Central Band 2008 Tour
SQNLDR Owen Clarke
The 2008 Classic Hits Tattoo held in Rotorua. (OH-08-0108-56).
You can’t get far from the sound of the Central Band of the RNZAF. This year South Islanders were treated in late February 2008 as the band rolled through their towns with it's entourage of trucks, buses, vans and other vehicles (amphibious ones for the West Coast)!
The band’s annual tour kicked off at RNZAF Base Woodbourne and took in the towns of Blenheim, Nelson, Westport, Greymouth, Christchurch, Ashburton and Timaru. This whirlwind (in ten days) saw no less than seven public concerts, nine school concerts, two street marches and one static performance (at the Wise Owl Open day), being performed to over 10,000 people.
The band carries out a major tour through a different area of New Zealand towards the beginning of each year. It is part of the band's annual training requirements and is an excellent way to solidify standards, both musically and ceremonially (marching!), for the remainder of the year. It also assimilates new recruits into the ensemble quickly. They learn pretty quickly how to be ready for a report time or how to iron their uniform; otherwise they are left behind; sometimes even quite literally.
The Ataturk Memorial on ANZAC Day in Wellington. (OH-08-0270-05).
A mix of music and musical styles are performed on tour. Formal concerts contain some jazz and vocal numbers as well as more serious concert band or classical works. Highlights from the 2008 tour were performances of Rossini's ‘William Tell Overture’, RNZAF Piper SGT Murray Mansfield playing ‘Black Bear’ in a lion costume, and of course the esteemed ‘Gumboot Song’ (Fred Dagg's favourite). This featured the band’s Drum Corps and was performed complete with black singlets, gumboots, floppy hats and men in drag singing falsetto! The band’s next major performance is at the Air Force Proms in Wellington on Sunday September 14.
Base Bands
Members of the Air Force Combined Bands played along side Pipers. (OH-08-0108-53).
Base bands too have been kept busy so far in 2008. Bandmasters W/O Ron Abelson, SGT Clyde Dixon and F/S Denis Spurdle, have their bands performing at a range of activities, ceremonies and events. The Base Auckland Band took in the fumes of the V8 Supercars in Hamilton when they performed between races on the race track. They were joined by the Base Ohakea Band at the 2008 Searchlight Tattoo held in Rotorua, while in Woodbourne the Base Band performed charter, and Base parades as well as a successful charity concert In Blenheim. Woodbourne was also the host to the Central Band jazz members, who travelled over from Wellington to play at the Base Ball. Set up spectacularly under the nose of the Boeing in the ATS hangar, the band seemed to be popular with people dancing into the small hours.
SGT Clyde Dixon
SGT Clyde Dixon. (OH-07-0782-01).
SGT Clyde Dixon, the Base Ohakea Bandmaster, has recently been awarded one of the highest musical honours for cornet performance. In November he sat and passed a stringent examination for his FTCL Diploma – Fellowship of the Trinity College of Music, London. This Diploma is of the highest level and achieved by only a few musicians in the country. It is a reflection on SGT Dixon’s standard of cornet playing and his consummate performance ability. Many audiences in New Zealand have heard Clyde playing both trumpet and cornet as he is asked by bands around the country to perform as a guest soloist, which he also did on the Central Band’s 2008 tour.