English Bay

Editorial Reviews
Product Description
English Bay by Paul Christopher A soft and easy collection of favorite melodies, including Unforgettable, Save the Best For Last, It Might Be You, Wind Beneath My Wings, If, The Swan, A Whole New World, Saving All My Love For You, Evening Light, April Avenue, October Leaves, English Bay. Orchestrated piano. Original works composed by Paul Christopher and Machiko.

English Bay,Paul Christopher

English Bay

Tracks:

Spanish Ladies
A Jolly Sailor's True Description Of A Man-Of-War
Adieu, Sweet Lovely Nancy
St. Patrick's Day
Warlike Seamen
The First Of June
Drops Of Brandy
Roast Beef Of Old England
Heart Of Oak
Nancy Dawson
Ben Backstay
Sailors' Hornpipe/Rickett's Hornpipe
Bay Of Biscay-o
The Battle Of The Nile
Nelson's Victory/Hull's Victory
The Banks Of The Nile/Sailor's Cravat
A New Sea Song (Sweethearts And Wives)
Pleasant And Delightful
Captain Barton's Distress On The Lichfield
Chevy Chase
The Shannon And The Chesapeake
Distressed Men-Of-War
Sailor's Jacket
Don't Forget Your Old Shipmate

Amazon.com

If Roast Beef of Old England isn't enough to spawn a dose of contact scurvy, many other of these two dozen salty tunes will set the boat a-rocking. Treasures such as "A Jolly Sailor's True Description of a Man-of-War" and "Drops of Brandy" detail life among British seamen of the early 1800s without dredging up too much of the usual pirates, shipwrecks, or mutiny. It's an historical document of the regular life at sea, inspired by the British Navy novels of Patrick O'Brian, with intentions to anchor the writing in the ordinary sounds and stories of those fictionalized seafaring times. Glad fiddle, fife, and Jerry Bryant's humble six-man choral crew Starboard Mess spill the beans in suitable fashion without a sailor's colorful vocabulary. They supply the "yo ho ho" and annotations, you bring the rum and black powder. --Ian Christe

Customer Reviews:

Set Sail With These Great Songs.......2007-01-28

Jerry Bryant and his Starboard Mess offer up to the listener some wonderful performances of traditional British sailor tunes. They are all performed acapella, and despite other reviewers saying that these songs lack spirit, I find that there's plenty in store. Pennywhistle and fiddle songs are also thrown in and do nothing but add to the enjoyment of this album. Read your favorite Jack Aubrey novel or other seafaring tales such as "Treasure Island" while listening to this album to truly enhance your literary experience. My personal favorites include "Spanish Ladies" and "Bay of Biscay-o."

You should see the looks I get from the little wannabe thugs in their tricked out Hondas listening to hip-hop when I pull up next to them in my conservative white Toyota Camry and I'm belting out lines like "We'll rant and we'll roar like true British sailors...." Jay-Z can't even hold a candle to these wonderful old tunes.

Highly recommended.

Jack Aubrey would have loved it..........2007-01-09

This is the real thing! It takes some time to get into these songs...but then I started to join in. For someone reading O'Brian its a MUST.

Good traditional stuff.......2007-01-05

Just what I was looking for, some traditional British songs from the age of sail. I recomend this for anyone with an interest in British maritime and naval history.

Continuing Enjoyment.......2006-05-05

I've owned this CD for a few years now, and it hasn't become stale yet.

Being a 'younger' person with generally 'younger' preferences in music, and yet still a person thoroughly devoted to Patrick O'Brian and all his works, on first listening I was doubtful.

Another two or three spins around the CD player, though, and I was hooked. Crisp, clear and obviously as historically accurate as they can be, these songs give delight even now.

Best use? Volume dialled up to eleven for the morning drive to work, bellowing along at the top of my voice - and often the bottom of my range! Heart of Oak, Roast Beef of Old England, The Shannon and the Chesapeake - uproarious. Sailor's Jacket is the foot-tappingest instrumental; it still sets my toes a-jumping. And the sweeter songs? Give them plenty of wellie .. Adieu Sweet Lovely Nancy is fabulous.

