this_guy

Wouldn't that cease to make his music "one of a kind"? I kind of like a variety of styles between my corps...

Just to clarify my above statement was totally a joke. I know both Jenifo and Chris Rutt, and hold both of them in the highest regard.

Agreed. Jenifo is amazing! Let's just hope CC doesn't hire someone like Chris Rutt... ;)

Sly is an amazing human being, and an awesome teacher. Him and the entire visual staff at The Cavaliers have truly been a vital asset to the corps' success! A sincere congratulations, good luck, and thank you to Sly!

Full Story

Thought the drill was awesome. Pete Webber is a welcome addition to that design team. The music didn't do much for me, but served its purpose. I'm not a huge fan of Poulan's original compositions, personally. Good show overall, though. Always rooting for the Vanguard.

Great review! One question: In Revo's review you say "they did not fail to dissapoint", yet you seemed pleased with their show. Was that just an error in grammar? Don't mean to harp on you, just trying to figure it out.

Very often (in fact i'd probably wager every show in the last 6-7 years) the Cavaliers are moving at upwards of 200 beats per minute for at least some portion of their show. I believe that is in fact a fast tempo. Heck, in 2001 over 6 minutes of that show was over 200 bpm. But yes, count structure does help to make it look EVEN FASTER!

Huh? I agree that a good drill designer is one who can stage well -- and that helps things, but if you don't have a good hornline to work with, the greatest drill designer in the world isn't going to help that problem. Besides, last time I checked Wayne Downey and John Meehan are the ones who are always credited with BD's great hornlines...yes, they are always staged well (though the designer's name is escaping me right now...) but these hornlines have enormous talent which absolutely makes a world champion.

Thanks for some positive remarks...those have been lacking lately on this forum. :-)

Anybody have the PBS Broadcast from 2001? It was broadcast live, and if you watch the Cadets' ballad, you'll notice an obvious difference than what you hear on the CD's / DVDs. (Hint, it's in the small ensemble that kicks off the movment) So yes, it's very possible that if there are "on the field performance issues" with their finals performance, it can be switched out or altered for the DVDs / CDs.

Neat! I didn't know you could insert images like that! On the flip-side (and yes, I'm biased!) I'm not a big fan of hearing all theme and no DEVELOPMENT. Ah yes...any of your well-trained musical ears remember that word from your undergrad? What I dig about Saucedo's music is his exquisite use of MOTIVE. These motives are all over the place (easily evident in Frameworks and Spin Cycle) they are often melodic motives, but just as often harmonic motives and rhythmic motives make appearances to make the show flow (in my humble, musically-educated opinion) effortlessly from one idea to the next. Let's add that to some of the most complex and sophisticated tone colors produced on the drum corps field, and a score that lends itself beautifully to Gaines' visual ideas, and I've been made a fan of the Cavaliers' musical programming. Different strokes for different folks, as has been stated before...

Perhaps Disco Inferno or Mr. Roboto would be more appropriate... :)

The Cavaliers have posted a brief clip from their 2006 show on their MySpace page. http://www.myspace.com/cavaliersrosemont Granted, it's not a 15 minute video featuring members saying "Happy Mothers Day" or doing bad Marlon Brando impersonations, but it's something.

I do appreciate how profhill has really backed up his statements, though...most people on this thread haven't.

It doesn't have to have a relationship...in The Zone!!!!! ;)

True!!!

Danpod, I hate you. :P

Wow...great detail in your description of the Canterbury Chorale. I like how you included little things such as a subito piano, or soft chords at the end. (Didn't the Four Corners ballad have that as well?) "Genius" is a word I rarely use, especially in describing contemporary composers...and I'd definitely never use it to describe any drum corps arranger! That being said, I think Saucedo's arrangements / compositions require a higher level thinker / listener than some of the other arrangers on the Drum Corps field. I'm not trying to put down any other composers, or the fans who find the music boring, just stating a case: First off, there IS a melody in Saucedo's shows. I promise. More importantly, however, there are motives. LOTS OF THEM. Some are melodic, some rhythmic, some are chordal progressions that reappear. Regardless, these motives are stated, developed, altered and restated throughout all 11 minutes of music. Obviously this is not done in the forefront, these things are very subtle, and usually can't be caught on a single listen. This music requires the listener to pay close attention to the music every time, in order to catch something new. But when you discover something hidden, that you hadn't noticed before, it's exciting! (To me, it is anyway...) Not trying to start a war of "What's better?" or "What's more memorable?", or "Lacks emotion", etc. Just making a case for Saucedo's music. That being said, I'm certain I could provide a description that's just as detailed (if not more detailed) of the Four Corners ballad as yours of the Canterbuy Chorale.

I know there have been incidents of editing the musical content for the CD...(i.e., inserting a portion of Semis or Quarters to cover up a bad performance on finals). This has occurred as recently as Cadets 2001. Not that I'm necessarily a 'live performance purist', but that would bother me WAY more than editing out some idiot's comments. (Not that the editing bothers me at all!)

Ding Ding Ding Ding!!!! You (once again) nailed it, G-Cym. Besides, the corps has plenty of complexity in the velocity and great distances they have to travel in the course of their show!

Don't wanna beat a dead horse here, but it doesn't seem like this question has been directly addressed... Sounds like you're asking which is more likely to be perceived as a mistake, right? Obviously, they're both errors, because neither is what the original form intended. With that viewpoint, then yes, number 1 is more likely to appear to be a mistake than number 2. I don't think anyone's arguing with that logic. Now let's talk about that...is it suggested that if a judge doesn't notice a mistake then one wasn't made? (If a tree falls in the woods, and no one's around to hear it...) True, said judge may not view this form as an error and may award this as a perfectly achieved arc. But isn't the point of the activity to eliminate as many mistakes as possible? I think what OMello is saying, is that both groups made an error -- therefore neither really acheived more than the other. Now, let's talk about the hypothetical rest of the season -- that arc looked clean from up top so it's never addressed in rehearsals and perhaps the arc is now habitually a few feet over from where it was originally designed. This mistake is, therefore in place for the duration of the season. No one in the audience notices, but it's still a mistake. Is the objective to hide as many errors as possible, or commit as few errors as possible??? Group #1, on the other hand is more likely to address this issue, to work with those 2 or 3 people to acheive this form and by the end of the season, the arc is exactly as it was meant to look, in the place it was written. No mistake has been made in this particular instance. In this situation, I'd say that Group #1 achieved more. Have you ever seen The Cavaliers early in the season? It's not very pretty, but as the season progresses, it gets better and better until it's as clean as it has been in recent years. That's the way the dot system works. I'm in no way bashing the "form" system -- obviously it works for many, and different types of drill require it, but I'm merely trying to give a better understanding of the mindset of the Dot System.

I think the corps that is named champions decides on the manufacturer, and the design. (I think....don't quote me on that.)

I believe Melillo self-publishes, and therefore holds his own copyrights. Not quite sure, though. I will say this -- I've had to purchase scores and reference recordings from this guy, and his prices are fairly ridiculous. Check out his site -- I think it kind of gives a little insight into the person himself. http://www.stormworld.com/

*bump*