The History of the baby Elephant call
For nearly a decade, one melody stood as the sonic emblem of Blue Rock: the iconic "Baby Elephant Walk," complete with its distinctive pachyderm call. This whimsical tune's journey through the corps' history is as fascinating as it is enduring.
First introduced in 1965 as part of Blue Rock's opener, "Baby Elephant Walk" (without the Elephant Call) initially retreated backstage, sitting out the 1966 season. However, it made a triumphant return in 1967, replacing "Dragnet '67" mid-season and giving birth to the endearing "Baby Elephant" that would become a Blue Rock trademark.
From that moment, the piece became a staple of the corps' repertoire, featured in various innovative arrangements each year through the 1972 competition season.
The evolution of this playful melody into a cornerstone of Blue Rock's identity has intrigued fans for years. How did a simple tune grow into a beloved tradition that spanned six competitive seasons?
To unravel this musical odyssey, we turn to Larry Kerchner, the venerated long-time arranger for Blue Rock, who not only witnessed the "Baby Elephant's" first steps but also helped guide its growth through multiple incarnations.
First introduced in 1965 as part of Blue Rock's opener, "Baby Elephant Walk" (without the Elephant Call) initially retreated backstage, sitting out the 1966 season. However, it made a triumphant return in 1967, replacing "Dragnet '67" mid-season and giving birth to the endearing "Baby Elephant" that would become a Blue Rock trademark.
From that moment, the piece became a staple of the corps' repertoire, featured in various innovative arrangements each year through the 1972 competition season.
The evolution of this playful melody into a cornerstone of Blue Rock's identity has intrigued fans for years. How did a simple tune grow into a beloved tradition that spanned six competitive seasons?
To unravel this musical odyssey, we turn to Larry Kerchner, the venerated long-time arranger for Blue Rock, who not only witnessed the "Baby Elephant's" first steps but also helped guide its growth through multiple incarnations.
To honor the recently-departed Bob Sanna and his largely unrecognized role as Blue Rock’s first “Elephant,” and of course, with all due respect to our dear friend, Chuck Quackenbush, who took over the roll in the second incarnation of “Elephant Walk” (the one I combined with “Quiet Village”), here’s the story of how the “Elephone“ (what I called it!) came to be. In so much detail, you’ll never want to see or hear the word “mouthpiece” again! 😉
After asking Bob to try to make a sound on his horn like an “elephant in heat” (which was far beyond the range capability of his contrabass and Bach 24W tuba mouthpiece), I borrowed a trumpet mouthpiece from a soprano player and had Bob try it. The shank of a trumpet mouthpiece is smaller than the mouthpiece receiver on a contra, so the trumpet mouthpiece went in all the way to the cup before it was seated. But it worked! Kind of. It created a high shrill sound, but it didn’t have the depth needed to sound “big.” For that, he needed a deep, conical (V-shaped) mouthpiece, so I had him try my French horn mouthpiece. It sounded much better, but the French horn mouthpiece was waaay too small to fit into the contra’s mouthpiece receiver without a ton of electrical tape wrapped around it, and to my knowledge, no company made a French horn-to-Tuba mouthpiece adapter.
Then a lightbulb went off in my head! I said to myself, “Why not use the contra mouthpiece itself as a receiver?! If the skinny French horn mouthpiece’s shank could fit in the contra mouthpiece’s throat, it would eliminate the logistical problem of removing the contra mouthpiece from its receiver to put in the loose-fitting, taped-up French horn mouthpiece, then removing the French horn mouthpiece to put the contra mouthpiece back in. Not to mention . . . where do you put the unused mouthpiece when it’s not in the horn? And what if you dropped it?” It was quite a conversation! LOL!!!
Imagine my excitement when the shank of my old French horn mouthpiece fit perfectly in the throat of Bob’s contrabass mouthpiece! Not only that, but it protruded just enough beyond the rim of the contra mouthpiece to be able to play on it. This gave the illusion of playing on the contra mouthpiece, but, by actually playing on the French horn mouthpiece (hidden inside the cup of the contra mouthpiece), it allowed Bob to access notes so high in the harmonic series that it emulated a trumpeting elephant. (With that “depth” of sound I mentioned.) It was one of the best-kept secrets in drum corps! And probably illegal!
Bob kept the French horn mouthpiece in the palm of his right hand, under his glove, and the contra mouthpiece never left the horn!
Sometimes ya just get lucky!
RIP, Bob and Chuck!
After asking Bob to try to make a sound on his horn like an “elephant in heat” (which was far beyond the range capability of his contrabass and Bach 24W tuba mouthpiece), I borrowed a trumpet mouthpiece from a soprano player and had Bob try it. The shank of a trumpet mouthpiece is smaller than the mouthpiece receiver on a contra, so the trumpet mouthpiece went in all the way to the cup before it was seated. But it worked! Kind of. It created a high shrill sound, but it didn’t have the depth needed to sound “big.” For that, he needed a deep, conical (V-shaped) mouthpiece, so I had him try my French horn mouthpiece. It sounded much better, but the French horn mouthpiece was waaay too small to fit into the contra’s mouthpiece receiver without a ton of electrical tape wrapped around it, and to my knowledge, no company made a French horn-to-Tuba mouthpiece adapter.
Then a lightbulb went off in my head! I said to myself, “Why not use the contra mouthpiece itself as a receiver?! If the skinny French horn mouthpiece’s shank could fit in the contra mouthpiece’s throat, it would eliminate the logistical problem of removing the contra mouthpiece from its receiver to put in the loose-fitting, taped-up French horn mouthpiece, then removing the French horn mouthpiece to put the contra mouthpiece back in. Not to mention . . . where do you put the unused mouthpiece when it’s not in the horn? And what if you dropped it?” It was quite a conversation! LOL!!!
Imagine my excitement when the shank of my old French horn mouthpiece fit perfectly in the throat of Bob’s contrabass mouthpiece! Not only that, but it protruded just enough beyond the rim of the contra mouthpiece to be able to play on it. This gave the illusion of playing on the contra mouthpiece, but, by actually playing on the French horn mouthpiece (hidden inside the cup of the contra mouthpiece), it allowed Bob to access notes so high in the harmonic series that it emulated a trumpeting elephant. (With that “depth” of sound I mentioned.) It was one of the best-kept secrets in drum corps! And probably illegal!
Bob kept the French horn mouthpiece in the palm of his right hand, under his glove, and the contra mouthpiece never left the horn!
Sometimes ya just get lucky!
RIP, Bob and Chuck!
In a poignant twist of fate, "Baby Elephant Walk" made one final appearance in Blue Rock's history. As the corps took its final bow in the 1974 season—their last—this beloved melody once again graced the field. It was a fitting farewell, bookending Blue Rock's journey with the very tune that had become its signature. This brief but powerful moment served as a bittersweet reminder of the indelible mark "Baby Elephant Walk" had left on the corps and its fans, bringing the Blue Rock story full circle in its closing chapter.
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