Other big numbers: A Jolly Sailor's True Description of a Man-of-War, A New Sea Song (Sweethearts & Wives) - which has some fabulously 'historically accurate' narrative within (POB readers will know whereof I speak! ;-} - and Distressed Men-of-War - another song referred to within the POB Canon.

Heartily recommended.

Great CD!.......2005-10-28

I am very impressed with the quality of this CD. The sound is clear and the tones perfect. It was a surprise just how familiar all the song is! They are very vivid and worldly. I bought this CD with out knowing what was on it; I was truly surprised and happy with it. My 6th graders will enjoy learning to this CD, and as well as singing the songs to complement our reading of Treasure Island.
Lisa

The Legendary Heifetz / Heifetz, Sandor, Bay, et al

Average customer rating:

Perfect
for shame!
Wonderful recordings by the young Jascha Heifetz
Not Up to Par

The Legendary Heifetz / Heifetz, Sandor, Bay, et al
Isaac Albeniz , Manuel De Falla , Nicolo Paganini , Arpad Sandor , Emanuel Bay , and Arthur Rubinstein
Manufacturer: EMI Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Canons | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Cantatas | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Heifetz Showpieces
Jascha Heifetz: The Supreme
Heifetz: It Ain't Necessarily So
Heifetz: Double Concertos

ASIN: B00000I3V5
Release Date: 1999-02-09

Tracks:

La Ronde Des Lutins, Op. 25
An Eisamer Quelle, Op.9 No.2
Polonaise No.1 In D Major, Op.4
Meditation In D Major, Op.32
Scherzo-Tarantelle In G Minor, Op.16
L'Enfant Prodigue
Suite Espanola - No.3 - Sevillanas
La Capricieuse, Op.17
Guitarre, Op.45 No.2
Donza Espanola No.1
Tallahassee Suite: No.1 - Bygone Memories
Ruralia Hungarica, Op.32a: No.6 - Gypsy Andante
Valse
Mouvements Perpetuels: No.1
Hora Staccato
Sonata In A Major, Op.2 No.2: I. Preludio
Sonata In A Major, Op.2 No.2: II. Capriccio
Sonata In A Major, Op.2 No.2: III. Corrente
Sonata In A Major, Op.2 No.2: IV. Recitativo
Sonata In A Major, Op.2 No.2: V. Giga
Caprice No.13 In B-flat, Op. 1, No.13
English Suite No.3 In G Minor, BWV 808: Gavotte I & II
Sonata In A Major: Allegretto Poco Masso

Customer Reviews:

Perfect.......2007-08-01

The sound quality is perfect. Not "good considering...", but perfect, period. The music is marvelous. The virtuosity is stunning. Heifetz (and then Perlman) is my favorite. And then Horowitz on the piano and Sumi Jo soprano. In case you were wondering. As someone said about Midori's performance of Paganini's caprices, they knock the others into the pavement! I can't recommend this CD highly enough.

for shame!.......2003-05-22

[...]Heifetz is incomparable; everyone ought to have a disc of him playing showpieces, and I see no reason why this shouldn't be that disc. He recorded for RCA with better sound quality, but these early recordings are what made him famous. The second piece, a transcription of a Strauss song, is a model of "vocal-style" playing. This is what the violin should sound like. I was absolutely transfixed by this CD, and if you have any emotions you will be too. [...]

Wonderful recordings by the young Jascha Heifetz.......2002-07-19

These old (1920s) recordings are amazing in the modernity of Heifetz's musical conception and style, as well as in the reliability of his technique. They are among those recordings with which Heifetz created an entirely new aesthetic and technical standard for violin playing, a standard that is controlling to this day. He simply moved violin playing into the modern age. For example, the way Itzhak Perlman, Pinchas Zukerman and Hilary Hahn play violin (strong, smooth, even tone; total technical reliability; carefully restrained emotion; the complete ease and understatement with which even the most difficult passages are mastered) is simply inconceivable without the pervasive influence exerted by Jascha Heifetz. And these recordings let us witness how he did it, how he single-handedly revolutionized violin playing (and, together with Toscanin and Horowitz, classical music in general). It's great stuff, and in many ways he is better, more exciting to listen to, than all those that had the misfortune of coming after him. The review below is exceptionally silly for taking Heifetz to task for minor technical issues. When he recorded these pieces, there was no splicing, no re-recording passages that didn't work out so well, no electronic tricks. not only are these recordings essential to the history of musical interpretation, they're also simply great fun to listen to.

