By Tom Orsborn, Staff writer | San Antonio Express-News (SAEN), 2024-10-24 12:07:58
由生成式人工智能翻译，译文内容可能不准确或不完整，以原文为准。
阿尔·斯图尔奇奥 (Al Sturchio) 曾是“马刺之声”乐队的吹号手兼指挥，这支乐队在 20 世纪 70 年代、80 年代和 90 年代的马刺比赛中在大美洲馆演出。
当阿尔·斯图尔奇奥 (Al Sturchio) 在马刺队的比赛中吹响他的小号时，他总是能恰到好处地用音乐来配合比赛的节奏。
“他了解比赛，并且对何时演奏、何时不演奏有着敏锐的直觉，”前马刺队媒体关系总监韦恩·维特 (Wayne Witt) 说道。
斯图尔奇奥作为“马刺之声”乐队的指挥，他适时的演奏是马刺队在大美洲馆的成长岁月中营造独特而喧闹氛围的重要组成部分。这位传奇人物于本周一逝世，享年 95 岁。
他的女儿蒂娜·斯图尔奇奥 (Tina Sturchio) 说，斯图尔奇奥在家中因心力衰竭去世。
马刺队的前 20 个赛季是在大美洲馆度过的，自 1973 年球队从达拉斯搬到圣安东尼奥后，斯图尔奇奥和他的七人乐队在那里为其喧闹的节日般氛围贡献了 20 年。
“我们在那里度过了很多快乐的时光，”斯图尔奇奥在 2017 年接受《圣安东尼奥快报》采访时站在市场街和鲍伊街的拐角处说道，那里曾经是大美洲馆的所在地，该场馆已于 1995 年被拆除，为亨利·B·冈萨雷斯会展中心的扩建腾出空间。
这座圆形的穹顶建筑是为圣安东尼奥世界博览会（1968 年美洲博览会）建造的，可容纳 10,070 人，这是该市历史上具有里程碑意义的事件。经过扩建后，座位最终增加到 16,000 个。
无论场馆大小，在斯图尔奇奥和他的乐队——可以说是职业体育界最独特的配乐——的伴奏下，这里总是热闹非凡。
“那是我生命中非常特别的一段时光，”他说。“哦，天哪，看到它被拆除真是太令人难过了。”
斯图尔奇奥是意大利移民的后裔，他的家族有着丰富的音乐传承，蒂娜·斯图尔奇奥说，这种传承源于普利亚大区，这是构成意大利“靴子”后跟的最南端地区。他的祖父阿尔弗雷多·斯图尔奇奥 (Alfredo Sturchio) 是一位音乐大师，在 20 世纪初移民匹兹堡之前曾与意大利传奇作曲家贾科莫·普契尼 (Giacomo Puccini) 合作。斯图尔奇奥的父亲弗兰克·“波普”·斯图尔奇奥 (Frank “Pop” Sturchio) 在 1949 年组织了响尾蛇乐队后，曾在圣玛丽大学担任音乐总监一段时间。
年轻的斯图尔奇奥以其精湛的小号演奏技巧而闻名全国，他曾为约翰尼·卡森 (Johnny Carson)、杰克·本尼 (Jack Benny)、索尼和雪儿 (Sonny and Cher)、詹姆斯·布朗 (James Brown) 和肯尼·罗杰斯 (Kenny Rogers) 等著名艺人担任指挥和演奏。
斯图尔奇奥毕业于布莱肯里奇高中，曾为老鹰队打过棒球和橄榄球。1951 年，他在为响尾蛇棒球队打球后从圣玛丽大学获得了音乐教育学士学位，同年开始在洪都高中担任乐队指挥。他曾在以下学校担任过乐队指挥或助理指挥：拉尼尔高中、圣玛丽高中（在那里他与父亲一起工作了六年）、南圣高中和罗斯福高中。1972 年至 1986 年，他担任东北独立学区的艺术总监。
“阿尔是我们在德克萨斯州乐队界的偶像之一，”迈克·布拉希尔 (Mike Brashear) 说，他于 2008 年接替斯图尔奇奥担任德克萨斯州乐队指挥协会的执行董事。“他在很长一段时间内对乐队界以及对指挥和学生的贡献可能是无与伦比的。在圣安东尼奥，很多人都很尊敬他。在招聘和指导乐队指挥方面，他具有广泛的影响力。”
斯图尔奇奥于 1985 年入选德克萨斯州乐队指挥协会名人堂。1997 年，他担任节日火炬游行的总指挥。2022 年，美国众议员华金·卡斯特罗 (Joaquin Castro) 和国会授予斯图尔奇奥“圣安东尼奥大使”称号。
但也许是作为“马刺之声”的领导者，斯图尔奇奥获得了最大的声誉。
“那是一种快乐的氛围，”他在谈到比赛期间的氛围时说。
夜复一夜，当球迷们在大美洲馆畅饮孤星啤酒和珍珠啤酒时，斯图尔奇奥的乐队会演奏《圣安东尼奥玫瑰》（San Antonio Rose）、墨西哥乡村歌曲《Volver, Volver》（由维森特·费尔南德斯 (Vicente Fernández) 在 1973 年推广开来）以及其他当地人喜爱的歌曲。
“阿尔和乐队演奏的是真正的圣安东尼奥音乐，你在其他任何地方都听不到这样的音乐，”前马刺队总经理鲍勃·巴斯 (Bob Bass) 在 2017 年说道。
斯图尔奇奥还与臭名昭著的“底线捣蛋鬼” (Baseline Bums) 合作，在马刺队宣传的“NBA 最喧闹的球馆”里，一起戏弄裁判和对手。
“我们会用手势示意阿尔为裁判们演奏像《三只瞎老鼠》这样的歌曲，”“底线捣蛋鬼”的头目之一乔治·瓦利 (George Valle) 在 2017 年说道。“当我想挥舞（德克萨斯州）州旗来调动观众的情绪时，我会向他示意，然后他会开始演奏《德州黄玫瑰》 (The Yellow Rose of Texas)。”
当球队需要改变比赛势头时，斯图尔奇奥就会吹响《冲锋！》(Charge!)。
