John Philip Sousa, New Sousa Band, Keith Brion - The Original All-America Sousa! (1990)

Aside from the ubiquitous Stars and Stripes Forever and the military standards U.S. Field Artillery March and Semper Fidelis, the marches on this disc are lesser-known pieces. Though most have the same high quality of structure, color, and melodic invention of John Philip Sousa's best efforts, many of them have faded from the public's imagination along with their composer's operettas and symphonic music. However, a revival of Sousa's work has been in progress since the 1980s, and Keith Brion and the New Sousa Band have been instrumental in preserving Sousa's legacy through authentic re-creations in the period's boisterous performance style. Obscurities, such as The Free Lance, New York Hippodrome, and The Pride of Pittsburgh are revitalized through the band's enthusiastic readings. The Glory of the Yankee Navy, Sabre and Spurs, and Nobles of the Mystic Shrine sound robust and ready for the next parade. But the most fascinating tracks on this disc are the last seven, performed by Sousa and his band in the late '20s. While these historical recordings are uneven in sound quality and somewhat distorted, they are worth hearing if only to compare Brion's updated versions with Sousa's tempi and overall shaping of the music.