Where is Basel, Switzerland?

"Music expresses that which cannot be said and on which it is impossible to be silent.” Victor Hugo

Shame on me. It was maybe three or four weeks ago that I even knew of Basel. Tonight, I sit in the middle of this beautiful old Swiss town located just before the road heads up to the Alps. Earlier, we found the proverbial cathedral on the hill, surrounded by rows of old Swiss residential buildings, some dating back to the 9th century. One street over was a cobblestone street packed with modern-sounding stores and thousands of people.

The Swiss appear to prefer drinking their coffee outside under brightly colored umbrellas. We join them for a small porcelain cup, half-filled with the most potent brew known to humankind. I breathe deeply, taking in the whole scene briefly forgetting why I am here.

Tonight, I join six, maybe seven thousand others from all over the world to a most unique event called BaselTATTOO 2025. It's a 10-day gathering of some of the world's greatest marching bands and troupes. The United States Marching Air Force Band is here joined by the Bands of His Royal Majesty's Marines (England), Qatar, Australia, Scotland, Jordan, and a dozen or so more from five continents. Over a thousand musicians are about to perform.

But it is Crescendo, a showband from a small village in the North of Holland, that has brought me here. They have been invited because of the beautiful music they make, and the unique twist they have to what a marching band is.

Crescendo makes beautiful music while riding bicycles. Horns, flutes, saxophones, drums, tubas, and other instruments all played while balancing on top of a bike. That alone is enough to wow most crowds- stay in your lane and play your instrument, to thunderous approval. But that might look too easy. What if you pedal fast and enter the stadium from four directions, meeting in the middle and setting up a mighty collision —like a good old American demolition show? But they don’t. They just miss each other by mere inches, weaving in and out while never missing a note. Instead of a collision, the crowd gasps in appreciation.

Sitting next to me in this grand old stadium is the man who dreamed this all up. In 1973, he asked a couple of the musicians if they could play their instruments while riding a bicycle. With modified bicycles and years of practice, they began to gain recognition. They got invitations to travel internationally. Today, the map is littered with pins representing all the countries where they’ve performed.

I watch my cousin, Fokko Tolsma, as he watches Crescendo. In his mid-70s, he has turned the reins over to others. With a deep sense of grateful pride, he carefully watches his dream, his band, his life’s passion, perform once again.

To say I enjoyed the show is not possible. To sit in silence after two of the most mesmerizing hours of my life was not possible. I had to show my amazement. With my heart full of the ‘something’ only music can give, I now knew what Victor Hugo meant when he said, "Music expresses that which cannot be said and on which it is impossible to be silent.” I stood and clapped and hooted as loudly as possible. It wasn't enough. I wanted to give more.

The grand finale was extraordinary- Amazing Grace played by nearly a thousand musicians. They came from Australia, Scotland, Switzerland, the Netherlands, America, Jordan, and other countries. For two hours, language was not important. We all understood the haunting syllables of a lone bagpipe, as if far away, echoing off the Swiss Alps. Then, like a mighty mountain wind, the others joined in perfect harmony to build a finale that sent a collective shiver. We could sit no more.

Was it the greatest show on earth? Yes!

When silence finally returned, my group of six looked at each other, completely lost for words. What did we just experience? Two hours of sheer pleasure. The kind of pleasure that brings a kind of joy that is not possible to describe adequately. Some have tried. Even Ludwig Beethoven attempted when he said, "Music is… a higher revelation than all wisdom and philosophy."

How could we possibly show our appreciation? The thousands of hours of practice. The sacrifices made by each individual who learned their part and contributed on cue. There were no individual stars. With great discipline, they made all their moves while making the stadium tremble with the sound of trumpets and drums and tubas, and... This was humanity at its collective best. There is something inexplicably humbling about that, no matter the language.

Have a great weekend!

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Crescendo has been invited to perform in the 2027 Rose Bowl Parade in Pasadena, California. To transport 50 musicians, their bicycles and instruments, take considerable resources. If you have an interest in making this dream come true, please contact me at ronald.baron@gmail.com.