USA East Music NYSB BULLETIN - SUMMER 2019 | Página 6

New York Staff Band’s 132nd Annual Festival
By Nathan Power, NYSB Second Trombone
APRIL 13, 2019— With a bio that hardly fits
onto a program, Wycliffe Gordon really needs
no introduction. Lincoln Centre Jazz Orches-
tra alumnus and widely known to brass fans
from his time as soloist with Brass Band of
Battle Creek he was the perfect guest to join
the NYSB for their 132 nd festival. As with pre-
vious annual festivals, clever programming
and guests bring in lots of different audience
members who arrive to hear the soloist and
leave with a new-found appreciation for the
brass band medium. Westside Presbyterian
in Ridgewood was the beautiful venue and
a balmy spring day made the occasion fitting
for a light and varied program from band and
soloist alike.
The opening number from the band was
a new composition by Simon Morton based
on the harvest song We Gather Together. “To
Ask the Lord’s Blessing” starts with a huge
chord and battery from the timps followed
by brooding trombone chords before
bringing the tune into the major with the
horns. Finishing with a similar battery as the
opening, Simon’s compositional voice is one
to watch out for.
Before the audience could draw breath,
this was followed by Les Condon’s “The
Call of the Righteous”. Some interesting
programming here but the placement of old
and new compositions sat well, especially
after a flawless cornet introduction which
is not always a given even at this level. The
various solos were handled with ease on
this well-known classic with a special nod
to Matt Hodgson on Solo Horn. The last few
sections were taken at a brisk pace with all
the machinery of the band working well
together.
The opening segment was finished with
Marcus Venable’s “All Powerful” which on its
own is a great opener. Using the well-known
tune of Nicaea, he gives the band a full work
out in this work which the audience seemed
to enjoy.
With the band and audience fully warmed
up it was time to enjoy some extra special
trombone playing. Wycliffe joined the band
in a Tommy Dorsey standard “Trombonology”
(arr. Mark Freeh) which is a true test of any
trombonist’s nerve. Wycliffe breezed through
this chart with supreme ease and this is one
of the main characteristics of his playing; No
matter what crazy sounds and technique you
encounter during his solos, it all seems so
easy and natural to him.
Next up was the Bill Broughton ballad
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“Let the Beauty of Jesus” which was the first
example of his sublime melodic playing.
There were no fireworks in this number,
but he let the arrangement sing for itself
and the band accompaniment was equally
sympathetic.
To finish his first segment, the band
provided a more robust accompaniment in
Wycliffe’s own arrangement of “St Louis Blues”
which is an all-singing all-dancing mix of jazz
styles including samba, swing and good old
fashioned New Orleans second line! Trading
solos with Wycliffe was Robert Venables, a
recent SA employee as a DMD in Southern
New England. Bob has guested many times
with the band and tonight wowed the
audience with some top-class improvisation
before Wycliffe took the microphone to
croon a few verses before rounding the tune
out with some phenomenal solo breaks.
 The whole evening was skillfully
navigated by the NYSB executive officer Lt.
Colonel James Labossiere whose devotional
followed the beautiful “He Watches” by Joel
Collier, a simple but moving treatment of “His
Eye is on the Sparrow”. Not only did this set
the perfect mood it gave the band a chance
to show the softer side of their playing.
W W W. N Y S B. O R G