17 - Interview with Randy Cabell: Digital Heritage of Virginia, and Accessible Brass Arrangements

The Early American Brass Band Podcast

Episode 17 is our conversation with Randy Cabell. We talk about Randy’s extensive arranging projects under the umbrella of the Digital Heritage of Virginia, his efforts to make music from the 19th century accessible to players today, and the history of the 19th Virginia Heavy Artillery Band. Their band books are the only band books from a Virginia regiment to survive.

Show notes for this episode are available at https://eabbpodcast.com/show-notes-2/. Music in this episode comes from Our Musical Past from the Library of Congress and The 8th GM Regiment Band. You can get in touch with us on social media, and by emailing us at [email protected].

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Episode Structure:

• 2:27 - Announcement about obtaining Randy's arrangements

• 3:29 - Randy's musical background

• 9:07 - How Randy got interested in Civil War brass band music

• 11:16 - Helping bands acquire reproduction instruments, ways to keep interest in 19th century brass band music alive

• 17:40 - Robb Stewart's reproduction instruments

• 18:26 - Randy's personal instruments and bands he's played with

• 19:47 - Randy's arranging projects

• 21:41 - 19th VA Heavy Artillery Band, “The Brass Band Journal For the Rest Of Us”, “Patriotic Songs and Airs of The CSA”

• 23:43 - 19th VA Band books

• 25:05 - Music from Jamestown project

• 26:19 - 19th VA band history

• 30:29 - How Randy decided what music from the 19th VA band books to arrange

• 34:36 - Some members of the 19th VA Band

• 36:31 - Challenges Randy came across when re-creating the 19th VA Band books

• 39:21 - Recording the band books

• 44:15 - Efforts to make arrangements accessible by including substitute parts, "The Brass Band Journal for the Rest of Us"

• 55:30 - How the American brass band tradition differs from the British brass band tradition

• 57:25 - Wrap-up

• 58:22 - Featured Album: “Dear Mother I've Come Home to Die Quickstep”, Crestmark Military Band