ironlips

Those guys look like they could be brothers. True?

I hear there's a Friday night rehearsal on the 9th for us "out-of-towners". True?

George B enriched us all. His significance for the Drum Corps activity can not be overstated, and his legacy endures.

I am forever indebted to George Bonfiglio for the opportunity to work with him and the extraordinary performers and staff of his magnificent invention, The 27th Lancers. He was as courageous and forthright a leader as ever there was, in this or any other activity. We were all so very fortunate to have had him touch our lives. Nor will any of us ever forget him. His influence will endure in drum corps so long as anyone sounds a horn, strikes a drum or spins a flag or rifle on the field.

All the best, John. Frank Dorritie

Yikes! You just can't hide from YouTube. A real highlight of the day was the Master Class given by Al Chez. How fortunate are the corps with whom he's involved!

This is Jim's legacy, a gift to the activity from his family and friends in his memory. Supporters Of Music Education exists to assist aspiring performers, composers and arrangers to gain the education necessary to fulfill their visions. Any one of us who has ever been conscious of the benefits we derived from drum corps can relate to that. I encourage all my colleagues to support this endeavor.

Might I get a rain check on that, please? If so, we'll toast the NJ Hall of Famers at that time.

Good chance.

Congratulations to all these drum corps luminaries, and a special nod to my friends, Ray Priester and Doug Tenis. This kind of recognition is fitting and proper for those who have contributed so much to the activity. My hat is off to all members of the NJDCHOF.

Duke was a giant in the drum corps arena. As a member of the Sunrisers in the early '60s, I'd compete against his Marksmen in the Northeastern circuit almost every week in the summer. Although we were rivals, I deeply admired their look, music and style. I was able to obtain his cassette recording collection a couple of years ago. It revealed how deep his roots went in the activity and how eclectic were his tastes. Duke was a true Renaissance man of drum corps, and those are few, far between and worthy of honor.

Yes, O Great Eagle Who Flies at Night, I did mean Charlie,and have since corrected my blunder. (I just HATE to tick.)

We first played "The Joker" in '66. The recording from DCA finals is the definitive one. It was held over in '67, and the '68 NY Legion State (Master Recordings) and the Baltimore show (March of Champions, Vol.1, Fleetwood) are probably the best overall documented performances. It was also used a few times for indoor exhibitions in '69, I believe. By that summer, it was time to rotate it out for a while. Jerry Shellmer was the percussion chief by then. I don't remember him having any objection to the tune, per se, but we all felt Aquarius would make a pretty good production number, and it did. The Joker made a come-back a few years later, with John Arietano re-orchestrating John Sasso's original chart. The one we'll play next week is the '66 version, though Screech's score is almost identical.

Upon further review, and consultation with Steve "Golden Eagle" Buglino, I'm calling this for Tommy Leonard. If the photo is from '65, evidenced by the Shriner guy in the ceremonial fez, and the Shriner hospital kids, and the fact that the first Shriner show was in '65, it can't be Charlie Howell since he, along with John Sasso, Skip Heaney and the aforementioned Mr. Buglino, was playing that new fangled mellophone beast that year. The uniform thing still vexes, however. The drum line photo posted by TennTux shows a different tenor section from the one at Molloy. Perhaps we obtained the cadet jackets mid-way through the '65 season. More investigation is required here. Incidentally, the last unit to wear those jackets was the 1975 St. Francis Prep marching band when I was director there. I made a deal with Sun director Mike DeLorenzo to donate the jackets in lieu of the back pay the corps owed me from previous years, before he took over. "The Joker" was from the soundtrack of the Broadway show "The Roar of the Greasepaint, the Smell of the Crowd", by Anthony Newley ("Who Can I Turn To") and Leslie Bricusse. I'm sure it was the same tune Marion played, as had the Marine Corps, but we Sunrisers always felt we "owned" it. We did, actually.

Ok, it was 45 years ago, so I'm taking this shot from 3-point range. My best guess on the French Hornist in question is the same as Bob Murphy's, above: Charlie Howell, former Marine Corps, presently an attorney in Hawaii. That said, it is also possible it's Tommy Leonard, former Queensmen FH, present whereabouts unknown. I believe the photo itself is from the first Shriner's International in 1965. We were still in the satin blouses. The cadet unis came in '66, in time for the exhibition at Molloy HS. Somewhere there's a photo of the tenor line at that show: Judge Steve Paynter, Pete Hayes, Billy Cobham and Bobby Files, playing the split "jungle beat" part in "The Joker". Paynter and Hayes will reprise this next week at the BHOF I&E show at the Garfield VFW, along with many of the original Jokers in the Sunriser Reunion Ensemble.

True story. And that's the kind of person he is. Most of us would have strangled the guy.

I was just informed by the Recording Academy that Clark will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award at this year's Grammy Awards presentation. His illustrious career began as a bugler with the Tom Powell Drum and Bugle Corps and continued with the Spirit of St. Louis. Today, he is considered by many the ultimate fluglehorn soloist, and his influence is felt throughout the entire music community. Clark's achievements offer further proof of the power of the drum corps activity to propel young people to success in life, in any career path. Bravo, Ckark Terry!

OK, Keith, I'm guessing it was The American Woodmen.

This is one of the better discussions PCP has hosted. The level of discourse has been elevated, much to the credit of the participants. Here's hoping that will continue. If I may...Disclosure: I am, by anyone's measure, a drum corps dinosaur since this year will mark my 50th in the activity. I've been a rifle, a second soprano, a soloist, an instructor, an arranger and a judge. I have experienced both failure and success in all these endeavors and my opinion, therefore, is worth no more or less than that of anyone else. Darwin theorized that an organism changes, or goes extinct. So it is with our beloved musical activity. Change will come because it must. The Renaissance represented a change from the Medieval. It was a move forward and a look back at the same time. We could use a drum corps equivalent about now. (One little thing: Go easier on the judges. They do not program the shows but rather are instructed by the corps themselves (who write the sheets and criteria) as to what is to be rewarded, just as Mr. Ream suggests. They disregard those dictates at their peril.)

This is some knowledgeable and experienced group! I hereby request "fly on the wall" status should this crew ever convene a meeting. Frank D Xavier HS Cadets 1960-64 - solo sop (horn inst: Jim Donnelly, John Sasso) St. Catherine's Queensmen 1961-62 - rifle, first sop Sunrisers 1963-73 - solo sop

With all respect for the opinions of my learned colleagues here, there is something called "Defamation of Character", and I don't think it's a stretch to suggest that making unsubstantiated accusations of the nature above on a forum such as this could be construed as harming a music educator's career. Should anyone wish to go there, he does so at his own risk. My admittedly suspicious nature suggests the posibility of an other-than-truth-seeking agenda here, but that's just an opinion.

A little caution: though opinions constitute protected speech, declarative statements without substantiation can be libel. There is no scarcity of agendas and axes to grind on these boards.

One of a kind...truly.

I'd take desire over ability, any day.

John's original question refers specifically to National Championships, but here's an interesting tidbit: The Garfield Cadets were the reigning AL National Champions in 1961 and '62. My alma mater, St. Catherine's Queensmen, defeated them and took first place on June 17th, '61 at Newark, and again the following February 24th at an indoor show (gasp!) at the Mosque Theatre in the same city. The corps lacked the financing to go to Nationals that summer. They probably would have had a shot. Still, one could make a convincing argument that the Queensmen were historically the NYC corps of highest national rank, overall.