Review

Mason Williams
Classical Gas :

Arranged by Cory Mixdorf


Vancouver, BC, Canada
Publisher: Cherry Classics Music
Date of Publication: 2012
URL: http://www.cherryclassics.com

Primary Genre: Trombone Ensembles - 5 trombones

Classical Gas is a cool addition to the trombone quintet repertoire. This tune was originally released as a single from the 1968 album The Mason Williams Phonograph Record. It is a rhythmically complex work for a trombone quintet to tackle, yet an exciting arrangement that is succinct and true to the original recording. There is variety here - each part is predominantly independent from the others but there are instances when parts are in pairs, and the trombone tutti section half-way through the original recording is kept intact for this arrangement. The first four parts are tenor trombone parts and the fifth part is a bass trombone part. The first two tenor parts are quite high, getting all the way up to d2 in the first part. The bass trombone part creeps down to C-flat. Scoring for five trombones allows ample rest in each part, which are all given in bass clef. As is the usual case with Cherry Classics publications, the parts are neatly laid out on the page and conducive to reading. As Baroque pop is not a familiar style of music to most people, this is a nice change of pace on a chamber music recital and worth purchasing even if you’re only slightly curious about this one-hit-wonder.

-Tom Pylinski
Malone University