Fennell Conducts Sousa

This is the Sousa record for people who are serious about marches. Sousa was the greatest march composer in the history of, well, marching, and this disc includes many fresh and interesting pieces that will likely be unfamiliar, as well as a couple of favorites (including "The Liberty Bell," famous as the theme to Monty Python's Flying Circus). But by and large, this disc focuses on the less well known pieces, though there's not a dud in the lot. Sousa had a special gift for orchestration and for writing tunes with real rhythmic interest; his marches never sound dull. Frederick Fennell is the simply the best wind band conductor around, and these performances are standard- setters. --David Hurwitz Amazon.com

Sousa on a Highwire

If there is ONE Sousa cd to get, this is definitely a top candidate. Fennell chose Sousa's best, but not necessarily his most famous. Conspicuously (which may be a relief to some) missing are Stars and Stripes, Washington Post, and Semper Fidelis.
Instead you get the far more interesting "Nobles of the Mystic Shrine", "Pride of the Wolverines", and "The Gridiron Club". Fennell and the Eastman are at their best in these, where you need that extra "oomph"...on some marches, such as "The Gallant Seventh" or "Sabres and Spurs" there seems to be a sense of lagging that harms the march sound, but maybe that's just me. In any case, Gunther Schuller pulls off a wonderful "Gallant Seventh" on the disc "Footlifters", Sony label. If you compare that with this performance, I think you might agree.
But don't let that small squabble stop you. Fennell + Sousa = Success, and I do not tentatively give this the full five stars, I give it in full sincerity. August 27, 2007

Fennell Brings Out the Best in Sousa 's Marches

This is an outstanding CD. The sound quality is very good. The instrumental balance is very good. It's interesting to compare the rather subtle difference in the percussion section performance between the two recording dates, particulalarly the cymbalist.
Sousa had an uncanny ability to score the cymbal strike at places which add significantly to the listening experience.
Hats off to Sousa, Fennell,and the Eastman Wind Ensemble February 21, 2004

A solid Sousa album that comes up a bit short

In the 60s, Fennell and the Eastman Wind ensemble recorded a good amount of marches by Sousa, many released on this album, and the rest (as far as I know) on the album Hands Across the Sea. As many of Sousa's best marches are on that later album, this one falls a bit short of greatness -- but not my much.

Sousa knew his marches, writting something like 200 of them, and almost every one of these is a great example of how to write a good march. Indeed, The Liberty Bell and Manhatten Beach are two of my alltime favorite marches. However, being prolific often means that there will be misses, and many here, while written well, just aren't all that memorable. I'd be hard pressed to be able to identify such pieces as The Gallant Seventh, New Mexico, or the Black Horse Troop unless I had just listened to them.

Still, one has to admire the creative way Sousa sometimes put his music together. The Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company uses the song 'Aude Lang Syne' for its trio, and it fits so well that it's hard to believe he didn't write it himself. The Liberty Bell uses tubular bells in *just* the right spots that it makes an impact every time one listens. And Sabre And Spurs uses wook blocks to simulate horses, which also works great.

So overall, this is a solid album that has its ups and downs. The sound quality is great, haveing a certain amount of 'bite' that's almost impossible with digital recordings, the playing impecable, and there's plenty of variety. January 26, 2003

The Mastery of Fennell

I've owned this CD for several years, and bought a copy recently as a Christmas gift. Frederick Fennell is a modern master of band and marches, and I own several of his recordings. What makes this CD a standout for me is the Mercury Living Presence recording and remastering method. I own over two dozen of this series because Living Presence does indeed represent a different method of producing music for the recorded media. It DOES sound more lifelike to me than conventional multimike recordings. To anyone considering purchase of this CD I'd recommend also ordering 'Screamers', the Living Presence CD of circus marches. To me this is feel-good music at its best, and terrific for listing in the car! Additionally, the Living Presence series stands out for its excellent liner notes with explanations of the Living Presence method. This CD is a keeper. Incidentally, the recipient of this CD has since gone out and bought several other Living Presence CD's after hearing this!s January 28, 2002

MASTERFUL RENDITIONS IN GLORIOUS RECORDED SOUND

An utterly masterful set, containing many of Sousa's unjustly neglected works. (An integral recording of his complete marches is overdue by a good half-century.*) Fennell conducts with incredible verve, and the Eastman Wind Ensemble responds in kind, with immaculately tight and polished performances. The recording is demonstration-class. Sousa has never sounded better, and probably never will.

*EDIT: Actually, a nearly-complete recording of the marches has been available, as of the time of this review, for at least a good quarter-century--first on LP, now on CD: that being, a series of analog recordings by The Detroit Concert Band, led by Leonard B. Smith. Currently available from Walking Frog Records (on five CDs), the DCB/Smith collection unfortunately suffers from some serious problems--not the least of which is the highly variable and substandard quality of the recorded sound. November 16, 2001

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