brassband the bridgenabba.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/096.pdf2 the brass band bridge september...

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The

Official Journal of the North American Brass Band Association, Inc. September 2004 Issue 96

FALL ISSUE 2004check out the new look www.nabba.org

Inside this issue . . .

President's PodiumCheck out the new look website!New Editor AppointedBrass Band ProgramsBrass Band NewsNABBA Board Meeting Minutes

BrassBand Bridge

2 The Brass Band Bridge September 2004

Colin W. Holman, EditorThe Brass Band BridgeNew Music Reviewer31 Joseph LaneGlendale Heights, IL 60139Telephone (630) 665-4213E-mail [email protected]

David RosenAdvertising Manager5611 Kavanaugh Blvd.Little Rock, AR 72207Telephone (501) 666-0814E-mail [email protected]

Jim GrateNABBA Web PageNABBA MembershipsP. O. Box 11336Charleston, WV 25339Telephone (304) 744-6126E-mail [email protected]

Ronald W. HolzRecordings ReviewerBook ReviewerAsbury College Music DepartmentWilmore, KY 40390Telephone (859) 858-3511, Ext. 2246E-mail [email protected]

John W. de SalmeNABBA Contest ControllerNABBA Vice-President3718 Cottage Preserve Road NESolon, IA 52333-9225Telephone (319) 624-2845E-mail [email protected]

President's Podiumby Anita Cocker Hunt ........................................ 3

Editor's Notesby Colin Holman ................................................ 4

Brass Band Programssubmitted by our readers ................................... 4

NABBA and the Nationalsby Diana Herak ................................................. 8

NABBA Board Meeting Minutesby Linda Detman ............................................... 12

Brass Bands on the Radio......................................................................... 16

Brass Band Newssubmitted by our readers ................................... 16

NABBA Board Members......................................................................... 18

Recordings Reviewedby Colin Holman ................................................ 19

Pontins Brass Band Championshipsby Pat Herak..................................................... 22

Goff Birthday Concertby Philip Hunt .................................................... 23

The Brass Band Bridge:Official Journal of the North American Brass Band Association

Founded by J. Perry Watson in 1980.The views expressed by contributors are not necessarily those of the North American Brass Band Association.

Copyright © 2004 by the North American Brass Band Association, Inc. All rights reserved.The Brass Band Bridge welcomes news, materials for review, communications, photographs, new advertisers

and scholarly articles on all aspects relating to, and for the benefit of brass bands in North America.Scholarly articles should include footnotes and bibliography where appropriate.

Electronic submission is preferred where possible. Materials may be edited for content.Publication and advertising deadlines are the 15th of January, April, July and October.

Printed by Joe Dymit, Parasol Printing, Lombard IL.

INDEX OF ARTICLES

NABBA XXIII ........................................................................ 7

Please mention this magazine when responding to advertisers

EDITORIAL STAFF

INDEX OF ADVERTISERS

September 2004 The Brass Band Bridge 3

President's Podium

Dear NABBA Members,

I hope everyone had a great summerand is ready to prepare for NABBA 2005to be held at the Pheasant Run Resort inSt. Charles, IL, March 11-12, 2005. TheNABBA Board met at the resort LaborDay weekend and was impressed withthe renovations to the resort and thegrowth the area has experienced sinceour last visit for contest in 1999. Beprepared for fun in St. Charles!

As many of you may be aware, the 2005competition has no official host band,and for the first time will be run by theNABBA Board. The Board was in a bindwithout a host prepared to take on the2005 competition and looked to PheasantRun as a possibility. Unfortunately, theycould not accommodate our usualschedule of an April competition, sobased on availability, we had to take theweekend of March 11-12, or face thepossibility of not holding a competitionin 2005.

The staff at Pheasant Run is prepared tosupport our contest and member bands,

with lovely accommodations and theyare letting us “take over” the resort forour competition weekend. Even moreimportantly, they are letting us useconference rooms in the resort withoutcharge—this will help tremendously withkeeping the costs down for thecompetition.

The NABBA Board urges all bands toplease make plans to attend thiscompetition. Elsewhere on the web siteis the list of test pieces selected for thecompetition and we think all bands will bechallenged and stimulated by the piecesfor their respective sections. We alsohope members of bands unable to attend,consider entering the solo and ensemblecompetition.

We ask for your patience andunderstanding as the Board runs theupcoming competition with as manyvolunteers as we can assemble. In fact,you may be asked to help checkadmission badges, control entrance toperformance rooms, or take part inother short term duties during theweekend. We hope we can count onNABBA members to “step up to thepodium” and help make this contest runsmoothly as all the others over the years.

During the NABBA Board Meeting, theBoard entertained a joint proposal fromthe Louisville Chamber Of Commerceand Indiana University Southeast to hostNABBA in 2006 and to be considered asa permanent site for future NorthAmerican Brass Band Associationchampionships. The Board acceptedthe offer to host in 2006 and we arealready looking ahead to the competitionthere in March 31-April1, 2006.

We have had a few changes on ourNABBA Board.

Sara North, after many years asTreasurer, needs to leave that position.We thank Sara for her many years of

service, her diligence, and watchful eyeover the NABBA budget. I am happy totell you that Sara and her husband,Frank, will continue to be involved in thecompetition.

Robin Weatherall has resigned as thecompetition event manager, due to agreat increase in his professionalactivities as producer, director, andcomposer. Robin has been out of thecountry and has had limited time todevote to the NABBA website.

Jim Grate, host of last year’s competitionin Charleston, will be taking over thereigns as Treasurer and monitoring theweb site.

For memberships — Please send allmemberships and dues to Jim Grate.Competition forms and personnel rosterswill continue to go to John de Salme.Deadline is January 15th. Forms will becoming shortly.

We want to thank Robin for his extremeamount of work on our website, recordingand updating memberships, and fillingthe office of NABBA Secretary. Goodluck, Robin in your future professionalendeavors.

John de Salme had committed to fouryears as Contest Controller, and hasserved exceptionally in this position. Hewill be leaving that position after the 2005competition in St. Charles. We need aContest Controller to take over for Johnin 2006! Please click here to e-mail meor below with your interest or suggestions.This is an extremely important positionthat needs to be filled immediately.

Best wishes to you all as you practiceand prepare for competition in March.See you in St. Charles!

Sincerely,

Anita Cocker Hunt, NABBA President


Editor's Notes

continued on page 5

Chicago Brass Band (Colin Holman).September 25, 2004; Bradley Univer-sity, Peoria, IL. Just A Closer WalkWith Thee (arr. Geldard); Postcard fromMexico (Snell); A Pittsburgh Overture(Sparke); Napoli (Bellstedt/Brand), BradSay, euphonium soloist; Call of theCossacks (Graham); Hymn of the High-lands (Sparke), Guy Clark, sopranocornet soloist, Amy Nelson, cornet solo-ist, Joe Dymit, flugelhorn soloist, RogerMenning, tenor horn soloist, Tom Gillette,baritone soloist, and Brad Say, eupho-nium soloist.November 4, 2004; Cutting Hall, Pa-latine, IL. Coriolanus (Jenkins); HenryV (Walton/Watson), Larry Rapach, nar-rator; Montagues and Capulets

This is my final issue as Editor of theBrass Band Bridge. My thanks go to themany friends I have made through themagazine and for those who have beenfaithful submitters during my more thaneight-year tenure. I have appreciated allthe comments and criticisms that havehelped me in my tasks and I look forwardto continuing my personal submissionsas New Music Editor.

I am pleased to announce that Eric Ahowill assume the duties of Editor for thenext issue. Many of you know Eric, bothas a skilled and talented euphoniumplayer and also through his work with theAll-Star brass band organization. Erichas experienced the brass band move-ment in North America through manydifferent lenses, and I am sure he willbring a wealth of expertise to the positionof Editor. I personally look forward to seehow he will bring that experience toenrich our reading and communicationstogether.

Please do all you can to support him inhis new endeavor for NABBA by makingyour written contributions to him as wellas letting him know how you the maga-zine get further your interests and needs.It is not an easy task and he will appre-ciate your submissions.

Eric Aho25 East Mound Street

Canal Winchester,Ohio 43110

(614) 833-9795

[email protected]

Happy reading and best wishes for yourupcoming brass band activities, withmany thanks for your support over thepast eight and a half years.

Colin Holman

Brass Band Programs

(Prokofiev/Langford); The King's Cava-lier (Rimmer); Rusalka's Song to theMoon (Dvorak/Langford), Laura Shea-Clark, cornet soloist; Kenilworth (Bliss);Hymn for Diana (Turrin); BohemianRhapsody (Mercury/Catherall).

Commonwealth Brass Band (JeromeAmend). June 6, 2004, St. PaulEpiscopal Church, New Albany, IN.June 17, 2004; Sam Peden CommunityPark, New Albany. June 26, 2004,Ashland (KY) Brass Band Festival. July3, 2004, Smith-Berry Winery, NewCastle, KY. Concert programs chosen:Opus 99 (Prokofiev/Brand); Music forthe Royal Fireworks (Handel/Wright);Jubilance (Himes), Shawn Roark, cornet

soloist; Nessun Dorma (Puccini/Parkes), Shawn Roark, cornet soloist;Granada (Lara/Broadbent), ShawnRoark, Bob Webb, Jason Hoagland,Jane Nally, cornet soloists; ConcertRondo (Mozart/Wyss), Susan Reigler,tenor horn soloist; Harry Potter and theSorcerer’s Stone (Williams/Sykes);Birdland (Zawinul/Smith); AmericanCivil War Fantasy (Bilik/Himes); LibertyBell March (Sousa/Winter); Crazy(Nelson/Morrison), Stacy Simpson,flugelhorn soloist; It Don’t Mean a Thing(Ellington/Casey); B.B. & C.F. (Hume);Fantasia on Tico Tico (Abreu/


Brass Band Programs

continued from page 4

continued on page 6

Bourgeois); American Patrol(Meachem/Freeh); Armed ForcesSalute (Bulla); Let Us Break BreadTogether (Jordon/Derek); Open MyEyes That I May See (Scott/Ball);Eventide (Monk/Steadman-Allen).

Sept. 3, 2004, Corydon, IN, and Sept.18, 2004, Lynn’s Paradise Cafe,Louisville, KY. Also Sprach Zarathustra(Strauss/Pearce); Star Wars (Williams/Bryce); Theme from The Gladiator(Zimmer/Bernaerts); Those MagnificentMen in Their Flying Machines (Goodwin/Banks); Adagio from Sparta cus andPhrygia (Katchaturian/Langford); Marchfrom The Great Escape (Bernstein/Martin); Somewhere Out There (Horner/Barry), Nan Moore and Susan Reigler,tenor horn soloists; Touch of Mancini(arr. Freeh), Jason Hougland, bassguitar; Raiders of the Lost Ark (Williams/Sykes); James Bond Collection (arr.Richards); I Will Follow Him (Astole,Roma and Plante/Richards), AshleyTaylor and Steve Palmquist, flugelhornsoloists and Bob Spiegelhalter, MildredKemp and John Albrecht, trombonesoloists; Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’sStone (Williams/Sykes); Death or Glory(Hall); Disney Fantasy (arr. Richards);Theme From Peter Gunn (Mancini/Kraeydonck), Jason Hougland, bassguitar.

