[.ca] Music Of

Don't miss a beat of this Great Band:
Probably one of the finest military Bands in the world! Don't expect an American, German, or French band when you order this one. This is a classic British military band. Enjoy!

a british military music aficionado from knoxville:
I must take exception to the previous reviewer's comments and really wonder about the quality of their sound reproduction equipment. The quality of the winds is excellent and the soaring countermelodies of the baritones are inspiring. The sound of a British military band is much different than the average American ear is used to. This is truly an album to be included in the musical library of march fans everywhere.

Wonderful Content, Weak Musicianship:
This band is ill-equipped to do justice to the wonderful interplay in Alford marches. High brass and woodwinds are particularly weak. Great pieces such as "Standard of St. George" and "Army of The Nile" are muddled. Tempos are often missed, as in "Holyrood". Only "Eagle Squadron" and "By Land And By Sea" are worthy of the Alford name. However, if you are sick of Sousa, and want to hear really musical marches, this album is for you.

The Music of Kenneth Alford:
What Sousa has been to the Armed Forces of the United States,Alford has been and is to those of Great Britain and the Commonwealth--particularly to the Royal Navy and the Royal Marines. Thanks to "The Bridge on the River Kwai" there are few American listeners who are not familiar with "Colonel Bogey"but when I think of Alford it is always "Standard of St. George"that comes to mind. How many mornings did I stand in the cold of a Nova Scotia morning in front of the Guard and Band of the training establishment Her Majesty's Canadian Ship "Cornwallis", shivering in my black patent leather gaiters,my sword frozen in a death grip, waiting for the command to "March on the Guard and Band!". "Aye,aye, Sir!" "Guard and Band , Right Turn! By the Left, Quick March!"And those magnificent opening bars of "Standard" shattering the cold as we set off to assemble at the foot of the mast to perform the centuries-old ceremony of raising the White Ensign- the very standard for which Alford had written the march! We will not see those days again!

Terrific!:
Alford marches are wonderful - there is no way to sit still through one. It is great to have an All-Alford CD. If you love marching band music, but don't know Kenneth Alford, grab this collection and start tapping your toes.

• Colonel Bogey
• The Great Little Army
• H.M. Jollies
• On The Quarter Deck
• The Thin Red Line
• Voice Of The Guns
• The Standard Of St. George
• Cavalry Of The Clouds
• The Middy
• Holyrood
• Army Of The Nile
• Dunedin
• The Vanished Army
• Old Panama
• Eagle Squadron
• The Lightning Switch-Fantasia
• By Land And Sea-Slow March
• The Vedette
• A Musical Switch-Fantasia
• The Mad Major