Comments ~ 2003: December

Comments from December 2003

Fantastic Fodens

As a Brass Band enthusiast here in the U.S., I had the opportunity to attend the U.S. Open Championships this November in Chicago.

To finally hear a British Band of such great quality live, was truly a treat that will be remembered for a lifetime. The Fodens Richardson Band was phenomenal in every aspect. They represented the British Brass Band style with class, incredible musical talent and an awesome seniority of sound.

I was also quite impressed with a band from Florida. It seems that have come from out of no where. Certainly not at the Fodens level quite yet, but extremely talented and very entertaining in their own right. They crushed and out classed the other American bands and the judges where impressed. I was very impressed by the leadership of the conductor. There was a guy in a dress, I believe with a purpose but not too sure I want to go there at this point. I know the audience enjoyed the performance.

It is my hope that bands like Fodens will make the trip to the U.S more often. Recordings of such great British Band are available to brass band fans here, but hearing them live cannot be captured on CD.

Lt.Col. Joseph Johnson
Retired USMC

What about the Australian wins (not rugby though)

The Kensington and Norwood Brass Band has enjoyed a very successful year in 2003 having won the Winter Festival in Adelaide during July and has again won the South Australian Championships in November.

The rankings do not appear to reflect the wins and standing, that this band has within the Australian Music scene. The Band has completed a series of concerts the final one featuring James Morrison Australian Brass wizard and long time friend of Musical Director Bruce Raymond.

Bruce introduced James to the Brass Band fraternity in England through Bob and Nick Childs a number of years ago. K&N Youth Brass won the State Junior Championship and is proud of its 40 outstanding young players, who perform regularly.


Bruce Raymond
President, South Australian Band Association

High Climbers?

What about keeping the interest of the world rankings alive by introducing a competition:

A prize to be awarded at Christmas 2004 for the person who predicted the highest climbing band throughout the year? Just a thought.

Would be good to develop a dream team band league as well with picking players out of certain bands and placing them into your own dream team band. Players picked an value to band and then points awarded for their performances. This may take some running though! Just another thought.
Over to you guys.

Regards and have a very merry Christmas and a successful new year (unless you are playing against Thoresby in which case I reserve the wish for success to us).

Simon Oates

Why not Willebroek?

Aren't European Bands accredited points for winning there national championship? If not: Why not?

If they do then why didn't Willebroek rose in the rankings... Thanks for your time...

Wouter van Hoof

Spelling Mishtakes!!

In your review of the "Now that's what I call brass" cd you state that a track was recorded "for prosperity", maybe so, but I think it should have read "for posterity", can I also point out the difference between there and their. If Grimethorpe record music onto a plastic disc it would be "their" cd not "there" cd, moan over.

A.Morrison.

4BR Reply:
Oops! Apologies to one and all.

The Planets - WHEN?

I have two questions for you - Who published the version of Venus and Jupiter used at this years British Open? Is there a recording of this arrangement?

Sandra Baker

4BR Reply:
We understand that YBS wil be bringing out a recording with it on in 2004, whilst the publisher was Tanglewind Music who can be contacted on 0121 428 3074.

Thanks Toby!

I would just like to (through your comments section) thank Toby Bannan for all the hard work and dedication he has shown to our band. He has taken us to 4th section regional champions, 2nd in the mineworkers and all the time not losing sight of his commitment to YBS.

So from all at Dinnington Colliery Band Toby.....Thank You.

Jess Marshall
Principal Euph with Dinnington.

Thanks 4BR!

Thank you very much for selling so many of our CD's earlier this year, it got us off to a really good start and we are well on the way to making a good amount of the prize money to keep our contest's high profile image intact!

The CD's are still selling quite well, and local sales have picked up again for last minute Christmas presents.

