The 10 piece brass ensemble is a particularly British phenomenon. Originally conceived by the Philip Jones Brass Ensemble, it helped to change the view of brass music throughout the world. This idea was then further established by PJBE's successor's London Brass.

The instrumentation is based on orchestral brass containing 4 trumpets (including Bb, Piccolo, Eb, D, C and flugelhorn as required), 3 tenor trombones, 1 bass trombone, a french horn and a tuba. This allows for a rich variety of sounds and styles, fitting perfectly to anything from Baroque through Classical Music, Jazz, 'Brass Pop' and also moving forward with substantial contempory works being written specifically for 10-piece brass ensemble.

Harlequin Brass was formed in early 1995 by a group of musicians who wished to perform quality brass ensemble music in the North of England. The group has since established itself as the North of England's Premier 10-piece brass ensemble.

There are several recordings of Harlequin ranging from National TV adverts to shaky handheld YouTube videos. Below are lnks to a few:

Harlequin Brass Live at Sheffield City Hall: La Réjouissance, Scarborough Fair, Caravan

Harlequin Presentation: Featuring live music from Harlequin Brass along with visual slides and commentary by Keiron Anderson. Presentation Created by Lighthouse (S&A) www.lighthousesanda.co.uk

Morrison's TV Christmas Campaign: Music by Harlequin Brass (watch out for four of Harlequin themselves cameoing as buskers at the beginning of the advert)

Live at the Concertebouw: A homemade movie posted on You Tube as Harlequin receive a standing ovation supporting the Grootkoor (choir) for the Anthem from Chess in the world famous Concertgebouw Concert Hall in Amsterdam.