The Dirty Duck
Tom Hutchinson commissioned a cornet solo from up-and-coming composer Dan Price in 2009 to mark the beginning of his tenure as principal cornet with the Cory Band. Tom was looking for a solo that was virtuosic in content with jazz influences and something that the audience would enjoy listening to. The Dirty Duck was the result.
The piece sits firmly within the big band style, taking influence from the dance bands of the 1940s led by such greats as Benny Goodman, Duke Ellington and Count Basie. The thematic material in the work derives from the sprightly cornet lead line but the work also makes use of riff motifs and call-and-response ideas and relies heavily on the interplay between soloist and ensemble throughout.
The solo line employs techniques not often seen on brass band scores - pitch bends, growls (flutter tongue) and lip glissandi and is a real tour-de-force for any cornet player. The piece takes its name from a small quiet public house, opposite the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford-Upon-Avon.