Wishing you and all at 4Barsrest a happy Christmas and health and prosperous 2004.Regards from all at Delph Band Contest

Mary Rodgers
Secretary

Great reception at Corsham

I would just like to say a very big thank you to the Corsham Band. I have been appointed a new job and have had to leave and move to Cornwall, but if they're reading this then I have had a wonderful time as a very short term euphonium player. If all bands had the attitude of Corsham then the brass band world would be a lot richer. If I can find another band in Cornwall with their attitude and personality then I will be extremely pleased. Thanks again guys, I enjoyed my stay. Well done at
Weymouth incidentally!

Simon Phillips

Brilliant Butlins it seems

A brilliant weekend (Bultins Mineworkers Championships) for all concerned. Lots to do for all the family and music to listen to for the die-hard bandspeople.

Well done to the administration for a very good show and hope next year brings more bands to a great weekend of fun for all!!!

Stewart Crane
Kirkby Colliery Welfare Band

E's not the right guy

Re : Conductor's name, band placed 4th in 4th section at Mineworkers Contest.

Many thanks for your hard work in covering the contests - most recently the Butlin's Mineworkers event.

Please note that the organisers of the contest have spelt my name wrong in the programme and it is incorrect on your results page also... there's only one "e" in Wedgwood. Have a quick look underneath some pottery to be sure !

I would be most grateful if you would amend to :

Dr Owen Wedgwood

Many Thanks,
Dr O. Wedgwood

PS. You mention my father Ernie Wedgwood in your article on great Sop players, and have given him an extra "e" there too...

4BR Reply:
We stand corrected!

Music the big winner at Butlins Contest

While consistent performances at the Leicestershire BBA contest at Wigston and the NEMBBA Festival Brass Band Contest at Butlins, saw 3rd Section Shirland Welfare Training Band take second place in both events with the Butlins test piece, "Dimensions" by Peter Graham, music - and brass in particular - was the real winner at Butlins.

Narrowly beaten by a single point by Carlton Brass with "Hollywood" at Wigston, Shirland were pipped by two points by Dearham (184) at Butlins, with Whitwell Brass taking third place (181) and Wansbeck's Ashington Colliery fourth (180).

The Butlins Festival proved to be a wonderful weekend of music. As well as the contest brass, the event included a masterly trumpet jazz set on the Friday night, more jazz from the Boston Youth Jazz Orchestra, the excellent Versatile Brass and the brilliant Atlantic / Stax soul of the Blues Brothers on the main stage Saturday night.

The small downside was that a number of withdrawals caused by the cancellation of Blackpool, meant that only five bands competed in the Championship Section, where Desford Colliery took the £5,000 prize over the two-day set piece / entertainment contest.

‘Small is beautiful' as the saying goes and Sunday's Championship entertainment contest was superb. While Ever Ready brought the house down with a theatrical set that was innovative and funny, all five bands which played all presented programmes that were versatile, highly entertaining and accomplished.

Congratulations go to the North East Midlands Brass Band Association and to Butlins for hosting a fantastic event - next year can't come soon enough. Superb!


Geoff Noake
Shirland Welfare Training Band

Super Skegness

Just wanted to say how good the Butlins Brass Festival was at Skegness. Great brass bands, good organisation and brilliant all round entertainment with music of all types over the three days. Superb. A fantastic contest.

And a second place for us too! Can't wait for next year.

Thanks to the Association and everyone involved at Butlins.

Geoff Noake
Shirland Welfare Training Band

Wonderful Butlins!

I have just returned from a wonderful weekend at the Mineworkers' Brass Band Festival at Butlins, Skegness.

I would like to put on record my appreciation to Mr Stan Lippeatt, NEMBBA for the forethought in approaching the Butlins organisation to participate in securing the future of the event.

The announcement late in May by CISWO regarding the cancellation of the Blackpool contest could have been the final nail in that Contest's coffin but for the quick thinking of the aforementioned.

Many people were amazed at the whimsical approach by your correspondent prior to the Contest, which did nothing to deter from the fine effort from everyone to make the weekend a great success.

The plans announced prior to the prize presentation for the 2004 Contest regarding making the Contest "Open" but still retaining the Mineworkers' flavour will probably have its critics but, if this rebirth was anything to go by, the Contest will have a promising future. Well done to all concerned!


