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Our first concert of the new millennium was a regular favourite at this time of year, held in Womersley Church. We are always made very welcome here and have many regular visitors in the audience.
The church has wonderful acoustics, although the area to fit the band is extremely tight, but we always seem to manage to get set up. The concert consisted of some new and more regular pieces, and at one point the two percussionists were "invited" to the front of the Band to perform Sandpaper Ballet, with our own amusing twist; the lead being the two percussionists using scrubbing brushes!
At the end of the concert, the church society came round with very welcome glasses of warm mulled wine and other foods and drinks, which was much appreciated by all. However, most of us had to dash off early to perform at the next concert that evening! ......
Despite the later than planned start, we actually got set up at just the right time for them. We started off by playing a few quiet pieces as they completed their dinner, we went on to play a more resounding concert following the speeches. We finished off with their traditional requests including the Dam Busters and Land of Hope and Glory. As a compromise, it had been agreed that we would only perform for 30 minutes, but things were going so well, that we ended putting on a full hours performance for them.
It might have started off in something of a rush, but it turned into a excellent event.
As normal, we performed a free, open-air event under the Main tower of the shopping centre. The weather switched between warm sunshine and rain, the latter forcing us to retreat even further under cover on a couple of occasions. But it did not prevent us from putting on a good performance for the folks as they went about shopping in the surrounding stores. We even took this opportunity to give a few of our new pieces an airing here, and these seemed to go down well.
The concert featured:
This was a special event for the Rotary Club, as they dedicated it to one of their members who was due to become their President in 2000 and was instrumental in getting this particular event under way. He particularly wanted KCB to play a piece called "Solemn Melody". However this is originally a military band piece, but we were able to find a superb arrangement from 1998 for Brass Band. Unfortunately, Reg passed away at the end of 1999, but we still included it in the evening's repertoire, in his memory.
The whole evening went off very well, and other highlights included the first public performance of a new piece specially purchased for the Band by one of its long standing supporters, entitled "The Trap". The choir again put on a wonderful performance, especially when you consider their young age. A far more mature choir would be delighted to be able to produce such excellent work. And the Barber Shop Chorus delighted us with many of their pieces, including two pieces they will be performing in the National Barbershop Finals at the end of April 2000.
Some photographs from this event can be found on our gallery pages.
The audience were extremely appreciative, and even when we thought we had ended, they remained in their seats almost insisting on an encore, which we duly delivered. The feedback from the occasion has been excellent, and we have already been booked to perform again at the same time next year! From my own experience of the evening, I can't wait to go back there.
Some photographs from this event can be found on our gallery pages.
We were delighted when James agreed to come up from his London base, to give up some of his valuable time to dedicate to our Band. He is an extremely eminent person in the areas of symphony orchestras, film sound tracks and of course brass bands. He is probably Europe's leading trumpet player in his own right (if not the world's), and is respected by his peers as both a musician and conductor.
James stared the day by talking about his history and vast career in music, which has taken him around the world several times. He has played on every continent, and in just about every major city you can name. And then some. He has performed for many famous people. In fact, he admitted that we were lucky he was was able to attend the session, as he was still recovering from illness. This illness had meant that he had to cancel from his appointment earlier in the week to play (are you ready for this? ....) In the Vatican, for the Pope, on the occasion of his birthday!
He then asked some of the younger band members if they had ever heard him play? They shyly replied that they hadn't, to which James picked up his trumpet, which was never far from his hand the whole day, and played the beginning of that unmistakable theme tune from "Raiders of the lost arc". With a smile at the youngsters, he said "That was me!". Next came the exquisite sounds from the theme tune "Star Wars". Another smile and "That was me too!". The TV programme "Ground Force's" theme tune was next to flow from the trumpet of the master, and that was followed by the theme from a very recent film, "The Gladiators". By now he had everyone's fullest attention! And so the day continued. We would play a piece and James would bring his vast knowledge of the musical world to give wonderful and humorous examples of the ideas and suggestions he was putting over to us, and also played his trumpet for us to emphasise the points being made. Not a second went to waste, and this was summed up by some of the Band "supporters" who were at the back of the hall that day. They commented on how every face was transfixed on this tall man standing in front of us, and how every ear seemed locked in to his every word. His knowledge of the musical world is truly impressive, and his ability to pass this onto us in such an easy, interesting and humorous style was fantastic.
