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ARTICLES


The 4BarsRest Awards 2001 - The results...

All the votes are now in, and what a response! The 3318 entries for the seven categories has sent our e-mail into melt down, but we’ve managed to retrieve all the suggestions and have spent literally hours with an abacus, pen and paper to add them up.

Thanks for taking the time to contact us and we hope these awards will be well received and thought of as worthwhile. Nearly all of you didn’t quite agree with our choices, and there were a few odd (but perfectly justifiable) nominations in some of the categories.

Still, you don’t wish to hear anymore from us and so we’ll ask our glamorous and scantily clothed assistant to hand over the golden envelope that contains the winners. Here goes…..

Our seven categories were:


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Band of the Year:

And the winner is: Yorkshire Building Society

It was a close run thing, but YBS took the most votes (39%) from you in recognition we believe for a year of achievement that included the victories at the British Open and the European Championships, their runners up spots at the All England Masters, Regional Championships and third place at the National Finals. They remain at the top of the 4BR World Rankings and have had a superb year of contesting achievement.

A close second (and it was close) were Black Dyke (36%) , whilst third spot went to Eikanger Bjorsvik Musikklag (15%).

Other nominations (10%) came in the form of Fodens, Brighouse and Rastrick, Williams Fairey, JAG Mount Charles and Grimethorpe. There were others but these bands made up the majority of the votes.


YBS logo

Contest Performance of the Year

The winner is: Fodens at the British Open Championships on Les Preludes.

The absolute runaway winners in the category (57%).

Given that they came 7th it still remains the most talked about performance of the year. Full of drama, musicianship and brilliant musicality it nevertheless also had moments of tuning unease and individual errors. It was however a performance that remained long in the memory banks and one that drew its inspiration from the sheer class of the reading by Bramwell Tovey.

Runners up were Black Dyke (32%) and their performance of Albion whilst third spot went to Brighouse and Rastrick (9%) and their winning performance of Pageantry at the All England Masters.

Others (2%) who got a creditable mention were YBS at the Masters, BAYV Cory at the European, Eikanger at the Norwegian Nationals and YBS again at the European Own Choice.


 

Fodens Band LogoBramwell Tovey

Lower Section Band of the Year

A real close run thing this one, but the winners by a neck were... Peter Hawke Garages Lindley (34%) under the direction of Neil Jowett.

Plenty of votes for a variety of bands here (including several persons who voting between them submitted over 100 times! - they weren't counted), but the winners of the Pontins title and the Senior Cup came ahead of a field that saw Shirland Welfare Training (31%) in second place – just a short neck behind and Pennine Brass (24%)who were a further length back.

Peter Hawke Garages Lindley gave two very fine winning performances this year and won twice in some high quality fields, whilst on the every occasion they performed they displayed the characteristics of a balanced well rounded sound that should serve them well next year.

Other notable nominations (11%) came for City of Bristol, ASDA Stocksbridge, Lancashire Life Morcambe, Beaumaris, Ammanford, Towcester Studio, Kibworth and Carlton Brass.


 

CD of the Year

The clear winner in this important category was… Butterworth – The Music of Arthur Butterworth (41%). Black Dyke Band conducted by Nicholas Childs. Doyen Recordings CD 130.

This excellent CD of the music of a hidden genius of a brass band composer was one of the most welcome releases during a year of fine recordings. A long overdue re-appraisal, superbly performed by the National Champions.

Runner up was “Purcell Variations” (31%)– the music of Kenneth Downie by Brighouse and Rastrick, on the Egon label whilst third spot went to “Highlights of the European Brass Band Championships 2001” (16%) on the Doyen label.

Plenty of votes for all sorts of releases (12%) including “The Undaunted – Eric Ball” by Grimethorpe, “Flash” by Sandstorm Brass, “Summon the Heroes” by the Kirkintilloch Band, “Glory, Glory” by the ISB, “Frankly Speaking” by Travelsphere, “Blazing Brass” by NYSB and Patrick Sheridan.


Butterworth CD

Test Piece of the Year

The one area in which just about everyone agreed with our choices!

