ironlips

Don was one of the "founding fathers" of modern drum corps, and deserves to be remembered as such. He cast a long shadow.

Greg asks a poignant question: (You gonna talk smack to Ralph Hardimon?) Answer: Er, no, I don't think so. But I think it might be very interesting to get Ralph's take on whether (or to what degree) racism existed in drum corps during that period. Full disclosure: he was my room-mate for several years, and Best Man at my wedding.

Waliman's comment really hit home for me: "Okay, so the funny part was learning what these words meant and how to use them in the "dozens"..bonding happened with mutual cursing out sessions." I was 14, living in a neighborhood full of Ozzie & Harriettes and Beaver Cleavers. There was exactly one Black student in my 8th Grade class at Sacred Heart School, and she had arrived halfway through the term. The neighboring parish, St. Catherine's, sponsored the NY State Champion and nationally prominent Queensmen, and that town had been fully integrated since WWII, largely because i

I fully support this statement. Often, we think certain things "go without saying". Not at this time. These things need to be said and, more importantly, need to be lived...now, more than ever.

This Guardsman has all the right stuff: https://www.today.com/parents/national-guard-member-teaches-kids-while-guarding-capitol-t206013

"because people only want jazz in the small little shoe-horned version of it they have in their mind " Cappybara makes a good point. Jazz is a very big tent, with a great variety of styles that can fall within its definition, but many folks define it quite narrowly. My parents dug swing, but be-bop didn't do it for them. If you are a trad-jazz fan, Metheny ain't your man. But all the categories are timeless, and recur in our music landscape in a cyclical way. A new Hollywood movie or Broadway show containing any of these will spawn derivatives on the field and guard floor almost

Gunther is spot on. Coz is a fine example. Just consider how many Cabs became instructors and went on to influence a couple of generations of drum corps participants. (D'Amico, Angelica, Hayes, Rodriguez,...et al.) The success and renown of the corps from which they emerged, due in large part to Jimmy's guidance, provided them the street credibility to be "influencers" in their own right.

This is a great question for those who have been on the scene for a while. Unquestionably there have been those who were "great" in terms of advancing their own corps, and some have already been noted here. But a deeper question is suggested: Who was the greatest in advancing the entire activity? It's hard to top Jim Jones for almost single-handedly modeling the notion that there could be drum corps virtually anywhere; or Mickey Petrone and Lefty Mayer for birthing and sustaining DCA; or the Bernerts for advancing the cause of gender equality. Don Pescione was once a corps director,

I agree with Mike for the most part, but there have been exceptions. In Garfield's 1977 opener, "Primal Scream", Ron Kruzel's 8-bar sop solo was improvised at every performance, though it was over blues changes (in tempo, on the move) and always ended on a nice, fat high "G". These days, Ron is the pastor of a church. He always aimed high.

Even in the music industry "real world" this manifests every few years in the following statement: "Jazz is dead, man." Then, somebody comes along to literally blow that fallacy out of the water. In the '50s it was Brubeck and Cal Tjader, in the '60s, Maynard (and do not even think of dissing him in my presence) and Herbie, in the '70s', say hello to Chuck and Chick. Later we get Cobham (drum corps alumnus, like Corea), Spyro Gyra, Yellowjackets, Weather Report, Wynton...the d@mn thing just won't die. Don't fret. We'll hear and see it in D&B corps again, sooner rather than l

Congrats to Larry. He certainly has "the right stuff" and I wish him the best.

When Frank played the melody, you heard the words. Godspeed.

Frank Ferraro was an extraordinary musician. My sincere condolences to his family, friends, and all members of the Buccaneers community.

I had not seen this before. This version contains several re-writes and modifications initiated after I left. If I recall, these were suggested (and possibly written) by Don Angelica. That would explain the rather rough performance at the World Open as the corps adjusted to some major mid-season changes. Drum Corps, as a whole, was experimenting with a new paradigm that involved dramatic through-lines and asymmetry, as well as costumes and motifs. Garfield was not alone. The Cavaliers, Madison and others were sailing into uncharted seas, as well. Sometimes, evolution begins with revo

1971 Garfield Cadets re-enacted the Revolutionary War Battle of Trenton, the Continental Army's first significant victory. It took place on Christmas night, as the Hessian mercenaries were sleeping off their celebratory hangovers. The show featured "Silent Night" and "Angels We Have Heard", among other themes. If you never witnessed the show but only heard the music, it was hard to make sense of this. It was a hit for Garfield, however, albeit a fairly controversial one.