Calling on old friends yields melting pot

By DAVID MELANSON

Staff Writer

When George Foreman was seeking international talent for the Great American Brass Band Festival he decided to call an old high school friend from Texas.

That friend, Glen Wren, now teaches band at a military base in Herforst, Germany, and Foreman, who is president of the Great American Brass Band Festival, figured Wren could put him in contact with a classic German band -- you know one of those featured at Oktoberfest, dressed in traditional German garb.

Little did Foreman know that this conversational with an old friend would be the only call he would have to make and ultimately will reunite the pair come the first weekend in June.

Plans to make the GABBF an international event have been in the works for a few years, but Foreman is pleased to see the hard work of several employees falling into place.

But, Foreman said, things haven't always gone smoothly.

Despite the success in attracting bands from Germany, England, Italy, Ukraine, Japan and Denmark, Foreman said he had lengthy discussions with bands from Wales, Spain, Australia and Sweden.

"For every group that is coming, there is a group somewhere that didn't pan out," said Foreman.

Here's a look at how each band found this small central Kentucky city:

German band

Foreman's image of the typical German band featured at Oktoberfest was quickly dismissed by Foreman's high school pal.

"That is exactly a stereotype," Foreman said. "Those bands are from a region of Germany."

After a couple of conversations with Wren, Foreman realized he was involved in a town band, primarily playing the tuba and trombone.

After reuniting with his old friend in Herforst, Germany, Foreman was sold on Musikverein Herforst 1933 e.V.

And although festival-goers will not see a bunch of grown men decked in liederhausen and eating brats, Foreman will assure you that the band will play quality music.

Italian band

When Foreman was contacted by Phillip Singer, of Rochester, Minn., to attend a festival in Sicily, the Advocate Brass Band director was immediately interested.

Singer, a professor at Oakland University in Minnesota, makes documentary films for the United Nations and had been to Sicily to film a 24-hour Easter procession. The eccentric and religious event featured numerous Italian bands playing while others carried statues of the Disciples and Saints.

Singer said the festival was looking for some American flavor, wondering if the Advocate Brass Band might be interested.

After viewing some film of the event, Foreman was not intrigued with the prospects of playing at the festival, but hoped an Italian band would like to come to Danville.

"The music was so completely different than American," said Foreman. "I didn't think American music would fit in."

During the conversations, Singer got Foreman in touch with Dr. Aldo Bua, an Sicilian economist. Bua found a band in the small community of Ragusa, Sicily, and the deal for the band to come to the GABBF was struck.

"It's a small town like Danville and the Band of San Georgio is a community band like the Advocate Brass Band," Foreman said.

Bua is funding the church band's trip to Danville, and will be coming for the festival. Singer also will make his first GABBF appearance this year.

Ukraine band

The Ukraine group, the Kiev Saxophone Quartet, was first spotted by Centre music professor Vince DiMartino when he was judging a festival in Kiev.

"Vince said the band was humorous and entertaining, so we tried to contact them," Foreman said.

Despite finding the band and drawing immediate interest from their end, Foreman knew something had to go awry. This trouble came in the form of securing travel visas for the five members of the band.

Ukraine citizens need visas to be admitted to the United States. Of the international performers, the Ukraine group is the only one to need visas.

"We've had to call Ernie Fletcher's office in Washington to help us out," Foreman said, referring to the 6th District U.S. representative.

The deal is still in the works with federal officials, but Foreman is confident things will be worked out by June.

British band

Finding a band to represent Britain at the GABBF was a little less tedious than some of the others. There was no language barriers and other contacts had been made through previous festivals.

Long-time friend of the GABBF, Ron Holz, a professor at Asbury College, contacted the British brass band, Festival Brass, which is a Salvation Army Brass Band.

A formal trip to hear the talent perform as made to London last summer, locking the band up, Foreman said.

Denmark band

The Tivoli Ensemble, the band representing Denmark, also found Danville through a prior GABBF connection.

Dave Balenche, a member of Georgia's Band of the Air Force Reserves, happened to know Paul Cook, a retired British military bandsmen, who now resides in North Jutland, Denmark.

Balenche, whose daughter lives in Danville, is a yearly participant in the festival, and upon hearing of the GABBF's globalization contacted his old friend, Cook.

Cook's Tivoli Ensemble, a 10-piece band, plays throughout Denmark.

Japanese band

Foreman first contacted representatives of the Euphonium Company in Japan to gauge their interest in the GABBF. After a few conversations, the Japanese band realized there was a scheduling problem, sending Foreman back to square one in his search for some Japanese talent.

But something funny happened during the e-mail conversations, another Japanese band caught wind of the GABBF and contacted Foreman about the possibility of their band coming to Danville.

"After some correspondence with the Euphonium Company, I got a message from the Trailblazer 10-Piece Brass," Foreman said. "That led to getting things set up."

Not only was Foreman ecstatic to have some involvement from the Japanese, but so were local Japanese business and industry leaders.

"We've had a great deal of help from leaders of Japanese industry in Danville and Harrodsburg," Foreman said.

Leaders from Hitachi, ATR, Denyo, Matsushita and Trim Masters all contributed funding to ensure the arrival of the Japanese band.