jwillis35

Speaking of Gordon Henderson, many probably don't realize this but he has been on the Cadets brass staff all year. Mainly helping out during the camps and such. I don't think he is touring with them at the moment, but it would not surprise me if he shows up for a week of cleaning before Denver along with Jay Bocook. Of course, the Cadets' head brass guy does a wonderful job. To add to this topic just a bit, there is no doubt that the 128-135 members on the field make the big difference in a show. But design and teaching are two VERY important facets of any quality program. A good show will challenge and entertain, yet will also be written at a level that encourages and allows fcr success. This means that the instructors designing the show must know the kids in their corps and what they are capable of achieving. The problem with this is that recruiting really becomes a factor. Corps like BD, Cadets, SCV, Cavies, and Phantom tend to be very consistent with their talent level and the average age of those who audition. Their are exceptions I am sure, but there would be more consistency at this level than say what Magic is dealing with. When you don't know the talent level or the age level of those that are going to audition for your corps becuse it keeps changing each year, and when numbers are up and down, then having a design and teaching team that is consistent and faithful to the organization is extremely important. If you are in this situation and yet have innconsistencies with your instructional staff, then you have MAJOR problems. WHY? 1. Many people join a corps due to a particular instructor or a type of instruction. 2. Some join a corps based on their reputation 3. Some join a corps because of their style of show and performance (which has a lot to do with the design team and instructional staff) 4. Some join because they want a great experience, but they will likely join a corps that as a stable situation in terms of innstructional staff, finances, facilities, etc. Now, these are not the only reasons a kid might join a corps, I only offer these points to illustraste why stability and consistency in design and teaching are important to the health of a corps and their competitive consistency. Magic will be fine. It sounds like they are younger (but I have not seen the show), and if they can keep a consistent staff and style then their recruiting and retention will improve. Just my thoughts.

June 19, 2004: A Great Night of Drum Corps Toledo, Ohio was once again the site of an early show for DCI, and, once again, the show lived up to its billing with great drum and bugle corps from all over providing excellent entertainment for the many fans. For an early show this event was well attended...betweern 4,500 to 6,000. Marion Glory Cadets - for a small div III corps they sure do pump out some sound, and their drumline continues to impress me with its large size and excellent quality. There is excellent teaching going on here and their show with its Gustav Holst music makes for good entertainment. They need a guard and the kids in the hornline simply need time to develop a feel for what they do...a comfort zone if you will. Memphis Sound - Very powerful baritones! WOW, they just come at you all show. Perhaps just a bit too much, but I love their enthusiasm. Rest of hornline needs to balance out. A very good size hornline and some good power at points, but it seems the baritones are the bulk of that power. Very fun show and good music, just so much to clean. Percussion scoring is really difficult I thought for this level of corps. Hope they can clean it. Southwind - I do like their new uniforms better now. I like the tops better, although they remind me a bit of Seattle Cascades--but that's in a good way. This show will be fine. A very solid show in terms of entertainment, quality, artistry, and technical demand. Good control in the hornline and percussion section, and the guard is working a tough book. I actually had them over Kawanis and am shocked that Kiwanis beat them unless I got the wrong scores. This is a solid top 25 show, but cleaning will deciide just how high they go up the ladder. Probably not a top 12 show, but you never know and I do like this show a lot. Kawanis Kavaliers - I always look forward to seeing the Canadian corps, but I was dissapointed in this show on one end and loved it on another. The music of West Side Story has been played so much on the field that people simply do not look forward to hearing it like they did years ago. However, these arrangements are unique and fun, they are singable and yet work with the competitive genre. My problem at this point is that the corps does not perform very well in any respect. Intonation was very bad last night. Much worse that both memphis and Southwind, and technical playing issues and musical artistry seemed to be ignored. It's early and I know that means many changes and musical artistry will come as they clean. I understand this, but they have a ton of work to do if they plan to stay in the top 20 or so. Southwind should have beat them and the judges will soon see this. Still, if this show cleans and the kids improve musically then I think many fans will like this renedition of WSS. The playing of trash cans at the end needs beefed up for thrown out. Capital Regiment - This relatively young corps out of Columbus, OH is on the move in a big way. Horn line and drum line have made significant improvements over their excellent efforts last season, and the guard is large and good. The show is based on music of David Holsinger. They open with a solid trumpet entrance of a hymn tune and then weave the rest of the hornline into what is an exciting first number. Intonation is much better than last year, but big hit points still tend to be on the high side in the brass and not as balanced as needed for a full and rich sound. Over I feel Holsinger's music is probably not enough material to keep this show interesting from start to finish. Too much of his stuff is based on rhythm and very little musical substance, and I feel it leaves the arranger with few choices in terms of development. Capital needs to examine this music and perhaps add some new music to a few sections of the show to bring it together and to solidify the hymn used at the onset of the show. GE Rep. will likely hurt them this year, but I may be wrong. Glassmen - This show will be interesting once clean. It was tough for me to read last night. All I wanted to do last night was take a hot dog break for the first 8 to 9 minutes of the show, then the last 2 minutes I just loved. They go into themes from the Shaker Hymn at the end. The first 3/4ths of the show are based on some very complex classical music, includiing some stuff Star of Indiana did in 1993. Lots of body shaping and movement, lots of conntemporary orchestrations and colors, but IMHO a lack of music GE and musical artistry was obvious. Now, I hear they are behind due to weather, and that will certainly make a difference. Horns have a lot of power, and percussion seems tight so far. Even when clean I don't see this show passing Bluecoats. Maybe not even be top 12, but with their strengths in percussion they will make it interesting. Bluecoats - WOW, WOW, WOW!!! Saw this show in Canton (at least the standstill music