The term "shift," as the fine notes to this 2025 release explain, denotes for trombonists the production of chromatic tones by moving parallel tubes. It is impressive to take an album titled with an unknown technical term onto the classical-best seller charts, as trombonist
Peter Moore
and the
Tredegar Band
did in that spring of that year. There is even more to attract listeners with even the slightest interest in band music. The word "shift" may also be taken in another way, namely as an indication of the variety in the repertory here. The program of a U.S. brass-and-wind concert will often draw on various stylistic sources, but the British brass band tradition is more centered on itself, or was, until now.
Moore
and conductor
Ian Porthouse
reach out to many styles, some of them American. Bandleader and composer
Arthur Pryor
's elaborate take on the folk song
Annie Laurie
would have been well known at one time in the U.S.; it is not anymore, but it makes an ideal introduction for
and company here. The
three-movement title work
by composer
Simon Dobson
is almost symphonic, but it stands in vivid contrast to American sacred material (
Blessed Assurance
and
Nobody Knows the Trouble I See
), popular song (
I'm Gettin' Sentimental Over You
), and several smaller neoclassic pieces. The program is wrapped up by a vigorous samba dance by
Philip Sparke
, and it all adds up to a program that is turning corners with every new track.
Shift
is enjoyable for any listener, and it is essential for anyone interested in band music in the British Isles and where it may be going. ~ James Manheim