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A pretty drive, the only problem was getting hung up with some construction in Gap, but I got there in plenty of time for Excelsior.

Great seat- Side 1, 45 yard line only a very few rows from the top. It's a very good stadium in terms of seat room, and view. The only downside is becauser there's no track, no one can troop the stands after their performance- a small price to pay. Note: My counts are as accurate as possible. I've always appreciated it when staff or members correct me on the numbers I provide. Trying to do head counts as the corps forms up can be a bit confusing and inaccurate.

First on, Excelsior (8 Front Ensemble/7 Battery/10 Brass/10 Color Guard/1DM) with their program "Destination 'U". The show's meant to be accessible and performable. The corps is very, very young, and the different sections of the corps are handling their youth and inexperience at different levels.

The Guard is very much improved with Excelsior, and really contributes to the effort in a very positive way. I view them right now as the real strength of their corps.

The Percussion feature's a solid moment in the program that the crowd related well to and was enjoyable for me.

The biggest issue right now is with the brass, and it's a dilemma that any small Brass section has. With 10 brass, one doesn't have the liberty that I had in DCA of knowing if I wasn't quite up to something, that the other 4 Lead Baris would have it in their pockets, and if they had a problem that day, they could trust me. It's more like the Brass Quintet I played in over many years, just twice as big. Everyone's a soloist in a brass section like Excelsior's, and they need to make sure that they're contributing as strongly as they possibly can to the effort. They're having problems moving well and playing, and need to keep working to get comfortable with doing both things well.

Also, the keyboard setting in terms of the timbre has a lot of overtones, which is causing an uneasy feel to the ears and causes it to cover the brass, which it shouldn't be doing. Perhaps making the keyboard parts more independent of the brass parts or altering the waveforms might help in that way.

If the brass can pull their weight, get their feet clean, and the electronics can be integrated more smoothly to the ear, from the looks of the scores at this point in the season, the corps has a chance of making A Finals, but it'll take a lot of desire, cleaning, and effort.

The first Open corps of the night was the Skyliners (@38 Brass/@14 CG/ 4DM/4 FE/10 Battery) with "Whatever Lola Wants". Sky has new Unis, but as Adam Burdett commented earlier on another thread, that's been put on the back burner by all the talk about the Cabs' new look.

Sky's uniforms are attractive, and I believe them to look better than the pictures I saw made them out to be, and I thought they looked fine at that point.

The big word right now with Sky is potential. From the brass perspective, it's very well arranged and quite enjoyable. It meets what I believe to be something the corps has wanted very much to do, which is to make the book unmistakably one the Skyliners would play, but also to be fresh, competitive, and relevant in DCA in 2015.

The battery's young, I know people were missing, but it was an effort worthy of a lot of respect given the situation at hand for them. If they can take a deep breath, assess the situation, think, and put things together, they too have a lot of potential.

The Book and drill also allow the corps to project stronger than the numbers would indicate, and it was impressive.

Right now, the one moment to listen for is "Ain't No Sunshine", which I think is the best part of the program at this time.

If they can keep cleaning, can get the story with Lola more in order, and get their stamina up so they don't have to dead-stick the plane onto the carrier because they ran out of gas, the show cold be a real bucket of nitro come finals weekend. Everyone at Sky needs to buckle down, use their time well, and just grind to make everything as better as they humanly can. I think the show's well worth it, and I'm looking forward to seeing them at Scranton to see what improvements they'll have made.

Work starts early for me today, and I need my rest. I'll get more up later- but I really felt very positive in regards to the competitors in the show. Yeah- stuff needs cleaned, etc. etc., but this was very much some good drum corps that took the field at this point in the season. :satisfied:

Edited by BigW
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Start with Bush over Lunch here.

Given the scores and placements, Bush (20 Battery/6FE/1+DM/@28 Brass/@12 Guard) had to produce at this contest. It was clear their backs were against the wall.

From what i saw in this performance, this show did get Bush off the Schnide in a huge way. The run was solid, and nuanced at times. the Electronics are feathered in thoughtfully and aren't dominating or onerous.

I like the way the dialogues and interaction are between the Brass and Percussion in this show. They're very well thought out and I enjoyed that aspect of the program.

Speaking of Percussion, the basses had quite a good performance, and while I'm not a percussionist, I really enjoyed the musicality of the percussion book, and felt it would stand well on its own as a work of music.

I also appreciated how the Elgar was arranged and performed in the overall package, some very workable moments there once everything gets perfected. It's a real high point of their program.

The brass also signatures as larger than their 28 personnel would indicate. That being said, they've got to see the show through to the end with fuel in the tank rock hard with all the voices, and get the swell at the end perfected.

No doubt they're in the hunt for a finalist spot again. Pull the fork out, Bush is not done, folks. :satisfied:

That being said, they've got to keep pushing the program through all the way to Rochester. Can they do it? We'll have to see.

