Comments for Military Music

Comment on Jack’s Musings: TUNES OF GLORY – Marches of Two World Wars by Jim Milne

Jim Milne — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 21:31:42 +0000

Jack,
As well as bits of ‘RAF March” and “Star Spangled Banner” in his ‘Eagle Squadron March”, there is also “Rule Britannia”.

Jim

Comment on Jack’s Musings: The Music of the Inauguration by Tori

Tori — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 21:14:01 +0000

This is so cool!! George Drumm was my great grandfather, and i love looking into all of this stuff!!

Comment on Jack’s Musings: Paul Lavalle by Rex Sagle

Rex Sagle — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 00:24:01 +0000

I met Paul in 1955, but made sure I was by the radio when the broadcast started.
The Pasadena,Tx band now called The Gulf Coast Concert Band had a
Tribute to Paul Lavalle in about 1993, Our Guest Soloist was none other
than my dear friend Harvey Phillips who was a tubist with the Band of America along with the late Don Butterfield, William Bell, William Lewin,
Joe Tarto and more. Harvey performed the Carioca, and all of us stood in front and performed Big Joe The Tuba, The Band also Played The United Press March and The Ballyhoo March.
I recently performed The Happy Farmer which is a Paul Lavalle arrangement for Tuba Solo with Band Acc.
I heard William Bell play this selection in 1949 and went to school the next day and told them I wanted to play the tuba which I did.
We met at Dr Grady Hallman’s home for a great lunch and we all spoke to Paul on the phone, I asked him where the arrangement was for The Happy Farmer he told me it was located in the library of the University of Wyoming, I ordered it from them, it was still in manuscript with a note to
stating Bill Bell 11:00 N.B.C.
It was a great time for america and what a great show he had every week.
I still have contact also with the great Trumpet player Raymond Crisara.
Harvey is 80 years old now and his health is not the best, but his mind certainly has not lost a thing
Thanks for this site, I have most of the albums made into cds and recently sent copies to the Great Tubist Don Harry from Eastman School
of Music who loved The Band of America.

Comment on Jack’s Musings: TUNES OF GLORY – Marches of Two World Wars by Jack Kopstein

Jack Kopstein — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 17:48:46 +0000

Dear John:
many thanks for your note and observations. As you probably know the TUNES were justa smattering of the great marches. VANISHED ARMY is a superb march played in the ORIGINAL FORMAT. I will never understand why anyone would try and improve ALFORD marches. They were and still are Perfection . I certainly agree that the original recording in the original format is magnificent.
Thanks again for your comment
Jack

Comment on Jack’s Musings: TUNES OF GLORY – Marches of Two World Wars by John A. Johnson

John A. Johnson — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 17:03:00 +0000

I think that Alford’s (Rickett’s) composition, the Vanished Army deserves mention. It was sub-titled “Poetic March”. It was written in memory of slain British soldiers. Not all of them, just the first 100,000. Hence the title. It has been record a number of times by modern british bands but rarely in the correct manner. Any conductor doing it should first listen to the composer’s recording. Fennell has doone a job on it with a lot of his so called improvements stuck in. He obviously never heard the oriiginal.

Comment on Jack’s Musings: US Navy Band Disaster of 1960 by admin

admin — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 19:42:22 +0000

Debbie,

Wow! Talk about a mother’s intuition! Thank you for sharing your story. It’s always great to hear from the family of our military band’s members.

-Eric

Comment on Jack’s Musings: US Navy Band Disaster of 1960 by Debbie Shulman Center

Debbie Shulman Center — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 19:38:40 +0000

My father, Hy Shulman, was a violinist in the Navy Band at the time of this crash. He was scheduled to go on this trip, but as I recall, he had the mumps and couldn’t go. My mother always said she had an awful premonition about the trip, and begged my father not to go! Had he gone, I would not have been born 19 months later!

Comment on Notable Events: US Marine Band! by Jack

Jack — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 18:20:56 +0000

Hi Tom:
On behalf of all of us at ALTISSIMO we congratulate you and your town for keeping the Christmas spirit alive. Thank you also for honouring the memory of America’s great MARCH KING and leader of the US Marine band.
Very best wishes for the holiday season
Jack

Comment on Jack’s Musings: Paul Lavalle by wm. e. nelson

wm. e. nelson — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 19:42:00 +0000

I remember as a high school kid, I always listened to the Cities Service Band of America. Would anybody have any idea where I could get recordings of the Cities Service Band of America music? Are there any web sites that I could download some of his marches more especially his Band of America march. A fellow musician

Comment on Notable Events: US Marine Band! by Tom Ewing

Tom Ewing — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 02:41:45 +0000

On Dec. 3rd, our hometown of Owatonna MN had it’s own christmas tree lighting ceremony with parade, choir, church bells and a free chili dinner at First Baptist, an historic old building-all during our first snowfall of the season. A real old-time treat. Not to brag, but Sousa’s band played here one time for a matinee concert on March 22, 1906. I love living in the Town that Time Forgot! I’d love to visit D.C. again-in April of ‘82 I saw Sousa’s birthplace and grave and the Marine Band gave a concert in honor of the Queen of the Netherlands who was visiting. Thanks for keeping the Concert Band tradition in quickstep!