The Evening Sun du lieu suivant : Baltimore, Maryland • 62

1 THE EVENING SUN, BALTIMORE, THURSDAY, AUGUST 12, IS7 PAGE 1 Annapolis Brass Quintet Is Both Orthodox, Unorthodox play with musical periods, jumping smoothly from a Renaissance piece to a modern jazz arrangement without sacrificing any professionalism. Concerts are a serious business for the quintet, and it manages to maintain that slightly larger-than-life stage presence by skilled performances. But some of the group's more memorable moments belong to its special brand of lighthearted gimmickry. For example, at a recent student brass workshop at Dunbar High School, the ABQ announced that it was going to play some "primitive Monteverdi." And what better way to cement a mental image of an archaic musical style than by performing it brilliantly on some vintage green garden hoses, coiled like french horns? The audience loved the show and so did the Annapolis Brass Quintet, who beamed at the audience as if they were rows of adoring relatives. Among the music which followed this show-stopper was a current nostalgia favor- By Linell Smith Random thoughts on a brass quintet can summon a stuffy vision of tuxedoed musicians huffing and puffing while an equally severe audience watches with politely intense expressions.

But ii there's ever been a group to banish such an imposing stereotype, the Annapolis Brass Quintet's the one. Still using formal dress for some concerts, ABQ musicians nevertheless makes sure their stage appearance does not drag down the lively quality of their music. Their concert delivery is fresh, informative and varied, with a special appeal to young audiences. Some of this special magnetism comes from the roulette which the ABQ seems to Elton John, Kiki Dee Top ite, "The Maple Leaf Rag" by Scott joplin. Tickled to see this perennial piano piece at the mercy of a brass quintet, some in the audience forgot their concert behavior and chuckled audibly as they tapped their feet to the skillful rendition.

The rest of the program, stretching from 12-tone sounds to jazz to a Bach con-trapunctus, seemed to convert every listener into a ABQ fan. "How much do you have to practice?" one aspiring musician asked shyly after the session was finished. "Since this is all we do, we rehearse anywhere from five to six hours a day as a group when we're not on the road," answered bass trombonist Rip Posten. "We practice as much as the lip can take." On the road since 1971, the Annapolis Brass Quintet calls itself the country's only professional fulltime brass quintet-. The QUier members of the group are David Cran, trumpet player; Tim Beck, tenor trombonist; Bob Suggs, trum pet player and Ted LaBar, horn player.

Four of the musicians played with service bands before joining the quintet; Tim Beck was a student at the Peabody Conservatory. All of the brass players hold college degrees in music. Their concert schedule has taken them from Europe to Bermuda and around country for one-night engagements and week-long student workshops. On their next three major upcoming tours, which begin in October, the ABQ will travel to Europe for two months, go to the Midwest in January and February and tour the West Coast for five weeks in March. But it'll touch base in Annapolis long enough for its first full-fledged performance with a symphony orchestra on February 20.

Douglas Allanbrook, faculty member at St. John's College in Annapolis and described by Mr. Cran aJ a "first-class composer." has t'- 1 tr written a piece especially for the occasion. The 25-minute concert will be given with the Annapolis Symphony Orchestra. Despite the exposure and fame that touring provides, the ABQ would like to age as a type of "community quintet," established in a permanent residency near a college or university.

"Ideally, we would perform and do workshops but still have the freedom to tour," Mr. Cran says. "We don't want to be completely absorbed (into one lifestyle) but we're looking for a permanency and roots and we want to really feel a part of an area and contribute to it." Between road trips, the ABQ has been able to squeeze in three albums. Two of them, "The Annapolis Brass Quintet" and "Quintessence," are on the Crystal label from Los Angeles. The other album, "Sounds of Annapolis" was recorded locally on a Richardson label and includes cuts of other area performers.

"I venture to say that we're less known around here than we are in places like the Midwest," says. "Most theories say that audiences would rather hear out-of-town groups from far away, no matter where it is. The people in L. A. would rather hear us play there, and here, they'd- rather have a group from L.

