Reviewed by Stephen Luff

This volume in the series is dedicated to Granville Jennings who joined Foden's band playing soprano cornet in 1963, helping them to win the 1964 British Open Brass Band Championship. "Washington Greys" opens the album in strident form with its marching beat, but the pace soon slows with "Ruler Of The Spirits", a revision of the overture of the unfinished opera Rubeezahl. This classical feel forms the basis of a number of the tracks on the album with pieces like "Waltz Song" (from Romeo And Juliet) and the emotional "O Magnum Mysterium". I also enjoyed the outstanding soprano solo by Richard Poole on Mendez's "La Virgen De La Macarena" and Helen Williams' fugal horn solo on "Postcard From Luthermuir" is simply beautiful. However, I found Mancini's classic "Moon River" was played too slowly for my taste and I got bored before its conclusion. A reasonably good album occasionally sprinkled with some outstanding performances.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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