Not Up to Par.......2001-12-31

Heifetz is one of my idols, but sadly enough, he disappoints me here. His La Ronde de Lutins is quite bad. He misses the D harmonics, and tends to be overpowered by Emanuel Bay, his pianist. He tends towards an unnecessary accelerando when playing the F sharp on all four strings. His double artificial harmonics following this passage aren't always clear, nor played as a chord. The song goes smoothly for a while, then you get to the pizzicato section. His pizzicato isn't loud enough to overpower the piano, which is playing annoyingly loud. Antonio Bazzini was a violinist himself, but never really enjoyed the fame of Paganini or Sarasate or Heifetz. He preferred to compose. He went to the Padua school of music and taught such greats as Puccini. Although his music sounds nothing like theirs, I don't really like Strauss' works, but this one I found to be nice. It is melodic and grows on you. You really love this piece after a while. The Concert Polonaise by Wieniawski is one of my favorites. An exercise in virtuosity tempered with delightful melodies. Heifetz as usual, takes it at a blazing speed. Interestingly enough, you don't notice it until the song is over. This is performed as Wieniawski would have performed it - with class and with speed. I have another recording by Aaron Rosand in which he has an orchestra accompanying him. I really like that. The Meditation by Glazunov is really romantic and dreamy. It is a great way to relax and Heifetz interprets this song beautifully. The only setback of this track is the hiss. If you are a person that likes "white noise", you won't be bothered by it. I don't believe in "white noise". For me, the hiss distracts me from the music. The Scherzo - Tarantelle is a real show off piece with little to no musicality. I like it because it is fast and catchy. L'enfant Prodigue is a song with many layers. Superficially it is very nice, but the deeper you go into it, the better it gets. Debussy was a phenomenal composer who helped with the leap from the Romantic era to the Modern era. But, he did it with grace. His early opus numbers are romantic, but as the opus numbers increase, so does the number of new stylistic devises. I love Spanish music, and Albeniz is one of my favorite Spanish composers. The song is a light song that drifts gaily through the air, infecting all that hear it with a sudden happiness. It is truly a wonderful piece. Elgar is a great composer for the violin. He wrote a truly magnificent concerto for the violin that is filled with passion. His La Capricieuse is a great encore piece. It also has a lot of musical value for violinists. If you want to learn how to do really good up bow or down bow staccato, this is a must play piece. The introduction is really stiff, and you don't want to welcome this music, but before you know it, you love it. Moritz Moszkowski was a great composer. His Guitarre, transcribed by Sarasate has become a solid piece in the violin literature. He plays it for all it's worth and doesn't flub a single note. The harmonics are pristine and float above the rest of the music, like it's supposed to. The Danza Espanola Number one is my favorite. It is really mysterious in the beginning, and then flourishes into a lively dance. The ending starts softly, then grows louder and louder to grand triumphant conclusion. The one sad thing about this is the background noise. I am not a fan of modern composers, and the Tallahassee Suite did not really appeal to my ear buds. It was nice, but lacked the depth of the romantic era. The Ruralia Hungarica is a nice song. When I close my eyes, I feel as if I'm in a whirlpool being swirled in sound. Laugh if you want, but it's the truth. The Valse by Castelnuovo - Tedesco is a song that appeals to a selective few. I am not one of those few. I find the notes to be strewn all over the place. The movement perpetuels have a delightful simple tune that just struck me a s genious. How someone make such a catchy tune that uses very few notes? Well, he does. Hora Staccato is a great song that became Heifetz's trademark. This is a good recording, except for the scratchiness in some of his down bow staccato. RCA Victor released the same recording on their CD "Heifetz Violin Greatest Hits". The Vivaldi Sonata was a bit of a disappointment because I remembered the Four Seasons and the virtuoso solo parts. Then, I realized that the Four Seasons was a later composition when he was much stronger technically. This sonata was short brief, but catchy. I think that Heifetz misses most of the musical content in it though. Paganini was the greatest technician that ever lived. Born with Marfan's syndrome, he nearly died at birth. His health was constantly bad, but he continued on. His amazingly elastic fingers allowed him to perform the most impossible feats on the violin. His 13th caprice starts out sounding like a person laughing. The fast section is pretty well played. He misses the chords though, and his attempts to reach them sound really scratchy. I much prefer the one played by Michael Rabin. That one is perfect. The Bach English Suite is pretty nice. The second part is well known Suzuki student. I really don't like it that much though. Cesar Frank was an organist. His Symphony is supposed to be like an organ, in the sense that there are no breaks. His Sonata is very nice. It flows and is very violinistic, meaning that it seems like it was made for the violin. It is really catchy and almost is at a walking speed.

