Paul Adams sets the record straight about a certain SWAC band...


atl hornet

Well-Known Member
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T6T_9crgbb8


basically calling out this school for being more concerned with blasting over quality playing. For example, look at this garbage:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k6ScuOCAIx8

if ANY of my high school kids decided to play like that, they'd get snatched out their spot with the quickness. Pretty sad that this is being allowed at the college level. Thank goodness for the MEAC and the SWAC bands who dont sacrifice quality for "cranking".
 
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View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T6T_9crgbb8


basically calling out this school for being more concerned with blasting over quality playing. For example, look at this garbage:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k6ScuOCAIx8

if ANY of my high school kids decided to play like that, they'd get snatched out their spot with the quickness. Pretty sad that this is being allowed at the college level. Thank goodness for the MEAC and the SWAC bands who dont sacrifice quality for "cranking".
If any of my middle school kids played my arrangements like this I'd snatch the horns away from them and kick them out the band room........Whew talk about garbage. Thank goodness the Jukebox went out there and restored public faith in the SWAC.

View: https://youtu.be/clNvAdpXRl4



View: https://youtu.be/TQba1JAgK58



View: https://youtu.be/PAM65lhR360
 
Bama State folks must be deaf because he clearly said all arrangers in the video and only mentioned Southern because that's where he attended and started out his career. He took a shot at the entire SWAC, but of course your hating a-- only heard Southern.
 
We are thankful for the time Mr. Adams spent at Southern University. During his tenure there, he was a true asset to our program. We wish him nothing but continued success in his future endeavours. But the opinions he expressed is just that: his opinions. We all have a few of those! It places no demand on SU's style of play, a style that has earned us widespread recognition and respect. As a consequence, we are today the most talked-about and most widely recognized collegiate marching band in the nation.
 
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Mr. Adams sounded salty in this clip.... Was he turned down for the SU job at some point? He sounds very bitter.
 
What he was saying that it is difficult to interpret the melody if it is being overpowered by other parts of the song. To be honest, I still have yet to understand Bama State's arrangements. Sometimes it is hard to figure out what song they are playing.
 
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Let me say this as PA has some association with JSU and nsu ... for all this nonsense he talking about control , please go back and listen to his time at Jackson and Norfolk and tell me that wasn’t a “in your face aggressive sound philosophy” especially early 2000s Norfolk.
 
Let me say this as PA has some association with JSU and nsu ... for all this nonsense he talking about control , please go back and listen to his time at Jackson and Norfolk and tell me that wasn’t a “in your face aggressive sound philosophy” especially early 2000s Norfolk.

In his defense I think that he’s speaking mostly on the melody in some songs being overshadowed. Overall I believe he likes the bands for the most part. He’s right in some areas but overall he enjoys the progression.
 
Bandsmen have been in their feelings since this video came out. He is speaking the truth. He chose to speak on SU because that is were he received his degree. All of us speak on our schools behind closed doors. That's why I respect the older directors because they speak the truth. Versus the ones now who are my age 40 or younger. I marched under Adams at NSU. He spoke highly of SU and no one else better not have said anything negative about them around him or Sanford. In this video Adams was speaking about balance and respecting the melody. He does not like it when other sections play over the melody or disrespect someones arrangement. This is an issue at lot of HBCU bands meac and swac.
 
Bandsmen have been in their feelings since this video came out. He is speaking the truth. He chose to speak on SU because that is were he received his degree. All of us speak on our schools behind closed doors. That's why I respect the older directors because they speak the truth. Versus the ones now who are my age 40 or younger. I marched under Adams at NSU. He spoke highly of SU and no one else better not have said anything negative about them around him or Sanford. In this video Adams was speaking about balance and respecting the melody. He does not like it when other sections play over the melody or disrespect someones arrangement. This is an issue at lot of HBCU bands meac and swac.

In my unbiased opinion, SU has some of the best arrangers in all of college marching bands, especially when the band plays a non-traditional HBCU marching band arrangement, such as Rocky's theme song Going the Distance. Just in recent years, SU has started doing more battle of the bands (botb) or what is now called crank fest where bands blow at each other in the stands or at some parade. Pretty much the only botb Doc Greggs would participate in was the Bayou Classic BOTB. At one time, the Bayou Classic BOTB was a showcase of high school bands. Now it is a greek show with SU and GSU bands playing different R&B/pop songs.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VuVat6R4s3E
 
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Paul Adams was on staff when I marched in the Boom. While what he said was HIS opinion, his opinion is fundamentally correct, in my opinion. What you heard coming from him was his passion, which appears to be just as fervent today as it was when he was at the podium (in front of the Boom). He stressed intonation, and the ability to follow the music as it weaved from intro to the coda. We also did a lot of sight-singing. One of his philosophies was - if you can sing your part, you can play your part. And by hearing, listening and learning the lyrics to the actual song, you picked up the nuances in the melody/harmony/bassline that wasn't always written down on the sheet music. As a mellophone player, I understood my lane (within the context of the music). We never had the melody. Or we had sections where we had the counter melody, or had the soprano voice into the harmony. So we understood we weren't there to blow our lips out, trying to outplay 40+ trumpets. Our job was to be heard underneath the melody, or to take the top off the harmony. Could we scream (how they do today)? Surely. But we didn't. We had our moments and did so when the music called for it....

I think today's competition culture encourages volume over musicality... Everybody wants to award Ws and Ls based on how loud the trombones were or how high the 1st trumpets screamed..... And in all of that, the beauty of the music gets lost.......

I'm proud to have played under Paul Adams. Great arranger, conductor and clinician. He made me a better musician. And the best compliment I can give him........
 
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T6T_9crgbb8


basically calling out this school for being more concerned with blasting over quality playing. For example, look at this garbage:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k6ScuOCAIx8

if ANY of my high school kids decided to play like that, they'd get snatched out their spot with the quickness. Pretty sad that this is being allowed at the college level. Thank goodness for the MEAC and the SWAC bands who dont sacrifice quality for "cranking".

That was the climax of the song which required more energy. And there's nothing wrong with playing loudly or cranking b/c you can do that and play notes correctly. I think he's jealous ... FAMU musicality hasn't gotten them anywhere really especially when you compare the resumes of SU vs FAMU. The Jukes beat them in popularity and notoriety. I guarantee you the average bandhead would prefer SU over FAMU heavily. FAMU sounds great but SU is way more entertaining and exciting to me. I would pay to see SU, not FAMU.
 
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That was the climax of the song which required more energy. And there's nothing wrong with playing loudly or cranking b/c you can do that and be play notes correctly. I think he's jealous ... FAMU musicality hasn't gotten them anywhere really especially when you compare the resumes of SU vs FAMU. The Jukes beat them in popularity and notoriety.

You can't be serious.
 
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