Released by THCD
Hooten Plays Williams
Liner notes
It is always a joy to write about the music of John Williams, of course, but I rarely get the chance to discuss his concert music. This was a happy exception. Thomas Hooten, the immensely talented principal trumpet for the Los Angeles Philharmonic, asked the maestro to conduct an L.A. orchestra in his 1996 trumpet concerto (and, to fill out the album, his 1989 theme for Born on the Fourth of July, which also features a magnificent trumpet solo). Private donations and crowd-funding made it all possible, and when it was finished Hooten asked me for an essay about the work for the booklet. I was delighted to participate in this real labor of love.