portion) since I live in North Canton and I just love this music. Well, now that I have seen the whole show, minus some music and drill that needs to be blocked for the end, I can tell you that this will be one of their best productions to date. It is difficult for me to say this when just about every Bluecoat show seems to get better and better to me, and there are so many from the past that I love. But we're talkin' 2004 right now, and I am telling you this show will go far. Excellent music ensemble, awesome hornline and drumline, and the guard is so close to being at that BD or Cadets kind of level. I thought their dancing was just superb and simply needs cleaned. In fact, that's pretty much the story for this corps. Just clean what you have an you should be in great shape for top 7, 6, or maybe higher. In so many ways the show speaks top 5 to me, but I realize the competition is awesome at this level. Still, this year's Bluecoats have the drill, the music, the visuals and GE, and just the smooth performance style and musical artistry to do it. Hey, if Canton is in town, GO SEE THE SHOW!!!! Cadets - Holy Musical Production!!! This show is awesome in every sense of the word. Hornline is a notch better than last year's which came in second by .1 to BD, and the drumline is smokin' once again. Their first 30 seconds of the show will surely raise all the goose-bumps on your body or make your jaw drop to the ground. The music of Jethro Tulll is a clear winner, and the musical artistry for which this corps plays even early in the season is just unreal. They have it all once again: the demanding drill, the awesome horns and percussion, the super guard, and a show that will deliver a huge impact in terms of GE. Middle tune may well be one of the most special moments in DCI this year. Nobody will want to follow this act and I believe come August this show may very well win it all. Cavalies - However, having said what I just did about the Cadets, the Cavaliers were equal to the challenge and just as exciting and musical. Not many corps will be able to follow the Cadets this year, but the Cavaliers certainly did an awesome job with it. This show is just a breath of fresh air and I am thrilled with how they have staged it and with the musical direction. The music of James Bond is such inviting stuff for field, and the Cavaliers do it so well. Most of the themes come from the most recent movie withh special attention being put into the rhythmical elements of this music. The latin gooves are so well done, and over all this will end up being one of the best shows to view and hear all summer. Their hornline should stay close with Cadets, but I am not sure about the guard and the drums. Guard didn't really grab me as much, although I liked the uniform. Percussion was real solid and uses so many colors and perhaps I just need another read on them. Both the pit of the Cavaliers and the Cadets were just outstanding and the use of amplification was excellent, really enhancing the right sounds and colors without taking away from the horns and battery. General comments: It is obvious that the Cadets and Cavaliers will be top 3, but I am just guessing at this point. They very well could be top 2. Also, although their scores were high, I really thought the Bluecoats should have been closer to those two. Perhaps a 73.50. The Bluecoats are for real and it will be interesting to see if the judges see and hear this. There may be some surprises coming in the weeks to come. Glassmen have much to clean, but I don't see them catching the Bluecoats, and I don't see the Capital Regiment catching the Glassmen. Overall it was a great first night of corps for me and there are some great shows to go an enjoy--so do just that and have fun. Jonathan Willis

All the top hornlines have different concepts of balance, and that often changes with each corps depending on the show music. Phantom's sound this year was outstanding. Best overall sound on the field. But there have also been Phantom corps that have lacked this type of balance. BD consistently puts out a wonderful and professional sound, but the balance is top heavy and needs to be due to the music style. I love it. The Cadets always articulate as good as anyone on the field and their tonal beauty is outstanding most years. But their balance is also on the top heavy side. They like it that way. Regiment, Cavies, and SCV tend to go for a more bottom-end sound. I love that as well. No doubt though, Cavies are consistently putting out some of the best horn lines in DCI these days and it is a welcome change to have so many corps shooting for high horn honors.

87 Garfield - beautiful, demanding, ahead of its time, excellence performance, ground-breaking design and use of staging. This show really changed the activity.

Ok, I will share some thoughts on this. For me, I liked their show a lot this year. I also thought they had beaten cavies on finals night regardless of repertoire issues. Was this the most exciting Cadets show we have seen? NO. Why not? Well in my opinion there are three reasons: a) it wasn't because the repertoire didn't flow smoothly, but that 2 of the 3 works were more associated with other corps (hence we will always judge the arrangement to the old standard--whether that is necesary or not), B) the overall effect given during Fanfare and Allegro and Rocky Point Holiday was a bit flat, and c) the combination of using some older drill moves with music associated with great performances from the past really limited what the Cadets could do. Having said that, I really enjoyed it for what it was. The old-timers, and many others, were really digging this show. It wasn't a show that had you going nuts with wild standing Os, but it had a kind of cool factor that made you want to see it again when it was over. On a competitive side, there was no doubt that they had the goods to win a title if given a slightly different show, and I think that is what the original poster is refering to. Maybe I am wrong. Their horns came in second by a .1, their guard was second by .2, their marching execution was second by .1, and their percussion won. They simply needed more GE music and GE visual to compete with BD. But to assume that every show must have the goods to win is difficult. Sometimes the goal is to create the effect and overal musical package you desire, then fine tune it for the best performance, as well as the best chance for a higher score. I don't know that I wish to see corps designing shows for the sole intent of winning, yet I am not saying a different approach to this show would not have helped its entertainment factor. The bottom line is that they took as shot at something that probably didn't come out quite as they had planned. I am not sure how many shows do. What they tried to do was risky. To take a two popular favorites that were performed by big-name corps like the Vanguard and Madison would be suicide for many, especially a corps trying to be top 3 in Div 1. I do kind of hope they scrap the West Side Story idea for next season. I would like to see the Cadets try a new, fresh show (similar to 92 or 93). West Side Story simply presents too many of the problems I mentioned above. Too many comparisons to older shows (and none will be like 84 Garfield or Sky Ryders of 87). Just some thoughts.

