The Las Vegas Brass Band Story
Pete Cooper
The Las Vegas Brass Band is one of the longest-running community ensembles in Las Vegas, celebrating over 25 seasons, but in the grand tradition of British brass bands, the band is barely an infant.
In the western US, though, its success is helping lead the way in expanding this rich form of musical expression. In some measure the band owes its existence to the shrinking job market for “live” musicians in the lounges and showrooms of the Entertainment Capital of the World. Many of the its musicians chose to stay in Las Vegas and change careers rather than uproot families and move to where there were even less job opportunities of any kind. One such musician was London born Pete Cooper.
Pete Cooper in the Band of the Irish Guards, just after a Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace.
After a successful switch to Realtor, Pete began to look for new ways to use his musical talents. The University of Nevada, Las Vegas and the Community College of Southern Nevada both had community concert bands and Pete has been a member of both. As a brass player though, Pete was looking for a sound that was very hard to find in the American Southwest and nonexistent in Nevada. That sound was from youthful memories of playing with the brass bands of the Salvation Army Chalk Farm, Crystal Palace, and many others back in his London home.
In 1993 Pete opened his wallet to buy enough tunes to start up a British style brass band and opened his phone book to find the brass musicians to fill the seats. Some seats were easier to fill than others. There was still enough jazz in Las Vegas to make flugel horns common, but the average American musician had forgotten what a cornet is, thought baritones and euphoniums were the same instrument, and drew a complete blank when confronted by a tenor horn.
Pete’s salesmanship prevailed, however, and soon a band of trumpets, French horns, trombones, four euphoniums, and a full complement of tubas (traditional pitches notwithstanding) began rehearsal. The transition to traditional instrumentation began quickly with the switch to cornets, followed by the tenor horns and an English baritone.
Some notable milestones can be found in the band's history.
1993
Las Vegas Brass Band, 1994
The Las Vegas Brass Band was founded and the 1993-1994 season became the first official season of the Las Vegas Brass Band.
1997
The Las Vegas Brass Band released the album Love from Las Vegas, under the direction of Johnny Diaz.
1999
Las Vegas Brass Band is proud to have hosted the first North American Brass Band Association (NABBA) event in the Western United States in October of 1999. The 1999 Las Vegas Brass Band Festival was reviewed in the Fall 1999 issue of NABBA's Brass Band Bridge (beginning on page 9).
2002
Don Hannah
Track Listing:
Sing Sing Sing (Krupa/Hannah)
Take the A Train (Strayhorn/Hannah)
Country Road (Taylor/Mansfield)
Satin Doll (Ellington/Hannah)
Misty (Garner/Hannah)
Take Five (Brubeck/Hannah)
I Can't Get Started With You (Berigan/Wright)
Just a Closer Walk (Hannah)
My One and Only Love (Wood-Mellin/Labounty)
A Foggy Day (Gershwin/Hannah)
Whisper Not (Jarrett/Ecklund)
Sail Away (Harrell/Ecklund)
A Child is Born (Jones/Banks)
Michelle (Lennon-McCartney/Hannah)
That's A Plenty (Pollack/Hannah)
In 2002, the band released the album, Las Vegas Swing, comprised of traditional swing charts arranged by none other than the great Don Hannah, composer and arranger for Barbra Streisand, Gladys Knight, Vic Damone, Diahann Carroll, Natalie Cole, Diana Ross, Ann-Margret, the Osmonds and Elvis Presley. The CD was very well received across the globe, and tracks still end up on top 20 lists for brass band music!
Check out a couple of reviews of the Las Vegas Swing CD from the September 2002 issue of NABBA's Brass Band Bridge (page 19).
Photos from the 2002 Las Vegas Swing album recording sessions at Ham Hall on the University of Nevada Las Vegas campus.
2007
The Las Vegas Brass Band began rehearsing in the auditorium of the Salvation Army Las Vegas Citadel Corps and joined forces for several years with the Las Vegas Citadel Band to hold a summer music program and a two-level junior band program with one-on-one instructors coming from both the LVBB and the Citadel band. Members of the Las Vegas Brass Band supported community events such as the annual Salvation Army Christmas Kettle Kick-Off for several years.
Las Vegas Brass Band, December 2008
Las Vegas Brass Band with choir, December 2009
Las Vegas Brass Band at the Salvation Army Las Vegas Citadel Auditorium, March 2010
Philip Schlicker conducting the Las Vegas Brass Band, March 2013
2013
On the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the Las Vegas Brass Band,
October 6, 2013, was proclaimed as Las Vegas Brass Band Day!
The band celebrated the 20th anniversary with a performance of favorite pieces from the prior 20 years and refreshments with the audience afterwards.
2014
Dr. Richard McGee
In 2014, the Las Vegas Brass Band was pleased to welcome long-time Las Vegas trombonist and friend of the band Dr. Richard McGee as music director.
Richard has always been a great fan of brass band music, though his conducting career has taken him more in the direction of wind ensembles and orchestras. An avid listener and trombonist, Richard relishes the idea of working with a traditional brass band in the mold of great British bands. “I have always loved the virtuosity and energy of the great brass bands,” Richard said upon joining the band, “and am anxiously looking forward to working with the Las Vegas Brass Band to provide the best musical experience possible in that genre. The LVBB has always given outstanding musical performances, and I hope to continue that tradition and build upon it.”
For more about Dr. McGee, click here.
2018
Program cover from the October 2018 concert of the Las Vegas Brass Band
With the October 2018 concert, the Las Vegas Brass Band celebrated 25 years as an organization! The band performed pieces selected from favorites of members throughout the band! We celebrated with a fun gathering at the home of one of our most generous and hospitable members.
2019
Brad Bradley in rehearsal for the December 2019 Concert
We set a record!
Over 400 audience members attended the Las Vegas Brass Band's December 8, 2019 Christmas concert, the largest crowd in the history of the Clark County Library Theatre!
Inside the program from the Las Vegas Brass Band December 8, 2019 Concert
2020
Pete Cooper and the set list for the Lost Concert
The Covid-19 Pandemic halted band activity for a year. In the middle of the 2020-2021 concert season, while celebrating the March 2020 spring concert and putting the final planning touches on the program for the June 2020 Summer Concert, the State of Nevada implemented restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Not only would the 2020 Summer Concert be lost due to the restrictions, so too would the the remainder of the 2020-2021 season and most of the 2021-2022 season. During the closure, the band got together virtually for some fun, performing one of our favorite tunes, "Floral Dance" (for our ears only)!
The Las Vegas Brass Band trombone section during the virtual Floral Dance performance
2021
Phil Schlicker discovering the downside to bell covers
Toby Breeden checking out the bell covers
Alan Cates and Rod Henley masked up before rehearsal
Pete Cooper and Kellie Kowal-Paul masked up between pieces
Dick McGee masked up during rehearsal
Once health and safety guidelines began to loosen, the band was able to get together a couple of times in a socially-distanced (though acoustically challenged) manner before resuming regular weekly rehearsals (well, regular except for the expanded layout, covered bells, and masked faces) on April 15, 2021, just where we left off a full year prior, to prepare for the Summer Concert.
Advertisement for our return to the Clark County Library Theater in 2021
2023
We are celebrating our thirtieth anniversary season!
We are grateful to players past and present for building the form and character of our band. We are especially grateful to our founder and president, Pete Cooper, for his steadfast leadership and musical talent. Pete has held our band together for 30 years, and we are lucky to have him.
We look forward to continuing to make music and bring joy to the community for many years to come. Thank you for your support!
Las Vegas Brass Band, June 2023
Las Vegas Brass Band, June 2023
What's next? Will you be there?