John Brooks
Well-Known Member
It's been said that we need new and interesting topics and I'm hopeful that this might fit both parameters.
I grew up in Kensington, west London and was taken to the local Salvation Army at Notting Hill my my elder brother when I was five. It was there that I first learned to play the cornet. The bandmaster was Charlie Woods who was seriously ill with TB for some time during which bandmaster Williams (father of James) took the band. It was a small group but had an effective presence in the neighborhood. Subsequently my family moved to Penge in south east London where I continued to progress. At one time I received lessons from Peter Clack, principal french horn with the Welsh Guards.
Penge was where I experienced the first significant change in banding as instruments were changed from high to low pitch. Music played was more challenging at Penge and I had the privilege of playing under the baton of Dean Goffin and Norman Bearcroft. I was a founding member of the South London Divisional Youth Band under Les Condon.
Work was in an office on Queen Street, near St. Paul's Cathedral and I would often attend concerts by different groups performed on the steps of St. Paul's. I was also a frequent visitor to ISB band rehearsals (when they had regular noon hour rehearsals) during the era of Roland Cobb, Terry Camsey, Ron Harrison, Arthur Rolls, Leslie Condon, Charles Skinner and many others. I recall Bernard Adams introducing The Holy War and how the performance evolved over the weeks prior to its first public performance. A personal highlight was going to the SA shop at Judd Street and standing close to Roland Cobb as he demonstrated a new cornet model. As a teenager I was enthralled.
In 1966 I emigrated to Canada and settled in Brantford, Ontario. The band was a good size and delivered a live weekly broadcast over the local radio station. A highlight of my time with that band was sharing a concert with Hamilton Temple Band under the direction of Wilf Mountain. Some years later circumstances resulted in my joining HTB when Brian Nutty (former sop at Hendon SA) was the bandmaster. I also played under David Stephens and David Argent. As a member of HTB I was fortunate to participate in a recording with Ted Marshall as the engineer and also trips to Michigan and California. This was a busy band and guest soloists included Roland Cobb, Gordon Higinbottom, Ian Bousfield, Robert Venables, Robert Foster and Don Lusher. Playing with this band in Roy Thomson Hall was an amazing experience.
I was privileged to hear several visiting bands including Amsterdam Staff Band, Melbourne Staff Band, New York Staff Band, Chicago Staff Band, Sydney Congress Hall, Box Hill (Melbourne), Wellington Citadel, Stockholm VII, Hollywood Tabernacle, Govan (on their iconic 1966 North American tour) and the ISB. I was present at the inaugural festival of the Canadian Staff Band and most of their subsequent anniversary concerts. I also heard Desford, G.U.S., C.W.S. (Manchester), Fairey and Black Dyke (twice) in or near Toronto.
Leaving the SA I enjoyed the opportunity to play in an orchestra several times which expanded my playing experience, a highlight being the accompaniment of well known Christian vocalist Steve Green in a concert.
Banding has changed a lot over the years in the S.A. and elsewhere. Expansive tours are a thing of the past, with most being less than two weeks and some "long weekend trans-Atlantic" trips having been undertaken in recent years. For me the most significant change is in the music played. While I appreciate many of the newer works I also wish bands would continue to feature some of the older works as well. For example, what I wouldn't give to hear one of the top bands play Alan Street's Rococo Variations on a Theme of Tchaikovsky. There's a whole list of pieces but maybe that's a topic for another thread.
I hope this is interesting and that others will share in a similar vein.
I grew up in Kensington, west London and was taken to the local Salvation Army at Notting Hill my my elder brother when I was five. It was there that I first learned to play the cornet. The bandmaster was Charlie Woods who was seriously ill with TB for some time during which bandmaster Williams (father of James) took the band. It was a small group but had an effective presence in the neighborhood. Subsequently my family moved to Penge in south east London where I continued to progress. At one time I received lessons from Peter Clack, principal french horn with the Welsh Guards.
Penge was where I experienced the first significant change in banding as instruments were changed from high to low pitch. Music played was more challenging at Penge and I had the privilege of playing under the baton of Dean Goffin and Norman Bearcroft. I was a founding member of the South London Divisional Youth Band under Les Condon.
Work was in an office on Queen Street, near St. Paul's Cathedral and I would often attend concerts by different groups performed on the steps of St. Paul's. I was also a frequent visitor to ISB band rehearsals (when they had regular noon hour rehearsals) during the era of Roland Cobb, Terry Camsey, Ron Harrison, Arthur Rolls, Leslie Condon, Charles Skinner and many others. I recall Bernard Adams introducing The Holy War and how the performance evolved over the weeks prior to its first public performance. A personal highlight was going to the SA shop at Judd Street and standing close to Roland Cobb as he demonstrated a new cornet model. As a teenager I was enthralled.
In 1966 I emigrated to Canada and settled in Brantford, Ontario. The band was a good size and delivered a live weekly broadcast over the local radio station. A highlight of my time with that band was sharing a concert with Hamilton Temple Band under the direction of Wilf Mountain. Some years later circumstances resulted in my joining HTB when Brian Nutty (former sop at Hendon SA) was the bandmaster. I also played under David Stephens and David Argent. As a member of HTB I was fortunate to participate in a recording with Ted Marshall as the engineer and also trips to Michigan and California. This was a busy band and guest soloists included Roland Cobb, Gordon Higinbottom, Ian Bousfield, Robert Venables, Robert Foster and Don Lusher. Playing with this band in Roy Thomson Hall was an amazing experience.
I was privileged to hear several visiting bands including Amsterdam Staff Band, Melbourne Staff Band, New York Staff Band, Chicago Staff Band, Sydney Congress Hall, Box Hill (Melbourne), Wellington Citadel, Stockholm VII, Hollywood Tabernacle, Govan (on their iconic 1966 North American tour) and the ISB. I was present at the inaugural festival of the Canadian Staff Band and most of their subsequent anniversary concerts. I also heard Desford, G.U.S., C.W.S. (Manchester), Fairey and Black Dyke (twice) in or near Toronto.
Leaving the SA I enjoyed the opportunity to play in an orchestra several times which expanded my playing experience, a highlight being the accompaniment of well known Christian vocalist Steve Green in a concert.
Banding has changed a lot over the years in the S.A. and elsewhere. Expansive tours are a thing of the past, with most being less than two weeks and some "long weekend trans-Atlantic" trips having been undertaken in recent years. For me the most significant change is in the music played. While I appreciate many of the newer works I also wish bands would continue to feature some of the older works as well. For example, what I wouldn't give to hear one of the top bands play Alan Street's Rococo Variations on a Theme of Tchaikovsky. There's a whole list of pieces but maybe that's a topic for another thread.
I hope this is interesting and that others will share in a similar vein.