Tracks:

Dashing Away With The Smoothing Iron
Brigg Fair
Botany Bay
Il Est Ne Le Divin Enfant
Myfanwy
The Turtle Dove
Londonderry Air
Sometimes I Feel Like A Motherless Child
Nobody Knows The Trouble I Seen
De Gospel Train
My Sweetheart's Like Venus
Ca' The Yowes
Molly Malone
O Waly Waly
Ye Banks And Braes
Song Of The Volga Boatmen
Shenandoah
Joshua
Steal Away
Swing Low, Sweet Chariot

Customer Reviews:

Not what I expected.......2007-05-21

The description of this product led me to believe that it was something altogether different.
It was not the kknd of music I enjoy.

Great Country Love Songs: 16 TRACK KARAOKE BAY CD+G : Formatted for worldwide use : Lyrics Booklet Included

Average customer rating:

Great Country Love Songs: 16 TRACK KARAOKE BAY CD+G : Formatted for worldwide use : Lyrics Booklet Included

Manufacturer: Great Country Love Songs
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Karaoke | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music
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Party Tyme Karaoke- Standards

ASIN: B000EAAUI8

Product Description

One of Karaoke Bay's most popular albums! Highlighted by classics like Crazy and You Were Mine, this album is a must have for any collection! Great Country Love Songs features karaoke versions of each song complete with onscreen graphics, background vocals and a lyric booklet! TRACKS: In The Style Of 1. AMAZED LONESTAR 2. YOU WERE MINE DIXIE CHICKS 3. I COULD NOT ASK FOR MORE SARA EVANS 4. YOU LIGHT UP MY LIFE LEANN RIMES 5. YOUR LOVE AMAZES ME MICHAEL ENGLISH 6. YOU'RE STILL THE ONE SHANIA TWAIN 7. I SWEAR JOHN MICHAEL MONTGOMERY 8. CRAZY PATSY CLINE 9. WHEN LOVE FINDS YOU VINCE GILL 10. BREATHE FAITH HILL 11. BUTTERFLY KISSES BOB CARLISLE 12. UNCHAINED MELODY LEANN RIMES 13. THE DANCE GARTH BROOKS 14. WHEN I SAID I DO CLINT BLACK 15. CAN I TRUST YOU WITH MY HEART TRAVIS TRITT 16. WHAT ABOUT NOW LONESTAR

Percy Grainger: The Complete Piano Music

Average customer rating:

Every last note...

Percy Grainger: The Complete Piano Music

Manufacturer: Nimbus Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Dances | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Waltzes | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Fantasies | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

Lullabies & Berceuse | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Noels | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music

Boccherini: Clavier Quintets (Complete)
Couperin: 4 Livres de pièces de clavecin [Box Set]
Bach: Complete Works - 155 CD Box Set

ASIN: B0000037AX
Release Date: 1997-11-18

Tracks:

Handel In The Strand
Bridal Lullaby
English Waltz
Mock Morris
To A Nordic Princess
In A Nutshell-Ste: I. Arrival Platform Humlet
In A Nutshell-Ste: II. Gay But Wistful
In A Nutshell-Ste: III. Pastoral
In A Nutshell-Ste: IV. 'The Gum-Suckers' March
Peace
Saxon Twi-Play
Andante Con Moto
Children's March
The Immovable Do
Sailor's Song
Colonial Song
Walking Tune
Harvest Hymn
In Dahomey

