HIGH ALTITUDE TROMBONE QUARTET. Joe Martin, William Runyan, William Holst, Jeremy Van Hoy, trombone; Lee Garrett, organ; John Lueck, baritone voice.
HATQ 331972 (6205 Wilson Road, Colorado Springs, 80919 or www.hatq.org)
Daniel Speer: Sonata for Four Trombones. Heinrich Schutz: Fili mi Absalom; Attendite, populue meus, legem meam. Giovanni Gabrieli: Sonata Pian’ e Forte. Johann Sebastian Bach: Wachet, Auf ruft uns die Stimme; Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland; Wir glauben all an’ einen Gott. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Qui Tollis; Jesu Christie; Cum Sancto Spiritu. Anton Bruckner: Inveni David; Ecce Sarcerdos Magnus. Charles Ives: Processional “Let There Be Light.” Robert Spillman: All Day Meeting and Dinner on the Ground. Henry Mancini/Tony Klatka: Two for the Road.
ALL DAY MEETING AND DINNER ON THE GROUND is a wonderful addition to recorded music for classical trombone. Performed by the High Altitude Trombone Quartet with organist Lee Garrett and baritone voice John Lueck, this CD includes a variety of works covering a period of over four hundred years from Gabrieli’s Sonata Pian’ e Forte (1597) to a newly commissioned composition (1998) by Robert Spillman. The playing is exceptional, the selections are all well scored, and the variety makes for interesting listening. For the teacher looking for CD’s to recommend to students as a model of good playing and a source of literature for study and performance, this CD provides great material.
The liner notes are extensive and well written, providing dates for each composer and composition along with a short historical perspective. It is obvious when listening that the performers have taken great care to select the specific gear for the sound they desire on each piece. The trombone playing is at the highest level but it is important to note the excellent performances of Lee Garrett on organ and the baritone singing of John Lueck.
The pieces selected for this recording are all significant repertoire for the trombone. The pieces arranged for trombone quartet and organ are written with close attention to the original intent of the composer and in the tradition of using the trombone as an accompaniment to voices. The beautiful and powerful title cut of the CD by Robert Spillman, commissioned by the High Altitude Trombone Quartet, is an excellent addition to the trombone repertoire by a composer who writes wonderfully for the instrument.
The CD is available from the performers and is also listed with typical sources such as TAP music. For those who want more information on the musicians and arrangements, there is a website at www.hatq.org.
-Nick Keelan
Lawrence University