Tuesday, 11 November 2008 09:47 Written by Paul Sarcich

Give It One

Background, by Paul Sarcich

The London Sound Series started in 1994 with a recording by Cala Records of 40 cellos: The London Cello Sound.

It was an immediate success and the label gradually added recordings of large ensembles of each of the orchestral stringed instruments. The London Trombone Sound marked the company’s first excursion into the brass world.

Well received as these CDs were, they did not give warning of what was to become the sheer phenomenon of The London Horn Sound, released in 1999. The combination of stunning playing by London’s top hornists, the sheer beauty of their ensemble and the imaginative arrangements commissioned by Cala Records of classical, jazz and popular music propelled this CD into an iconic place throughout the horn world. It was a remarkable and quite unexpected phenomenon. And not only as a listening experience: an exceptional demand has also arisen for performance sets of the arrangements—indeed, the more challenging they are, the more horn ensembles seem to want to take them on.

A sequel seemed the obvious step, but when the horn section of the Vienna Philharmonic came out with their own horn ensemble recording, it took the particular genius of Hugh Seenan—apostle extraordinaire for the horn, tireless promoter of the instrument and mastermind of the first recording—to think of making a jazz album. Nothing but French horns and a rhythm group. Pardon? Was he seriously going to put a non-jazz instrument like the horn up against the trumpets, trombones and saxophones of the conventional big band?

Yes he was, and Cala’s Artistic Director Geoffrey Simon immediately embraced the idea, knowing the quality of the musicians whom Hugh would bring into the studio. Of the four composer/arrangers, Richard Bissill and Tim Jackson are principal hornists in London orchestras, Jim Rattigan is that rare beast, a French hornist who is essentially a jazz-man, and the brilliant young British pianist Gwilym Simcock not only supplies charts but leads the rhythm section and even puts in an appearance as a jazz horn soloist. They all met at a pub some months before the recording and collectively agreed not only the repertoire, but crucially, the musical and stylistic approach. Quite simple really: if you think it’s impossible, just write it in.

All of the great London orchestras are represented amongst The London Horn Sound Big Band’s complement of French hornists. Add to the mix some extraordinary specialty players, like Pip Eastop at the stratospheric end of the instrument and Anthony Halstead at the subterranean, and the music is bound (as jazzers might say) to “cook”.

This is the recipe for Give It One, which Cala Records believes will have as much impact as the first album. It’s new, unique, and above all, quite special.

Become part of the Give It One family by taking part in the blog here at www.giveitone.com.

Paul Sarcich