Contributed by Jack Kopstein

FREDERICK NEIL INNES
(1854-1926)

As the saying goes, some are born great, some achieve greatness, while others have it literally thrust upon them.  Frederick Neil lnnes achieved his greatness at a young age. When most young boys are playing with marbles, he was already playing trombone in the Life Guards Band of London England, where his father before him was a cornetist in the same band.  lnnes really started his musical career at age eight as a chorister in the choir of St. Paul’s Church, Knightsbridge, London, England.  Besides the trombone, he studied violin, piano and harmony at the London Conservatory of Music.

It has been said that Innes did for the trombone what the great Paganini did for the violin.   As the latter created a school of violinists, Innes did likewise for trombone players; his trombone exercises and various tutors for trombone became the panacea for an instrument.  Innes was born in London, England, on October 28, 1854.  As a young man, his thought was that the trombone should take a more prominent place as a solo instrument.  He went in for more sensational methods to bring this about in a one-man campaign.  He was always an innovator even in his later advent into the musical society of America where he arrived in 1874 in Boston.

He played one season in the Howard Street Theatre, but he left suddenly for a return to Europe, in the latter part of 1875.  He was then twenty- one and beginning to dazzle the public with his brilliant trombone playing.  He went directly to Paris, where he vas engaged as special trombone soloist at the Follies Bergere, which was a new medium in this city.  Heretofore the trombone had never been used in such a spectacular manner.  The newspaper, Le Temps, characterized Innes as the greatest and newest thing in music to hit Pads in many years.  After one season at the follies Bergere, he went to Hamburg, Germany, where he was engaged as soloist with the Hans Halle Orchestra.  For a time he played solos with the famous Parlow Orchestra in Berlin.  He also played at the Winter Garden with Lauber and his orchestra and toured Europe’s principal cities as soloist.  It was during his engagement in St. Petersburg, Russia, that Innes met the young Czar of Russia, who was musically inclined.  The Czar so admired Innes that he honoured him by presenting him with a walking stick, having on it the coat of arms, set in rubies and diamonds.  After the mentioned tour of Europe, Innes returned to Paris, where he resumed playing at the Follies Bergere.

There is an interesting story told about how Innes happened to return to America.  In 1879 and 1880, Jules Levy was at his peak as a soloist and was being featured with Gilmore’s Band at Manhattan Beach. The story goes that Pat Gilmore was slightly jealous of the attention Levy was getting, so he sailed for Europe in fall of 1879, in quest of someone to trim the sails of the high flying Levy.  When he arrived in Paris, he was told of a young trombonist who was playing at the Follies Bergere.  Quoting a written account:
“Gilmore went to the Follies Bergere to hear Innes play, and was astonished by this young man’s virtuosity.  It had never occurred to him before, to use a trombone soloist as competition for Jules Levy, but after hearing lnnes play, this was something different.  He sent his card around with an invitation for lnnes to join him at another cafe in Paris.  As Gilmore was very convincing, it wasn’t long before he had convinced Innes that he should come to America to become trombone soloist of Gilmore’s Band.”

Innes arrived in New York, during the summer of 1880, going directly to Manhattan Beach, where Gilmore’s band was engaged in summer concerts. The following day Innes was programmed as soloist, following Jules Levy’s playing of his own “Whirlwind Polka”, after which Innes rose to play the same identical solo much to the astonishment of the audience, and to the genuine embarrassment of Mr. Levy. In fact, he was furious.

For one whole week, Innes continued playing, if humanly possible, any number that Levy might play.  The entire New York music scene was talking about the battle of the “Blasters” out at Coney Island.  The newspapers played it up, consequently great crowds traveled to Manhattan Beach to see and hear the goings on.  Mr. Levy was getting madder by the minute, but Gilmore was in his glory.  It was during the above mentioned engagement that Levy played a new solo written by Aronson, entitled the “Sweet Sixteen Waltz”, in which Levy injected his own extemporaneous Cadenza made up of everything he could do on the comet.

lnnes had been tipped off that Levy was going to do.  When his turn came to play, he also had something up his sleeve.  Innes had written a new solo for the trombone, entitled “Sea Shells Waltz” with a minute and one-half cadenza.  He arose to play his solo, playing with all of the skill he possessed.  Some of Levy’s followers had complained to the management about this rivalry.  Mr. Gilmore decided that Innes could play anything he wished, including Levy’s solos, but it was to be played on separate programs from Levy.  This one summer engagement gave Fred lnnes tremendous publicity, which even Gilmore had not anticipated.