Nov. 7, 2004, Indiana UniversitySoutheast, New Albany. AcademicFestival Overture (Brahms/Wright);Belford’s Carnival March (Alexander/Smalley); Funeral March (Chopin/Hartmann); Allegro from Concerto in FMajor for Piano (Gershwin/Gordon),Dr. Joanna Goldstein, piano soloist;Music of George Gershwin (arr.Sharpe); March from Jazz Suite No. 2(Shostakovich/Duncan); Cute (Hefti/Sparke); Atlantic (Wright); Hey Jude(McCartney/Fernie).

Georgia Brass Band (Joe Johnson).February 23, 2004; Monastery of theHoly Spirit, Conyers, GA. Processionof the Nobles (arr. Langford); Allelujaund Gebet (Bruckner/ Michel); Duetfrom Lakme (Delibes/Curnow), WilliamSouthwood, flugelhorn soloist and JoelRusche, cornet soloist; Pavane (Faure/Norbury); Adagio from Concierto deAranjuez (Rodrigo/Bolton), JoeJohnson, flugelhorn; Sanctuary (EricBall); Largo from New World Symphony(Dvorak/Langford); Girl with the FlaxenHair (Debussy/ Snell), Paul Poovey,cornet soloist; Huron Carol (arr. Calvert);Resurgam (Eric Ball); Stainer (Bowen).June 5, 2004; International EuphoniumInstitute, Emory University, Atlanta, GA.Concert Prelude (Sparke); EuphoniumConcerto (Sparke), Adam Frey,euphonium soloist; Ole English Dances(arr. Fernie); Shipston Prelude (Bulla);The Debutante (H.L. Clarke/ Smith),Jukka Myllys and Gail Robertson,euphonium soloists.June 13, 2004; Roswell Cultural ArtsCenter, Roswell, GA. Concert Prelude(Sparke); An English Suite (MichaelBall); Girl with the Flaxen Hair (Debussy/Snell) Paul Poovey, cornet soloist;Pavane (Faure/ Norbury); Variationson Down Ampney (Sherrill); Gaelforce(Graham); California (Soderstrom);Canadian Folk Song Suite (Calvert);Shipston Prelude (Bulla); Old EnglishDances (arr. Fernie); Russian CircusMusic (Woodfield); Amparito Roca(Texidor).

New England Brass Band (DouglasYeo) February 8, 2004. WestgateChurch, Weston, Massachusetts.Fanfare and Star Spangled Banner(Leidzen); Holy, Holy, Holy (Curnow);Be Thou My Vision (Curnow), TerryEverson, cornet solo; Images for Brass(Bulla); Simple Gifts (Richards);Fortress (Gordon); Armed ForcesSalute (Bulla); I Know Thou Art Mine(Ballantine); Swing Low (Mackereth),

Douglas Yeo, bass trombone solo, TerryEverson conducting; Amazing Grace(Himes); God Be With You (VaughanWilliams/Gordon).

March 12, 2004. Natick Center for theArts, Natick, Massachusetts. Fanfareand Star Spangled Banner (Leidzen);Nibelungen March (Wagner/Sonntag);Nimrod (Elgar), Will iam Rollinsconducting; Tuba Concerto (Ellerby),Mark Fabulich, tuba soloist; WaltzingMatilda (arr. Bowman); NorthernLandscapes (Graham), Fortress(Gordon), Swing Low (Mackereth),Douglas Yeo, bass trombone solo,William Rollins conducting; Images forBrass (Bulla), Post-Bellum Rhapsody(Leidzen), March: Patriotic (Cope).

June 6, 2004. Hope Church, Lenox,Massachusetts. Fanfare and StarSpangled Banner (Leidzen); Holy, Holy,Holy (Curnow); Be Thou My Vision(Curnow), Terry Everson, cornet solo;Images for Brass (Bulla); Armed ForcesSalute (Bulla); I Know Thou Art Mine(Ballantine); Swing Low (Mackereth),Douglas Yeo, bass trombone solo, TerryEverson conducting; Sweet Hour ofPrayer (Leidzen); A Psalm of Praise(Curnow); God Be With You (VaughanWilliams/Gordon).

November 7, 2004. TrinityCongregational Church, Gloucester,Massachusetts. November 21, 2004.Kingswood High Schoool, Wolfeboro,New Hampshire. Fanfare and StarSpangled Banner (Leidzen); March:Jubilee (Drury); Honour and Glory(Bath); The Ransomed Host(Steadman-Allen), Leif Reslow,euphonium soloist; Simple Gifts(Richards); Never Give Up (Ball), TerryEverson, Dennis Caron, Elizabeth Jewell,Stephanie Watts, cornet soli, BradleyKerns, Al Stickland, Kenneth Griffin,


Brass Band News


Donald Kittle, trombone soli; Selectionsfrom “The Yeomen of the Guard(Sullivan); Occasion (Gregson); Be ThouMy Vision (Curnow), Terry Everson,cornet solo; Swing Low (Mackereth),Douglas Yeo, bass trombone solo, TerryEverson conducting; A Psalm of Praise(Curnow); March: The Salvation Army(Sousa).

December 5, 2004. First CongregationalChurch, Rockport, Massachusetts.December 12, 2004. WilmingtonCongregational Church, Wilmington,Massachusetts. December 18, 2004.Free Christian Church, Andover,Massachusetts. Christmas Joy!(Leidzen); Huron Carol (Norbury), TerryEverson, cornet solo; The Spirit ofChristmas (Graham); Bleak Midwinter(Bulla); Russian Christmas Music(Reed/deSalme); Feliz Navidad(Feliciano/Gates) Away in a Manger(Graham), Kevin Maloney, flugelhornsolo; Christmas Bells are Ringing (Burt/Bulla); In Dulci Jubilo (Everson);Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer(Freeh), Douglas Yeo, bass trombonesolo, Terry Everson , conducting;Christmas Sing-a-long (arr. Hardy);Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas(arr. Himes).

Spires Brass Band (John Slezak).October 18, 2003; Kussmaul Theatre,Frederick Community College,Frederick, MD. Star-Spangled Banner(arr. Leidzen); Fanfare for the CommonMan (Copland); Variations on "America"(Ives/Larch); Hoedown from Rodeo(Copland); Piano Concerto in F(Gershwin/Gordon), Noel Lester, pianosoloist; Kitten on the Keys (Confrey/Snell), Noel Lester, piano soloist; NorthCountry Fantasy (arr. Langford);Blaydon Races (arr. Langford), LauraLineberger, euphonium soloist; TheBritish Grendaiers (arr. Langford);Fantasy on British Sea Songs (arr.Langford).

March 20, 2004; Kussmaul Theatre,Frederick Community College,Frederick, MD. Star-Spangled Banner(arr. Leidzen); Manhattan March(Leidzen); Cousins (Clarke), Randi Bull,cornet soloist and Stephen Bulla,trombone soloist; Northern Landscapes(Graham); The Fantastic Fast FingerFandango (Fraser), Laura Linebergerand W. Kermit Britt, euphonium soloists;Tournament for Brass (Ball); AgincourtSong (Howarth/Farr); Suite from Hymnof the Highlands (Sparke).

May 28, 2004; Kussmaul Theatre,

Frederick Community College,Frederick, MD with *Allen Vizzutti. Star-Spangled Banner (arr. Leidzen); LibertyFanfare (Williams/Sykes); *Carnival ofVenice (Staigers/Muscroft); Suite ofAmerican Overtures (arr. Bulla); DesertWater Hole from Death Valley Suite(Grofe/Duncan); *American Jazz Suite(Vizzutti); In the Mood (arr. Freeh);Variation on a Kitchen Sink (Gillis/Larch);*Tribute to Harry James (arr. Larch);It's Alright With Me (Porter/Brevik),Milton Aldana, William McCullen andRon Smith, trombone soloists; ArmedForces Salute (arr. Larch).

St Louis Brass Band (Colin Holman).October 25, 2004; LindenwoodUniversity, Lindenwood, MO. Death orGlory (Hall); The Caliph of BagdadOverture (Boildieu/Rimmer); Carnivalof Venice (arr. Muscroft), Gary Beamon,cornet soloist; The Last Spring (Greig/Steadman-Allen); A Stephen FosterFantasy (arr. Langford); Abu Hassan(Weber/Langford); Siegfried’s FuneralMusic (Wagner/Golland and Holman);Believe Me, If All Those Endearing YoungCharms (Mantia/Werden), Jeff Binns,euphonium soloist; The Lost Chord(Sullivan/Langford); Imperial Edward(Sousa).

Please send your programs, news and articles of interest tothe new editor for the Brass Band Bridge



(614) 833-9795

[email protected]


Championship XXIIIMarch 11 & 12, 2005

Pheasant Run Resort,St. Charles, Illinois

Gala Concert by the

Chicago Staff Band of the Salvation Army

William Himes, Music Director

see www.nabba.org fordetails and application

forms


A Comparison of the 2004 NorthAmerican Brass Band AssociationChampionships and the 2004 NationalBrass Band Championship of GreatBritain

by Diana Herak

After participating in the 2004 NorthAmerican Brass Band AssociationChampionships on April 16-17, 2004,and the 2004 National Brass BandChampionship of Great Britain onOctober 16, 2004, I have had the uniqueexperience of performing in the nationalbrass band contests of both the UnitedStates and Great Britain, within six monthsof each other. The following is a fullreport of my experiences.

First of all my name is Diana Herak, andI am from the United States. I’m veryfortunate that a British-style youth brassband was formed in my area (inColumbus, Ohio) when I was 16 yearsold. I joined the All Star Brass Band(Eric Aho, conductor) on euphonium. Incollege, I played baritone and euphoniumin the Ohio Collegiate Brass, anothernewly- formed brass band, whose namewas later changed to the Central OhioBrass Band (conductors included JoelPugh, Jon Woods, Les Susi, and PaulDroste). From there I joined the BrassBand of Columbus, which is directedby my father, Dr. Paul Droste.