Having just arrived back at my hotel here in Orlando (near Universal Studios) I am dazed and completely drained from watching these young men and women perform their hearts out for the last 3 days. What a thrill it has been to watch such incredible high achievement, to see so many dreams come true for all these young people, and to fondly remember my own youth and why I continue to support this activity to this day. Bravo to all of you who were involved in this activity this year regardless of whether you marched, volunteered, were on staff, or simply supported these young people. This has been a wonderful ride and I must say I enjoyed finals as much as I have ever enjoyed them. Tonight's shows were really exciting. Everyone seemed charged to give that extra effort, and the crowd responded big time. In some cases I think that go-for-it attitude may have hurt some of the shows in terms of cleanliness, but on the other hand I feel as thought he crowd was given the ultimate reward of high energy and incredible entertainment. BD was on fire and you knew they would win. Also thouht Cadets had 2nd tonight. It was close with them and Cavies. The old timers seemed extras charged watching Cadets show. Big time standing O for Malaguena and for the z Pull. Watching them stretch that baby into the end zones was magnificent. BD's last tune put the crowd on their feet, and Phantom's last tune put the crowd on their feet BIG TIME!!!!!! Thought BD's horn line was a little too jacked up and I think their scores reflected that. Thought Cadets might actually have won high brass tonight. They were ON FIRE, and SO MUSICAL. Incredible blends all the way through, but the Blue Devils were also just amazing. The great Cavalier horn line also showed up and made you think real hard about putting BD or Cadets in the top spot. And Phantom....WOW. Now that's a horn line. Not sure what part of the great intonation and musicianship, or the incredible balance levels that the judges didn't like, but they were as good as any on the field this year. SCV was also on fire and played very well tonight. A few rough attacks and some major brightness in the mello line. Just a few uncontrolled spots. Nothing major. Bluecoats horns were smokin' tonight. Boston seemed flat to me. Crown also seemed a bit out of control at times, and Madison was AWESOME!!!!! On the percussion side, way to go Cadets. Now that's what you call amazing writing and playing. Also, many props to SCV, BD, Cavies, and Phantom; your lines were amazing. I thought the Cavies really integrated with the show so effectively and they were incredibly musical. By the way, Bluecoats did very well in percussion tonight--think they were 6th. Excellent job guys. Color Guard - WOW, BD, your guard is so consistent. Thought this was Cadets year to win high guard, and they had the show going, but there was one drop that cost them. Otherwise Cadets were also amazing. I love those uniforms and the yellow/gold flags were so effective. The BD guard is so good it is not funny. Love the body work especially. Cavies guard was just incredible tonight. Almost thought they had a chance at high guard. BTW, I love their guard uniforms. They work perfectly for this show. Carolina Crown has one amazing guard as well. Their who show is amazing and perhaps their best ever. And it is the guard that really tells the story. Check out Madison's guard scores, they were quite good tonight. I think they took 8th, and I really thought they had a super strong showing. Watch for them next year. As far as overall visual performance (M&M), BD and Cadets were kind of in a league of their own. Those shows were so tight, clean, and well executed. Cavies did much better in this catagory tonight. Last night they took 5th in visual ex, tonight they were 3rd. Both SCV and Phantom had some problems tonight in terms of marching, technique, and consistency of intervals (or spacial relationships). Madison had a very ON night in marching I thought. Bluecoats were also ON in visual ex, and their last few sets, which are very difficult, really sold tonight. Best I have seen them march. Overall GE was close for me. I would have given it to Cavies, but BD was so clean and so exciting. And to their credit, this was probably the best drill ever for BD. Cadets simply needed more GE and they would have been challenging BD for the title. Well, enjoy what little I have written here. I apologize that this is not longer and more in depth. But I am tired, it has been a long week, and I would like to get some sleep before I fly home in the morning. (Yay, band camp next week) b**bs Also, the weather ended up being just perfect for tonight's show. No rain, only earlier in the day. The field looked great, or at least as good as it could. It was actually nice and cool out tonight. Perfect weather for drum corps. Well Bravo to all the performers, and congratulations to DCI on another great year. Congrats to all the winners.

