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Philip Jones Brass Ensemble

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

The Philip Jones Brass Ensemble was founded in 1951 by the trumpeter Philip Jones and was one of the first modern classical brass ensembles. The group played as a quintet, or as a ten-piece ensemble for larger halls. It toured and recorded a great deal, and numerous arrangements were commissioned for it. After Jones's death a large part of them went to the library of the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester.

Music and breakthrough

The line-up consisted of trumpets, horns, trombones, tuba and percussion, sometimes with a conductor such as Elgar Howarth or John Iveson. The ensemble recorded Leonard Salzedo's signature fanfare for the Open University television broadcasts. When Jones stopped in 1986, many members continued to work together under the name London Brass.

Influence

The group showed that brass can do more than military music or a single fanfare. With chamber music for brass players, arrangements of older and newer music and a sound that was both full and precise, the ensemble gave the genre a permanent place in the concert hall. In doing so it set an example for later brass quintets.

Listening

Listening tip. Listen to a recording of the Philip Jones Brass Ensemble and try to keep the individual brass voices apart. Notice how the trumpets carry the melody and the trombones and tuba lay the foundation.

Discography

Studio albums

Categories: Artists