During the lunch break which had been arranged by the "supporters" James noticeably made an effort to sit down with the younger members of the group, and not confine himself to older members and you might have thought such an important man might do. But despite his importance, he really is a down to earth, genuine, friendly and approachable man; a delight when compared to some other people from the likes of symphony orchestra conductors who can give the impression that they are somehow above the rest of us.
The afternoon session was dedicated to conducting. Several of he Band members had been having a go at conducting a piece of their choosing in previous band rehearsals. Now they bravely got up in front of the band, and with James watching, conducted their piece. After each, James passed on plenty of advice in the same style as before with plenty of anecdotes from his own experiences used to make his point.
This had been a remarkable day, which I'm sure every member of the Band enjoyed immensely. I also got the feeling that James, too, enjoyed the day. Although not a brass player myself, merely a percussionist, I learnt an awful lot from the day. But what I personally will remember from the session more than any other, is the fantastic sounds that James produced all day long from his trumpet. He could make is sing like I've never heard a trumpet sing before.
I would like to say a big Thank You to DIVA at this time, for the support they gave us with this event, and also to Alistair Yager for his efforts in arranging with James for the day.
Some photographs from this event can be found on our gallery pages.
On arrival at the impressive house, we were led to the beautiful rear garden, where a marquee had been erected beside the large fish pond, for the band to perform in. This was facing the house where they had arrange the furniture facing the band. We set-up and were then invited in for some lovely snacks and drinks, whilst waiting for the guest of honour to arrive. At a queue from the family hiding in the house, we piped up with Happy Birthday to You as she entered the room, and the surprise was complete.
We were specifically asked to make this concert particularly Yorkshire in style, so the likes of Clog Dance, Floral Dance and of course On Ilkley Moor bar t' 'at found their way into the proceedings. This may have been one of the smallest audiences we have played for (about 12 family members for this private party), but they were certainly one of the most appreciative, and an enjoyable day was had by both them and us.
With only one rehearsal together before the first performance, the first evening still had a few moments of uncertainty, although the singing and playing itself was excellent. By Thursday, everyone knew what was happening and the remaining two evenings went much more slickly.
Following these concerts, the following article, written by David Joynson, appeared in the Pontefract & Castleford Express on 8th June 2000:
"Knottingley Concert Brass, conducted by Graham Dean, believes in encouraging youth. Approximately half of its 30 players are teenagers, but they play with poise and confidence, youngsters leading several of the band's sections.
They gave a good account of themselves in Souza on Parade and The James Bond Collection. My whole evening was made by unfamiliar items: One Moment in Time with some fine cornet playing and virtuoso drums, and Knights in White Satin and Circle of Life were worth the journey."
Some photographs from this event can be found on our gallery pages.
Under cover of a marquee, both bands took it in turn to lead the audience in songs and hymns, as well as performing concert pieces for their entertainment.
It was an enjoyable day, if rather long and tiring.
We started with that extremely moody and exciting piece with its powerful finale, the theme tune from "Last of the Mohicans". The lighting engineers helped create the atmosphere with a combination of moody lighting effects and images from the film projected onto the wall behind us. And so the first half went on, with Sue introducing the items, the band played several pieces with movie connections. But it was not all brass band. As with our recent concerts, we showed off the depth of talent within our band, with Ruth and Kathryn singing a duet accompanied by Jennifer on the piano, young Rosie once again producing the most wonderful sounds from her recorders, both with the band and in two wonderful solo pieces, accompanied by her father, Alistair, on the piano. Her second piece, "The Bee" has to be heard to be believed! She doesn't seem to have time to breath. Then once again Ruth returned to sing a beautiful solo piece. The first half was brought to a close with that exciting Irish foot-tapping piece, "Lord of the Dance".
During the interval, all the audience had the opportunity to take their free refreshments, and examine the exhibits in the hospitality room. Once the queue for the ladies had ended(!) the second half of the concert began, with our very own Bavarian Oompah Band, the KC Bratwurst. Steve, their leader, was very much on form, and got the audience joining in by clapping and singing along, and various percussion instruments were handed out to the children to help them out as well. A little competition was set (guess the number of tunes in their last piece) which was won by two members of the audience who were invited on stage. The first winner received her prize of a genuine KC Bratwurst sausage (no expense spared!) and our second winner was young Sarah who came with the face of a tiger painted on and lolly stuck in her mouth. This caused Steve some communication problems, to the amusement of many. Sarah walk off with a small bag of goodies.
