Uruguayan composer Enrique Crespo (b. 1941) was the founder of the ensemble German Brass in 1974, playing trombone in the group. In 1977, seeing a need for more brass ensemble music, he wrote the American Suite No. 1 for brass-wind quintet.

Enrique Crespo (photo by Michael Setz)

The different movements, each from a different country in North and South America, are based on original songs and dances, arrayed as an evocative musical journey, according to the composer.

Crespo starts in New Orleans with Ragtime. Just as the originals, it’s a danceable piece that has the trumpets with the main melody, with colourful additions from the other members of the quintet.

Enrique Crespo: Suite Americana No. 1: I. Ragtime (Chicago Symphony Orchestra Brass Quintet)

We next jet off to Brazil for a Bossa Nova. This new jazz style, invented by Antonio Carlos Jobim in 1958, swept the world with its combinations of new rhythms and melodies. One of the critical elements of bossa nova is that every different voice plays a different rhythm.

Enrique Crespo: Suite Americana No. 1: II. Bossa Nova (Chicago Symphony Orchestra Brass Quintet)

Over to the other side of South America for a Peruvian waltz, Vals Peruano. After the European waltz appeared in the Americas, brought by the Spanish, it was quickly adapted to local styles. As expected, it’s in triple metre, but also substitutes a compound duple metre (in 6s).

Enrique Crespo: Suite Americana No. 1: III. Vals Peruano (Chicago Symphony Orchestra Brass Quintet)

From Argentina, we have the samba: Zamba Galucha. This is not the samba in the Brazilian sense, familiar from the Rio Carnival, but a slower and more romantic dance, with courting gestures featuring handkerchiefs as an important element. Like the waltz, it’s usually in ¾ time, and, distinct from the other major Argentinean dance form, the tango, which is associated with Buenos Aires, the Argentinian samba is part of the folklore music. April 7 is National Zamba Day!

Enrique Crespo: Suite Americana No. 1: IV. Zamba Galucha (Chicago Symphony Orchestra Brass Quintet)

Crespo closes his tour of the Americas with a trip to Mexico. Son de Mexico is a song purely in the Mexican brass tradition. Although a typical banda would include clarinets, this brass band meets all the prerequisites for a lively, brass-driven sound.

Enrique Crespo: Suite Americana No. 1: V. Son de Mexico (Chicago Symphony Orchestra Brass Quintet)

Each different national movement brings out the various strengths and capabilities of the member instruments. The brass quintet for this work, made up of 2 trumpets, horn, trombone, and tuba, offers a taste of many different kinds of American music.

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