Tracks:

b flat Pno Con (Opening)
Cradle-Song
Love Walked In
Second Pno Con (3rd Movt)
Now, O Now, I Needs Must Part
Nimrod
Ramble On The Last Love-Duet
Chinese Melody-Beautiful Fresh Flower
Paraphrase On The Flower Waltz
Lullaby From 'Tribute To Foster'
American Song-The Rag-Time Girl
'Blithe Bells'
Fugue In a
The Man I Love

Tracks:

Country Gardens
The Merry King
Molly On The Shore
Irish Tune From County Derry
Knight And Shepard's Daughter
The Nightingale And The Two Sisters
Jutish Medley
Sussex Mummers' Christmas Carol
The Rival Brothers
Near Woodstock Town
Will Ye Gang To The Hielands, Lizzie Lindsay
The Brisk Young Sailor
One More Day My John (Easy Version)
Rimmer And Goldcastle
Spoon River
The Widow's Party
The Hunter In His Career
My Robin Is To The Greenwood Gone
Died For Love
Scotch Strathspey
One More Day My John (Complex Version)
Bristol Town
Hard-Hearted Barb'ra Helen
Mo Ninghean Dhu
Lisbon (Dublin Bay)
Stalt Vesselil
O Gin I Were Where Gowrie Rins
Shepard's Hey

Tracks:

Four Irish Dances: I. A March-Jig
Four Irish Dances: II. A Slow Dance
Four Irish Dances: III. The Leprechaun's Dance
Four Irish Dances: IV. A Reel
Nell
Apres Un Reve
Pno Con, First Movt
Tiger-Tiger
Air And Dance
Hornpipe
Toccata And Fugue in d
Lullaby From 'Tribute To Foster' (Easy Grainger)
Angelus Ad Virginem
Klavierstuck in E
Eastern Intermezzo
The Bigelow March
Pno Con, First Movt
At Twilight
Klavierstuck in a
Klavierstuck in B Flat
Klavierstuck in D

Tracks:

Children's March: 'Over The Hills And Far Away'
Up-Country Song (Colonial Song)
English Dance
Ye Banks And Braes O' Bonnie Doon
'Spoon River'-American Folk Dance
Train Music
Zanzibar Boat-Song
Paganini Varations, No.12
Green Bushes-Passacaglia On An English Folksong
William Byrd's Air And Variations For The Virginals 'The Carman's Whistle'
'A Dance Rhapsody'
Girl Crazy: Embraceable You
The Warriors-Music To An Imaginary Ballet

Customer Reviews:

Every last note..........2006-06-14

A super budget 5 CD collection of all of Grainger's Piano music.
Every last note!
The shipping alone would be $17.00+ for the 5 individual Cds.
Englishman Martin Jones plays these as if he wrote them. He is thoroughly inside this music.
I think his best work to date.
He is joined on CD #5 by Richard Mcmahon and Phillip Martin. Where they rollick in various combos and trios on 1, 2 and 3 pianos. This is exhilerating. Especially on an truly uplifting version of Green Bushes.
The entire set is strongly idiomatic and given a clear, crisp, warm and spacious recording. FIRST CLASS sound.
There are too many highlights to single out, but the In A Nutshell Suite and Green Bushes are especially GOOD!
There is not a bad note or "vibe" on any of these CDs.
Highly recommended for Granger fans and fans of English Piano Music.

A Brass & Organ Christmas / Fenstermaker, Bay Brass, Krehbiel

Average customer rating:

A well deserved five stars
A Brass & Organ Christmas sans Organ
Arrangements, performances, & engineering all excellent
A Brass & Organ Christmas - GREAT
American Record Guide (Nov/Dec. 2000) says...

