'tis the season

[Geneva]

Looking for Information about the 1993 DCI recording "Christmas Ornaments"

Lately, I have been listening to this recording on my ipod and have several questions about which I have been wondering.

For those of you unfamiliar with it, here is the track listing:

1993 "Christmas Ornaments"

1) "Angels We Have Heard On High"

Velvet Knights

2) "Canzona Per Sonare No.2"

Freelancers

3) "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen"

Glassmen

4) "The Christmas Song"

Carolina Crown

5) "Poinsettia Carol"

Troopers

6) "Amazing Grace"

Phantom Regiment

7) "Carol of the Bells"

Northern Aurora

8) "Procession of Bacchus"

Madison Scouts

9) "I Wonder As I Wander"

Boston Crusaders

10) "Why Do Nations So Furiously

Rage?"

Spirit of Georgia

11) "O Come, O Come Emmanuel"

Southwind

12) Nevorissk Chimes:"The Fire of

Eternal Glory"

Phantom Regiment

13) "Have Yourself A Merry Little

Christmas"

Sky Ryders

As you can see, twelve corps and thirteen performances. Five of the corps sadly are no longer active.

I love everything about this recording: arrangements, music selections, musicianship, and the overall concept.

So my questions:

1) Who produced this for DCI?

2) Were the arrangements from a single source or "in house" from the different corps?

3) Were the performers active marching members or were the ensembles supplemented by "ringers".

4) How large were the ensembles?

5) Was Phantom Regiment central to this project since they are the only unit playing two selections?

6) Where was this recorded and when?

I think it would be great if DCI re-released this or produced an "Ornaments II" with current corps marching members. I think it would be a sure money maker. It would also be interesting to contrast it since this recording is from the "G bugle era".

I would appreciate any information on this topic which anyone has...can't get the music out of my head.

[posaune10]

I can't speak for all the groups, but I remember recording while on tour. I believe we did our session during Preview of Champions weekend in Ypsilanti.

For Spirit that year, "Why do the Nations..." was our show opener, so the recording was the full corps.(Our arrangement, obviously.) I thnk ensemble size varied on the CD, with some corps only using small ensembles.

Again, I can't speak for everyone, but there were no "ringers" involved.

Hope this helps...I always liked that CD!

[2CoolVK]

The Velvet Knights recorded in Ypsilanti, MI in a local HS auditorium. They learned the music, arranged by staff member Greg Flores, in the morning and recorded about 3 takes later in the day. They used the full hornline and a few staff members sat in for fun. Hope that helps.

[Mike Pease]

According to the liner notes, the Troopers track was recorded at the Air Force Academy chapel in Colorado Springs.

[Rusty]

1) Who produced this for DCI?

2) Were the arrangements from a single source or "in house" from the different corps?

3) Were the performers active marching members or were the ensembles supplemented by "ringers".

4) How large were the ensembles?

5) Was Phantom Regiment central to this project since they are the only unit playing two selections?

6) Where was this recorded and when?

I think it would be great if DCI re-released this or produced an "Ornaments II" with current corps marching members. I think it would be a sure money maker. It would also be interesting to contrast it since this recording is from the "G bugle era".

I would appreciate any information on this topic which anyone has...can't get the music out of my head.

We recorded midseason on a high school stage (I believe Posaune is right about Previews in Ypsilanti, but I could be wrong). I think DCI supplied the arrangements. In our case (Sky), we recorded with our horn line, so as to the size of our ensemble, say around 50.

[Geneva]

Thanks for the info. It is neat to hear from actual participants. So it sounds like some but not all recordings were made mid season at Ypsilanti, Michigan and some arrangements were "in-house".

I am still hoping to hear who the producer(s) was and who came up with the excellent idea for this poduction.

[MikeN]

I posted this back on the old RAMD in 2001 - here's the liner notes for the album, along with my comments:

Hey, all:

Since this has come up lately, I thought I'd offer information and a review

of DCI's first and only Christmas CD. Note that any typos on the liner

notes are mine. I've also added my comments after each song's liner notes.

