Publication - The Brass Herald

4BR looks at the new quarterly magazine that looks to cater for just about every aspect of the brass playing world of ours.

The Brass Herald: The Magazine for the Brass Musician
Quarterly magazine (£5.00 per issue)

Published by Philip Biggs Brass Festivals Ltd
2, The Coppice,
Impington
Cambridge
CB4 9PP

A little while ago a professional journalist of note in the brass banding world asked me whether I thought there were now too many people, writing too much, about too little a subject as the brass band movement. 

On the face of it perhaps they could be right; there are now publications on a weekly, monthly and quarterly basis about brass banding, whilst daily news and reports are covered by the new breed of on line publications on the internet.  Too much about too little then?

No. Given that for the vast majority if its history, our movement has suffered from pretty mediocre coverage of its news and events, now that we have a much more healthy spread of publications dedicated not only to the brass band but also to the general brass movement, should be cause for celebration. There may well be a case for questioning the standard, scope and quality of all the publications, but you can't complain that we are not now being given a healthy choice of what we want to read, and more importantly, how often.

The traditional brass band printed media gives us the weekly British Bandsman (currently 90p), the monthly Brass Band World (£3.85) and the quarterly magazine Essential Brass (£11.80 per year), as well as other periodicals such as the Brass Review (free) and general publications with brass interest such as MUSO (£17.70 per year). Others in Europe (Brass Info) and in the Empire outposts (Australia's Band World) make sure the gospel is spread far and wide.  All have their strengths (and weaknesses), but all have secured a strong market presence through adherence to values and objectives that their readers find appealing.

These however are all specialist publications who provide for a potential market sector that is just about totally ignored by the national press and their plethora of monthly "feature" supplements on every topic from home cooking, sport and club life to gardening and music. The music supplements in particular ignore our movement's concert and contests as well as the ever-increasing number of CD releases. Just look next time at the coverage "cultural" events and CD releases from the world of classical music, ballet and even conceptual art gets compared to what we as a movement put on. And it is not for the want of trying either.

4BR has sent in a whole raft of short reviews of concerts and CD releases in particular to the Times, Observer and Guardian for possible inclusion in their supplements, without success. True, it may be the quality of what we send in means we don't get a mention, but when we are talking 150 word CD reviews, then you wonder what we are doing wrong.  They just don't want to know.  

So, too much coverage of our small world of brass? Definitely not.  Each of the current publications caters for a market which is demand led, and even though the numbers are not as great as can be catered for by the internet based on line magazines, it is a very specific market that demands value, quality and variety - and at present it looks like all of them are doing well enough, and that can only be good for the movement as a whole.  

The latest publication to try and create a niche market for itself is Philip Biggs', The Brass Herald, which is published quarterly and is aimed as a general magazine for those with an active interest in brass performance. It therefore has a very broad scope as it attempts to cover everything involving brass and brass musicians from the worlds as diverse as Big Bands, Military Bands, Salvation Army, Jazz, Education, Brass Bands and Orchestras. In addition there are features and articles on events, CD's, recitals and concerts - a veritable cornucopia all enclosed in a glossy and high print quality magazine of 80 pages.

So is it a worthwhile addition to current stable of publications? Very much so.  

As stated earlier, the current crop of periodicals cater very much for specific and diverse markets, and the Brass Herald is no different.  It certainly isn't one of those magazines that are lampooned on "Have I Got News For You" on BBC 2, such as "Paper Making for the Infirm" or "The Wonderful World of Painted Eggs", whilst it hasn't got the look or feel of those dedicated "in house" publications that cater for the "professional classes" such as "The Lancet" for the medical profession. This is a high quality general interest magazine both in its scope and delivery.

The Brass Herald is now due its fifth issue, and since it's launch in August 2003 it has secured a growing circulation. Its appeal lies in its ambition allied to its production values. £5.00 may seem like a lot to pay out for a single magazine, but it is a quarterly payment, and you do get a lot for your money it must be said. This is the price of a couple of pints of lager and a packet of crisps - something the average brass player can consume and forget about in half an hour, so the argument that it's expensive doesn't hold much sway, especially as we are talking a fiver every 12 weeks.

Like all publications there are parts to it that may not capture the fancy of every reader. Articles on the World Marching Band Championships or Territorial Army Bands may not be everyone's cup of tea, but it shows ambition from the publisher not to leave any brass stone unturned, whilst the quality of the writing is high. Experienced journalists such as Rebecca Agnew from the Classical Music Magazine and Joanna Pinnock of Radio 4 are complimented by the likes of well respected and knowledgeable academics, teachers and brass professionals such Dr. Roy Newsome, Eric Crees, Geoffrey Brand, David Marshall and Dr Ralph Holtz to provide detailed and enjoyable articles on a variety of topics, reviews and interviews.

In all, there is a list of 33 contributors to the fourth issue which starts which includes the likes of Roger Argente right down the musical alphabet to Michelle Wright, so you can see, that quite a few people have invested time and energy into this project.

Some of the articles have been a tad dull and are a bit too "worthy" in a Times Educational Supplement sort of way, but the vast majority are enlightening and very well researched. The reviews tend to follow suit - worthy, detailed and at times in need of a lighter touch, but they are written by knowledgeable critics of the genre.  It is also nice to read articles about the still relatively unknown world of the Salvation Army as well as the secretive environment of the Military Band, whilst the Big Band and Jazz arenas are touched upon just enough (they have their own dedicated magazines by the bucketful). Each sphere of the brass world is catered for, and each informs and enlightens the reader, whilst the "something for everyone" approach does invariably work. 

A special note must be made to the quality of the photography throughout each of the first four issues - real top notch stuff from the paparazzi boys, whilst the sub editor has done a grand job on the proof reading (no Guardian newspaper or 4BR for that matter this).  There is a lot of advertising space taken up in the 80 pages though - full page, half page and insert slots just about take up slots everywhere and can be tiresome (although essential in financial terms), but the vast majority are colourful (if a little dull) and show that there is a vibrant market place out there.

All in all then The Brass Herald is a top quality production; full of interest and with admirable ambition. The idea behind it has been well researched and provides the reader with a cross over of genres that appeal on a variety of levels. You don't have to be a "serious" brass anorak to enjoy reading it, but it does help if occasionally you are prone to wearing one now and again. The Brass Herald though should prove a welcome addition to anyone's paper bill.

Iwan Fox

The Brass Herald can be purchased direct from
Published by Philip Biggs Brass Festivals Ltd
2, The Coppice,
Impington
Cambridge
CB4 9PP

or by contacting http://www.thebrassherald.com/

Tel: 01223 234090

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