A Brass & Organ Christmas / Fenstermaker, Bay Brass, Krehbiel
George Frideric Handel , Heinrich Schutz , Gustav Holst , English Traditional , Felix Mendelssohn , Christmas Traditional , Giovanni Gabrieli , Franz Xaver Gruber , Johann Sebastian Bach , Pietro Yon , Claude-Beninge Balbastre , Georges Bizet , John Francis Wade , Leroy Anderson , David Krehbiel , John Fenstermaker , and Robert Ward
Manufacturer: Gothic Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Sacred & Religious | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Oratorios | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Choruses | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Noels | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Oratorios | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Psalms | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Marches | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music

Classical Instrumental | Holiday | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music

Classical Instrumental | Holiday Music | Special Features | Music
ASIN: B00004Y6PX
Release Date: 2000-10-24

Tracks:

Carillon
Joy To The World
Psalm VIII
Christmas Day (Choral Fantasy On Old Carols)
Greensleeves
Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
The Christmas Nightingale
Canzon XVI
Silent Night
Chorale No. 64 (From The Christmas Oratorio)
A Manger Pastorale Gesu Bambino
Hallelujah (From Messiah)
Noel: Votre Bonte, Grand Dieu
March Of The Kings
The Twelve Days Of Christmas
O Come, All Ye Faithful
Sleigh Ride

Album Description

Noted organist John Fenstermaker recorded this gorgeous Christmas disc with the Bay Brass at San Francisco's Grace Cathedral. Includes "Joy to the World," "Greensleeves," "The Christmas Nightingale," "Silent Night," and many more.

Customer Reviews:

A well deserved five stars.......2002-12-17

This is a superb brass ensemble. I really enjoy Christmas CDs, and quite a few of the ones I've owned are brass Christmas CDs. I had not heard the Bay Brass before hearing this recording, but I really must say that their precision, timing, power and "attack" truly rivals the legendary Phillip Jones Brass Ensemble. I also think that they surpass the PJBE's own Christmas recordings in many ways. One person mentioned that the organ was not as well-recorded on this disc, and at times it was not easily heard. For me, however, this is not as great a flaw. The real star here is this brass ensemble, which is absolutely first class. Sometimes organ/brass discs have an overpowering organ, and on this disc, the Bay Brass plays with such astonishing skill, that I do not miss hearing the organ accompaniment, which is there, but very much in background. If you are an organ fan, I could understand this may not be the disc for you, but if you love the sound of brass with some organ & percussion accompaniment, this will be exactly your cup-of-tea. There are just enough of the more well-known selections on this disc to satisfy many, along with a few lessor-known pieces. Hark the Herald Angels Sing has all of the excitement and precision one could wish for, in a very imaginative arrangement. Greensleeves is performed in an arrangement originally written by the before-mentioned Phillip Jones Brass Ensemble. Again, I must confess I actually prefer THIS slower version to the version so masterfully done by the Phillip Jones Ensemble, and I mean this as the highest possible compliment. There is an earth-shaking Gabrielli Canzon here, where the organ takes the antiphonal, or echo, parts. And in one of the most creative & unusual arrangements of Silent Night I've yet heard, the brass choir begins playing in a very mysterious way as an echoing melody at first, followed by the organ. The melody moves on to a medley of Away in a Manger, before returning to the Silent Night theme. The Hallelujah Chorus is arranged here for brass, percussion & organ to great effect, and the organ is definately powerful on that piece, as well as on Bach's Christmas Oratorio as well. The clarity of the brass section is nothing sort of amazing. As a real brass ensemble fan, I am eargerly awaiting more recordings by the Bay Brass after hearing this cd. Absolutely first-class.

A Brass & Organ Christmas sans Organ.......2002-12-09

If you purchase this CD with the hope of hearing a top-notch brass choir and magnificent and large pipe organ playing a varied program of Christmas music in a splendid venue, you may be disappointed when you discover that with one notable exception, the great organ of Grace Cathedral is all but inaudible for the most part. In part, I think this is due to the location of microphones during the recording, since the brass sound quite close to the microphones, while the organ, when heard, seems to be quite a distance away from the microphones and/or brass. My guess is that for whatever reason, the arrangements have not been written to showcase the organ or even give it an equal place on the program. Even in the one selection which features the organ in dialogue with the brass, the sound of the organ is so distant that it is easily overpowered by the brass choir. The small portative organ used for three of the selections has, for the most part, a more audible presence than the great cathedral organ could ever hope to have in this recording.

