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Yes, indeed! And the solo by Jimmy Ednie was just about the most soulful thing I ever heard.

Many years later, I was consulting with the Glassmen at the behest of the impresario Cesario when they covered this piece. I believe it was arranged by that other avatar, Robert Smith.

I brought a dub of the Skyliners version to a rehearsal and just said, "Try to capture some of this. If Gershwin were writing for drum corps he would approve of this treatment."

The general reaction was, "Holy s..t! Those guys did that with one valve?"

We must value what we did in those days. If we don't, who will?

The current subject seems to be known to some here. Let's name him and give him his props. He played with one valve, too.

Jimmy was indeed a virtuoso ... Sky played Concerto in 69, 70 and 73 ... Jimmy solo'd all three years ... in 69 he also played the solo in Bumblebee when Pee Wee took some time off ... Pee Wee then resumed that mastery in 70 ... Pepe once said that Ednie played like a squad of three (he was that powerful) ... but, then could finesse a solo the next moment ...

Thanks for the brief trip down memory lane ...

:-)

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I do believe that our subject has recently been elected to the Maryland Drum Corps HoF and will be inducted soon.

Yes! (That was my "Fran clue" a little earlier. Fran will be the emcee for the Maryland Drum Corps HoF induction dinner!)

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The sound you hear in the background is Nanci sharpening her ninja stars as I go OT again - please forgive me - I just thought that the only people that would understand what I was thinking about are all on this forum:

To keep my sanity in Texas I go to the Fort Worth Symphony every couple of weeks. Pretty good orchestra that plays relatively progressive concerts, although the local blue haired ladies complain (fairly loudly) about dissonance and modern music and why do the trumpets have to be keyed in Bb, etc.

Tonight the featured piece was Gershwin's Piano Concerto in F. For many of us, the first time we were introduced to that piece was as arranged by Hy Dreitzer for the NY Skyliners during the late 60s - I have to defer (as always) to Andy here, as CorpsReps doesn't list them ever even playing it, but I trust my memory. (about drum corps, if nothing else)

The amazing thing is to think about us growing up back then and Hy would bring out Concerto in F - then Joe G would do Rhapsody in Blue, then Sasso would crank out "American in Paris" and voila, instant Music Appreciation at a level that a lot of college kids don't get even now.

I don't much subscribe to the Buglemageddon, end of the world, Look what they've done to my corps, ma... school of today (on RAMD or the other 39 forums on DCP) but one thing I do miss is the way that folks like the aforementioned 3 great brass guys would get kids hooked on great music.

We were hooked on West Side Story, and Malaguena, and Gershwin, and Carmen (the opera, not the drill guy), and so much more.

So throughout the Concerto in F tonight I sat in my (front row - can't see as well as I used to) seats and closed my eyes and thought about Hy, and Joe, and John, and the good old days, and how lucky I was, and how lucky we were.

Brought my daughter tonight too, but I didn't bother to tell her or my wife that I knew the Concerto inside and out because I got hooked 50 years ago by a "bugle guy". My daughter, who has been playing piano since she could reach the keys and played synth with Crossmen last year thought "That was about the best thing I've ever seen..." I wanted to say "you should have heard it with Pepe's solo at the end."

In a couple of words, THANKS RAY! :thumbs-up:

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*edit*

double post (here we go again...)

Edited by TennTux
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Nanci once asked if there was anybody I didn't know. I told her there's plenty and this is one of them.

However, I believe I can throw out the initials J.L. and be a wee bit confident.

Thanks to the clues...

Edited by gsksun4
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Not sure about Stupid, Horny, and Lazy

I think I went to high school with those guys. :tongue:

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Yes! (That was my "Fran clue" a little earlier. Fran will be the emcee for the Maryland Drum Corps HoF induction dinner!)

March 22!!!

Our current photo subject is one of four people being inducted.

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Yes, indeed! And the solo by Jimmy Ednie was just about the most soulful thing I ever heard.

Many years later, I was consulting with the Glassmen at the behest of the impresario Cesario when they covered this piece. I believe it was arranged by that other avatar, Robert Smith.

I brought a dub of the Skyliners version to a rehearsal and just said, "Try to capture some of this. If Gershwin were writing for drum corps he would approve of this treatment."

The general reaction was, "Holy s..t! Those guys did that with one valve?"

We must value what we did in those days. If we don't, who will?

The current subject seems to be known to some here. Let's name him and give him his props. He played with one valve, too.

Heh... I wonder what the Glassmen kids thought of Pepe's knock-the-walls-down sound at the end of that tune!!! LOL

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OK, I worked for this GW for one season (or part of one - I can't remember) with Yankee Rebels' Alumni Corps, where he succeeded the inimitable Phil Gentile as Director. I kept stifling the impulse to salute.

Good guy. If you think he's just an average Joe, you'd be a L etter short.

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Good guy. If you think he's just an average Joe, you'd be a L etter short.

I saw what you did there. :innocent:

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