A Thursday night at the beginning of December seems an unlikely night for a fantastic concert but it was. Held at the Adrian Boult Hall in Birmingham the JLR Band were pleased to join forces with our close friends from Florida.
The Brass Band of Central Florida have been at the centre of the USA brass band movement injecting a unique twist on what we know as a traditional brass band.
Since the JLR Band visit to Chicago in 2006 the two bands have developed a strong bond which made this concert that more special.
First Half - The Jaguar Land Rover Band
The JLR Band took the stage in the first half. Here is part of the concert review from 4barsrest.com.
"........That ‘special relationship’ has grown ever since and a mutual respect was immediately evident with Jaguar Land Rover (the ‘warm up act’ as Dave Lea so self deprecatingly put it) getting their first half contribution off to a flying start with Sandy Smith’s arrangement of ‘Stingray’, and in doing so amply demonstrating what a confident, exciting sound the band currently possesses.
German’s march ‘The President’ displayed admirable style and a well chosen tempo, whilst principal cornet Darren Lea, although occasionally being pushed to the limits by some over enthusiastic accompaniment, was a stylish, full blooded soloist in ‘Cry Me a River’.
Philip Harper’s skilful arrangement of Queen’s ‘Who Wants to Live Forever’ was marked by sensitive playing along with beautifully observed dynamics, whilst solo euphonium Ian Wright took centre stage for ‘Carnival Cocktail’, in a performance marked by the notable clarity of articulation and infectious sense of fun.
German’s march ‘The President’ displayed admirable style and a well chosen tempo, whilst principal cornet Darren Lea, although occasionally being pushed to the limits by some over enthusiastic accompaniment, was a stylish, full blooded soloist in ‘Cry Me a River’.
Philip Harper’s skilful arrangement of Queen’s ‘Who Wants to Live Forever’ was marked by sensitive playing along with beautifully observed dynamics, whilst solo euphonium Ian Wright took centre stage for ‘Carnival Cocktail’, in a performance marked by the notable clarity of articulation and infectious sense of fun.
Jaguar’s ensemble highlight however was Eric Ball’s ‘The Kingdom Triumphant’. Displaying majesty and atmosphere......"
Second Half - Brass Band of Central Florida
The BBCF took the stage in the second half. Here is an extract of the concert review from 4barsrest.com.
"..........the majority of Central Florida’s contribution was taken up with a trial run of their Brass in Concert programme – a heavily Latin flavoured set of high quality arrangements by MD Chad Shoopman, Rick Mizell and Jim Derrick.
Sparkling choreography was perfectly harmonised to the music taking the presentation to new levels of sophistication in banding terms.
The Piazzola opener ‘Tres Minutos’, had it all; thoughtful choreography, high octane energy, one of the best kit players you will ever hear in Rich Sweat, and an improvised horn solo - all played from memory......"
It is fair to say our friends from America impressed both the audience and the band with the quality of playing and musicianship. We would like to congratulate them on their second place at Brass in Concert and hope we get the opportunity to share the stage with them in the very near future.