If anyone had doubts about the vibrancy of Adelaide’s music scene a visit to this year’s Mitcham Band Festival would have quickly dispelled them.
Brass bands, concert bands, army and navy bands, bands for young and old, professionals and relative beginners – the variety on offer was mind-boggling.
The trumpet and trombone fanfare in Campbelltown’s opening number Summon the Dragon would have lured any fire-breathing giant lizard from its lair. A sizeable proportion of the rest of our programme was on the jazzy end of the musical spectrum. Birdland was written as a tribute to the New York nightclub associated with Saxophonist Charlie “Bird” Parker. No saxophones in a brass band, but we coped. Julie Dorey did a magnificent job of channelling Ella Fitzgerald in Body and Soul and John Rhode’s solo in Fever could easily have been mistaken for a string bass – if you didn’t look at that big silver thing in the back row. All you need is imagination!
Many thanks to our helpers – Andrew Parkinson on trombone, David Mounsey on horn and Ryan Matulick on drums. A warm welcome to new member Carolyn Gilham on euphonium. And, as usual, congratulations to Mitcham on their superb organization.
Photos copyright Mitcham City Band.
