Hannaford Street Silver Band

Salvation’s Blast!
Conductor: Curtis Metcalf
Guest Conductor: Robert Redhead
Jane Mallett Theatre
Sunday 17th February

Sunday’s concert, one of the Hannaford Street Silver Band regular subscription series, did a great job of showcasing both the band and their guests. Despite the bad weather there was a good crowd to appreciate the event, many of them musicians. 

The title refers to the particularly close relationship that brass banding has in North America to the Salvation Army tradition. The concert featured music by Colonel Robert Redhead, retired now from the Salvation Army. His career in Canada included a stint as bandmaster of the Canadian Staff Band, and while he was stationed in Britain he led the International Staff Band (among other duties). Along the way he developed a reputation as a composer and arranger, and the first half of today’s concert featured some of the most interesting of that work.

Spiritual to the Bone

Spiritual to the Bone, a trombone ensemble from the United States featuring the playing, composing and arranging of some of the world’s most accomplished trombonists, rounded out the afternoon with a remarkable display of ensemble and solo jazz by guests and Hannaford alumni alike.

One other item of interest that needs mention was the appearance for the first time of graduates and members of the Hannaford Youth program in Hannaford chairs. As an organization of professional musicians HSSB sometimes sees conflicts in scheduling that require substitutions at various places in the band. With simultaneous performances in Toronto of the HSSB, the Canadian Opera Company and Tafelmusik, today was one of those days, and so the second euphonium was played by Cameron Rawlins (Youth band grad and last years’ winner of the young soloist competition) while Brendan Rawlins (current Youth band member) held the first baritone chair. 

A good show by both young players and a major coup for the youth program and the Hannaford organization.

Classic march

The concert began with the classic festival march 'Celebration' by Leslie Condon. This was a good display of Hannaford’s technical skills- among other things some excellent bright, crisp and edgy playing from the trombone section, a foreshadowing of excellent trombone work to come from the band and their guests.

In his pre-concert chat, Colonel Redhead discussed the Salvation Army tradition of hymn tune arrangements. He chose the tune ‘Fewster’ as the basis for the first of his compositions to be featured- 'Reflections in Nature'. One of the advantages to having the composer introduce their own work is the insight that can be gained. This work describes the reflections that Jesus might have undertaken as a young man as he viewed the course of his life. Divided into the four stanzas of the hymn itself, 'Reflections' illustrates 4 different moods and finishes with a pretty cornet and euphonium counter melody leading up to the final triumphal statement of the resurrection to come.

Life Abundant

'Life Abundant' was the next Redhead original to be featured. It was originally written 30 years ago while Redhead was conductor of the Canadian Staff Band, for then cornet soloist Deryck Diffey. HSSB soloist Robert Venables presented this technically demanding and beautiful piece with its original performer sitting about 5 rows in front of him.

Redhead, in his introduction, commented with some amusement upon the fact of a work describing a man’s life cycle being played to its now grey-haired originator. And played it was! Although not a theme and variations, 'Life Abundant' makes considerable technical demand upon the soloist. 

There are a series of distinct sections each with a different style- rhythmic and technical alternating with lyrical melody; more technical played over an almost barn dance style accompaniment and including fragments of familiar melody such as ‘I’m Coming Home’ and ‘Deep Surrender’, all culminating in a splendid full band supporting a spectacular high note finish, and Venables with his right index finger pointing heavenward in the Salvationist’s salute.

Corpus Christi

'Corpus Christi' was the penultimate Redhead original in this half of the concert. Written for a North American tour of the International Staff Band, and first played at a congress featuring four staff bands- New York Chicago, Canada and the ISB, this is a clever and also moving work inspired by Paul’s description of the church as ‘the body of Christ’. 

It is clever (to my mind)  because it alternates some deeply moving and powerful band statements with the almost flippant use of the spiritual ‘Dem Bones’- perhaps referring to the bony substructure of the body of the church? It opens with a tremendous low chorale followed by a horn baritone euphonium statement- the latter part delivered by Cameron Rawlins. The band chords resonated in such a way that they resembled a massive pipe organ, through the combination of voicing and use of mutes. This moved then to the 'Dem Bones' theme, in the first instance from the horns then answered by the full band and individual sections.

A tuba chorale had been the topic of some pre-concert chat, as it was noted that the tubas were having a sectional rehearsal in the stairwell- it paid off. The sounds were magnificent and the tuning superb. More ‘Dem Bones’ brought to a halt by a series of hammering chords reminiscent of 'Star Wars', then the horns again with a melody statement and countermelody of muted cornets. 

Swelling band chords led to a trombone quartet gradually building with the rest of the band to a crescendo, broken by a simple cornet melody. The band was added into the melody until the core of the band took over the soaring triumphant statement, surrounded above and below by technical embellishments, and a final percussive rhythmic flourish to conclude.

Fanfare of Praise

Redhead’s choice to conclude the first half was his 'Fanfare of Praise'. In his pre-concert chat he described Ascalon as the perfect hymn, and he made use of it in a wonderful way here. The Fanfare first offers the melody from the trombone section in pianissimo unison, against the muted cornets soft fanfare. The band presents a syncopated sort of surround for the euphonium chorale, adds more trombone quartet as the intensity grows and finishes with a brilliant statement of the melody by the full band with a huge sound beautifully balanced across its entire range and depth.

