Connecticut Halftime and The Three Camps

November 1, 2020

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Sean J. Kennedy

Following up the successful release of a new arrangement of a Revolutionary War-era fife-and-drum tune, “The Downfall of Paris,” drummer, producer, and arranger Sean J. Kennedy, of Local 341 (Norristown, PA), has created new arrangements of two more rudimental drumming standards: “Connecticut Halftime” and “The Three Camps.”

“For me and many other drummers, ‘The Downfall of Paris,’ ‘The Three Camps,’ and ‘Connecticut Halftime’ are kind of like a trifecta of rudimental drumming achievement,” Kennedy says of why he chose these compositions for rearranging. “I clearly remember being in high school at my drum lesson, watching my teacher, Mr. Ray Deeley, demonstrating ‘The Three Camps’ at a lesson and I thought what he was doing was absolute magic.”

In Kennedy’s arrangement, “Connecticut Halftime” has its tempo boosted slightly (to make it more exciting for the online audience) and had a few phrasing changes to match J. Burns Moore’s classic 1940s recording. In “The Three Camps,” the drum part has not been altered, but the original fife part was rearranged to be a duet, and then transposed to be played on piccolo trumpet. 

In addition to Kennedy, AFM musicians who played on the pieces included: Bernie Dresel, of Local 47 (Los Angeles, CA), Neil Grover of Local 9-535 (Boston, MA), Nitzan Haroz of Local 77 (Philadelphia, PA), David Lu of Local 341 (Norristown, PA), Sherrie Maricle of Local 802 (New York City), Dave Nelson Locals 135-211 (Reading, PA), 21 (Wilmington, DE), and 77; Chihiro Shibayama of Local 802, and Gabriel Staznik of Local 21.

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