Sideways

Seriously, when was the last time BD has played any serious jazz? I would say 93. I'm talking about jazz arrangements. Surly, a few bars of 'Take 5' doesn't count. Nothing against BD, but they have lost their roots. Everybody has a lot of work to do. The Cavies aren't getting schooled. B Probably should have stated that I don't doubt that they will clean up their stuff before too long but as far as Dev's not playing serious jazz.... you might not care for the arrangements but '02 and '03 were some pretty hot stuff. Then there was the opener in '00 the big jam session in '01. There was also '94, '97, '99.....

Sorry about the confusion. I thought I remembered you being called that back around '99. But hey lots of things get twisted in memory over a couple years. Regardless though I did enjoy this Pioneer show much more than the past few. And Donny, thanks about the Lakeshoremen as Cru is represented quite well with four former members.

I can only repeat what I was told about Marion. For there size they are putting out a very respectable sound though there music book is currently too demanding for them. And they need a color guard.

It is always windy at that stadium. Projection is always a problem even for bands that have 200 plus people.

I was thinking the same thing initially but this is a program that has more money than most Div 1 corps out there. I don't think that they would be hurting to have a couple new signs painted up. The signs were old and hand painted on plywood anyhow. But that is just a minor beef with a great show. I don't want to get hung up on that point.

I will look forward to seeing it then. I'm not sure what the next show I will be able to get out to will be but I will try and do so. It's always difficult to take in everything on a first viewing.

Felt almost more like a fall marching band show tonight with temperatures in the mid 50s. There was a consistant wind but didn't seem to bother anyone. One thing I have to complain about from the get go is the signs that were out in front of the school guiding everyone where to park for the "band show." For as long as Plymouth Canton has had an excellent competitive marching band program and for as many students they have sent off to march corps the booster really should have known better. By the way the stands were nearly full tonight, a very good crowd. On to the corps now... I apologize as I arrived late so I cannot review either Marion or Lake Erie Regiment. One comment about Marion though, please fit your uniforms to your kids a little bit better. They will be more comfortable and certainly look cleaner. I was seated about 2/3 of the way up between the 45 and 50 stage left. Pioneer - As others have said they are larger this year than previous editions and it sounds like it as well. This is probably there best effort since '99. The easiest way to describe the horn sound is that it's more typical of a DCA hornline than of a DCI line. It made sense after looking at the program book and seeing the name Don Kahaitsu in there (Isn't that Donny Allen's nick-name?)Drumline can play and they do. A little less playing wouldn't hurt them as they felt a little too intense for some portions of the show. Musically there were lots of timing issues and a few wagging tongues coming from the baritons. Most of the timing could be taken care of if they clean their feet. Feet were....well they had them. Drill was adequate but seemed somewhat of an after-thought, especially during the drum solo. Riverdance was tasty and not overdone. The closing moments of the show would be more effective if they didn't have the hornline so far spread out. Overall they have a nice package this year and could do well if they do some drastic cleaning. The orange in the guard uniforms needs to be closer to the actual orange in the flag of Ireland if that is what they are basing them on otherwise the color was a huge distraction. Southwind - These uniforms need some yellow in them. From the stands the sequins look almost silver. The old uniforms at least gave them a unique visual identity, these were more or less forgetable. I am also going to assume that the guard uniforms are not yet complete as they were all in black spandex pants and tank tops. In all honesty there is not much I can say about this show other than it seems as if it was written to be a very safe show. The drumline plays well enough and the hornline has a respectable ensemble sound, although weak on the low end. Pioneer had a much stronger contra sound with half the numbers of Southwind. Visually there are no real exposed moments in the drill and I don't recall anything larger than a 6 to 5. That being said, technique was a bit a disappointment with this group. I know its still June but it was difficult to discern a definite style of movement from the corps. Overall I don't see this show improving that much during this season. Unless the demand is upped they will likely peak around the third week of July and be in danger of being passed by Pioneer and Kiwanis. I must mention that I loved there "Southwind Extra" shirt at the souvie stand (think Corona Extra). So they win the best souvie caption tonight. Kiwanis Kavaliers - Certainly not your standard rendition of WSS (thank god). Arrangements in the horn charts a bit thin for my liking and can't help but wonder if that is going to sting them in the GE department come august. They were the first corps of the night to show clean consistant attacks in the hornline. Balance was not there strong point as they seemed as if they were trying to sound larger than they are (i.e. too many individuals). They were also the first corps of the night to show that they had worked on basics in marching. Individuals showed good understanding of technique and stops and starts were not a concern. Was nice to see that for the first time tonight. The percussion is the obvious strength of this corps at the moment and is playing some very well written charts. If the hornline can pull itself up things could get moving for these guys. By the way, I loved their contra sound. I should also mention that the timing concerns in America are killing them now. They need to work the kinks out quickly if they want to move up. I like the trash cans at the end but they need to project more, too much sound is getting eaten up by them sitting on the ground. And I forgot to mention that the mello baritone duet needs some work as well (like actually listening to how each other play). Capitol Regiment - What a step up for this corps. I still wish they kept the grey pants though. Everything about this corps has improved over last year. They were the first corps of the night to really give the audience a good blast of sound (with excellent quality). Overall the hornline had a very good ensemble sound and had a good run tonight except for mellophones being a bit ragged and edgy at times. I constantly wanted to hear more from the contras with this corps as well. The mellophones were a bit edgy but at least they could be heard. The same could not be said for the contras. Percussion and guard both seemd pretty solid to me as well. For this corps I was more focused on the overall design and integration of all sections considering who their design team is this year. The show did flow well but I am not sold with the jam session that they end the show with. I'm sure if the contras filled out the sound a little better it would help my opinion of the ending, but I have a hunch it has more to do with the original Holsinger composition. To me Holsinger and jam session just don't quite fit together and that's kind of how it came accross to me. This is no knock against the kids, it's in the design. Overall a very nice step up this year for this corps. A mature enough show and if they can push their performance level enough they might go somewhere, although right now it appears to be lacking that little something extra you'd expect out of a finals calliber show though. Madison Scouts - The boys from Mad town are certainly back and they make no bones about it. I really, really like this show expect for like the first two minutes. I would need to see it again to figure out why I was bothered by the first couple minutes. It may have just been me. They had the first guard of the night that was confident enough in their work that they able to push the energy accross and try to sell it to the audience. Holy flying dog#### batman, this colorguard has come a long way in the past two years. Drumline was tight and the snares had a couple holy #### moments during the drum breaks. The hornline had the classic brassy Madison sound that we all love but with a little more refinement with this vintage. Malaga was a little raw tonight for the horns but I feel they are sacraficing a little quality at this moment in order for the GE. Once their endurance improves the quality will get there. They set up the rotating company front very nicely but the payoff is not quite what it needs to be yet. I am sure that is another thing that will get maxed out as the season progress. The mellophone soloist in Malaga didn't sound that hot tonight. The ended of this show is smoking now and I can't wait to see it come August. By the way, there was one release the entire corps had in this show that just rang for what seemed like 5 or 6 seconds tonight. It was one of those priceless drum corps moments that no amount of GE could possibly reward. That release in and of it's self was perfection. (Yes I am drooling over a single release). Cavaliers - The most improved thing about the corps this year is the guard uniform. I think the corps uniform had some darker accents as well (more black on sash and gauntlets). They are moving this year and it's sounds as if they are letting the horns hang it all out a lot more this summer, and the upper voices do seem to suffer a bit because of it. I am sure some of the edginess of the upper voices are from many of the jazz elements in their book. They do need to clean that kind of stuff soon though or when they meet Devs, it's going to be a schooling in how to play jazz. The guard seemed to be having a great time out there and is doing a phenomenal job so far. Feet for the corps look great for this time of year and like I said above they are moving a lot this year. Moving a lot and very quickly, but the drill doesn't quite seem to hold up to the last three or four years yet. I know it's still early and the Cavies staff loves to continue to add stuff to the show, but it just doesn't seem to measure to the efforts put forth the past four seasons. I am seriously digging the music so far except for the ending which seemed very sudden and incomplete. I am hoping that is the case and the rest will soon be on the field and at performance level. I will admit that I did not mind the amps as much as I thought I would, although there was a lot of static during the section that the pit was heavily featured until someone got over to the board to make an adjustment. Now that was a big distraction. Other than that there were more than a few subtle things (between snapping of fingers and whistling on the field) that would not have been possible without amps. The thing that really bothered me near the end was that there were to solo horns playing back field that were picked up on the amps. I do not know if that was intentional or not but it does need to be addressed. It was clear that they were the top corps on the field tonight. I promise that next time I will write a much shorter review.

