Posted by bloke on March 04, 2004 at 14:46:02:
In Reply to: Re: Best concert band in the U.S. posted by Sean Chisham on March 04, 2004 at 11:02:25:
Admittedly, I haven't heard the "President's Own" since I was a kid. Of course, I would imagine that during that time (with the draft in place, the Vietnam War raging, far fewer symphony orchestras paying a sort-of living wage, and the over-all performance level of high school bands in the U.S. being much higher than today) that they had quite their pick of musicians...
...but I recall a "stunt" that they used to pull at concerts. The "President's Own" Marine Band would play "Flight of the Bumblebee" featuring the clarinet section, and as soon as the first downbeat hit, the 1st clarinets would slowly and methodically clean their instruments while the 2nd's and 3rd's would play the solo part.