George C Marshall High School - Columbian Yearbook (Falls Church, VA)

Page 20 text:

I Change broke a tradition of sorts at Marshall in 1973. In the previous two years, Maynard Ferguson was the moneymaker for Marshall ' s band department. This year, howev¬ er, Buddy Rich stepped in, bringing a different interpretation to the jazz medium. These performers are not hired solely for their ability to draw crowds. Mr. John La Cava, band director, tries for a variety of talent to serve as examples to his students. He believes a number of benefits can be derived from watching per¬ formers of Mr. Rich ' s caliber. Although Rich and Ferguson are both jazz musicians, each has a unique method of manifestation. Rich, being a percussionist, arranges his numbers with rhythm in mind. One listener ' s opinion was that he is more of a classicist, improvising a lot on the original theme. Ferguson is more melody-oriented in keeping with his particular talent, the formed the Buddy Rich Orchestra. This band has carried Buddy Rich to today and a distinctive jazz sound. His band today is made up of six¬ teen men. He ' s a meticulous man, to the point of being fussy, but his meticulousness has worked for him and his band. They have played the world over and everywhere the response is the same. All are gener¬ ous in their praise of his perform¬ ance. Although the Marshall audience was not as large as it has been for the band department concerts in the last few years, it generated the same enthusiastic appreciation of Bubby Rich ' s playing as any audi¬ ence has. Mr. Rich and the members of his Orchestra were pleased with audience response. Buddy is always happy with the fact that many in his audiences are drum students who want to learn from him. He is an ex¬ perience to be remembered. trumpet. Both styles show us jazz that is fantastic. Where did Buddy Rich come from, anyway? He ' s a man with cliche beginnings. Child of Vaude¬ ville parents, he made his debut at the age of eighteen months. Name the tradition and he spells it out. He soloed by the age of seven. For the next seven years he followed jazz from Chicago to New York. His parents retired when he was fourteen but Buddy kept up with jazz and one day was invited to play with Joe Marsala ' s band. He did, and was a huge success. Rich joined the Marines for a short period of time and upon being discharged he joined the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra. It was the era of the Big Band and they made history. After he quit Dorsey, Rich formed his own band. It was with this band that Buddy became a par¬ agon for the aspiring drummer. Buddy formed another group, this time jazz, and with them toured the world. He then joined another group as a featured performer. But his love of creativity and leadership caused him to leave and in 1966 he 16

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Halftime . . . a time when the football players jog off to their respective team rooms, and the playing field is transformed into a stage. The cast for each halftime performance con¬ sists of three of Marshall ' s most dedicated student groups the Marching Band, Majorettes, and Georgy Girls. The Marching Band sets each halftime theme with their musical selections. They march into various formations to accompany the theme chosen for that game. The Band starts each halftime with a song and the Majorettes twirl flagged batons in the background. Then, strutting to stage front and center the Majorettes become the highlight of the show as they per¬ form their self-taught routine to the next band song, occasionally twirling with fire. Separated on the stage ' s left and right is the drill team, or Georgy Girls. Their sideline performance consists of simple steps to the music. At the conclusion of the number, the Georgy Girls take over, each side rhymically stepping to stage front and center. They have diligently devised their own routine in daily practice prior to each home game. Then as the team members gather at the stage ' s entrance, performers exit and the stage fades into a playing field for football. Football field becomes stage

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Opposite page, top: A solo from one of Buddy ' s sax players sounds great, and a good change in the beat. Bottom: Drums and brass make a good combination as the band plays on. This page, above: A humble monologe from Buddy Rich draws a few laughs from the crowd. Left: Greg Gabriel, Cathy Brock, and David Woods seem pleased with the well deserved applause. Activities 7