Interspersed with his playing in Gilmore’s Band, he made one tour with the Mapleson Opera Company, then under the direction of the composer Arditi and at least two summer engagements with Baldwin’s Band at Point of Pines in Massachusetts.

Inries played with Gilmore’s Band until the spring of 1887, when he went to San Francisco to accept a solo engagement at the Exposition being held in the Golden Gate Park.  According to our research, we find that Innes was to play with the local band.  It seems he and the band were to be sponsored by the Market Street Railroad Company, but when Innes arrived in San Francisco, the comptroller had absconded with the money for the musicians and had left California, leaving a flock of creditors in his wake.  Innes talked with the Exposition president (a prominent banker,) a Mr. PB Cornwall, about his difficulties, who in turn conferred with the Board of Directors.  Out of this came the organization of a concert band to play at the Exposition under the direction of Mr. Innes.  He received permission to send east for a number of prominent musicians to fill positions in his band and to play several engagements at the Exposition; this was the beginning of his career as a bandmaster.  After the close of the engagement, he returned to New York, where he temporarily took over leadership of the Thirteenth Regiment Band of New York.  After a few months he organized his own traveling band and began booking engagements across the country.

Innes had always dreamed of having a purely Symphonic band, playing the classics only, but he was also a practical man and knew that the public was not ready to accept the concert band as a Symphonic organization.  He filled his programs with the classics, but he also had them interspersed with lighter music and presented many noted operatic singers.  Misses Lillian Nordica, Schumann-Heink and Alice Nielson appeared with the Innes Band.

Many of the finest musicians in the band business played at one time or another with the Innes Band, between 1887 and 1920, namely; Ben Bent, Herbert Clarke, Bert Brown, Bohumir, Kryl, I V. Short, Richard Shuebruk, Pechin and Keneke on cornet; Mantia and Manzia, euphonium; Leo-Zimmerman, Chas. Randall and Ernest Clarke trombone; Alexander Selmer, Nonito and Schreuers,  Jacob Epstein clarinet.  The personnel changing from year to year.

One of the first engagements that the Innes Band filled was in the playing of concerts at Prospect Park in Brooklyn, New York, where his new band was received with great enthusiasm.  His first major engagement was at the Chicago Worlds Fair in 1893.  His band played at numerous Expositions including the Omaha Exposition in 1898, the Buffalo Exposition in 1910, St. Louis Exposition in 1904, and the San Francisco Fair in 1915.  The last important engagements of the lnnes Band were the Cotton Exposition in Waco, Texas, and the Corn Palace in Mitchell, South Dakota.

In 1914, Innes moved to Denver, Colorado, where he succeeded Mr. Al. Sweet as conductor of the Denver Municipal Band, continuing in this capacity until 1916, when he opened his Music School; however he continued to contract outside engagements with his concert band until 1920.  Innes remained in Denver until after his wife’s death in 1923.  He moved to Chicago in 1923, where he became head of the Conn Band School.  In late 1926, he was stricken with heart trouble and died in a Chicago sanatorium on December 31, 1926. He was buried beside his wife in Cincinnati, Ohio.

A writer was fortunate enough to have conversation with Mr. Innes during the summer of 1926 in his office at the Conn Band School.  He told of the many fine performers who had played under his direction and other facets of the then dying band business.

Innes Band’s never recorded for any phonograph company. Mr. Innes never liked the idea of using small bands for recording sessions.  Neither would he allow even the mention of cutting and revising of standard overtures and selections to fit on a 10 or 12 inch disc
Innes composed several Orchestra Suites, also one Romantic Opera entitled, Ambassador.  He wote a descriptive Overture called California, and one grand march entitled Triomphale.  He also wrote a number of two step marches, one the best known being, Prince Chaffning.  His most notable solo compositions were Sea Shells Waltz, Phenomenal Polka and the Charmer Polka.

