Caesar Giovannini - Alla Barocco (1969)

There are hundreds of poor recordings and amateur videos of performances of this popular piece by composer/pianist Caesar Giovannini floating around. "Alla Barocco" has even been played in the Tournament of Roses parade. This is the original 7" vinyl demo record that music directors received back in 1969 to demonstrate what it sounds like when played properly.

[jakemarek]

We played this on our High School Marching Band. Such a thrilling song!

[stormyhawn]

@delavalmilker I first heard "Alla Barocco" played by my own junior high school band in 1970. I loved the piece but couldn't find any recording of it. The complete lack of any really good recording of the piece in the more than 40 years since it was written is my reason for posting this demo record, which I was lucky enough to find in a thrift shop ages ago. I meant no insult to any of the musicians who have played this in local and school bands over the years.

[DaveT]

Add me to the list of former band members so happy and grateful to hear this after all of these years...This was a favorite within our band as well, and what sticks in my mind was how there was always the urge to "rush" when playing it.. eventually our director just gave up trying to hold us back and let us run with it. Thanks SO MUCH for posting it!

[jonk]

I always thought it sounded similar to “Classical Gas”.

[平松秀康]

I heard this in Japan in 1973 when I was 13 years old.I am 63 years old Japanese. Thank you so much for providing such a great opportunity to listen to this great work!

[scottbieser]

Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU for putting this up! It's been 40 years since I heard that "demo" recording.

[Muffett]

I loved playing this when I was in All-City Band in Houston. We had an album recorded and this song is on it.  I still have mine. Had the best director...Mr. Spampinato. *I think that is how his name is spelled. I'll have to check my program I saved. I also took pics of him. Best memories ever...great times!! I loved it all.

[chiknmacjacobs]

Lord love ya! I've looked so long to find a decent recording of this! Don't know that we ever played it this well, though.

[OldGamer]

My God! This is great. I have been looking for a good recording of this song for a while. Thanks so much!

[wdenr]

I played this in my junior year of high school - Fort Madison Aquinas - in 1970 and again with the Mt. Pleasant Community Band around 1989. Great piece and fun to play.

[Plazer]

I've been looking for this for some time also. This was the Senior Song we picked the year I graduated from HS. I played the trumpet and this was a fun song to play. Thanks for sharing!
I tried to get the HS band that my kids were involved in to play it several years ago and the band director had his fill of it and wouldn't even consider playing it.

[Woolworth]

Wow, remember performing this in the middle school band in Brookings, SD in the early 1970s. I have never heard a recording until now, but I found myself singing along!

[friendofafriend]

So that is how it sounds when trumpets aren't blasting into your ears

[joedokes]

I played the baritone in this Folk Rock song in my high school orchestra in 1971.

[bobberry]

A great tune that I enjoyed playing (trumpet) in grades 10 through 12. Every HS around the KC area played this well into the 70's. Thanks for the memories.

[bubbatad]

Thanks for putting this up. GREAT piece of music.

[iceyagrill]

Thanks for this great upload! My dad played this as part of his community band in the 1970s, and I got to play it (on drums!) as part of my community band this past summer, with my old man in attendance. I used this video to practice. Such a fun set part and cool tune.

[joestallings]

Played this in Jr High school band in '74, like everyone else here 😃

[brokenwrench]

my band wore this piece out. my first encounter was in the 9th grade middle school as 1st chair cornet.. then six more times before senior graduation by this time we did not need the music..
we did 6 concerts during the school year. one was a 3 county concert that did a 5 hr rehearsal a 2 hr break then a 2 hr concert. not many trumpeters had a lip left at the end of that day. most were sucking on ice cubes by 2 pm.

[farmerne]

That theme that starts at 3:45 really gets me rockin'!