This Sunday, March 17, the Commonwealth Brass band from Louisville will take the stage at Madison Consolidated High School Auditorium to perform a concert of British style brass band music. The show begins at 3 p.m., and is sponsored by the Madison Performing Arts Foundation, which means the event is free and open to the public, as all MPAF shows are.
I caught up with Russell Shartzer, tuba player in the band and spokesperson, to get some more details about the show. One of my first questions was, “What makes the British style of brass band music? How is it different from other brass bands?”
“Well, there are several things,” explained Russell, “not the least of which is we have only cornets and no trumpets. We are 35 players in all, five tubas, four trombones, two baritone horns, three euphonium and four altos. The rest are cornets and flugelhorns. Oh, and there is percussion, of course. But no trumpets and no French horns.
“The difference in cornets and flugelhorns is the tubing is continuously conical, from the mouthpiece to the bell. That means it is getting slightly larger all the way through the horn. Trumpets, in contrast, have straight cylindrical tubing, resulting in a much brighter, brasher tone. British brass bands are known for a rounder, softer overall sound.
“We like to say there is a difference in the color of the tone. It’s something most Americans don’t usually get to hear, so we are always excited to bring this very traditional and unique sound to fresh audiences. Actually, there is one place some people might have heard the British style, and that’s Salvation Army bands. They use cornets also.
“Consequently, because of that association with the Salvationists, there is a strong emphasis on the spiritual in the music we play. But there are also marches and orchestral pieces, as well as some popular songs. We’re playing ‘You Raise Me Up’ by Josh Groban for this concert.
“The Commonwealth Brass Band was founded in 1989, and it’s pretty much a community style band. We have a couple of high school students, some college, people from all professions and walks of life. One band member just turned 90 this year!
“We have people with music degrees, finance degrees, everything from former pro musicians to hobbyists. That’s what makes it so fun. It’s a labor of love for all of us.
“This concert in Madison kind of has two special purposes. The first is to memorialize the late Mark Johnson, an amazing educator and musician, longtime music teacher, and one of the stalwarts of the Madison Community Band.
“The second purpose is to honor our band director, Jerry Amend. Jerry has been with the band since the beginning in 1989, and he has been so kind and generous to everyone. Everyone just loves Jerry, so we want the concerts this year that mark his 35 years with the band, to honor and celebrate him.
“I hope everyone in Madison will come out to the high school at 3 p.m. on Sunday to enjoy some very special brass band music, and to pay tribute to these two amazing men. The show will last about 75 minutes and is sure to leave you with a smile on your face!”
Hot Tip of the Week
Madison does St. Patrick’s Day right! In fact, we do St. Pat’s Weekend right, starting Friday and running all the way through Sunday with a festive afternoon celebration at Thomas Family Winery. If you are looking for a memorable and fun weekend experience, Madison is the place to be. Saturday night especially is shaping up with six live music events, plus karaoke, with all but one in easy walking distance from each other. Park your car, put on your green hat, and join the festive crowd as we pub-crawl our way around the downtown music district. Off Broadway Taproom will be especially lively with the high-energy good-time performance of Madison’s own Rusty Bladen and his band The Living Daylights. Or check out The Local Honeys concert at Red Bicycle Hall, who have been described as “the defining sound of real deal, honest-to-god Kentucky music.” Red Bike shows are ticketed events, so head over to MadTixEvents.com for your tix. See you around town, and “Slainte!”
This Week in Music
The Central — Jam w/Jimmy
Rivertown Grill — Ruben Guthrie
Rivertown Grill — Karaoke
1st Street Saloon — Open Mic w/Dewey & Friends
Rivertown Grill — Keith Swinney
Riverboat Inn — Joe & Deano
1st Street Saloon — Dylan West
Thomas Family Winery — Celtica Fae (6 p.m.)
VFW — Missy & the Howlers
1st Street Saloon — L&L Karaoke
Rivertown Grill — Ragtop Deluxe
The Drake — Joe & Deano & Danny & Kerry
Red Bicycle Hall — The Local Honeys
Off Broadway Taproom — Rusty Bladen, w/Taylor Eversole
Rivertown Grill — Joe & Deano
Thomas Family Winery — Ragged Arse Tinkers (1 p.m.)
MCHS Auditorium — Commonwealth Brass Band
Charlie Rohlfing is a retired advertising man and partner in The Red Bicycle Hall music venue. Look for his distinctive fedora bobbing above the crowd, anywhere live local music is happening.
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading to another person.
Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.