British Brass Band instrumentation differs from other Bands; on the top voices are a variety of cornet parts ( including solo, repiano and flugelhorn parts), alto horns (not French Horns) cover the next highest voice, the tenor voice is covered by baritone horns, euphoniums and trombones, two different keyed tubas (Eb and BBb) cover the bass voice, and a percussion section completes the instrumentation. The Buffalo Silver Band’s following recording excerpts at the 2014 Hannaford Festival of Brass in Toronto, in which the Buffalo Silver Band won the coveted Hannaford Cup, will give you an idea of a brass band’s unique sound and versatility: Puttin’ on the Ritz, Cossack Fire Dance( Nathan Barnes, Cornet; Peter Karda, Trombone), Men of Harlech, Watching the Wheat (Diana Bley, Euphonium), and Stars and Stripes Forever.
In 2018, the Buffalo Silver Band competed with bands across the country to perform at the national convention of the Association of Concert Bands. Here are some selections: Somewhere Over the Rainbow, and Gaelforce. The full recording, courtesy of Mark Custom Recording, is found below.
- Chorale 1:27
- Fireman's Quickstep Arr. Dan Woopert 3:10
- Lord of the Rings: Return of the King Howard Shore arr. Harper 7:26
- Bobby Shafto arr. Gordon Langford 4:36
- Somewhere Over the Rainbow Harold Arlen arr. Harburg 3:22
- Stormworks 88 Stephen Melillo 5:27
- Gaelforce Peter Graham 7:44
