In a career spanning 35 years I have taken part in many memorable performances, some for all the right reasons and some for the wrong reasons!!!!!
On this page I will list for you the 10 most memorable
performances I have given for whatever reason and then take my life and career in my own hands and list the 5
worst.
I'm sure you will agree, a very brave and painful thing to do. You may have recollections of these performances and have your own thoughts about why they were so good or bad. You may also remember other occasions that you heard me play and have a memory to share with us. Whatever it is, let me know on the guest book or by private e-mail and I may include your memories on the next update to this page.
My 10 most memorable performances:
1) 1992 National Championship Final at The Royal Albert Hall, London
It has to be really doesn't it? The off-stage trumpet part, the media attention, an extraordinary build-up and a wonderful band performance from Grimethorpe conducted by Frank Renton that brought the house down and 1st place into the bargain. If you want to read the full story of this momentous occasion go to Articles.
2) 1985 Granada Band of the Year at Spectrum Arena, Warrington
Grimethorpe had been trying to persuade Elgar Howarth for several years, to return to the contesting arena and build us another entertaining programme like the W.Hogarth Lear specials he did in the 1970`s. To our astonishment he agreed in 1985, but warned us that he planned a radical new approach that he wanted following to the letter and may open us up to ridicule from other bands. What resulted was the most amazing 25 minute programme ever seen at a brass band contest. The band played all but the last few bars without a conductor, chairs were disposed of, (except for the basses) and the music was linked together by little bridge passages that covered for some movement on stage. Steve Sykes started the show off ambling onto the stage and tootling away. Gradually sections joined him in the opening piece - Lucerne Song - until the band were on stage mostly stood up. Every move was choreographed to perfection and the audience absolutely loved it. I was the featured soloist playing Concerto for Trumpet by Harry James and brought the band in when necessary. The show reached its
conclusion by everyone leaving the stage one by one leaving Steve Sykes and Stan Lippeatt by themselves. A bit of horseplay ensued before Stan left leaving Steve to play a virtuoso cadenza written specially by Elgar Howarth. David James then led the band back on stage for the final thunderous 4 bars and the place erupted. The band won the contest hands down, although curiously were placed only third on entertainment by Arthur Taylor the Granada producer who always judged in the open. The playing judges were Roy Newsome and James Scott and gave the band first on playing by a long way. The banding press
didn't know how to take it. Some thought it was the end of band contests. Bram Gay the organiser said it was a `Blow for real banding` The audience just lapped it up and it became one of the most
notorious contest performances ever. Videos of the show are still around and people have great delight in reminding me of me curly perm hairstyle!!!!!! (Aaarrgghhhhh!!!!!!!!)
3) 1976 Solo Championships of Great Britain at Morris Motors, Cowley, Oxford
I was a young 17 year old from Middlesbrough and barely heard of in the upper echelons of brass bands. Playing Jenny Jones I qualified for the final off an early no.3 draw out of a field of about 90. The final had a list of household names including, Robert Childs, Trevor Groom and soloists from Brighouse, Hammonds and Fodens. I will never forget John Childs (Bob and Nick`s Father) turning round and telling me I had won before the results were announced, to Bob`s obvious dismay!!!. As it happened Bob was 3rd, the reigning Champion from Ireland was 2nd, and I was named Champion Soloist of Great Britain for 1976. The memory of my father dancing around the
car park with the Championship trophy upside down on his head will live with me forever.
4) 1994 Brass in Concert Championships at Spennymoor
My last contest with Grimethorpe. We had just played New Jerusalem the day before in Blackpool and won the Mineworkers Contest quite easily and I really wanted to go out on a high. Garry Cutt conducted and had chosen to include the first performance of Satchmo in the programme.
I've always had a close affinity with the Spennymoor crowd because of my roots in the North-East but they seemed to be willing me on, on this day and I really enjoyed ripping out this piece that has become a focal point of my repertoire. The band swept the board and I won the soloist prize for the 3rd time and the best Principal Cornet award for the 5th year in succession and 6th in all. A great way to go out and a day which left a lump in my throat which
doesn't happen often!!!
5) 1983 British Open Championship at Free trade Hall, Manchester
This was a momentous day for me. I was under some pressure at Grimethorpe having only been Principal Cornet for about a year. I
hadn't pulled up any trees to date and the previous incumbent was waiting his chance in the wings hoping to get me out. The band politics at the time were very intense which added much pressure to an already white hot atmosphere. To make matters worse, Connotations by Edward Gregson was the test-piece and required a cool head from the top man. Grimethorpe were slightly disappointed with 3rd place but the performance was 1st rate and I made my first mark as the bands Principal Cornet. I never really looked back from this day on.
6) 2001 Midlands Area at Burton Town Hall
A memorable performance from Travelsphere Holidays Band conducted by Frank Renton of Philip
Wiley's `Jazz`. This piece is right up my street and I reveled in the style, not least in the stand up Eddie Calvert solo. The band won the contest by the proverbial country mile with a performance that many rated as one of the best in the country, for that particular round of
Areas.
