Alan Morrison is no stranger to solo
discs having produced over half a dozen
or so during his illustrious career.
It is a career that now extends to around
twenty-five years in top-level brass
banding. It began with his appointment
in the early 1980s as principal cornet
of the Grimethorpe Colliery Band, the
band with which he made his name. This
however is his first solo disc since
becoming principal cornet with Brighouse
and Rastrick in 2003. It is also the
first he has recorded for Sussex based
Hot Records who promise a series of
discs featuring "different styles
of modern music for brass".
Part of the object
of this exercise, as far as the record
company was concerned, was to extend
the boundaries beyond those of a conventional
brass band audience. Indeed, the hope
was to see the disc enter the fringes
of the pop charts and to this end a
concerted promotional campaign has already
resulted in a fair amount of prime air-time
on Radio Two as well as numerous provincial
radio stations. No doubt it was not
lost on the record company that as well
as the solo star there is also the added
commercial bonus of a band that remains
a household name thanks to Terry Wogan
and his almost single-handed promotion
of The Floral Dance back in the
1970s.
Unsurprisingly given
the aspirations for the disc the choice
of music reflects a noticeable leaning
to a potential wider market-place although
it is pleasing that room was found for
Allan Street’s Kim, something
of a brass band classic in its day although
not too often heard these days. It’s
clearly a piece that has a special place
in Morrison’s own affections. It is
dispatched in a relaxed style that perfectly
suits the mood of the music. The programme
also tends to the lyrical; nothing fast
and furious, but quite frankly when
it’s played with the sublime tone and
artistry on display from Morrison it
hardly matters.
The opening piece,
San Damiano, is one of a couple
of curiosities, in this case the curiosity
factor being down to the composer, one
Sal Solo, formerly lead singer of the
early 1980s new wave pop band Classix
Nouveaux. Inspired by an Italian pilgrimage
to the San Damiano of the title, the
gentle melody is worlds apart from what
you would expect of the man who wrote
it. Either way, Alan Morrison’s dulcet
tones are immediately on display and
set the stage for much of what follows,
namely a text book demonstration of
lyrical cornet playing of a standard
that can be all too lacking in brass
band solo playing these days.
Brighouse’s long serving
solo baritone player Leigh Baker has
built a notable reputation for his arrangements
in recent years. He is responsible for
two of the nine pieces on the disc the
first of which, Remember Me,
is an original. Taking its title from
the Christina Rossetti poem of the same
name, the melody is one of those pleasing
ones that whilst innocuous on the surface
really does linger in the mind. The
cantabile melodic line proves an excellent
vehicle for Morrison who produces a
beautifully effortless style, often
in the higher register of the instrument.
Wild Mountain Thyme on the other hand
is a traditional Scottish melody attributed
to Francis McPeake, beautifully arranged
by Baker and featuring fine playing
not only from Morrison himself but also
from the band.
Mark Freeh’s arrangement
of the Vernon Duke classic April
in Paris sees Morrison transfer
to the flügel horn in an admirably
relaxed, suitably bluesy style. The
other piece featuring the flügel
horn, J M Forde’s Domen, hails
from Norway and is inspired by the cathedral
of the same name at Trondheim. The opening
atmospheric bars played by the soloist
unaccompanied, reverberate to imitate
the acoustics of the cathedral before
the mood becomes more upbeat with a
prominent part for kit in the closest
the music on the disc gets to something
more up-tempo.
Alan Morrison himself
provides three arrangements, amongst
them the familiar Ave Maria
in a setting with harp accompaniment
that lends the music an indelibly pure
aura. Lionel Richie’s huge hit Hello
could sound stilted were it not
for the quality of Morrison’s arrangement
and playing of a delicacy that really
is something to admire. For the pinnacle
however it is Morrison’s arrangement
of Over the Rainbow that
shows him at possibly his very finest.
Eva Cassidy’s deeply moving version
of the song won many hearts, with an
added gentle twist of irony in that
once again it was Terry Wogan who was
largely responsible for bringing it
to public attention. Morrison is at
his very best here in playing of exquisite
musicality, sensitivity and control.
Put in the simplest terms, it is a joy
to listen to.
Under the direction
of David Hirst the Brighouse provide
restrained, at times almost understated,
accompaniment that is just right for
the nature of the music and allows the
soloist to shine through in every way.
The disc is attractively
packaged in a cardboard gatefold case,
albeit predictably leaning to a James
Bond theme with a cornet playing figure
silhouetted against the "gold"
of the instrument bell. Our programme
notes came in the form of a separate
leaflet leaving us uncertain as to whether
the disc comes with any notes at all
when purchased from a retail outlet.
That said the notes that we received
were brief yet informative and would
provide a useful introduction to the
man and his music for those who are
unfamiliar.
All in all this is
easy listening at its finest; a collection
of broadly appealing melodies played
with consummate artistry by one the
finest practitioners of the cornet around.
Christopher Thomas
Alan Morrison (cornet and flügel horn)
