PunkRawkBandGeek Posted December 2, 2009 Share Posted December 2, 2009 Does anyone know more about the whole Ornaments in Brass thing? I know a bunch of corps contributed tracks to one or possibly more albums, but I don't know all the details. Which corps were involved? Was there more than one album? When were they recorded and released? Over the years I've stumbled upon a few tracks, and I enjoy listening to them every year. There's nothing on dci.org about it, other than my recollection of them posting clips here or there over various holiday seasons. It might be something folks would consider buying, especially around holiday time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrunchyTenor Posted December 2, 2009 Share Posted December 2, 2009 I'm fortunate to have the Ornaments in Brass CD. Why they haven't continued to sell this item, especially at Christmas time, is beyond me. Seems like a no-brainer. Garry in Vegas Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
84skyrydr Posted December 2, 2009 Share Posted December 2, 2009 I know Sky Ryders and Phantom were on it. I think Troopers were too. It was a good cd and is a classic. Christmas music doesn't have an out of date stamp on it. Get with the program DCI and get that thing back out or make a new one with todays corps. Another missed marketing tool. You can find this disc on ebay every once in a great while. I already sold mine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skajerk Posted December 2, 2009 Share Posted December 2, 2009 (edited) Ornaments In Brass track listing: Velvet Knights - Angels We Have Heard On High Freelancers - Canzona Per Sonare No. 2 Glassmen - God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen Carolina Crown - The Christmas Song Troopers - Poinsettia Carol Phantom Regiment - Amazing Grace Northern Aurora - Carol Of The Bells Madison Scouts - Procession Of Bacchus Boston Crusaders - I Wonder As I Wander Bluecoats - Christmas Collage Spirit - Why Do The Nations So Furiously Rage? Southwind - The Many Moods Of Christmas Phantom Regiment - Nevorissk Chimes (The Fire Of Eternal Glory) Sky Ryders - Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas Edited December 2, 2009 by skajerk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skajerk Posted December 2, 2009 Share Posted December 2, 2009 I know Sky Ryders and Phantom were on it. I think Troopers were too. It was a good cd and is a classic. Christmas music doesn't have an out of date stamp on it. Get with the program DCI and get that thing back out or make a new one with todays corps. Another missed marketing tool. You can find this disc on ebay every once in a great while. I already sold mine. Last year DCI made some MP3's available for purchase via The Fan Network called The Silver Bells Collection. I'm assuming they'll do it again this year. I can't remember if these were all the songs that were available: Auld Lang Syne (1973 Kilties) Ave Maria (2006 Phantom Regiment) Carol of the Bells (2003 Carolina Crown) Die Natale (1991 Cavaliers) Greensleeves (1980 Guardsmen) Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas (1996 Bluecoats) Nutcracker Suite excerpt (1987 Phantom Regiment) Russian Christmas Music (1987 Santa Clara Vanguard) Te Deum (1991 Cavaliers) Winter (1993 Colts) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glory Posted December 2, 2009 Share Posted December 2, 2009 In the interest of fully informed consumers and recognizing that others might have a different opinion, I'll add this viewpoint: The quality of the performances on this CD varies. HH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeN Posted December 2, 2009 Share Posted December 2, 2009 Here's my 2001 review from RAMD. Mike 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DoubleHighEZ Posted December 2, 2009 Share Posted December 2, 2009 Canzona Per Sonare No. 2 was a brass quintet comprised of staff and members. That may have been the first time that I ever played on a 3-valve G sop! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
perc2100 Posted December 2, 2009 Share Posted December 2, 2009 Does anyone know more about the whole Ornaments in Brass thing? I know a bunch of corps contributed tracks to one or possibly more albums, but I don't know all the details.Which corps were involved? Was there more than one album? When were they recorded and released? Over the years I've stumbled upon a few tracks, and I enjoy listening to them every year. There's nothing on dci.org about it, other than my recollection of them posting clips here or there over various holiday seasons. It might be something folks would consider buying, especially around holiday time. Nice CD; I had it but lost it somewhere along the way. It was released in 1993, I believe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geneva Posted December 2, 2009 Share Posted December 2, 2009 Here is a link to my discussion thread on Ornaments from years past. http://www.drumcorpsplanet.com/forums/inde...=107303&hl= You will find some interesting insider stories. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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