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Jack Pratt, one of the greats of rudimental drumming


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Sad to say that one of the all-time greats of rudimental drumming, Jack Pratt, passed away on 4/6/2020.

He and I worked together with the GSC corps the King's Regiment in 1977. I spent many an afternoon at his home in Hawthorne as we put together the percussion show for the corps. He had the most amazing collection of LP's of classical music I ever saw. 

He also was a collector of old comics before it became a "thing". He had many of the early Superman, Batman, etc...I think his master's thesis was on comic books and the war effort of WWII.

Jack was a character, and one of the best people I ever had the honor of knowing. 

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Jack Pratt was a giant whose influence endures.

https://www.wdchof.org/members/pratt-jack/ 

Pratt, John S. “Jack”

Pratt, John S. “Jack”

Jack Pratt is one of the most prolific percussion writers in the drum corps community. He served as rudimental drum instructor of field music with the U.S. Military Academy band at West Point from 1950 to 1969, and was one the first to urge the use of large drum lines, paving the way to modern percussion sections of 30 or more members which began to appear on the contest field by the late 1960s. As an exponent of large drum lines, he urged that the level of difficulty not be reduced and that various performance factors not be sacrificed. His contributions and achievements in drumming were further recognized when he was inducted as a member of the world-wide Percussive Arts Society. He taught the Interstatesmen in the 1960s, when he introduced the rudimental bass drum to the drum corps community, as part of his unique concept of percussion voicing. He has been associated with a number of other corps, including Geneva Appleknockers, Troop 12 Indians, Kingsmen, Lakers, Criterions, Hawthorne Caballeros, King’s Regiment, Doremus Post, Crimson Kings Tri-County Cavaliers, Rochester Grey Knights, Ambassadors. He has judged for the All American and Metro All American associations.

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10 hours ago, ironlips said:

 

 

 He taught the Interstatesmen in the 1960s, when he introduced the rudimental bass drum to the drum corps community, as part of his unique concept of percussion voicing. 

I knew I had heard his name before. That's where it came from. 

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Sad to hear. He was a valuable source I used when I wrote the history of the Geneva Appleknockers for Steve Vickers’ “A History of Drum and Bugle Corps” vol 2. He was a snare drummer in the Appleknockers senior corps circa 1947-51 as a young man.

When he learned that one of my sons was a drummer, he mailed me several of his drum solo books for his use! I was impressed by his kindness and generosity. 

 

 

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