Blazers Intro: A Brassy Fanfare

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ABM

Happily Married In Music City, USA!
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From: Canzano

One of the last great mysteries inside the Trail Blazers' organization has nothing to do with players, coaches and front-office personnel. And yet, I receive weekly inquiries from inquisitive Portland fans asking the same question.

What do you know about the trumpets?

You know the trumpets.
They signal the start of every Blazers radio and television broadcast.

The high-pitched trumpets sound. Time stops. And if you're like the people who reach out to me, you immediately think of your parents or grandparents or whomever you once sat around listening to your local NBA games with. That simple 43-second jingle has become so much more to so many loyal fans who live here, and you know this because if you ask a dozen Blazers fans to tell you what the trumpets mean to them, you'd get a dozen different memories.

All of them joyful.

It's why people write to ask me where they can find them to download, or what the origin of the trumpet fanfare was. And it's why they hope the Blazers never do away with them, or change them. Because it's human, I guess, to want to freeze time, or travel back, or hold onto, or duplicate a merry memory.

So, well. What do I know about the trumpets?

Very little, until Friday..................
 

The man never stops self promoting... if I liked him, it might not irritate me quite as much. I was listening to his show while I was sitting in traffic yesterday, and he was giving some speech about how he can accept mistakes from the people who work under him, but when HE makes mistakes, it makes him sick to the stomach. He was also listing off a bunch of other crap about working with him. Anyone else catch it?
 
Speaking of those trumpets and Canzano bringing them up, here's an old video of the TV opening. Ah, the memories... even that guy's voice in the end.

edit: Rep to anyone who can ID the Blazers in the video.

[video=youtube;YkH9Dj1CcYc]
 
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The man never stops self promoting... if I liked him, it might not irritate me quite as much. I was listening to his show while I was sitting in traffic yesterday, and he was giving some speech about how he can accept mistakes from the people who work under him, but when HE makes mistakes, it makes him sick to the stomach. He was also listing off a bunch of other crap about working with him. Anyone else catch it?

I can't decide which is worse, his column or his show ... too close to call.
 
those trumpets are our nba on nbc theme, so timeless and classic, never stray away from it
 
edit: Rep to anyone who can ID the Blazers in the video.[/url]

IIRC, I caught Ramsey, Coop, Natt, Culp, Paxson, Valentine, Carr, Bucky.... (Audie, as well?)
 
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Hate him though some of you may, I feel indebted to him for providing this mp3 so that I can have this theme on my phone. Canzano rocks!
 
Speaking of those trumpets and Canzano bringing them up, here's an old video of the TV opening. Ah, the memories... even that guy's voice in the end.

edit: Rep to anyone who can ID the Blazers in the video.



I don't think I was alive back then.
 
Somewhere between 1984-1986, I would guess,

You would guess wrong then. Natt and Cooper were traded in 84 And as there is no footage of Clyde Drexler.

I would guess 82-83, because of who looks Kenny Carr.
 
I love the fanfare, but I'm not sold on the new alternate versions that they've been playing on the tv broadcasts. The "country Blazers theme" in particular made me wince.
 
I love the fanfare, but I'm not sold on the new alternate versions that they've been playing on the tv broadcasts. The "country Blazers theme" in particular made me wince.

Yeah I agree... they're very lame. Why try to update or modernize something when it's not needed? I wish they would use the old theme with highlights of today, or blend old highlights into new using the theme.
 
You would guess wrong then. Natt and Cooper were traded in 84 And as there is no footage of Clyde Drexler.

I would guess 82-83, because of who looks Kenny Carr.

:check: It was the collection of Kenny, Coop, Calvin and Audie as well as Pax's porn stache that gave away the year.
 
Hate him though some of you may, I feel indebted to him for providing this mp3 so that I can have this theme on my phone. Canzano rocks!


Do you have the link for the mp3? In that article, I never caught the original name of the song or who played it.
 
How cool would it be for the Blazers to have a live horn performance of the song at the opening playoff game with some highlights rolling on the big screen.
 
The video shows, in order of appearance;
Darnell Valentine, Airline Attendant, Jack Ramsay, Bucky Buckwalter, Kenny Carr, Calvin Natt, Jim "the stache" Paxson, Jeff Lamp, Wayne Cooper, Audie Norris, ??? sleeping, and Ron Culp - Trainer.

All without looking them up. Seems like just yesterday!!! I'd guess 1982-1983
 
I think the player who you only see the top of his head is Fat Lever. What's funny to me is I don't remember these intros on TV, but the trumpets on the radio is what I remember, especially where they would replay clips of the Schonz's calls, somewhat like what they do with Wheels at the beginning of the broadcasts now. The one that really stands out is the "Bates at the horn...he scores!!!" play.
 
IIRC, I caught Ramsey, Coop, Natt, Culp, Paxson, Valentine, Carr, Bucky.... (Audie, as well?)

The video shows, in order of appearance;
Darnell Valentine, Airline Attendant, Jack Ramsay, Bucky Buckwalter, Kenny Carr, Calvin Natt, Jim "the stache" Paxson, Jeff Lamp, Wayne Cooper, Audie Norris, ??? sleeping, and Ron Culp - Trainer.

All without looking them up. Seems like just yesterday!!! I'd guess 1982-1983

Impressive. You guys are true long-time fans for being able to pick those guys out. :ghoti:
 

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