And then for something entirely different. Colonel Redhead has dedicated his musical skill and career to the service of the Salvation Army and his Christianity. So has Spiritual to the Bone. In the pre-concert chat, Herb Bruce (now of Florida) and Eric Alexander (Atlanta) described having been recruited by Stephen Bulla into a new project of his for the Salvation Army some years back. 

This was a group of professional musicians, composers and arrangers who would tour and record jazz based spiritual works for trombone. And it worked. They have recorded many times and in fact have the highest selling recording in the history of the Salvation Army in the United States. Not only that but they have a lot of fun. Stephen Bulla was unable to attend this concert, being enmeshed in the birth of his newest child, but Spiritual to the Bone colleagues Bruce and Alexander filled in ably.

The first tune, supported by the remarkable local rhythm section of Brian Barlow (drums), Lorne Lofsky (guitar) and Roberto Occhipinti (bass) featured Herb Bruce solo on the jazz classic Cherokee- just a taste of the remarkable technique to come. 

Roll Jordan Roll

'Roll Jordan Roll', arranged by Stephen Bulla, featured the full tentet of this incarnation of Spiritual to the Bone. Herb Bruce introduced the two quintets, faced off against each other, as Hannaford vs. Spiritual to the Bone, but it was in fact a great collaboration. The left hand quintet featured Bruce along with Alexander, Moe Wozniak of HSSB, Dorothy Gates (New York Staff Band and Spiritual to the Bone), and Larry Shields (HSSB) on bass trombone. 

The right hand quintet featured Kevin Hayward (Spiritual to the Bone alumnus, former bandmaster of the Canadian Staff Band), Curtis Metcalf (HSSB), Al Kay (local Toronto trombonist and featured HSSB guest artist), Dave Archer (HSSB) and Dave Pell (HSSB) on bass trombone. The rhythm section sat in between them. First solo honours went to Al Kay, followed by Herb Bruce and a brief guitar interlude from Lofsky. The Bulla arrangement included fragments of ‘I’m coming Home’ and even, it seemed, ‘Over the Rainbow’.

Next up was arrangement by Spiritual to the Bone founding partner Bruce Broughton of 'All Over God’s Heaven'. This opened with Dave Pell’s bass trombone solo, included Eric Alexander’s jazz solo, Al Kay’s ‘plunger verde’ contribution, and Bruce’s own superbly technical input.

Walk together Children

Eric Alexander spent many of his formative college and university years in New Orleans, where he adopted some of what Bruce described as the ‘greasy’ solo style. 'Walk Together Children', arranged by Alexander, showed of a bit of greasy work for the ten trombones and Brian Barlow on drums, in the best New Orleans street band style. 

Alexander’s opening melody statement was followed by a series of call and response interchanges between the two quintets, along with some powerful (and powerfully tight) ensembles. This featured some well executed moving bass trombone lines against solid chords called back from the tenor trombones.

Another Eric Alexander arrangement, 'Go Where I Send Thee', followed. Commenting upon the erudite nature of Colonel Redhead’s introductions in the first half of the concert, Alexander made his own contribution to the musicological effort. “This arrangement is comprised of 12 tone rows which just happen to fit into the chord changes of ‘I’ve Got Rhythm’…” and then it all got a little confused and he decided just to start the tune. 

Among other things, there were solos from Bruce and Alexander, and a left stage vs. right stage call and response over a Krupa-esque tom-tom drumming from Barlow.

Listen to the Lambs

'Listen to the Lambs' is either a Stephen Bulla original or an arrangement of a very obscure spiritual. Either way it is a neat piece of music, featuring shimmering tenor trombone chords over crisp solid bass trombone lines, and some hat-muted backgrounds to Alexander’s solo work.

As the HSSB began to ease their way back onto the stage, the tentet made its final solo statement- Strike Up the Band. This rollicking high energy romp is a perfect encore.

Bridge over Troubled Waters

With the HSSB now arrayed behind the rhythm section, Wozniak and Metcalf back at their usual spots (bari and euph) and the trombone section augmented with Kay and Hayward (Gates was already playing with HSSB for this concert due to the aforementioned subbing), the entire group finished the day with Gates’ arrangement of the Simon and Garfunkel classic 'Bridge Over Troubled Waters'. 

The initial melody statement was from Alexander’s solo horn, then a duet with Bruce. The tune simply builds and builds until the final grand conclusion- Bruce and Alexander demonstrating their strength and artistry as they soared above the entire band in the climax.

The afternoon was a success in many ways. To my ear this was some of, if not the best playing I have heard from Hannaford. In conversation with several of the band members afterward they commented upon the ease with which Redhead as the guest conductor was able to draw them out and demand their best. Brad Norton on soprano (from his usual solo spot) was a particular standout, as was the power of the 4 player trombone section (augmented for the quartet work in several of the selections).

The Hannaford organization has worked hard to support and develop the brass band movement in Canada, and to present consistently interesting and worthwhile musical activity. This was certainly an example of this, and the presence of two players drawn from the Youth Program speaks to their mission for the future.

Norm Buckley

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