Navillus WP Posted December 8, 2011 Share Posted December 8, 2011 They called me "The Saint" because I looked like a young Roger Moore! After that remark, maybe we should call you Pinocchio ....... your nose is getting longer, Saint! PS: Saint was also known as "Chairman of the Board" (the 27th's baritone line). 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim K Posted December 8, 2011 Share Posted December 8, 2011 Sorry it wasn't a rumor. It was Al Chez playing behind the drumline. If you take a close look at the video Jarrod's (the young man)hands are streched out holding his horn in one hand ,his shacko in the other and Al was still screaming in the backround.The whole thing was planned that way. Thanks for the info. Judging from your credentials you would know since you were there. By the way, 1980 is my favorite Cadets show of all time, perhaps because I remember everyone in the stands being so rivited with Garfield's performance at the 1980 CYO Nationals, something captured a bit by the DCI DVD as well. I know greater glory came later, but everyone in the corps seems to enjoy performing the 1980 show. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Legolaus Posted December 8, 2011 Share Posted December 8, 2011 Speaking of great solos: 1980 Crossmen, their version of "Pictures of Spain" for their opener... the soprano soloist playing the "Jeff Kievit solo" in that tune. Anyone know his name? He was amazing! Actually I posted an older version of my list. Here is the complete list. Gary Caffrey was the soloist from the Crossmen in 1981. He is listed in the Honorable Mentions at the bottom. Greatest Soprano Soloists of DCI Being a former trumpet player, I may be slightly biased, but I can’t think of anything else I would rather listen to than a skillful soprano soloist backed by a great horn line. Obviously these results are subjective, but were based on length of solos and amount of recorded material available. All of these gifted individuals marched in junior drum corps during the DCI era (1972-1999). 10) Hunter Moss-Spirit of Atlanta 1984 & 1985. One word comes to mind when you listen to Hunter play-style. His velvet tone and impeccable style set him apart from most players in the activity. His clarity in the upper range rang out over the hornline. 9) Tom Meredith-Kilties 1974-1977. Tom was a true showman. His amazing solo work with the Kilties set him in a league few others are blessed to be included in. Tom had the ability to light up a stadium with his big sound, flexibility and even bigger personality which came through in his playing. 8) Greg Blum-Colts 1980 & 1981. I consider showmanship a huge part of being a great DCI soloist. In this category Greg stands alone. Known as ‘Harpo’ because of his crazy blonde afro, Greg’s rendition of Summertime from Porgy and Bess demonstrated Greg’s attention-grabbing tone quality and incredible ability to play in every register of the horn with impeccable velvet tone and crisp projection. 7) Al Chez-Garfield Cadets 1981 &1982. If high note chops were the only criteria on this list Al would probably top the list. His high note work at the beginning of the Cadets show in 1982 was clean and effortless. For me, it was his solo work in 1981 that best demonstrated the power and excitement of a great performer. He now performs on the Late Show with Letterman and his high note chops are better than ever! 6) Jerry Noonan-North Star 1979 & 1980. The best trait of Jerry was the way he could make his sound pop out of an ensemble. Not pop out in a bad way, but pop out in a good (Buddy Rich Big Band lead trumpet) way. His solo work featured his tremendous upper register chops as well as his superb ability to show off his acrobatic flexibility. His solo work in Ole in both 1979 and 1980 featured every quality of this fine player. 5) Adam Rapa- East Coast Jazz 1995-2000. East coast Jazz featured this amazing soloist during the 1990’s. Because he never jumped ship and went to a “big” corps many drum corps fans missed the absolute pleasure of hearing this master. Adam has all the characteristics of a great player: range, tone, and technique. Adam went on to perform with Blast. 4) Shaun Owens- Madison Scouts 1982, 1983 & 1984. Certainly the moment that put Shaun squarely on this list was his solo work in 1983’s Strawberry Soup. His command of the upper register is flawless and he demonstrated this all three of the years he performed with the Scouts. This former tuba player was not only a masterful high note specialist, but he also demonstrated his technical ability by winning the I&E solo contest in 1983. 3) Chris Metzger-Madison Scouts 1974, 1975, 1976 &1977. Chris is probably the best “all around” player on this list. He is a masterful technical player. His tone production in the lower register as well as the upper register is unparalleled. His high-note chops could rival Maynard Ferguson’s and his legit chops produced solos that sounded like Doc Severson (MacArther’s Park, West Side Story 1977). A great example of his high note chops comes at the end of Bond Street during the 1974 show when he wails up to a note only heard by dogs (and drum corps fans!). 2) Jeff Kevitt-Muchachos 1974 & 1975. If smoothness was the main criteria for this list then the top spot would belong to Jeff. Jeff was the master of filling a venue with his big sound. The most amazing thing about Jeff’s playing was that his tone seemed to never change no matter what register he was playing in. When I think of a player filling an entire stadium with huge, gorgeous sound the best example of this is Jeff. His use of air and support are textbook methods of how to be a great horn player. He went on to perform with Chuck Mangione as well as many other top professional musicians (as did many on this list). Jeff’s solo work in Pictures of Spain and MaryAnne are considered by many to be some of the finest solo work in the history of the activity. 