Good music is good music no matter what, but a little extra girl power never hurts. In observance of the story of Ethel Smyth and the critic who praised Smyth for 'composing like a man', tenThing knew that this had to be the title of their new album, released on the LAWO Classics label. It's both wonderfully provocative and something to bring a wry smile to the face. From Clara Schumann and Fanny Mendelssohn to Florence Price and Ethel Smyth, this programme celebrates the work of female composers from around the world in world premiere transcriptions for the brass ensemble.

There is something very special about the symbiosis of a great composer and a talented performing musician: many of the great moments in musical history were born of such collaborations. This rare joy is now to be felt in our time: JOE’S TANGO features the world premiere recording Concerto for Trombone by none other than jazz legend Chick Corea, tailor-made for virtuoso solo trombonist Joseph Alessi.

The new album "Come, ye shepherds" by KULTBLECHDRESDEN, the brass ensemble of the Dresden Philharmonic Orchestra founded in 2018, is a guarantee for festive Christmas music. The ensemble presents atmospheric Christmas songs such as "Joy to the world," "Engel auf den Feldern", "Amazing Grace" and "Silent Night" on the current recording.

Winner of the prestigious American Bandmasters Association’s Ostwald Award for composition, Peter Graham is one of the leading brass band composers of his generation. Graham’s previous Naxos album with the Black Dyke Band, Metropolis 1927 (8.573968), received widespread acclaim from the brass band press. The five world premiere recordings heard on this album represent his long association with Black Dyke.

They are relicts of a bygone era: the traditional marches of the former Prussian and Austrian regiments, and yet a large number of these works can still be found in the standard repertoire of the German Bundeswehr, for example. This "classical stock" of pieces of music goes back to the time of Frederick the Great, Ludwig van Beethoven contributed his York March, and legendary military bandmasters such as Johann Gottlieb Piefke or Carl Teike wrote classics such as "Prussia's Gloria" or the "Königgrätzer Marsch". A selection of the 25 best-known Prussian and Austrian traditional marches can be heard on this new album in their original instrumentation. A piece of music history all about "music with history".

When the American composer Jack Stamp was appointed International Composer-in-Association to the Grimethorpe Colliery Band in 2019, he conceived a recording project focused on works specifically written for the GCB, including compositions by himself and Liz Lane, the other GCB Composer- in-Association, alongside other pieces which have played a prominent role in the Band’s recent activities. The kaleidoscopic range of styles to be heard here displays the extraordinary virtuosity of one of the world’s best-known brass bands.

When thinking of versatile instrumental setups, the brass quintet might not be the first thing that comes to mind. A grave oversight, according to Alias Brass Company, an all-American brass ensemble which aims to change any such preconceived notions with their vibrant renditions of highly diverse and inclusive music on PRISM from Big Round Records. The versatility in terms of style, mood, and genre is absolutely stunning, whether it’s a film soundtrack (Gabriel’s Oboe, Over the Rainbow), an obelisk of Baroque music (J.S. Bach’s Little Fugue in G Minor), a Christian hymn (Amazing Grace) or a blues standard (St. James Infirmary), the Alias Brass Company navigates the territory with mesmerizing panache. Audacious and bold!

Onyx Brass, described by BBC Music Magazine as "the classiest brass ensemble in Britain", celebrate their 30th anniversary in 2023 with their second release on NMC. Since its establishment the group have been pioneers in advocating the brass quintet as a medium for excellent new chamber music, and have commissioned over 200 new works. This new album, The sun is free to flow with the sea, perfectly epitomises Onyx and their values, as a compendium of new music written specially for the quintet by some of the most renowned composers working today.

The American composer John Stamp (b. 1954) – universally known as ‘Jack’ – is a familiar figure in the worlds of the symphonic wind-band movement that flourishes in US universities and of the brass band on both sides of the Atlantic. This first Toccata Classics album of his music presents a cross- section of recent works for woodwinds, brass and strings, varied in mood, from upbeat to reflective, and in style, from a solemn hymn-setting to buoyant, outdoors Americana à la Copland, now and then coloured by a hint of jazz.

Soli I is the first of a series of four works by the Mexican composer Carlos Chávez, each called Soli and each featuring a succession of instrumental solos. Three of these compositions are chamber music, and the remaining one is a sort of concerto grosso for four soloists and orchestra. This first work of the series is a quartet for oboe, clarinet, bassoon, and trumpet.

The brass quintet quinTTTonic got together in Vienna in 2017 and prepares its audience a cocktail of fine brass sounds, enriched by singing and a touch of poetry. The current debut album "Luftverwechsel" by the five brass players is characterized by a colorful selection of pieces, ranging from Viennese classics to contemporary works and jazzy chaos to music related to their homeland and their own compositions.

Paris Brass Band recently put the finishing touches to their forthcoming CD release which features the music of composer Thierry Deleruyelle. The recording project was inspired by former MD Florent Didier and Band President Dominique Collin, and has finally come to fruition under present MD Laurent Douvre.

THE OXTET DOES HINDEMITH from Josh Oxford is a bold reimagining of classical music in a jazz fusion context. In this album, Oxford revisits some of Paul Hindemith’s greatest works. Hindemith, a late Romantic German composer, lived during the first half of the 20th century and was among the most significant composers of his time.

Riot Jazz Brass Band return with their 4th studio album, dedicated to what they do best - making people happy!

On Friday 7 April, “Roots”, the debut album by Enzo Turriziani – first trombone of the Wiener Philharmoniker – will be released in physical format and on all streaming platforms – which for its project has chosen to be supported by the Italian Army Band, one of the most representative realities of the Italian band tradition both nationally and internationally.