Strictly Sousa

Junkin: cnd/Dallas Wind Sym. (Artist), John Stafford Smith (Composer), John Philip Sousa (Composer), Spoken Word (Composer), Jerry Junkin (Conductor), Dallas Wind Symphony (Orchestra, Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Dallas Wind Symphony
• Orchestra: Dallas Wind Symphony
• Conductor: Jerry Junkin
• Composer: John Stafford Smith, John Philip Sousa, Spoken Word
• Audio CD (June 5, 2001)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Reference Recordings
• ASIN: B00005JI2X
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #117,245 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars More Than Spectacular!!, July 23, 2001

By 

Richard Falgione "RF" (U S A) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Strictly Sousa (Audio CD)

When I purchased this CD, I did not know what to expect (this is the first CD I purchased with only marches on it). But, I knew if it was from Reference Recordings, the sound would be spectacular! Spectacular marches from a spectacular bandmaster from a spectacular recording label equals something much more than spectacular, to say nothing of the spectacular performances of the Dallas Wind Symphony! To describe this HDCD as a toe-tapper is setting the bar far too low. Listening to just a few of these marches can change a gloomy day to sunny - and I mean it! These marches are impeccably played with such verve and gusto that you are transported right to Main Street USA. And all this marching emotion is captured as faithfully as possible by the "Professor" Keith O. Johnson of Reference Recordings.

If this CD does not get your heart pumping, better call 911!

A GREAT CD not to be missed!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Symphonic Sousa!, May 12, 2007

By 

Larry Nelson (Santa Monica, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Strictly Sousa (Audio CD)

This recording is unique. I've heard lots of march recordings, and the Dallas Wind Symphony takes a different approach. This is real music. Sousa was a great composer and this recording gets him out of the oom-pah crash-crash rut. There's subtlety here, variations, detail, and the recording itself shows it all with great dynamic range. It's as if Beethoven met Sousa in Dallas.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good but not great march record, October 14, 2010

By 

Music maven (Amherst, MA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Strictly Sousa (Audio CD)

I had high hopes for this CD, having heard some wonderful stuff from Reference Recordings, but I found it disappointing on two counts. First, and least important, the recording is actually not all that good, at least in terms of the material being played. Any good march has to stand on the foundation of the percussion section, but here the snare drum is distant and muddy, while the bass drum is indistinct. Between the acoustic, which is quite reverberant, and the microphone placement, there just isn't enough clarity and separation of the instruments and parts for my taste. The second, and more serious, concern is in the performance, which is competent, but not exhilarating. This music should stand up and salute, not wave pleasantly from the sidelines, but here it's played politely. The dynamic gestures are all large scale, where they should be at the level of phrases and beats. For comparison, and to hear how these marches should be played, listen to Frederick Fennell's versions on the old Mercury recordings or, just as good, Gunther Schuller's "Footlifters," which really is played with gusto. All are here on Amazon.