Sound Off / Sousa on Review

Sound Off / Sousa on Review

Eastman Wind Ensemble, cond. Frederick Fennell

Mercury Living Presence, MG 50264 & MMA 11163 - MONO versions from sessions recorded in mono and stereo

Rec. 1960 & 1961 resp.

This post replaces an earlier one which included 'Sousa on Review' only.

While all of Fennell's Sousa (and others') stereo era march recordings have been issued on excellently remastered Living Presence CD's in stereo, there are few if any good quality transfers of the mono counterparts from the same sessions available on CD or in high quality download format. Although in this case the stereo versions would be considered by many to be far superior, it is worth remembering that most listeners at the time would have heard these performances in mono and that it would still be a few years before the majority could afford a stereogram or similar state-of-the-art record player. 

The Lp's used for the present transfers had evidently seen much use over their 50 or so years, but nevertheless remained in generally very good to excellent playing condition.

The Eastman Wind Ensemble comprised students from the Eastman School of Music, Rochester, New York, several of whom would later occupy positions in major American symphony orchestras: standards were extremely high, as they remain today. The ensemble has inspired concert band players across the world throughout its existence, not least through its recordings made under Fennell's direction.

Both Lp's were recorded in single sessions with the band sitting in their customary straight rows across the stage of the Eastman Theatre. Some of the marches are more well-known than others, but all are worth exploring. Before Sound Off, Fennell had already recorded eighteen marches, the best-known ones of all appearing on a collection entitled Marching Along, which also included some by other composers. 

Items to watch out for here in particular are Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, whose score unusually calls for harp and 'Turkish Crescent' (or 'Jingling Johnnie' - shown on the sleeve above): at the conclusion, the score states that the latter's bells should be allowed to ring on until the sound has died away naturally; New Mexico has special effects recalling the history of that US state; Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company utilises 'Auld Lang Syne' during its trio section whilst Pride of the Wolverines and The Black Horse Troop (Sousa was himself a keen horseman) remain exceptionally strong examples of the genre in general. Playing is outstanding throughout. The Mercury team led by Wilma Cozart (later to become Cozart-Fine) capture all departments in very natural sounding recordings: the bass drum 'thwacks' are superb! In all, stirring stuff!

Track Listing for Sound Off

Side One

1. Sound Off
2. Nobles of the Mystic Shrine
3. Sabre and Spurs
4. The Picadore
5. Our Flirtation
6. The High School Cadets

Side Two

1. (Trk 7) The Invincible Eagle
2. (Trk 8) Bullets and Bayonets
3. (Trk 9) The Liberty Bell
4. (Trk 10) Riders for the Flag
5. (Trk 11) Solid Men to the Front!
6. (Trk 12) The Gallant Seventh

Track listing for Sousa on Review

Side One

1. The Rifle Regiment
2. The Pride of the Wolverines
3. Golden Jubilee
4. The Gridiron Club
5. New Mexico
6. Sesqui-Centennial Exposition

Side Two

1. (Trk 7) The Black Horse Troop
2. (Trk 8) The Kansas Wildcats
3. (Trk 9) Manhattan Beach
4. (Trk 10) Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company
5. (Trk 11) The National Game
6. (Trk 12) The Glory of the Yankee Navy

As with other posts here, I will willingly remove these albums from this blog should anyone concerned in its production or copyrighting complain about its presence here on legal grounds.

Download links (Flac is high quality, but takes up significant computer space (about the equivalent of an audio CD for the whole album). Use flac for reference listening or for further editing/mixing etc.; Mp3 is more suitable for mobile listening, still of fairly high quality, but takes up much less space. Both downloads come with the same notes and high resolution artwork. Click on above image for preview):

Sound Off FLAC

Sound Off MP3

Sousa On Review FLAC

Sousa On Review MP3


Please feel welcome in commenting on this album via the box or link below.

