2006 Northwest Brass Band Festival - Seattle

4BR correspondant Pat Herak was on hand to sample the delights of the Seattle sounds at the recent Northwest Brass Band Festival.

Seattle - A city of grunge and football, and lots of Microsoft money

Seattle is a city known best for its space needle, fish market, and more recently American football (The Seattle Seahawks made it to the Super Bowl this year - but lost unfortunatley). 

There are many other attractions in the city, including a variety of boat rides and cruises in Puget Sound, the Pyramid and Pike Microbreweries, the Pacific Science Center and a Monorail ride.

Fish is good for you - even for the losing Seahawk fans

As far as music goes, Seattle likes to think of it as a music Capital of sorts where many a new genre of music are created (remember the grunge of the early 1990s).  There is, in fact, an entire museum dedicated to music in Seattle, The Experience Music Project, which contains many interest displays and interactive exhibits.  You can even create your own "jam session" CD there if you like.

This is what it is all about - Beer. hmmmmmm

Nearby Bellvue (just across Lake Washington) was the site of a different type of music a fortnight ago.  Much over shadowed in the brass band world by the Royal Northern College of Music Brass Festival was the Northwest Brass Band Festival hosted by Brass Band Northwest (BBNW).  Whilst this festival may seem insignificant to most of the brass band community, it is extremely important in the Northwest United States as it is the only event in the States west of the Mississippi to have more than one band participate. (This is the Prairie Brass Band Festival in Western Canada)

Tweaked format

The Festival is currently in its fourth year (it is held annually at the First Presbyterian Church of Bellevue) and has grown from four bands its initial year to the current set-up of six bands.  The format has been tweaked a bit over the years, but has settled into a daylong event in which each band receives an hour-long clinic with a guest conductor (Mark Gould of Brass Band of Battle Creek this year). 

Mark Gould makes his point

I had a chance to talk to Mark Gould and he told me a bit about his new endeavor in to the Brass Band community.  He admitted that he has been a bit spoiled by having his first conducting gig with the fine musicians of the Brass Band of Battle Creek about 18 months ago, but that it is not without some challenges.  He looks forward to creating a different type of brass band sound - The Duke Ellington band with a vocal approach as he described it. One of the things he thinks is important in implementing this plan is to develop a new repertoire. However, for this event he shared that there is not enough time to work on much more than general musical ideas.

Guest Artists

Also, during the day there were several other clinics with notable guest artists.  This year the bands were treated to Stephen Fissel, bass trombone with the Seattle Symphony Orchestra. 


Stephen Fissel points everyone in the right direction

Stephen ran a very well organised clinic detailing several key points in becoming a "better brass player."  He first explained how one can find ways to extend their practise time, find more opportunities to play, be a good ensemble citizen as well as a few other areas.  One very interesting point he kept emphasizing was to record yourself and have a listen, as the "recording doesn't lie!"

The other clinician was Gunnar Folsom, percussionist with the Northwest Ballet Orchestra (although he claims he is much more famous for playing on the soundtrack for Die Hard with Vengeance and several video games).  Gunner talked, some what tongue in cheek, about how he overcame his addiction to the metronome and how one can develop a better internal sense of rhythm.

At the end of the work day (and after dinner) is a Gala Concert in which each band plays a 15-20 minute program, followed by a 15-20 minute program by a massed festival band.

I talked with the festival organizer, Steve Keene (BBNW).  He said he helped develop the Festival to create a fun event and build brass band camaraderie in the Northwest.  He also pointed out that he believes as a result of the Festival the six participating bands have gotten noticeably better each year.  Ken Copeland (Principal Conductor of Puget Brass) echoed this sentiment by pointing out that hearing other bands and sharing music literature have had a significant impact on each band.

Spokane British Brass Band musical director Mark Williams is one of the few attending the event that had actually been to another brass band event (or for that matter heard any other brass bands live) as his band has twice attended the North American Brass Band Championships.  He enjoyed coming to this "local" event (it took the band 4.5 + hours to get there as many had to be diverted due to an avalanche that blocked the motorway) for the 4th consecutive year because as he put it "Musicians are a small fringe of the population, brass banders are a small fringe of that…this brings those people together." 

David Michel, bandmaster of Cariboo Hill Temple Band points out that his band whilst the band enjoys the trip to get to know other musicians (they have a good relationship they have with the Seattle Temple Band) it is also another ministry opportunity.  The Cariboo Hill Temple Band has the unique opportunity to share new Salvation Army music with the other bands because the proflific composer/ arranger Bill Gordon is the Bass Trombone player.

Cariboo Hill isn't the only Salvation Army band at the event.  Also, in attendance was the Seattle Temple Band under the baton of native Swede Stefan Wennstig.  Stefan finds the event an excellent way to refocus his band on more substantial literature after the holiday caroling season. He also pointed out that whilst it is a good deal to squeeze in one day, he enjoys the current format.