Track List and Liner Notes:

1. Velvet Knights

Angels We Have Heard on High (2:19)

arr. Greg Flores

"Join the Velvet Knights of Anaheim, Caifornia as their fifty-six piece horn

line brings this triumphant melody to life."

-I love the intro to this piece from them. If you hadn't read the liner

notes, you wouldn't think this was VK's hornline. (And I mean that in a

good way.) The tempo is higher than you normally hear, which gives the

whole thing a cheery feel.

2. Freelancers

Canzona per Sonare No. 2 (2:34)

arr. John Zimny

"The members of the Freelancers Drum and Bugle Corps of Sacramento,

California give a festive greeting with this elegant brass quintet from the

works of G. Gabrielli."

Bright brass voicing. Lots of polyphony. The players do a wonderful job.

Didn't really hear any fracks or anything, which for bugles is sometimes

harder done than said! :)

3. Glassmen

God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen (3:17)

arr. Chris Tomsa

"Varied time signatures, unique percussion voicing and full corps

instrumentation highlight this piece by the Glassmen of Toledo, Ohio."

-Sounds like this would be the 2nd song of a corps' field show. Nicely

done. First full corps recording on here. It's hard to talk about really,

because it is so much like a field number.

4. Carolina Crown

The Christmas Song (3:06)

arr Joe Vaughn

"Let Carolina Crown of Charlotte, North Carolina warm up your season with

their subtle version of this holiday classic."

-In 1993, Crown was still DIII, but you wouldn't know it from this

recording. Surprisingly mature sound from their horn line, and they can

give some full chords when it's called for. Not my favorite arrangement,

but not bad, either!

5. Troopers

Poinsettia Carol (3:19)

arr. Fred Taylor

"Written and arranged especially for the Troopers of Casper, Wyoming, Fred

Taylor created this original Christmas carol that highlights the Troopers'

distinctive style. Recorded at the Air Force Academy Chapel in Colorado

Springs, Colorado."

-This really is a beautiful piece. It has a melody that they weave

throughout the different voices of the brass choir. It really seems like a

renaissance-era carol set for pipe organ. There's some echo-ness on the

recording, but if you've ever been to the USAFA chapel, you know why! :)

6. Phantom Regiment

Amazing Grace (2:32)

arr. Jim Wren

"The power and beauty of thsi renowned hymn is captured by the outstanding

brass section of the Phantom Regiment of Rockford, Illinois."

-As far as I know (and I'm sure I'll be corrected if I'm not!), this is the

only "official" recording that Phantom has made of this piece. The one on

Regiment Classics Vol. 2 was this same recording. If you're a fan of

Phantom brass at all, this piece is worth the price of obtaining a copy of

this CD. When the full line begins to let loose at the end, the mics do a

wonderful job of not blowing up! Gave me goose bumps then, gives me goose

bumps now.

7. Northern Aurora

Carol of the Bells (3:35)

arr. Richard E. Jensen and Corbin E. Hutchison

"Utilizing a small brass ensemble and a variety of percussion instruments,

the Northern Aurora Drum and Bugle Corps of Saginaw, Michigan perform this

extraordinary arrangement that will leave you with a chill."

-NA's pit does a great job on the intro to this piece. The mics catch a lot

of the low harmonics from the pit, which doesn't make the corps sound really

full. Bit of horns on this, but the pit gets most of the action.

8. Madison Scouts

Procession of Bacchus (2:17)

arr. Scott Boerma

"March into the new year with this exciting full corps production by the

Madison Scouts of Madison, Wisconsin."

-This is a piece that should always be in the Scouts' concert repertoire. I

finally found a copy of the original piece, and the arrangement is quite

faithful! It's a very upbeat march. Percussion has some echo problems on

the recording, but you'll hear pretty much the same problem on all of the

arrangments where field drums are used. Madison's mid and low brass are

great on this song! It's not really a "Christmas" song per se, so I wish

they'd have used it more often!

9. Boston Crusaders

I Wonder as I Wander (2:46)

arr. Randall Miller

"From Massachusetts, the Boston Crusaders will take you on a winter journey.