Berlin Philharmonic Octet in Schubert

Schubert: Oktett F-Dur D. 803

Philharmonisches Oktett Berlin

DG LPM 39102 - MONO

(printer's date on back cover of sleeve 5/66)

An excellent performance of the kind that makes record collectors wonder why such a recording has never been released either on CD or as a download, even in the context of a competitive market including at least two or three recordings from either the Berlin Octet themselves, the Vienna Octet or Chamber Ensemble and dozens of other excellent ones on various labels by numerous artists over the years.

The present recording was released in stereo and mono and the overall sound in mono here remains full and clean. The actual disc used had retained its generally very quiet surfaces although some minor marks had appeared over time in places, now mostly minimised without recourse to anything more than very minimal filtering. Overall the listening experience is highly rewarding. Readers will want to hold on to their various favourite versions, but this will please if the Viennese way can seem just that bit too sweet-toothed at times. Happy listening!

Berlin Philharmonic Octet

Alfred Malecek, Violin 1
Rudolf Hartmann, Violin 2
Ulrich Fritze, Viola
Heinrich Majowski, Violoncello
Paul-Rainer Zepperitz, Double bass
Herbert Stähr, Clarinet
Hans Lemke, Bassoon
Gerd Seifert, Horn

Track Listing

Schubert Octet in F major, D. 803 (Op. 166)

Side One

1. First movement: Adagio-Allegro
2. Second movement: Adagio
3. Third movement: Allegro vivace

Side Two

1. (Trk 4) Fourth movement: Andante (with 7 variations)
2. (Trk 5) Fifth movement: Menuetto: Allegretto
3. (Trk 6) Sixth movement: Andante molto - Allegro

As with other posts here, I will willingly remove this album from this blog should anyone concerned in its production or copyrighting complain about its presence here on legal grounds.

Download links (Flac is high quality, but takes up significant computer space (about the equivalent of an audio CD for the whole album). Use flac for reference listening or for further editing/mixing etc.; Mp3 is more suitable for mobile listening, still of fairly high quality, but takes up much less space. Both downloads come with the same notes and high resolution artwork. Click on above image for preview):

Schubert Octet BerlinFLAC

Schubert Octet BerlinMP3

Please feel welcome in commenting on this album via the box or link below.

Kenneth Alwyn conducts Gilbert and Sullivan Overtures

Gilbert and Sullivan Overtures
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, cond. Kenneth Alwyn

World Record Club (WRC) T292

Kenneth Alwyn's complete recording of The Mikado is available on an EMI Classics for Pleasure CD/download and the set includes, in addition to the Mikado Overture itself, three of the present overtures (Patience, Iolanthe and Yeoman) as 'fillers'. The uploading of this Lp here presents the only vinyl-sourced version of all of Alwyn's G & S overture recordings available online, to the best of my knowledge. As with other posts here, I will willingly remove this album from this blog should anyone concerned in its production or copyrighting complain about its presence here on legal grounds.

The RPO's playing is predictably polished in this repertoire often undertaken by lesser ensembles. Alwyn has a natural way with the music, drawing out the wit and charm as necessary. It's a pity that we couldn't have had Isidore Godfrey's coda to Gondoliers included though; his recording (with the New Symphony Orchestra of London on Decca) had Dance a cachucha, fandango, bolero as an ending, whereas here we end with the usual - but anti-climactic - Gavotte. Nevertheless, there's much to enjoy.

The WRC release seems to have made use of original masters of the recording: a subsequent release on the Music for Pleasure Lp label was less resonant and the discs themselves have not lasted as well as the WRC, produced several years before the budget label reissues. However, the MfP art (included in the download below) was much more fun than the art that can be seen above.

