March from 1941 - US Army Band Brass Ensemble

 For this post, I thought it would be fun to feature this recording of March From "1941" by John Williams, performed by the United States Army Band Brass Ensemble. 

Some quick history of the Pershing's own:

"The U.S. Army Band “Pershing’s Own” was formed on January 25, 1922 by order of General John J. Pershing: “You will organize and equip The Army Band.” General Pershing believed that bands played a vital role in troop morale and efficiency and was convinced that America needed a premier band to surpass those of Europe.

The United States Army Band "Pershing's Own" provides musical support for the leadership of the United States, to include all branches of government, and to a wide spectrum of national and international events in order to connect the Army to the American people.

Over the years the band has expanded in scope and diversity, today consisting of over 260 enlisted musicians and support staff and nine official ensembles: The U.S. Army Concert Band, The U.S. Army Ceremonial Band, The U.S. Army Herald Trumpets, The U.S. Army Chorus, The U.S. Army Strings, The U.S. Army Blues (big band/jazz), The U.S. Army Band Downrange (pop/rock), The U.S. Army Brass Quintet, and The U.S. Army Woodwind Quintet. Personnel from several elements are combined to create The U.S. Army Orchestra and myriad small chamber ensembles and combos."

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As I was looking through things to talk about this week, I came across this Army Band concert and thought it was perfect. those of us that just got back from ABA know this song quite well and I was intrigued to see what a brass ensemble arrangement of this would sound like. Here it is (at 25:00):

When we played this piece for ABA, I really liked the energy it gave and the joy it brought to everyone that played it and I loved how quirky and technical it was at the same time. Without the woodwinds color and timbre, I feel like the brass ensemble version loses the "electricity" that the band arrangement has and in turn, the brass ensemble version is not my favorite (wow I never thought I would be saying that lol).

The entire concert is great and features some great music, I encourage you all to check it out!