Let the Good Times Ring!

Annika Schluep

The “Basel Tattoo”, an international festival for military-, marching-, brass- and drumming bands, has found a worthy stage in the courtyard of the Kaserne Basel since 2006. Among the participating formations of the “Tattoo Parade” is the music band of the “Swiss Mariners”. This band was founded in Basel in 1970 as an affiliate group (corps) of the North American “Ancient Mariners” from Guilford, Connecticut.

Fascinated by the music of the “Swiss Mariners”, Annika Schluep gains personal access to the band in order to fathom the group’s origins and the values it embodies. The interviews provide insight into the core of the members’ mindsets: Why did they become “Swiss Mariners” and what does belonging to the band mean to them?

The expressive pictures and insightful texts in Annika Schluep’s book “Let the Good Times Ring” document the group’s dynamics throughout three public performances. The individual portraits of the formation members complete the multi-faceted overall picture.