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Common Corps tunes


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Had a long conversation with Genero in the early 90's ... we drove together to Butch Anderson's funeral in Albany and had about 3 hrs each way to reminisce ... I first met him when he moved to Bridgeport in the early 60's when he took over St. Raphael's horn line ... anyway, he shared with me that Something Big was the first tune that he penned for the Queensmen after he took over for Bill Hayes ... funny how two guys from St. Catherine's helped two Jr corps from CT hit the "big time" ... Genero with the Bucs and Sasso with the PAL ... who woulda thunk it!

:-)

Speaking of This Could Be The Start Of Something Big....

Steve Allen really had influence over pop culture in the early '60s, and you could certainly see that reflected in that tune of his.

Among the corps that played it 1960-1962:

1960:

Blue Rock, Fitchburg Kingsmen, Reading Bucs

1961:

De La Salle Oaklands, Kilties, Lourdes, St. Catherine's Queensmen, St. Joe/Batavia, St. Paul Scouts, St. Raphael's

1962:

Fitchburg, Green Islanders, Pittsfield Cavaliers, St. Catherine's, St. Joe, Troopers

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"Play Misty for Me":

St Raphael's first half of the 1961 "Concert" was a tune called "Misty".

Hawthorne Caballeros had a really great version of "Captain from Castile" in the early 1960's, but may never had used it.

It is on the "Concert" side of the 1961 "Music of the Hawthorne Caballeros" Fleetwood LP.

This is a really great thread!!!!!!!!!

Elphaba

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Elphie ... thanks for keeping me in line ... how could I forget Misty? ... but they also played part of Opus One either that year or in 1960 (though I think 1960 was Madam Butterfly) ... it always made me think of Garfield's Intermission Riff ...

This IS good stuff ...

:-)

"Play Misty for Me":

St Raphael's first half of the 1961 "Concert" was a tune called "Misty".

Hawthorne Caballeros had a really great version of "Captain from Castile" in the early 1960's, but may never had used it.

It is on the "Concert" side of the 1961 "Music of the Hawthorne Caballeros" Fleetwood LP.

This is a really great thread!!!!!!!!!

Elphaba

WWW

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So ... here's one I forgot about ... Hawthorne, Sky and Sun all played Late in the Evening in 1981 ... I didn't even know the Cabs played it ... and NY called Sun's version Early in the Morning ...

LOL

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"Madam Butterfly":

St Raphael's did use that number. I remember they learned it half way through the season. Jim Donnelly wrote it.

"Opus One" was the second half of their "Concert" feature in 1961.

I believe they played "Grenada & Green Eyes" for "Concert" in 1962, and the theme from "Experiment in Terror" in 1963.

Elphaba

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Thanks ...

First half of concert in 61 was La Virgin de la Macarena (whew) ... Granada was played as an OTL in 62 and Out Of Concert in 63 ... Green Eyes - who could forget Skip Gallant doing the "Mashed Potatoes" ... LOL ... Experiment in Terror was just that - AWFUL SONG!!!!

:-)

"Madam Butterfly":

St Raphael's did use that number. I remember they learned it half way through the season. Jim Donnelly wrote it.

"Opus One" was the second half of their "Concert" feature in 1961.

I believe they played "Grenada & Green Eyes" for "Concert" in 1962, and the theme from "Experiment in Terror" in 1963.

Elphaba

WWW

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Madama Butterfly:

I have a faded B&W photo of yours truly in 1964, playing the "Un Bel Di" solo from this piece with the Xavier HS Cadets at a military review at Fordham University. Jim Donnelly had written it years earlier for St. Vinnie's and passed it along to us in 1961. It was only used in the field show, naturally, and most of our jobs were in parades.

Something Big:

The Blue Devils played Jim Ott's version in the early '70s, as he was learning his craft. He once told me he assiduously studied the East Coast arrangers in particular because they were able to get such a big sound from such (relatively) small horn lines. I replied that had nothing to do with it. We were just a lot tougher than those California tree-huggers.

(A few seasons later, I complimented him on the huge sound of Spirit of Atlanta. "Yeah", he said. "I don't let them hug trees.")

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1979.

The "Children of Sanchez" year.

That year, I wondered if a law had been passed requiring every third corps to play that tune. :tongue:

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and NY called Sun's version Early in the Morning ...

LOL

Yes... even though the Sun did rise a bit higher at Finals that year. :bleah:

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