After having such a solid foundation inthe British-style brass band movementin the United States (I am currentlyserving on the Board of Directors for theNorth American Brass BandAssociation), one might wonder how Iended up playing in the British Nationals.After the Brass Band of Columbusperformed in the “Bands of the WorldConcert” as part of the British Open in2000 (our finale was performing the1812 Overture with the Black Dyke andWoolston Bands in Symphony Hall in

Birmingham), the “brass band bug” haddefinitely bit! In 2002, my family and Itraveled to London to watch the Nationalsfor the first time, and in 2003 I returnedto watch them again with some friends.After attending the Royal NorthernCollege of Music’s Festival of Brass inJanuary, 2004, it seemed I was makingmy way “across the pond” as often aspossible. Add to this the fact that theFoden’s Richardson Band had come toChicago in November, 2003 to performin the inaugural U.S. Open, the BlackDyke Band performed in Philadelphia inJanuary, 2004 as a part of their overseastour, and the International Staff Bandpassed through Columbus in April, 2004,I realized that for brass banding, Englandwas definitely the place to be.

Without my knowledge, my husbandPatrick put his resume on the internet,with the intent of possibly finding ateaching position in the U.K. Sureenough, two phone interviews later, andhe was offered a job in the London area.After a brief discussion, it was decidedthat we would move to the U.K. for at leasta year, and hopefully we would both beable to play in true British brass bandswhile here!

Upon our arrival on August 5, 2004, wewere able to secure a flat in Watford,Hertfordshire, and left for the BromsgroveBrass Band Summer School three dayslater. There we met our fantasticcounselors, directors, andadministrators- all top names in thebrass band world! Richard Evansdirected the bands, with Dr. RoyNewsome (the BBSS’s President) guestconducting, and the tutors included AlanMorrison and Brian Taylor (cornets),Owen Farr (horns), David Childs(euphoniums and baritones), NickHudson (trombones), Steve Sykes(tubas), and Simone Rebello(percussion). Phillip Biggs administereda fantastic camp, and it was there Iheard the “rumor” that the Travelsphere

Holidays Band (Midlands Area,Championship Section Band) waslooking for a baritone player.

Upon returning from camp, I was able toget in touch with the Travelsphere BandManager, who invited me to a rehearsal.After the rehearsal, I was informed thatthe band did indeed need to fill a spot fortheir upcoming contest at the RoyalAlbert Hall, and would I be available?From that moment forward, all Iconstantly thought about was theopportunity to play in one of Europe’smost famous concert halls, with one ofthe top bands in the entire country. Notbad for a public school strings teacherfrom Ohio!

Short Summary of the 2004 NorthAmerican Brass Band AssociationChampionships

For the 2004 North American BrassBand Association Championships, Iplayed euphonium in the ChampionshipSection with the Brass Band of Columbus.This was actually the seventeenth yearI had played in the NABBAChampionships, and the twenty-secondoverall year of the contest. This year’schampionships were held in Charleston,West Virginia. The contest included 25bands, which performed in six differentsections.

Following the competition, the MoreheadState University Percussion Ensemble(Frank A. Oddis) and The New YorkStaff Band of the Salvation Army (RonWaiksnoris) were featured at the GalaConcert. During the intermission of theGala Concert, the winners of eachsection were announced. This year’sChampionship Section winner was theChicago Brass Band (Colin Holman);the Brass Band of Columbus finishedfifth.

NABBA and the Nationals

continued on page 9


Summary of the 2004 National Brass Band Championships ofGreat Britain

The National Brass Band Championships of Great Britain took placein London, England’s Royal Albert Hall on October 16, 2004. Theevent was sponsored by Besson Musical Instruments Ltd., andmanaged by Kapitol Promotions Ltd. The Contest was made-up of20 Championship Section Bands (the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th SectionNational Championships had previously taken place in Harrogate onSeptember 11-12, 2004). The bands all had to qualify for thiscompetition by placing in the top two spots of their regions (there areeight regions). Some automatically qualify for this competition byplacing in the top four spots in last year’s Nationals. The test piecewas …all the flowers of the mountain… (Michael Ball) which eachband played; no other selections are allowed. The adjudicators wereMichael Ball, David Read, and Malcolm Brownbill.

The Travelsphere Band performed Draw #9- rightbehind the Brighouse and Rastrick Band, and 2bands before Black Dyke. Immediately followingthe performances of all twenty bands, there was ashort break so that the judges could confer with oneanother before announcing the results of the contest.During this period of time, a group called “MnozilBrass,” which performed without music, and werehilarious as well as top-notch musicians, provided“entertainment” for the spectators. Following thispresentation, representatives from all the bandswere asked to gather on stage, and several awardswere given (International Euphonium Player of theYear- David Childs; Best Instrumentalist at theNationals- Peter Roberts), as well as the contestresults. The top six bands were announced, andclaimed their prizes. The rankings were 1st Place:Black Dyke; 2nd Place: Yorkshire Building Society;3rd Place: Ever Ready; 4th Place: Buy As You View;5th Place: Tredegar; 6th Place: TravelsphereHolidays!

After a short dinner break, the National Finals GalaConcert was held at the Royal Albert Hall, whichincluded performances by the Black Dyke Band(Dr. Nicholas Childs) and the Band of Her Majesty’sRoyal Marines (Lieutenant Colonel Chris Davis),which was superb. The concert also featured theFanfare Trumpets and a display by the Corps ofDrums of Her Majesty’s Royal Marines. The WorldPremiere of Professor Edward Gregson’s An Ageof Kings was offered by the Black Dyke Band, andthen both bands combined for several pieces at theend of the program, including Professor PeterGraham’s Windows of the World.

In conjunction with the Nationals, there was a BrassArts Festival that took place October 14-15 in theRegent Hall of the Salvation Army. Some of theFestival’s events included a concert by the SalvationArmy’s Regent Hall Band and Songsters, and aconcert given by the Buy As You View Band (whowould compete in the Nationals the following day),and an illustrated talk given by Michael Ball on hispiece, …all the flowers of the mountain…, whichhad been chosen as the test piece for this year’sNationals.



continued on page 10


Comparisons Between Brass BandContests in the United States andGreat Britain

Although the United States has patternedits brass band competitions after itscounterparts in Great Britain, there arestill many differences, as well assimilarities. The following represents afew of the contrasts between the two.

A major difference between brass bandcontests in Great Britain and the UnitedStates deal with the longstanding tradition(approximately 150 years) of the BritishBands as opposed to the relative newness(22 years) of contests in the UnitedStates. In the United States, the brassband culture is not the norm, soindividuals are encouraged to watcheach other perform- we are all stilllearning! In Britain, most performers didnot return to the hall to listen to the otherbands’ performances. In addition,NABBA contests normally include clinicsand workshops, whereas the Britishcontests typically don’t. However, therewas an opportunity at the Nationals tolisten to a lecture by the composer of thetest piece.

It is a fact that the sheer number ofcontests in Great Britain greatly exceedsthe one and only (non- entertainment)contest that is held in the United States.The top British bands typically participatein 4-5 contests a year.

One advantage the brass band contestsin England have is the fact that thecompetitions do not require the bands totravel large distances in order toparticipate. The Nationals are alwaysheld in London, usually requiring aneasy bus ride for each band. Thelocation of each NABBA competitionchanges from year to year, often causingdifficulties for some bands to attend.There can also be large expenses

involved, which certainly prohibit somebands from competing every year. Inaddition, bands in America are notsponsored by different companies, as isoften the case in England. Therefore thefinancial burden of attending contestslies squarely on the members of theband.

One rule change for NABBA contestsmay have relieved some of the problemsinvolved with traveling large distances tocompetitions. In England, there is adrawing that occurs the morning of eachcontest to determine the order in whichbands will perform. NABBA has decidedto announce performance times severalmonths in advance of the competition,making it easier for visiting bands tomake travel arrangements.

British bands must schedule earlyrehearsals on the day of their contests,just in case they are chosen to play at thebeginning of the competition. There areno warm-up rooms in the Royal AlbertHall, and all bands must share changingfacilities. In addition, the British bandsare not permitted to warm-up on stage.In NABBA, bands are provided a warm-up area immediately prior to theirperformance, and are even allowed twominutes on stage for tuning and warmingup.

The number of participants in eachbrass band is slightly larger in the UnitedStates. British contests allow 28performers (25 brass players and 3percussionists), while the NABBAcontests allow 30 players to rotate in andout for each piece. British bandsgenerally do not need to carry more than28 performers- if they need a substitute,there are many players available fromwhich to choose. However, in the U.S.,bands usually carry 30-40 players inorder to “pad” each section in case ofabsences. Brass players who performon the standard British style instruments(cornets, tenor horns, British-style

baritones, and low brass players thatcan read music in treble clef) aresometimes difficult to find in America.

Another major difference between theBritish and American brass bandcontests are the contest requirements.In Britain, bands are judged on one pre-determined test piece that is performedby every competing band. This requiredselection is usually a new piece, andbands typically do not see the piece untilaround six weeks before the contest.There is no time limit for each band inBritish contests. In America, one testpiece is selected, but each band is alsorequired to fill its remaining 32 minutetime slot (at the Championship level) withtheir own choice of pieces. Americanbands are given around 7-8 months toprepare the test piece.

It is interesting to note that British bandstypically rehearse twice a week, whileAmerican bands rehearse only once aweek. In addition, about two weeksbefore contest, the British bands hold (atleast) about six extra practices, whileU.S. bands might be able to squeeze inone or two! British conductors alsoseem more comfortable taking libertieswith the test piece scores (adding notes,changing instrumentation, adding orsubtracting players, turning instrumentstowards or away from the judges, etc.),while the American conductors seem tofollow the composer’s instructions asclosely as possible. On the day of theNationals, study scores were availablefor purchase, so that the members of theaudience could actually follow alongwith each band’s performance.

In Great Britain, bands must qualify inorder to participate in the Nationals.Due to the large number of brass bands,the bands are separated into fiveSections: Championship level, 1st





Section, 2nd Section, 3rd Section, and 4th

Section. The bands are divided intoeight different regions, and the top twoChampionship Section bands from eachRegion compete in the Nationals atRoyal Albert Hall in London (the lowersection bands compete on otherweekends at different locations). Inaddition, the top four bands from theprevious year’s Nationals automaticallyqualify. Therefore, there were twentybands that competed at the 2004 NationalChampionships (eight regions with twobands apiece, and the top four bandsfrom 2003). In this year’s NABBAcompetition, there were 23 participatingbands, with 7 Championship level bands.In addition to the Championship level,there are 5 other sections: Explorer,Youth, Open, Challenge, and Honors.Each individual band can decide inwhich division they will enter. There isone exception to this rule: bands arerequired to enter the next higher sectionif they win their original section threeyears in a row (a “hat-trick”). If the bandis already in the highest division(Championship level), they are notallowed to compete at NABBA for oneyear. In England, bands are relegatedup and down the different divisionsaccording to how well they areperforming. This is done approximatelyevery three years.