Well, I watched BD and then hit the road so that I could quickly make it back to my hotel while the othes wait for the last few scores. First off, weather was great most of the day and no rain to be found this evening. Nice and cool too. We had some rain this morning, but it really was perfect drum corps weather for the show. Field was in excellent shape (at least from where I was sitting--1st deck, 38 yard line, mid way up, stage right). As for the shows, here is how I felt to night: 1. BD - 98.5 Excellent show design, very clean and very musical performance. Love the percussion writing and I really enjoyed the guard. The last tune is the best. Marching technique is the best, and they probably took high brass and high guard as well. Not sure about overall GE or Visual. It is close with Cavies. 2. Cavaliers - 97.25 Great great show. really makes you think. Spin Cycle is captivating and mezmorizing. Their ability to draw you in visually is just amazing. I love the comical block in the middle of the show in which a number of soloists perform these corny excerpts that tie in to the show and are accentuated by the guard. Brilliant!!! As much as I loved it, thought Cadets beat them tonight. 3. Cadets - 96.55 Perhaps the cleanest show of the evening, they sent goose bumps up and down my body. So musical, so much emotion in the music. WOW. Just very clean and very musical. Their guard was spectacular tonight. I have them in 2nd. Percussion was unreal and I have them in 1st. And their brass was also spectacular and I have them in 2nd or a tie for 1st. Yes, I thought they were that good. Their weakness continues to be the GE music and the GE visual captions. Just not enough points in this show (if you will). But their performance levels are what we expect of a champion--as good as anybody on the field. 4. SCV - 95.15 Love the music. Takes some getting used to and there were things about it tonight that I didn't like vs last night. Brass was a little edgy tonight and the attacks in the sopranos and mellos were ugly at times. But overall this was an amazing performance. Visual book is as good as anybody this year, but they are still dity. Lots and lots of bad intervals. Guard was really ON tonight. 5. Phantom - 94.65 Again, this horn line is amazing. Such a great sound and what a challenging horn book. Overall best articulations and technique of the night--at least as good as Cadets and BD. guard was good tonight, and the drums are very good. Thought their show was really tight except for the body work and the last 4 or 5 sets of drill in the closer. Clean it tomorrow and make a strong move on SCV. 6. Boston - 92.00 I agree with the score. They were solid tonight. No, more than solid, try outstanding. They separated themselves from Bluecoats just a little. Opener is exciting and fast, and they performed it to a T this evening. Ballad is incredible and I love he low brass intro as they play it backfield. Closer is very good except for the last few sets. Just kind of wanders and the mood of the show slows a bit. Still love it and their guard is wonderful, the design is wonderful. 7. Bluecoats - 90.4 Good to see the Coats hit the 90 mark this year. Once again I thought they were ON FIRE tonight. Brass is easily their strong point, but drums and guard are also excellent. I like this show because it is classy, well designed, performed at a high level, and it makes sense. The last few minutes tend to wander some so I don't get that final closing feel that I desire, but the musical aspects are really solid for the most part, and their drill and overall visuall design is excellent. 8. Madison Scouts - 89.75 WOW, great show tonight guys. Very mature sound out of the horns, and much more power than what I heard even last night. They were probably the second or 3rd loudest line fo the night. I guess SCV and Phantom were tied for 1, at least in my opinion. Love this closer. What a nice groove. Solid marching tonight. Much stronger than last night. Percussion seemed flat to me, not as energized as they were last night. Maybe it was my different perspective tonight. 9. Carolina Crown - 88.35 This show is amazing. Bells, Bells everywhere. Love the beautiful music and sounds, love the uniforms, and I love the sound of this brass line. Marching was rough, and I kind of thought Crossmen had them tonight. Intervals and overall technique is inconsistent with Crown. Guard is wonderful and were really ON this evening. Beautiful choice of flags and colors, and I love the outfits. They have been marching one hole in the horn line. I wonder if that will be the case tomorrow. 10. Crossmen - 87.75 Their score was a little low from my perfspective. I had them about .4 over Crown. This show is so much fun, I just want to dance for most of it (but I didn't so as not to scare the crowd away). I thought their brass and drums were just a tad better than Crown, and that they marched their show better. And from a technical standpoint I think both shows are equal in demand and overall GE. 11. Magic of Orlando - 86.5 Welcome to the top 12 again. Great performance tonight. Horn line had some problems with cracked notes and edgy attacks, but their over performance was solid. Good power. Very interesting show, but I liked it. 12. Spirit of JSU - 85.5 WOW. They showed up tonight. Really great show and verey powerful. I didn't get to see them last night, but I am glad I did tonight. Word in the crowd was that they were much improved over last night. People around me were not surprised that they made finals. Good job. Bravo! Well, I will write more later but I am getting tired. A few more comments in general: 1. Thought Cadets beat Cavies tonight, and so did many around me, but Cavies were also excellent, and I do love the show. 2. Cadets should win high drums. Don't care what anyone says, they are in a league of their own now. But that is just my opinion. 3. BD is amazing, fun, and clean and will walk away with number 11. Congratulations, BD! You deserve it. 4. Phantom may not win horns, and they may, but one thing is for sure: their horn line has some serious b_lls, and they let it rip, even on the most difficult of licks. Love that sound. 5. Madison is for real and back, nice job. 6. Bluecoats are developing one of the better and more musical horn lines in the activity. 7. Thought Cadets and BD should tie in guard and visual performance. Oh well, it was a great night of corps once again. Tomorrow is the big one to end the season--a great season it was. Enjoy.