Suncoast Sound

Who finished second in field percussion at dci finals in '92 is always a great question.

Suncoast Sound won High Field brass but Blue Devils won overall brass performance.

This is true. To clarify the discussion, I propose that maybe there is some overlap between Phantom's style and some of the issues that have been mentioned such as: individuals sticking out of the ensemble, bad attacks/releases, tone quality beyond the characteristics of the instrument, and tuning. The reason I think the two could be thought of as related is because I think Phantom's chosen style might be summed up as "balls to the wall." There's nothing wrong with "ball's to the wall" per se in and of itself. A drum corps without balls is not a drum corps in my opinion. I don't think anyone can accuse Phantom of not having balls. That being said, problems arise because their commitment to this mentality seems to trump consideration for basic ensemble musicianship. This makes individuals within the ensemble more suceptible to errors we've discussed here... w/Stp: I can't agree more. The "balls to wall approach" is far riskier performance wise, but when it clicks...OMFG. You don't need sublty and nuance when the performance itself is that completely overwhelming. Phantom '96 and Madison '95 comes to mind. Each line had moments that were raw and missed releases but the effect and emotion put out by these lines is greater than anything I've ever heard from the Cavaliers. My opinion strictly of course.

Magic has had a run of great baritone and mellophone soloists over the years. Check out Chad Kirk in the begining of Land of Make Believe from '99 (some unusual stuff he's doing there). Willie I. (sp??) from on alto in '98 in Willow (absolutely beautiful).

And now Magic and Spirit have placed back to back to each at finals the past two summers. Is it irony, destiny, or a sign of better things to come?

Magic 96-98. Even though I marched in 99 I feel we didn't match the quality of those previous lines.

I can agree with this one. I've often marveled at some of the sounds I hear on the recordings from this line.

I don't remember who told me this but I remember some old senior corps guy from upstate New York saying that a properly played mellophone can be used to peel paint off walls. Nothing so mello about that. :lee: Paul