LAPD jr Marching Band

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Cosmo
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LAPD jr Marching Band

Post by Cosmo » Fri Jan 07, 2011 1:58 pm

We were the best! Nobody was playing Lil' Anthony and the Imperials' songs (Hurt So Bad), Jazz songs (On Green Dolphin Street) and many other non- MARCHING BAND music. National Champions for 7 plus years. A racially mixed group that I considered my brothers (only one sister, the baton twirler). We all got along. I remember being in the first Martin Luther King Parade, there were people throwing rocks at us ( even though 75% of the members were Afro-American), cuz at that time people really hated the cops, the Watts riots had just happened a couple of years earlier. Also, we didn't get invited to the Rose Parade cuz of our diversely racial mix and our cop uniforms! both unpopular at that time. But I remember mostly how much fun we had, playing music, traveling in the Jail Buses, lots of practicing. Does anybody out there have the recordings we made? Pictures? Who is still playing? I'm really bad with names but I recall some of my trombone brothers, Jeff Way, Mark Duarte. I ran into Steve Smith, trumpet, at a Concert a couple of years ago. Where's everybody at now?

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Re: LAPD jr Marching Band

Post by Bandmaster » Wed Jan 12, 2011 1:04 pm

This is cool to hear from someone from that era. I remember that Officer Paul Hord was director back in the late 70's and early 80's. Sadly, they ceased operations by 1983.

BTW, back in 1984 I bought all the remaining instruments from the LAPD Jr. Band when I started up a new youth band that we called the Sound Machine of the Inland Empire. I still have a King fiberglass sousaphone from that purchase.
Dave Schaafsma
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LAPDJrBand1962-1966
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Re: LAPD jr Marching Band

Post by LAPDJrBand1962-1966 » Wed Feb 02, 2011 4:40 pm

I played in the LAPD Police Junior Band from 1962-1966. Have great memories. Any old timers out there? Would love to hear from you.
Albert Garcia

bchayward
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Joined: Mon Mar 07, 2011 7:55 pm

Re: LAPD jr Marching Band

Post by bchayward » Mon Mar 07, 2011 8:13 pm

Wow!!! This is a small world. I too was a member of the Los Angeles Police Jr. Band. I joined the band in 1964 under Officer Kelly and remained until 1968 under Officer Paul Horde. I was in the color guard. We travelled all over southern California and I went to three state and two national competitions.

cookie1953
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Re: LAPD jr Marching Band

Post by cookie1953 » Sat Jan 14, 2012 12:00 am

Hey Albert Garcia i'm writing for Humberto Pinto he would like to hear from you.

Ronald Norman
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Re: LAPD jr Marching Band

Post by Ronald Norman » Sun Feb 12, 2012 12:47 am

I remember that day well. Half the band was not there because many of the members were marching with their high school bands.

The parade was the 1969 Watts Christmas Parade and although it was December, it was hot. I didn't get hit by any rocks, but standing at parade rest in front of members of the Black Panthers in a police uniform was rather uncomfortable.

Some of us came from tough neighbor-hoods and the band members would use peer pressure to help us stay out of trouble and keep our grades up in school. When a performance ended late at night, the bus driver would roar that jail bus right through the housing projects to drop some members off.

There was a concert in town here yesterday featuring the Rose Royce Band whose trumpet players were members of the police band. This got me to start thinking about the old days, and I ended up at this site when I googled up LAPD Jr.Band.

Besides my brother, I know of only one other member that I contacted in the last couple of years. I look forward to meeting others.

Amos
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Joined: Thu Apr 05, 2012 6:56 pm

Re: LAPD jr Marching Band

Post by Amos » Thu Apr 05, 2012 7:03 pm

I was in the Band from around 1969 to 1972. I got to wear the Navy blue wool uniforms with the white leggings. We later switched to the white pants and blue jackets.
I remember Joe Jones, Tom Stern, and the Way brothers (Jeff and Norman) and Cosmo lived in the same neighborhood.
Does anyone know what ever happened to Officer Paul Hord??
He was an awesome director.
Also if you go to this website and look around at the programs, you can see pictures of the band.

http://www.blackboxbuster.com/YouthBandsSoCal.html

jrivas
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Re: LAPD jr Marching Band

Post by jrivas » Tue Dec 25, 2012 9:53 pm

I played in the LAPD Jr. Band from 1970 to 1972. I played trumpet with the likes of Kevin Blunt and Jeff our 1st trumpet. We had a great color guard with Art Dela Rosa and company. Ricky Smith was our drum major for two years before leaving us for the Diplomats Drum and Bugle corp. I do remember our LAPD uniforms complete with badge (mine was #86). It was awesome to strike up the "dragnet" theme song during our parade song selections. I remember our summer practices at the local Jr. high school (near the park we practiced at on Monday nights) working on our formations and music for state and national competitions. I still remember our national competition in Oregon. We stayed in Army barracks on cots! It was great! I could go on and on! On yeah, I did film the entire stay on good old 8mm film.

