It’s with great sadness that we announce that Brian unfortunately is leaving the group. He has been with Onyx Brass since 1999 and we will all miss his melifluous tone and consummate musicianship.
There are so many special memories and moments that could be noted down of his time with the group and his being on 4 or our 5 CDs means we will always have something to listen to as a celebration of his time with the Onyx. One quick memory to share originates from our first trip to the USA and our choice of encore for the tour. After much heated debate, we eventually settled on an arrangement of Stars and Stripes which contained a piccolo trumpet solo in the coda. As this was to be at the end of the concert, generally one is pretty tired. However each night when we reached this point with all of us looking around thinking can we really bring this off, Brian, as cool as you like would just give it the thumbs up and proceed to play it flawlessly every time. None of us could comprehend how he managed this but manage it he did, consequently bringing the audience to its feet.
We wish him all the best for whatever the future holds and whether playing the trumpet or not he will always be a member of Onyx Brass.