Reviewed by Stephen Luff

Based in Kansas, The Fountain City Brass Band's stated mission is "Cultural enrichment through the presentation of concerts that are both entertaining and educational." To achieve this they perform a wide range of music, which is reflected on this CD. Once past the opener, John Williams' jubilant "Liberty Fanfare", displaying all the expectation of a start of a big movie (as only John Williams can do), we are treated to an enjoyable mix of tracks including the Salvation Army's beautiful "Hymn For Diana", the challenging piece for any brass band "Paganini Variations" recognisable to many for the piece used in the TV programme The South Bank Show, and the energetic James Bond theme, Paul McCartney's "Live And Let Die" which suits the band extremely well. Of note is the outstanding soprano cornet playing on this latter track by Steve Molloy, which takes the lead with dramatic effect. Based on this CD, the band has plenty to celebrate.

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The line from the classic Harold Arlen tune, Over the Rainbow, has indeed proven to be true for the Fountain City Brass Band. After winning both the North American Brass Band Association Championships and the U.S. Open Brass Band Championships three years in a row, the FCBB was fortunate enough to launch a tour that would go down in banding history.

As winners of the 2008 U.S. Open, the band was invited to compete in the following year's Brass in Concert Championship, as well as to give numerous concerts and youth workshops throughout the United Kingdom, record its second album and be the first American band to compete in the Scottish Open Championship. It was a lengthy trip that saw the band overseas during the American holiday of Thanksgiving which, being away from their homes and families, was spent as comfortably as possible in a castle-turned resort.

A few days after this, the band's dreams really did come true when the FCBB became the first American band to win a top level brass band competition in the UK with its victory at the Scottish Open. Aptly enough, their choice for this performance was Bertrand Moren's thrilling composition Dreams that also garnered the best soloist prize on the day for one of the founding members of the band, trombonist William Hess.

Given this remarkable success, that the future seems brighter than ever and that the band itself hails from Kansas, the Fountain City Brass Band has titled this recording Over the Rainbow.