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Future Health of Alumni Type Corps?


JimF-LowBari

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LOL Jeff... how many of ImpDream versions are there...... I was thinking of the jazz style of the main tune each concert. If one didn't know better they'd say WSM always played jazz. Think someone asked me once if I played that and had to say the dreaded words "no after my time" (where's the smilie with the long white beard)

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As for Westshoremen Alumni- we've really made an effort to bring on a lot of young folks, which has been very positive for myself, others, and I certainly hope for those young people. They're great! That being said, could Westshore ever reconstitute themselves? Many issues keep it from being feasible, though the all-age Indoor Color Guard has done a lot of very, very positive things competitively. :satisfied:

BigW, let's talk. I'd love to dig in and see what we could/can do, or at least get a list together.

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Think what has really helped Hanover is they never really had an identity. One of the oldest corps when they went inactive but still a local corps that barely made DCA once or twice. Half tongue in cheek I call it the town band that happens to be a drum corps. No disrespect intended as they seem to promote the opportunity to play music and not the "do olde tyme drum corps" thing and it works.

Jim, that's a great point. No offense to the Lancers when they were an RCA/DCA corps... but they never made the "musical memories" that corps such as Caballeros, Skyliners, Reilly Raiders, etc. made back in the day.

Thus, the Lancers are a blank slate when it comes to the repertoire for their current corps. They can play anything they want, and not risk the "wrath" (for lack of a better term) of someone saying, "Man... I miss them playing (X or Y tune from back in the day). Why aren't they playing it anymore???"

Certainly, it also doesn't hurt that the current Lancers have a great horn line... and their drum line isn't too shabby, either.

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Hanover was our big rival when Westshore was regrouping 75-77 or so. Can only remember one song they played and it was a tongue in cheek concert mash of other corps songs called "Strike Up The Corps" or something (had the rumps at the end). But I probably only remember it because my asst BD was Lancer horn instructor and it sounded like one of his creations. LOL our band played Yankee Rebels "The Stripper" every year in the stands and one year we copied Skys "Office Kruppe" opener even the starting part of the drill. If the chat was mimeographed on funky colored (leftover) paper... look out....

Hanovers big wins were RCA Championships in 1977 and a few PA Class B Legion titles in the 60s or so.....

Edited by JimF-LowBari
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There's been at least some discussion, Jim about trying to create some arrangements for the Alumni to play that would sort of assume what would the corps do today, but there are just some issues there as well as to how it would be approached and who might feel it to be untenable. Right now, I'd just would hope we could recreate the '96 program for the 2016 profiles. We've done a fair amount of the program in concert already at one time or another- We'd need to work out Smoothie, Carnival, and bust on the parts of the Jazz Suite that are used in that program... then figure out how to make sure we have enough gas in the tank to blow though it all. I have a feeling at the end of it I'd just sit on the edge of the stage and keel over at this point. You really have to horse that book around, all high-energy stuff. :satisfied:

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Well ... Arietano is still around ... maybe you could start by asking him ...

:-)

There's been at least some discussion, Jim about trying to create some arrangements for the Alumni to play that would sort of assume what would the corps do today, but there are just some issues there as well as to how it would be approached and who might feel it to be untenable. Right now, I'd just would hope we could recreate the '96 program for the 2016 profiles. We've done a fair amount of the program in concert already at one time or another- We'd need to work out Smoothie, Carnival, and bust on the parts of the Jazz Suite that are used in that program... then figure out how to make sure we have enough gas in the tank to blow though it all. I have a feeling at the end of it I'd just sit on the edge of the stage and keel over at this point. You really have to horse that book around, all high-energy stuff. :satisfied:

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Well ... Arietano is still around ... maybe you could start by asking him ...

:-)

John has played with us now and again. :satisfied: A lot of our repertoire has been his work, which I think Jim has indirectly touched upon and didn't know they were his arrangements. In fact, in the last 10 years, with the exceptions of a one-shot Bill Perbetsky Impossible Dream (Which I liked playing VERY much- I heard who did not, which put the kibosh on it) , Frank Dorritie's "Blues in the Night" and Love For Sale", and our Westshore specific version of "Big Noise From Winnetka", which started out as the Larry Kerchner Bridgemen chart but was modified over the years by Ray Eyler to better suit our corps and personality-- everything else we've done is John's stuff. :satisfied:

The big problem is integrating the percussion into anything we do unless it was performed from circa 1990 to 1996, which by default means we're playing a lot of John's charts. :wink:

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Okay ... I guess I misunderstood ... I thought you wanted to reprise a facsimile of the 96 Championship show in 2016 ... and I thought that John would be the best source to modify the charts to your current players ... Sky's Alumni has attempted Hy's charts from all eras of his teaching ... some with success ... some had a short life span ... but, we've hit the "main" numbers from each year at one time or another ...

:-)

John has played with us now and again. :satisfied: A lot of our repertoire has been his work, which I think Jim has indirectly touched upon and didn't know they were his arrangements. In fact, in the last 10 years, with the exceptions of a one-shot Bill Perbetsky Impossible Dream (Which I liked playing VERY much- I heard who did not, which put the kibosh on it) , Frank Dorritie's "Blues in the Night" and Love For Sale", and our Westshore specific version of "Big Noise From Winnetka", which started out as the Larry Kerchner Bridgemen chart but was modified over the years by Ray Eyler to better suit our corps and personality-- everything else we've done is John's stuff. :satisfied:

The big problem is integrating the percussion into anything we do unless it was performed from circa 1990 to 1996, which by default means we're playing a lot of John's charts. :wink:

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Heh, we've been playing pretty much all of John's arrangements as performed on field by the corps BITD. :satisfied:

If we did the 96 show, all we'd need to really do is get out Granada Smoothie, Carnival, and dig through the portion of Jazz Suite we did awhile back that was performed in 96. Sounds easy, it would be a task. If everyone wanted to and put their noses to the grindstone, I believe we could perform the show the way it was meant to be and do a good job.

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LOL Jeff... how many of ImpDream versions are there...... I was thinking of the jazz style of the main tune each concert. If one didn't know better they'd say WSM always played jazz. Think someone asked me once if I played that and had to say the dreaded words "no after my time" (where's the smilie with the long white beard)

I now in my years with the corps, 2002 to 2014, three versions were trotted out. Only one ever made it to the stage.

and....while Shore played many things, really from 82 on, aka the "good years" it was mainly jazz.

and the way they decided to do Love For Sale, IMO, sucked the wind out of the sails

Edited by Jeff Ream
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