Good evening all (morning to some): Well, I just got back to me hotel from a long, but fun, night of drum corps. The day was beautiful here in Orlando until 2, then the rain hit for about 25 minutes. No biggy, the show went on and everything was running on schedule until the evening rains which delayed the show for about 2 hours or so. I must say though, that the field was in excellent shape and they put sand where they needed to in order to help the marchers. It was nice and cool after the rains, so the heat was not a problem. As for the corps, there were just some great performances tonight. There are so many entertaining shows this year, and there is no corps that could say "boy do I hate their music." As for the scoring, I kind of felt that the top 3 were closer than what the scores indicated. The placings are correct I feel, but I would have Cavies only .4 or .5 below BD, and Cadets only .5 below Cavies. BD is super clean, clean, clean, and their show is very exciting and enjoyable. Love the ending. Cavies were on tonight. Great performance, awesome drill, and I really liked how their horn line performed tonight. Musical, yet aggressive and, yes, very powerful. Cadets were a little flat. They are very clean, and they were incredibly musical tonight, but almost to a fault. They have toned down the horn line some and really milk every phrase. The phrase shaping is amazing and their battery and pit were just on fire. What will hurt this show is the overall GE. Just not quite the excitement level needed for a title, but boy are they good. I thought their guard was nothing short of amazing as well. Malaguena got a big standing O, and so did the closing of Rocky Point Holiday. Z Pull worked well tonight I thought. SCV - I really like the music. It will take some getting used for many, but the show just builds in such a logical way. They probably put out more sound tonight than any other corps. They were incredibly powerful in the brass, and their percussion section is excellent. IMO their percussion was top 2, and I actually thought Cadets should have won percussion. I haven't see recaps yet. Phantom - WOW--biggest ovation of the night. Horn line was amazing and powerful. "The Lord's Prayer" was to die for tonight. This is one sweet show. If anything, I had them above SCV tonight. I just think the body movement may be hurting them. They do a lot of it, and there are a number of places where it is not completely synced. This and the guard seem to be their weak spots. Boston - great show, fast paced, really in your face. Ballad is wonderful, opener is lots of fun, but the closer is ok but not great. To many instances where they simply recreate the same ideas in this show. I had them in 7th after Bluecoats. But a great show to see nonetheless. Bluecoats - excellent show, great horn line, solid drums, and the guard is very good. Their visual package is so good and clean, and they simply need to end this show with the same pizzaz that they start with. Tonight it just kind of ended, but I was so impressed with the musicianship in the horn line and thought the overall product was worthy of 6th. If they nail on Saturday, 6th place is here they will be. Madison - Oh YEAH. NICE STUFF. Great music, solid horn line, great GE and the percussion and guard were very good tonight. Their closer is worth the price of admission. What a great groove!!! Some marching problems still exist in this show, but they are solid in the 7th or 8th spot. Crossmen - What a fun show. Some of the best audience response of the night. Horn line was clean and musical, and their charts are awesome--some of the best arrangements on the field. The closer is also to die for. This is also worth the price of admission. Crown - What a musical show. Love the bell theme. Love the uniforms, and I love their sound. Percussion and guard were real solid. The crowd was so ready for them since they were the first corps to appear after the long rain delay. Well, I didn't get a chance to see any other corps since I was helping with some things before the rain delay. Tomorrow should be interesting. BD should win, but the spread between them and Cavies and Cadets should be closer. Phantom should take high brass, or at least tie for it. Cadets may very well win drums again, but SCV and BD are also awesome. BD or Cadets will win guard. BD will win visual performance and Cavies or BD may win overall GE. Most entertaining shows: 1. Phantom 2. Cadets 3. Crossmen/BD 4. Madison/Boston 5. Bluecoats Just my opinion.

Well, I respect your opinion and your right to say what you want, so thank you for the nice review. I will state for the record that the Cadets got as much or more audience response than any other corps competing on both days, and they are now one of the cleaner corps on the field. I also believe their drumline not only deserved the title that night, but that they were heads and tails above the competition. It's all a matter of how you look at their parts, their performance, and their technique (which is the best in the business in my opinion). But you are also correct that the Vanguard has an AWESOME line. I could listen to them all day. I think what the Cadets have done with Fanfare and Allegro is amazing and very fun and artistic. Malaguena is top notch, and Rocky Point Holiday is fast, frenetic, and so exciting at the end. The crowd seemed to agree. They are an excellent corps that entertains and performs well.

For me, a few stand out for different reasons. 1. BD 1982 - exceptional horn line and great charts that would be fun to hear any year. The show won the title so it is not under rated from that perspective, but in terms of popularity, very ffew mention the power of this musical presentation. 2. Suncoast Sound 1989 - Florida Suite, some of the most unique music and show ideas I have seen. Very fresh. 3. 1980 27th Lancers - Very competitive show that almost won a DCI title (and maybe should have won with all respect to BD fans), but this show is under rated for what it brought to the activity in terms of visual content (guard and drill). Although SCV was the first to do asymetrical drill (also in 1980), and Garfield would eventually revolutionize the marching style and concept of flow with asymetry, I believe the 1980 27th Lancers were the corps to bring all drum corps into the new era of show design (Zingali was a genius). 4. 1981 SCV - Once again, here is a show that certainnly earned respect as a champion. But few talk about this show for what I feel are its real contributions to the activity. Listen to the symphonic sound achieved by the Vanguard. Prior to that, and I had attended corps shows for several years before hand, you simply did not hear horn lines play that refined and in tune. Yes, Phantom and SCV and BD and Madison were all amazing in the 70s, but the 1981 Vanguard ushered in a new era of symphonic control, elegant phrase shaping, a stronger emphasis on balance and blend, and the demand of the horn book was taken just a notch higher. JMHO.

