A Touch of Brass

It seems a little dumb posting some trumpet inflected pop tunes in the midst of Steve posting Miles Davis but I love a bit of trumpet I do. The trumpet can be a little one-dimensional, all brash and blaring but it can do a lot to lift a song and can be used in lots of ways in pop even if it lacks the subtlety of a Miles or Chet Baker. The June Brides typify the way trumpet is used in a ramshackle Indie band, the trumpet here is homely and friendly, a simplistic hook to hang a song on.

The June Brides- Every Conversation



The trumpet can also make a song sound majestic, 'Lazarus' by The Boo Radleys springs to mind but 'Fanfare' by Eric Matthews really hits the maximum grandiosity button helped by the trumpet.

Eric Matthews- Fanfare



For an ambitious songwriter like XTC's Andy Partridge a bit of trumpet will take the song to the Planet Jazz, in this case it's a Midi Trumpet played by Mark Isham. Partridge is a jazz fan and the angular chord structures combine well with his pop sensibility.

XTC- Miniature Sun



I could have picked some Pale Fountains, Dexys, Teardrops or David Sylvian for this post as they all do the trumpet thing in a variety of ways. Hats off to the trumpet.

Every Conversation- The Story of the June Brides

Eric Matthews- It's Heavy In Here

The essential Oranges and Lemons by XTC

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Francis
Ah! The June Brides - superb band - your Athlete-based faux-pas is forgiven! It was a great honour for me that Phil Wilson came to the last Hibbett gig we did in Brixton. A lovely bloke who was genuinely embarassed by my fawning! 

Anonymous
Eric Mathews Fanfare - very well done & ta to Mark Radcliffe for playing it in 95/96 as well. Ed The Falling Leaves.

stevedomino
crikey - from the sublime to the ridiculous in one post. Eric Matthews' "Fanfare" is one of the rare occasions where a song from back in the day that you have fond memories of actually IS as good as you thought. fantastic stuff.

but i know you only put that MIDI trumpet monstrosity on here just to wind me up. good lord, that am a dreadful thing. can't hear that track without my ears crying.

you made my ears cry, marc-o.

why would you do that?

why?

sounds like a chase-sequence from "Eldorado" or "Triangle". or "Ceefax" music.

I detect the dread hand of Ronnie Hazelhurst.

Anonymous
That XTC song is utter tosh.

Utter tosh I tell you.

Tosh.

Graeme