We were young and we knew
And our eyes were alive
Deep inside we knew our love was true...
-- From "After the Love has Gone", EWF
Can you remember? Songs in the '70's — the power you felt when you first heard a group that stirred something deep, something down where your wild spirit lives? Were you lucky enough to attune your heart to the clean sound of wind blowing poetry through brass and woodwind instruments?
I was lucky. I had a band leader in Junior High School, who loved Chicago, one of the greatest horn bands of our era. He wanted us to play it, to "punch it out," clearly, powerfully, as he directed. "No! It's not dah, dah, dah," he would admonish, "it's dah, DAH, D A H!". "Now let's do it again." And we did it again, and again, until the music came out cleanly, like a stream of fresh, cold water from the student's stainless steel and porcelain fountain in the hall.
As time goes on
I realize
Just what you mean
To me...
--- From "Color My World," Chicago
Because he couldn't find a score of their music written for a "stage band" of five trumpets, four trombones, five saxaphones, a drummer, a pianist, and a bass player — he wrote out the pieces, by hand, with a pencil. He put those hand-composed charts in front of us. Then he pulled the music right out of us, with an alternating clenched and open fist, standing on a podium in a hot gymnasium during warm 70's Fall days. We won the Stage Band competition in Vancouver, Washington USA, that year.
I asked him once why he loved Chicago so much. Mr. Klien told me that he loved what the musicians were doing; how they managed to make such popular music with horns; how he loved the tempo transitions they made from an even four beats to a five/four rythym. Then he said, "hey, why don't we put down our axes, and make the scene down at Dollies with a coke?" Yes... he really talked like that, but then the 60's had just melted into the 70's. That was when Coke still meant sugary pop. When pop cans had to be opened with a can opener. Do you remember?
Article comments
1 - Aleta
I am in the Palm Springs Area and would love to see Earth, Wind, and Fire and would love to take my daughter and grandaughter. Anyone who has tickets thats not an arm and a leg, please please contact me...We would love to see them.
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2 - deb
I loved your blog - I have many of the same memories of high school band with a band teacher who let us play Chicago songs. So enjoyed reading this as well as the lyrics from EWF - they still really mean a lot to me.
I heard a song on the radio yesterday; had to be a great horn band of the late sixties - we played it in the pep band during bb games. I can't remember the name of the song or the band..."get it on in the morning now.." the only lyrics I can remember; followed by big horns...can you help me?