Nice show review. Thank you for taking the time. Sounds like thee entertainment value is very good this year and lots of people were satisfied. Jonathan Willis

I don't mind an honest review that states what each of us feel. I feel bad that this person doesn't care for the Cadets, and he has a right to express that. So just consider this post a point from the other side. First, all my friends who went to the Louisville show told me that the Cadets generated more crowd response and applause than any other corps. Secondly, no corps owns any song. Madison does not own Malaguena. Some of my fondest memories of that tune are of them performing it, no doubt. But the Muchachos also performed the tune, and the Cadets are also paying tribute to them as well. Third, the warm up issue is being blown out of proportion when people state that Hopkins decided to do it to add two more minutes to the show. Actually, I believe the Cadets staff was looking for a way to make the show creative, introduce the "My Favorite Things" theme, and what the heck, entertain the audience. Not everyone is going to like it. I love it. It's unique and fresh for this particular show. Other corps have done this as well. Each show has its own style, color, unique blend of sound, movement and artistry, and this version of the Cadets show is a unique concept for us to enjoy. Take it for what it is and enjoy it. If you hate it. That's cool. B) If it's not your cup of tea, that's cool too. :) Thanks for writing a review. Jonathan Willis

Last night in Columbus, Ohio, we were all treated to a wonderful evening of drum and bugle corps competition and some real nice weather. The show started late for some reason. Not sure why. My ticket said 7:30 PM start but Capital Regiment did not play the national anthem until 8:00 PM. The show was held in Crew stadium, which seats maybe 35,000 when full. It is normally for the professional soccer team in Columbus, but the venue works perfectly for drum corps. A pretty large crowd showed to fill the bulk of each deck on concert side. Capital Regiment, as I just mentioned, played the national anthem to start things off. The arrangement itself is a little strange, but the playing of it was not very good. If you're going to perform this tune it had better be one of the best things you play. The kids were having a hard time following the DM who was rushing through his preparatory gestures too quickly and not as clear on cutoffs at the end of phrases. Some major balance problems existed, and intonation was not good. I hate to be picky hear, and I certainly appreciate all the hard work these young people and their staff put forth, so please don't take these comments the wrong way. I just hope they fix this should they have to perform this music again. On to the show. Americanos: Their show is titled "Zorro Rides Again" which features music from "The Mask of Zorro" by Thomas Horner. A very enjoyable show from start to finish. They are small, but they produce a quality sound with their major weakness being that when they try to break into 3 and four part harmony (from unison lines) more is demanded on each individual performer and that is where we hear so many balance/articulation problems. The highlight of this show for me was the young female baritone soloist who did a wonderful job. Her solo was as good as any I heard the rest of the evening. Bravo! The Americanos will definitlely have to find a way to create for balance in the horn line. The last thing you want to hear is for all these small corps to play unison/octave musical lines, but you also don't want to hear them blast on the chordal writing. They perhaps need to take the volume down for a while and focus on the ensemble blend. They will need to train the kids to hear better as to what part they have (melody, countermelody, harmony, rhythm, color), and also how they fit into the chordal elements (root, 3rd, 5th, 7th, 9th, etc.). This is actually the case for most of the small corps I saw tonight and in the past. In many ways these smaller corps have a bigger challenge from the large 60 piece horn lines. And the fact that these drill designers still like to spread them out on the field (3 and 4 step intervals) will create even more difficulty in achieving a full, balanced sound. This is a really good show though and it was well designed. The drill is perhaps a bit too much for what the kids are playing and the overall talent level. If the staff can pull back a tad on demand and start to build confidence in each section of the show, then this music will fly. Nice job! Marion Glory Cadets: The show is titled "Oppressions In Red." It features the music of Sergei Prokofiev, a Russian composer who is perhaps best known for his version of "Romeo and Juliet," and the music of Basil Poledouris who is more known as a movie composer (The Hunt for Red October). It is nice to see Marion Glory getting a bit larger. I like their uniforms and really hope to see them continue their growth. The first thing that hits you with Marion is their large and outstanding drum line. Very nice writing and excellent playing. The guard was having some major problems early and seemed to not know much of the book, at least not confidently. They performed better in the middle of the program. The horn line is performing a solid book but is having many of the same problems I spoke of with Americanos. The differences in balances and approach to playing needs to be addressed when in unisons and chordal writing. A better sense of pitch also needs to be addressed. Don't worry about power this early on. I felt as thought they were trying to show us how powerful they can be, and I appreciate that, but show me how musical and balanced you can be. Come mid-season as they understand their roles better and have developed the physical to enhance all that knowledge, they will be plenty powerful. A ve ry good show and one to watch grow this summer. Southwind: Show is titled "Dance Portraits" and features music from the Gayne Ballet by Aram Khachaturian. Good music, big corps, full sound most of the time, and some nice drill. I really enjoyed Southwind tonight. The music is easy to listen to and exciting. The drum line plays well, but I hate the sound of their snares. They sounded like popcorn. The whole percussion section is balancing well with the horns, but when you need them to really dig in and give us some sound, they just can't because the snares just don't have that power and bite when needed. I was suprised that Capital Regiment beat them tonight. I had Southwind over Cap. by a solid 1.75 at least. I think they are much cleaner that Capital. Southwind has plenty to clean, but the show is easily within their grasp. The staff has done a nice job of putting together a program that they can perform and master in