In both the Nationals and the NABBAContests, there are 3 judges thatdetermine the winners of the competition.Usually judges are placed in a curtained“box,” which allows them to hear eachband without seeing the stage. In Englandthe judges are allowed to talk togetherand compare notes to determine awinner, while in NABBA the judges arenot allowed to speak with each other. Atthe Nationals, the judges would flash agreen light in order to let each band knowwhen they were ready for them to begin.

In NABBA, the test piece is worth 60%of each band’s total score, with theremainder of each band’s program worth40%. At the Nationals, the test piece isworth 100% of each band’s score.NABBA adjudicators provide written andtaped comments for each band, whileBritish judges provide written commentsonly.

The “stage” uniforms that each bandwore in the Nationals were very colorful.In the United States, most band memberswear concert black. The British bandsalso have “walking-out” or “traveling”uniforms that usually consist of a blazerand dress pants.

The first prize winners at the NationalBrass Band Championships of GreatBritain receive 2,000 pounds(approximately $3600 dollars), and amagnificent rotating trophy in the formof a silver cup (The Champion Band ofGreat Britain Challenge Trophy). Thiscup is often displayed at future concerts.The conductor of the winning band alsoreceives the Stanley BoddingtonMemorial Trophy. The second placewinners are given 1,500 pounds (about$2700 dollars), and the third place winneris given 1,000 pounds (about $1800dollars). In NABBA, prize money and arotating trophy used to be awarded, butnow the first place band in each sectionreceives a NABBA banner and clearplastic trophy to keep, and the secondplace band receives a trophy.

Both the Nationals and the NABBAcompetitions held “Gala” concerts at theconclusion of each contest. This was toshowcase a high class brass band ormusical ensemble. The Nationalsfeatured one of the contesting bands ofthe day (the eventual 2004 Nationalswinners!)- the Black Dyke Band, andalso The Band of Her Majesty’s RoyalMarines. The NABBA Gala Concertfeatured the Morehead State UniversityPercussion Ensemble, and The New

York Staff Band of the Salvation Army.The NABBA competition announced theresults of the contest during theintermission of its Gala Concert (ensuringproper attendance levels), while theNationals had already awarded itswinners earlier in the day.

Conclusion

The American brass band movementhas definitely patterned itself after theBritish brass band. Using Britishinstrumentation and its traditions ofcontesting, there are many similaritiesbetween American and British contests-screened judges, required test pieces,bands competing in different sections,prizes, “Gala” Concerts. Americanbands would do well to try and strive toattain the high musical standards thathave been set by the top Championshipsection bands in Britain. AlthoughAmerican expectations are high, thereis still some catching up to do, especiallyconsidering the 130+ year head start bythe Brits! In addition, the idea of acompany sponsoring a brass band(paying for its director, music,instruments, uniforms, travel expenses,etc.) has yet to catch on in the States.However, the brass band movement inAmerica is certainly alive and well, andits future is limitless. Hopefully by sharingsome of my experiences that I’ve hadhere in the U.K. with others back home,I’ll be able to inspire and motivate themas much as I have been motivated tocontinue in and appreciate this incredibletradition we call brass banding!

Diana Herak is a baritone player fromColumbus Ohio, currently living andworking in England, and a member ofthe NABBA Board of Directors.




Preparing

NABBA Board Meeting Minutes


Minutes from the North American BrassBand

Board of Directors Meeting

September 3-5, 2004

Pheasant Run Resort, St. Charles, IL

Members present: Anita Cocker Hunt(president), John de Salme (controller),Jeff Binns, Louis Bourgois, Barb Burtch,Jay Cohen, Linda Detman, JacksonHill, Rusty Morris, Susan Reigler, TomScheibner, Quentin Sharpenstein, DonStine

Guest: Joanna Goldstein

Friday, September 3

Meeting begins at 7:35 p.m. with a self-introduction of members and welcometo new members. President Huntdiscussed the unexpected absence ofRobin Weatherall who had beenhospitalized and discusses the possibilityof shortening the meeting. Those inattendance consider various options andultimately decide to carry on with themeeting as planned.

Quentin Sharpenstein reads aloud theminutes from the April Board Meeting.Jackson Hill makes motion to acceptminutes as read; Barb Burtch seconds—motion passed unanimously.

Report on The Bridge submitted from theeditor, Colin Holman. Joe Dymit will betaking over the mailing and distributionof The Bridge. Eric Aho has offered toassume the editorship of The Bridge;Colin will continue as the new musicreviewer. Louis Bourgois mentions thatRon Holz would be happy to do CDreviews if desired by the editor (RobinWeatherall is currently reviewing CDs).President Hunt will appoint Aho editor ofThe Bridge with the full endorsementand appreciation of the Board.

NABBA 2004 Championship report

presented by controller, John de Salme.Among the issues discussed in thereport: bands need to double checkentry materials for completeness andshould proof-read program materialsfor misspellings and grammar; feedbackfrom bands on the judges was minimal(only 8 bands responded), but all werehappy with the new CD recordings andrecommended judges carefullyenunciate so that comments can beheard; due to a glitch with the spreadsheetsoftware, the wrong awards weredistributed to the youth solo and ensembleparticipants—the error was corrected.All in all, it was a successful competition.President Hunt thanked the Board for itswork at the Championships.

Wrap-up to NABBA 2004 presented byhost representative, Jackson Hill. Hecautioned that 8 months is not enoughtime to organize a competition and toavoid this situation in the future. Manythanks and kudos were offered to JimGrate. Lastly, hosts need to be sure to“have the money in the bank” to makethe competition work—Brass Band ofTri-State and Mountain State Brass Bandbarely broke even.

Membership report and budget forNABBA 2005 submitted by RobinWeatherall. NABBA has 1,002 activemembers and 51 member bands.Because of Robin’s absence the Boardcould not thoroughly discuss theproposed budget for the 2005competition. Louis expressed concernabout a lack of communication on thechampionship committee and he askedif the Championship Host Manual isavailable on the website yet.

Test piece selection for Championshipand Honors divisions. Board listened toHarrison’s Dream and Of Men andMountains for the Championship divisionand Firestorm and Coventry Variationsfor the Honors division. Harrison’sDream was selected by unanimous vote

for the Championship division. CoventryVariations was selected for the Honorsdivision; Firestorm received 3 votes,Coventry Variations received 10 votes.

A short discussion was held about theneed to replace the current treasurer,Sara North. The president asked forvolunteers; Jim Grate was suggested asa possibility—Jackson Hill offered tocontact him about his interest in theposition.

Break for committee meetings—adjourned for the evening aftercommittee meetings.

Saturday, September 4

Toured the Pheasant Run facilities 8:45-10:30 a.m. Facilities appear to beadequate for running the competition.

Louis Bourgois made a motion to electJim Grate (Brass Band of the Tri-State)to be NABBA treasurer; Rusty Morrisseconded—motion passedunanimously.

Test piece selection for Challenge,Explorer, and Youth sections. Boardlistened to:

Challenge—Music for a Festival andChaucer’s Tunes

Explorer—Variations on “LaudateDominum” and First Suite in Eb

Youth—The Four Noble Truths andHaselmere Suite

Pieces noted in bold were selected byunanimous vote of the Board.

Website report: New program incurredcosts this year. Information came fromthe web technician in Columbus.Maintenance fee for web hosting. Anita





and numerous paper documents tosupport their proposal to host NABBA2006 in Louisville and to be consideredas a permanent host city for the event.They suggested NABBA considerchanging the name of the event to theNorth American Brass BandChampionships and secure trademarkof the name. They feel selecting apermanent host city will offer theopportunity to build a national andinternational presence for NABBA, andcould be used to build the ranks ofNABBA by making the event a familyaffair and bringing kids into brassbanding. It will also help bands plan ayear or two in advance to attend.

Susan made a motion to trademark thename North American Brass BandChampionships and to use it for thecompetition in 2006; Quentinseconded—motion passedunanimously.

Louis made a motion to accept Louisville’sproposal to host NABBA in 2006; Barbseconded—motion passedunanimously.

Further discussion ensued onestablishing a regular weekend for thecompetition and the need to avoid Easter(and Kentucky Derby time if Louisville isselected as a permanent host city). Willcontinue to try to schedule competitionsfor the first couple weeks of April.Anticipated costs for NABBA 2006include $1500 for the use of MemorialHall, $3000 for shuttle buses, and anundetermined amount for the GalaConcert. Louis urged the by-lawcommittee to establish a developmentcommittee in lieu of the championshiphost committee that would conceivablybecome defunct. A by-law change willbe presented at the next Board meeting.

will ask Brian White, web tech, to checkinto spam problem on the members’section message board. Anita asked fora volunteer to work with Robin to provideback up in posting information to thewebsite. Jay Cohen agreed to be websiteback up for Robin.

Membership report: Board debated theadmission of participating versus non-participating members to competitionevents—if you are a member, can youget into everything even if you aren’t acontest participant? Barb noted that inCharleston it was cheaper for familymembers to join NABBA than pay thenon-NABBA fees to attend events.Decided that NABBA members in goodstanding are entitled to free admission toall annual competition and galaperformances. Post-gala reception issubject to an additional charge.

Additional discussion ensued regardingchaperones for the youth bands andwhether or not they should have to payfor admission to contest events or ifNABBA would provide passes for a setnumber and how many. Decided tenchaperone passes will be included witheach Youth Band registration. Passesare good for admission for competitionperformances only; gala and receptionadmissions must be purchasedseparately.

Review of schedule for competitionweekend: A suggestion was made toannounce awards for the solo andensemble competition to Friday beforeor during the Reading Band. Discussionon how many people actually attend theReading Band and the possibility thatsolo and ensemble participants wouldmiss the chance to be recognized beforethe larger membership of NABBA.Decided to make no change in thescheduling of awards during competitionweekend and to announce awards beforethe start of the Gala Concert.

The NABBA Archives have been safelytransferred and stored in a climatecontrolled location by Eric Aho.

Ashland Festival: Festival went well thisyear, although the number of brassbands had to be cut to six. Good crowds,bands, and weather. Jackson Hillappreciates NABBA’s continued supportof the festival. Next year is its 10th

anniversary.

Eastern Iowa Festival: Don Stine reportedthe event was very successful this year;he also expressed appreciation forNABBA’s support.

Northeastern Festival (Montclair): RonHolz was not present to make the report,but Tom Scheibner reported Montclair“is dead in the water” but Jason Hameuphonium player in the United StatesMilitary Academy Band (West Point) isconsidering reviving it in West Point; henoted encouragement from NABBAcould be useful in reactivating this festival.Quentin said he would contact Jasonregarding the Montclair Festival and apossible move to West Point.

Linda Detman made a motion to providefunds of $500 for the Ashland andEastern Iowa festivals; Barb Burtchseconded—motion passedunanimously.