“阿尔用他的小号让每个人都兴奋起来，”马刺队传奇人物乔治·格文 (George Gervin) 在 2017 年说道。斯图尔奇奥曾获得 1960 年城市业余高尔夫球锦标赛冠军，后来与“冰人”格文成了高尔夫球友。
维特说，斯图尔奇奥积极乐观的性格使他成为马刺队大家庭中深受喜爱的一员。
“他是我见过的最热情的人之一，”维特说。“他很快乐，很积极，非常乐意帮助你。他身上有一种极大的热情。”
在球队于 1993 年搬到阿拉莫穹顶体育馆后，斯图尔奇奥停止了在马刺队比赛中的表演。
“但我告诉你，他在主场比赛的时候都会戴着马刺队的帽子，穿着马刺队的球衣。他仍然是球队的忠实球迷，”蒂娜·斯图尔奇奥说道，她经常与“马刺之声”乐队一起演唱。
自 1993 年阿拉莫碗比赛创办以来，老斯图尔奇奥一直作为志愿者参与其中，帮助这项年度碗赛满足参赛学校乐队的需求。
斯图尔奇奥身后留下了结婚 70 年的妻子珍妮丝 (Janice)、他们的三个孩子和四个孙辈。
“他有很多孩子，不仅仅是我们，”蒂娜·斯图尔奇奥说。“他所有的乐队孩子。他非常和蔼可亲，非常善良。而且非常支持我们。”
斯图尔奇奥的守灵仪式将于 11 月 3 日下午 4 点至 6 点在麦卡洛大街 1101 号的波特·罗링殡仪馆举行。从下午 6 点开始将举行玫瑰经祈祷仪式。
葬礼弥撒将于 11 月 4 日上午 9:30 在布兰科路 8314 号的圣灵天主教堂举行。斯图尔奇奥将于 11 月 4 日上午 11:15 被安葬在萨姆·休斯顿堡国家公墓，届时将为这位在朝鲜战争中荣获紫心勋章的陆军战斗老兵举行军事荣誉仪式。
阿尔·斯图尔奇奥 (Al Sturchio) 曾是“马刺之声”乐队的吹号手兼指挥，这支乐队在 20 世纪 70 年代、80 年代和 90 年代的马刺比赛中在大美洲馆演出。
“马刺之声”乐队在 20 世纪 70 年代、80 年代和 90 年代的马刺比赛中在大美洲馆演出，图中乐队成员与乔治·格文合影。
留着小胡子的阿尔·斯图尔奇奥 (Al Sturchio) 与著名的《今夜秀》主持人约翰尼·卡森 (Johnny Carson) 在他们的一期节目中合影。
点击查看原文：Al Sturchio helped make the Spurs' HemisFair Arena raucous
Al Sturchio helped make the Spurs’ HemisFair Arena raucous
Al Sturchio, is the former trumpet-playing bandleader of "The Sound of the Spurs, " which performed at Spurs games at HemisFair Arena in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s.
When Al Sturchio played his trumpet at Spurs games, he excelled at matching his music to the moment.
“He understood the game and had a sense about when to play and when not to,” former Spurs media relations director Wayne Witt said.
Sturchio, whose timely trumpet playing as band leader of “The Sound of the Spurs” was a big part of the unique, rowdy atmosphere at HemisFair Arena in the franchise’s formative years, died Monday. He was 95.
Sturchio died of heart failure at his home, his daughter Tina Sturchio said.
The Spurs played their first 20 seasons at HemisFair, where Sturchio and his seven-piece band contributed to its raucous Fiesta-like environment for two decades after the franchise moved to San Antonio from Dallas in 1973.
“We had so much fun over there,” Sturchio said in a 2017 interview with the San Antonio Express-News while standing at the corner of Market and Bowie Streets near where the venue stood before it was demolished in 1995 to make way for the expansion of the Henry B. González Convention Center.
