Harmonious Cacophony Posted July 23, 2008 Share Posted July 23, 2008 DCI is serious. The main DCI "jazzers" (BD, X-Men, and Bluecoats) have all undergone facelifts over the past few years. The most noticeable is probably the Crossmen, who went from being an Eastern corps that performed Jazz-heavy repertoire to a Texas corps that performs shows in the same vain as many large Texas high school marching bands. Last year, with the unveiling of "A New Blue," the Bluecoats created a new and darker image instead of their fun and somewhat laid-back persona of years past. The Blue Devils, too, have chosen programs over the past three (or so) years that more reflect the current movements in DCI toward shows that feature many different fragments stitched together. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeterbeater Posted July 23, 2008 Author Share Posted July 23, 2008 Well at least we seem to have gotten past the worst of the badly themed productions. It was horrible a few years ago. I mean seriously, if your show title is a word that is not in the english language, then...just... just no. (though bluecoats 06 was preeettty sweet.) Yes, god forbid our American way of life be infiltrated by the dirty speck of another language or culture..........unless it's Madison then it's cool, right? But do you guys think thiat this might lead to nore original pieces composed for corps? They could just bypass putting snippets of songs in their shows and go straight to the drawing board. Idk, just a thought. Not to be a pessimist, but I don't think marching band arrangers, for the most part, truly have the ability to do something like it and make it interesting. Saucedo succeeded sort of in 2003, but for the most part, a lot of the original music written for drum corps is pretty bland. Except.......oh wait, SUNCOAST SOUND 1985, the Florida Suite show, and wouldn't you know it......a jazz show. Hahaha. Well have Frank Ticheli write some and everyone will do it. Unfortunately, Ticheli's too busy being a professor at one of the top university public schools for music and writing for the New York Phil. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kusankusho Posted July 23, 2008 Share Posted July 23, 2008 I know right? I don't really understand it either but there have been pretty bad answers like "because it makes feet out of time" If you're marching a Div 1 corps you better be able to understand music that has the sharp corners rounded off a bit..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kusankusho Posted July 23, 2008 Share Posted July 23, 2008 The most noticeable is probably the Crossmen, who went from being an Eastern corps that performed Jazz-heavy repertoire to a Texas corps that performs shows in the same vain as many large Texas high school marching bands. Hahaha - Freudian spelling slip? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeterbeater Posted July 23, 2008 Author Share Posted July 23, 2008 Was just thinking, anyone ever do a shoenberg show or anything like that? That would be messed up! Well Schoenberg wrote tonal music too, a lot of it. He was a German Romanticist more than anything......he just happened to create the 12-tone system as well. Anyway, Phantom played Transfigured Night in 2001 which is a GREEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAT piece. In an ironic twist (TWEEST) it seems that drum corps now take fewer chances musically! Ain't that a #####? Again, watching Crossmen 97, they took some real chances with the music in that show. The dense chords, and corps that actually created polyphonic interest in the music. I marched in a drum corps of the current era so I knew, heard, and played these things first hand, it's kind of unfortunate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KeithHall Posted July 23, 2008 Share Posted July 23, 2008 My guess is that jazz stinks now! All the greats are gone...Stan Kenton, Woody Herman, Maynard Ferguson, etc. Jazz means great music and can DCI corps sell jazz anymore? Besides that, the audience loves jazz so corps don't play anything that anyone knows. Why have a show that people know the music? Play something new and innovative and add narration and fun stuff so that you look fresh! Remember when Blue Devils did Jazz...Music of The Eighties! Letsss be creative and artisssstic! Just having fun here! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NR_Ohiobando Posted July 23, 2008 Share Posted July 23, 2008 I really hope Madison gets away from Latin and starts playing jazz like they did in the early 90s. But yea..."string together different pieces around a central theme" or "original music/show" seems to be the cool thing to do nowadays...and jazz hasn't been a real big part of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeterbeater Posted July 23, 2008 Author Share Posted July 23, 2008 My guess is that jazz stinks now! All the greats are gone...Stan Kenton, Woody Herman, Maynard Ferguson, etc. Jazz means great music and can DCI corps sell jazz anymore? Besides that, the audience loves jazz so corps don't play anything that anyone knows. Why have a show that people know the music? Play something new and innovative and add narration and fun stuff so that you look fresh! Remember when Blue Devils did Jazz...Music of The Eighties! Letsss be creative and artisssstic! Just having fun here! Can we not be condescending here folks? Thank you... Anyway, I'd hardly consider Maynard Ferguson a jazz great. In fact, I know a lot of Jazz musicians that I've met and talked to (including Wynton Marsalis...) who'd probably puke if they read that. Now Thelonius Monk.........Coltrane.........Mingus......Ellington......Miles, THOSE are jazz greats. ####, what about Ella Fitz? HUH!? ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kusankusho Posted July 23, 2008 Share Posted July 23, 2008 I really hope Madison gets away from Latin and starts playing jazz like they did in the early 90s.But yea..."string together different pieces around a central theme" or "original music/show" seems to be the cool thing to do nowadays...and jazz hasn't been a real big part of it. Now on the field, presenting their 2009 program "Jazz".... Hey. That could work........ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
piperguy Posted July 23, 2008 Share Posted July 23, 2008 Anyway, I'd hardly consider Maynard Ferguson a jazz great. In fact, I know a lot of Jazz musicians that I've met and talked to (including Wynton Marsalis...) who'd probably puke if they read that. Now Thelonius Monk.........Coltrane.........Mingus......Ellington......Miles, THOSE are jazz greats. ####, what about Ella Fitz? HUH!? ;) It all depends on how you look at it. Maynard had much more "Commercial" success than any jazz artist of his day. I'll bet you Joe Public will recognize Maynard's band band before they will Coltrane's Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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