International Staff Band Of The Salvation Army turn to the works of John Larsson

Musicals Into Brass Instrumentals

THE RENOWNED International Staff Band Of The Salvation Army (Bandmaster Dr Stephen Cobb), have released the album 'Larsson In Brass: The ISB Plays The Music Of John Larsson'. The album features fresh brass arrangements of compositions originally written in the '60s and '70s for musicals written by John Gowans and John Larsson, which gained huge popularity in the Salvationist movement, causing them to be called the "Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber of the Salvation Army." Wrote General John Larsson (now retired) in the sleevenotes for the album, "I am indebted to Stephen Cobb for the concept of this CD and to the arrangers for their part. It is gratifying to see a younger generation of composers continuing to find creative inspiration in these melodies. I also thank the ISB for its impeccable and inspirational playing. Most of my music was written to match lyrics. General John Gowans and I wrote more than 200 songs together when creating our 10 musicals, but the disc also covers the wider range of my music." CR

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.