7) 1997 All England Masters at Cambridge
I conducted Sellers Engineering Band and again the piece was Jazz. It had been commissioned for this contest and so it was the first time it was used. As has happened so many times at Cambridge I pulled the dreaded no.1 draw. The band were superb and achieved a style and standard that was unsurpassed all day. A disappointing 7th was the return and left us feeling that if we had played later on when the judges and the audience new the piece, we would have stood out much more.
8) 1988 Concert at Queen Elizabeth Hall, London - Grimethorpe Colliery Band conducted by Major Peter
Parkes
Not many concerts in this bunch of memories, I know, but this was probably the best concert I have played in. It was part of a series of concerts on the South Bank and Grimey were conducted by Peter
Parkes as a guest for the evening. The programme was immense, Kenilworth (Bliss), Harmony Music (Sparke), Concerto Grosso
(Bourgeois) and Pictures at an Exhibition (Mussorgsky arr. Howarth). Add to this my performance of Ernest Tomlinsons Cornet Concerto and you will understand what a mammoth evening it was for me. The band were superb, as was Peter Parkes and the Tomlinson went as well as I could have hoped for. The press eulogised about the performance both national and banding.
9) 1991 Yorkshire Area Contest at St. Georges Hall, Bradford
This was memorable for one thing and one thing alone, the breathtaking performance of Journey into Freedom by Grimethorpe. Kenneth Dennison adjudicated and said in his speech that the winning band sound made `the walls of his box reverberate`. It was an awesome performance conducted by Frank Renton and
signaled the start of the golden era for Frank and the band.
10) 1978 Champion of Champions, Queensland State, Australia
I had traveled to Australia as a guest of Townsville Citizens Band and played with them at the State Championships. They entered me into the solo classes and I came away with the top honour after a good performance of Jenny Jones. I made a lot of friends in Australia, not least the Bolster family whom I stayed with and very nearly emigrated, but changed my mind at the last minute.
And now to possibly the most interesting - my 5 worst performances, unless you know better????
1) 1984 National Championship Final at The Royal Albert Hall
Dances & Arias was the test-piece and Grimethorpe were Open Champions and conducted by Geoffrey Brand. We were on a high after the Open and were probably favourites for London but I was not very well most of the week and had a streaming cold on the Friday. Saturday came, the day of the contest and I could hardly lift my head off the pillow. If I had been a footballer I would have just not played because of being unfit and nothing more would have been said, but this was banding - you play even if you are dying!!! I somehow managed to get on stage, my head was splitting and I played terribly. Graham
O'Connor was my second man at the time and ended up singing some of the solo for me!!!! My worst contest performance by a long way.
2) 1992 Elgar Howarth 21st Anniversary Concert - Huddersfield Town Hall
This was a wonderful concert to celebrate Gary Hearth's 21 year association with the band. A programme packed with major works and I was down to play The Amazing Mr.Arban. It was however bang in the middle of a real dodgy period for myself. I was having all kinds of problems in my playing and this concert was probably my lowest point. I played badly all night and really felt as if I had let the band and Mr. Howarth down in particular. Things improved dramatically afterwards though and later that year we went on to win London with a performance that is documented earlier. All players go through these periods and I suppose I was lucky it only happened occasionally, however it was a pity that such a high profile concert suffered as I really used to enjoy these kind of concerts. Not this one though!!!!
3) 1994 All England Masters at Cambridge
What can I say about this one! We pulled our usual early draw, No.3, and Montage was the piece. I loved the cornet solo in the slow movement and really enjoyed playing it, however for some reason I `bottled` the ending. After playing all the hard stuff, the long solo up to the top C# etc, the last few bars were abysmal and I
couldn't hold it steady for my life. One of those things. Nerves have never really bothered me much over the years, but they did on this one! We finished 5th I think.
4) 2001 All England Masters at Cambridge
Pageantry with Travelsphere. Guess what! Drew No. 1 (for the 5th time in all). Frank Renton was conducting and the band were awful! I was not much better individually and the Jousts opening had several splits. Just one to forget I think!!!
5) 1993 British Open at Free Trade Hall, Manchester
Masquerade was the test-piece and we were playing it well if rather `different` to everyone else. This sticks in my mind for one note. I had been concerned about the first part of the cadenza which slurs down to a low A. I had messed it up a couple of times in rehearsal and it was on my mind somewhat. When we got to this part I played it superbly and really felt the relief ooze through my body, however I lost concentration as a result. This was only the start of the cadenza and the next arpeggio goes up to a loud top B. After the elation of playing the dodgy bit well, my heart sank when I split the top B all over the ceiling of the Free Trade Hall. It seemed to echo round for hours and the audience gave their notorious `ooooooohhhhhhhhhh` A shame because the rest of it was excellent, however I
wasn't the most popular person around Grimethorpe Band for a while - we finished 12th!!!
So there you have it! My best 10 and worst 5 performance memories. Let me know if you can remember any other highs or lows in my career!
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