A fine recording by a fine player, with much to recommend it. The solos are well-chosen and well-performed, and the inclusion of a duet with David Daws only heightens the quality further. The programming of band-only items on a solo recording is somewhat confusing, however. In all, well worth the cost, particularly for the performances of rarely heard and unpublished works such as Heavenly Light.

Smooth, controlled execution is the hallmark of Carl Saunder’s performance. He shows a remarkable facility in several different styles, with a graceful, fluid line in almost all passages. The opening section of the Ray Bowes Rhapsody is beautifully done and shows Saunder’s lyric tone to great advantage. Tone is generally consistent, although some harshness is occasionally evident at the extreme upper and lower ends of the range. Intonation is excellent throughout. Complex rhythms and tonguing passages are well-done, with no noticeable effort when playing through the difficult passages.

The accompaniment, provided by the Household Troops Band, is uniformly excellent, with good balance and sensitivity toward the soloist. Saunders has been associated with the band for many years, and the soloist and the bandmaster are obviously “in tune” with each other. The Flower Duet, performed with David Daws, is well-played by both soloists, a good performance all round.

The recording contains two items played only by the band (see the Programming section below for more). These items were not taken into consideration in the Performance rating.

The cornet solos on the recording are well-chosen, with several unpublished and rarely-heard items included. However, the inclusion of two band-only items is a bit confusing, particularly for a recording entitled Going Solo. As the CD contains nearly 80 minutes of music, it seems unlikely that it was necessary to “pad” the selections to increase the length - the two items in question are about 10 minutes long. It would have been much more interesting to have included one or two more solo items, or perhaps a cornet feature using the cornet section from the band.

The presentation and production quality is good, with very good technical recording values. The engineers and producers are skilled in brass band recording, and this experience shows. One or two of the items are marred slightly by audible breaths, apparently from the soloist. The liner notes were written by Saunders himself, and give a view into his reasons for selecting the solos on the recording. The notes are generally accurate and well-written.