time. Their area of concern is guard, and finding hit points in this music that can get the audience going and generate more visual and music GE. Although the music is nice and entertaining, there is never a moment in the show where you say "Wow" or where you stand out of sheer excitement. They need to find some of this. Good show! Capital Regiment: A Brave New World This show features music from Dvorak's New World Symphony, Escapade by Joeseph Spaniola, Journey of the Brave by Kate Tice and Kevin Murphy, and Symphony No. 2 by Alan Hovhannes. The music is all quality literature and their is ample melody in the show, but the arrangements are too choppy for my taste and the staff needs to find a way to bring out more music GE in terms of hit points and exposure to error. We need to be able to follow the melody better as well. That will help with GE, although, as with Southwind, there were no musical moments that generated much music GE. The audience never really felt lifted or so excited as to stand and shout, except for the polite standing ovation at the end of the show. They obviously have some excellent talent, they are large and well balanced, and now they need to better define this show. What are we saying to the audience, to the judges? What are we trying to accomplish musically and is it working? These are all things I am sure they are already pondering and I am sure this show will be in fine shape come mid-July. The horn line has some work to do in terms of balance and intonation, but I thought the drums were good, and the guard is performing some very nice routines and they are staged very well. At this point I feel, however, that Southwind will pass them soon. Madison Scouts: Gold, Green, and Red--The Music of Benoit Jutras From the moment they step on the field I could tell there was an air of confidence in these Scouts (as has always been the case with this corps). I love the new uniforms. They may take getting used to by some of you, but I really believe that you will learn to like this new look. As for the show, it is all pure Madison with a touch of competitive push added to the master-of-entertainment approach they have taken for years. This show is very competitive and will challenge for a top 6 spot. Visually, they have an outstanding drill that really moves, and their marching style is outstanding. Keep cleaning guys. It is going to be spectacular. The music is perhaps unrecognizable by most, but it is fun, sophisticated, and has been arranged very well to meet the needs of both entertainment and competition. Their are many musical hit points in the this show, and the ballad is one of the most beautiful moments any of you will hear or see this summer. The balance of this horn line is amazing and will only get better, and if there is a weakness it is in the area of musical demand. They may need to beef up a few things as time goes on in order to compete with the likes of Phantom and Cadets who I have already seen. The closer of Madison's show, Incantation, is similar in style of Malaga from 1995. There are so many cool groove moments in this show it is not funny, and the ending is on-your-feet-city! Madison is back and a must see, ladies and gentlement. Don't miss this show. A+ for entertainment, and an 8 out of 10 (at the moment) for competitive value. Colts: Symphonic Visions--Ritual, Song, and Dance The Colts are large and very dirty at the moment. The opening statement of the show is very impressive and powerful, but it doesn't go much further after that. Ultimately, this music will be very nice and powerful, and the horn line has lots of talent, but the show needs some serious cleaning. I love the drum line once again. The Colts have really moved forward over the years with their percussion writing and the quality of the playing. The guard is sloppy but very well staged and should be a highlight later in the summer. My biggest complaint is the visual. The drill seems to wander too much, and their are some moves that seem to say something different vs. what the music is trying to say. The staff may need to re-assess their thoughts on this music and what it is saying. The potential is there for top 12, but not unless they re-think their overall music and visual GE package. Phantom Regiment: Harmonic Journey This show is so good, so beautiful, and so well thought out that I was completely speechless through the entire presentation (until the end when I stood and cheered wildly). The show features the music of Canon in D by Pachebelbel, Wild Nights from Harmonium by John Adams, The Lord's Prayer from King of Kings by Miklos Rozsa, and Ostinato by Bela Bartok. Just an excellent choice of music and it was mastefully arranged for the field. This is a clear case of where the arranger, drill writer, and the rest of the staff have clearly thought out each component of the show. Each hit, each phrase and where it is going, every visual element and how it is affecting the music and vice versa, and guard staging has all been well programmed. I personally feel this is their finest show since 1996. I really believe that their horn line, in particular, will ultimately challenge for high brass this year (along with Cadets, Cavies, and BD). At this show they had no match (not even Madison was close in my opinion). The balance and blend is amazing, and the intonation was very good for this time in the summer. WOW! What a great show. The ballad, The Lord's Prayer, is one of the most beautiful I have heard in many years on a football field. Goosebump city, baby (as Dick Vitale would say). If anything, here are what I see as weaknesses: they need a bit more in visual demand (but not much, and Tony Hall is on staff). The performance captions should ultimately clean nicely and earn them quality points. The horn line has every bit the demand that the Cadets do (I have already seen Cadets), and I really can't imagine any corps with a more demanding book than Phantom's. The talent is there too. I thought Madison has a bit better visual book, and Phantom's drum line needs to clean and be more effective in the big hit points. This is typical in early season though. Personally, I don't see this show finishing below 4th at finals. And it could win it all. Glassmen: The Elements--Air, Earth, Fire & Water The Glassmen seem younger to me this year and their horn line is no where near what they were in past years. Hence, they are getting beat up pretty good at the moment. However, they do have a nice show and could surprise some by season's end. Their visual package was probably the best here last night (even over Madison and Phantom), but it is not very clean. Adding to that is the fact that their guard book is not very affective and way too dirty, and the horn line can't play in tune. Their sound is thin and bright, and they had to perform after Phantom who had a sound as big as Mt. Everest. But the Glassmen still have that outstanding drum line, and like I said the visual package is excellent and seem to move well with the music. Once the music cleans and the horn line plays better, this could be an exciting, fun, and more competitive show. As of now, they are nowhere near the Scouts or Phantom, not to mentione the Bluecoats. Much work to do for the Glassmen, but I think all of you will like the show. It is definitely not a "Boring" show this year. Well, thanks to all the corps for a great night and thanks for reading this review. It was a great night in Columbus, OH (home of the National Champion Ohio State Buckeyes Football Team), and there was a lot of solid entertainment last night. Jonathan Willis

