Comments ~ 2006: November (25th onwards)

Family mix up; First comments from Scotland and someone looking to team up a brass band with bagpipes. Who said Xmas wasn't all fun and games then...

Family mix up

Unfortunately (and for me staggeringly) there has been yet another mix up of mine and my father's names!

Malcolm Wood has written that the solo I played was a world premier, and it was my own composition.  It was actually neither.  I know it was Frank Renton that said that on the stage, and granted it said in the programme I was to play Helter Skelter so I accept information was not at a premium. This does not alter the fact that it is wrong in your report.  In fact, Frank actually gets mine and my dad's names wrong every time he talks about us either on the radio, in concerts or at Brass in Concert.  
  
I gave this piece its world premier at a charity concert for St. Ann 's Hospice (which raised over £800) earlier this year, not at this concert.  It is in fact an arrangement of two pieces – Flight of the Bumblebee by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, and Comedians Gallop by Dmitri Kabalevsky (NOT Dance of the Comedians, which by the way was composed by Smetana).  These were arranged for Xylophone and Band for me by my father Gareth.  I must also say, however, I would have hoped that anyone who writes such detailed reviews would have enough musical knowledge to know that these pieces weren't written by me!
 
This is not a composition, and it was not written by me!
 
Gavin Pritchard

A personal view of Glasgow  

The contest was in  my own opinion  went rather well, right up to the point I had to leave at 3 o'clock. My band is Turriff Silver Band. We left at 05:00 am Nov 2006.

Mostly made up of under 15's we had to get back at a reasonable time because of school next day. I know this is an old gripe but could the organisers not give the results out at the end of our part of the contest? I don't think they held back the results so the 1st and championship bands could have an audience, or did they.

Yes we had a bad result, the worst, but we wanted to compete at such a prestige's contest for the experience, we may never get that chance again. It would have been nice to know the result good or bad before the trip home.

Getting back to the audience side of things, where was it, in a different hall perhaps? What's happened to our banding? Where did it all go wrong? By my reckoning the contest must have been run at a great lost. I don't think that would surprise any of you out there.

Our audience is primarily ourselves so why have a pre-draw? Yes I can here some of you saying as many excuses as my arm is long. Is the draw not an actual part of the contest I remember the adrenalin pumping in case I drew out number one.

The audience was already there waiting to here when their band would be drawn so they could plan there day, who was  worth hearing and who was not. When to go for a pint (after playing of course) and when not. We used to be our best audience.

Nearly finished,I had the occasion on Sunday to suggest to one of our young players to go and listen to Whitburn band before  we had to leave. His answer "who are they, are they any good?" It's not his fault really it's not he just has not  been at a contest long enough to realise there's more than just our section out there.

Tam Horne
Turriff

Any help with a Desford question?

As experts in brass bands you are my last resort, so can you help me?

I would like to get hold of a recording of Desford winning the National finals playing 'Harmony Music', I think it is called Showcase but I might be wrong. Any ideas?
 
Dave Smart

4BR Reply:
We don't have it Dave but we are sure someone out there can tell us where you can find a copy. 

Bagpipes and Band 

We are looking for arrangements for Bagpipes and Brass Band. … specifically "Sands of Kuwait".

Do you know of any one or websites that would help with this quest? 
 
Pete Osman  (Wantage 'A' Band)
Ron Paterson (Pipe Major Reading Scottish Pipe Band)

4BR Reply:
Anyone help on this one?

Belgian money list
 
Maybe something for your "money-list": As prize for their national title, Willebroek won a Courtois Flugel horn, which I think must be worth about 2000 euros, if I remember correctly from the  last time I checked the prices of flugel horns.

The Belgian nationals were a big succes this year, with a nearly full hall all day long, a very high level of playing and a friendly-competitive atmosphere. Both adjudicators who spoke to the audience at the end of the contest, Malcolm Brownbill and Jappie
Dijkstra were full of praise of the level of Belgian banding, and how much the bands have improved over the last couple of years.

Jan Houben

4BR Reply:
The end of year Money list will be published in the next day or so Jan.

The official line on BiC tickets

I write on behalf of the organisers of Brass in Concert and would first of all thank the banding public for their wonderful response to last weekend's event. It was well attended throughout the day and the combined efforts of the bands, Frank Renton and Timeline Vision kept the audience royally entertained all day.
 
Stuart Morgan's question about the 'anti-climactic' end to the day is a little perplexing though. I should first of all point out that the doors are open to all-comers for the results announcements. No tickets are checked at the doors at this stage of the day, and any players who wish to gain entry can do so.
 
Secondly, I need to correct Mr Morgan on the issue of tickets for players. All bands are given 4 tickets free of charge and these are free to be used absolutely at the discretion of the band. If all 28 players wished to sit in the hall and they all clubbed together to purchase the remaining 24 tickets, sharing the price equally, they would in effect receive over 14% discount on the ticket price by virtue of the 4 free tickets.
 
The notion of free entry to all players would have 2 effects: Firstly it would leave 336 tickets which could not go on sale to the public (unfair on the public and financially pretty disastrous for the organisers). Secondly (and disappointingly) it would leave the most of those 336 seats empty for the majority of the day. This issue has been discussed at length time and time again, but the fact remains that, for whatever reason, our players in the main choose not to listen to other bands.
 
I wonder whether Mr Morgan's tongue was planted firmly in cheek when he said 'I assume bandsmen {and women presumably?} at this level DO want to listen to the competition'?
 
Plans are already in full sway for next year's event (17/18 November 2007), when we hope to be able to build on the success of this year. Don't miss it!
 
Trevor Caffull
Managing Director, World of Brass

A great man remembered
 
It's great to hear that Jimmy and Sandra Ball and clan are going to be featured on the Paul O'Grady show. They are a wonderful family and Jimmy a fantastic bloke. Several years ago now, he sorted me out with a job when I was desperate for work and I didn't even play in his band - Jimmy epitomises everything that is good about banding, he is one of the movements great characters.

Thanks Jimmy and enjoy the show!

Ian Brownbill 

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