TubaNews.com Reviews

"Exquisite" Review!

Last Updated (Wednesday, 14 May 2008 11:47)
Written by Roger Bobo
Sunday, 29 April 2007 14:38

Reviews - CD/Recording Reviews

Since the onset of TubaNews, rogerbobo.com and recently my blogs, I have been asked by several of the many tubists that have recorded new CDs, if I would please write a critique for the sites. After a lot of thought I made the decision not to do that. Although I do know a lot about the tuba, I came to the conclusion that I may be extremely unqualified to write critiques; regarding the tuba, I’m just too opinionated. However, I’ve just heard something that is so amazing I have to share it. I didn’t trust my first impression so I listened to it again several times just to be sure.

The Album is appropriately called Exquisite and it is the work of first call Hollywood trumpet player Malcolm McNab and it surely will become required listening for every brass player.

The program:

Concerto in D Major for Violin and Orchestra, Op. 35: Tchaikovsky.

Concerto in D Minor for Two Violins: Bach

Saloon Music for Bb Cornet & Pit Orchestra: Broughton

The Be-Bop Tango: Zappa



The corner stone of this album is the complete Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto; I can’t write about it, it’s too incredible; it has to be heard to be believed. Quite simply, it’s the most amazing thing I have ever heard from any brass player. Also unbelievable is that the whole first movement was played on a Bb trumpet. The second movement was played on cornet and flugelhorn and the last movement was the Bb again and some piccolo in the coda. His choice of instruments added a color variety that made the performance even more attractive. It’s sensational and we have to be careful that the virtuosic technique, the six-octave range and the shier strength of Malcolm does not over shadow the fact that it is beautiful, sensitive and musical.

The Bach, Broughton and Zappa are all three wonderful. The Bach was done with Malcolm overdubbing both the violin parts. It’s played so well that it has none of the gimmick quality one might expect; it’s just excellent Bach, elegant Bach. Bruce Broughton’s Saloon Music for Bb Cornet and Pit Orchestra is a powerful new work. We all have heard the music of Bruce Broughton in film and television sound tracks and of course the tuba community knows his work from the frequently played Tuba Sonata that he wrote for Tommy Johnson. The Saloon Music is written for clarinet, bassoon, cornet, trombone, percussion, piano, violin, cello and bass and is reminiscent of L’Histoire du Soldat by Stravinsky. Without any doubt this will become a major new work of chamber music.

Originally the Be-Bop Tango composed in 1970 was called by Zappa, “The Malcolm McNab” and was to feature Malcolm on Frank Zappa’s Grand Wazoo Tour in 1972, this is an entertaining peace, a great work of music and shows the versatility of Malcolm McNab.

Bravo Malcolm, you have raised the bar several notches and the door has been opened to a whole new vision of trumpet playing.