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Bring on the BRASS! The Westwind Brass is a top-notch quintet (two trumpets, one horn, one trombone, one tuba), and Westwind Christmas is one of the best holiday brass offerings available. What's not to like? This instrumental CD opens with a bang, and the presentation quality is consistent through every track. No bland background music here. The first cut, Joy to the World, explodes in exciting brass fanfare. It is impossible not to get swept up in the joy and drama of this initial piece. Interestingly, Westwind Christmas often teases the listeners with its juxtaposition of upbeat brassy excitement in one number with more thoughtful, muted tones in the next. This is certainly the case when Joy to the World moves into the second cut, a smooth, quiet, and somewhat moody Silent Night. The same is true when the high-flying English Medley ends, and a beautifully somber O Holy Night begins.

Speaking of medleys, many holiday CDs offer a medley combo of traditional offerings, and such pieces offer great opportunities for musical creativity. Westwind Christmas has THREE such medleys, and each is excellent while retaining its own particular flavor. The Angel Medley is the excellent integration of three "angel numbers" (Angels from the Realm of Glory, Angels We Have Heard on High, and Hark the Herald Angels Sing); this lengthy (almost seven minutes) cut is impressive and majestic, and the closing really grabs the listeners' attention. Another favorite combo platter is the English Medley (Deck the Halls, Wassail Song, We Wish You a Merry Christmas), which features a delightful racing-style version of Deck the Halls. Or perhaps my favorite medley is the Classical Medley (Patapan; Fum, fum, fum; Farandole) showcasing the zippy piccolo trumpet. You'll have difficulty picking your favorite medley, too.

Other highlights (and there are many) include a fascinating and unusual Coventry Carol with an underlying tuba beat and a jazzy, sophisticated God Rest Yea Merry Gentlemen. The gorgeous, complex arrangement on O Come, O Come Emmanuel will bring tears to your eyes (if you are an old holiday music goof like me).

The liner notes for this CD are very helpful. Arranger Andrew Boysen provides great details regarding the philosophy underlying each cut.

In the end, Westwind Brass represents a most impressive marriage between remarkable brass professionals and an extremely talented arranger. These songs remain faithful to the spirit of the original carols, while taking the listeners in new and exciting directions. I love this CD.

--Carol Swanson
(Reviewed in 2003)

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From the liner notes:

Westwind Brass:
Trumpets: Barry Perkins, John Wilds
Horn: Barry Toombs
Trombone: Richard Gordon
Tuba: Brent Dutton

Here is what arranger Andrew Asher Boysen says about his work:

"When Westwind Brass asked me to arrange some Christmas music, I was enormously honored. It was the chance to write for players that could do whatever I asked. I did not need to worry about anything technical and could focus sall of my energies on creating a good musical product. That, of course, was the problem. What could I say with Christmas music that hasn't already been said a thousand times before? The original songs are terrific and there are several versions of them (including brass quintet music) that are equally as fine. My challenge, then, was to create arrangements that were fresh and creative, without removing the listener from the beauty of the traditional brass quintet sound. In the end, I had a great time writing all of the arrangements and I feel very lucky to have the Westwind Brass performing my music."

From the artist's site (www.westwindbrass.org):
Ensemble Profile: "The San Diego based ensemble fosters appreciation of brass music as an exciting multicultural art form through music education and dynamic entertainment to enrich local and international communities.

Westwind Brass is committed to performing music of the highest caliber in all venues by:

Westwind Brass

Westwind Christmas

Artist link

Track List