CD: Proclamation
New York Staff Band of the Salvation Army featuring Philip CobbGuest soloist: Philip Cobb
CD of the Month July 2019
PROCLAMATION
New York Staff Band of the Salvation Army
Bandmaster: Derek W Lance
Guest soloist: Philip Cobb
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As with their secular counterparts, Salvation Army bands come in all shapes and sizes. The New York Staff Band is one particularly fine example, boasting a stellar reputation that is further enhanced by this two-disc release.
Such recordings can be guilty of being one-dimensional, with little in the way of artistic variety to cleanse the palette. Hymns and worship songs naturally appear in all sorts of guises throughout, often beginning in camouflaged fragments before bubbling to the surface in blazing finales.
There’s a freshness and sparkle to Tom Davoren’s Proclamation – with its inclusion of Stand Up, Stand Up for Jesus, which immediately contrasts with the unbridled lyricism and a slight melancholy feel in Be Still.
Slightly more extended works offer an opportunity to delve more deeply into their spiritual inspirations, Philip Harper’s King of the Seven Heavens conjuring an enchanting treatment of the melody Slane (Be Thou My Vision), while God is My Shelter, by Kenneth Downie, expertly weaves the tune Wells with He Hideth My Soul and Will Your Anchor Hold.
The ensemble is tight and the recording generally feels authentic, the warmth of the highly-regarded American outfit’s sound at the forefront. Proclamation is a treasure trove of dynamic new music and repertoire steeped in tradition; Norman Bearcroft’s Seafarer receives precisely the right amount of bombast. Flashes of Peter Graham and Paul Lovatt-Cooper can be heard in the likes of To Ask the Lord’s Blessing by Simon Morton – a pulsating excitement throughout doing much to ensure the album shows no signs of flagging in its final moments.
Among the highlights is the outstanding contribution from guest soloist, Philip Cobb, principal trumpet of the London Symphony Orchestra and someone with proud Salvationist connections. Caprice allows him to demonstrate such versatility – sensitive and somewhat tender to open before taking a jovial and jazz-imbued turn. Eric Ball’s Glory to His Name stands the test of time and enables Philip Cobb to showcase, with aplomb, the virtuosic air-varie style that no doubt underpinned much of his development.
The release reaches its climax in The Glory of Jehovah by Composer-in-Residence, Dorothy Gates. It’s a different sound world from the rest of the release – verbal effects and percussion are prevalent in a multi-layered, extended work of some stature.
That composers and a guest soloist of such renown are involved in this project adds further credibility to a release that is a showcase for an esteemed band. It makes for an engaging listen, whether your motivation is spiritual or otherwise.
MARK GOOD
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