Phil Minton - voice Kate Westbrook - voice, tenor horn, piccolo Peter Whyman - soprano & alto saxophones Alan Wakeman - tenor & soprano saxophones, percussion Chris Biscoe - soprano, alto & baritone saxophones Steve Berry - bass Dave Barry - drums, percussion Mike Westbrook - piano, speech
The Senior Girls Choir of Blackheath Conservatoire of Music and the Arts.
Directed by Lucy McAlary.
Many of the songs in this collection derive from "TYGER", Adrian Mitchell's musical about William Blake, which was staged by the National Theatre Company in 1971 with specially commissioned music by Mike Westbrook.
By the mid 70's the Blake songs had become an integral part of of the repertoire of the Mike Westbrook Brass Band, on tour throughout Britain and Europe as well as further afield. In the course of the Brass Band's development more material was added and in 1980 the album 'The Westbrook Blake' was devoted entirely to William Blake settings.
'The Westbrook Blake' was revived in 1996 at the Greenwich Festival. The original Brass Band was brought together specially for the occasion and the programme was expanded to include further Blake texts. This was the first 'live' performance to include a choir. 'Glad Day' recorded in 1997 and featuring six pieces not on the original album, presents Mike Westbrook's Blake settings in their most complete form to date.
Reviews:
...Arguably the most majestic work to appear in recent years. It's marriage of Inspirational lyrics and uplifting scoring, performed by some of the most talented musicians in Europe, harks back to the jazz suites of Ellington... THE GUARDIAN
From the opening free-flowing, joyful outburst of "Glad Day", the compassionate choral/sax cries of "Let the Slave", or the simple innocence expressed in "Lullaby", the work gradually coalesces its many juxtaposed moods and themes into a final triumphant vision with "I See Thy Form". It is a powerful musical journey, beautifully integrated and stated. Hal Hill - JAZZ CANADIANA
