KHCD-2011-021 (STEREO) - Dvorák: Serenade in E for Strings, Op. 22 - Czech Chamber Orchestra/Joseph Vlach; Serenade in d minor for Winds, 'cello, and Bass - Prague Chamber Harmony/Martin Turnovský - Nearly all of Dvorák' artistic traits are evident in these wonderful Serenades. The features that he took from the Czech folk song and which gave his music its decided Slavonic flavor are mixed within each movement. And, as a melodist, Dvorák is unsurpassed. Both of these Serenades are played with the special stylistic flair and timbre that only Czech ensembles can produce. Transcribed from a domestic Crossroads LP, licensed to Epic/Columbia by Supraphon. See also in Small Ensembles                                      

KHCD-2011-022 (STEREO) - Bach for Band - Toccata and Fugue in d minor; Wachet Auf; Three-Part Invention in D; Minuet in G; Badinerie; Fugue from Toccata in e minor; "Little" Fugue in g minor; Air on the G String; Chorales Nos. 5 & 8 from Cantata No. 80; Bist Du Bei Mir; Sinfonia to Cantata No. 29 - London Symphonic Band/Gerallt Leslie Williams - Bach transmogrified, in this instance by Gerallt Leslie Williams, with his highly skilled arrangements, and forty professional players making up the London Symphonic Band, gathered to put them into splendid effect. Transcribed from a mint Columbia LP recorded in 1971, this is indeed a "splendid noise", with bombast as well as subtlety abounding.                                                                                                              

KHCD-2011-073 (MONO) - Marches in Mono - Marches by John Phillip Sousa, F.W. Meacham, E. F. Goldman, Earl E. McCoy, Karl L. King, J. Alford, John N. Klohr, Henry Fillmore, Harry L. Alford, F. E. Bigelow, and E. E. Bagley - Eastman Symphonic Wind Ensemble/Frederick Fennell - The spectacular mono engineering of the Mercury recording team in the early 50s truly shone in the series transcribing the then-new Eastman Wind Ensemble with its founder Frederick Fennell conducting. This CD, derived from two Mercury LPs recorded in 1953, features a selection of Sousa’s legendary marches, as well as a generous sample of the American band music masters art from the early 20th century. Truly marvelous playing, terrific sound, and a program to get you up on your feet and march along!

KHCD-2011-084 (MONO) - An Album of  Military Band Music - Music by Sousa; Holst: First Suite for Military Band, Op. 28;  Rosse: The Merchant of Venice; Ansell: Three Irish Pictures; Wood: Three Dale Dances - Band of the Grenadier Guards - The regiment of the Grenadier Guards was founded by King Charles II in 1656 as "The Royal Regiment of Guards". They have always been regarded as the most loyal, valiant and professional of soldiers. Not the least of their distinctions, however, is their fine tradition of martial music. Familiar marches by Sousa, as well as Holst's First Suite for Military Band and less well-known pieces by Rosse, Ansell and Wood are featured, with the precise playing and unique timbre of the Band of the Grenadier Guards. Recorded with Decca/London's ffrr technique, this is a terrific introduction to the British military band sound, so different from the sometimes "aggressive" American wind band sound many of us know. 

KHCD-2011-087 (STEREO) - Renaissance Music for Brass - Music by Melchior Franck,  Heinrich Scheidemann, Heinrich Schütz, Thomas Stolzer, Pierre Attaingnait, John Adson, Giovanni Gabrieli, Andrea Gabrieli, Adriano Banchieri - Brass Ensemble conducted by Gabriel Masson; Festive Baroque Wind Music - Music by  Johann Heinrich Schmelzer,  Johann Schultz, Melchior Franck, Valentin Hausmann, Daniel Speer, Samuel Scheidt, Johann Hermann Schein, Valentin Hausmann, Andreas Berger,  Johann Georg Christian Störl, & Anonymous - Ensemble Musica Antiqua conducted by Rene Clemencic - A rousing, festive collection of music for brass and winds. The Renaissance brass collection, derived from an early pressing Nonesuch LP licensed by Club Français Du Disque, features a typically bright, biting French ensemble, perfect for the music at hand. The Baroque pieces receive scholarly but still lively performances transcribed from a silver label Archiv LP published in 1966.  A wonderful selection of music to brighten a dull day. 

KHCD-2012-004 (1958 & 1976 STEREO) - Berlioz: Symphonie Funèbre et Triomphale, Op. 15 (H 80, 1st and 2nd versions) - Recordings from 1958 & 1976 by Musique des Gardiens de la Paix de Paris/Chorale Populaire de Paris (in the 1958 recording)/Désiré Dondeyne, conductor (First time release together on CD) -  Historic, idiomatic performances of  Berlioz's wind band symphony, in recordings considered definitive by many wind band enthusiasts. Recorded both times (1958 &1976) in the spacious acoustic of l'énglise Notre-Dame du Liban á Paris, the Musique des Gardiens de la Paix de Paris offer a unique timbre so well suited to the ceremonial and celebratory atmosphere this music demands. Both the 1st and second versions are offered on this disc; the MP3 sample offers a taste of the last movement with and without chorus. A must-have CD for any wind ensemble recording collector.