Ascot Brass and Staines Lammas Band joined forces on Saturday 22nd April to present a concert titled "Synergy" at St Hilda's Church in Ashworth. The large edifice provided an excellent environment for the big sound of the two bands playing together for the final two pieces: Bernaerts' I Will Follow Him as a trombone feature, with all six trombones, and William Himes' arrangement of Wagner's Elsa's Procession to the Minster. Another instrumental feature, Gordon Langford's Trio Con Brio, showcased the Lammas Band's horn section.
Solos were performed by Mark Dallas, Ascot principal cornet, with Clear Skies by Eric Ball; David Daws, solo trombone with Ascot, playing Arthur Prior's Thoughts of Love; and Caitlin Jones, who plays both flugel horn for Lammas and solo cornet for Ascot, and was sitting with both bands for the evening. Caitlin played Willie Nelson's Crazy, arranged for flugel by Alan Morrison.
The two bands presented a substantial and varied programme, which included a spirited rendering of Paul Lovatt-Cooper's Fire in the Blood from Ascot Brass to conclude the first half. It proved to be a very enjoyable evening for all the players and for the sizeable audience. (You can view some photos of the occasion in the gallery pages.)