Search - Great Marches :: Great Marches Vol 08

March Gems from Both Sides of the Atlantic

Daniel E. Turkington | Danville, VA USA | 06/01/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Although most listeners will probably recognize only a couple of selections from this album, there is much worth listening to here, in my opinion, mostly in the area of military/patriotic marches.As would be expected in an album played by various British military bands, marches written for various parts of the British armed forces are well represented. Included are "Bond of Friendship" (Coldsteam Guards), "The 3 D.G.'s" (3rd Dragoon Guards), "Fortune Favors the Bold" (Allied Forces Rapid Reaction Corps), "Salamanca", "Queen's Division", "Quickest and Best", "Battleaxe Company", "Swift and Sure" (Royal Corps of Signals), "Blow Away the Morning Dew" (Kneller Hall), "Ship to Shore" (Maritime Division of the Royal Corps of Transport), "Agrippa", "First Post", and "Pride of Lions" (Adjutant General's Corps). Another British march, written in a lighter style, "Cockney Cocktail", incorporates several themes associated with London.Mainland Europe is represented by a couple of marches written by German composers, one in a British style, "Viscount Nelson", by Wilhelm Zehle, and the more traditonal "Regimentgruss", by Steinbeck. A Russian flavor is also present with "Red Square Review".North American marches include two Sousa favorites, and one that is not so well known. "Washington Post" was written for the newspaper of the same name, and was one of the most popular pieces used to dance to in the 1890s. "El Capitan" was taken from Sousa's most popular operetta, and was played by the Sousa Band one of the few times they actually marched, in this case in the victory parade for Admiral Dewey in New York City after the Spanish American War. "The Rifle Regiment" is less well known, and was written for the "Old Guard" (3rd U. S. Infantry at Fort Myer, Va., the oldest U. S. Infantry unit in active service). One of Edwin Franco Goldman's best, "Chimes of Liberty", is also featured, and the rare Canadian march, "Marche Vanier", and finally the equally rare march by an Afro-American, "St. Louis Blues March", by the great W. C. Handy, which was popularized by the equally great Glenn Miller.A fine addition to any march collection."