Edited by BigW
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The next competitor were the White Sabres (3DM/9 Main guard/16 CG/10 FE/16 Battery/@28-30 brass) with their "Incantation and Ritual" program. I reviewed the chosen music and it intrigued me- Where would they go with the chosen compositions, how would they interpret those ideas in their own way?

Also- where would they relate to Bush's solid run?

The Bari solo in the opening segment is a real biznachio for the instrument, and the fellow gets around nicely on it. a lot of awkward things are written and expected to be projected, and were. The initial hit from the corps was a pretty strong smack to the face.

When the corps transitioned from Rite of Spring into Incantation and Dance, I was delighted by the arranging. yeah, some side to side timing issues, but this interpretation of the piece is seriously kickin' and has a great groove and feel to it.

Please excuse me while I digress here. I'm not sure who all in the readership is really familiar with John Barnes Chance, the composer of the piece. Most Drum Corps fans are mainly familiar with him from the classic 1986 Cavalier program and his "Variations on a Korean Folk Song". Chance died in a freak accident at 39, and composed 18 pieces before his death, 4 of them for Band- and all four of them, including "Incantation and Dance", are considered "Cornerstone Works" for wind band. Chance is also credited for writing with more depth for percussion and forcing other composers to do the same for wind band. It's a lovely work to perform and conduct and consider myself fortunate to have done both. It was great to see the Sabres do this piece and capture its essence so well.

I also appreciated the nice twist of Quidam and Rite of Spring, the Brass were extremely tight and musical. To be honest, the Sabres' arrangements are superb, and the corps really understands and interprets them very, very well.

We even had a human sacrifice in the show, which was fine my me! 1982 and 2008 Phantom, the Bucs in the early 70's having Ritchie come out of a coffin for Verdi's Requiem, speaking of Ritchie, him waving goodbye to the Wicked Witch as she melted down at Empire a couple of seasons ago- hey, this kind of stuff is a traditional part of the activity now. :satisfied:

The corps has a lot of power for its size, and carried it through to the end, though some of the timing got a bit tatty.

The Sabres invite some comparisons to two other corps, though they're not copying either.

They're performing much larger than they actually are- as Fusion did over their first couple of breakout seasons in Open.

The program has a very well planned, paced, and and coordinated feel to it with all of the elements working with a lot of synergy- much like the Bucs do. Great Book, well performed, thoughtful, musical- the show is a must see, and I'm looking forward to seeing it again.

Need to rest, I appreciate everyone's patience- but work has been difficult this week physically. To be blunt- If I hadn't done all of those Summer practices in 90 degree weather as a kid, I don't think I could mentally or physically hold up in the job I have. :satisfied:

Edited by BigW
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Great stuff so far, W.... thanks!!!!

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I've been really tough on Cadets 2 (@28CG/24 battery/13FE/3DM/@48-52brass) since their inception. More horn holes than a thin slice of lacy baby Swiss cheese until they get to Big Sounds... Feet all over the place, the old schoolers poking me repeatedly and pointing out the 67 bazillion phasing "Ticks".... Seeing 40+ brass players and hearing 6-8... I can go on.

Would it be the same-old same-old, or would it finally be what I believe everyone's expected to see and hear since the original announcement of the formation of the corps?

Well, I looked out at the opening set. No holes as advertised. I thought to myself, Good! The show started, hmm, Russian Christmas Music... nice choice... and I hear a Cadets-brand appropriate timbre from the brass...

Finally, I hear a broad, across-the-ensemble sound coming out of the C2 brass section. YES!

Yeah there's a lot of little stuff that needs cleaned, but still- the comparison from previous editions, especially at this point in the season, wow!

The brass plays free, unstressed, even strong at times, the interpretation of certain sections of the Reed composition was strong and spot on, not apologized... things are beginning to become realized with C2, not merely attempted.

There's a tough Bari solo the person needs to breathe through the horn, it's a tough lick- most of it's in the bad part of the horn that doesn't easily project to the audience.

The "Dance of the Tumblers" arrangement has some performance issues- but the core of it is a fine production.

The Glière has some tears at the end that will have to be serious addressed as well. In the actual ballet, the sailors, who must be from some old corps because they're schnozzed out of their minds, dance so fast at the end they all stumble over each other and collapse as the music gets faster. Right now things are getting a bit too close to that for their own good, but there's some good thick arranging that could really work out very well for they corps if they can settle in with the chart.

I'm also sensing the corps is having some fun with the program on the field, which is something that was lacking in the past- I always felt the brass and guard were way too nervous and terrified they'd march on land mines or fall into a crack in the earth.

The Front Ensemble's always been a favorite of mine, and they're fun, intense, and bring some good vibe to the program.

