The New York Brass Quintet, organized in 1954, concertized throughout the world for nearly 40 years, and is widely considered to be the group that led to the acceptance of the ensemble brass quintet as a serious chamber music group. New compositions were written for the NYBQ by such distinguished composers as Malcolm Arnold, Eugene Bozza, Alvin Etler, Vincent Persichetti, and Gunther Schuller, among others. Members of the group are Robert Nagel and Allan Dean, trumpets; Paul Ingraham, horn; John Swallow, trombone; Toby Hanks, tuba.

This CD includes archival recordings of performances 1971-1980. Some are live and some are studio recordings.