Peter Dyson

And more!!

I had the pleasure of attending at the Mineworkers contest at Butlins Skegness last weekend.

The facilities were excellent and the contest extreemly well organised with some great playing throughout which was topped off by a first class entertainment contest. This combined with some fantastic entertainment for kids and adults alike made it a weekend to remember.

Next year the contest is to be opened up to all bands and is likely to take place during the first weekend in December - I would recommend it !!

Graham Rix

And more again!

Just to say a big thankyou to all involved in the recent Butlins Contest whether organiser or competitor.
What a real old fashioned Banding Weekend. I know my band won a prize but everyone I saw and spoke to enjoyed the real camraderie of bands and to those that had to withdraw it was their loss.

To all bands please support next years contest as it looks as if it will take off big style. No more Pontins for me, Butlins beat them hands down. Again what a great weekend.

Nev Buxton.

And again! (In capitals this time!)

I JUST THOUGHT THAT AFTER SPENDING THE WEEKEND AT BUTLINS SKEGNESS THAT I WOULD SHARE MY THOUGHTS WITH 4BARSREST.

I ARRIVED ON THE FRIDAY TO FIND MY CHALET WAS CLEAN AND READY FOR OCUPATION BUT ALSO WARM WITH ALL THE HEATERS TURNED ON AND WORKING. WHATS MORE THE HEATING WAS FREE. NO RUNNING TO THE MAIN BUILDING TO GET CHANGE TO FEED THE METER WITH. EVERY EFFORT HAD BEEN MADE TO MAKE THIS A GOOD WEEKEND.

ENTERTAINMENT WAS GOOD AND HAD BRASS BANDERS IN MIND. IT WAS NOT BLACKPOOL, BUT IT WAS SOMETHING NEW, FRESH AND CERTAINLY A PLEASURE TO BE A PART OF. IT WAS GOOD TO BE ABLE TO MEET WITH OLD FRIENDS; THERE WAS A GOOD FEEL ABOUT THIS VENUE.

YES THE WEATHER WAS AWFUL ON THE SATURDAY AND PEOPLE DID GET WET, BUT WOULD THIS HAVE NOT BEEN THE CASE IN BLACKPOOL JUST THE SAME. THERE WAS JUST ONE THING LACKING THE NUMBER OF BANDS COMPETING.

COME ON, SUPPORT THIS NEW VENTURE. IT WILL IMPROVE IF THE NUMBER OF BANDS
COMPETING GETS BIGGER. THANKS FOR A GREAT WEEKEND TO ALL INVOLVED, I WILL BE THERE NEXT YEAR.

I KNOW THE ARGUMENT REGARDING THE ENTRANCE FEE, BUT PLEASE CONSIDER THE COST OF TICKETS, PARKING AND OVERNIGHT STAYS AT OTHER CONTEST VENUES WITH NO EXTRA FACILITIES INCLUDED IN THE PRICE.

MELANIE KENNEDY

And a final one!

We were at Butlins sponsored Mineworkers Brass Festival and this was a first for us. Congratulations to Stan Lippeatt and the North East Midlands Brass Band Association and to Butlins Skyline Resort, Skegness.

We were very impressed with the whole event and the facilities and entertainment provided by Butlins. There were clearly some bandsmen/women who had brought their families and the children were well looked after by the Red Coats. It was good to see so many families enjoying themselves.

We also enjoyed the Championship section test piece on the Saturday and the entertainment contest on the Sunday. It was a pity that more bands had not entered.

Whilst we understand the reasons for the lack of bands this year we hope that next year many more will enter - along with their families as it is a great weekend for all. If they don't use it they may lose it!

Jilly & David Hills
Bournemouth

Coventry isn't expensive - from the composers himself

My attention has been drawn to your correspondence about the price of brass band music and my work 'Coventry Variations' in particular. It has been respectfully suggested that I may have had specific requirements about the publishing of this work, or indeed have 'self-published' it. This is not the case.

