The Sunshine Coast Music Society's Festival of Wind Music blew in to Gibsons like a breath of fresh air.
"Every voice counts," said Tom Kellough, conductor of the Elphinstone Jazz Band, that kicked off the annual festival Friday, Feb. 5.
Kellough explained that a few members of the young people's band were off sick and several local adult musicians would be filling in. Consequently, the show had a few unrehearsed, floundering moments, but otherwise the performers demonstrated their aptitude and focus, particularly with music that was written long before they were born, such as Sunny Side of the Street. Funk was featured with a lively Mustang Sally, arranged by musician John Frederickson of the Roberts Creek Big Band.
The group was fresh from Thursday's big Torch Relay performance in Sechelt where, as Kellough told the audience, they were given four minutes precisely to perform. During the festival, they played the same Latin number, Cappuccino Freeway.
Among the highlights were the many solos, including duelling saxes, drum solos and the sister/brother act of Emily and Henry Wood. Emily, who wants to study jazz piano, seemed confident on the concert grand and smoked through a bluesy number that she hopes to use in future college auditions.
The Wood siblings and Tiegen Daniels closed the first half with a vocal, Green Grow the Rushes.
Saturday evening's concert featured Whirlwind, a classical woodwind quartet, and then returned to the predominantly jazz theme from the local Jazz Group of Seven.
On Sunday, the Little Mountain Brass Band under the direction of Jim Littleford turned out in full force, 35 strong. They opened with a powerful Men of Harlech, a Welsh traditional tune.
There were many delightful interludes in which members rested their horn-blowing lips and talked to the audience with passion about the rise of brass bands and the instruments they use.
In contrast to the Salva-tion Army style of band, this style began in Britain's industrial revolution to keep the working class from drinking and brawling on their days off. Competition among community bands flourished and composers wrote test pieces specifically for judging. Moorside Suite by Gustav Holst, performed on Sunday, was one such piece, and it showcased many solos.
A horn section and cornets are also traditional. Euphoniums, a tuba-like instrument, and baritones (smaller euphoniums) offered their big sound to Verdi's Grand March from Aida and to the Brass Band's encore, Elmer Bernstein's Theme from the Magnificent Seven. The show closed with the soundtrack excerpts from Pirates of the Caribbean, music which is often overshadowed by the film's other excesses.
The Sunshine Coast Music Society has plans to bring the viola graduation recital of Erin Macdonald to the stage this summer, and in September they will present the Naden Band of Maritime Forces Pacific. The band of 35 professional musicians is as good as it gets, according to festival organizer Terry Andrews.
