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Re: Vibrato

> Andy Wooler said:

> > - the Redbridge CD "close enough for jazz"
> is closer than most 
----------------------------------
>> Norm Harris said:

> >Don't you just love condescending remarks like 'close enough for jazz'.
Maybe
> >that band should have called it 'as close as we'll ever get' instead of
the
> >dismissive derisive put down on jazz as an art form. (Tautology, yeah, i
know)
> -------------------------------------

I may be reacting too seriously to your comments, but these are my initial
thoughts when I read them:

Hopefully you'll have heard the CD before making such sweeping comments
about an alternative title!  Through the appeal of the pieces included on
this CD, Redbridge has managed to obtain a wide spectrum of interest from
people both involved and uninvolved in the brass band scene - surely any
positive move to promote a wider acceptance of the brass band movement
should not be met with derogatory comments from 'one of its own' (an
assumption based on the fact that you are on the BB mailing list)?

Admittedly, if directly compared to original jazz configurations of the
CD's content there could be room for criticism by some regarding band
configurations/arrangements - but what Redbridge have achieved is to put
the all too familiar image of the 'local brass band at the village fete'
into retirement, and replace it with a more exciting insight into the
flexibility of the brass band, where even people who would not normally
contemplate purchasing a brass band CD are drawn towards it because of the
appeal of its content, and maybe even curiosity derived from the title. 

The standard of playing should also not be ignored.  As Andy Wooler
pointed out this CD "is closer than most" - in fact, IMHO I believe it to
be one of the best collections of this type of music in one CD by a brass
band that is available today.

This list has been dealing with many topics including the evolution and
future development of the brass band movement - surely approaching
different musical forms is part of that development?  It surprises me that
attempts to further the versatility and public acceptability of the brass
band is being dismissed as some sort of poor attempt to recreate another
musical form.

Not wishing to state the obvious, but feeling it's necessary on this
occasion :) ....... the title "Close Enough For Jazz" is a humorous play on
words - it's an obviously well known phrase (and I don't believe the jazz
fraternity would
really look at it as a 'put down') which helps to establish the jazz
content, but then, combined with the fact that a brass
band, rather than a jazz band is performing it results in a rather clever
title which I believe offers a very snappy marketing tool - I bet more
people took a look at it because
of its title than if it had been called, for example, "Jazz played by a
Brass Band"!

I appreciate that specialists of musical forms are very protective of their
favoured environment, just in the same way as some bandsmen on this list
have been fighting off suggestions of including french horns in the brass
band configuration over the last couple of weeks - but IMHO, I cannot see
what is wrong with offering a different angle on an accepted style of
music.  No-one has tried to say that "Close Enough For Jazz" is as
good/better as the real thing, it simply offers quality playing of brass
band arrangements of popular jazz pieces - a different perspective on an
accepted theme.  

If we're not careful, you'll soon be saying we shouldn't be playing
anything other than original brass band music as it is impossible to
recreate, for example, the original sounds of orchestral classics.  Surely
music should not be limited by such restrictive boundaries? A good example
of this is illustrated in the BB arrangement of "Riverdance" - it doesn't
sound like the original because of the instrumentation, but it's still
exciting, it's still effective, it's still entertaining and it still
provokes great audience appreciation when it's performed - it's not wrong,
it's just different.

Just so you know, I'm not the founder of the Redbridge Fan Club or
anything, I just felt disappointed with your attitude.



CLAIR TOMALIN
Flugel, KM Gillingham Band


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