After returning from the USA after performing as the guest soloist at James Madison University's 'Tromblow'in' festival, Black Dyke trombone star Brett Baker has released a new CD on the emerging Toccata Next label.

Renowned

Affiliated with Toccata Classics and distributed by Naxos, the CD is aimed the growing market for serious contemporary music from internationally renowned performers.

Entitled 'Outrageous Fortune'- named after one of the four major concerto works for trombone and wind bands featured on it by composer Nigel Clarke, the release also showcases the first recorded performance of Jan Van der Roost's 'Contrasts', as well as Soren Hyldgaard's 'Rapsodia Borealis', James Stephenson's 'Concerto Braziliano'.

Speaking to 4BR Brett gave an insight into the exciting repertoire featured on the CD which is released this weekend.

Outrageous Fortune

"Nigel's 'Symphony Number 2 for Trombone, Voice Actor and Wind Ensemble' really is 'Outrageous Fortune' for me,"he said.

"The piece was premiered in 2017 with the Middle Tennessee Wind Ensemble and I subsequently recorded it at the end of 2017 with the RNCM Wind Ensemble in Manchester. Both performances were conducted by MTSU's Professor of Music & Conducting, Dr Reed Thomas, who was very much part of the whole CD project."

He added: "Nigel put me in touch with Reed when he finished composing his amazing 'Symphony No. 2' for me in 2016, and I visited MTSU in 2016 to record Hyldgaard's 'Rapsodia Borealis' to see if we could get the project to work."

Affiliated with Toccata Classics and distributed by Naxos, the CD is aimed the growing market for serious contemporary music from internationally renowned performers4BR

Hit it off

Brett continued: "Reed and I hit it off and have remained firm friends ever since, and over the past two years I visited a further three times to record Nigel's piece and then Jim Stephenson's 'Concerto Braziliano'.

Jim's work is very popular and is played by trombonists all over in the USA. However, it has never received a studio recording, so I was excited to be the first to premiere the studio version of this substantial work by a leading composer.

All that and it's been great to perform Jan Van der Roost's 'Contrasts' which was recorded back in October 2018 and is a piece that has already received rave reviews from those that have listened to the brass band version."

To Purchase

To purchase the release go to: https://www.brettbaker.co.uk/merchandise/cds