Randall Miller, a three year member of the corps and a music student at

Syracuse University arranged a peaceful rendition for brass and small

percussion ensemble fo this traditional English carol."

-"Peaceful rendition" is right. This is a more reflective song than the

others on the CD. The soloists at the beginning stand out as really nice.

10. Bluecoats

Christmas Collage, "A Trip to the Mall on Christmas Eve" (3:01)

arr. Bruce McConnell

"Join the Bluecoats of North Canton, Ohio on "A Trip to the Mall on

Christmas Eve" as they depart from the traditional. Follow their percussion

ensemble as they weave an intricate path of familiar Christmas melodies into

"The Shopping Zone.""

-Reminds me of another '93 corps' drum break: Blue Knights. Has the same

quirky rhythms and weaving of normal melodies into the syncopated mill.

More of a pit feature than a full drum break. Mostly keyboards and some

auxiliary.

11. Spirit of Georgia

From Quincy Jones' A Soulful Messiah: "Why Do the Nations So Furiously

Rage?" (2:39)

arr. Melvin Warren

"Capture the "spirit" of the season with this raging adaptation from

Handel's Messiagh. From Atlanta, the Spirit of Georgia sends a contemporary

full corps arrangement sure to leave you swinging."

-Standstill version of Spirit's 1993 field opener. Much better in this

version. You get a better sense of what the arrangers were doing with the

piece. On the field, a lot of it was lost, I think. Too bad, 'cause this

is a great piece. They changed the end for the field show to straight

chords, where this one has a bit jazzier of a close. Battery does a great

impersonation of a drumset, though the echoes on the recording are back.

Some wailing sops. Wish they'd used more of this work as their show that

year. :(

12. Southwind

From the Many Moods of Christmas: "O Come, O Come Emmanuel" and

"L'Arellaisne Sweet" (4:20)

arr. Dave Enloe

"With tranquil harmonies and a variety of voicing, Southiwnd, of Montgomery,

Alabama, truly captures the many moods of the season."

-Another piece that's a bit more subdued. I think they were still DII this

year. ("Far and Away" year, right?) I'm glad that Crown and these guys are

on here, 'cause it really does highlight the non-talent-gap that exists

between the brass lines of the different divisions. Sopranos play some

lower register notes, but it comes out really smooth.

13. Phantom Regiment

Nevorissk Chimes: "The Fire of Eternal Glory" (2:14)

arr. Jim Wren

"With the strength of their seventy-two piece brass line, the Phantom

Regiment performs a stunning version of this powerful hymn."

-I guess they included this because of its' great voicing, but I don't know

if this one is an Xmas hymn, either. (See Scouts, Madison) It's a

brass-only version of their field ballad from that year. Again, as I said

on Amazing Grace, if you like Phantom brass at all, this alone makes the CD

worth buying. Not much else to add. If you've seen the field show, you

know what the song is.

14. Sky Ryders

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas (2:29)

arr. Larry Kirchner

"The Sky Ryders of Desoto, Texas give you a holiday wish using their full

brass section to perform this beautiful Christmas favorite."

-Probably my least favorite arrangement on the CD, if I had to pick one.

Great individual talent throughout, but I don't like some of the

chords/melody notes clashing. Doesn't sound right to me. Still a good

piece, though - let me add that. I'd only pick this as my least favorite if

I had someone with a gun telling me I had to pick *one* that I didn't like!

Overall, this CD is a must-have for any collector of corps music. It also

might be the only holiday music we have from DCI for a long time, so that

makes it doubly-special! If you ever come across the chance to get this

recording, do it and don't look back. You won't be disappointed. I

promise.

Thanks,

Mike New

[ravedodger]

I ended up with this CD last year, after purchasing the entire DCI collection. Of course, I had already heard the PR pieces and the Freelancers chart, but the entire CD is very good, and like you said six years ago, if anyone has a chance to acquire it, they should. It is well worth the purchase price, whatever it may be.

[beagus]

I listen to this cd every year. Over and over again I can not get enough. This has to be my favorite Xmas cd.

[2ndSop4Life]

where can i find this?