Salute to Sousa Brett Baker (Trombone), John Wilson (piano) – Review by Chris Thomas for BBW Apr 2013
It could be said that Brett Baker's new solo CD is not quite what it seems at first glance. The title of Salute to Sousa immediately jumps out from the impeccably designed DVD-style case, yet it is the small print underneath 'And other forgotten trombone solos' that lends a real clue to what the disk is all about.
The repertoire is the culmination of an extended period of study by the soloist into original and long-forgotten music for the trombone that takes us on a journey from Giovanni Martino Cesare's 'La Hieronya' of 1621, complete with Harpsichord accompaniment, via 19th century concertinos by Meyer and Novokovsky, to a range of light-hearted American from the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
It has to be said that not all of the music is of entirely consistent melodic interest, but of Brett Baker's performance and advocacy, there are no such doubts. Without exception, his playing demonstrates a consummate ability to traverse the stylistic genres that the music inhabits, with plaintive simplicity in the increasingly elaborate Gabrieli-like tones of the Cesare, to the high spirits and daunting high-wire demands of Frank Burnell's 'Salute to Sousa' a piece that only came to light two years ago.
The soloist's tone quality throughout the instrument's register is never less than fulsome, whilst his articulation in pieces such as De Luca's 'Beautiful Colorado' speaks with crystalline clarity, aided by first-class accompaniment from John Wilson. With so many brass band CDs these days being cheaply and in some cases slovenly put together in presentation terms, this is quite simply the most superbly packaged disc to appear in a long time. From the gatefold case to the clever artwork and detailed programme notes by Brett, its a highly polished and slick piece of work that finely compliments the quality playing.
Brett Baker's catalogue of solo CDs conjures to grow at an impressive rate, but in terms of both its painstaking historical research and performance standards, this is undoubtedly his most important yet.
Chris Thomas BBW April 2013
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