And the trumpet shall sound (From East London and West Essex Guardian Series)

And the trumpet shall sound

4:57pm Thursday 27th August 2009

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By Janet Wright »

Alleluia! Walthamstow has got our award-winning brass band back, just in time to celebrate its centenary – and a string of prestigious wins. East London Brass has had a terrific year, including a hat-trick of first prizes and a place in the national brass band finals. Now its chances of winning the big award rest on raising enough funds to take the band to Harrogate in September.

This being Waltham Forest, where the council recoils from culture like a vampire from a shaft of light, East London Brass gets no public support. You might think Waltham Forest councillors would jump at the chance to support a winning group that brings the borough some much-needed good publicity. (But no, you probably wouldn’t if you know our council …) East London Brass’s recent return to its Walthamstow roots was made possible by moving into Trinity United Reformed Church, in Orford Road. It’s a lovely, light-filled space where music takes off and soars.

We went to the band’s concert there last week and they didn’t just raise money – they raised the roof. Even our visiting aunt and uncle reckoned it was exceptional, and that’s generous praise, given that our relatives come from Sunderland. Brass bands are more of a tradition up north than here, making East London Brass’s triumph over big-name northern bands all the more remarkable.

Diminutive conductor Jayne Murrill had the band playing like angels, aptly enough as they were playing in a church. It’s yet another of Walthamstow’s numerous cultural success stories.

East London Brass is not just a fantastic local band. A registered charity, it fosters musical education for all ages and is open to new members of all abilities. So dust off your flugel horn, or look out for its next planned concerts and give generously if they pass the hat round.

With a council that’s always putting it down, Walthamstow has to blow its own trumpet (you knew I had to say that). And it’s good to have someone doing it so melodiously.

East London Brass, www.east-london-brass.co.uk or 07714 264753.