Track listing

Overtures to:

Side One

1. The Mikado
2. Iolanthe
3. The Gondoliers

Side Two

1. (Trk 4) The Yeoman of the Guard
2. (Trk 5) The Pirates of Penzance
3. (Trk 6) Patience
4. (Trk 7) HMS Pinafore

Download links (Flac is high quality, but takes up significant computer space (about the equivalent of an audio CD for the whole album). Use flac for reference listening or for further editing/mixing etc.; Mp3 is more suitable for mobile listening, still of fairly high quality, but takes up much less space. Both downloads come with the same notes and high resolution artwork. Click on above image for preview):

Gilbert and Sullivan OverturesFLAC

Gilbert and Sullivan OverturesMP3


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Catch the Brass Ring - Top classical players masquerade as Jazzers

Catch the Brass Ring
The Torchy Jones Brass Quintet

CL 1517 (Mono version)

This is the mono release of the above title - chosen over the stereo version because of the (almost) pristine copy of the record used in this transfer: this had been received in its original cellophane wrap unopened since production, possibly now some 60 or so years ago. One or two marks in Track 1 aside, the playing surfaces were more or less perfect.

The Torchy Jones Brass Quintet (TJBQ, aka The Philadelphia Brass Ensemble) were all members of the great orchestra of the same name during the late 1950's/1960's. What we have here is a record of tongue-in-cheek jazz arrangements of familiar tunes, some originating from the classical repertoire. Track 4, for example - Jonesy Swings - is principal Philadelphia horn Mason Jones fronting a big band-style rendition of the famous horn solo from Tchaikovsky's Fifth Symphony: funny to think that this is the very same player who plays the original Tchaikovsky solo for real elsewhere on this blog (see album entitled 'The Great Melodies of Tchaikovsky, Track 1)! We also visit Dvorak, Grieg, Stephen Foster as well as jazz great Duke Ellington and lighter song composers (see below for further details).

Trivia: Philadelphia Orchestra conductor Eugene Ormandy reportedly had this album withdrawn because he frowned upon the idea of his musicians making a jazz record - needless to say he was a bit too late!

Torchy Jones Brass Quintet

Trumpets: 'Gil' (Gilbert) Johnson, 'Si' (Seymour) Rosenfeld
French Horn: Mason Jones
Trombone: 'Hank' (Henry Charles) Smith
Tuba: 'Torchy Jones' (Abe Torchinsky)

Backing band: Art Ryerson (guitar), Bill Lee (bass), Oliver Jackson Jr. (drums)

Track listing

Side One

1. Riding Home (An adaptation of a theme from Dvorak's New World Symphony) - Frank Hunter/Howard Scott
2. Please - L. Robin/R. Rainger
3. Love is Just Around the Corner - L. Robin/L. Gensler
4. Jonesy Swings (An adaptation of a theme from Tchaikovsky's Fifth Symphony) - Frank Hunter/Howard Scott
5. Don't Get Around Much Anymore - B. Russell/Duke Ellington
6. That Old Black Magic - J. Mercer/H. Arlen

Side Two

1. (Trk 7) One for My Baby (And One More for the Road) - J. Mercer/H. Arlen
2. (Trk 8) Out of Nowhere E. Heyman/J. Green
3. (Trk 9) Spring Love (An adaptation of a theme from Grieg's Piano Concerto) - Frank Hunter/Howard Scott
4. (Trk 10) Basin Street Blues - S. Williams
5. (Trk 11) Jeanie With the Light Brown Hair - Stephen Foster/Frank Hunter
6. (Trk 12) Johnny One Note - L. Hart/R. Rodgers

I can find no evidence of this album having been produced commercially in digital (CD or download) format and will willingly remove it from this blog should anyone concerned in its production or copyrighting complain about its presence here on legal grounds.

Download links (Flac is high quality, but takes up significant computer space (about the equivalent of an audio CD for the whole album). Use flac for reference listening or for further editing/mixing etc.; Mp3 is more suitable for mobile listening, still of fairly high quality, but takes up much less space. Both downloads come with the same notes and high resolution artwork. Click on above image for preview):

Catch the Brass RingFLAC

Catch the Brass RingMP3

Please feel welcome in commenting on this album via the box or link below.