I was fortunate enough to drive to Norwin High School on the east side of Pittsburgh, PA last night to witness part of the Music is Cool tour that the Cadets are doing and to see their evening rehearsal and final run through. Having enjoyed last evening very much I thought I would share my impressions of this wonderful show with all of you. As most of you know by now, the Cadets' 2003 field show is titled "Our Favorite Things." The show is designed to be a sampling of some of the most exciting music from DCI's past. The selections chosen for this particular show are: Fanfare and Allegro (Clifton Williams) as featured by the 1971 Santa Clara Vanguard; Malaguena, as featured by both the Muchachos and the Madison Scouts; and Rocky Point Holiday (Ron Nelson), as featured by the Cadets in 1982 and 1983 (then known as the Garfield Cadets). Since the show title is "Our Favorite Things" the Cadets have decided to incorporate the song "My Favorite Things" from "The Sound of Music" into the fabric of this show. All in all this is an excellent production that will be hard to top in terms of entertainment value and also for technical merrit and musicianship. The show opens with the corps entering the field as they normally do (in classic Cadets block form). Once on the field, the corps breaks to set up their opening form for the show and everything seems as normal. However, only seconds after breaking the block, the percussion and low brass start playing strains from "My Favorite Things." The pit joins in and so do the upper brass voices. Then the battery percussion starts into their warm up which slowly overlaps and meshes with what the brass and pit are doing. Everything that is taking place up until now is all warm up. The music unfolds nicely as it is being played backfield, eventually developing a nice swing feel that develops and builds until the corps is in a vertical company front on the 25 or 30 (I forget). Once this happens the corps is ready for action and the tuba section starts it off with theme 1 from Fanfare and Allegro. As the Tubas are starting the show, the pit is still finishing their final phrase from "My Favorite Things." Very cool intro if you ask me, but go check it out for yourself. As the Tubas finish their entrance, the mellos enter with theirs, only much faster. The baritones then enter even faster, and the trumpets finally make their grand entrance--yes, even faster. The arrangement of this tune is absolutely unique and very musical. Listen closely to the pit in this tune, and all the tunes. They are a big part of the show this year for the Cadets, and they often have the recurring motif of "My Favorite Things." Fanfare and Allegro closes with some serious speed and some excellent music that builds and builds. The power of the horns and drums is already excellent and had the crowd in Norwin buzzing. Malaguena makes for a nice break in style from the first tune. Madison fans fear not. The Cadets are not in any way trying to do it better or to try and re-create those same memroires that Madison has given us so many times. This arrangement of Malaguena is very unique and allows the Cadets to put their own signature on it while still paying homage to Madison and the Muchachos. The tune starts backfield with a trumpet soloist carrying the melody. Then the baritones turn front field and finish the theme. Some excellent staging here and some beautiful sounds out of the Cadets horn line. From there the pit takes over with a very long, fast, extremely difficult run that seems to never end. They help the music to build and build, and then the horn line hits you over the head with the main theme. The middle portion of the tune features an enxtended percussion feature with the snares, tenors, and basses trading off on amazing licks. During this section the brasses have these wonderful park and blows that serve to highlight bits of phrases from the tune. It's great stuff! Shortly after all this, 3 trumpet soloists come up front and start wailin' and the music builds to the classic hit point. It is only at this point that this arrangement has any liking to the Scouts, but if you listen to what the percussion is doing it is totally different. The ending is still very dirty and they may change some drill, but overall the effect was fantastic. This presentation gets an "A" for audience entertainment. Rocky Point Holiday is powerful musically with some stunning visuals early. However, at this stage the Cadets are a bit behind on cleaning the closer. Perhaps because they only got it blocked three days ago and have some major cleaning to do, as well as some future re-writes. During the evening rehearsal you could overhear the staff talking about what worked and what didn't. I even heard Hopkins mention to one of the staff members that if it wasn't going to generate applause or a standing ovation, then they need to scrap it. It was something to that effect. I thought it was refreshing to hear a staff speak about the audience as well as working towards solid music education goals and visual goals. The closing moments of Rocky Point will be stunning once cleaned. The corps does hit a "Z-Pull" for a while, then the form contracts into a block (while going through a lot of different moves to get there). I see some major re-writes taking place here, but the ideas are there. Overall, the Cadets look very impressive for June 18--especially considering all the rain we have had here in the east and midwest. I love this show because it is entertaining, it can compete, and it's artistically top notch stuff. Whent his cleans, look out! Will it win? Who cares. Will it entertain? Heck yes. Actually, as I got in my car and started to drive home, I was thinking to myself "geez, I am not sure I like that show. Way to much melody for what I am used to hearing." :) If you get a chance, go see this production. It is definitely worth the price of the ticket (well, at least up to $20, then I had better get a free program and t-shirt along with the ticket). Later, Jonathan Willis