Sousa

Catherine Hope-Cunningham writes: This project started in 2006 as an effort to archive the stories of Dr. Paul Bierley, Sousa historian and biographer. Anyone who has listened to Paul talk about Sousa knows that he was an animated storyteller, gesturing as he spoke with a look of amusement-meets- contentment, and with a certainty that this was important stuff. Paul was correct, as we now know how important John Philip Sousa was in the early development of Wind Band repertoire. However, I wanted bring awareness to the fact that Sousa wrote more than just marches.

John Philip Sousa’s fame as ‘The March King’ came about in part due to the tireless touring of Sousa’s Band, attracting worldwide acclaim with thousands of concerts. This final volume in the series explores some of the lesser-known corners of Sousa’s output. These include fantasies and humoresques that use renowned classical works and fashionable melodies of their day. Also featured are the rarely heard processional hymn with choir We March, We March to Victory and The Fancy of the Town, which offers up a world tour of traditional and popular songs.

Adam Agee and Jon Sousa are two of Colorado’s most sought-after traditional Irish musicians. Since 2004, they have been journeying together through the Irish idiom on fiddle, guitar, and tenor banjo, enchanting listeners on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean. Adam and Jon have put down musical roots in County Clare, where they lived together, and now make frequent visits. Their connection to their instruments and the transcendent energy in their music is guaranteed to captivate and uplift audiences of all ages.

In addition to his world-famous marches, John Philip Sousa was a master of the piquant Humoresque, of which there are two examples here. The first, On the 5.15, is a popular song detailing the travails of a commuter, while the second, The Band Came Back, introduces popular tunes in witty fashion. The sonorous Second Fantasia from El Capitan showcases the bands bravura qualities and The Fighting Race draws on a trombone solo. There are charming detours to explore rural Americana in the form of Sheep and Goat (Walkin to the Pasture) and the evergreen classic, Turkey in the Straw.

This volume of Sousa’s music for wind band presents three exceptional examples of Sousa’s musical creativity. Chris and the Wonderful Lamp is an enchanting retelling of the Aladdin legend, while Showing Off Before Company is a clever routine Sousa often used to open matinee concerts.

John Philip Sousa personified turn-of-the-century America—the comparative innocence and brash energy of an advancing nation. His ever-touring band represented America across the globe and brought

"After playing and recording with Thurston Moore, the ex-Sonic Youth guitarist who sometimes likes to go out of the rock format in order to simply jam and experiment, Portuguese improvisers Pedro Sousa, and Gabriel Ferrandini (Red Trio, Rodrigo Amado Motion Trio) appear in "Casa Futuro" with another giant of creative music: Swedish double bassist Johan Berthling, co-founder of the avant-pop band Tape, member of Mats Gustafsson's trans-idiomatic Fire! trio and Fire! Orchestra and partner in many jazz and improvised settings with the likes of Sten Sandell, David Stackenas, Fredrik Ljungkvist and Paal Nilssen-Love.