This very nice recording is like the Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups commercial but instead of combining chocolate & peanut butter this combo is a pair of established band composers (either way it’s great taste). The music of Charles Booker doesn’t call for needless excessive gymnastics and eschews the aural “shock & awe” of many composers. Listen to Glorious Journey, Lament, Pathways, La Bossa from American Dances, and the highly descriptive Rough Rider: Life and Times of Theodore Roosevelt. Booker knows how to write quality music that is most satisfying to instrumentalists and audiences. If one would examine a catalog of Roger Cichy’s compositions the titles would certainly pique a person’s interest. Don’t let the titles distract you from enjoying Cichy’s imaginative, picturesque and consistently solid compositions.This recording features On Wind & Sails, Barefeet, Exuberance Fantastique, Beachscapes and a creative, yet heartfelt setting of Amazing Grace that meshes the American spiritual with an original lullaby. A delicious treat for your band listening library.

By Ira Novoselsky