ironlips

I'll second that. Arturo Sandoval will not disappoint. Expect soaring trumpet and punching piano, served with a generous helping of deep groove clave.

Bob is the ideal person for this role. He combines experience and vision, both of which will be required for the Hall of Fame to move forward. This is indeed welcome news.

Mike, I believe Dynasty was working on something like this a few years ago, but I'm not sure if it's in production.

This summer being the 150th anniversary of the composing of Taps by Civil War bugler Oliver Wilcox Norton and Gen. Daniel Butterfield, it's the ideal time to volunteer for Bugles Across America: www.buglesacrossamerica.org Join the hundreds of other current and former drum corps buglers who have done so. Frank Dorritie (former) Sgt. E-5 C Company, 1st Bn., 142nd Armor Div.

The Crossmen had one of the most expressive hornlines I have heard in a very long while. That's attributable to the writing as well as the training so kudos to Jason, Chuck, Chez and the rest of the brass staff. But the lion's share of credit goes to the players themselves, who ultimately delivered the goods.

I'm sending all positive thoughts her way.

Hi Dick. Tommy Martin was in the house at I&E and I hope you got to speak with him. He's a very modest guy whose playing inspired generations of buglers and you do the right thing by honoring him. He continues to play in a bugle ensemble called the Romeo Cadets, along with other notables like Col. Joe Brancati and Tommy Shields. Charts by Ernie Fesler. His sound is as sweet as ever. Look for them at the Buglers Hall of Fame-sponsored I&E shows. By the way, I always enjoy hearing you play, my friend.

Dale, Try contacting folks from the Yankee Rebels Alumni. Good luck. Frank

Glenn Eng is irreplaceable, but his example will inspire others to step up for the cause of bringing drum corps to the local neighborhood community. Farewell, my old friend.

We're in the same situation, with players from CT, NY and CA. I'm hoping we'll know something in a day or two and am looking forward to hearing your trio. Frank Dorritie - The Three Tenors

This discussion is remarkably civil, given it's premise. Normally it would have devolved into name-calling and blame-assigning by now. This is a good sign. John Donovan, (DCP's chief exec) asked me some time ago to contribute content on this very subject in an effort to foster a dialog between drum corps generations, so we developed these features: http://www.drumcorpsplanet.com/category/podcasts/off-the-record/ http://www.drumcorpsplanet.com/category/commentary/inside-the-arc/ Both focus on the history and trends of the drum corps experience. We are hopeful the community finds them both entertaining and thought-provoking. The current performers, fans and drum corps elders likely want the same thing: mutual respect. Knowing the history will promote that. In Beyonce's CD collection you will find several tracks of Billie Holiday. Frank Dorritie (St. Catherine's Queensmen '61,'62/Sunrisers '63-'73...etc.)

My deepest condolences to Chuck's family and his many friends. He was an extraordinary man who had that rare ability to make everyone he met feel important.

Hi Nancy. I trust you are feeling better and we'll see you at Annapolis. So, did we establish that the lonesome Caballero is Doug Tenis? He used to come around Garfield rehearsals to lend much appreciated moral support in the late '70s when we were trying desperately to make a dent in DCI. It really made a difference and I thank him for that.

The single most important factor in recording is not the quality of the gear, but the position of the microphone. A $2K mic in the wrong spot will produce an inferior recording to a Radio Shack special in the right place. If you were in a good seat, your recording will sound like a million bucks, except perhaps for the level of crowd noise. Two things: 1. In the '70s there was no pit. Brass and battery were unobstructed and clarity enhanced. 2. Average shelf life for audio tape is about 25 years unless it is kept in optimal, climate controlled conditions. The ferrous oxide will begin to flake off and the pvc will stretch. If you have any of this material, digitize it asap. And don't forget to clean the tape player heads beforehand.

We had an advantage in that a dozen or so of us were in the National Guard at the time and our First Sargeant obtained the necessary clearance. In return, we thoroughly policed the area after each rehearsal and formed our own Co. C 142nd Armored Division Drum and Bugle Corps which served ceremonial duty at NG functions. In that context, our marching technique was straight out of the FM 22-5.

This is an interesting discussion. "Natural" is in the foot of the beholder, so to speak. Humans have several ambulation techniques, adapted for disctete purposes. For moving stealthily, backwards or running, for instance, ball first is ideal. Given that there is less generic forward "walking"" in a drum corps show than before, a different technique might serve well. In 1968, Sunrisers drill instructor Ralph Shur taught this technique by placing hundreds of tape strips on the armory floor and devoting long hours to acclimating the corps to the style and length of stride. Their goal was to win American Legion Nationals. They did. I expect the Bluecoats have a similar thing in mind.

Your "last I&E"? What, you going someplace? And furthermore, Rafael Mendez never marched at the Dream.

Present at Indianapolis this past weekend: Bonnie Ott Thompson Al Chez Hunter Moss Joey Pero Jimmy Steele Yours Truly Unconfirmed sighting: Ken Norman On Friday evening at the Alumni Grand Reunion, Bonnie and Hunter performed live from the stands along with Phantom's Peter Bond (NY Metropolitan Opera Principal Trumpet) and Jim Brady (Iconic Bridgemen soloist). All played their signature solos (Chase the Clouds Away, Georgia, American in Paris, Pagliacci) as the audience cheered and hundreds of DCI age-out kids watched from field level. Pure magic. At the after-party, Chez played with his wicked good Tower of Power-style band, The Brothers of Funk. Chuck Naffier's charts were pure groove. What a night! Kudos to the DCI folks for connecting the generations.

Far be it for me to contradict the Sunrisers website. Perhaps I had my first taste of Uncle Nick's Wail Juice in 1966 and didn't wake up until '67. That stuff could make you believe in time travel, not to mention UFOs.

This is a good mystery, worthy of Holmes or Morse. Question: Were the Carver Gay Blades still on the field in '66? I know many members had joined the Sunrisers that season (Gene Bennett, Duke Jordan, Soupy Cephus...etc.), but perhaps they still had a corps and made an exhibition appearance at the Dream. I could be wrong, but I don't think we saw Uncle Nick on LI until '67, so maybe...

Thanks for the correction, Brian. At that time, Phantom Regiment's hornline was the finest I had ever heard, and to be rated above them at Whitewater was a real reality check for both me and Jim Wren. In hindsight, we can appreciate the subjective nature of judging a bit more, I think, but it's highly unlikely you'll ever again see a 12th place corps take high brass.

Funny, I remember that run through very clearly and was concerned that the corps might have "left it on the rehearsal field". That night, as I stood on the track, that was my perception and, after the performance, I began to prepare them for a little drop in score. Before I could finish my spiel, Chris Trimblett (the Pieces of Dreams soloist) and a couple of others interrupted me. "We love you, man, but you're starting to lose it", they said, in effect. "We felt right in the pocket out there." We finished 12th in that show,... and took high GE Brass, over everybody! (Note: only the Blue Devils and SCV would escape that fate at some point that season.) It was my students (not me) who had risen to another level. From there out, I was in awe of them, and am still digesting the lesson they taught me that night.

Hello, my friends. I just came across this thread and am so glad you still enjoy this music after all this time. What "I gotta say" is that none of it would have been possible without Dennis Dewey and Bob Cardaneo. They had my back, front and both sides. The rest was the extraordinary group of performers who made up that corps, horns, drums and guard. I'd have walked on hot coals for them, and still would today.

You are correct, Crunchmeister. There were Enfields on the field.