Yamaha workshops: Paul Droste wasnot present to make the report. It wasannounced that he will be retiring fromthe Brass Band of Columbus in the nearfuture.

A new member-at-large is needed onthe Executive Committee to replace RalphHotz. Susan Reigler was nominated—the Board voted unanimously to electher as member-at-large.

Presentation from Louisville/IndianaUniversity Southeast to host NABBA2006: Joanna Goldstein and SusanReigler gave a PowerPoint presentation





Contest Committee Report presentedby John de Salme. Discussed whetheror not the Board should set a minimumnumber of bands to participate in 2005to avoid financial difficulties. Pheasantmake it a viable section.

A request to increase the competitiontime for the Championship and Youthsections was rejected.

A request to change the rules to requirenon-North American bands to enter theirfirst year in the Exhibition section andthen regular competition the followingyear was rejected.

The request to form an appeal processregarding controller decisions aboutcontest eligibility was rejected.

A request to change the competitionballot so that it was more detailed wasrejected, primarily because the currentballot already includes the informationasked for in the request.

A request to change the contest draw theSaturday morning of competition wasrejected.

All bands will need a reminder that theentry deadline for NABBA 2005 isSaturday, January 15, 2005.

The committee delayed considerationof a commissioned piece and thepurchase of computer equipment andsoftware until other priorities werehandled.

A request to hire a professionalannouncer for the Gala Concert wasrejected—committee hopes thatsomeone who enjoys public speakingcan be identified within the ranks ofNABBA and asked to serve as announcer

A request was made to include the orderof performance as an item in thepublished results of the competition—

this request was accepted.

John de Salme’s appointment ascontroller is over after the 2005competition, so new controller must beselected. Paul Droste’s name was floatedas a possibility. Anita will get the wordout to member bands that a controller isneeded.

Jeff Binns suggested the musiccommittee select the test pieces for thecompetition; the Board discussed anddecided it was important to have inputfrom the whole Board in the selection ofpieces. Susan suggested using themeeting time more efficiently by listeningto pieces during lunch.

Tom Scheibner was appointed to themusic committee to replace ColinHolman.

A request was made to allow a quartet inthe ensemble competition made ofplayers from four different bands—thecompetition committee decided this isOK, but each member will count as oneof the two ensembles allowed per bandas stated in the contest rules.

Competition committee received apetition from Eastern Iowa to move fromChampionship to Honors division—thisis not a problem, but want to clarify thatany movement to a lower division canonly be one division down, not two. Lindanoted that the rules are not quite clear onthis issue—the rule seems to be inreference to bands forced to move to thenext higher division after winning adivision three years in a row.

Contest Budget and Financial Planning

The Board estimates the cost for theNABBA Gala Band to cover food andlodging will be $12,000. The opportunitiesto make money at NABBA 2005 will befew: event passes will probably sell to50-100 people. Prices for passes wereset as follows: Gala Concert ($15),

Competition Event ($10), Combo—galaand event ($20). Decided vendor tableswould be $300. Advertising prices forthe program were set as follows: fullpage ($500), half page ($300), quarter($175), eighth ($100).

Efforts need to be made to securevendors and to pursue businesses in theSt. Charles area to advertise in thecontest program.

Jay Cohen agreed to help with publicityand advertising and to help obtainpercussion equipment. Barb Burtchagreed to contact Bill Himes about helpfrom area Salvation Army folks withcontest activities.

Jackson Hill will look into making NABBABoard badges to identify people at thecompetition.

Louis was asked to add updated figuresto the vendor/ad template in theChampionship Host Manual.

Review of band selection process forother contests

Agreed to keep the process for selectinga band to participate in the UK Open—the NABBA Championship section bandwill be selected.

Great American Brass Band Festivalselects the previous year Championshipsection winner (for 2005 the 2004 NABBAChamp will attend). If the first band isunable to attend, the second placefinisher in the Championship section willbe invited. If that band cannot attend willinvite first place Honors band, thensecond place Honors band. The selectedband receives $2,500 and lodging forthe event. Board feels this selectionprocess is fair. The Board also reviewedits agreement with GABBF to put ads inthe Bridge and website and a notice in




the contest program—the Board willcontinue with this agreement.

World Brass Band Contest—Boarddiscussed numerous ideas for selectinga band to represent NABBA at this onceevery four years contest. Consideredusing the process used by GreatAmerican Brass Band Festival; allowingbands who might have to sit out ofcompetition the year the chance tocompete for points only in a WBB year,totaling points over the course of fouryears, and totaling places over fouryears and averaging. Tabled discussionto adjourn for the night at 9 p.m.

RETURN TO TOP

Sunday, September 5

Meeting began at 9:10 a.m.

Sign-up sheet for NABBA 2005 dutieswas circulated.

Discussed the US Open competitionand whether or not to put an ad in theirprogram and have a table at the event.Last year, NABBA spent $600 for tableand program ad, but there was nothingto display on the table and other thanfriends stopping by to visit Barb whostaffed the table, there were no visitors.NABBA wants to encourage and supportthe US Open. Tom made a motion to doonly a full page ad in their program forthis year; Rusty seconded—motionpassed unanimously.

Present Board members up for renewalthis year confirmed their intent to serveanother 2 year term.

Anita discussed the loss of NABBAstopwatches over the years and theneed to obtain new ones. Louis mademotion to purchase enough stopwatchesto conduct the contest; Quentinseconded—motion passedunanimously.

Anita also discussed the possibility ofpurchasing a display unit that is easilyportable and shippable for events atwhich NABBA would like to have a table.Discussed the need to look into gettinga table banner and having an audiovisualpresence at presentations. Jay movedto allow Anita to select the appropriateunit costing no more than $1,000—ifmore money is needed, approval will besought via the Executive committee;Susan seconded—motion passedunanimously.

Anita informed the band of anotherinternational contest opportunity:Bristolive is billed as an annual amateurmusic festival and will be held June 9-13, 2005. The contest website iswww.bristolive.co.uk

NABBA has obtained an ASCAP/BMIevent license and will renew it in time forNABBA 2005. All NABBA bands shouldconsider covering themselves by gettingan annual license.

Board returned to the discussion of theWorld Brass Band contest to discuss arequest from Chicago Brass Band forfunding of $3,500 to attend the contestin July 2005. Board debated whether ornot we can afford this amount given oursole financial responsibility for the March2005 contest. Don asked what wouldstop any other NABBA band from seekingfunds to attend contests and wonderedif this would set a precedent. Barb notedthat Chicago accepted the invitationknowing it would be costly. Susan pointedout that helping a NABBA band toparticipate in a world level contest wouldget additional exposure for NABBA.Rusty wondered how big the Worldcontest really is, particularly given someof the discussion on 4barsrest.com aboutbig name European bands pulling out ofthe contest. Don also pointed out if wehad lots of money it would be great tosupport Chicago. Quentin noted thatChicago was selected by NABBA torepresent it at this contest and they

deserved some support from theorganization. Linda suggested the Boardwait to provide funds to Chicago untilafter NABBA 2005 to make sure it didn’tcommit money that wasn’t available.

Board decided to request a full reportfrom Chicago upon return from theWorld contest; Anita will send letter toColin indicating the Board will considera funding amount after NABBA 2005.

Joanna Goldstein brought up the need toconsider establishing an educationcommittee for NABBA. She volunteeredto develop a promotional PowerPointpresentation on NABBA—a note will goout to NABBA members asking for video,pictures, etc. to add to the presentation.

President’s Remarks: Thanks to thosepresent for being at meeting for LaborDay weekend. Thanked the new boardmembers for attending and experiencedboard members for their continuedservice. She lauded the greatpresentation from Louisville for 2006—thinks the organization is moving in theright direction in considering Louisvilleas a permanent host city. Louisvillepresents the chance to expand NABBA,make more money to in turn supportmore bands and educational program—it is a big new step for NABBA.

Next meeting is scheduled for Friday,March 11, 2005, 9 a.m. at PheasantRun.

Meeting adjourned at 11:14 a.m.

Respectfully submitted by Linda A.Detman


Brass Bands on the Radio


Sounds of Brass (only available in realtime). Presenter: Phillip Hunt. Broadcasttime 19-05 GMT every Sunday evening.

Online: www.bbc.co.uk/devon click onto “Listen Live” and choose Radio Devon.The Presenter and Producer of Soundsof Brass, Phillip Hunt, has beenbroadcasting the programme since 1985and has recently been appointed a Bardof The Cornish Gorsedd for his servicesto the brass band movement. Hewelcomes requests and comments froma host of new world wide listeners.

GMR Brass. Presenter: John Maines.Braodcast time 18-00 GMT every Sundayevening.

Online: www.bbc.co.uk/manchester ,click on "Listen Live" then GMR.Frequency: 95.1 & 104.5 FM

Listen to the Band. Presenter: FrankRenton. Braodcast every Fridays - BBCRadio 2 ( 88-91 FM) 21-30 GMT.

Online: www.bbc.co.uk/radio2/shows/listentotheband

Brass Encounters. Presenter: GeoffMcGregor. Broadcasted from Radio2NUR-FM 103.7 Newcastle University,Australia Wednesday’s 5-30. Now in it's25th season.

Online: www.newcastle.edu.au/services/2nur/programs/brass.shtml andwww.2nurfm.com

Please note the following change ofcontact details for

Rosehill Music PublishingCompany Limited.

Trading Name: Winwood MusicAddress: Unit 7, Fieldside FarmQuaintonBucks. HP22 DQEnglandTel: 01296 655777Fax: 01296 655778Email: [email protected]

these years, and I have conducted allbut four or five of them. There havebeen many highlights, but the trip toBirmingham, England in September2000, the nine NABBA Championships,and our commercial recordings standout. I want to thank the members of theBBC for volunteering their time andtalents. We have had very little turnoverthrough the years. No one gets paid, sothis must be “a labor of love.” We attractand retain the best free-lance musiciansin central Ohio. Anne and I hope tospend some time in Florida this winter,attending baseball spring traininggames, long a dream of mine. With ourdaughter and son-in-law, Diana andPatrick Herak, living in London, Englandfor the next year, we hope to visit often.Son Doug is now the orchestra directorat Oklahoma State University and wehope that the stage coach still runs toStillwater. For most of the twenty yearhistory of the BBC, Les Susi, RaySpillman, and I have done a significantamount of behind the scenes work. Atthe end of December, Les is retiringfrom his position as cornet player,music arranger, and associateconductor. Ray is retiring from hisposition as business manager, but willcontinue to play in the band. All three ofus leave with the feeling that the bandwill not only survive, but will prosperunder new leadership.

[I am sure we all join together incongratulating Paul for his remarkabletenure and in sending best wishes for hisretirement, Ed.]

