Katrina Marzella meets Thomas Gansch

It is my pleasure to welcome you to Brass Band World’s inaugural version of Desert Island Discs and our first castaway is Austrian trumpet star, Thomas Gansch.

Thomas is a founding member of Mnozil Brass: the outlandish, hugely versatile, unbelievably talented and downright hilarious brass septet. He hails from St Pölten, a city 60 kilometres west of Vienna, and was surrounded by music during his youth. His father, Johann Gansch, was a renowned teacher and composer, and his older brother Hans played trumpet in the Viennese State Opera and Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra for almost two decades. Thomas showed prodigious talent as a child and, at the age of 17, had already played professionally with the Vienna State Opera. However his passion for jazz prevailed and, in 1992, he established the inimitable Mnozil Brass along with fellow students of the Vienna College of Music. For over 20 years, the group’s performances have blasted preconceptions about brass playing to smithereens - and they don’t seem to be slowing down any time soon.

Thomas is a Schagerl artist and plays on a unique trumpet, eponymously entitled the Gansch Horn. As a musician who performs with ease in all styles and genres, whittling his selection down to eight discs was no easy task! Thomas explains: “The choices below are the first recordings that sprang to my mind, but there are so many I could have used. The Beatles, Queen, The Brecker Brothers, Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Miles Davis, Earth Wind and Fire, Prince, Frank Zappa, Freddie Hubbard, Blood Sweat & Tears, Ella Fitzgerald, Caterina Valente… the list is endless!”

After much deliberation, Thomas has selected the eight recordings featured in this article, as well as one book and a luxury item, to take to his Desert Island. I’m sure you’ll agree the destination looks rather appealing! ...

To find out Thomas Gansch's selections, and to read about more of Katrina's BBW Castaways in the future, subscribe to BBW Digital here.