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Best Music arrangers of all time?


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What I know about who arranged what:

Jim Wedge, Hall of Famer-27th Lancers (I'm sure there may be some more but I don't know who they are).

Ken Norman-Kilties-Memphis Blues Brass Band, (I guess someone else will have to fill in the blanks.)

Frank Dorritie-Blue Devils, 27th Lancers 1986 (yes that's right)

Gail Royer-Santa Clara Vanguard. I personally found out recently that he was the arranger for all those years...boy I sure do miss him (RIP).

Some of the others have been mentioned.

You forgot Frank Dorritie's time with the bluecoats in 1987 & 1988

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You forgot Frank Dorritie's time with the bluecoats in 1987 & 1988

I didn't know that! Thanks for letting me know! :)

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Can't/wouldn't argue with any of the listed names - no DRUM CORPS list should leave out:

Hy Dreitzer - who defined what Drum Corps should sound like.

Larry Kerchner - who could make any horn line sound good, not to mention the Tonight Show Band, etc.

Frank Dorritie - bone up on the Garfield corps of the late '70s - you won't be sorry.

John Sasso - dragged us from where Hy took us to where we eventually went.

I see percussion writers listed (as well they should be) but the three greatest perc writers ever (in drum corps) don't seem to be on the list:

Jerry Shellmar - Boston & Sun late '60s until a devastating stroke - brought us from pure rudiments to where we went - including tuned perc.

Fred Sandford - taste personified.

Dennis Delucia - simply the smartest must musical arranger ever associated with our activity - many of the brass names listed above are better appreciated because we hear their charts played against Delucia written or Delucia inspired percussion.

Pls. don't think that this list is exclusive of the truly excellent names listed previously... plus I'm not leaving out Joe Genero or other folks from the eras represented above - I just think that these guys were the ones who got the train rolling (in my era - i.e. early '60s until *I hope* today)

"Got the Train Rollin":

If the trio of Shellmer-Sanford & DeLucia got that train rolling, it was Earl Sturtz who lit the fire in that locomotive and poured on the rudimental coals. Not the greatest of players Mr Sturtze was easily one of THE greatest of rudimental drumming instructors, and his students went on to great things.

Frank Arsenault, a "Sturtze Pupil" and a Connecticut Yankee snare drummer decamped for Chicago in the mid 1950s to work for Ludwig, and just incedentally teach the Chicago Cavaliers and Skokie Indians what rudimental drumming was all about resulting in Skokies "Threepeat" at Legion 1955-1957, as well as the Cavaliers first Nationals title. Cavalier snare Frank MacCormack was a pupil of Frank Arsenault, and "Threepeat" VFW Champ Mitch Markovitch was taught by him.

Ray Luddee another "Sturtze Pupil" went from a snare drummer in the Connecticut Yankees to the Connecticut Hurricanes and took over a line that won multiple DCA "High Drums" titles in the late 1960s and through the 1970s. His line was filled with other "Sturtze Pupils" from junior corps such as the Bridgeport PAL Cadets, St Raphael's Buccaneers and St Ann's Loyalaires that Mr Sturtze had also taught.

Gary Pagnozzi, a snare drummer from the Bridgeport PAL Cadets was a "Threepeat" VFW National Snare champion, and Greg Black, another "Sturtze Pupil" copped the tennor trophy at VFW in 1965.

Elphaba

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Edited by elphaba01
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Add Sandra Opie, Gail Royer, Corky Fabrizio and Truman Crawford.

Edited for suggestion to identify the corps and shows arrangers were perhaps best known for:

Sandra Opie (Argonne Rebels early 1970s...top horn line in DCI)

Gail Royer (horn arranger for early years of SCV...

Corky Fabrizio (although best known for senior corps, check out his show for 1974 Purple Lancers...exploring symphonic band music in a unique manner that was quite challenging)

Truman Crawford (best known for his arrangements for the US Marine Corps D&B Corps, but arguably introduced jazz in a legitimate manner with Royal Airs)

Corky wrote for us in 1972, great music! Also add Jerry Kelsey.

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"Got the Train Rollin":

If the trio of Shellmer-Sanford & DeLucia got that train rolling, it was Earl Sturtz who lit the fire in that locomotive and poured on the rudimental coals. Not the greatest of players Mr Sturtze was easily one of THE greatest of rudimental drumming instructors, and his students went on to great things.

Frank Arsenault, a "Sturtze Pupil" and a Connecticut Yankee snare drummer decamped for Chicago in the mid 1950s to work for Ludwig, and just incedentally teach the Chicago Cavaliers and Skokie Indians what rudimental drumming was all about resulting in Skokies "Threepeat" at Legion 1955-1957, as well as the Cavaliers first Nationals title. Cavalier snare Frank MacCormack was a pupil of Frank Arsenault, and "Threepeat" VFW Champ Mitch Markovitch was taught by him.

Ray Luddee another "Sturtze Pupil" went from a snare drummer in the Connecticut Yankees to the Connecticut Hurricanes and took over a line that won multiple DCA "High Drums" titles in the late 1960s and through the 1970s. His line was filled with other "Sturtze Pupils" from junior corps such as the Bridgeport PAL Cadets, St Raphael's Buccaneers and St Ann's Loyalaires that Mr Sturtze had also taught.

Gary Pagnozzi, a snare drummer from the Bridgeport PAL Cadets was a "Threepeat" VFW National Snare champion, and Greg Black, another "Sturtze Pupil" copped the tennor trophy at VFW in 1965.

Elphaba

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That was a great post!!! Remind me never to argue with you. Just to clarify myself - the train that I was referring to was more the one that went on a different course from the traditional rudimental playing (btw I have nothing but admiration for that school and was absolutely thrilled and gaga to work on a staff with Bobby Thompson and worked with a whole bunch of Ray Luedee disciples at the Hurcs. I do, however think that from an arranging standpoint, my tastes tend to run more toward the folks that I cited. Having said that, did you ever hear the Hurcs' drum quartet from the late sixties with all the cross sticking and accelerando??? Whooooo. That to me was like Buddy Rich on a good night!!!

OK, I have to stay on your good side a) because you're clearly smarter than I am, and B) because no one in their right mind messes with a green witch!!!

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If there is a list of drum corps instructors responsible for starting young players and nurturing them artistically and musically, Ray is in a class with few others, including Tommy Martin again, and Bucky Swan... I know the list goes on and on.

Ray,

I think that may have been Bucky's greatest skill....taking a bunch of raw beginners and getting them to sound better than thney had any right to sound. To me, the greatest teaching skill of all.

Mike

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Risking sounding like a party pooper here, is there a chance that some of the folks posting here are simply posting folks that they've played for, or who wrote for whatever their particular favorite corps was? (e.g. my favorite brass show was '84 Cadets... ergo Jimmer should be my all-time favorite arranger, no?)

I'm tending to think about this more along the lines of greatest ball-player ever, etc.

If you are a Saints fan now, do you think that Drew Breeze is better all-time than Joe Montana?

BTW this does not refer back to the post where Elphaba corrected me with such eloquence.

Just trying to add a little thoughtful, respectful controversy to the mix... also, some of the folks being cited by individual corps didn't write for those corps, which makes it even stickier while evaluating the data....

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