Perils of Caffeine in the Evening

Some recordings of our parade music from band camp.  They’re a long way from the Sheherazade of our spring concert!  Percussion is way over-emphasized in these due to the room where we did the recording, but it’s OK by me because they bring it righteously.  We’re a little light in some areas (we march about 45, half the size of our concert band.  And only one clarinet?!  Calling Mrs. Perils…), but I hafta say, in my unbiased opinion, the trumpets ride into each song like the damn cavalry.  You really have to be a band geek to play more than one or two of these, or else you want multiple 80s-era flashbacks.  I’m posting them mostly for my marching-band brother, and maybe my mom.

I think these are going to be really fun in the parades we have scheduled this summer.  As we practice marching through the neighborhood near our rehearsal space, we pick up a camp following of kids and adults as they come out of their houses in slack-jawed amazement (and maybe annoyance), and then follow us gleefully from block to block.  I like to think we’ve given them a little ray of sunshine in this extended spring of gloomy weather.

Jai Ho, the theme song from the movie Slumdog Millionaire. Interesting mixture of Indian rhythms and motifs and pop-song refrain.

[audio:http://phil2bin.com/sounds/05_JAI_HO.mp3]

Pick Up The Pieces. Your Average White Band.  Nice trumpet breakout in the middle:

[audio:http://phil2bin.com/sounds/09_PICK_UP_THE_PIECES.mp3]

Mas Que Nada, a sultry samba.  It’ll be summer here sometime… I first heard this in college by Sergio Mendes/Brasil 66. We do a drill routine during the 16-bar percussion feature:

[audio:http://phil2bin.com/sounds/08_MAS_QUE_NADA.mp3]

Let’s Groove - Earth, Wind & Fire.

[audio:http://phil2bin.com/sounds/04_LETS_GROOVE.mp3]

Bad Romance, Lady Gaga. Not an 80s song.

[audio:http://phil2bin.com/sounds/10_BAD_ROMANCE.mp3]

Don’t Stop - Fleetwood Mac:

[audio:http://phil2bin.com/sounds/01_DONT_STOP.mp3]

Soak Up The Sun - Sheryl Crow:

[audio:http://phil2bin.com/sounds/01_SOAK_UP_THE_SUN.mp3]

Americans We - Henry Fillmore. Just to show you we can play a straight-on Fourth of July march. And follow the dynamics now & then:

[audio:http://phil2bin.com/sounds/07_AMERICANS_WE.mp3]

Gimme Some Lovin’:

[audio:http://phil2bin.com/sounds/06_GIMME_SOME_LOVIN.mp3]

Mickey:

[audio:http://phil2bin.com/sounds/03_MICKEY.mp3]

Drumline cadence when we’re marching, not playing.  You really have to be a band geek to listen to this:

[audio:http://phil2bin.com/sounds/11_DRUMLINE_CADENCE_2010.mp3]