I've always loved the sound of a British-style brass band; rich and symphonic. I've been working (recording and occasionally playing) with a local British-style brass band for almost a decade now, and we've been competing in the obligatory championships for a while.
For a few years we were quite the popular band in the USA, but 3 or 4 years ago, another band from Kansas City raised the standard to a level which we -to be quite honest- struggled to match.
This weekend the band once again contested the US open championship:
http://www.brassbandofcentralflorida.org/NEWS.htmhttp://4barsrest.com/news/detail.asp?id=12489http://www.usopenbrass.org/Our conductor left at the start of the year, since his calendar has become just TOO crowded. -Several of us worried that this might be the beginning of the end, but we found someone simply stunning not only in terms of conducting ability, but also in both playing and the ability to inspire the band...
I can't WAIT to record the next album with them!
In the meantime, we've been invited to go to the UK and compete in their annual "Brass in Concert" championship. -I'm looking forward to it immensely!
-Forgive me sharing what might not be of much interest to many others, but I'm absolutely delighted right now, and wanted to share, in case anyone else out there enjoys British brass band music.
Keith