Posted by Kelly O'Bryant on November 27, 1999 at 22:32:17:
Hey Folks -
Pardon the commercial.....
Well, just in time for the Holidays, I'm happy to announce the release
of "Swingin' Around The Christmas Tree" by the Bayfield Brass.
This CD is a collection of 16 Christmas tunes that have been arranged
for jazz brass quintet. It has already been getting some local air
play, and has been described as "Miles Davis meets Harry Connick, Jr.
meets The Dirty Dozen Brass Band meets Santa Claus".
The Bayfield Brass is one of the most active professional brass
quintets here in the Maryland - Washington, D.C. area. We perform
throughout the Mid-Atlantic region regularly.
Now, before you say "hhhmmm, another 'jazz' quintet thingie....."
A lot of "jazz" for brass quintet is, well, lame. 9 times out of 10,
it is not jazz, but poorly written out "wanna be" be-bop solos
arranged for five folks who can hardly swing a rope, much less a tune.
You all know what I am talking about, because we have all heard these
"jazz" thingies performed before, after which we smile and act very
polite ;-)
Fortunately, "Swingin' Around The Christmas Tree" is very, very far
away from that realm. We are very lucky to have five guys who all
have a substantial background in jazz, swing, blues, and even rock,
and we went to every extreme to be sure that this CD really swung,
and didn't fall into the "another quintet that can't swing" category.
Two of the guys in the group play jazz full-time for a living. The
other 3 of us can easily hold our own. All of the solo sections on the
CD are pure improv over me walking changes/bass lines. No poorly
written out solos, etc. While the tunes are all "traditional", the
arrangements are anything but. Lots of influence from Miles Davis,
New Orleans dixie land, the Vince Guaraldi trio, etc....
If you are interested in the CD, there is more info (ordering info,
group bio, players, etc...) down below my sig file in this e-mail.
Read on below if you want to know more about it.
Thanks for listening -
Kelly O.
--
Kelly O'Bryant
kotuba(AT)erols.com
Annapolis, Maryland
http://www.erols.com/kotuba
Laissez les bons temps rouler!
"Swingin' Around The Christmas Tree" by the Bayfield Brass. KoDa 1002.
Featuring the jazz arrangements of C. Rhoades Whitehill.
To order, please send check or money order made payable to:
Kelly O'Bryant
at: 1026-I Spa Road, Annapolis, Maryland 21403 U.S.A.
CD Price: $15.00/Shipping: $3.00 = TOTAL AMOUNT: $18.00
Be sure to include a return address to let us know where to send
your CD, and please write "Bayfield Brass" somewhere on your order
(so I don't send you a copy of "Carolina Morning" instead...) .
The Bayfield Brass CD Bio for "Swingin'..."
Founded in 1989, the current version of the Bayfield Brass came
together in 1993, when all five members of the group comprised
the U.S. Naval Academy Band Brass Quintet. Since then, the Bayfield
Brass has gone on to become one of the most active chamber music
groups in the Mid-Atlantic region. Blessed with the talents of five
brass players who are equally at home in both the classical and jazz
worlds, the Bayfield Brass began performing local outdoor jazz
Christmas concerts in the Annapolis area in 1993. Since then, they
have gone on to become one of the Annapolis area's holiday favorites,
and they maintain an active holiday performance schedule, enjoying
an enthusiastic crowd of "home town" supporters every year. The music
that you hear on this project - "Swingin' Around The Christmas Tree" -
is the result of many hours spent jamming together during the holiday
season in Annapolis.
The players:
Trumpets:
Dan Orban - Jazz Trumpet/White House Combo, The U.S. Marine Band.
Jim Bean - Principal/Solo Trumpet, The U.S. Naval Academy Band.
Horn: Tony Valerio - Second Horn, The U.S. Naval Academy Band.
Trombone: Rhoades Whitehill - Lead trombone, The U.S. Navy Band's
"Commodores" Jazz Band.
And yours truly on tuba.
Drop me an e-mail if you wanna know more about it. Thanks.