Results
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£30.00The St Louis Blues - Sandy Coffin, W C Handy
Two-Step MarchCommissioned by John Wallace, this arrangement of The St Louis Blues has been crafted by Sandy Coffin through close listening of the available recordings of the Harlem Hellfighters Band. Sandy had been heavily involved with the Historic Brass Society symposium 2017 held in New York and assisted John with his research on this fascinating band and the style of music it generated.Eye-witness accounts refer to the 369th band 'dancing' rather than 'marching'. Above all, in modern performance, finding a 'dancing beat' is crucial to a successful performance of this Ragtime march in order to do justice to the great pioneering work of James Reese Europe.Note the flutter-tonguing and use of muting, the counter-melody in soprano cornet, and the wilder and yet wilder nature of each repetition of the Chorus.Look and Listen:Background to the Harlem HellfightersThe US Army 369th Regiment, made up largely of African-Americans from New York, became known as the Harlem Hellfighters because of the heroic reputation which accrued to them during the actions they engaged in during the First World War in Europe.James Reese Europe was one of the most active African-American composer/musical directors in the pre-war American music scene. The legendary Harlem Hellfighters Band, which he assembled in 1917 from African-American and Puerto Rican musicians, came at an important transitional point in musical history. A new form of music called jazz was emerging from Ragtime and the performing style of Europe's band was immersed in the flow of this new direction.Europe's Harlem Hellfighters influenced and inspired everyone who heard them, including the welcoming crowd when they disembarked in France, bowled over by their swinging rendition of La Marseillaise. Reese Europe became a war hero, commanding a machine-gun unit as well as the band.On return from War in 1919 the band led a ticker-tape parade along Fifth Avenue in New York and soon made about 30 shellac recordings. These recordings display some of the fingerprints of their performing style: ragging, improvising, muting, wailing, smearing (their word for glissando) - and from the evidence of their recordings they took the printed page as a blueprint for individuality.In May 1919 during the Hellfighters' triumphant coast-to-coast tour after their return, James Reese Europe was tragically murdered, bringing to premature close, at the age of 39, the work of a great musical innovator.
In Stock: Estimated dispatch 3-5 working days
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£25.00Zephyrus - Andrew Duncan
The Big Blow', was a formal record attempt to create the largest brass band in the world. It took place at Butlin's Resort, Skegness on 20 January 27 and in addition to the fun generated by the event itself, it's main goal was to raise money in support of the work of Brass Band Aid, and specifically to provide long-term sponsorship for two children in the village of Adet, Ethiopia.The Music Company (UK) Ltd were one of the Official Partners of The Big Blow, providing the performance piece for the record attempt. As Editorial Director of the company, Andrew Duncan wrote 'Zephyrus' to mark the occasion.Originally presented at the event as 'March - The Big Blow', the published re-titling of 'Zephyrus' provides a more subtle alternative, taking its name from the Greek God of the West Winds.'Zephyrus' is a traditional British brass band march with an interesting African-feel lilt to the trio. This is enhanced by optional percussion instruments including djembi and bongos, which can also be covered by standard drum kit. A positive, upbeat concert march to reflect the sentiment behind 'The Big Blow' record attempt.There were 443 participants in total, including:Soprano Cornets x 12Cornets x 152Flugels x 19Tenor Horns x 68Baritones x 32Euphoniums x 32Trombones x 55Eb Basses x 35Bb Basses x 17Percussionists x 21The Music Company are pleased to continue their support of Brass Band Aid by offering a donation to this worthy charity for every set of this music sold.
In Stock: Estimated dispatch 3-5 working days
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£40.00Legends of Cyfarthfa - Matthew Hall
Legends of CyfarthfaCombining the music of Joseph Parry and the legendary Cyfarthfa Band, Legends of Cyfarthfa is a technically challenging but musically rewarding concert work. Robert Crawshay owned the Cyfarthfa Ironworks in South Wales creating a business empire second to none.Cyfarthfa Castle was built by Crawshay as the family home from the income made via the ironworks. He wanted his own private band to play under the name of the ironworks with the best players in the world, playing on the highest quality instruments at the time. Employing the band members under the guise of iron workers, the Cyfarthfa Band was made up of virtuoso players, performing for the pleasure of the Crawshay dynasty.This virtuosity can be heard in some of the more technically challenging sections of Legends of Cyfarthfa. Joseph Parry was born in Cyfarthfa.He composed the first piece of music specifically written for brass band called Tydfil Overture for the Cyfarthfa Band, alongside many other memorable works for other instrumentation.Legends of Cyfarthfa incorporates many of Parry's works including his opera Blodwen, hymn tune Aberystwyth, folk melody Myfanwy and the Tydfil Overture, alongside many other melodies from Wales. Sospanfach, Men of Harlech, Lisa Lan and Calon Lan are just a number of the melodies that are used in this composition.The premiere performance was given by Tredegar Town Band under the direction of Ian Porthouse at the 2010 Brass in Concert Championships where it was awarded the Cyril Beere Memorial Trophy for Best New Composition or Arrangement.https://matthew-hall.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/05-Legends-Of-Cyfarthfa.mp3Legends of Cyfarthfa
Estimated dispatch 5-7 working days
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£40.00Dragons' Rise - Matthew Hall
Dragons' Rise was commissioned by the Tredegar Town Band in July 2008 for their CD recording Spirit of the Valleys, to represent the band beginning their resurrection from a difficult time in the bands history back through to becoming on of the best bands in the world. It was premiered by the Tredegar Town Band at the National Eisteddfod contest in Cardiff in August 2008, performed live on national television, where the band were victorious.Dragons' Rise was the first piece composed by Matthew as the bands new composer-in-residence. Subsequent pieces have included Legends of Cyfarthfa and Nightingale Dances, both winners of the Cyril Beere award for Best New Composition at Brass in Concert, The Smile and Activate.
