sparkling

The rest is pretty standard fare – but standard fare very well played – from a sparkling ‘Queen of the Night’ and razor sharp ‘Concert Etude’ from Michelle to a luscious ‘Only Love’ and delicate ‘Hine, Hine’ from Joanne.

Throughout Cory accompany with a neat sense of understatement, whilst Obrasso have pushed the boat out a bit on this release – the artwork is much more professional, and the biographies of the soloists are welcome. The lack of information on the pieces themselves though is still a pain and there is that question mark over the one track.   

All in all though, to misquote Maurice Chevalier – ‘Thank heaven for brass band girls’….

Iwan Fox

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