11th Annual SHAKE Massed Drumming Event
Members of the CADRE (Canadian Associates Drumming Rudimental Excellence) rudimental percussion ensemble, the first Canadian group to win the Drum Corps Associates (DCA) percussion ensemble championship, will be among drummers from across Ontario and as far away as New Jersey participating in the 11th annual SHAKE massed drumming event, to be held in Hamilton, Ontario on the weekend beginning October 13.
The event is organized each year by World Drum Corps Hall of Fame member Fred Johnson, who founded CADRE and has been providing the percussion ensemble with a variety of services ranging from moral support to hands-on technical expertise and coaching since the group was formed three years ago. Gerry Hemsley, Doug Kleinhans and Hall of Fame member John Flowers have also contributed to the ensemble’s musical content and arrangements.
Members of the CADRE percussion ensemble are bass drummers Fern Lafontaine and Rick Hosie and snare drummers Ed Jacko, Nathan McLaren, Gary Gomez, Paul Mosley, Bob Thomson, Ken Miller and John MacDonald. The CADRE ensemble scored 96 in the DCA contest. Last year’s champions, the Connecticut Patriots, scored 95. The percussion ensemble contest was held outdoors on Main Street in downtown Rochester during the DCA championship tournament on Labour Day weekend, with competitors completely encircled by a large supportive audience.
The SHAKE weekend, at the Hamilton Fire Fighters Hall, begins with a “Shake’n’Bake Jam Friday evening at 7 pm. The Saturday schedule includes an afternoon of massed drumming and performances by a number of guest groups, beginning at 1 pm. CADRE’s second annual individual and ensemble rudimental drumming competition begins at 6 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 14.
Admission is $20 (CDN) per adult drumming participant and $10 for adult non-drumming spectators. There is no charge for drummers under 18, or those with a school student card. All drummers participating should bring their own practice pad, pad stand and music stand to the Saturday session.
Johnson, who has been active in the drum and bugle corps community for more than half a century, founded CADRE and initiated the SHAKE weekends to foster rudimental drumming. His drumming career started with military bands in 1946, when he began drumming with the 180th Air Cadets.
In the early 1950s, he drummed with the 8th Signals Regiment of Toronto, then joined the 2nd Signals, the group which became Canada’s Marching Ambassadors in 1954. He remained in the Ambassadors organization until 1970 as a drummer, instructor and member of the board of directors. He also taught drumming and did field show design for such highly-regarded Canadian corps as Preston Scout House, La Salle Cadets of Ottawa, Sarnia Sertomannaires, Grantham Township Police Boys Band, York Lions, Niagara Falls Memorial Militaires, Hamilton Viscounts, and Kitchener Flying Dutchmen.
He was the Canadian individual snare drumming champion three years in a row: 1951, 1952 and 1953. He has judged with the Canadian Judges Association, Drum Corps Associates, Drum Corps International and the Red Carpet Association. He served as DCA’s drumming quality control manager, successfully designing a system to implement a contest scoring system for the “degree of excellence” concept first proposed by Eric Perrilloux.
The Firefighters Hall is located at 175 Dartnall Road South, Hamilton, Ontario. For more information, or to schedule individual or group performances, contact Johnson at fd [dot] johnson [at] sympatico [dot] ca or Paul Mosley at pmdm [at] rogers [dot] com
For more information about the SHAKE weekend, visit the CADRE Web site: www.cadre-online.ca/shake04.html
SHAKE is an example of Hall of Fame members carrying out the organization’s aim to promote interest and enhance a feeling of good fellowship among the many individuals and organizations involved with drum and bugle corps activity, thereby encouraging constructive contributions in all areas.
More information about the World Drum Corps Hall of Fame is available at www.worlddrumcorpshof.org/