A. This is nothing unusual it takes a longer time to establish a prestigious reputation in your own area than it does away from it. However, we are playing hsre now more than we ever did before." The schedule of the group's remaining nearby concerts for 1976 is: September 29 Harford Community College. October 1 Frostburg State College. October 4 Anne Arundel Community College.

October 19-Three Arts Club in Baltimore. December 5 Johns Hopkins University. 1 Vs. 4 I 1 3i at 5 Sunpaoers photo Ratph L. Robinson HORN MAN Ted LaBar, horn player, announces next number for the Annapolis Brass Quintet at Dunbar High School.

For Train, Canal And Fun Buffs Festival Celebrates With Films, Music fcaWHit U6 Ml' 4mkf Sunoapfri photo Ralph L. Ropmson Singles Chart Here are last week's top ingles and albums as compiled by Billboard and distributed by Knight News Service. TOP SINGLES 1. DON'T GO BREAKING MY HEART Elton John Kiki Dee, Rocket. 2.

LOVE IS ALIVE Gary Wright, Warner Bros. 3. MOONLIGHT FEELS RIGHT-Starbuck, Pri- i vate Stock. 4. LET 'EM IN-Wings, Capitol.

5. YOU SHOULD BE DANCING Bee Gees, RSO. 6. ROCK AND ROLL MU-SIC-Beach Boys, Warner Bros. 7.

GOT TO GET YOU INTO MY LIFE-The Beatles, Capitol. 8. KISS AND SAY GOOD-BYE-Manhattans, Col- 1 umbia. 9. YOU'LL NEVER FIND ANOTHER LOVE LIKE MINE-Lou Rawls, Philadelphia International.

10. AFTERNOON DE-LIGHT-Starland Vocal Band, Windsong. TOP ALBUMS 1. BREEZIN' George Benson, Warner Bros. 2.

FRAMPTON COMES ALIVE Peter Framp-ton, 3. CHICAGO X-Columbia. 4. SPITFIRE-Jefferson Starship, Grunt. 5.

BEAUTIFUL NOISE- Neil Diamond, Columbia. 6. WINGS AT THE SPEED OF SOUND, Capitol. 7. FLEETWOOD MAC, Warner Bros.

8. ROCK 'N' ROLL MUSIC -The Beatles, Capitol. 9. ROCKS-Aerosmith, Columbia. 10.

THE DREAM WEAVER -Gary i Bros. CONCERT Giving the brass their all, the quintet plays on. ft Salutes to the Chesapeake and Ohio canal and the railroading tradition are among numerous activities planned at the eighth annual Brunswick-Potomac River Festival this weekend in Frederick county. A variety of musical entertainment, an antiques show and craft demonstrations are scheduled during the three-day event which begins at 10 A.M. tomorrow in Brunswick.

A visual display on the canal and a lecture about its history are scheduled on Saturday. A bike hike along the canal and raft trips down the Potomac are also featured. For railroad buffs, a film festival including the movies "The Railroader," "Whistle in the Night," "Toccata for Toy Trains" and "Night Mail," is planned throughout the weekend. The Potomac Limited, a "street" train, till carry passengers along the road that urig along, the railroad, and across the Potomac river bridge mto Virginia, so that train fans can see the Chcssie installation. Barbershop groups, gospel singing, bell ringers and the Navy Band are composing the major musical line-up of the festival.

The Navy Band and the Sea Chanters will wrap up the weekend with a concert at 8 P.M. Sunday August 15 in Brunswick High School. The antiques show, held in the Brunswick Volunteer Fire Hall, will be open to the public from 10 A.M. to 9 P.M. daily.

Different craft demonstrations, located on South Maryland avenue, will run throughout the festival. A variety of food will be available. Festival hours are from 10 A.M. to 9 P.M. tomorrow, Saturday and Sunday.

Admission is free to the festival, which is sponsored by the Brunswick-Potomac Foundation. Proceeds will help support the Brunswick Museum. The. festival, will go on as. scheduled, rain or shine.

Mr IT W. 1 J4 K2 MX1: 'iTiii Sunpaoers photo Ralph L. Robinson UP CLOSE-At the ABQ concert at Dunbar High School, the audience is only few feet of listening pleasure away. A Scott Joplin tune proved a popular audience favorite..