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Editorial Reviews

The Canadian Brass has begun releasing albums on its own Opening Day Entertainment imprint, distributed by Universal. Each one offers a fair summation of the experiences of the thousands of concertgoers who have heard this group (durably successful despite rotating membership) over the past three decades: the Canadian Brass is noted for its roughly equilateral triangle of virtuosity, engagingly informal presentation, and seamless blend of classical and popular materials. The last of these three aspects is especially strong on this release, with the listener's attention snared immediately by the gorgeous flügelhorn rendition of the Billy Preston and Syreeta Wright 1980 hit "With You I'm Born Again." That leads into a superb set of arrangements for brass quintet of pieces by Argentine classical/tango fusionist Astor Piazzolla. With their dependence on contrasting textures and percussive elements to carry the tango rhythm, Piazzolla's pieces would seem a tall order for a brass quintet. But arranger Josef Burgstaller is just one of a long line of musicians who have not only incorporated diverse styles into the Canadian Brass repertoire but have made everything from Frescobaldi to earlier jazz to classic rock seem part of one uninterrupted musical continuum. From there the program, actually reversing the Canadian Brass' normal order of things, moves into classical selections, with another unlikely arrangement -- of Paganini's notorious "Caprice No. 24 for violin solo" -- offering one of the highlights as hornist Jeff Nelsen blazes through a figuration that would seem to be impossible on a French horn. The presentation is informal in the extreme -- the members of the ensemble are not listed anywhere. But fans enamored of Canadian Brass on-stage quips will find one reproduced here: "Bach was very taken with Vivaldi's concerto -- so he took it." The album is entertaining as usual, and even a bit more. James Manheim, All Music Guide

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