A27Lancer Posted March 9, 2007 Share Posted March 9, 2007 I got to stand in front of their horn arc in Birmingham in '80. Loud LOUD LOUD!! And very good quality. The legacy video from that year does not begin to do them justice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IllianaLancerContra Posted March 9, 2007 Share Posted March 9, 2007 I'm glad this thread got reopened.If you go back and listen to any of Jim's arrangements, from Stockton Commodores on, it's not only that he stacks the chords for power, he also wrote in the power range of each voice. There isn't much "screaming" in a Jim Ott chart. BTW, on a side note, In SoCal Dream's inaugural stand-still season, we played Jim's arrangement of "Walk Him up the Stairs". Before we made the final decision, I wrote to Mom and Pops Ott, to get their blessing. The way I explained it was that Jim's voice could still be heard through his music. I received the most woderful hand-written response, with their full support to perform the chart. That chart made 22 brass players sound LOUD! In fact, when we played it the Impulse Family Day in 2002, their BoD President made the comment "This is where 22 brass players show 42 brass players (Impulse) how to sound like 62 brass players." Yes, we played it with passion, but the chart leads you there whether you want to or not! Garry in Vegas I have heard that not only did he write within the power range of each voice, but for certian parts (end of Georgia & Let It Be Me for example) he assigned notes to each player within the vouce based on where they were personally play the loudest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
randomnoise Posted March 9, 2007 Share Posted March 9, 2007 (edited) I feel I have the same problem....I just cannot pinpoint certain events. What I do remember is a show in Iowa (could be Nebraska, or even Hollywood) after the Sprit hoenline beat us in horns, we applauded them as they left the field during retreat...or maybe as they passed the stands,...or maybe in a dream,..or maybe in another life...LOL! I hear ya, Felix - I thought it was Stockton where they beat us in horns! They were a great sounding line - loved every minute of listening to them. Also, I have a copy of Jim Ott's arrangement of Home (from the Wiz), done for BD 78. We did not end up using it, but I somehow ended up with a score. Might be an interesting project to make a recording of it. Edited March 9, 2007 by randomnoise Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davhen Posted March 9, 2007 Share Posted March 9, 2007 Anyway, Spirit 79 & 80 would be walking to the next town to warm up!!! funny you should mention that. At one of the Cali shows in '79, we started the warm up and a show official asked us to move because they could hear it in the stadium. So, Jim (sporting a bit of an attitude) leads us down a long, narrow road behind the stadium, and a few minutes later we found ourselves in an extremely remote location, a LONG way from the stadium. We finished the warm up, but when we returned to the stadium, the drum line was already in starting position and the announcer introducing the corp. We hustled out to the opening set,started the show, and didn't give it another thought. That is, until the timing gun went off way early in Let It Be Me! Right in the middle of the only true soft spot in the whole show! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xbones7480 Posted March 10, 2007 Share Posted March 10, 2007 in '79 they sounded HUNGRY! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LancerFi Posted March 10, 2007 Share Posted March 10, 2007 (edited) I apologize if I've told this story already but here goes. Picture a corps on tour whose having a very slow start to the season Picture that corps equipment truck is by the wayside some 500 miles back. I believe only rifles had their equipment. Picture being so exhausted from riding all night and it being 100 degrees and you're hungry, thirsty and getting really aggravated. Then from across the field out of site at the same school you hear this lush, full, beautiful sound and you believe you have headphones on it feels that close and clear...... They're also playing one of your favorite songs of all time.....first it's sad, you feel defeated and feel like crying, then you just take in that wall of sound and your hair blows back from the wind from that sound and enjoy every second..... That was one of my first introduction that I remember to Spirit's hornline - not close up but far away. I tried to never miss them when they took the field after that day! Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh Edited March 10, 2007 by LancerFi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tpt43 Posted March 11, 2007 Share Posted March 11, 2007 That is an awesome description! I could almost here Spirit myself. It must be nice to have memory of their sound like that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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