CD: My Journey
Derick KaneSPS 423 CD
CD of the Month February 2019
MY JOURNEY - DERICK KANE
A compilation of solos through the years...
Euphonium Soloist: Derick Kane
The International Staff Band
SPS 423 CD
Buy this CD here!
Derick’s name and status as one of The Salvation Army’s more prominent musicians has been with me as far back as I can recall. I remember vividly my dad talking about Derick and another hero of mine, Trevor Groom, playing the duet, Timepiece, at the Royal Albert Hall. I also remember my Mum, chasing someone she thought was Derick, up Skegness High Street to say “hello”, only to find a different fella who thought she’d gone mad!
So it is an absolute pleasure for me to be able to review Derick’s latest CD - a recording that’s probably very special to him, offering as it does a snapshot of his playing career. Knowing Derick as I do, I should say right now that this is not a ‘look at my amazing career as a euphonium player’ project, but rather one reflecting his service to Christ as a Salvationist musician and, despite his forthcoming retirement from The ISB, service that I am sure will continue for years to come.
The recording opens with the track that I always call Derick’s signature solo and one of the finest that has ever been written for The Salvation Army, The Better World by Norman Bearcroft - someone who has been key in writing solos for Derick.
One can hear the energy, passion and what this solo means to Derick, and the playing is, of course, impeccable. The Better World has been recorded many times by various soloists, myself included, but we all know this solo really belongs to Derick and, no doubt, we have all aspired to his playing of it. Bravo!
One of the other solos that I associate as Derick’s is Erik Leidzen’s The Song of the Brother and this particular recording is taken from the Heritage Series 1 - Music from the 1930s album, recorded with The ISB in 2009. One of the things that struck me about the CD is that Derick has always had the same warm, beautiful sound - one of his trademarks.
Journey into Peace by William Himes is a solo that displays all of the euphonium’s characteristics and, in this rendition, the listener is taken on a journey of struggle, turmoil and triumph leading to peace, ending with the song ‘All my anxieties, all my cares. Bring to the mercy seat leave it there’. Wonderful!
The solos of Peter Graham also feature: Canaan’s Land from the 2010 album, Seize the Day (written for Derick ‘KANE’ and, of course, the pun is intentional) and Bravura from The Kingdom Triumphant, recorded in 2003. Both tracks demonstrate the soloist’s strengths in sound and technique.
A beautiful arrangement of the tune Annie Laurie by David Catherwood, associated with the words, ‘the Christ of Calvary, the dearest name to me’, really hits the spot. Thank you David and Derick for this wonderful moment on the recording.
I remember hearing Scottish Variants at the Royal Albert Hall for ISB 120. Written for Derick by Stephen Bulla and giving us a flavour of Derick’s Scottish heritage, the track brings Stephen Bulla’s trademark quality and a wonderful top ‘E’ ending from Derick - bravo yet again!
The finale is one of Derick’s own arrangements originally written for his son Stephen, a very fine player in his own right and currently principal baritone with Cory Band. It’s a ‘hat tip’ to the popular euphonium solo, The Blaydon Races, but features the Gowans and Larsson song, That’s the spirit.
I really enjoyed this recorded journey through Derick’s ISB career in music. It struck me that the level of his playing has remained consistently excellent throughout the years and he has rightly gained the status of legend - certainly in my opinion.
GARY ROSE
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