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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Horns On The Range Taking A Cue From History, The Inland Empire Cowboy Brass Band Keeps Music Of The Period Alive

Josh Silverstein, Lewis & Clark

Unpublished correction: The name of Mukogawa is misspelled in this story.

Altoniums and flugelhorns? Did scientists just discover two new elements?

No, they are just two of the musical instruments used in the days of cowboys and Indians. Capturing the music of that time period, the Inland Empire Cowboy Brass Band re-enacted the historical Dedication of the Fetterman Memorial of July 3, 1908.

The concert last Monday told the story of cowboys and soldiers who skirmished regularly with American Indians over land disputes.

During this time, there were guns, horses, cowboy hats, cowboy brass bands, saloons …

Whoa, back up. Cowboy brass bands? What’s that?

Every civilized town had a brass band consisting mostly of cowboys and retired soldiers. In the bands, the instruments ranged from the piccolo, a miniature, higher-pitched version of the flute, to the low-pitched tuba.

The Inland Empire Cowboy Brass Band, formed at Lewis and Clark High School in February, has 21 musicians ranging from freshmen to seniors. Though there are cowboy brass bands all over the country, Larry Jay, director of instrumental music at LC, believes that his band is the only high school-age cowboy brass band in the nation.

Band members seem to be enjoying their experience in the band.

Megan Smith, a freshman who played the flugelhorn, said, “It looked really fun to me to play in it and to dress up in the old-fashioned uniforms.”

Paul Amend, a freshman cornetist in the band, said, “This band plays the funnest music out of all the bands at LC, and it was a fun experience.”

At the concert, musical pieces ranged from well-known works, such as “The Star-Spangled Banner,” to relatively unknown pieces, such as “The Gallant Zouaves.” My favorite was “The Death of Custer,” which portrayed the events leading to Custer’s last stand by following the different moods of the story with the moods of the piece.

The band used the music to tell the story for the audience. The band’s costumes added to the effect.

Each band member wore authentic cowboy suits consisting of handmade tan-colored pants and tan and red wine-colored shirts. The cowboy hats they wore were also handmade and rolled by the musicians, and their boots were bought locally.

Jay, as director, wore a leather jacket with strings hanging from the sleeves “like a true cowboy.”

The program narrator, Lt. Col. Richard Day, a retired Air Force official who played the role of Brig. Gen. Henry B. Carrington in the re-enactment, wore a very convincing Civil War Union uniform.

Day said his favorite part of his character was researching the history of the Indian chiefs.

Another piece of the performance was a slide show that accompanied the presentation. At different points in the concert, the slides would change from portraits of Indian chiefs and American soldiers to paintings and drawings of battles and skirmishes.

Cynde Lokken, a parent in the audience, said, “It was awesome. The music, narration and slide show coincided … with marvelous results.”

David Hansen said, “The guys in the old Western outfits were cool, but the music was the best!”

After the concert, Jay said it went as planned.

The band hopes to play at Gonzaga University and Mukagowa Fort Wright Institute and is scheduled to play at Auntie’s Bookstore Dec. 6.

ILLUSTRATION: 2 Color Photos