The LCFB at St Albans Salvation Army

Posted by on Nov 6, 2011 in Band news | 0 comments

Flugel horn soloist, Jim Rogers, performs during the LCFB concert at St Albans

Flugel horn soloist, Jim Rogers, performs during the LCFB concert at St Albans

A warm and eager audience greeted the band on the occasion of its second visit to the St Albans Salvation Army Hall in the last four years.  A virile rendition of concert march Bandology, (Osterling), set the pace  for the evening . There followed a varied programme of easy listening from a wide range of musical genres.  Solo contributions included the band’s principal cornet Dave Thomas playing Chiapanecas, a  Keith Wilkinson  arrangement of a Mexican folk song,  Ken Stones , euphonium, featured  Howard Davies’s  solo All the Ways God Has  Shown and  Jim Rogers, flugel,  provided  What a Wonderful World  arranged  Alan Fernie.  Brian Huke’s vocals brought music from a  variety  of  sources including an unaccompanied African  gospel song.

 

The Bands contributions included several of the numbers featured on its new CD Bandology, such as Take Over Bid, (Ray Steadman-Allen); Breeezin Down Broadway,( Goff Richard); and a new Martin Cordner  festival arrangement ,The Call of the Gospel, specially written for the band.

 

The contrast of excitement and vigour, against contemplation and profundity was typified by the big band idiom exploited in Rieks van der Velde’s arrangement of How D’ya Like Your Eggs In The Morning and Howard Davies’s Song arrangement This I Know based upon Ray Bowes’s setting to the words Jesus Loves me This I Know.

 

The Corps Officer, Major David Squibb, brought the gathering to a close, kind words of appreciation to the band were offered followed by the blessing. The band, or should it be the bandologists, played out with the Leidzen march On The Kings Highway.

 

The band was pleased to welcome into the band on cornet, John Street. It was also good to see (and hear) the return of Ian Grimes (Eb Bass) after a  cycling accident;  Max Rogers (BBb Bass ) following surgery on his foot, and Gavin Mann  (Soprano), after a tour of duty in Germany with the Regimental Band of The Irish Guards.