Just a few days after the disappointment of losing their All England Masters International crown in Kettering, Tredegar delivered a polished reminder of their future entertainment title credentials to an appreciative audience in Stroud.
Their top three podium finishes at the Brass in Concert Championship in the last two years have been built on the ability to skilfully mix and match musical genres – from tub thumping Welsh gusto to nostalgic family memories, gypsy fervour to cool jazz.
Malleable
As a result MD Ian Porthouse has been able to employ a very malleable sense of musicality to his concert programme choices – with two enjoyable halves here built around tried and tested repertoire that has since been added to by music that will appear on their forthcoming CD release and perhaps their November appearance at Gateshead.
Enjoy
There will be much to enjoy on this form if they do – with the opening ‘National Emblem’ march and the bold colour of ‘Damba’ (both used at Brass in Concert last year) balanced with the jazz sounds of ‘Samba Del Gringo’ and ‘Cathedral in a Suitcase’ which will feature on a forthcoming CD which has brought them into a long term association with Danish composer Jacob Larsen.
Classy
The quintet of classy soloists were certainly in good nick: Dewi Grifiths delivering a belting ‘People’ on trumpet, Hannah Drage a lovely rendition of her own composition ‘Ephemeral’ accompanied by Gavin Pritchard on marimba, and Daniel Thomas giving the traditionalists something to smile about as they quietly sucked on their Werther’s Originals with a fizzing rendition of ‘Grandfather’s Clock’.
Danny Winder showcased his lyrical qualities with ‘Eyes of a Child’, whilst Gavin Pritchard returned later in the second half to literally fly through ‘Helter Skelter’ on xylophone – played at a tempo that was close to the ultimate limit of after-beat accompaniment.
Skunk Funk
However, it was the ability of the band to slide suavely into the jazz and funk idioms that was most impressive: And it’s not that often a bit of ‘Some Skunk Funk’ goes down as well as this in these parts.
Add a bold touch teenage Danish pride with Larsen’s scouting march, ‘The Call of the Brave’ and two bucolic gems from Simon Dobson in ‘Little Prayer’ and the premiere of Kenneth Downie’s ‘Sunset over the River Exe’, and all that was left was for a belting finale of Matthew Hall’s ‘Nightingale Dances’ and the happy-clappy ‘Can’t Nobody do me Like Jesus’.
It rounded off a polished evening’s work from a band that continues to show an admirable sense of musical elan.
Matthew Ruel