The Chicago Brass Band (ColinHolman) will perform concerts inGermany, France and Belgium inaddition to their scheduled performancesat the World Music Contest next July inKerkrade, Holland as representatives of

Brass Band News

The Atlantic Brass Band has returnedfrom touring Italy and is looking forwardto a spectacular 2004-2005 season whichwill include concerts at the Cape MayConvention Center and Elmer NJ..

On May 25th, IPaul Droste announcedhis plans to retire as music director ofthe Brass Band of Columbus, with hisfinal performance at the BBC’s HolidayConcert at Ascension Lutheran Churchon December 5 (the same venue as hisfirst performance in October, 1984). Asearch committee is now involved infinding an interim director or two fromwithin the band to take over in January.During the 2005 season, plans will bemade for interviews and auditions ofprospective conductors. Paul writesFor the past twenty years it has beenmy privilege to conduct the BBC, knownto many of us as one of the best brassbands in North America. During thistime I have conducted over thirtyrehearsals and twenty performancesper year. In fact, we have had fourhundred twenty nine concerts during


Brass Band News


NABBA. The band will release its firstCD in November 2004 and has receiveda significant grant from the DreihausFoundation toward operating expensesfor the season.

The Commonwealth Brass Band(Jerome Amend) finished the summeroutdoor season with four concerts inless than a month at a rural winery andin a church backyard and two municipalparks. The last performance, at theSmith-Berry Winery, New Castle, KY,on July 3, 2004, had a stuff-musicians-dream-of twist. Band member and thirdcornettist Joanna Goldstein left therelative obscurity of the back row tomove front and center as conductor. Aprofessor of music at Indiana UniversitySoutheast, New Albany, IN, Goldstein isalso coordinator of the Music Departmentand Director of University ArtsProgramming and holds a JulliardMaster’s Degree and a Ph.D. from NewYork University. The appearance withCBB, playing Gershwin’s Rhapsody inBlue, and being in the audience for otherband concerts made her want to be partof the action. She started taking cornetlessons from Commonwealth MusicDirector Jerome Amend and is now astrong middle-voice in the band. Her roleas conductor came about becauseAmend had a scheduling conflict withhis “day job” as principal trumpet withthe Louisville Orchestra.Commonwealth’s other performanceswere at a backyard picnic at St. PaulEpiscopal Church, New Albany, IN, onJune 6, 2004; Sam Peden CommunityPark, New Albany, on June 17, and theannual Ashland (KY) Brass Band Festivalon June 26, 2004. The CommonwealthBand went “electric” – somewhat – at itsnext-to-last open-air concert of 2004 atCorydon, IN, on Sept. 3. Jason Houglandmoved twice from his solo cornet spot tothe rear of the bandstand, picked up abass guitar and added an extra rock

Championships some years ago; DanceSequence (Wood), a wonderfulperformance by Alastair Kay, one ofCanada’s superstar trombonists; To aWild Rose (MacDowell), a gorgeouscornet solo by Russel Gray; Spirit ofAdventure (Norbury) the test piece forlast year’s NABBA competition and areal challenge for any band; EuphoniumMusic (Bowen),one of the mostchallenging and beautiful euphoniumsolos played here by Robert Miller;Swiss Melodies (Ball), a delightful hornsolo superbly played by Melvyn Bathgate-British horn virtuoso;, Londonderry Air,arranged and performed by Al Kay;Robert Farnon for Brass - a greatCanadian composer of light music;Glorious and Free (Norbury), a marchfeaturing “O Canada” and almost sure tobe heard on July 1 on CBC! This can bepurchased from the band’s web site.

Motor City Brass Band (Craig Strain)had a busy summer schedule. Theycompleted their subscription series titledThe History of Music, from Caveman toCurrentman, and also performed on theDetroit Festival of the Arts schedule atthe Detroit Institute of Arts. A summertimehighlight was performing for crowds inexcess of 8,000 on four consecutiveevenings at the Fourth of July celebrationat the Henry Ford’s Greenfield Village inDearborn, MI. MCBB Conductor CraigStrain directed the combined DetroitSymphony Orchestra (DSO) and MotorCity Brass Band in the concert finale,The Stars and Stripes Forever. Earlierthis year, MCBB appeared at theJefferson Avenue Presbyterian Churchin Detroit with the primary piece on theprogram being Fenland Suite (ArthurMills), for Organ and Brass Band.Stephen Warner, church organist, wasguest soloist. Their 2004-2005 concertseries will be held exclusively at the FordPerforming Arts Center in Dearborn,MI, including the ever-popular holidayconcert and the Halloween-themedHorn’s and Howls III.

punch to two versions of the theme fromthe 1950s television show Peter Gunn.Hougland has continued to play in rockbands in Southern Indiana while beingone of the outstanding trumpet studentsat Indiana University Southeast, NewAlbany, He recently received hisperformance degree in trumpet fromIUS. The programs at Corydon and atLynn’s Paradise Café in Louisville KYon September 18 consisted of movieand TV, ranging from Robert Hall’s 1901Death or Glory, which opened the filmBrassed Off!, to a medley from HarryPotter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, writtenfor the 2001 movie by John Williams(arr. Sykes). Music Director JeromeAmend gave the title of “Festivals, aFuneral and an F Major” to theCommonwealth Brass Band’s concerton November 7, 2004, at IndianaUniversity Southeast, New Albany withthe F Major added in anticipation of Dr.Joanna Goldstein as soloist on the AllegroMovement of George Gershwin’sConcerto in F Major for Piano andaccompanied by the band in anarrangement by William Gordon. Thefuneral music for the concert wasChopin’s Funeral March (Hartmann),while the festive works included Belford’sCarnival March (Alexander/Smalley),Atlantic (Wright) and Academic FestivalOverture (Brahms/Wright).

The latest CD by Bram Gregson's IntradaBrass was released in time for theband’s summer trip to the Great AmericanBrass Band Festival. It has been featuredseveral times on CBC Radio in the pasttwo weeks. Most recently, Rick Philipson “Sound Advice” CBC Radio 2 (aprogram reviewing new CDs - mainlyclassical) awarded the CD his highestrating, 5* for performance and 5* forrecording. He did the same for theband’s previous CD Gaite Canadiennelast year. The CD has an entertainingvariety of music, including Trittico(Curnow), the test piece for European


NABBA Board Members


PresidentAnita Cocker HuntCincinnati Brass Band5593 Autumn Wynd DriveMilford, Ohio 45150(513) 728-6000 ext 312FAX (513) 728-6010

Vice PresidentJohn de SalmeEastern Iowa Brass Band3718 Cottage Reserve Road NESolon, Iowa, 52333-9225NABBA Contest Controller(319) 624-2845

TreasurerJim Grate BrassBand of the Tri-StateP. O. Box 11336Charleston, West Virginia 25339Home (304) 744-6126Work (304) 558-6080

SecretaryLinda DetmanSunshine Brass Band15415 Plantation Oaks DriveTampa, Florida 33647-2152(813) 910-3126

M e m b e r sEric AhoAll Star Brass Bands25 East Mound StreetCanal Winchester, Ohio 43110(614) 833-9795

Jeff BinnsSaint Louis Brass Band348 Mason Ridge DriveSt. Charles, Missouri 63304(314)-651-1580

Louis Bourgois IIILexington Brass Band344 Angela CourtLexington, Kentucky 40515-4705(859) 273-8825

Barb BurtchIllinois Brass Band1 S. 306 Stratford LaneVilla Park, Illinois 60181

Jay CohenChicago Brass Band416 N. Cherry CornetItasca, Illinois 60143(630) 250-9205

John CopellaBrass Band of Central Florida634 Woodward StreetOrlando, Florida 32803(407) 895-6503

Paul DrosteBrass Band of Columbus1310 Maize CourtColumbus, Ohio 43229(614) 888-0310

Diana HerakBrass Band of Columbus6358 Sharon Woods BoulevardColumbus, Ohio 43229(614) 890-5853

Jackson HillBrass Band of the Tri-State2430 Lynnhaven CourtAshland, Kentucky 44101(606) 325-4250

Dr. Ronald HolzSASF Brass BandMusic DepartmentAsbury College1 Macklem DriveWilmore, Kentucky 40390(859) 858-3511

Tom MeyersLife Member (Non-voting)4716 Warm Hearth CircleFairfax, Virginia 22033(703) 968-4414

Rusty MorrisNatural State Brass Band# 5 Big Stone CourtLittle Rock, Arkansas 72227(501) 224-5467

Sarah NorthMississippi River Brass Band 45 Holiday DriveHannibal, Missouri 63401(573) 221-6278

Thomas PalmatierCMR 432 Director Box 383 APO AE,New York 09081011-49-6202-80-7852

Susan ReiglerCommonwealth Brass BandThe Stone Cottage,Blackacre3200 Tucker Station RoadLouisville, Kentucky 40299(502) 267-0195

David RosenSolid Brass of Little Rock5611 Kavanagh BoulevardLittle Rock, Arkansas 72207(501) 666-0814

Thomas ScheibnerNYSBMusic Department Salvation Army440 West Nyack RoadP.O. Box C-635West Nyack, New York 10994(845) 620-7442

Quentin SharpensteinDerby City Brass Band3918 Polar Level RoadLouisville, Kentucky 40213(502) 456-1977


Don StineEastern Iowa Brass Band703 6th Avenue NorthMount Vernon, Iowa 52314(319) 895-6319

Julie VishCentral Ohio Brass Band413 Kestral DriveBlacklick, Ohio 43004(614) 868-5898

NEW EDITORBRASS BAND BRIDGE



(614) 833-9795

[email protected]

Robin WeatherallGateway City Brass Band1326 Waldron AvenueSt. Louis, Missouri 63130(314) 725-1274

Bert Wiley Life Member (Non-voting)P. O. Box 2738Cullowhee, North Carolina 28733

Keith WilkinsonBrass Band of the Western Reserve4120 Meadow Knoll RoadDelaware, Ohio 43015(740) 362-4588

Great Marches . Rundfunk-blasorchester Leipzig (Peter Feigel).Obrasso 900. TT: 63.44. Honour theBrave (Rimmer/Woodfield); Gruss anThuringen (Blankenburg/Woodfield);Death or Glory (Hall/Woodfield); Marchof the 13th Regiment (Jaeggi/Woodfield);The Cossack (Rimmer/van der Woude);Man of Music (Honegger); StadtLangenthal (Broadbent/Woodfield);Triumph! (Heusser/Woodfield);Mountain Sounds (Jaeggi/Woodfield);Slaidburn (Rimmer/van der Woude);Un Addio (Eusebietti/Woodfield);Punchinello (Rimmer/Woodfield);Bundesratin Ruth Metzler-ArnoldMarsch (Kleeb); Junge Welt (Jaeggi/Woodfield); City of Bern (Honegger);Anker Hoch! (Zimmerman/Woodfield);In Treue Fest (Teike/Woodfield); ZurHeldenfeier (Boggio/Woodfield).

