The Silver Pirate Swings: MMEA Concert, 11 January 1964

The Silver Pirate Swings!
The BHS Silver Pirate Stage Band in Concert
Missouri Music Educators' Convention, Continental Hotel, Kansas City, Missouri
January 11, 1964

On January 11, 1964, the award-winning BHS Silver Pirate Stage Band (a.k.a. Dance and Jazz Band), under the direction of Gerald McCollum, presented the showcase concert for the annual convention of the Missouri Music Educators' Association at the Continental Hotel in Kansas City. An LP recording of the performance titled The Silver Pirate Swings was published as album 18549 by Century Record Co. in Independence, Mo.
 
Silver Pirate Swings CD Cover

The 16-member band, also the blue ribbon winner at the 1964 Missouri High School Stage Band Invitational, included four 1964 graduates: Ed Cundiff (lead trombone), Steve Solomon (baritone sax), Bettye Callison (string bass) and John Hopkins (trumpet). A complete band roster is below.

The 13 tracks of the album are reproduced below in 96-bit MP3 format. Tracks may be played on-line with any MP3-capable software (left-click on the title) or downloaded to your computer or MP3 player (right-click on the title). Note that file sizes range between 1.6 and 3.2 MB; both on-line playback and downloading will work best with a broadband connection. A CD of the album, with the LP's vinyl artifacts removed, is available via John.

Following are the 13 tracks of the recording in the order they were presented. Soloists for each piece are noted in parentheses.

  1. Where Are You? Time: 3:43
    (J.Bruns, E.Cundiff, J.Hopkins, E.Cundiff, G.Solomon)

  2. Easy Money (a.k.a. 'Got a Feelin' I'm Foolin') Time: 4:37
    (G.Solomon, E.Cundiff, J.Bruns — vocal by G.McCollum)

  3. Lil' Darlin' Time: 3:57
    (J.Bruns, G.Solomon)

  4. Over the Rainbow (Quintet) Time: 2:14
    (R.Hodel)

  5. Blues for 'Bones Time: 2:31
    (E.Cundiff, G.Solomon)

  6. Dreamsville Time: 3:27
    (J.Bruns, R.Hodel)

  7. The Beat Time: 2:59
    (B.Callison, J.Bruns, S.Solomon, M.Eckert)

  8. Blues for Mother's Time: 3:18
    (R.Hodel, J.Bruns)

  9. Blues #2 Time: 2:29
    (B.Callison, G.Solomon, S.Solomon, M.Eckert)

  10. I've Got It Bad (and That Ain't Good) Time: 3:01
    (E.Cundiff, R.Hodel, G.Solomon)

  11. Baubles, Bangles and Beads Time: 2:36
    (B.Callison, E.Cundiff, G.Solomon)

  12. Solitaire Time: 4:03
    (E.Cundiff, G.Solomon, J.Bruns, G.Solomon)

  13. Alto Soliloquy Time: 4:25
    (S.Solomon, R.Hodel)
The 1963-64 Silver Pirate Stage Band included:
  • Ed Cundiff, 1st trombone; Senior
  • Greg Solomon (28 July 1948-19 October 2004), 2nd trombone; Sophomore
  • Sam Reed, 3rd trombone; Junior
  • Dwight Dow, 4th trombone; Junior
  • Ruth Ann Hodel, 1st alto saxophone; Junior
  • Linda Long, 2nd alto saxophone; Sophomore
  • Tim Schultz, 1st tenor saxophone; Sophomore
  • Stanley Clay, 2nd tenor saxophone; Freshman
  • Steve Solomon, baritone saxophone; Senior
  • William P. Wood, 1st trumpet, Junior
  • Pete Douglass (16 August 1948-16 July 2022), 2nd trumpet, Sophomore
  • John Hopkins, 3rd trumpet, Senior
  • Sammy Cochran, 4th trumpet, 8th grade
  • Mark Eckert, drums; Sophomore
  • John Bruns, electric piano; Junior
  • Bettye Callison, string bass; Senior
  • Gerald McCollum (29 September 1928-04 November 2016), Director and Electrician
Thanks, Mr. McCollum, for the many, many things you helped us to learn and accomplish!

The Silver Pirate Swings tracks were digitized using a Technics SLQ-L5 turntable, Yamaha CDR-HD1000 digital recorder, and Sony STR-DB790 amplifier, and converted to MP3 with Realplayer 10.


Excerpts from the 1964 Silver Pirate Sounds!

On 17 June 2013, an additional five tracks were added (below, A-E) from 1964 Silver Pirate Sounds album, which featured two tracks by the Concert Band and eight by the Stage Band. The five new tracks below are the Stage Band Theme as well as Terlingua and Basie's Hoss. The two award-winning 1964 Silver Pirate Concert Band pieces, L'Inglesina: The Little English Girl (Davide Della Cese), and the Finale from Symphony #1 in G-Minor by Vasily Kallinikov, complete the new tracks. (The five remaining Stage Band tracks on Silver Pirate Sounds were pieces that had also been on Silver Pirate Swings: Blues #2, I've Got It Bad, Alto Soliloquy, Baubles, Bangles & Beads, and Dreamsville.)

Thanks to Steve Solomon for arranging the digitalization of his copy of Silver Pirate Sounds into WAV files, which have been converted to MP3 format for this web page by John Hopkins using Audacity software.

  1. Stage Band Theme (Stage Band)
    (M.Eckert, B.Callison, R.Hodel)
  2. Terlingua (Stage Band)
    (E.Cundiff, G.Solomon, J.Bruns, M.Eckert)
  3. Basie's Hoss (Stage Band)
    (J.Hopkins, B.Wood, G.Solomon, J.Bruns)
  4. L'Inglesina: The Little English Girl (Silver Pirate Concert Band) [The first second is missing]
  5. Finale, Symphony #1 in G-Minor, Vasily Kallinikov (Silver Pirate Concert Band)

Finally, three additional tracks for which Mr. McCollum will always be remembered:


1963-64 Silver Pirate Stage Band 'Buccaneer' yearbook photo
(L-R): John Bruns, Bettye Callison, Stanley Clay, Linda Long, Ruth Ann Hodel, Tim Schultz, Steve Solomon; [Row 2] Dwight Dow, Ed Cundiff, Greg Solomon, Sam Reed; [Row 3] Mark Eckert, Sam Cochran, Pete Douglass, Bill Wood, John Hopkins


1963-64 Silver Pirate Concert Band, 'Buccaneer' yearbook photo
(With the drum major and majorette and twirlers in their Marching Band attire)


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Page Last Updated 18 July 2022