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Re: no anedotes??? Lets try some topics

To: <brass-band@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: Re: no anedotes??? Lets try some topics
From: "David Williams" <JDW@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Thu, 23 Sep 1999 19:49:27 +0100
Priority: low
Reply-to: brass-band@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Dear Mary Ellen.  You wanted some anecdotes of banding disasters.  Well, I
was going to tell you about the time our band here in North Wales, U.K. was
out Christmas carolling about 1947 when it was so cold the instruments froze
solid. trom.slides would,nt slide and valves were locked.  The men retired
to a pub...and later (on Xmas eve)  the little Eb bass player went "
missing" and was found playing carols in the local cemetery..all on his own.
Then there was the time in a contest when our solo euphonium forgot to glue
in his denture and they slipped right in the middle of his cadenza.   True,
I assure you !. Then another contest ...test piece Eric Ball,s "Petite Suite
de Ballet" after rehearsing like champions,  in the second movement our
flugel came in a bar too soon and I (then a kid on solo horn) did,nt know
whether to join the euph. or the flugel.   We lost, of course !.  But today
my pal and I (the only two left from our defunct band) were engaged to play
(for nothing of course) at a large home for retired folk.   Tuesday we did
another "gig" for some handicapped club which went fine.  Unfortunately,
solo cornet (the only one) decided to wear his new spectacles and as we
started to play "The Battle Hymn of the Republic" for an opener he
discovered the music was blurred...his new "specs" were no good !  Somehow,
we managed to struggle through for an hour and a half with a programme which
included stuff by Chopin,Tchaikovsky,s "Swan Lake",  Delibes "Lakme" duet,
the Mexican Hat Dance, Bill Bailey,The Saints, American Patrol,the British
Grenadiers, Beautiful Dreamer,and other too numerous to mention.  We use a
very old cornet and very cheap flugel, but today was our sixth "mini"
concert this year.   Unfortunately, we will not be competing in the National
contest in the Albert Hall, London, next month.  With our very best wishes
to your band. Best regards, Dave Williams.  p.s. We did somehow manage to
give a good rendering of "La Vie en Rose" which Rod Thomas (Tibor) very
kindly sent us from Bairnsdale, Australia ,in zipped format on the net.
Thanks again Rod.  It sounded nice.


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