Messages to Cala

before the release....

Bill Rawlinson
I hope it will be a superb CD!

Donald D Krause, Horn Teacher Fox Valley Horn choir director
Can't wait for the new London Horns CD to become available. I'm sure it will as exciting as the other London Horn CD and as popular. Can't wait for the upbeat CD that will be conquering the horn world as soon as it hits the news media. Bring it on!!!

Rodrigo Nunez Miccono
When is available the cd??????

Jeffrey Agrell, Classical improv
I can't wait to get my copy of Give It One (I may have to re-order London Horn Sound, which I have also almost worn out [difficult to do with an optical disk...]). The gold standard for nonjazz improv for me is still BackToBackToBack, with Pip, Richard, and Jonathan Williams making spine-tingling how-the-hell-do-they-do it spontaneous music that is off the charts and out of the park. I wish they would do B2B2B: The Sequel! For the rest of us, if you are interested in a handhold on the slippery cliff of getting started in (nonjazz) improvisation, you might have a look at Improvisation Games for Classical Musicians (www.giamusic.com/products/P-7173.cfm) by, um, me. It's a compendium of over 500 musical games plus a lot of explanatory and reference information to get you in on the fun.

and after...

Richard Prankerd
I was sent a copy of Give it one, with the instructions "Put it on the stereo system and stand well back". I was not able to thank the sender until about 36 hours later, as I had to spend most of the intervening time tracking down brickwork from the house, which had been dislodged by the emanating torrent of sound. He had said to stand well back, but he didn't say anything about physical disruption.What an absolute ripper! As with the original London Horn Sound recording, I drooled over Anthony Halstead's low register work. How does he do it?! NB: when I am not playing the horn, I am playing bass trombone... and the inventiveness of the arrangements was amazing. I have been fascinated by large horn ensembles since hearing a couple of late '70s - early 80s recordings of the Horn Club of Los Angeles, but they are really quite different in comparison with Give It One and The London Horn Sound. I read somewhere that the arrangers are the unsung heroes of these CDs - how true. Also, I always enjoy the extensive detail in the liner notes of these Cala recordings.

Hugh Seenan - Jazz horn. Which instrument?
Pip Eastop has played an enormous part in the success of this recording and quite honestly he was the only horn player capable of playing the solo part in some of the tracks. When he first mentioned to me that he wanted to play his jazz solos on an Eb horn an inner voice in me was thinking "hang on a minute son, this is a HORN CD."

I know Pip's playing extremely well having sat next to him on many recording sessions and he can play high notes on ANY horn. I decided from the start that I wanted to feature Pip's particular genius and I also decided not to get involved at all with what instruments the guys were going to use. The results from Pip are of course extraordinary and his particular horn and sound has a great impact on the album.

What about the other jazzers? Richard Bissill is at the other end of the spectrum. He simply will not use ANYTHING other than his Yamaha 668 full double horn in F/Bb for everthing he plays. Richard is one of my dearest mates and I really thing he is a genius, however I think his attitude that you should never use alto horns is very brave to say the least. I'm not that brave! (Well maybe I was when I was younger, I did play the horn solo on Titanic on my Paxman Model 23 double horn). He played all his solos on his Yamaha and he also sounds absolutely marvellous.

Jim Rattigan played an F/Bb compensating Paxman double horn and Tim Jackson and Gwilym Simcock both played F/Bb full Yamaha 668 double horns for all their solos and equally did an incredible job. When we were recording the jazz solos all the guys were a bit nervous. Even although these players are all hardened pros, this was uncharted territory for most of them except Jim Rattigan who is an experienced jazzer. However even Jim had a big weight of responsibilty on his shoulders. How Gwilym sat there and knocked out a huge jazz horn solo when he spends EVERY day playing the piano, was quite extraordinary. Richard, Tim, Jim, Gwilym and Pip all improvised on the day though it was honest of Pip to write that he wrote out some of his stuff in advance. I am so grateful to them and ALL the other players who rose to the formidable challenge presented to them. With deep appreciation!
Hughie

Antony Whittam
Wow!! I just listened to the Give It One clips on the website. Great horn playing - I've been hoping to find something like this for years. Now I can't wait to get my hands on the CD.