Here is a wonderful recording ofmarches. Many of them will be familiarto brass band listeners, and now availablefor wind band/concert band, including agood handful of Rimmer marches whichall have been transcribed effectively andare played impressively on this recording.The majority of marches on this recording

are the classical variety, and the othermore up-to-date works (such asBroadbent's Stadt Langenthal) arewritten in a more traditional vein. Theyare all given spirited readings, and Ifound much to enjoy as a listener as wellas new marches to considerprogramming in the future.

Just In Time. Swiss Army ConcertBand (Christoph Walter). Obrasso 897.TT: 66.19 Program: Mission Impossible(Schifrin/Fernie); Just in Time (Walter);Choo Choo Boogie (Osterwald/Tinner),Silvio Wey, vibraphone soloist;Oklahoma! (Rodgers/Woodfield);Guadalajara (Guizar/Fernie); Hey Jude(Lennon and McCartney/Fernie); StillTime (Fernie); I Wish You Love (Trenet/Woodfield), Pirmin Rohrer, trombonesoloist; I Just Called To Say I Love You(Wonder/Walter); It’s Showtime(Richards/van der Woude); Romantica(Woodfield), Roland Froscher;euphonium soloist; Flyin’ To The Skies(Walter); Rock Around the Clock(Freeman/Woodfield); Slaughter onTenth Avenue (Rodgers/van der

Woude); South Rampart Street Parade(Bauduc and Haggart/Woodfield); BasinStreet Blues (Will iams/Fernie);Walkabout (Woodfield).

The Swiss Army Concert Band performmany items that have been newlyarranged for both brass band andconcert band. It's nice to hear how wellthese items work within both ensembles.This CD features mostly lighter items ofpopular tunes, songs from the shows

Recordings Reviewed



NABBA XXII



and a couple of original items. Althoughit's a CD I wouldn't personally listen tothat often for pleasure, it does haveconsiderable value when planningconcert programs, especially if you arealready familiar with the brass bandversions of many of these items.

An Italian Night. Buy As You ViewCory Band (Robert Childs). Obrasso898. TT: 66.08 Program: NormaOverture (Bellini/Lorriman); TrumpetConcerto (Tartini/Lorriman), PhilippeSchartz, piccolo trumpet soloist; Elena’sAria from Sicilian Vespers (Verdi/Fernie), Iona Jones, soprano; TheBarber of Seville Overture (Rossini/Lorriman); Una Voce Poco Fa from TheBarber of Seville (Rossini/Lorriman),Iona Jones, soprano; Prelude, Themeand Variations (Rossini/Newsome),David Childs, euphonium soloist; In TerraLa Guerra (A. Scarlatti/Lorriman), IonaJones, soprano, and Philippe Schartz,piccolo trumpet soloist; Intermezzo fromCavalleria Rusticana (Mascagni/Howarth); Trumpet Concerto (Bellini/Lorriman), Philippe Schartz, piccolotrumpet soloist; Lauretta’s Aria fromGianni Schicchi (Puccini/Fernie), IonaJones, soprano; Capriccio Italien(Tchaikovsky/Howarth).

Most of us program operatic excerpts onour concert programs with someregularity, and here's a CD which showsus how they should be played. Many ofthe arrangements are newer ones fromthe pen of Howard Lorriman, and there'sthe added bonus of excellentperformances from soprano Iona Jonesand piccolo trumpet soloist PhilippeSchartz. The selections are drawnmainly from nineteenth-centuryrepertoire and the opening overture toNorma showcases the band's superbsound with astonishing breadth and depthof sound. Schartz's performances of

the Tartini and Bellini Concertos areconvincing and performed with panache--the accompaniment to the Tartini beingnotable for its colorful and imaginativescoring. Iona Jones brings an agile,energetic and engaging voice to therecording and reminds me that thecombination of voice and brass bandwork well with judicious care to balance.Her solo contributions of Verdi, Rossiniand Puccini are characteristic and mostenjoyable. Aside from the anticipatedoperatic slant, there is a fantastic solocontribution from David Childs (whichwas the highlight of the CD for me), aBaroque aria where the soloistscollaborate and a concluding orchestraltranscription with Tchaikovsky'sevocation of Italy in abbreviated form.Taken as a whole, this is a most enjoyablerecording of new music for brass bandas well as new arrangements of"chesnuts."

Brighouse & Rastrick Band On A WorldTour. Brighouse & Rastrick Band(David Hirst). Obrasso 895. TT: 65.41.Program: Just A Closer Walk (arr.Fernie); Havah Nagilah (arr. Fernie);Mexican Holiday (arr. Fernie); A Nightin Havana (Richards), Steve Miles,euphonium soloist; An American Trilogy(arr. Richards); Basso Brazilio(Newsome); A Southern Gospel Suite(arr. Fernie); Spanish Trombones(Marquina/Fernie); Mambo (arr.Fernie); Armenian Fire Dance!(Richards); Carrickfergus (arr. Fernie),Alan Morrison, cornet soloist; HamabeNo Uta (arr. Richards), Steve Miles,euphonium soloist; Slovenian Spring(Fernie); The Celt of Glencoe(Richards); Scarborough Fair (arr.Richards), Alan Hobbins, soprano cornetsoloist; A Jewish Folk Festival(Richards).

This CD takes a number of traditionalmelodies from different world cultures

arranged for brass band (many from thecapable pen of Alan Fernie) and isblended with some original works writtenin familiar musical styles. The openingtrack will be familiar to many since it's anarrangement for brass band of the sameversion of Just A Closer Walk WithThee made famous by the CanadianBrass as their popular introit to concertprograms everywhere. Other items ofAmericana include Goff Richards'American Trilogy (which features Oh IWish I Was In Dixie, Battle Hymn of theRepublic and Hush Little Baby), andFernie's Southern Gospel Suite(including Kumbaya, Deep River andDown by the Riverside); I can see bothitems becoming popular with Americanbrass bands. Two Spanish-flavoreditems are included as section-features;Mexican Holiday (originally popularisedby the James Shepherd Versatile Brass)shows B&R's rhythmically taut cornetsection, and Fernie's arrangement ofSpanish Trombones with every musicalstereotype you would expect is mostenjoyable to listen to. Then there's thepercussion infused Mambo (with anunnamed trombone soloist included onthe recording), the brilliant ArmenianFire Dance, and the gorgeous HamabeNo Uta (Song of the Seashore) withSteve Miles as soloist. Each item on therecording deserves a more lengthydescription that there is space for here.As brass band recordings of lightermusic go, this one has a lot more diversevariety than most and much to appeal tolisteners and brass band aficionados.The playing of soloists and one ofEngland's top bands is at a consistentlyhigh level from start to finish, and if youwant something recommended withlighter selections but more varied than"the usual," this is the recording to listento for both enjoyment and new repertoireideas. A delightful surprise!


NABBA XXII



Spectacular Classics Volume 4. BlackDyke Band (Nicholas Childs). Obrasso894. TT: 66.26. Program: Galop op. 105(Shostakovich/Fernie); Fingal’s Cave(Mendelssohn/Lorriman); Una VocePoco Fa (Rossini/Lorriman), RogerWebster, cornet soloist; Pachelbel's’Canon (Pachelbel/Fernie); MarchHongroise (Berlioz/Newsome); PeerGynt Suite (Grieg/Lorriman); Russalka’sSong to the Moon (Dvorak/Fernie),Michelle Ibbotson, soprano cornet soloist;Gaudete (arr. Fernie); Zigeunerweisen(Sarasate/Ruedi), David Thornton,euphonium soloist; Romance from TheGadfly (Shostakovich/Richards); GrandGalop Chromatique (Liszt/Newsome).

For their latest addition to the SpectacularClassics series, the Black Dyke Bandhave assembled a popular selection ofpieces (none originally for brass band)and heard on this album in new or newerarrangements. After a sparklingShostakovich Galop to open the CD,there is a very sedate rendition ofMendelssohn's Hebrides Overture("Fingal's Cave") but in a new andeffective arrangement that is performedwell, even if the tempo choices seem alittle unusual. The band comes back tolife in the March Hongroise, a work thatseems to fit the band's brilliant andblazen sound exhibited on this recording.As a musical contrast, the Peer Gyntexcerpts also lend themselves well tobrass in the Lorriman arrangements,and there is some really lovely playinghere from the gorgeous Morning Moodall the way through to the fiery andthreatening Hall of the Mountain King.Fernie's version of the medieval plainsongGaudete is short and snappy (just overa minute), and I certainly prefer listeningto the Newton and Norbury versions thanthis one which is over not long after itstarts! The soloists on this recording allacquit themselves well. Roger Webster

produces a cautious and thoughtfulRosina for his rendation of Una VocePoco Fa with verbose coloratura!Michelle Ibbotson's Rusalka is given abeautifully lyric reading, though withperhaps a little too much vibrato for mytaste. Euphoniumist David Thorntoncompletes the trio of soloists on thisrecording with what is surely the CDhighlight--a fantastic display ofmusicianship and technique witha sturdyaccompaniment. Dyke finish brilliantlywith Newsome's arrangement of thebrilliant piano work which gives it asomewhat burlesque quality.Nevertheless, the produces a bravurarendition to conclude this recording ofclassics arranged for brass band.

The Golden Swing of Black Dyke. BlackDyke Band (Nicholas Childs). Obrasso899. TT: 63.02. Program: Opus One(Oliver/Fernie); Salute to the Count(Basie/Fernie); At the Sign of theSwinging Cymbal (Fahey/Fraser);Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy (Raye &Prince/Forgie); I Only Have Eyes ForYou (Warren/Fernie), Adrian Hirst, basstrombone soloist; New York, New York(Ebb & Kander/Richards);Trombonology (Dorsey/Fernie), BrettBaker, trombone soloist; Satin Doll(Ellington/Fernie); A Big Band Explosion(arr. Fernie); That’s A Plenty (Pollak/Richards); Basin Street Blues (Williams/Fernie), Brett Baker, Garry Reed andAdrian Hirst, trombone soloists; BrassBlues! (Richards); Chanson d’Amour(Shanklin/Richards); Puttin’ On the Ritz(Berlin/Fernie); Mack the Knife (Weill/Richards); Motherless Child (arr.Fernie), Roger Webster, cornet soloist;Sparkling Diamonds (Styne & Robin/Smith); Sing, Sing, Sing (Prima/Woodfield), Lee Skipsey, percussionsoloist.

