Geneva
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Posts posted by Geneva
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Impressive embouchre and airstream control on the trumpet/flugelhorn soloist
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11 minutes ago, pbeau said:
Prosperie on field percussion drops Bloo to 5th
Well, I certainly disagree with that placement. I felt that Cavies show was cutesy and cacophonous while there was so much more style in Bluecoats show which for me was much more entertaining.
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I hope so. I think it is a better show !
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3 hours ago, jwillis35 said:
This is a continuation of my review from page 156...
Cavaliers: In general I like the visuals, do not care for them musically -- especially the last song. Much like years past, the Cavaliers do visual really well. This corps is marching well and I really like the unique look of the field, the props, the uniforms, etc. They bring you into their world. This is something not lost on the judges I am sure. Musically however I feel the construction of the total book sounds like snippets, bleeps, blips, and tags. Continuation of musical thought is lacking. Phrasing and effect builds are lacking. The Cavaliers do have an excellent brass line and their percussion is wonderful, but because of the chopped-up music book I find the show less appealing to me. This is not a top 4 show, not even close and that will be reflected as the season progresses. The members of the corps are talented and really perform well, but I could see them getting beat by a hot Boston Crusaders corps...maybe even The Cadets.
The Cadets: Not their best run last night. Even from FLO I could tell. Still there is much to like about The Cadets this year, and there are some concerns. In a nutshell, the first 2 sections of this show are really good. Fantastic music, good pacing, nice visuals, the costuming works, and they blend the elements well (pit, battery, brass, choir). The 3rd section of the show needs major work. Poor timing, bad use of props, too literal, visual feels mundane and weak, and they seem to be begging for applause rather than letting the artistry of Bernstein's music do the job. In fairness, there are some tweaks that would help sections 1 and 2, and I loved some of the new music they introduced at the end of section 1. Reminded me of the 1990 show. At this point in the season the Cadets cannot afford to dilly-dally around with too many changes. They need to clean, as was evident when they tipped their cap to the mighty Bluecoats with their jagged line company front. As we have seen with Crown, just clean baby, just clean (said in an Al Davis kind of way). Crown's show is far from perfect in design, especially in music source choices, but Crown is so much cleaner than most and that paid dividends last night. The Cadets were easily one of the dirtiest corps of the night. So yes, the 3rd section of the show is weak, but I wouldn't spend much time re-writing things at this point. Just clean. If anything, the Cadets need to pull things out of the show. Less is more. Take out the cross tarp in section 3. Pull 50% of the narration. Pull back on your chorus just a little at the end, despite the fact that they are wonderful and I just love their contributions in sections 1 and 2. Pull the big cross off the field, and find a better place to discard uniforms for section 3. All in all it's a really good show that has some magical and very musical moments in sections 1 and 2. The music in section 3 is beautiful but needs to build faster and more confidently. The company front was anti-climactic. Still, I like it and wish the Cadets the best. Much improved over last year.
Phantom Regiment: The first half of this was odd for me. I kept waiting for the old Phantom Regiment to show up. The 2nd half has some great music moments that definitely say "That's Phantom." This show is a departure for Phantom and making sense of it is also difficult. Show design aside, what struct me as a negative was the brass performance in the first half of the show. Very weak for a Phantom corps. I thought they began to get some mojo going in the second half. I love the music in the closer (Sibelius, yes?). Their guard is HUGE, but also very good. I'm not sure how the uniform in the brass & percussion is supposed to be interpreted. They seem muscular and imposing, and the guard is supposed to be scary? I'm not as familiar with the material or the show theme, so maybe someone can shed some light on that. All that said, I liked the visual drill. I may need some more views before this show grabs me, but clearly the members are having fun with it and performing very well.
Blue Knights: This corps has become synonymous with colorful, esoteric, intrigue, artistic, and adventurous. All apply to this show. Visually they are sloppy, but I sense there is a great visual book underneath. Musically they are wonderful. They have a nice mix musical timing and styles. The flow between brass and percussion is also well done. It doesn't feel choppy. What it lacks for the first 1/3 of the show is any real climactic points that grab you and pull you into the show. The pacing seems slower at first, but it ends well. The uniforms are great. Percussion was fantastic! The Knights need to work on clarity of impact points in my view. They need to drive each section and hit point to logical conclusions so the GE scores will show just how effective this show can be. Had fun watching them and can't wait to see them live. Great performances by the members!
J Willis I appreciate your viewpoints. Thanks for taking the time to share them.
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In an attempt to understand the criteria by which the judges are arriving at their scores, can someone explain or direct me to a discussion of caption determinants. I am old school from the tick days. What I notice is the subjectivity, the increased value of color guard and visual, and percussion being subsumed within the music caption. In regards to the latter, this makes sense to me since due to the equality of percussion and brass in the old days, when most observers were more tuned into the bugle caption, often led to surprising outcomes for the casual observer.
Thanks for helping me get current.
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On 6/24/2017 at 10:00 PM, TRacer said:
My son is in this video, front arc of trumpets near the 45. And, he's probably on the rehearsal field too as I type this.
My thanks also to the poster who linked the Clowns vet video...it was one of the selections they played at the Rose Parade and audition camps. My kid called me later and said, "Now I know why you cry whenever you hear it." Good boy...
Best of luck to your son and SCV! Loved them ever since first seeing them while standing on the ready line with my corps in 1969.
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15 minutes ago, dcsnare93 said:
This is how I view any show, and it makes the evening a lot more enjoyable.
If there is a story line, and I happen to get it, all the better.
Probably a good approach. Some of the storylines are so abstract or their depiction is so distracted that it just makes me a feel like I am viewing a lot of frenetic energy leaving me puzzled as to what the objective is and leaving me unsatisfied.