What's happened? Putting staff people more used to the issues with a lack of time in DCA, and having staff that's better suited and more capable of working with young 16-17 year old members who need to be taught-up instead of 19-21 year old music majors who likely have had previous corps experience which require a different skill subset as an educator are likely the big differences, and it shows. The kids are getting it, they're meeting the challenges instead of struggling mightily as in the past. Those struggles drove me crazy. It kills me inside to see a corps trying their guts out to make stuff work and not making it happen. I'm thrilled that I'm seeing confidence and real achievement out of those kids now.

I also like this program a lot. It cuts to the essence of the Cadets brand. It's got the specific Cadets brass sound, good, meaty, high energy musical charts, and the particular visual aesthetic the Cadets' drill has had for many years. Sometimes, the Cadets have been guilty of severe overthink and try to throw a bunch of gimmicks into the mix, which then causes a lot fans to freak out and lose their minds.... thankfully that's not the case with this show. Pure essence of quality high energy music and visual.

Let's see how things shape up for this corps over the next month. Let's see if they can continue to take forward steps and see what obstacles they can overcome. I'm quite curious to see how they will do.

Edited by BigW
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I was also very curious about what the Hurcs (6 Main Guard/8FE/11 Battery/18CG/26 Brass/2DM) would do with their new West Coast style of jazz. would they groove and swing or would it get... cubic on us?

The warm-up let me know they'd been working on the deep harmonies that this style of music requires to make it work. without those 4 and 5 note chords being played with clarity, we'd have a blurry mess on our hands. I could tell that wasn't gonna happen.

I really was delighted from the start- they've really busted hard to make sure the music swings and grooves with a solid jazz feel. Some fine Tuba work in Nutville, too. Everything was placed where it needed to be placed in the chart.

I also was really into how soloist Rich Yelnick (thank you, Fran!) was musically woven through the charts. Sometimes, he's worked deep in the fabric, other times, comes forth beautifully.

The brass takes a very understated and cool approach to the book. for the Hurcs- this is smart. With their 26 horns they're not gonna blow up the stands, and it wouldn't sound very good if they tried to- but they sure can swing, groove, and be very musical.

I liked the Latin feel that's been injected into Harlem Nocturne- it was unexpected and rather energizing for me.

The guard was also very tasteful and musical. I've appreciated how they've visually supported the Hurcs' musical package for some time now.

Great Mello solo near the end of the program, great reprise- and a smart, savvy and tight performance to the end.

The only thing that I'm wondering about is this, and I don't have an entire answer. The Hurcs' battery is usually very aggressive and has played some really gutsy stuff over the past several seasons. Could it be that these charts don't lend themselves very well to the strengths of the Battery? I've talked to percussionists I trust about how it can be tough to arrange for outdoor percussion with a jazz book. It can obviously be done, but sometimes there seems to be a bit of a struggle, and I'm wondering of this issue is holding back the Hurcs' battery somewhat.

Right now the Hurcs look to have their heads on tight, and they know that to make finals, they'll have to ooze finesse out of every pore, and you know what? I think they could.

I wish I could type faster- I have to get to bed by 6 AM, and I've been really working on what to say about the Bucs. At worst, I'll try to get some things down later today or early tomorrow. :satisfied:

Edited by BigW
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Quick answer here:

Positions, not an issue.

Excelsior? Possible generosity from the panel? We'll have to see numbers from the Kiltie Klassic and from Alliance in the South this weekend and assess that.

Gap between C2 and Bucs? As good as C2 was- and they were quite good- some spoilers here:

The panel may have been trying very hard to be conservative and prudent and not let the horses out of the stable regards to the Bucs number. the 2.4 point spread may have been a conservative one. I know, that's a very, VERY, scary thought, but I have it nonetheless.

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Quick answer here:

Positions, not an issue.

Excelsior? Possible generosity from the panel? We'll have to see numbers from the Kiltie Klassic and from Alliance in the South this weekend and assess that.

Gap between C2 and Bucs? As good as C2 was- and they were quite good- some spoilers here:

The panel may have been trying very hard to be conservative and prudent and not let the horses out of the stable regards to the Bucs number. the 2.4 point spread may have been a conservative one. I know, that's a very, VERY, scary thought, but I have it nonetheless.

What about spreads between #'s three through six?

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Always a pleasure to read your impressions, BigW. Reviews are becoming scarce. They take work to create, and you usually take abuse no matter what you offer. I understand it is particularly hard for you, BigW, with a full work schedule.

The analysis of Cadets2, Buccaneers, Caballeros, and who knows which other corps garnering high scores to date is of high interest. I have seen Cadets2 live and there is no doubt in my mind, it is the best Cadets2 corps since they were formed. Beating the Bucs will take a very fine effort. We'll just have to wait. I do believe Cadets will beat 1 or 2 corps they never topped before.

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