[.ca] Wanted-The Bassoon Brothers

a role model for the young bassoonist:
Forced to learn the bassoon without much of an idea of how it sounded, it was a drag, I quit when the contrabass clarinet became available by graduation. The Bassoon Brothers might have given me a role model, that, had I had it in high school, might have given me the drive to continue. While some may have thought this a low brow recording, it gives the uninitiated an idea of how the horn can sing. The horn is quirky, the disc is too. The selections begin with the funeral march that we have learned to associate with Alfred Hitchcock and take us to new lands, fun and melodious (usually). This disc should be required listening of all beginning bassoonists. I can't wait for their next album.

The Bassoon Brothers- Bassoon Ambassadors to the World!:
Wanted- The Bassoon Brothers is hands down our entire family's favorite CD. (Our second favorite is Captured- The Bassoon Brothers.) After hearing this CD we are all bassoon enthusiasts and Bassoon Bros. devoted fans. My 11 year old, inspired by the Bassoon Brothers, is now a bassoonist with a youth symphony orchestra. The Bassoon Brothers' level of skill and musicianship is the highest, their selections are witty, their arrangements are wonderful, and the CD is a gem! The "Brothers" raise up their bassoons celebrating the instrument's solo and small ensemble capabilities, demonstrating its elegant, eloquent, and expressive voice. Great listening! Great entertainment!

Real fun music:
I found this item while looking up items about Peter (PDQ Bach) Schickele, whose instrument is the Bassoon. The selection of items reflect the current no so serious status of the unusual sound of this instrument.

Not my favourite, but...:
I like bassoon quartets and have a tendency to buy all bassoon quartet records I see. Luckily for my wallet I don't see that many. The Bassoon Brothers CD is not my favourite bassoon quartet recording, in fact it's my least favourite but despite that it's not that bad and some of the tracks are actually quite good. So, what's bad? Some of the songs are played too "rough". I'm especially thinking of Gounod's Funeral March and Anderson's Buglers Holiday, which I've heard done wonderfully elsewhere. Bugler's Holiday is almost downight bad. I generally think they could have gained from a bit more polished playing style. But some tracks are well played: Alexanders Ragtime Band has a nice thing going and Dubois' Scherzo as well. And I like the Dragoons from Carmen... Conclusion: I won't recommend this to a person who's never heard a bassoon quartet. I'll play them United Sounds of Bassoon or the Caliban Quartet instead to get them hooked. But this CD can be worth its money too. So I give it three stars out of five.

Not for stiffs!:
The bassoon is usually thought of as only slightly less comical than the trombone and enjoyed mostly by those infinitely more anally retentive. Its unique sound has no pretenders. So, I love both it and this CD. In fact, I ended up with two copies, so I offered the other, gratis, to the bassoon professor at a local, very famous music college here in Tokyo. He required that I submit a written list of pieces on it, which he would then evaluate and make a decision as to whether it would merit his acceptance. Uh huh. A new twist on THAT retentive. Anyway, "Wanted" is funny, it often swings, it's sometimes gets a bit outside, it occasionally gets down with some stink on it, and it's thoroughly creative.

• Funeral March Of A Marionette
• Alexander's Ragtime Band
• Fantasy #1 (From Concerto in F)
• Hall Of The Mountain King
• The Wedding Guest
• Georgia On My Mind
• Pizzicati
• Bugler's Holiday
• Last Tango In Bayreuth
• Scherzo Pour 4 Bassons
• Bewitched
• Dragoons (From Carmen)
• Blue Set No.2 For Four Bassoons: Bassooner Or Later
• Blue Set No.2 For Four Bassoons: Portlandia In Cerulean
• Blue Set No.2 For Four Bassoons: Gang Of Wolves
• Blue Rondo A La Turk
• Frippery #19
• Frippery #2
• Night Train
• Red River Valley