Brass Band of Battle Creek Wows Audience at ITF

At the recent International Trombone Festival, held in the magnificent Kraenert Centre for the Performing Arts in Champaign-Urbana, Illinois, The Brass Band of Battle Creek had the audience held almost spellbound with a magnificent concert of both old and new brass band literature. Spellbound is a mild word for the impact the band had on the audience of nearly 600 convention-goers. They were thrilled, excited, and certainly impressed.

Under the superb direction of one the UK's most prominent conductors, Richard Evans, the band played a two-hour concert which easily demonstrated why the band has to be considered the best brass band in the states. Dick Evans was at his best, conducting both music well known to him and music that has to be new, since there were a number of pieces that have never been heard outside the US. Dick was at ease, he was comfortable in communicating not only with the band, but with the audience - lots of good comments, often with a humorous twist.

The Brass Band of Battle Creek is made up of some of the finest brass players from all parts of the US and even with one or two from the UK, William Rushworth, for example. These players, without exception, could handle any part from the front row corner spots to second and third positions. Soloists all, it was said during the concert that probably more than half of the band have been featured in solo works. On this concert we heard Vinnie DiMartino, one of this countries finest cornet/trumpet players; Scott Hartman, professor of trombone at Indiana University, formerly with the Empire Brass Quintet; William Rushworth, well-known to British audiences as principal horn with BNFL; Pat Sheridan, who is rapidly becoming known world wide as a concert soloist on tuba; and several others, including Danny Barber and John Daniel.

The choices of music for this concert were varied and covered the gamut of styles: Introduction to Act Three of Lohengrin, Rhapsody for trombone by Gordon Langford, Mars from The Planets and concluding the concert with an absolutely brilliant performance of The Year of the Dragon. In a pop swing-style the band played Tonight by Leonard Bernstein, I Got Rhythm by Gershwin, Lil' Darlin by Hefti/Sparke as well as Sing, Sing, Sing and two delightful tuba solos by Pat Sheridan - a lovely melody from The Student Prince and the exciting but perennially popular, The Flight of the Bumble Bee.