Geert De Vos
I had heard before about The London Horn Sound, but I never heard them actually play. Till now... What a stunning CD!!! And then there's also the line-up... WOW. I'm a big horn fan, because I think the horn is such a great instrument with a big range (in this case a VERY big range) and the sound is so beautiful and rich as well in pp as in ff. For me it's also the first time that I hear horns play some 'lighter' music, and I must honestly say that I'm amazed! As a bass trombonist I'm especially impressed by the low horns. Lovely how they can make it growl! While listening, many smiles have come to my face :)...Great job and I'm looking forward to your next project!

Heather de Haes
Outstanding cover design, interior layout exceptional, and musical content of the highest calibre.

Peter Hirsch
Thanks, I just purchased the CD from TAP Music as part of a large purchase taking advantage of a clearance sale that they were having that encouraged me to buy every horn CD I don't already own. Frankly, I'm sure I would have purchased the disc sooner if it had come to my attention in The Horn Call or Fanfare. Since I have been a horn player since around 1961 and collecting horn recordings almost as long (the L.A. Horn Club Color Contrasts was a major listening presence in my teen years; more than the records by that other group, current at the same time, the Beatles), it was a given that I had to own this CD.

I am listening to it for the first time now as I am writing and it is pretty much beyond criticism. The arrangements, the soloing, the ensemble playing are all uniquely mind boggling; you even got my current favorite journalist/author, Jasper Rees, to do the booklet. The only negative that I can come up with is that it is fairly depressing to consider the gap between my own marginally professional skills as a horn player, acquired by study with exemplars of the horn world and countless thousands of hours of warming up, practicing and performing (resume on request) and what I am hearing. I feel blessed that there now seems to be an unofficial horn ensemble recording contest that Vienna, London, Berlin, Texas, NY and other locales are engaged in. What could be better for someone in my shoes? Thanks and Happy New Year.

Donald D Krause
Got the CD yesterday and since I have a kick butt stereo system the overwhelming sounds really put me into musical orbit--- like wow what a great set of pipes (no pun intended) that just really show that horns can play jazz. Great job.

The Right Hornary Mr Garth Morton
Excellent, informative and useful notes. However, for the record I must mention the talents of Toni Cooke, who was at the Academy with Jeff Bryant. She was the first British woman to play serious jazz, featuring with John Dankworth and Ronnie Ross to whom she was married. The only surviving recording of her work is on a broadcast made in the old Paris studios in 1979 with the Ross ensemble 'Eight to One'. Also the horn call on the Black Magic advert resounded round cinemas and televisions for a decade or so. Pity she didn't get any repeat money. She played an Alexander GBBR, Maine built back to front so the bell faced to the left. This happened because of a physical defect. She was a child prodigy and appeared with Stanford Robinson in respect of her talents as a composer.

Charles Seaton
We just had a fourteen horn reading session at a north Shore church in Vancouver, B.C., Canada. This is about to become a monthly event using both pros and serious amateurs. The London Horn Sound CD has been inspiring for all of us. We will need to get some of the larger ensemble charts to take advantage of larger number of hornists.

Kevin Lindsay
Maestro Simon, love both the London Horn CD's. How about one of nothing but film music? BTW, I played 3rd horn for you in a performance of Rite of Spring with the North Texas State University orchestra back in the '80s.

Andrew Gosden
Fantastic CD - bought it today and listening to it now! But am I the only person too stupid to work out how to get access to the much trumpeted (possibly not the right word in this context) digital download of the Sound of Music suite?

Mo Eastop
Way to go dad! Yo Dad, can't get enough of that album, especially your Give It One screeching! And Hughie, in case you haven't realised, your album has become a huge cult success amongst young brass players, and (this bit applies to Dad), made Pip a cult sensation. Muchos Gracious

Paul Sarcich
For those wondering about the charts from the GIO CD, they are all available from Cala Records. The site page is here. The solos from all tracks have been transcribed and now form part of the scores and parts package, so everyone can have a go at getting Pip Eastop's top Zs!

Eldon Matlick, Prof. of Horn Univ. of Oklahoma
I just got the CD and a bunch of your arrangements that I'm ready to work on with my group, but I would like to get a complete reference recording of the SoM suite.