BRASS ON DISPLAY

New Zealand Listener, Volume 35, Issue 902, 16 November 1956, Page 21

BRASS ON DISPLAY

A BRASS band is usually an easy musical combination to spot, but people passing the Waring Taylor Street studios the other Sunday morning might have been forgiven if they thought a large dance band was practising inside. The sounds were keen and lively, the harmonies sharp and the solo runs reminiscent of Stan Kenton. Inside the studio, however, was one of Wellington’s best bands, the Wellington Metropolitan Fire Brigade Silver Band (formerly the Boys’ Institute Senior Band), recording two programmes of light music for brass band under their guest conductor Raymond Cray-a noted band leader and trumpet player from Australia. now touring New Zea-

land as conductor of the "Spice and Ice" orchestra. _ Later, we were able to ask. Ray Cray about his work with brass bands and how he had achieved such a transformation in sound. "The secret of it lies in the harmonies I usein the arrangements," he said. "Many bands tend to do their own artanging, and too often their harmonies are limited to major chords with added sevenths, and occasionally an added: note.

This means that if you get bored by a _ brass

band it may well be because of the uninteresting harmonies which give it a dull and solid sound. The harmonies you heard are completely modern." Ray Cray’s interest in brass bands started when, as a young boy, he used to play in them. At fifteen, however, his interest died and he pulled out of the band, as he thought brass bands were "decadent." He considered the music they played to be out-of-date and band concerts the most uninteresting . musical entertainment one could possibly go to. Tor many years he worked in the world of commercial music, but at the same tithe he kept up an interest in brass combinations as a hobby. "’ye specialised in brass all my life and these last few years have given most of my time to it," he said. "Eventually I found I could get an orchestral sound from brass, a sound that was musically interesting. Things really started after a radio show in 1949-Symphony in Brais.’ This was a great success, and I began to ask myself why brass bands couldn’t’ be made more entertaining and why there was this decadent situation in Australia. I got cracking, and now, with these new arrangements and by using timpani, I can get a brass band to sound like Kenton." In Australia Ray Cray has had many successes with his "new sound," the armed forces’ bands being especially keen on it. Besides arranging, Ray composes works for brass bands, and has just finished his fiftieth composition. Some of his suites have been played on the BBC, and during the Olympic Games some of the bands taking part will be using his arrangements. We asked him whether these arrangements were difficult to play. "The parts

don’t present any special problems," he said. "Generally speaking, they’re not difficult, it’s just that the harmonic structure is different. The melody is simple and so are the inner parts." Later on Ray Cray hopes to be working with other New Zealand bands such as the Woolston and the Kaikorai. He commented on the great public interest here in brass bands, and contrasted it’ with the atmosphere in Australia where, -he said, "it’s not so hot." "Here you make the public sit up and take notice. Your interest is profound, and this makes the bands an important medium. The great personal

discipline in the bands here surprised me, and the conductors have great responsibility. I noted the bandmen’s attitude towards the band, an attitude which goes right through New Zealand-it makes for deeper understanding, a feeling of personal responsibility and a collective enthusiasm." The programmes, to be heard shortly from 2YA, included such works as "Come Back to . Sorrento," "Brass Boogie," "Symphony for Brass" and "Warsaw Concerto."