Following the raffle, the concert continued, with very much a spectacular show-biz feel. The Band had changed from their black bow tie, white shirt into a much more glitz and glamour style, and the musical pieces were show-biz, fast paced and exciting to match the theme. Leading up to the concert, our Patrons had the opportunity to vote for a piece they wanted to be included. "One moment in time" was the clear winner to the obvious delight of some members of the audience who raised a cheer, and as promised this was included. At one point Jennifer's chair decided to take a backwards tumble just as she was about to play a solo, causing some concern for a moment, but the band kept on playing in true "The show must go one" style, and she composed herself quickly enough to complete the piece. She got the chance to show how it should have been performed, because after we completed our programme with "New York, New York" (the Band's signature tune), the audience would not let us off stage without an encore. So it was agreed to play "Puttin' on the Ritz" again, and Jennifer got her chance to play without the chair collapsing beneath her this time.
So the show was now over, and as the audience left, we received so many thanks and complimentary comments, that all the effort and preparation was all made worth while. It was also some what of a success from a Patrons point of view, with many new Patrons signing up on the night (as a bonus, they had their entrance fee refunded!), and we have received several requests for further Patron membership forms. If you would like to know more about or to join our Patrons scheme, then more information can be found on our web page dedicated to the Patrons.
The Band would like to take this opportunity to thank the many people who have worked over the past few months and during the evening itself, to make this a success. Too numerous to mention them all individually (they know who they are), but special thanks go to the sound and lighting engineers for their help and patience with us over the weeks, the people giving up their time to assist with setting up the hall, hospitality and refreshment areas, the ATC for doing a good job with the parking, and the helpers on the night, especially those organising the catering and stewarding. This was our smoothest running event to date thanks to you, so we mean it when we say a big "Thank you" to you all.
Quite a few photographs from the concert have be loaded onto our gallery pages. Why not take a look there to see what all the fuss was about?
Following the two beautiful shires horses pulling the Samuel Smith's dray (keeping a careful eye out for "parcels" left by the horses), we led the rest of the procession, keeping in time to the sound of Steve on the big marching bass drum.
The following procession was made up from many groups, including the Mayor and Mayoress, who took it in turn to walk and ride in the limousine, several floats containing various scenes, from the Bible to wild animals and more. Plus other groups like a band of marching cavaliers, stilt walkers and a funny orange shaped car!
After a couple of hours marching and playing, we led the procession into the Knottingley sports field where many stalls were arranged around the main arena. The entertainment continued in this area for the rest of the day.
Some photographs from this event can be found on our gallery pages.
As we started to play, the people from the village filled the seats and stood all around in this very informal setting. But the music was well appreciated by all. However, we did not have the event completely to ourselves, as the children from the local school also put on a performance of song and dance that went down well with the attending group. I'm sure there were plenty of proud mums and dads in the audience.
Following the main concert, we accompanied the group by playing the hymns for a short service of thanks which was also held outside once again, to make the most of the weather.
Some photographs from this event will be available shortly.
The event was split into two halves, with KCB starting off by performing in the first half. We put on several old and new pieces including a couple of pieces being performed for the first time especially for this concert. In the second half, the DIVA chorus performed their "Postcards From Out Of The Blue" piece, which was a mixed collection based giving the story of how a group of travellers all come together when bad weather affects their transport. They then exchange stories of places visited, near and far, all in the form of singing and chorus. They made a wonderful job of it, especially when you realise that the hall does not lend itself as well to voice as it does for the likes of brass band.
Further information can also be found on the DIVA Web Site.
The organisers had planned a large, special event to celebrate the new millennium, consisting of performances from the six societies which make up the "Friends of the Civic Centre". These are
Following the events, we have received some excellent feedback, including one person who said our performance had made their evening, and this was a parent from one of the other societies! You can't get much better praise than that, and we really do appreciate it. Thank you.
Steve's playing of the last post at the cenotaph was very moving and played with such feeling, even though he admitted he had only been asked to play it just that morning, and had had no opportunity to rehearse. Well done Steve!
