Another LP classic on CD from the Los Angeles Brass Quintet, now with the Los Angeles Percussion Ensemble; Stanley Chaloupka, Harp; and Sharon Davis, Piano.
The third LP from the Los Angeles Brass Quintet, released in 1974, also garnered attention for its spectacular playing and exciting repertoire. Now on CD109, the playing and recording quality are still among the best. Brass performers, same as on the first LABQ LP and CD, are fabulous trumpeter Thomas Stevens and tuba player Roger Bobo, along with Miles Anderson on trombone, Mario Guarneri on trumpet, and Ralph Pyle on horn. The Los Angeles Percussion Ensemble, the brass players, and Stanley Chaloupka, harpist, were all members of the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the time this recording was made. Sharon Davis is a famous recording artist and touring pianist.
These works were all written for the Los Angeles Brass Quintet. The Kraft Nonet is unique in its instrumentation and its 22 minutes are an exciting listening experience. Rayner Brown was Dean and State Chairman of the American Guild of Organists. He wrote a wonderfully listenable piece for this recording. William Schmidt is well known for his hundreds of works for brass and woodwinds, which are staples in the repertoire for concerts throughout the world. Frank Campo was a Professor at California State University Northridge for 25 years, and his many works are performed regularly.
“Nonet for Brass and Percussion by William Kraft, heard here under the composer’s baton, is a superb piece, uncompromising and massively exciting... The performance is impeccable, here and elsewhere. One notices the careful balancing of simultaneities, the superb, consistent spot-on attack from all players... There are three Madrigals by Frank Campo...The sheer accuracy of the opening trumpet line is astonishing... The sound of a harp at the opening of Rayner Brown’s Concertino For Harp And Brass Quintet is quite a shock on first blush. How surprising it seems in this context to find the sound of harp and muted trumpet are so closely aligned. The recording balance helps; each instrument clear as a bell...Finally, there comes William Schmidt’s Concertino For Piano And Brass Quintet….The writing here indeed speaks of fluency. Jazz, post-Impressionism, and a goodly dollop of spikiness to combine to make for an enjoyable romp, made all the more relishable thanks to the tightness of ensemble between Sharon Davis and the brass.” (Fanfare, Colin Clarke, March/April 2019)
“This recording is terrific.” (American Record Guide, Kilpatrick, March/April 2019)