Black Dyke "swing" into action verysuccessfully with a CD that featuressome of the lighter items from theirconcert programs over the past tenyears. For one of the most "traditional"brass bands, the recording sounds well,supported by some spectacularpercussion playing, and effectivearrangements. Every track on the CD iswell delivered with stylish playing. Iparticularly enjoyed Adrian Hirst'swonderful bass trombone playing on IOnly Have Eyes For You; a solo featurein which the soloist (humorously) nevergets to play the melody! Most, if not allthe repertoire will be known to NorthAmerican listeners and these areperformances of jazz standards andmedleys that we will enjoy listening to aswell as performing.

Greatest World Hits. Leyland Band(Garry Cutt). Obrasso 903. TT: 67.30.Program: Coming to America (Diamond/Fernie); Time to Say Goodbye (Sartori& Quarantotto/Fernie), Andy Lord,cornet soloist, and Bill Miller, euphoniumsoloist; Elvis Rocks! (arr. Richards);Nikita (Elton John & Taupin/Fernie),Lucy Murphy, flugelhorn soloist;Crocodile Rock (Elton John & Taupin/Fernie); Only Love (Cosma/Fernie),Andy Lord, cornet soloist; Music (Miles/Fernie); Killing Me Softly (Flack/Fernie);Beatles Go Brass (Lennon & McCartney/Fernie); Y.M.C.A. (Morali & Belolo/Broadbent); Somethin’ Stupid (Parks/Fernie), Andy Lord and Brian Heyes,cornet soloists; Rock Around the Croc!(arr. Richards); To All the Girls I’veLoved Before (Davis, Hammond & Bettis/Fernie); Super Trouper (Andersson &Ulvaeus/Fernie); Bridge Over TroubledWater (Simon/Smith); EverybodyNeeds Somebody (Burns, Burke &


NABBA XXII



This past October 29th - 31st was the 31st

Pontins Brass Band Championships heldat Prestatyn Sands in North Wales.Prestatyn is nestled between theClwydian Range and the Irish Sea (notfar from Liverpool).

This contest could probably be describedas the biggest brass band party in theworld. With nearly one hundred bandscompeting and many other bandmembers flocking to Prestatyn to soakup the music and atmosphere, there areroughly between 3500 and 4000 bandmembers at this seaside resort.

The term resort may be misleading, asaccommodations are quite basic. Mostchalets have several beds, a fold outcouch, a small television, a kitchen anda shower-less bath. Electricity cardsmust be purchased (in one £ increments)to keep the lights and other electricalappliances operational.

The contest itself features bands fromthe Championship, 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th

sections. While you are unlikely to seemany of the best known bands at Pontins(you won’t see Fodens, Dyke, YBS orBrighouse), there are some very finebands (like Hepworth (Persimmons) -straight off the Whit Friday title;Innovative Skelmanthorpe - a monthremoved from the British Open; and theStaffordshire Band - only two weeksafter a finals appearance at Albert Hall).Because Pontins contesting rules allowseveral deps (substitutes) from the samesection or below for each band, therewere also some players from the elitebands playing. I personally noticed someplayers from Fodens and YBS filling inwith some of the competing bands.

The competitions will typically run from9 am until roughly 5 pm. There are twovenues, the Lunars Bar and the Fun

Wexler/Broadbent); Leningrad (Joel/Fernie).

I suppose one could debate over theaccuracy of the title of this CD made bythe Leyland Band. It is, more accurately,a collection of popular hits played spreadover the past forty years or more withpopular items taken from the music ofNeil Diamond, Elton John, RobertaFlack, The Beatles, ABBA, Bill Haley,and other well known musical celebrities.It's an enjoyable CD because of thegood quality playing; always controlledand with good sound, balance andmusical interest. However, I wouldpersonally add that if I wanted to listen tothis music, I would much rather listen tothe originals, and would perhaps onlyconsider this CD in terms of the interestit would have for repertoire selection.

United. New York Staff Band (RonWaiksnoris). TRCD 1075. TT: 76.51.Program: Jubilee (Drury); Saints onParade (Norbury); Forward(Catherwood), Gordon Ward, cornetsoloist; Sursum Corda (Bowen); Breathe(Gates); Trumpet Voluntary (Clarke/Jakeway), Michael Baker, trumpetsoloist; Journey Into Freedom (Ball);Air ‘N Variations (Bulla), AaronVanderWeele, euphonium soloist;Favorite Song of All (Dean/Hamilton &Burgmayer), Raymond Livingston, vocalsoloist; The Cry of the Warriors(Pearce); Joyous Service (Norbury),Gordon Ward & Aaron VanderWeele,soloists; Variations on Laudate Dominum(Gregson).

We all were able to enjoy the superbplaying of NYSB at this past year'sNABBA Gala Concert. This recording isa celebration of the band's 2003 tour toEngland and Scotland, and it is ahandsomely produced recording withextensive program notes, an attractive

booklet and extensive photographs ofboth the band and representative of thealbum's title United. The music openswith a bright and breezy traditional marchby Paul Drury, neatly and stylishlyperformed with great dynamic controlwith a trio melody “I’m bound for Canaan’sshore” in the glockenspiel and a marchthat most NABBA bands would enjoyadding to their repertoire. Saints onParade an overture by Kevin Norburywhich intersperses three chorusesmelodies with popular Americana in alighter style which shows the bandsstylistic flexibility. Catherwood's soloForward displays the characteristicsounds and technical mastery of principalcornettist Gordon Ward in a work basedon a medley of choruses. In contrast isBrian Bowen's beautiful meditationSursum Corda commissioned for theband, combining Hyfrydol effectivelywith other melodies and performed in aninspired fashion and with a fullycontrolled and expansive conclusion.Three major works, Ball's Journey IntoFreedom, Pearce's The Cry of theWarriors and Gregson's Variations onLaudate Dominum provide somepinnacle playing for the band and allthree works are given authorativeperformances, the Gregson workbringing the CD to a spectacularconclusion through its fugue and finalmajestic statement of the hymn tune. Itwas also a pleasure to relive AaronVanderWeele's brilliant performance ofBulla's Air ‘N Variations (the title beinga clever pun on his name) heard at thisyear’s NABBA Gala Concert . Aaronplays with great panache, agility andflexibility, and his seemingly effortlessapproach is one to be admired andenvied. The band provides a joyousaccomaniment to this piece based upon"A Happy Day." His collaboration withGordon Ward in Norbury's JoyousService is similarly breathtaking. Hereis one of the finest SA bands on top form,artistically led, and in a highlyrecommended recording.

Pontins BB Championships


Pontins BB Championships


Factory, which are no farther than 100yards from each other. There are alsomany events during the day to help keepchildren occupied as Prestatyn Sandsprides itself on being family friendly.

After the competition ends, the nightlifebegins. Live music is presented at, whatwere earlier, the two contest stages. TheQueen Victoria pub has late nightKaraoke, which becomes quiteentertaining once the alcohol removesthe inhibitions of the singers.

For the first time at Pontins this year,one of the features was a scratch-bandformed solely from members ofwww.themouthpiece.com (aninternational brass band forum with over3000 members). Players rehearsedSaturday before performing SaturdayNight and then on Sunday Evening afterthe last Championship Section Bandhad played and as the judges compiledthe results. This band is open to anymembers from themouthpiece.com asmy wife, Diana, and I both played along.

If you ever wanted to go to England fora weekend of proper brass banding, onethat mixes the music and the social life,Pontins is probably the best event toattend. Who knows, you may even findyourself playing along withthemouthpiece.com band?

(One side note: After enquiring to FrankHodges, Pontins contest controller, Ifound out that Pontins will accept bandsfrom anywhere in the world for thecompetition, but it is advisable to contacthim early - [email protected])

Pat Herak is on leave from the BrassBand of Columbus and currently livingand working in England.

A musical birthday celebration held atThe Hall for Cornwall on Sunday 7th

November resulted in £10,000 beingraised for local Charities. The occasionwas a Concert given by the combinedBands of Camborne and St Austell withThe Four Lanes Male Choir to mark the60th Birthday of the Cornish composerGoff Richards.

Born at St Minver in Cornwall he hasbecome recognised around the world asone of the foremost composers andarrangers of music for all sorts ofcombinations but particularly for BrassBands and Choirs. With the enthusiasticsupport of Miller Countrywide EstateAgents the Concert aimed to be a musicalbiography, providing the packedaudience with a range of music selectedby Goff himself from all stages of hiscareer.

Invited to Conduct the Concert Goffinsisted on handing over the Baton forsome of the items to a succession ofGuest Conductors with whom he hadworked closely over the years. Theseincluded Geoffrey Whitham and DavidLoukes, both former Conductors of TheBlack Dyke Band and his colleagues atthe Salford College of Technology whenthey all lectured on the Brass BandMusicianship Course.

Calling Cornwall, which Goff had writtenas a theme tune for BBC Radio Cornwallsome years ago was Conducted byLeonard Adams, who had recorded itwith The Bodmin Town Band. It wasintroduced by Chris Blount, the manwho had started off each day’sbroadcasting with the melody. Theformer Director of Music of Her Majesty’sColdstream Guards, Major DavidMarshall, was on hand to conduct StrikeUp The Band before Guest Soloist,Claire Retallack played Goff’s mostpopular solo, Demelza, on the tenorhorn.

The well received contributions fromThe Four Lanes Male Choir wereconducted by Goff and Alistair Taylor,one of which was accompanied byGeorge Smith, a former teachingcolleague of Goff’s at NewquayTretherras School.

Just for the evening Goff broughttogether, for the first time in many years,three former members of his stage Bandwith whom he had performed all over theCounty. With Goff on piano, Al Hodge,Jimmy French and Mike Higgs treatedthe audience to three nostalgic numbers,including the emotive song West of TheTamar with vocals by Al Hodge.

David Dearlove, who wrote the lyrics forWest of The Tamar as well as anotherCornish inspired song, Proper Job,sung during the evening by the Choir,came on stage to surprise Goff withanother set of words for Proper Jobwritten in his honour.

Entitled Proper Goff the new words werethen sung by the Choir accompanied bythe Bands and featuring Alistair Tayloras Soloist.

The Charity Concert, which was stagedby Miller Countrywide, ended with theirManaging Director, Tony Wainwrightand their Marketing and Public RelationsManager, Bruce Taylor presenting Goffwith a Cheque for £10,000, the proceedsfrom the Concert. This will be sharedamong seven Charities chosen by himand the other participants, St Julia’s andMount Edgcumbe Hospice, ChildrensHospice South West, The AlzheimersTrust, The Cornwall Youth Brass Band,The Donald Thomas Centre and TheBoscastle Flood Disaster Fund.

Phillip Hunt.

Goff Birthday Concert


The Brass Band BridgeColin W. Holman, Editor31 Joseph LaneGlendale Heights, IL 60139U.S.A

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