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1 hour ago, NCWVUFAN said:
It's refreshing to see a corps not have a story weaved into their show, but offer up a group playing on the edge well. Bluecoats have done that in spades the last few years and have been rewarded for it. Talent level has soared, kids love being part of their shows, the crowd responds to their efforts, judges are scoring high on the difficulty and entertainment level........great design team in Canton in my opinion.
Good point about how refreshing it is to just enjoy great music and visuals without wondering if there is something in the storyline that you are missing.
I was very impressed with the show end trumpet twosome! Some really excellent playing!
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2 minutes ago, geluf said:
I mean, that's fine. I completely disagree, but that's fine.
My point was that, from a competitive standpoint, the choices clearly aren't "poor" based on results.I get where you are coming from. We agree to disagree!
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39 minutes ago, geluf said:
Those "poor choices" brought them back into the Top 5 again last year for the first time in five years and have now put them within a point of Crown on opening night sooooo :shrug:
Personally, Propaganda was one of my favorites last year.
This says more about the judges than the quality of the program in my opinion.
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41 minutes ago, Fred Windish said:
Did not attend the theater broadcast. But, have seen enough full videos to believe 2017 will be a "watershed" moment for drum corps. This year, we are seeing more program elements that, frankly, work much better ON SCREEN than from any single stadium seat, live and IN PERSON. Quite a challenge to find common ground that works equally well for both audiences.
No longer just one or two groups going outside the box. It's the box being destroyed.
Good points, Fred. I would add that I think for several years now the shows are being designed for domed stadiums to augment the amps reverberation. That is why I prefer open air shows which reduce the electronic goo even if I sense that is not the optimal acoustical setting anymore☹️.
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4 minutes ago, Tad_MMA said:
Cavies: I loathed every second of last year's obnoxious cacophony; I like this year less.
Agreed. I find nothing about the presentation appealing visually or musically. They have totally lost their trademarks. I always marveled at the surgical placement of their feet and the spectacular pattern drills which popped due to their white hats. Now they are just a cacophonous black glop. Very poor choices being made here in my opinion .
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3 minutes ago, Liahona said:
The TV piece you mean?...LOL
3 minutes ago, Liahona said:The TV piece you mean?...LOL
Yes that is what I was referring to.
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3 minutes ago, Liahona said:
Played there many times with the seniors.
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Nice piece. The individual members and the corps in general comes across well. Interesting juxtaposition of the elitism of the current activity and the outreach to the inner city by Inspire Arts.
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I have this feeling....that this corps will be THE corps to beat come DCI finals. Fifty years of tradition and they are feeling it!!!
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3 minutes ago, Liahona said:
That is why this activity is so great..there is always something out there for our differing tastes.. :)
I like the Crusaders but am frustrated by the overwhelming amount of minor key based material they have done recently. Some of this year's show seems repetitive rhythmically and tonally.
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1 hour ago, Liahona said:
The Pilgrims settled in Plymouth. The Puritans settled in Salem and Boston. The Pilgrims were not terribly well educated, while the Puritans typically were highly educated. While the Pilgrims were Separatists, the Puritans were non-separating Congregationalists...Just sayin'
Point taken , then substitute Puritans for Pilgrims. I think it comes down to what you go to a drum corps show for and for me it is to be entertained by a musical presentation enhanced by visuals. I have a problem when the performance is so theatrical that it restricts the music. I am not looking for a play and a troubled dark performance is not my cup of tea. Point of illustration: I loved 2016 Bluecoats but not so much 2016 Crown despite the strength of their performance.
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7 hours ago, LabMaster said:
I don't agree with this assessment one bit. Total miss. It may be a dark theme being a historical one that is from a dark time and culture, but the presentation doesn't come across as dark as you describe. A brighter piece to counterpoint? Why? So a "dark" theme has a happy moment so we feel relieved? That would present a design continuity problem. I agree percussion plays a lot of notes. They generally do. The kids love the show. That matters a lot. And the corps will move up. No doubt about that. More than a few places. The show is amazing and is being performed at a high level with a week to go before the first show.
Even the Pilgrims could have fun. For the sake of musical balance and contrast which could enhance the theatrical theme, a piece based on a major key would be of benefit. It's a time tested movie technique. Some highs would make the lows even lower and more profound.
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Very dark show as would be anticipated from the theme. I wish that the musical directors had seen fit to include at least one brighter and lighter piece to counterpoint their production. This show reminds me of the mood created by Crown's show last year. I think that a big part of the appeal of Bluecoats show last year was its brightness.
I wish the music stood on its own better. I am sure that the visual presentation will bring out the music as will the spatial separation of percussion and pit from the horn line.
The depth, strength and tightness of the brass seem at a higher level than last year at this time. Percussion seems to be playing a lot of notes with conviction and facility. I love the kids energy in the performance! It looks like they will have a good time with this show.
I am not a fan of the slavish concept of theme over music.
Best of luck, Boston, on the coming season. I hope to see you move up.
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15 hours ago, Ghost said:
The crowds at the Dream over the years really loved their D&BC even if the corps was from another state. I played the 59 Princemen from a FB post and that was a very good crowd. The stadium design may have had something to do with the volume.
Yes, Dream crowds loved their drum corps! Here it is. Especially at 12:23!
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I think the crowd roar at the conclusion of St. Kevin's performance at the 1964 Dream in Jersey City is amazing. It is captured on the Fleetwood recording.
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I enjoyed Crest,s Transcontinental RR theme and some nice Doppler horn effects.
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Nice review. Thanks for the eyes from the "Left Coast".
DCI Southwestern Regional - July 21, 2018
in DCI World Class Corps Discussions
Posted
Interesting that Troopers changed to a retro look