Nowadays vegetarian dishes are quite common on the menu. Music for vegetarians is also becoming more popular. Let yourself be carried away with the whimsical and stirring music from Israel.

Jamaica is an island in the Caribbean. In 1494 it was discovered by Christopher Columbus who used it as private property until 1509. After some skirmishes it fell under British rule and the sugar trade on the island flourished. After the abolition of slavery in 1834 it was only granted Home Rule in 1944 but it remained a member of the British Commonwealth of Nations. Whereas the export of cane sugar used to be Jamaica’s main export product for many years nowadays music has taken over this role. At first American music used to be very popular on the island. Later however Jamaican musicians started to experiment and thus in the end created their ownmusical style called Reggae. Well-known Reggae musicians are Bob Marley and Peter Tosh. The most important instruments used in Reggae are the bass and the drums. Together they form the base for the style: the riddim. A bass drum accent on the second and fourth beat are characteristic of a typically reggae drum beat. To this syncopic patterns are often added. The rhythm guitarist plays chords in a characteristic Reggae rhythm not on but between the beats.

As he did before in the often played and commonly appreciated ‘Lord Tullamore’ in which he poetically depicted the landscape and the cultural elements of a small Irish village in his composition ‘The Road to the West’ Carl Wittrock has sketched pioneer existence in America in a cinematic manner.In ‘The Road to the West’ the composer has tried to capture images of pioneer life during the period dating from 1850 to 1890 the days of the so-called Wild West.In those days the Wild West used to be the territory west of civilization the domain of cowboys trappers and other fortune hunters. In short ample ingredients for a captivating story.In the firstscene a lonely adventurer struggles against nature and the elements. After an exciting adventure he passes through ‘the Plains’ where majestic views alternated by colossal mountain ranges display an almost unimaginable beauty.After weeks of isolation civilization is reached again. ‘The Saloon’ is the perfect meeting place – here news is exchanged and hilarious scenes regularly take place.

Contrasting colors and varied orchestration techniques make this majestic setting of OH LITTLE TOWN OF BETHLEHEM come alive for Christmas. Of the three different tunes that are commonly associated with the original carol text this arrangement uses the melody that???s best known in England. ENGLISH CAROL FANTASY remains entirely accessible to bands at this level and plenty of cueing makes sure it???s useful for ensembles of all shapes and sizes. Feature your deserving young trumpet section leader on the easy solo or let the entire first trumpet section play it soli. The low woodwinds and brass also get some ???well doubled??? exposure so playing this one will be fun for all.Try it!