1) Jim Brady-Bridgemen 1977 & 1978. I could think of no one better to christen in the advent of the 2 valve soprano bugle than with Jim’s absolute mastery of a brass instrument. His solo work in 1977 was featured in Pagliacci as the corps’ opener and throughout the show. These thrilling moments were only outdone by Jim, himself the next year. Jim’s technique is unmatched by any other horn player in the activity. Stylistically he is a god. He places each note in the exact position like it was meant to live there. His solo work in Harlem Nocturne in 1978 stole the show. If you are looking for the best combination of technical ability, tone production, style and showmanship you can end your search with Jim Brady! Honorable Mention-these performers were also considered in the research to compose this list…Fred Bell-Guardsmen 1978, Madison Scouts 1979, Jon Schipper-Madison Scouts 1993, 1995 & 1996, Dave Wales-Freelancers 1981, 1982 & 1983, Dan Halpern-Blue Devils 1986, 1987 & 1989, Tony Gambaro-Avant Garde 1983, 1984 & 1985, Dutch Boy 1986, Jay Long-Blue Devils 1982, John Mehan-Blue Devils, Craig Biondi-Bluecoats 1995 & 1996, Barry Hudson-Star of Indiana 1988, Chris Eble-Troopers 1983-1985, Larry Shane-Florida Wave 1988 & 1989, Blue Devils 1990, Mike Collins-Blue Devils 1984-1986, Scott Steward-Blue Devils 1993-1995, John McCoy-Velvet Knights 1983-1984, Larrie Dastrup- Blue Devils 1981, Roland Gareau-Dutch Boy 1992-1993, Blue Devils 1994, Gary Caffrey-Crossmen 1981, Jason Logue, Steve Deacon-Crossmen, Jeff Wilt-Bluecoats 1987-1989 Morgan Larson-Madison Scouts 1984-1986. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fran Haring Posted December 9, 2011 Share Posted December 9, 2011 Gary Caffrey was the soloist from the Crossmen in 1981. Was he the soloist in 1980 as well? '80 is the year I'm asking about. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe S Posted December 9, 2011 Share Posted December 9, 2011 Thanks for the info. Judging from your credentials you would know since you were there. By the way, 1980 is my favorite Cadets show of all time, perhaps because I remember everyone in the stands being so rivited with Garfield's performance at the 1980 CYO Nationals, something captured a bit by the DCI DVD as well. I know greater glory came later, but everyone in the corps seems to enjoy performing the 1980 show. It was a fun show to play, thanks. The guys had fun breaking my chops the first couple of times we rehearsed Jarrod standing on the podium pretending to play the solo. He is my brother so you can guess what kind of ribbing I got especially in not such a political world. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Navillus WP Posted December 15, 2011 Share Posted December 15, 2011 I guess I'd remind people of Jim Centorino of Salem, MA, the featured soloist of Boston Crusaders 1969-71. Before BAC, he was featured soloist for Majestic Knights (Charlestown MA). After aging out, Jim was featured soloist of the Rhode Island Matadors. While attending Boston College, Jim starred as featured trumpet soloist and was band president, where his focus was on concert programs of popular music. Jim was inducted into the Massachusetts Drum Corps Hall of Fame and the World Drum Corps Hall of Fame. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeD Posted December 16, 2011 Share Posted December 16, 2011 I guess I'd remind people of Jim Centorino of Salem, MA, the featured soloist of Boston Crusaders 1969-71. Before BAC, he was featured soloist for Majestic Knights (Charlestown MA). After aging out, Jim was featured soloist of the Rhode Island Matadors. While attending Boston College, Jim starred as featured trumpet soloist and was band president, where his focus was on concert programs of popular music. Jim was inducted into the Massachusetts Drum Corps Hall of Fame and the World Drum Corps Hall of Fame. His solo on the BAC's 69 opener jazz version of "Conquest" was amazing. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ghost Posted December 22, 2011 Share Posted December 22, 2011 1) Jim Brady-Bridgemen 1977 & 1978. I could think of no one better to christen in the advent of the 2 valve soprano bugle than with Jim’s absolute mastery of a brass instrument. His solo work in 1977 was featured in Pagliacci as the corps’ opener and throughout the show. These thrilling moments were only outdone by Jim, himself the next year. Jim’s technique is unmatched by any other horn player in the activity. Stylistically he is a god. He places each note in the exact position like it was meant to live there. His solo work in Harlem Nocturne in 1978 stole the show. If you are looking for the best combination of technical ability, tone production, style and showmanship you can end your search with Jim Brady! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FHdork Posted December 25, 2011 Share Posted December 25, 2011 If anything, his playing has gotten more effortless, more free and easy than 34 years ago... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
esch Posted December 25, 2011 Share Posted December 25, 2011 I guess I'd remind people of Jim Centorino of Salem, MA, the featured soloist of Boston Crusaders 1969-71. Before BAC, he was featured soloist for Majestic Knights (Charlestown MA). After aging out, Jim was featured soloist of the Rhode Island Matadors. While attending Boston College, Jim starred as featured trumpet soloist and was band president, where his focus was on concert programs of popular music. Jim was inducted into the Massachusetts Drum Corps Hall of Fame and the World Drum Corps Hall of Fame. Now HERE'S the importance of DCP... Jim Centorino is a guy I've heard of forever, but I never knew his work... and it turns out he played some of my favorite solos of all time.... TOO COOL! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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