 Building
Bridges… (AMSCD097)
Aveley & Newham Band
Musical Director: Nigel Taken
The hackneyed notion that brass bands
hailing from south of Watford Gap are not the force to be reckoned with
as contrasted with their Midland and Northern counterparts is now
largely dispelled. But if anyone is still in any doubt as to what the
‘South’ can provide in terms of quality brass band playing then they
should listen to Aveley and Newham Band’s latest CD, Building Bridges.
As recently crowned Grand Shield winners
one may not be surprised; having listened to many of the tracks from
this album I was both entertained and impressed by the choice of
repertoire and the slickness of the playing. At times the sound of the
band ‘knocks on the door’ of the very best and the CD also affords scope
to the band to show off its excellent soloists.
Conducted throughout by Nigel Taken, the CD
starts off with the march Arnhem, played with a swagger that whets the
appetite for things to come. Amongst a well considered selection of
lighter items – It Don’t Mean a Thing (If It Ain’t Got That Swing),
Thriller, Manhattan Skyline and The Muppet Show Theme to mention a few,
there is a good balance of more serious music including some appealing
choices from the repertoire of the Salvation Army. Of particular
interest to me is Kevin Norbury’s overture Truth Aflame and William
Himes superb cornet solo, Jubilance, here played by Cliff Pask who gives
an impressively assured and highly sensitive rendition of this difficult
work.
Other items include Roy Douglas’s
arrangement of Vaughn Williams Prelude for the film 49th
Parallel, music from Coppelia by Delibes and Ray Farrr’s arrangement of
the up-beat version of Bach’s Toccata in D Minor.
The CD insert is well thought out with
informative text on the band, its conductor and the musical content of
the disc, which together with the excellent band playing, makes for a
valued addition to anyone’s CD collection.
Richard Franklin | 