Jose Rivas

William_T
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Re: LAPD jr Marching Band

Post by William_T » Thu Feb 14, 2013 3:27 pm

I may have marched with you. Do you remember the short guy who stepped out with tall Art Kimbro to wail away on "Goin' Out of My Head"?

A pro drummer friend, also from LAPD jr band, agrees with me: those days (and Officer Hord's excellent arrangements) were the most fun playing we've ever had. Only when they "dumped" the girls did I quit.

I went on to march Anaheim Kingsmen, Santa Ana Velvet Knights, and Santa Clara Vanguard. Then returned and taught VK, 3rd Generation, and Fremont Youth Band.

Glorious times, eh?

jrivas
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Re: LAPD jr Marching Band

Post by jrivas » Fri Feb 15, 2013 11:27 am

Yes and of course. I remember you from the trumpet line. Those were glorious times! State and National competitions every summer! I dropped out due to college. I went on to play in college in a "mariachi group" and with a large church orchestra/band in Fullerton, CA. Since then I haven't picked up my horn in over 20 years:( Good times and fond memories!

jrivas
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Re: LAPD jr Marching Band

Post by jrivas » Fri Feb 15, 2013 11:29 am

One more thing, Art Kimbro went on to an acting career.

MurrayDelph
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Location: Astoria, OR

Re: LAPD jr Marching Band

Post by MurrayDelph » Mon Apr 01, 2013 10:59 pm

Tom Stern here. It's nice to be remembered (fondly, I hope).

I remember those days fondly. I don't play my sax anymore (to be honest, I was never really that good. I was OK-at-best). I ended up working in computers, and marrying a woman who was active in Whittier Elks Cavaliers at about the same time I was in LAPDjB.

I remember that trip to Oregon. I was so nervous during the inspection, I forgot to salute the flag (we won anyway). Driving around Oregon and seeing Multnomah Falls had a profound effect on me: I live on the Oregon Coast now, but commute back to LA from time-to-time.

I have stayed in touch with Anthony Reams (whose mother still lives across the street from what was my parent's house, and is still in touch with the aforementioned Jeff Way) and recently got in touch with Joanne Lento, our majorette (who runs a scrapbooking store in Burbank).

When my father passed away, I found out that his godson had been in LAPDjB during the Officer Kelly days.

Hope everyone is doing well, and maybe one of these days someone will organize a reunion (and, if they do, that I'll be in town for it, as I spend most of my time in northern Oregon these days).

jrivas
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Re: LAPD jr Marching Band

Post by jrivas » Tue Apr 02, 2013 9:10 pm

Thomas Stern! You are blast from the past. This is Jose Rivas, you might remember me as the trumpet player and friends with Ricky Smith, Lloyd Lupsa, Paul Zazakis. It is good to hear from you. Just like you I am married, but still live in Southern California in La Habra. I became a school teacher in a middle school teaching mathematics.

It would be great to get same type of reunion and get in touch with old bandmembers. Good to hear you are doing well! Blessings upon you or better yet--"Shahom"

Ronald Norman
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Re: LAPD jr Marching Band

Post by Ronald Norman » Tue May 14, 2013 10:25 pm

Hello former LAPD Jr. Police Band members,

Haven't been to this site in a long time. Did connect with Cosmos. If anyone has photos, video or even better yet some recordings it would be great to get a copy. I have only a couple of photos.

It would be cool if we all met up one day.

With mostly brass instruments and music arranged with the trumpets skipping around notes like G bugles back in the day, the police band was the baddest drum corps that wasn't a corps. Now drum corps with their modern day bugles sound like the Police Band.

jrivas
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Re: LAPD jr Marching Band

Post by jrivas » Wed May 15, 2013 9:08 am

To all former LAPD Jr. Band Members;

I do have in possession a video I made from our Portland, Oregon Nationals trip (1971). It's a capsulated video of a week's worth of events and band activities of the trip. If interested shoot me a response.

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