Favorite Drum Breaks

[kmansdrummin]

Kelly,

You, Scott and I need to catch up.

Back on topic, how great would it be to go back in time and see your favorite lines play your favorite solos? The first line that I would love to see first hand again is the 1972 Anaheim Kingsmen. I remember seeing these guys with their eight man pyramid (tall guys in the center) chromie snares swaying as they marked time and marched, blue, black and white stripie sticks, powder blue cadets with the shiny buckle, and the shakos and black plumes that made these guys look like formidable giants. They were all military and all business. These guys were intimidating before they even played a note. When they got to the notes, the music was intricately intertwined with visuals that seemed to have no end or limits. They worked hard and just kept going until they won the first DCI percussion trophy. The solo that year, Play in Time by Jethro Tull, was deeply and richly melodic using only the trios, basses and timps for melody. The stick visuals, split triplet down-the-line notes and stick tosses were simply awe inspiring, like watching an amazing Cirque Du Solei act that combines difficult physical moves with live music.

The second line that I would see is the 1974 Santa Clara Vanguard. These magnificent seven snares strapped with copper drums, cut-off white pro-mark 3S sticks, and white plumes softly flowing in the breeze were simply inspiring to watch. They were art and musicianship in incarnate. They were smooth, flowing, powerful, precise, musicians on drums. The Fred Sanford parts were intricate and orchestral, pure genius in many ways. The Young Person's Guide drum solo was an exhibition of musicianship, rudiments, and state-of-art drumline presentation all in one. The intensity and soul that these guys put into their playing was awe inspiring. The opener, solo and production push took me and many other fans to a loftier place of rarefied air and notes that we had not visited before or even knew existed. Simply magnificent!

Moving on to another variation, how fun would it to be to have your chops and then jump in and play some notes with lines that you enjoyed? If I could actually do this, I would play some notes in the 1976 Blue Devil line with their 10 snares and North tenors rammin' that drum solo with the raw and brute upbeat rim-shot tap sevens.

I would also enjoy flipping my left stick over and jumpin' in matched grip style into the 1979 SCV 12 snares and rip on Lez, especially the smooth as silk diddle part before the horns re-enter.

Lastly, give me a handkerchief because I would strap up and and come down the 50 doing a bunch of left handed isolated taps in the Bridgemen snareline before hitting the sideline and slammin' out the drum-to-drum visual notes without a tic inner city style.

Those would be some cool notes to play for a night. Maybe there is a business venture there waiting to happen? Have a convention, learn some solos and then play them with some guys from these lines and others.

Dale,

You're making my mouth water. It would be super cool to get together and play some old school! (On mylar too.)

And special thanks for giving me the '75 Santa Clara snare book. I told some cats in the Pacific Alliance up here about it, and they want copies.

Edited October 6, 2008 by kmansdrummin

[kmansdrummin]

Of course I remember that night. Personally one of my funniest drum corps moments ever. BTW I still have those sugar packets stored safely away until I can figure out an appropriate way to showcase them . It would have been an honor to have you in the line even though deep seated tradition would have made that difficult. At one rehearsal we actually did march around the track tossing sticks the whole way. That plus regularly scheduled "last man standing stick toss smackdowns" molded us into the tossing fools you saw in Pasadena.

Greg,

I remember last year when you and Scott shared the "Sugar Packet Story" with me. It was truly funny and something I tell my closest drum corps friends.

I look back on that and laugh. I miss you and the other Kingsmen guys.

[84BDsop]

Ladies and gentlemen, this sentence is People's Exhibit A as to why I think drum speak sounds so much like coded sex talk. All that's missing is talking about "tapping some Swiss triplets."

I get up from a nap and the first thing I read is THAT???

Thanks for the wake uplaugh, Tom!!!

[tommytimp]

I get up from a nap and the first thing I read is THAT???

Thanks for the wake uplaugh, Tom!!!

As Jeeves said on more than one occasion, "Thank you, sir. I endeavor to give satisfaction."

[kmansdrummin]

I loved it when I saw a line and said, "I wish I could do that. Or, "that looks like Total Fun!!".

.

I loved it when there were solos, not just a little snippet.

I remember seeing a tape of '74 Santa Clara doing Young Person's Guide, and re-winding it 4 (yes, 4) times and saying ####! every time.

Also, the Blue Devils doing an Accelerando in the early-mid '80's.

It's too bad the focus is on running around instead of playing serious notes.

Edited October 7, 2008 by kmansdrummin

[Tansea]

...here I go dating myself, but if y'all can get a listen to *anything* during the Jerry Shelmer Boston years (my favorites are the mid-sixties lines) you'll hear alot of innovative wide-open stuff. I've ripped alot of drum features out of shows through the years, up to and including "modern" and I always seem to gravitate back to those formative years; the Blue Rock lines of the late sixties and early seventies; the great Cavalier lines; the Jim Jones/Bob Kalkoffen (if you want to know where Fred came from...) Trooper lines; *anything* Bobby Thompson's Blessed Sac...and here came the Kingsmen and Tom Float/Ralph Hardimon. There's a PHD waiting here, folks!

Charlie Groh

Amen!!!!

Blue Rock =

Blessed Sac/Boston = bass drum lines

SCV(71) = Four for four

Cavies =

[Tansea]

Tymp lines:

SCV 1971 were gawds to me...in tune, awesome lines.

but that changed in 1980

27th Lancers changed my definition of marching tymps that year

27th always had a good tymp line but 1980 - got wood?

[sarnia sam]

Back on topic, ...

Those would be some cool notes to play for a night. Maybe there is a business venture there waiting to happen? Have a convention, learn some solos and then play them with some guys from these lines and others.

Amen. You said it better than I've ever head anyone describe those lines. I'd add 75 Vanguard - and 74 Kingsmen (the best sounding roll I've ever heard - to this day - is in Symphonie Fantastique) and Tubular Bells, wow. Of course I'd throw in some Oaklands, but I drum with some of the guys now and then already.

Regards,

John

[Dale Lofgren]

John...cool about '75 SCV and '74 Kingsmen. But having marched snare in both of those lines, I cannot judge nor be objective. It was "All business". Nice of you to mention those lines. I was very lucky to have been a part.

And "Hey"...I was serious about those sugar packets. I am glad that some enjoyed my pain of trying to re-order the line for the sake of the notes!

Edited October 7, 2008 by Dale Lofgren

[sarnia sam]

John...cool about '75 SCV and '74 Kingsmen. But having marched snare in both of those lines, I cannot judge nor be objective.

I knew that, which is why I mentioned them.

Regards,

John