Blackbird Variations

Important Albums

When I think about important works for brass quintets two albums come to mind right away. In part, because of the spectacular playing but more importantly because of the impact all of these works have had on the brass community. Most of the pieces performed on both of these albums have become standard repertoire for…

I remember listening to Blackbird Variations by Robert Dennis and wanting for a hint of the song by the Beatles. Soon after I learned that the piece performed by the American Brass Quintet on the recording titled New American Brass released in 1992, was based on the poem Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird by …