A sense of warm nostalgia filled the equally warm air in the main hall of the Kissingate Leisure Centre in Shirebrook near Mansfield, as four re-union bands dusted off old instruments to lock competitive horns with the charity band Boobs & Brass for the honour of winning the inaugural Bolsover Festival ‘Breast Cancer Charity’ Trophy.

Age defying

And despite the age defying mix of thinning hairlines and expanding waistlines, the competitive juices ran through the veins once more as old Midland rivalries were renewed – although on this occasion accompanied by plenty of smiles and good natured banter.

Ransome triumphant

After four hours of enjoyable music making it was the ex-pats of the Ransome Band that lifted the winner’s trophy – a reminder of a feeling that last occurred when they won the 2005 Butlins Mineworkers Contest.

Conducted by Russell Gray, they rolled back the years thanks to a polished 30-minute entertainment set that started with the quick step circus march, 'The Melody Shop’ and ended with the old stomper, ‘MacArthur Park’.

Sublime Alfie

In between, principal cornet Gary Wyatt, who currently plays with Virtuosi GUS, picked up the flugel to deliver a sublime rendition of ‘Alfie’, before being joined by Desford star Brian Winter and the MD for a whip through ‘Bugler’s Holiday’.

A lyrical interlude of ‘Danny Boy’ and a typical piece of innovative ‘Gray thinking’ with Jo Bird’s multiple solo arrangement of ‘Grandfather’s Clock’ – which featured variations performed by Gary Wyatt, George Thackrey, Lyndon Cooper, Mick Norton and to cap it all, Jo herself on recorder – saw Ransome tickle the fancy of adjudicators Alan Lawton and Alan Wycherley as well as the audience in a packed hall.

...the results were announced before old rivalries were relived with the help of liberal amounts of lip reviving alcoholic balm4BR

Delight and sadness

The judge’s expressed both their delight as well as sadness at what they heard from all four re-union bands on the day: The delight at the standard of music making (a number of players hadn’t put instrument to lip for many a year), as well as the sadness that the contest was a stark reminder that the Midlands had been denuded of four highly competitive top class championship outfits.

The soprano star’s witty recollections summed up the general feeling of what was a relaxed afternoon of music making: Mistakes and errors were plentiful, but time had replaced hard cursing brow beating with the odd raised eyebrow and smile of culpability.

Concentrated effort

There was still an impressive degree of concentrated effort though – none more so from the eventual runner up, William Davis Construction, conducted on a welcome fleeting visit to the UK by former MD, Dr Keith Wilkinson.

Their programme was based around Keith’s own slick arrangements such as the fiery ‘Bacchanale’ finale, whimsical ‘Norwegian Dance – No 2’, razzmatazz ‘Sempre Fidelis’ and the 70’s ‘Ski Sunday’ theme ‘Pop Looks Bach’, and Howard Snell’s sure fire classics of ‘Folk Festival’ and ‘Winter’. Ruth Sidney was the excellent flugel soloist in ‘Georgia on my Mind’.

Much to enjoy

With the top two bands filled with many players still performing at Championship level, it came as little surprise that they were some margin ahead of their rivals, but there was still much to enjoy from the ‘veterans’ of Rhodian Brass and Jones & Crossland, as well as Boobs & Brass.

Directed by Mark Wilcockson, Rhodian delivered a neat set, the highlights, a fine trombone solo, ‘Goodbye to Love’ from Peter Thorburn, and the bold opening an closing items, ‘Strike up the Band’ and the appropriately named ‘Re-union and Finale from Gettysburg’.

Nostalgia

Nostalgia was certainly the running theme of Jones & Crossland, as MD Roy Curran interspersed their programme with an affectionate potted history of a band that obviously remains emotionally very close to his heart.

Music with an academic flavour (the band was originally formed from students at Birmingham School of Music) saw the players (the majority of who are no longer actively playing) deliver items from Dukas, Howarth, Strauss, Prokofiev and even Henry VIII with Stephen Robert’s classic arrangement of ‘Pastime with Good Company’. You could forgive them for letting their hair down with ‘Bandstand Boogie’.

Innovative approach

Carole Hirst’s innovative approach in organising the event saw the proceeds help support the Breast Cancer Research Charity, and so it was therefore appropriate that ‘Boobs & Brass’ played an integral part in the entertainment.

Conducted by Martin Dawson and featuring guest soloist Mark Walters (who appeared in drag to play ‘Concierto de Aranjuez’ – not a sight for those of a nervous disposition, despite his sublime playing), the band delivered an enjoyable set, rounded off by the rousing Elvis inspired, ‘American Trilogy’.

Re-union dinner

With a re-union dinner to be held later in the night, the results were announced before old rivalries were relived with the help of liberal amounts of lip reviving alcoholic balm.

Results:

1. Ransome (Russell Gray)
2. William Davis Construction (Dr Keith Wilkinson)

Other competitors:
Jones & Crossland (Roy Curran)
Rhodian Brass (Mark Wilcockson)
Boobs & Brass (Martin Dawson)

Adjudicators: Alan Lawton & Alan Wycherley