| Biography | London Brass was formed in 1986, for the purpose of promoting the virtuosity and sonority of classical chamber brass music. Many of the founder members already had significant experience in this field of performance through working with the Philip Jones BE and so the ensemble was very quick in making its way forward, giving concerts and producing groundbreaking recordings. Between 1987 and 1993 London Brass recorded solely for Teldec (now Warner Classics), and then in 1996 they made their first own label CD, An Evening With London Brass that was taken from a live performance in Germany. The latest addition, Surprise, is their own production and the most diverse to date.
In the mid nineties, a new format was created with the addition of a jazz trombone and trumpet, opening fresh musical marketplaces and giving the group a new direction, while at the same time retaining their classical roots. As a result, composers such as Django Bates, Mike Gibbs, Mark Anthony Turnage, Michael Nyman and Richard Rodney Bennett produced conceptually new works for London Brass. In turn, this opened other avenues, with composer maverick, street person and all-round wonderful human being Moondog, aka Louis Hardin jamming and Miles Davis drummer Jack DeJohnette and composer/saxophonist John Surman subsequently collaborating on the Free and Equal album for ECM.
During this period, London Brass also ran the very successful Festival of Brass Ensembles, which gave the opportunity for young school enthusiasts from all over the country to perform and listen to each other at venues such as the Queen Elizabeth Hall and RNCM in Manchester.
London Brass have a very loyal core membership, and over the last two decades they have produced recordings and concerts ranging in repertoire from the 16th century Venetian composer Giovanni Gabrieli through to Freddie Mercury. Their appearances have been equally varied, including venues such as the Lincoln Centre in New York , a Norwegian metal furnace works and the grassy shade of a mountain tree in the Italian Dolomites!
In London, they have appeared many times at the Royal Albert Hall Proms, the Royal College of Music (where they reside), Westminster Abbey and St Pauls, notably for the Millenium Celebration Concert and the Queens Jubilee.
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