Henry Woelber once had this to say of Innes:
“Innes had very few intimates; little is known of his early history in England.  No person’s attitude here on the part of his America friends ever attracted his intimacy other than to call forth a general good comradeship and light talk.  Although a man of courage and rare intellect, he loved to frolic, and in spite of more or less adversity, he smiled; but behind that smile was plenty of sadness, disappointment, and sorrow.”

The following note appeared in the International Musician, many years ago. Quoting:
“in 1913, lnnes led the annual master bar concert given by the Boston Musicians Mutual Relief Society.  After the rehearsal he strolled through the West End to have, perhaps, his last look at the old Howard Street Theatre where he had played in 1874.  Then to the Charles River embankment Pausing he sighed: ‘Yes, there is the same old rooming house, with its back piazza, and pleasant memories of my canoeing days, and swinging in the old hammock in the moon light.’  Older men, later, realized why Innes was so fond of Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata.  Masters of melody, and verse, find opportunities everywhere, for their genius.”

An Air Force Band album has hit the charts! Congrats to SMSgt Joe Jackson and the USAF Airmen of Note on this exciting accomplishment!! “Cool Yule” is available on iTunes from Altissimo here.

The following announcement was posted on the USAF Band’s website (view original post here).

“Cool Yule Climbs the Charts!”
by Master Sgt. Brian McCurdy
The USAF Band

1/31/2010 – BOLLING AFB, D.C. — In January, “Cool Yule”, the latest release from the Airmen of Note, climbed to number 2 on the jazz chart of JazzWeek. JazzWeek is the definitive Jazz and Smooth Jazz national radio airplay chart–a weekly report of the top fifty Jazz and Smooth Jazz recordings played on radio stations across the United States and Canada.

Senior Master Sgt. Joe Jackson, the Music Director of the Airmen of Note, was overwhelmed with the massive appeal of the recording. “The public and media response to ‘Cool Yule’ has exceeded our expectations, and has exceeded any of The Air Force Band CD projects any of us here in the Note have been involved with,” he said.

To hear what all of the buzz is about, you can download two of the tunes from “Cool Yule” from our website. “Up on the Housetop” (arranged by Master Sgt. Alan Baylock), and “Auld Lang Cha Cha Cha” (arranged by Sgt. Jackson) are currently available. While you’re there, you can navigate other downloads available from The USAF Band.

Congratulations to the Airmen of Note on this terrific accomplishment!

Contributed by Jack Kopstein

The Ottawa Wind Ensemble

Altissimo salutes our feature community band which is situated in the Canadian capital of Ottawa and performs numerous engagements in the capital region.

The Ottawa Wind Ensemble (OWE) was formed in 2005, drawing together current and former Canadian Forces musicians, music teachers, and other professional musicians, in a professional calibre group.

Under the direction of founding conductor, Mark Rocheleau, this 35 member ensemble performs the symphonic wind ensemble repertoire made famous by the Eastman Wind Ensemble, the rich concert band repertoire from North America and Europe, and the orchestral transcriptions of the famous composers. While the OWE is technically a community band, most of the members are fully involved in a life of music, whether it be as freelance musicians, music educators, or full time professionals. The raison d’être of the OWE is to perform at the highest calibre of musicianship possible, and anyone who attends a concert will appreciate this for themselves.

The ensemble’s conductor is Mark Rocheleau. Born and raised in Amherstburg, Ontario, (near the border city of Windsor Ontario), Rocheleau began his formal studies in 1979 at the University of Windsor, majoring on clarinet, and graduating with a Bachelor of Music, and Bachelor of Education. His private clarinet teachers were Dr. Imre Rozsnyai of the University of Windsor and Paul Schaller of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. After four seasons with the Windsor Symphony Orchestra, he acquired a direct entry into the Canadian Forces Vimy Band in Kingston in 1985, where he broadened his musical experience playing both clarinet and saxophone. In August of 1994, he was posted to the Central Band of the Canadian Forces here in Ottawa and was eventually selected for a yearlong assistant conductor’s course, which he completed in 1999. In October of 2005, Mark had completed 20 years of service with the Canadian Forces and elected to retire. His project since then has been to form The Ottawa Wind Ensemble, which was founded in September of 2005.

Mark Rocheleau is joined in the Ottawa Wind Ensemble by several former professional military musicians who reside in retirement in Ottawa and environs. Several of the musicians have outstanding backgrounds in the music field.

