& Colorguard (then) / & Pageantry Core (now)
Early 60's
Azusa Aztec Marching Band
& Colorguard (then) / & Pageantry Core (now)
Early 60's
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Many photos from the 80's supplied by Ben Montoya '86 If you have any information, photo's, corrections, whatever (?) and would like to share it with us, or have it included on this site, please feel free to contact us. |
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AZTEC BAND AND PAGEANTRY/COLORGUARD/DANCETEAM/ ALUMNI!!!
I am compiling a list of the 100 Greatest Band Moments, and I would like
you input. I am junior, and have been wondering about the comraderie of
other classes. Please, if you have a great story, please send it to me
with your name and e-mail address at the top to : Please share this with all your alumni
friends! Thank you for your time, |
Some AZTEC BAND FACTS
Ross Davis, the first director of the Azusa High School Aztec Marching Band built a winning music and marching unit unequaled in it's time, and possibly, never to be equaled. Azusa became the top high school marching band in southern California. In the period from 1958-1965, Azusa won Sweepstakes a total of seven times. The Aztec Marching Band is the only high school band to have ever won three consecutive Sweepstakes in the entire 50 year history of the National City Maytime Band Review. This occurred in 1963, 1964, and 1965. Under the direction of Ross Davis, the band achieved the highest overall score of 98.1 at the El Monte Christmas Parade in 1963.
In May of 1963, the Aztec Marching Band scored the highest overall score in the history of any and all band reviews including Chaffey, Hawthorne, Chino, Santa Monica, Long Beach and National City and this score has never been challenged. Not even Arcadia, Loara, Anaheim, Mt. Miguel, Glendora, Pasadena, nor any other high school band has ever accomplished as high and near-perfect score that Azusa did.
Playing 'The Stars and Stripes Forever' the band achieved the following score -
The Aztec Band performance of 1963 scoring 99.5 out of 100 possible points is probably the greatest single marching band performance ever achieved by any high school band.
Only our own Azusa Aztec Marching Band, at the Monrovia Roundup Days Parade in May of 1967 scored a higher all-time music score of 498 when we won the Sweepstakes and the Music Trophy, playing the 'Father of Victory' march. This also earned the 2nd highest score ever achieved by Azusa of 97.95!
Following Ross Davis as director was Peter Grasselli. Mr. Grasselli was from the eastern United States He led the band for just one year. His background was strong in the 'show band' type of performances and competitions. These take place in a stadium environment, much like a half-time show for a football game. Mr. Grasselli was somewhat ahead of his time with this style of competetion for southern California, as parades were the main type of competetion for California high school bands in the late 60's. Today, show band competetions are much more commonplace in southern California.
Micheal Seeley followed Grasselli as the next director of the Aztec band. A former student teacher of Ross Davis, Seeley led the band to it's second best season ever, which included 5 perfect marching scores over a 3 year period. In 1967, as mentioned above, the band achieved the 2nd highest score in the history of the Monrovia Days 'Round-Up' Parade with a score of 97.95, a perfect 200 in marching, and won the music trophy scoring 498 out of 500, the highest SCSBOA music score to that point in time.
Thanks go to David Smith for providing much of the above information.
 Aztec
Band Directors These dates are correct to the best of our knowledge, and in part are based on information provided by you. Any corrections and updates are greatly appreciated |
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| Ross
Davis |
Fall 1956 | ~ | Spring 1965 |
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| Peter Grasselli | Fall 1965 | ~ | Spring 1966 | |
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Michael
Seeley |
Fall 1966 | ~ | Spring 1969 | |
| Al Clifft | Fall 1969 | ~ | Spring 1972 | |
| Tom Jackson | Fall 1972 | ~ | Spring 1975 | |
| Tom Landes | Fall 1975 | ~ | Spring 1979 | |
| Scott Taylor | Fall 1979 | ~ | Spring 1987 | |
| Ted Burton | Fall 1987 | ~ | Spring 1992 | |
| Greg Samuels | Fall 1992 | ~ | Spring 1993 | |
| Rick England | Fall 1993 | ~ | Spring 1994 | |
| Susie Marin | 1993 | ~ | Present | |
The Aztec Marching Band from 1979
to 1987 saw some momentous events. We were never a very large band, 50-55 musicians
(jr.hi bands at the time were very small and didn't send us many freshman) but
we were known for our excellent marching and showmanship scores as well as 450
to 460 (out of 500) music scores.
