ironlips Posted January 2, 2015 Share Posted January 2, 2015 '...pointy hat..." Trivia question: What famous Canadian corps wore these? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rayfallon Posted January 2, 2015 Share Posted January 2, 2015 '...pointy hat..." Trivia question: What famous Canadian corps wore these? Should I give hints? Shirley you jest! No, I'm serious, and don't call me Shirley. Quite a jolly repartee, no? They had initials of J. J. I think... Am I still in trouble? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rayfallon Posted January 2, 2015 Share Posted January 2, 2015 (edited) Thanks for the mention... but I'm not even in the same time zone with the other names. Not even close. My personal choice for all-time greatest Sunriser... Gary Williams. The others you mentioned are right up there with him. Certainly the China brothers. Like you said.... without Pete and Dave, the corps does not win those DCA titles. OK, Gary is a good choice. The thing with Pete vs Gary - Gary was a good player and a great administrator/director. Pete literally did everything - he played at a high level - he demanded that everyone around him play at a high level - he kept it serious and intense - he also made people laugh - he was respected across the activity as a player/instructor, really whatever it took. He did it for a long time - decades, or probably 3 marriages (maybe 2?) Gary is probably the reason that the Sunrisers still exist - he shepherded them through the worst of bad years. Pete I believe is the reason the Sunrisers took a fairly mediocre team and made them burn at a blaze hotter than anyone in the history of DCA. No one has been better than the 80s Sunrisers, starting at around 1976. Most folks forget that the 1976 corps was essentially the same as the 1975 corps, with the addition of Dennis and his team. But Dennis couldn't have done it himself. The brass had to get 10X better. I remember driving to Poughkeepsie once a week in the Fall of '75 into Spring '76 with Pete working with the additions. He was the driver behind every part of the brass improvement that occurred. I'm not taking anything away from Bunyon, Screech, or even myself, but China was the sparkplug that wouldn't let you rest until we were great. I love Gary - he's a unique individual - but I think HE would probably agree that China was the straw that stirred the drink. And don't sell yourself short - you've brought incredible honor to the orange and blue team over decades with your grace and style, as Andy has to the Gabarina boys. but do me a favor, without laying out a case beforehand, ask Lenny who the greatest Sunriser of all times was... As far as best french horn - I've heard a bunch of them - including God himself - but the greatest french horn player that I ever heard was Danny Fitzpatrick. I was so thrilled to hang his Buglers' Hall of Fame medal around his neck last Spring, but conscious of the silliness that I had been inducted before he was. Life is funny sometimes. Edited January 2, 2015 by rayfallon 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajlisko Posted January 2, 2015 Share Posted January 2, 2015 As far as best french horn - I've heard a bunch of them - including God himself - but the greatest french horn player that I ever heard was Danny Fitzpatrick. I was so thrilled to hang his Buglers' Hall of Fame medal around his neck last Spring, but conscious of the silliness that I had been inducted before he was. ... and that's the beauty of the things we do and why we do them ... :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fran Haring Posted January 3, 2015 Share Posted January 3, 2015 but do me a favor, without laying out a case beforehand, ask Lenny who the greatest Sunriser of all times was... I will do that, next time I talk with him!!! You're right about Danny Fitzpatrick. Insanely awesome on the French horn... and merely great on mellophone. LOL. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fran Haring Posted January 3, 2015 Share Posted January 3, 2015 Gene Bennett was another of the "drive the bus" guys for Sun along with Pete and others in the 1970s. His visual designs in 1976 through 1979 helped separate us from the rest of the pack. To say nothing of his teaching... which was top-notch. And just a great man, on top of all that. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fran Haring Posted January 3, 2015 Share Posted January 3, 2015 We had a very good French horn line, 63, 64. Brian Farrell who went on to front that Kingsmen corps, Billy Kirk (RIP) Billy plays the exit solo on the 64 W.O. record, also Kingsmen and then Sky, Paul Daunt (Sky, Sun) and Shakey (Ruben) Jackson (Sky), Charlie Spenser (Sky) and lastly Charlie Johnson. BTW, Charlie J. was the reason or part of the reason Tom Beresford left and went to Sun. Wow... what is the story behind that, if you can share it here? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elphaba01 Posted January 3, 2015 Share Posted January 3, 2015 "Best French Horn Buglers:" Danny Fitzpatrick's reputation is very well known, and he is VERY deserving of his inclusion into the prestigious BHOF. Another GREAT FHB player that deserves mention is Frank "Buzzy" Bergdol, soloist for the great St Kevins Emerald Knights. "Buzzy" is also a member of the BHOF, as is John Sasso, another GREAT FHB player and music/writer arranger for the Mineola Sunrisers. I am sure there are several more. Elphaba WWW 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajlisko Posted January 3, 2015 Share Posted January 3, 2015 (edited) "Best French Horn Buglers:" Danny Fitzpatrick's reputation is very well known, and he is VERY deserving of his inclusion into the prestigious BHOF. Another GREAT FHB player that deserves mention is Frank "Buzzy" Bergdol, soloist for the great St Kevins Emerald Knights. "Buzzy" is also a member of the BHOF, as is John Sasso, another GREAT FHB player and music/writer arranger for the Mineola Sunrisers. I am sure there are several more. Elphaba WWW A few other notable FH guys, Elphie ... Hy Dreitzer, Pepe Notaro, Bobby BellaRosa, Steve Buglino ... :-) Edited January 3, 2015 by ajlisko 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rayfallon Posted January 4, 2015 Share Posted January 4, 2015 (edited) Gene Bennett was another of the "drive the bus" guys for Sun along with Pete and others in the 1970s. His visual designs in 1976 through 1979 helped separate us from the rest of the pack. To say nothing of his teaching... which was top-notch. And just a great man, on top of all that. Totally agree - anyone that knows me knows I love Gene. Can't say I've loved much about my most recent exposures to Pete, who seems very churlish, but I'll go on with my opinion that he's a serious nominee for Sunriser of the ever award. Frank would know so much more about the Sunrisers of Classical time, and you guys would know the ins and outs of the 80s and then I know nothing after 90 so I'm not going to be made Supreme Judge on this one. To circle back to Elphaba's french horn folks, clearly you're dead on - I don't think Frank Bergdoll ever lost a contest, and I heard him play when he played for St Kevins and thought he was great - I was really a kid at that point. I listened to Danny as an adult, and as a friend so my judgment is somewhat compromised - it's hard to argue about Frank, or his dad for that matter. I did hear Hy play a lot, and I heard Pepe quite a bit, in fact I might have been responsible for most of his latter day body of work with Hurcs. I think Danny was a better FH than those two guys, although Hy was a genius and Pepe the ultimate showman and a fine trumpet player. Frank knows how Sasso was on horn and Steve Buglino. I only heard them as a little kid. Oooh, and Riggie Laus, whom I only heard at the Fleetwood School of Music with Pittsburgh - can't leave him out of any FH discussion. Some might even say Arnie Juliano - I'll bow to Fish on Arnie. So I'm sticking to my opinion, regardless of how misguided, but to Elphaba, your knowledge of the activity blows me out of the water 9.9 times out of 10 and I think I'm being generous to myself. Even I'm inclined to accept your opinion over mine. Even Andy, and he's a #Q@*iing drummer, (albeit a member of the Buglers' Hall of Fame). OK, going to bed. Thanks for reading the first two lines. Edited January 4, 2015 by rayfallon 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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