The clear winner was: ”Albion” by Jan Van der Roost. (55%)

The National Finals set test was a superb choice, and a brave one for that matter. It was challenging for players, conductor and audience alike and created as much debate as any test piece in recent years. The choreography apart, the music was dramatic and skilfully constructed and it asked both technical and musical questions of the main and minor players around the stand as well as asking the conductors an awful lot of questions of their understanding of contemporary brass writing. A fine piece that has now been performed with success all over Europe.

Second place went to “Les Preludes”(23%) – the masterly transcription by Bram Gay, whilst a very close third went to Malcolm Arnold’s “Attleborough Suite” (11%) – the inspired choice for the Fourth Section National Finals.

Other that were nominated (11%) were “JAZZ” by Philip Wilby – used for the top section Regionals, “Montreux Wind Dances” used at the European, “Diadem of Gold” used at Pontins, “Fantasy for Brass Band” used at the First Section National Finals and “Isaiah 40” used at the Mineworkers.


Jan Van de Roost

Player of the Year:

A bit like counting the Labour votes in the General Election in Wales here – we were weighing them by the tonne for the winner... Peter Roberts (68%) of the Yorkshire Building Society Band.

We couldn’t quite believe the response – no other player (and there were a fair few good ‘uns in our selection) came close to the genius of the soprano.

Not only does he continue to lead the field by a considerable margin on his chosen instrument, but he does so in such a manner that you can only wonder how on earth he does it. A superlative player who should possibly have won the soloist award at the British Open and who’s concert performance at the European Championship weekend sent the audience home with wet knickers. The man is bloody phenomenal.

In no way disgraced in coming second was Nick Hudson (14%), the superb trombonist of Williams Fairey and third went to Roger Webster (11%) at Black Dyke.

Others (7%) who got a well merited mention were David Thornton of Black Dyke, David Childs of CWS Glasgow, Richard Marshall of Grimethorpe, Michelle Ibbotson of Black Dyke and Glyn Williams of Fodens.


Peter Roberts

Conductor of the Year:

The closest category of them all in terms of the minute difference between the votes cast for the eventual winner and the runner up. It wasn’t until literally the last hour of the final day that we could see who the winner was, and it is… David King (34%) of the Yorkshire Building Society Band.

Second place went to Bramwell Tovey (33%) of Fodens, who was just a handful of votes behind and in many ways it would have been fairer if it were a tie, but David King is the deserved winner in a year that he put his, and his bands reputation on the line no less than five times and came out winners twice, runners up twice and third once. That is a record any conductor can be proud of, but one we know Mr King feels could and should have been so much better.

His performances were marked by an innate sense of style and musicality that at times was different and challenging, but he remains the most exciting and naturally talented MD on the scene. His desire and commitment to success and excellence remain undiminished, his appetite not yet sated. He is a well-merited winner of our premier award.

Bramwell Tovey could have on any other occasion won by a country mile, for his interpretations at both the Open and Nationals were something the banding world has rarely if ever heard, and his possible loss to the banding scene should provoke a national outcry. His is a talent we cannot afford to lose.

Third place went to Nicholas Childs (24%) at Black Dyke, whilst there were many a nominations (9%) for Allan Withington, Garry Cutt, Howard Snell, Peter Parkes, Frank Renton, Robert Childs, Bryan Hurdley, Frans Violet, Marie Smith, Adelle Sellers and Chris Wormald.


David King

Special 4BarsRest Award

Finally the award to Alan Jenkins of the Brass Band World Magazine for his continued excellent contribution to the movement.

Please check out what we have already said about this fine journalist in our nominations article. All we can add here is that he is a most deserved winner, a lovely man, a fine writer and critic and trenchant supporter of all things right and proper in the world.

And very finally - we have to thank my mam and dad (stop right there!- it’s not the bloody Oscars!)

Thanks to everyone who took the time to vote. We’ll be making sure that everyone of the winners will get a proper certificate from 4BR so that they can put up above the telly and next year we may even splash out on a proper awards ceremony!

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