The church has a wonderful interior, which seems to be perfect for brass band playing. Many of the Band members reported on how well they were able to hear other sections of the band during the performance. The audience was not large (which was a pity as far as fund raising went), but they enjoyed the performance. We were even offered occasional use of the church, in case we were unable to get anywhere to rehearse. The feeling from everyone in the Band, was that the performance was right on the button, with every section playing well that evening. We all came away with a bit of a buzz. I wonder how much the church hall itself contributed to this performance. This certainly sets up up for the main Christmas concerts in just a few short weeks from this event.
Their charity, B'NAI B'RITH, is aiming to raise funds in order to help children from the east European countries that are trying to recover since breaking away from the communist regime. This has left them poor and impoverished, and many children are suffering. The charity intend to bring over a woman to train her in child and OAP care so that she can return and begin to make a difference. This event is hoped to be staged annually, to help train as many people as possible. We are pleased to say that they told us on the night that around £1000.00 were made from the event which about 300 people attended, an excellent achievement for the organisers. Well done to them. The monies are already being put into use, as final arrangements for the woman to come to the UK in the middle of January 2001 are being arranged. She will be here for six months, before returning to start her own education back in her home country.
Towards the end of the concert, Graham was presented with a framed certificate, indicating that a donation has been made by their own charity to a charity that helps look after and educate children in Romania. They did this on behalf of Knottingley Concert Brass, a gesture for which we were deeply touched. Our many thanks go out to them.
So it seems our performance went down well, as we have already been invited back next year to perform another concert on behalf of their charity. After the extremely warm welcome we received (and assistance with our instruments, after the keys to the trailer went missing!), we are delighted to say we would love to return and perform for them again in 2001. Details will be posted here once date and location have been finalised.
Some photographs from this event can be found on our gallery pages.
We performed many of the pieces we have been rehearsing hard for over the past few months, that will also form part of our main Christmas concert. In between we played several traditional Christmas sing along items and I'm sure the mainly elderly audience felt young at heart again as they joined in with the singing. Refreshments were served at the tables during the interval, as this means the less mobile don't have to struggle around with drinks, just one of the special arrangements we make for this charitable concert. And they needed all their energy for the second half, as Graham had them rocking from side to side and throwing there arms in the air to one of our favourite German festive pieces. This audience participation seemed to go down very well with everyone who was able to attend; we guess that several of them don't get an opportunity to attend functions such as this often, and they sure know how to make the most of it when they can! At the end of the concert, a couple of the audience took control of the microphone and praised Graham and the Band for a wonderful show. It is genuine appreciation like this that makes it all worth while.
The future of this charity concert had been in doubt going into the event, due to poor turn outs in the past and the possibility of the same again in 2000. But a good turn out, and the warmth of appreciation from everyone there has ensured that we shall indeed keep this event going, for as long as folks are able to attend.
Some photographs from this event can be found on our gallery pages.
And what an excellent evening it was, not only for us, but all the wonderful feedback we received, the audience loved it too. We had our usual mix of new, exciting pieces, traditional Christmas tunes with everyone joining in by singing, jumping up and down or playing on percussion instruments that were handed out. One young girl who had been before even asked if she could bring along here own tambourine to play. "Of course she can!" Other highlights included singing from Kathryn, Emma and Ruth, and once again, Rosie stunned everyone with a couple of marvellous tunes on her recorders.
The Bratwurst Oompah Band opened the second half and had a surprise for our lady helpers, as Steve brought them all to the front, to join in with a group of children, leading the rest of the audience in the Birdy Song dance. They will get him back for that, I'm sure!
Other surprises included the first performance for Martin Bird. Martin had secretly joined the Band leading up to the concert and you should have seen the expressions of surprise on his parents face as the realisation of who the forth bass player was, set in. My own parents had a similar surprise, as they still believed I only occasionally "banged about" on the timps during rehearsals, and didn't realise I was now a full playing member of the Band. This was a surprise I had planned for them last Christmas but they were unable to attend. But I hadn't realised they still believed this to be the case (I think my brother had a lot to do with that!). Then there was the usual surprise for all the younger members of the audience, as Father Christmas took time out from his very busy schedule at this time of year, to join us and hand out gifts to the children.
All in all it was an excellent evening, and brought to an end a very good year for the Band as a whole. Here's hoping that 2001 (our 25th anniversary) will be just as good. We hope you will be able to join us at some time throughout the year.
Some photographs from this event can be found on our gallery pages.
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