All The Best Sousa Marches

Canadian import

So I'm celebrating the Fourth of July holiday by spinning this Canadian disc I inherited from my father. It's heavy on marches but light on information. No dates, no performance/production credits, just titles and playing times. Heck, John Philip Sousa doesn't even get the courtesy of being listed by his full name much less his nickname of "The March King." Plus, in what little info we're given, there's a few typos. And don't get me started on the sloppy performances and production. Bottom line: there's many other march compilation discs that are much, much better than this one. Still, the thing leads off with Stars And Stripes Forever - the national march of the United States (36 U.S. Code § 304) - and that's patriotic enough for me this morning. It's getting me primed for the local July 4th parade and televised hot dog eating contests later today.

Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: Did not chart

Tracks, with links to program notes from the USMC:

1. Stars And Stripes Forever (1896)
2. Semper Fidelis (1888)
3. Diplomat March (1904)
4. The Invincible Eagle (1901)
5. The Liberty Bell (1893)
6. Hands Across The Sea (1899)
7. King Cotton (1895)
8. The Crusader (1888)
9. The Bridge Elect (1897)
10. Gladiator March (1886)
11. Manhattan Beach (1893)
12. High School Cadets (1890)
13. El Capitan (1896)
14. Washington Post (1889)
15. The Belle of Chicago (1892)
16. The Thunderer (1889)
17. U.S. Field Artillery (1917)
18. Hail To The Spirit Of Liberty (1900)

Sousa's most popular marches are here (tracks 1, 2, 5-7, 11-14, 16, 17) along with some which are rarely performed (3, 8, 9, 10, 15, 18). There's a common saying among band directors: "Obscure Sousa marches are usually obscure for good reason."

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: As a former "band guy" (over 25 years as a performer/conductor/composer/arranger) I am familiar with most of these marches and very familiar with a few of them. Liberty Bell, in particular, was one of my go-to marches to help teach young players about playing in a 6/8 time signature. I also have specific memories of playing Stars And Stripes Forever in high school and King Cotton & U.S. Field Artillery (a.k.a. The Caissons Go Rolling Along) in college. All told, I probably played at least two-thirds of these tunes at some point between the years of 1978-2004.

[This spot was filled with angry ramblings about the path I was forced to take while pursuing a music education degree, but I decided that sort of bitterness ultimately served no real purpose. Have a nice day.]

During my second year of teaching, another director in the same school district decided it would be a good idea to play the 1915 Sousa march, The Pathfinder of Panama, for a regional band contest. I was completely unfamiliar with that tune and that was when I first heard the "obscure" quote mentioned above.