Circus Bands

[eupher61]

I emailed Carson and Barnes, got a quick reply...they now use canned music.

*sigh

Ed, I don't really remember when I saw the show, but now that I'm thinking more about it, it could have been as early as 1975. I don't even remember there being a tuba player, I'm thinking it was an electric bass, but memory is fuzzy.

[Tuba Guy]

well, so much for dropping out, running away, and joining the circus...

[pigman]

AHHHH the smell of dryied elephant!!!!!!!!!

[eupher61]

the roar of the greasepaint, the smell of the crowd.

[The Big Ben]

Thanks for posting these recollections. I had a band director in high school, Mr. Percy Bronson, who was on the call list for many events in the Seattle area, including the circus. He was a sax man; alto and tenor, mainly but played clarinet, soprano sax and flute as well. His tenor case was one of those Selmer models where he could carry the flute and clarinet in the same case. Anyhow, he had an iron constitution and played some of these circus gigs on weeknights and was back in front of the school band the next morning. I remember him describing the event when any of us complained about having to sight read. The book was a three ringed binder about six inches thick and, when the conductor raised his stick, they started on the first page and kept playing until they played the last page.

Mr. Bronson told tales of his musical adventures of being on the call list for the Seattle union. When a singing act came through town and did not carry their own orchestra (which was frequently), he had to play solos into a mike and was sight reading the music. Sometimes, on the flute, too! Not his main instrument! Talk about pressure! But it sounded great and I guess that is why he kept getting the calls.

He also had a big band. When he was in his 20's, he toured the Midwest as "Sonny Bronson and His Boys". He personally owned a huge book of big band arrangements. This is where he gathered the music for our school stage band. In 'retirement', his band had a long standing gig playing tea dances on weekday afternoons at the Seattle Center. He would pack the place with about 200 greyhairs boogieing their support shoes off. The guys in the band were all old guys, too, and were having a hell of a time. The fact that they were putting a little jack in their pockets was a good thing, too.

Mr. Bronson died a few years ago after a fifteen year battle with Altzheimer's. His 'thing' with the school band was producing a couple of variety shows in a school year and involving many kids in the production who were not in the band program. He liked to front the school stage band. Each sax player would blow a solo and then Percy blew one, too. We just loved it and the parents did, too.

Mr. Percy Bronson was a Professional Musician.

Jeff "Trumpet Doofus with the Third Part" Benedict

[Dan Schultz]

The circus band that performs at our local Hadi Shrine Circus is recruited from local talent by Clement Toca... circus bandmaster. He's listed here: http://www.circushistory.org/Bandwagon/ ... rApr05.htm He's hired by Hadi to put together the band and music for the circus each year. He hires pretty much the same musicians each year. I think they are all members of the local Musician's Union.

If you are looking for work with circus bands, you might check out the above URL.

There was a day when The Hadi Shrine Brass Band (which I play with) used to do the circus performances. But... them days are gone forever.