The music on this CD is outstanding, and the performance of The Bay Brass is impeccable. Now, if only we could hear what the organ and organist John Fenstermaker were playing, this CD would be complete.

Arrangements, performances, & engineering all excellent.......2001-12-14

If you enjoy the sound of large symphonic brass ensemble with pipe organ, you'll like what you hear on this album. The venue is San Francisco's Grace Cathedral, a richly reverberant environment that's ideal for music like this. Excellent sonics showcase a superb job by the audio engineers. The recording is clear and distinct, with good presence and stereo imaging.

A. David Krehbiel conducts the Bay Brass, organist John Fenstermaker, and four guest artists in fifteen magnificent arrangements for brass and organ. In addition, the opening track briefly features the Grace Cathedral carillon, and track 13 is an organ solo.

I had not heard the Bay Brass before I listened to this album. In my opinion, they compare favorably with other virtuoso symphonic brass ensembles, like the Philip Jones, Summit, and Millar brass ensembles.

The Bay Brass's standard instrumentation for this album seems to be four trumpets, four horns, three tenor trombones, one bass trombone, and tuba. Flugelhorns, euphoniums, and even alphorns can be heard on some tracks. (The players are all professionals from orchestras in the San Francisco area.) Four guest musicians assist: one trumpeter and 3 percussionists. Two of Grace Cathedral's four organs were used for this recording.

The selections are mostly traditional, from a variety of time periods and styles. Following are a few of my favorites: Heinrich Schutz's "Psalm VIII" is weighty and glorious; try reading the Biblical text as you listen for an added dimension of enjoyment. Douglas Haislip's colorful arrangement of "Christmas Day (Choral Fantasy on Old Carols)" does credit to the original composer, Gustav Holst, himself a master orchestrator. The verve and precision of Bizet's "March of the Kings (Farandole)" is a delight, especially as heard in the trombones. All of the tracks are worth listening to; there are no duds on this CD.

I have loved Christmas music for brass since I first heard "A Festival of Carols in Brass" by the Philadelphia Brass Ensemble on vinyl 24 years ago (now on CD: CBS MK7033). The Bay Brass's "A Brass & Organ Christmas" is a worthy successor, in the tradition of great Christmas brass recordings. I highly recommend it.

A Brass & Organ Christmas - GREAT.......2000-12-07

Recorded in Grace Cathedral in San Francisco, this is a really spectacular CD featuring a ton of great music and many familiar classics. Huge sound, flawless performances by The Bay Brass and organist John Fenstermaker. Highly recommended to anyone who enjoys Christmas/holiday music. The acoustics in Grace Cathedral add a unique and very rich dimension to the sound.

American Record Guide (Nov/Dec. 2000) says..........2000-11-07

Brass and Organ Christmas/Bay Brass

"If you're looking for festive Christmas music by brass and organ, you won't find a better recording than this one. The arrangements are lovely and unusual, the performances loving. While I enjoy the whole disc, I am especially taken by Elgar Howarth's haunting look at Greensleeves, Anthony DiLorenzo's spectacular settings of "Joy to the World" and "Hark, the Herald Angels Sing", Jonathan Ring's touching arrangement of "Silent Night" (which begins and ends with conductor A. David Krehbiel and horn player Robert Ward on alphorns), David Baldwin's setting of the Hallelujah Chorus and Ralph Carmichael's colorful arrangement of "Twelve Days of Christmas."

Staffed by members of the San Francisco Symphony and other important area orchestras, Bay Brass is a truly wonderful brass ensemble with a full-bodied sound and no rough edges. The recording was made in Grace Cathedral with John Fenstermaker, who plays a magnificent Aeolian-Skinner organ with 123 ranks and a smaller 19th-century hand-pumped one. Considering the acoustics of such a large space, the recorded sound is excellent - the group is heard in fine detail, and the lengthy sound delay is never obtrusive and is often magical."