USA East Music NYSB BULLETIN - WINTER 2019/20 | Page 13

these folks gave us an uncompromising, 150% performance. What a privilege to hear! During the “third half”, the two bands came together to play some massed items, and literally blew us all away. Enter the Galaxies? Call of the Righteous? Could you pick a better set-list? I think not. Final result? A 15 out of 10. Absolute zero disappointment. Total satisfaction. Standing “O’s”, all around. No let-down. We’ve met our heroes. They’re awesome. MARTIN TIPLADY FORMER Bb BASS (RETIRED), INTERNATIONAL STAFF BAND What an evening! One that will remain on the memory for a long long time. On every level, this was an event to celebrate. It was unashamedly entertaining but just as important there were moments to reflect, to aid worship and to give thanks. The New York Staff Band and their leader, Derek Lance, are to be congratulated for the foresight and courage to put such an evening together. Their own contribution was really good and their choices excellent. The Band is playing so well - big sound, great end players, super ensemble, great players around the stands and a real sense of style. They are enjoying a true purple patch and long may it be so. And then there was The Cory Band. There was no sense of contest as both complemented each other so well. But at the moment, Cory seem to be on another planet. Winners in every competition during 2019, they played the fiendish Test piece - Titans Progress. If it was 18 minutes long, it didn’t seem so as Philip Harper’s explanation was really enlightened and made the time go so quickly. Even Mrs T enjoyed it! The standing ovation after it was deserved as was the ovation after Romeo and Juliet. Pure entertainment and fantastic playing, as good as I have ever heard and excellent narration. No- one will forget Chris Thomas’s solo, or Tom Hutchinson’s magnificent playing, or Helen Williams’ sublime flugelhorn, or Ian Roberts soprano, or Glyn Willliams’ Romeo, or the classy baritone of Stephen Kane, Ailsa Russell’s stylish tenor horn or the huge bass PROGRAM NEW YORK STAFF BAND CARIBE ............................................................... Michel Camilo arr. Philip Harper PROCLAIMERS .................................................... Kevin Norbury SEMPER FIDELIS ................................................ Martin Cordner LOVE THEME FROM ROMEO AND JULIET ................. Tchaikovsky arr. Philip Harper Flugel–Helen Williams Welcome & Prayer – Lt. Colonel James LaBossiere Euphonium–Glyn Williams KING OF THE SEVEN HEAVENS .............................. Philip Harper AND CAN IT BE ...................................................... Dan Forrest arr. Andrew Wainwright CLANS COLLIDE .................................................... Philip Harper LAMENT AND LIEBESTOD ................... Various, arr. Philip Harper SOMEWHERE FROM WEST SIDE STORY ........... Leonard Bernstein Devotional – Lt. Colonel James LaBossiere arr. Philip Harper RHAPSODY ON ST FRANCIS ........................... Andrew Wainwright Trombone–Chris Thomas INTERVAL INTERVAL CORY BAND MASSED BANDS MARCH OF THE PACEMAKERS ......................... Gordon Langford BALKAN DANCE ................................................ Etienne Crausaz TITAN’S PROGRESS ....................................... Hermann Pallhüber I KNOW THOU ART MINE ...................................... Len Ballantine O VERONA ....................................................... Craig Armstrong CALL OF THE RIGHTEOUS .................................... Leslie Condon arr. Philip Harper NEW YORK STAFF BAND T H E S A LVAT I O N A R M Y U S A E A S T sound, or…or….or…..!!! I could just go on and on! Put simply, it was a magnificent evening on every level that no one wants to judge it. We all left the Temple in an elated and excited mood but did not feel the biting cold of the New York air! How great too to see such a large international crowd. I - and many others - flew over especially and it was worth every penny and I would do it all again next weekend if Cory were in town! Thank you NYSB and thank you Derek for creating such a lifetime memory. Like so many others, I can say ‘I was there!’ CORY BAND W I N T E R 2 0 1 9 - 2 0   N Y S B B U L L E T I N   ‡   13