Our hats off to the OTTAWA WIND ENSEMBLE, the Community Band Spotlight for March.

For more information on the Ottawa Wind Ensemble, please visit their website.

Please write to me if you would like your community band to be featured. The line is growing fast so GET ON THE BANDWAGON!

**If you are in a band or know of a band we should feature in our Spotlight,  please contact Jack at jack@militarymusic.com or Krista at krista@militarymusic.com

Contributed by Jack Kopstein

The following two vinyl recordings found in a Canadian Collectors catalogue are two of the most valuable and interesting recordings ever made in Britain. *Unfortunately, these recordings are not available on our website.

Masters of the March Volume 1
(Rodney Bashford and Leo Stanley)
Band of the Royal Corps of Signals / Droit DR91
Conducted by: Lt. Col. RB Bashford OBE and Major G. Turner MBE
Information below appears on both records

So many thousands of marches have been written that good march tunes are not easy to come by. Most of the successful ones sound simple, and it is this simplicity that makes them difficult to write. John Philip Sousa (the American march king) said that a good march must make a man with a wooden leg step out.

A large proportion of the march repertoire used by the British Army is of foreign origin but in this series we pay tribute to the British march writers past and present. The aim is to offer the listener a cross-section of a composer’s works, and some of the marches are appearing on record/cassette for the first time. Where possible two writers of contrasting styles appear on each recording and when appropriate the composer is invited to conduct his own works, thus ensuring an authentic interpretation.

The style of march writing has changed over the years. Many written in the mid 20th century depend inevitably and unavoidably on the cliché but had strong melodic lines with traditional harmonies. The titles rarely had any influence on the musical content and in the main would have been equally successful under other names. Recent contributions are more adventurous in harmony and rhythm and if written for specific occasions composers often draw on appropriate well known themes cleverly weaving them into their original thoughts.

Side One – Leo Stanley
Alamein / With Might and Main / March of the Commandos / The Partisans / Guard of Honour / The Mechanical Horse / Swift and Sure / Great Occasions

Side Two – Rodney Bashford
Marche Militaire / Foxhunters March / Splice the Mainbrace / Tyrol Troop / The Galloping Major / The Queen’s Company / Cavalry Walk-  Cavalry Ride – Cavalry Trot / The Light Division / The Inkerman March

Masters of the March Volume 2
(JH Howe and Kenneth Alford)
Regimental Band of the 1st Bn The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders (Princess Louise’s) / Droit DR 92
Conducted by: Major JH Howe MBE and WO KG Lamb FVCM BBCM
(Major Howe Bio is taken from record cover)

Jimmy Howe comes from a Brass Band family. A native of North East England, he began his musical career playing the cornet in local colliery bands. In 1933, he joined the Royal Scots as a band boy, and served with his regiment in Palestine in 1938, and also in France at the outbreak of World War Two. Captured at Le Paradis, he was a prisoner of war in Poland and organized a Stalag Ban with instruments obtained through the British Red Cross which helped to sustain the morale of the men in captivity.

After the war, he studied at Kneller Hall and was appointed bandmaster of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders in 1949, serving with them in Hong Kong, British Guyana, Berlin and the United Kingdom. In 1956, he took the Band to Helsinki, playing at the British Industries Fair.

He was commissioned Director of Music to the Scots Guards in 1959 and was subsequently appointed senior Director of Music Household Division in 1970. The following year he was awarded the MBE for his services to Army Bands.

Since his retirement from the Army in 1974, he has conducted many leading Symphony Orchestras and the radio programme Friday Night is Music Night and Melodies for You. He is still active as a guest conductor and adjudicator of music festivals making appearances in the USA, Canada, and Europe. As well as the marches on this album, he has compositions of light music to his credit, also many arrangements of popular works are to be found in the military and brass band repertoires. He is a Vice-President of the national ex-Prisoner of War Association and an active member of the Dunkirk Veterans  Association.

Side 1 – Kenneth Alford
Holyrood / The Mad Major / Dunedin / Old Panama / Cavalry of the Clouds / The Vanished Army / Colonel Bogey on Parade
Side 2 – Jimmy Howe
Fairfield / Pride of Princess Street / The Civic / Balmoral Castle / Pentland Hills / Stalag March / Glasgow Fair / The Corner FlagCOnt