Estimated dispatch 5-7 working days
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£40.00
Dial M for Midnight - Matthew Hall
Dial M for Midnight is a jazz-based solo for aspiring and accomplished cornet players alike. Technically not particularly demanding yet quite complicated rhythmically, Dial M allows players young and old to stand up and show off their skills in a work which has it's roots in Latin America but travels through the late night smoke-filled jazz clubs along the way. Commissioned by Jim Hayes for his debut CD recording, Dial M is the title track. Nicknamed Jimmy Midnight, Jim Hayes has established himself as one of the leading cornet players in the world playing within the Scottish Co-Op Band. Dial M is a take on Jim's persona and his love of jazz, the culmination of which ends up as a witty pastiche signature track of all things James Bond to Perry Mason.
Estimated dispatch 5-7 working days
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£40.00
Spanning Revolutions - Matthew Hall
Spanning RevolutionsSpanning Revolutions was commissioned by The Ironbridge Gorge Brass Band Festival in celebration of the 25th Anniversary of the Ironbridge Gorge being made a UNESCO World Heritage Site.The premiere performance was given at the Festival in 2011, based at the Museum of Iron, Coalbrookdale, Shropshire, performed by the combined bands of Tongwynlais Temperance and Wellington (Telford) under the direction of the composer.The Ironbridge Gorge is seen as the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution; the section between G and I is a representation of a steam engine starting up.Spanning Revolutions
Estimated dispatch 5-7 working days
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Anyone Who Had A Heart - Burt Bacharach and Hal David - Len Jenkins
"Anyone Who Had A Heart" is a song written by Burt Bacharach (music) and Hal David (lyrics) originally for Dionne Warwick in 1963. However, in the UK, Ireland and New Zealand, the cover version by Cilla Black was, and is still, the best loved. Championed by her friends The Beatles, she began her career as a singer in 1963, and her singles "Anyone Who Had A Heart" and "You're My World" both reached number one in the UK in 1964. From the first line, the song has a certain frisson: "Anyone who ever loved, could look at me, and know that I love you." Sadly, Cilla passed away on 1 August 2015 so this is our tribute to a well-loved lady and singer. Our objective has been to interpret the style of the original performance by Cilla, and whilst the time signatures may not be familiar, experience has shown that these are easier to read and play than the alternative using triplets.
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The Giddy Goat - Traditional Swiss - Daniel von Siebenthal
The Giddy Goat is a silly folk song that everyone knows in Switzerland. It is about a white goat that does not want to get milked, so she kicks the milker. Thinking that this is because the goat is white, the owner decides that he will buy a brown one instead. From there on, people make up their own verses in which the goat is often replaced with past loves, enemies, and anyone or anything worthy of ridicule. Daniel, the arranger, lives in Gstaad in the Saanen district and the "Saanen goat" is a breed of white goat known throughout the world. As a farm boy, he did his share of goat milking and received the occasional hoof under his chin for his trouble. So, this piece is a tribute to a local breed that became world-famous, especially in America where the tune also meets its counterpart Billy Grogan's Goat (a similar silly song). The Giddy Goat should always be played as a "silly song" reflecting the goat's nature; capricious and cantankerous. The low bass line is important in Swiss folk music and should approximate to a plucked string-bass whose strings are dampened, to give it a pulsating feel. For those who would like to yodel we include the following Swiss tongue twister:- Holeduli duliduli, holeduli duli duli duuli, Holeduli duliduli, holeduli duli duli duu
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Bad Moon Rising - John Fogerty - Len Jenkins
"Bad Moon Rising" is a song written by John Fogerty and performed by Creedence Clearwater Revival. It was the lead single from their album Green River and was released in April 1969, four months before the album. It reached No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart for three weeks in September 1969 and has been recorded by at least 20 different artists, in styles ranging from folk to reggae to psychedelic rock. The last line of the chorus, "there's a bad moon on the rise", is sometimes misheard as "there's a bathroom on the right" and Fogerty occasionally sings the misheard lyric in concert. The song has become notably popular in Argentina as a football chant and in the 2014 FIFA World Cup, a modified version, titled "Brasil, decime que se siente" ("Brazil, Tell Me How It Feels") was sung with Spanish lyrics that taunted Brazil, their traditional rival. It went viral and became very popular (in Argentina).
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I Believe - Drake, Graham, Shirl & Stillman - Len Jenkins
"I Believe" is a popular song written by Ervin Drake, Irvin Graham, Jimmy Shirl and Al Stillman in 1953. It was commissioned with the intent of offering people hope and faith against the backdrop of the Korean War that followed so soon after World War 2. The number has been recorded by many artists and the edition by The Bachelors is perhaps the best well-known in Britain. This arrangement, which is very suitable for fetes and concerts, features the Flugel and Tenor Horns in a duet, with band accompaniment. It is dedicated to the twins Hazel and Heather who play these instruments in the Woburn Sands Band. Graham Cooper