The Canadian Brass has a long and honored history, replete with awards including a Grammy, a Silver Rose, Echo Klassik, and multiple Junos, plus a host of numerous best-selling recordings. The brass quintet – tuba, French horn, trombone and two trumpets – has earned accolades for its zesty live performances across the globe and its ability to take on music from the classical canon and the pop charts.
Good to see Canadian Brass is not resting on its laurels. After more than 50 years of performing, the ensemble has released one of its freshest and best recordings. Canadiana pays homage to other artists from the group’s homeland, such as Joni Mitchell, Leonard Cohen, Drake and more.
Wait, Drake done by a brass quintet? “Constant Craving” sans vocals? Oh yeah. It might seem unlikely, but the whole thing makes perfect sense. Perhaps the best tune (and most surprising) is “2112 Overture.” It’s a safe bet no one has previously combined Rush and Tchaikovsky, and it’s dazzling – which is basically the case for the rest of the recording as well.
Special guests abound. Cordeone’s accordion is a perfect complement to the brass on k.d. lang’s magnum opus. Canadian trumpeter Ingrid Jensen guests on “Both Sides Now,” while Bruce Cockburn plays on his “13th Mountain” and “Thoughts on a Rainy Afternoon.” He also appears on Leonard Cohen’s concluding “Hallelujah,” the sound enhanced by a host of Canadian Brass alumni alongside Achilles Liarmakopoulos (trombone), Caleb Hudson and Brandon Ridenour (trumpets), Jeff Nelson (French horn) and founding member Chuck Daellenbach (tuba).
Plaudits galore for the imaginative arrangements and serious, serious musical chops displayed on this album. Now, what about Volume 2 with Neil Young, the Parachute Club, Martha and the Muffins and the Guess Who?
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