The round, domed building seated 10,070 when it was built for San Antonio’s World Fair — HemisFair '68 — a landmark event in the city’s history. Expansion eventually increased seating to 16,000.
No matter its size, the joint rocked with Sturchio and his band providing arguably the most unique soundtrack in pro sports.
“It was a very special time in my life,” he said. “Oh, boy, was it sad to see it torn down.”
The son of Italian immigrants, Sturchio came from a family with a rich musical heritage forged in what Tina Sturchio said was Puglia, a southern-most region forming the heel of Italy’s “boot.” His grandfather, Alfredo Sturchio, was a master musician who played with legendary Italian composer Giacomo Puccini before emigrating to Pittsburgh in the early 1900s. Sturchio’s father, Frank “Pop” Sturchio enjoyed a stint as music director at St. Mary’s University after organizing the Rattlers band in 1949.
Nationally known for his trumpet-playing skills, the younger Sturchio conducted and played for famous acts, including Johnny Carson, Jack Benny, Sonny and Cher, James Brown and Kenny Rogers.
A Brackenridge graduate who played baseball and football for the Eagles, Sturchio began his career as a band director at Hondo High School in 1951, the same year he graduated from St. Mary’s University with a bachelor’s degree in music education after pitching for the Rattlers baseball team. He went on direct or assist bands at Lanier; St. Mary’s, where he worked six years with his father; South San High; and Roosevelt before serving as the Director of Fine Arts for the North East Independent School District from 1972-1986.
“Al was one of our icons in the band world in Texas,” said Mike Brashear, who succeeded Sturchio as executive director of the Texas Bandmasters Association in 2008. “His contributions to the band world and to directors and students over a long period was probably unsurpassed. A lot of people looked up to him in San Antonio. He had a wide range of influence in terms of hiring people and mentoring band directors.”
Sturchio was inducted into the Texas Bandmasters Association Hall of Fame in 1985. He served as Grand Marshall of the Fiesta Flambeau Parade in 1997. In 2022, U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro and Congress recognized Sturchio as an Ambassador of San Antonio.
But it was as leader of “The Sound of the Spurs” that Sturchio gained perhaps his greatest fame.
“It was an atmosphere of joy,” he said of the vibe during games.
Night after night while fans chugged Lone Star and Pearl beer at HemisFair, Sturchio’s band played “San Antonio Rose”, the Mexican ranchera song “Volver, Volver” popularized by Vicente Fernández in 1973, and other regional favorites.
“Al and the band played real San Antonio music, music you wouldn’t hear anywhere else,” former Spurs general manager Bob Bass said in 2017.
Sturchio also worked in unison with the infamous “Baseline Bums” to torment referees and opponents inside what the Spurs advertised as “The Noisiest Arena in the NBA.”
“We’d signal to Al with our hands to play songs for the refs like ‘Three Blind Mice,’ ” one of the Baseline Bums ringleaders, George Valle, said in 2017. “When I wanted to wave the (Texas) flag to get the crowd going, I’d motion to him, and he’d strike up ‘The Yellow Rose of Texas.’ ”
When the team needed a change in momentum, Sturchio would strike up “Charge!
“Al got everybody riled up with that trumpet,” Spurs great George Gervin said in 2017. Sturchio, who won the 1960 city amateur golf championship, became golfing buddies with the Iceman.
Sturchio’s positive demeanor made him a beloved member of the Spurs family, Witt said.
“He was one of the most enthusiastic people I ever met,” Witt said. “He was happy, he was positive, he was perfectly willing to help you out. He just had a great enthusiasm about him.”
Sturchio stopped performing at Spurs games after the team moved to the Alamodome in 1993.
“But let me tell you, he wore a Spurs cap and shirt on game nights here at home. He was still a big fan,” said Tina Sturchio, who often sang with “The Sound of the Spurs.”
As a volunteer with the Alamo Bowl since its inception in 1993, the elder Sturchio assisted the annual bowl game in meeting the needs of the bands from participating schools.
Sturchio is survived by his wife of 70 years, Janice; their three children; and four grand-children.
“He had a lot of kids, not just us,” Tina Sturchio said. “All his band kids. He was very sweet, very kind. And very supportive.”
Visitation for Sturchio will be held from 4-6 p.m. on Nov. 3 at Porter Loring Mortuary at 1101 McCullough Ave. A rosary will be recited starting at 6 p.m.
A funeral Mass will be celebrated at 9:30 a.m. on Nov. 4 at Holy Spirit Catholic Church at 8314 Blanco Rd. Sturchio will be buried at 11:15 a.m. Nov. 4 at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery, where military honors will be rendered for the Army combat veteran who was awarded the Purple Heart during the Korean War.
Al Sturchio, is the former trumpet-playing bandleader of "The Sound of the Spurs, " which performed at Spurs games at HemisFair Arena in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s.
"The Sound of the Spurs, " performed at Spurs games at HemisFair Arena in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s, pose with George Gervin.
A mustachioed Al Sturchio stands beside famed Tonight Show host Johnny Carson at one of their shows.
By Tom Orsborn, Staff writer, via San Antonio Express-News