This video and it's predecessor are wonderful. So many legends of the brass band world here. I was privileged to know and play with some of them. Incredible to see a young Jim Shepherd who I had the honour to play with in Versatile Brass in the 1990's and so sad to think that I attended his funeral just a few short months back. Phillip McCann looks so young as well! I only met Harry Mortimer a few times in the 1980's when he was becoming quite frail, so terrific to see him here when he was still in top form. Thank you so very much for sharing this film.
Really enjoyed watching this with family! The cornet player being told off at 15.16 is my dad Gordon Micklethwaite, who played with the Linthwaite Silver Prize Band. A fascinating glimpse into a world that's part of my heritage but that I don't know much about.
Nice to see a reply to my comment. For what it's worth, I was 22 at the time and a member of the Weston Silver Band. The massed bands arrived a week before the big concert and each band put on free concerts in various cities between Niagara Falls and Toronto. I was in the thick of it as we hosted one of the bands at a local Legion. I believe a Niagara Falls travel agency was the main sponsor and for some reason thought there would be a greater return on their investment. The big show was well attended but I don't know how the sponsors could ever recoup their expenses. There was no live recording of the concert and the CBC documentary is the only proof that it ever happened. We had our own town band festival in the Toronto area but sadly it folded after 2 years of little to no interest.
Sad there are so few comments for this remarkable record of British brass band history. A triumvirate of great British brass band conductors here: Harry Mortimer, Eric Ball and Geoffrey Brand ( who only left us last month at the remarkable age of 96). It's fun spotting players also especially the solo cornets of the 4 bands featured.
Haven't played a note in a few years but brought this video back to reminisce the golden years as a brass bandsmen in Toronto. I attended this concert and was surprised to learn the CBC had made a film of it. I learned later the whole event was a financial disaster. It is too bad that we in Canada have become too Americanized musically. As I paid a little more attention to the filler parts in the video, there were my mother and father in the audience at one of the outside concerts. Imagine that. Sorry to say, I will never see another concert like this in my lifetime.
Not surprised it was a financial " disaster" given the enormous cost of transporting 4 bands and their instruments to and from Canada from the UK along with venue hire, conductors fees etc. And all in a country where even 50 years later British style bands have never " bedded in". It's a wonderful record to have for anyone remotely interested in brass band history though!
I performed under Maestro Mortimer as a young teen on my first world tour as a featured soloist with The United States Collegiate Wind Band..... he was certainly a legend and a hghlight of my proceeding 30 years of headlining.
Roy Newsome genial as ever had the wonderful opportunity of playing ''Bass in the Ballroom under his batton & will not forget his encouraging words ''you just play it & i'll follow you'',How Humble is that
Eric Ball the gentle man of brass kindness personified Have the memories of playing under him several times left you with the feeling of God sitting on your shoulder' 'a true gentleman''
Wonderful. A snapshot from another era.The shots of rrural and metropolitan northern England of the time contribute as much as the music and the characters.
