Barton Town Band

by James - 08:12 on 21 March 2010

Although my interest in brass band music began with Brigg Town Band, it was with Barton Town Band that I really started my musical education.

So it has been very satisfying recently to have followed Barton's meteoric rise under the batons of Mark Benthman and Richard Evans.  After 30 years in the contesting wilderness, the last five years have brought one success after another in the North of England Regional Contest and at the Regional Finals in Harrogate:

Year       Contest           Section         Position

2006      Regional              4                  1
2006      Finals                  4                  6
2007      Regional              3                  1
2007      Finals                  3                  2
2008      Regional              2                  1
2008      Finals                  2                  3
2009      Regional              1                  2
2009      Finals                  1                  2
2010      Regional              1                  1

This is a remarkable performance by any standard and, surely, the band must be promoted into the Championship Section for 2011.

Well done to everyone involved and a particular mention to Stuart Clark (who was playing bass trombone before I even joined the band!) and who this year picked up the Best Trombone prize.

Stuart, his brother Phil and I were the Barton trombone section in the early 1970s.  I recall playing The Bold Gendarmes with them at a contest in Cleethorpes as well as more than a few performances of the Frank Bryce favourite, Trombola.

Phil went on to play with Black Dyke.

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