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Brass, Reeds, and Percussion: June 24, 2023

As Brass, Reeds, and Percussion continues to explore how popular music is often wind-band music, this edition features an original 1940 recording of “Celery Stalks at Midnight” with a riff lifted from “Jeepers Creekers.” The title “Celery Stalks at Midnight” suggests that composition might be a musical depiction of horror, something akin to the sweet potato that ate Chicago. Instead, think of the title as being whimsical and the recording as a demonstration of smooth and tight ensemble playing. This recording is performed by Bill Bradley and His Orchestra. Bradley cowrote the composition with George Harris, about whom we have found very little information. But Bradley was trombone player and big band leader during the 1930s and 1940s who ultimately became famous for his boogie-woogie hits.

  1. Celery Stalks at Midnight
    Composer:  George Harris & Will Bradley (1912-1989)
    Performer:  Will Bradley & His Orchestra
    Album:  Swing Time, Vol. 3

  2. Arab Dance (Scheherazade)
    Composer:  Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov (1844-1908), arranged by Gil Evans
    Performer:  Claude Thornhill & His Orchestra
    Album:  Swing Time, Vol. 3

  3. Torch Dance
    Composer:  James Barnes (1949- )
    Performer:  U.S. Army Band
    Album:  Dances Around the World

  4. Crusader
    Composer:  John Philip Sousa (1854-1932)
    Performer:  U.S. Marine Band
    Album:  Military Marches of John Philip Sousa, Vol. 1

  5. Symphony 3: Allego energico
    Composer:  Vittorio Giannini (1903-1966)
    Performer:  Dallas Wind Symphony
    Album:  Trittico

  6. Symphony 3: Adagio
    Composer:  Vittorio Giannini
    Performer:  Dallas Wind Symphony
    Album:  Trittico

  7. Symphony 3: Allegretto
    Composer:  Vittorio Giannini
    Performer:  Dallas Wind Symphony
    Album:  Trittico

  8. Symphony 3: Allegro con brio
    Composer:  Vittorio Giannini
    Performer:  Dallas Wind Symphony
    Album:  Trittico
Born in Natchez, Mississippi, in 1951, John moved to Huntsville in 1975, where he worked for a communications training firm. From 1997 to 2022, John worked for the Lanier Ford law firm. During his tenure, He served as Lanier Ford's law librarian, marketing specialist, trainer, and professional recruiter. While in college and law school, John worked in professional radio in Starkville and Oxford, Mississippi.