CD-Charts Position 1
Average Rating:

God Bless America: The Ultimate Patriotic Album

from: Decca

Release Date June 11, 2002
This collection has all the standards, and a few "hard-to-find" ones. These are all well done. I used them recently during our church's senior adult program to honor our vets.

Enjoy.

CD-Charts Position 2
Average Rating:

The Civil War: Its Music and Its Sounds

by: Frederick Fennell, Eastman Wind Ensemble

Release Date December 10, 1990
Authentic American Civil War era music and sounds of the conflict with excellent narration using the words of the participants. The finest example of music of that period played with the excellence of the Eastman Wind Ensemble. You will treasure the music and listen often.

CD-Charts Position 3
Average Rating:

Pomp & Pipes

by: Dallas Wind Symphony, Paul Riedo, Frederick Fennell

Release Date February 04, 1994
We organ lovers find it rare to find good organ works that really give the pipes a good workout. This one has nice loud passages, plus good voicing (choice and mixture of the pipes).

Each track has in addition to the organ: wind instruments! Reeds, brass, flutes, and percussion too. Result: A truly unique album that sounds great, yet reminds us of being at an organ recital with a marching band playing, or perhaps competing.

Lovable & annoying. But truly memorable. A+ for effort and originality. A+ for doing a Percy Grainger work. A+ for not recording the Big Ben theme for the 11,000th time. C+ for lacking in symphonic balance. C+ to this reviewer for not being more open to novel interpretations.

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CD-Charts Position 4
Average Rating:

British and American Band Classics

from: Philips

Release Date October 19, 1990
For Band Conductors / Teachers, there is no better conducting interpretation than those of Frederick Fennell. Tho these recordings are not new recordings, they are still viable interpretations. Glad to see them still available.

CD-Charts Position 5
Average Rating:

Holst: Suite No.1 & 2/Handel: Music for the Royal Fireworks/Bach: Fantasia in G

from: Telarc

Release Date October 25, 1990
I too, confess that I was a band geek in my youth. I played euphonium in High School and loved the fact that the Holst suites feature some wonderful parts for euphonium. As soon as I found this recording I snapped it up...and have played it over and over. I put it on my MP3 player and is with me wherever I go walking. This recording encouraged me to buy a euphonium and join my local community band...after 30 years of separation from band! This month we are performing one of these Holst suites in concert, so I've been practicing along with this CD. The recording is A440 tuned so you can do that...of course, IF you can keep up with the virtuoso performance! It is really inspiring! I agree that this would be a bargain at 5-times this price!

CD-Charts Position 6
Average Rating:

Screamers (Circus Marches)

from: Philips

Release Date February 08, 1991
This is an incredible CD. Talk about variety and non-stop march action! I DO NOT recommend blasting it at full volume to annoy the neighbors. Serious lawsuits could result.
First note that Sousa is not on here at all: Frederick Fennell and the Eastman Wind Ensemble have done a separate disc dedicated solely to Sousa called "Fennell conducts Sousa", which I myself, have reviewed.
The main march composers on this collection are Karl L. King, Henry Fillmore, and Edwin Franko Goldman. I can't think of a single march that I didn't like on this CD, though my favorites would have to be the Guadalcanal March (from the "Victory at Sea" soundtrack by Richard Rodgers), "Robinson's Grand Entrée" a wondrous circus march by King, and "Onward-Upward" ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 7
Average Rating:

Frederick Fennell & the Eastman Wind Ensemble: Grainger; Persichetti...

from: Philips

Release Date August 09, 1991
I have heard nearly all of Vincent Persichetti's available symphonies (the composer withdrew his early # 1 & 2) and have reviewed 3, 4 & 7 (Persichetti: Symphonies 3, 4 & 7) and 5 & 8 (Vincent Persichetti: Serenade No. 5, Op. 43; Symphony for Strings, Op. 61: Symphony No. 8). The original, RCA recording of # 9 (Sinfonia Janiculum) has been reissued in Japan in an Ormandy series and I have ordered it, but it seems unavailable already. But # 6, his most popular and oft-recorded Symphony (among other reasons, no doubt, because it is scored for the popular College Wind Band), was missing in my survey. This classic recording by Frederick Fennell and the Eastman Winds, made in 1959, is recommended by the esteemed Fanfare critic and recognized ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 8
Average Rating:

The Spirit of '76 and Ruffles and Flourishes

by: Frederick Fennell

Release Date May 13, 1997
July 4th...this is the day to play this CD! It has everything and will turn the most dull party pooper into a patriotic flag waver...:)

CD-Charts Position 9
Average Rating:

Stars & Stripes: Fanfares, Marches & Wind Band Spectaculars

from: Telarc

Release Date October 25, 1990
Having played and enjoyed this music all my life, I have never heard it better played. Nothing beats this. I have the Eastman recordings with Fennell and as good as they are, this is better. Buy it and love it. Even a hackneyed piece like Barnum and Bailey sounds entirely fresh. Essential for every collection. If you have room for only CD of band masterpieces, this is it.

CD-Charts Position 10
Average Rating:

Movie Adagios

from: Decca

Release Date October 09, 2001
This CD was all that I hoped for. Beautiful, evocative music just made for a relaxing evening at home.