Patron's Choice II

The British Open champions in patronising mood. Have lollipops ever been so well put together to please the punters?

~ Buy with 4barsrest shopping

Foden’s Band
Conductor: Michael Fowles
Soloists: Mark Wilkinson, Helen Williams, Les Neish, Glyn Williams, Mark Landon
MHP Recordings: CD509
Total Playing Time: 75.58

One of the musical highlights of the year for the Foden’s Band has always been its Patrons Concert, which has seen the band repay the support of its hometown fans with a musical evening of entertainment back on its doorstep in Sandbach.

Roaring trade

Over the years it has grown to such an extent that those fans now come from far and wide and demand for tickets has seen the band having to impose a limit on numbers to stop disappointment on the door on the night! Touts do a roaring trade in the pub down the road from the bandroom the weekend before we are told.

To celebrate 100 years and more of Foden’s music making the band has now made sure that if you can’t get to the latest Patrons Music Night then the best thing is to buy a recording of the band reprising some of the musical highlights they perform.

Lollipops

It’s invariably ‘lollipop’ music for the masses (although they also pop in a test piece or two after a major championship win) and it provides the band with a valuable (and successful) extra income source.

After the success of the first ‘Patrons Choice’ release it was inevitable that a second (and we are sure a third) would follow.  This time the band has teamed up with Keith Farrington’s Music House Productions and the result is an excellent release, full of top class playing backed by high quality production values.  

Enjoyable

As you would expect the quintet of featured soloists enjoy themselves immensely – from a quick fire ‘Chiapanecas’ from Mark Wilkinson, a liquid gold ‘Share My Yolk’ from Helen Williams, Les Neish on imperious form on ‘Celestial Morn’, Glyn Williams whipping up a black note frenzy on ‘Carnival of Venice’ and Mark Landon rolling back the years with ‘Robbin Harry’.   

All pretty standard solo fare for players of this quality, but all still played with a degree of professional polish that makes you smile in admiration.

Champions

Elsewhere the band start off with the predictable ‘The Champions’ (they were the 2008 British Open winners) followed by some great old playing on ‘Le Carnaval Romain’, which really does romp along at a fair old lick at times and features Glyn Williams on tip-top form in the famous solo.

There are neat changes of style, genre and tempo with the likes ‘Eyes of a Child’ and the Shostokovich ‘Galop’, Eric Ball’s ‘The Kingdom Triumphant’ and ‘Comedy Tonight’ – all delivered with a sheen of class very neatly directed by Michael Fowles.

Hearing difficulties

In fact there is something for just about everyone here – ‘Hine e Hine’ for the occasional New Zealander visitor to Sandbach, the Finale from Tchaikovsky’s '4th Symphony’ for the odd Russian fan, ‘Crimond’ to keep the local church goers happy and ‘Pines of Rome’ to finish for those with hearing difficulties. 

It may not be the most ground breaking of releases from the band of late, but it is certainly one of their most enjoyable – easy listening stuff played with an easy sense of classy style.

Time has also been spent in the presentation too, with up to date and enjoyable sleeve notes from Helen Williams and a very crisp acoustic ambience captured by the engineer Shaun Trotter, which retains the band’s vibrant tonal quality.

All packaged together very neatly in post production, it is no wonder the Patrons will be barging in the doors at the next concert.

Iwan Fox

~ Buy with 4barsrest shopping

^back to top