ON HORNS - THE TOM WALSH HORNS
Just a few weeks before wrapping up tracking for the album, I realized one of the tunes would really benefit from having a proper horn section on it. As I was going through my options, I came to think of this up-and-coming trumpet player/arranger out of the UK, Tom Walsh, whose Dirty Loops horn covers had caught my attention a while back. Knowing that Tom & the guys are very busy on the UK session scene, I contacted him to see if a) they'd be interested in playing on the song, and b) if they'd have time to do it on such short notice. As luck would have it, not only were they happy to be part of it, they'd be able to get it done within a few days too! So, using my synth horn arrangement as the framework, Tom made adjustments where needed, and added a bunch of his own ideas to it, and before I knew it everything was recorded and done! Did I hear anyone say "proficient"!?
Btw, here's a fun fact: when I first contacted Tom he told me that he had actually written a horn arrangement on my tune "Splinter" (off Luna Nueva) some time ago, but unfortunately hadn't gotten around to recording it yet. Seeing as it has become quite a fan favorite over the years, I hope we get to hear a horn cover of that one too eventually! :)
As mentioned above, these guys are some of the best studio players the UK has to offer, their list of credits includes artists such as Al Jarreau, Jamie Cullum, Paloma Faith, Van Morrison, Mark Knopfler, Mica Paris, Culture Club, Paul Carrack & Shirley Bassey, to name a few. Tom can also be heard on Porcupine Tree/King Crimson drummer Gavin Harrison's newly released album Cheating the Polygraph, which some of you might be familiar with! In addition to being in demand session musicians, all of them also have their own groups & solo projects, see links below for more on that!
The Tom Walsh Horns:
Tom Walsh, Reuben Fowler & George Hogg - Trumpets
Tommy Laurence - Tenor sax
Robbie Harvey - Trombone