Putting brass at Number one!
Not since the glory days of The Floral Dance has a brass band achieved success in the UK charts and despite every effort to promote the genre in the mainstream music market, the hit parade has been bombarded with reality TV show winners as opposed to the traditional English soul music that is brass bands.
Well, now it?s the banding fraternity?s opportunity to help hear the sounds of brass in the charts as, for the first time in many years, an album and single featuring some top quality brass playing is being released into the mainstream pop charts.
The album in question is entitled The Man with the Golden Cornet, an outstanding album featuring Alan Morrison, accompanied by the Brighouse & Rastrick. Featuring some of the most beautiful, soulful and easy listening tunes, the album has been released by Hot Records and will hit the UK market on Monday 26 September.
On the same day a single will also be released, featuring three versions of Alan performing his own evocative adaptation of Eva Cassidy?s Over the Rainbow, a stunning arrangement which earned Alan the inaugural Fodens Richardson Award.
But how can you help? Quite simply, in order for the single Over the Rainbow to rise up the hit parade it must achieve record sales. However, high street music stores will only stock the single and album if the demand is there and it receives plenty of air play on the radio.
So, in order to hear bands in the charts again, give the radio station you listen to a call and request Alan?s performance of Over the Rainbow. Likewise, when walking down the street pop into your local music store and ask if they sell either the single Over the Rainbow, performed by Alan Morrison or his new album, The Man with the Golden Cornet. This is our chance as a banding community to pull together to give brass bands the exposure they deserve in the mainstream musical world.