Let me set the record straight. I chose Rosehill to publish Coventry Variations because I like and respect Peter and Eric Wilson, both of whom I have known for years. Several companies asked to publish the piece. It existed for 17 years in a slightly different form to that now published and many bands had a 'pirate' set in their libraries, often photocopied with my personal sanction. These parts were hand copied in great haste. In fact, the solo cornet parts were copied by a friend of mine at St Pancras station where I was catching the train to Kettering to rehearse the piece with the G.U.S. Band.

Unfortunately, I am not inclined to use a computer to compose, preferring to write everything out in longhand exactly as I want it, transpositions included. Consequently, I believe it is the only test-piece being played in the area contests in 2004 that has had to be electronically copied, printed and published from scratch. All the other works with which it is being compared in price have been around for some years. Indeed, I played in an early performance of Edward Gregson's Partita as a member of the Redbridge Youth Band back in the 1970s.

As I understand it, despite being a new publication, 'Coventry Variations' is only 15 pounds more expensive than the other previously published test-pieces.

Publishers of serious music are in a difficult position at the present time. Anyone familiar with the appropriate computer programmes can copy, print and publish music. In my view, Rosehill is a highly reputable brass band publishing house with a deserved reputation for re-investing in the brass band repertoire. Although I was not asked about the price of 'Coventry Variations' (and I would not have ventured an opinion even had it been requested) I am content to leave that to Rosehill whose experience in these matters greatly exceeds mine.

In fact, if it hadn't been for Peter Wilson's constant cajoling over a period of at least 10 years I would never have prepared the piece for publication. He'll never recover the cost of those telephone calls to Canada.

Bramwell Tovey

No to bullying

May I agree with your comments on Musical Directors. It is one thing to angry with the band or a section or a part but the line must be drawn at personal insults. Every band should have a child protection policy and bands may want to consider a bullying policy.

Too often motivation is misinterpreted as aggressive and rudeness. Some bands I have spoken too the committee have taken the conductor to task over comments and attitude. If it is as wide spread as some may think then perhaps greater action needs to be taken (can the Federation help). As I mentioned above if your band has any player under 16 then any 'abuse' of players below 16 comes under the policy and as I understand the law not only should this be reported on but if it is not then the band themselves will become both liable and open to prosecution.

I would like to remain anonymous as my job involves child protection issues.

Name and address witheld

Excellent editorial - but not the spelling!

Excellent Editorial-----long overdue in being so strongly expressed.

Far too many of these 'Pygmy-Brain Srutters'are spoiling the lives of players with much more enthusiasm
than talent, BUT who always try their best.
I am, therefore,in complete agreement with your succinct views.

P.S. Bullying,pedantic comment:- Apropos your column on vanishing audiences-------
A little of Mrs. Malaprop here,I fear.------Do'nt you mean VAGARIES and not Vagrancy?????
7/10, and see me after class.

Keep up the pressure,
Jim O'Neil

Don't forget Dundee!

In response to your editorial about the hall at Dundee being a "great performing venue" I would like to agree with you. It was! For us humble bands in the second section it was a wonderful chance to play some great music in such a cavernous venue. It gave us the opportunity to fill an intimidating looking hall with sound, and unless you have been fortunate enough to have performed at such a large and prestigious venue before, this was surely something to have cherished despite the occasion.

As a band I believe we performed not only for the judges but also to the audience (and there were some!) - some of whom were sitting at the back of the hall. This I feel is something that should have been noted by the esteemed gentlemen in the box, who were sitting, it seemed, some 15 feet away from the stage. However, rather than applauding bands for projecting their sound, and performing according to the venue (and to the audience), their summing up included some rather patronising remarks about being too aggressive and too loud. I doubt whether any acoustic ensemble could be too loud in there!

Unless of course you happen to be sitting too close!!

