Music: Asphalt Cocktail (Excerpt)
Composer: John Mackey
Artists: Dallas Winds; Jerry Junkin, conductor; Christopher Martin, trumpet;
Album: Asphalt Cocktail: The Music of John Mackey (RR-144)
Label: Reference Recordings
Available June 21, 2019
Order: https://referencerecordings.com/recording/asphalt-cocktail-john-mackey/

Brilliant performances by THE DALLAS WINDS have been captured in superb audiophile sound by Reference Recordings’ award-winning engineering team: Keith O. Johnson and Sean Martin. ASPHALT COCKTAIL was crowd-funded by fans of Mackey and of the Dallas Winds. Their support made this unique, all-John- Mackey release possible. The recording was made in Dallas Texas, in the Morton H. Meyerson Concert Center, one of the world’s greatest concert halls.

Mackey is one of today’s most popular and sought- after composers of contemporary classical music, with an emphasis on wind band and orchestral music. His music runs the gamut of human emotion, from the sublime to the ridiculous. One minute he offers the sound of ripping metal, then suddenly gives you a melody that's achingly beautiful. John always writes with a purpose, be it jostling you through the wildest Manhattan cab ride ever, or painting that ethereal hour just before sunset.

Special guest artist on ASPHALT COCKTAIL is Principal Trumpet of the New York Philharmonic, Christopher Martin, performing Mackey's recently written Antique Violences: Concerto for Trumpet. Also included is the World Premiere of This Cruel Moon based on the second movement of Mackey's Wine-Dark Sea: Symphony for Band.

Asphalt Cocktail

John Mackey: Asphalt Cocktail (Excerpt)

We at RR believe that how a recording sounds is as important as the music itself. "Prof." Keith O. Johnson, our chief engineer and Technical Director, is a true audio legend, having designed and patented many innovative products in the professional and consumer fields. The RR Sound comes from his singular methods and equipment, hand-built or extensively modified by him. Microphone techniques range from single-point Blumlein to spaced omnis to complex studio mixes, depending on the musical forces and the performing space involved. Our goal is to recreate the sound of real musicians making music in real space.