Superbrass, page 6 |

£30.00

The Moose on the Loose - Mark Hamlyn

I had a dream of a moose that escapes captivity and heads towards the city. At first, he has a ball with all the new things to see but as he approaches the centre he gradually despairs at the chaos of the crowds of people and traffic. In the end he flees desperately out of the city and slams himself back into his cage. The piece is clearly a homage to Shostakovich and perhaps shouldn't be taken too seriously. Mark Hamlyn.
£30.00

The Raft of Medusa - Gareth Wood

The Raft of the Medusa is a painting by Theodore Gericault and hangs in the Louvre, Paris. It depicts the true story of a shipwreck and of a hastily constructed raft upon which at least 157 people were cast adrift for 13 days and endured starvation, dehydration, cannibalism and madness. The work is a diabolical duel between trumpet and trombone, a violent tone poem showing off the techniques of the soloists. There is no light in this piece, no triumph, only sadness.
£40.00

Tientos y Danzas - Gareth Wood

Tientos y Danzas is a suite in four movements and was written especially for Superbrass. It is not literally descriptive, but conjures up a breezy, festive atmosphere. The title Tientos stems from the fact that a lot of the brass writing is reminiscent of virtuosic Renaissance keyboard finger-work (a "Tiento" is the Spanish equivalent of a toccata). Only later did we discover that the word is also the name of a style of flamenco dancing, which links nicely with Danzas (dances). The first movement is an extended fanfare, with military rhythms on the tenor drums and dramatic trumpet and horn calls. Next comes a witty waltz featuring the French horn. The music builds in complexity; the main horn theme returns before a playful coda. The following Andante makes effective use of the mutes, both in the haunting opening "pyramid" chords, and in the elaborate, recurrent trumpet duets; the two trumpets have the last word. After a couple of false starts, the finale sets off at a cracking pace, with dislocated accents creating an irregular rhythmic pulse. There are opportunities for every instrument to shine (metaphorically) and the music gets even faster for a thrilling conclusion.
£30.00

Tis the Season to be Jolly - Traditional

This carol has its origins in 16th Wales. The melody, which dates from the 16th century, comes from the winter carol of that time "Nos Galan" (New Years' Eve). The lyrics were written by the Scottish composer Thomas Oliphant in 1862. This truly celtic carol is sung throughout the Christmas, Yuletide and New Year season. My arrangement steps away from any celtic 'feel' and instead presents the material in a full-on swing style.
£30.00

Toot & Ska Men - Jock McKenzie

The musical building blocks for this work came from my research into 'Faux Egyptian Music' and found how useful it was to use the top four notes of a harmonic minor scale. As my research continued an 'earworm' started to form which ultimately manifested itself as "Toot & Ska Men". I'm sure a bit of influence was taken from the band "Madness" and their song "Night Boat to Cairo" too....
£30.00

Wade in the Water (Bass Tbn) - Traditional

Wade in the Water is a Negro Spiritual. The song relates to both the old and new testaments and reflects the Israelites escape out of Egypt. There is a popular belief that Wade in the Water contained explicit instructions to fugitive slaves on how to avoid capture. Wade in the Water has inspired a wide range of artists and been covered by Bob Dylan, Ramsey Lewis, Herb Albert, Big Mama Thornton and Johnny Griffin. In this arrangement by Mark Bassey, Mark has been influenced by Norman Symmons fine arrangement for the Johnny Griffin orchestra and has been written to feature the multi-talented Jazz Trombonist and member of Superbrass, Andy Wood.
£30.00

Wade in the Water (Euph) - Traditional

Wade in the Water is a Negro Spiritual. The song relates to both the old and new testaments and reflects the Israelites escape out of Egypt. There is a popular belief that Wade in the Water contained explicit instructions to fugitive slaves on how to avoid capture. Wade in the Water has inspired a wide range of artists and been covered by Bob Dylan, Ramsey Lewis, Herb Albert, Big Mama Thornton and Johnny Griffin. In this arrangement by Mark Bassey, Mark has been influenced by Norman Symmons fine arrangement for the Johnny Griffin orchestra and has been written to feature the multi-talented Jazz Trombonist and member of Superbrass, Andy Wood.
£30.00

We Three Gypsy Kings - Traditional

This is a true story. I had a dream.....
£30.00

We Wish you - Traditional

Little is known of the origins of this carol; it appears in none of the historic collections. It is however thought to originally be a folk song attributed to the 'West Country'. This link to the West Country is based on the carol's reference to 'figgy pudding' a localised, seasonal dish containing raisins or plums, somewhat like the traditional Christmas Pudding. The greeting 'We Wish You a Merry Christmas' is typical of the practice of 'Wassailing'; going door to door to sing, dance and offer seasonal greetings in the hope of receiving food and drink in return.