Surely, the best place to hear a full-on brass band, playing such drammatic progamme music as we were, is not within spitting distance of the stage where you could hear the soprano player's heart pounding (or stopping), but perhaps in the middle of the hall somewhere, where the full effect of the band's sound and musicality would have been better observed and appreciated. Although, for the adjudicators to appreciate anything I expect they would have to have been sitting still and paying attention. Hmmm...

I realise one has to have a sense of humour where brass band contests are concerned, that's a given. But surely it was ridiculous having the adjudicators so close to the action in such a vast venue. My suggestion for next time at Dundee is to save some money and hire a portacabin instead - that way we can all carry on playing into our music stands (with banners of course!) and forget about breathing, sound and projection altogether. Maybe we could all revert to playing on small bore instruments too....

Now, anyone seen my octave key?

Stewart Ivory

And a "Nappy" New Year for some

I have just laid eyes for the first time and had a quick run through (in the privacy of my home, thank the Lord) of the 1st Trombone part for Tristan Encounters. Having now recovered from the shock, I just have a couple of questions which I wonder if you or my fellow readers could help me with:

(1) Do you know of a good, reputable supplier of adult-size nappies? A 38 inch waist should just about fit (maybe, if I don't breathe too much)

(2) Do you know of any good 80's retro fashion shops where I could buy a pair of tight-fitting jeans from (the type worn by the likes of Bros and other crappy 80's boy bands)? A little bit of assistance in reaching the top E and D flats might be required.

Seriously, having just been promoted from the 1st to the Championship section, this is going to be one hell of a challenge. Still, how do you know if you are good enough unless you take the test? I just hope that there isn't the controversy this year with this piece as there was last year with Prague. I also hope I don't end up with lips like Mick Jagger come the evening of March 21st.

Richard Parsons
KM Medway Band

A threat to our rankings King!?

I thank John for his reply. For his information, I do not have any Belgian cousins. (a bit slanderous on his part, that one!!). I hoped John would take my email as it was intended; a bit of fun but comparing me to our Belgian friend from a couple of years(?) ago, John was not in the best of moods when he read it.

The reasons became patently obvious later on in his reply. I assume John uses the modern brands of sweetener in his coffee. There is a definite link between Aspartame and paranoia when taken in large quantities. Can I suggest John puts sugar in his coffee from now on and reduces his calorific intake in another area to compensate (possibly the full fat lager?)

Billy Brook MSc (Hons) nutritionist

Ps I have cousins in Azerbaijan.

4BR Reply:
Protection has now been taken out!

Richardson Award

It's been pointed out that 2 of the final 23 entries have "broken the rules" by being performed in public before July 4th 2003. So before other people point this out could you follow up the press release with the fact that:

Gregoritas and It's Not Unusual both by Phil Lawrence have now been "withdrawn" from the final 23 due to the fact they were both performed in June 2003 in New Zealand.

Alan Wycherley

PS This was pointed out by someone who read the write-up on 4BR. Nice job boys, shows that people read it. Cheers again.

The Polton Mills Band

Reference the enquiry from Angus Naples for info on Polton Mills Band, if you can put Mr Naples in touch with me I will be happy to provide him with a copy of the programme for the recent Scottish Open. This includes a historical article prepared by SBBA historian Hugh Johnstone and myself on
"International Contests". The article contains several references to the involvement of Polton Mills in these contests. There is also a photo of the band taken in 1904 when they were Scottish Champions.

Alan McLaren

4BR Reply:
Alan can be contacted on 0131 440 3830 or fax 0131 452 8272

Scottish rankers?

In your summing up of the Scottish Open you refer to the winners, Scottish Co-op as "regaining their top 10 ranking status."

Does this mean that you will be awarding 200 ranking points to the Co-op for their fantastic win which they need in order to nudge Leyland out of the top 10.More importantly to myself though, how many points will be awarded to the 2nd placed band. Many thanks and keep up the great work.

Dave Horan
Hepworth Band

4BR Reply:
Our man of the stats will make sure the right points awarded to the right bands - as he always does!

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