J.B.Chance deserves better, but it's still worth it
MLK | Thousand Oaks, CA | 03/26/2008
(4 out of 5 stars)
"My portal to the world of advanced wind ensemble composition and performance was Chance's Blue Lake. The first recording of this piece that I could find was on this CD, which was similarly exciting as a chance to hear all of his major pieces consecutively. If you want to learn something about the music which set the stage for the current generation of wind ensemble composers, you should get this CD.
That having been said, I wish that a more accomplished group had put out this album. The spirit of these college student musicians is admirable, but their accuracy, especially with respect to rhythm, is not up to the standards of most wind ensembles with substantial recording lists. For example, the rhythmic accuracy of their performance of Blue Lake, which is crucial in this particular piece, is lower than that of the high school wind ensemble in which I performed over 30 years ago and got me hooked on the art form.
Nevertheless, I still recommend this CD, especially to those who have heard one or two works by Chance and would like to hear a collection of his work. Sad as it is to realize that this man died too young, with so much left to offer his students and the world, it is worth celebrating the excitement, the drama, and the exuberance that he produced, along with his contemporaries, and set the stage for the incredible music produced by their creative descendants."