The event has also begun to attract some attention from outside the Northwest.  In addition to 4BR, Smith & Watkins and the Solid Brass Music Company made their first trip to Bellevue in the form of trade stands.  Representatives of both companies were both excited to hear some new bands in what will surely continue to be an exciting annual event.

Gala Concert

The Northwest Brass Band Festival Gala Concert included individual performances by each of the six bands that attended the festival along with a combined Gala Band.

Little Mountain Brass Band started the concert with the spirited opening number, Festivo (Darrol Barry) conducted by guest clinician Mark Gould. 

Little Mountain Brass Band

The Little Mountain Brass Band likes to give exposure to Canadian Music.  Tonight was no exception as their MD Jim Littleford took the baton to conduct Ontario Pictures (Howard Cable). The first movement, Downbound from Thunder Bay started a bit untidy, but the band found a nice 6/8 groove about halfway through the piece and finished strong.  The second movement Point Pelee (a reference to what was once the southern most Canadian Point in Lake Erie) exposed some intonation problems, but featured some lovely cornet playing by solo cornet, Chris Ahern.  The final movement, Old Fort Henry, closed out their part of the program with a light and lively march.

Ken Copeland lead the Puget Brass to a good opening, showing some well planned dynamic contrast in Frank Wright's arrangement of Bandology. In their second piece, a solid bass section showed their form in Charlie is my Darling (arr. Langford).  The band closed with Gershwin's I got Rhythm (arr. Fernie).  The piece started a bit under-tempo and lacked soloist quality tone in the slower section, but picked up strong at the end to finish an enjoyable programme.

The Cariboo Hill Temple Band opened their programme with what was their bass trombone player, William Gordon's first composition, Salvation's Song. 


Cariboo Temple Hill Band

In spite of the group being a bit over-sized, their next piece I Know Thou Art Mine (Leonard Ballantine) showed off a well in-tune, lush, ensemble sound that one often only hears from Salvation Army bands (at least on this side of the pond). Bandmaster, Dave Michel, then guided the band through their finale, Variations on Laudate Dominum (Edward Gregson) which brought loud cheers from the hall.

Seattle Temple Band opened with Broughton's The Firing Line.  A lack of precision in some of the faster runs couldn't detract too much from this solid performance. 


Seattle Temple Band

Mark Gould returned to lead the band in a very warm sounding tune entitled ‘Mid All the Traffic (Leonard Ballantine).  For these last two songs the band was accompanied by a powerpoint displaying the lyrics to the Ballantine's song and images with some text for the finale, The Power of Your Love (Geoff Bullock, arr. Terracini & Taylor). Bandmaster, Stefan Wennstig explained that this finale had to be a last minute substitution lest we hear an encore of Variations on Laudate Dominum.  Once again this piece had some technical passages, this time the band did a fine job and ended with a big full sound.

The Spokane British Brass Band under Marks Williams did a fine job with the opener, Florentiner March (Fucik/ arr, Broadbent). 


Spokane British Brass Band

Unfortunately, having heard it played by so many British bands I really missed the vibrato and delicate tutti cornet playing. The band showed some nice control and phrasing in Antoine Plante Ferry from Spokane's River (a piece William Berry was commissioned to write in honour of the bands 19th anniversary).  Mark Gould did a nice job leading the band in their closer March from A Moorside Suite (Holst).  The piece had nice full horn and bass sound to drive it through the end.

Brass Band Northwest chose to programme four movements from Philip Sparke's Hymn of the Highlands.  Principal conductor Steve Keene led the band in the first and last movements performed, while guest clinician Mark Gould led the band in the middle two.


Brass Band Northwest

As the band opened Adross Castle, it sounded as if the muted soloist weren't quite prepared to start.  By the end of the piece the band reached full form. Lairg Muir featured some well-controlled and accurate solo cornet playing by concertmaster Steve Alboucq., Alladale flowed with fine ensemble playing and pulse by the band.  Dundonnell opened with the volume of about a dozen bass drums (even though I only counted four percussionist).  Once the percussion backed off a bit the band was able to show some excellent technique.

The Northwest Brass Band Festival Gala Massed Band opened with Ray Farr's arrangement of Toccata in D-minor.   Mr. Gould paused after the breaks in the initial Toccata to allow the audience to soak up the incredible volume of this massed band.

Mark Gould was the featured as a trumpet solo in Portrait of a Trumpet (Nestico, arr. Yassky).  The massed band cut back a bit on this one, but it was worth it to Mr. Gould's virtuosi tone.

The massed band closed with the Salvation Army piece Call of the Righteous (Condon).  This piece may have been a bit to difficult for a massed band to hold together throughout the entire piece, but it a fine exclamation point on a very good day.

Pat Herak

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