'79-'82 were transition years from the "Landis" band which had a great
reputation. Starting in the fall of '82 with Drum Major Kevin Massie our band
started placing in every event we entered (one every weekend for 8 weeks). This
was still the era of major Band reviews, Chino, Montclair, Arcadia, National
City and the All-Western in Long Beach. The band placed no lower than third
that year and for the first and only time as far as I know, placed first at
Arcadia playing "Eagle Squadron".
Over the next five years the band would place either first or sweepstakes in
each of these events. We were also the only Azusa band to win the title of "Blue
Ribbon Band" at the L.A. County Fair (banner picture). During these years
the band took week-long tours to Sacramento, San Francisco and Arizona
where we marched in the Tucson and Phoenix Rodeo parades. We purchased a 28'
band trailer from money raised from the field tournament we hosted. It was custom
painted and pulled by a van painted the same way donated by Mr.
Acosta of Acosta Nurseries. His son Adrian was Drum Major from '85-'86 (see
drum major list)
In 1987 my final competition with band took us to the Maytime Band Review. We
were small that year and only 25 students
were allowed to march through competition (those that had "passed-off"
the march). Under Drum Major Chris Massie
'86-'87, Kevin's brother,
we won the high marching score, the high
showmanship score and Sweepstakes - the first
time
since 1965, beating bands three and four times our size again playing "Eagle
Squadron"
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| Aztec Band Drum Majors These dates are correct to the best of our knowledge, and in part are based on information provided by you. Any corrections and updates are greatly appreciated |
 Gregg Mayfield 1968 |
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| Jack Frye |
1958 - 1961 |
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| Darlene Kemper | 1961 - 1962 | |
| Cheryl Wilkenson | 1962 - 1966 | |
| Carlice Rhode | 1968 | |
| Gregg Mayfield | 1968 |
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| David Durrell | 1968 - 1969 | |
| David Smith | 1969 | |
| Jon Koenig | 1970 | |
| Kip Decker | Fall 1971-1972 | |
| Rick Rivera | Fall 1972-1973 | |
| Randy Alva | Fall 1973-1975 | |
| Francis "Pepe" Manning | Fall 1975-1977 | |
| Kenny Alva | Fall 1977-1978 | |
| Steve Grinter | Fall 1978-1979 | |
| Kelly Eisenbise |
Fall 1979-1980 | |
| Angel Karatachea | Fall 1980-1981 | 
Joe Esparza '85 |
| Sandy Senne | Fall 1981-1982 | |
| Kevin Massie | Fall 1982-1983 | |
| Brian Salsbery | Fall 1983-1984 | |
| Joe Esparza | Fall 1984-1985 | |
| Adrian Acosta | Fall 1985 - 1986 | |
| Chris Massie | Fall 1986 - 1987 | |
| Luis Lopez | Fall 1987 - 1990 | |
| Able Acosta | Fall 1990 - 1992 | |
| Eric Sorenson | Fall 1992-1993 | |
| Sandra Goda | Fall 1993-1994 | |
| Joshua J. Campbell | Fall 1994-1995 | |
| Monica Gueterez | Fall 1995-1996 | |
| Joseph Valenzuela | Fall 1996 -1999 | |
| Regina Alba | Fall 1999 - 2002 | Please
e-mail corrections & additions ti Julie |
| Natalie Adams | Fall 2002 - 2003 | |
| Aram Hernandez | Fall 2003 - 2004 | |
| Aram Hernandez | Fall 2004-2005 | |
| Pilar Elias | Fall 2005-2006 | |
| Auna Kristina Carlsson and James Martinez |
Fall 2006-2007 | |
| Robert Augostine | Fall 2007-2008 | |
Photos |
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| In 1960 the AZTEC MARCHING BAND performed the half-timeshow for the NFL PRO-BOWLin the Los Angeles Coliseum | |||
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Updated:
January 19, 2008
Content
on this page supplied by Ross Mayfield
