This ensemble was made up of musicians from the Philadelphia Orchestra’s brass section who performed together without the aid of a conductor.
Although the Philadelphia Orchestra and Eugene Ormandy were extremely busy in the recording studio during the 1960s, there was still time for the ensemble to play in their own right with the knowledge of Eugene Ormandy.
Their Christmas LP A Festival Of Carols in Brass released in 1967 became a better seller than nearly all the Philadelphia Orchestra’s regular recordings for the whole of the 1960s. Other recordings they have appeared on include Brass Super Hits, Rock of Ages with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and their own, Catch the Brass Ring where they went under the name Torchy Jones Quintet, The Italian Album, Renaissance and Baroque Brass Masterpieces, A Festtval of Carols in Brass and the Grammy winning The Glorious Sound of Brass and The Antiphonal Music of Antonio Gabrieli.
Members
Gilbert Johnson (trumpet)
Mason Jones (horn)
Peter Krill (tuba)
Seymour Rosenfeld (trumpet)
Henry Charles Smith (trombone)
Dee Stewart (euphonium)
Abe Torchinsky (tuba)
Philadelphia Brass Ensemble recordings
Angels We Have Heard on High (Traditional French/James Chadwick/Edward Barnes)
CBS MK 7033 (CD: A Festival of Carols in Brass)
Sources:
- http://music.barnesandnoble.com/search/product.asp?z=y&cds2Pid=18383&ean=74640703324
- http://www.sonybmgmasterworks.com/artists/thephiladelphiabrassensemble/
- http://www.gohastings.com/catalog/item/item.asp?prodid=36047402
- http://www.windsongpress.com/brass%20players/tuba/torchinsky.htm
- http://www.answers.com/topic/brass-super-hits?cat=entertainment