Is this the BEST front ensemble and book EVER?

[oldbandguy]

Certainly, like anything labeled BEST, open for debate...but not for me.  Thank you Tom Rarick and Bloo Pit 22.  

 

[Triple Forte]

8 hours ago, oldbandguy said:

Certainly, like anything labeled BEST, open for debate...but not for me.  Thank you Tom Rarick and Bloo Pit 22.  

 

Completely agree the bluecoats pit was nothing short of amazing!  I will  never  forget sitting there watching them perform  Thursday night in Indianapolis.  I was right on the 50 yard line 15 rows up and watching the judges reaction  to the Pits  performance. He was absolutely floored  especially during the uniform change section .  😁

[BlueStainGlass]

No signed pretty much every SCV pit

[Jeff Ream]

excellent book. top 2 for the season. 

[rmurrey74]

Agreed! What amazing writing and musicianship. Watch the timpani cam video if you can. Outstanding

[arabica]

Listening to this, I’m impressed at how much less “brass support” there is written in than I’d assumed. I unfortunately never saw this show live but it wasn’t always clear from Flo or YT if certain moments the brass were playing or front ensemble was providing backup/effect like in 2015 and 2019/2021. Now clearly hearing what is what makes both front ensemble and brass even more impressive. Way to go, Bloo!

[scheherazadesghost]

.

Edited September 1, 2022 by scheherazadesghost

[Weaklefthand4ever]

Front ensembles are always a super hard read when we're speaking about a "best of the best" comparison. Front ensemble musicians are generally masterful in their technique and it takes a few seasons to build that left to right listening balance. In a battery, you're mostly listening center. In a front ensemble, you're listening left and right. You're also listening back for balance to the brass. You also have to consider that the book is what makes ANY musical group. Great musicians playing bad books is still bad music. 

Now to this group. Masterful. Well balanced with very practiced and similar technique. Great book with a lot of exposed moments that really feature the strengths of the ensemble. I would put them up there with 2010 PR's front ensemble. 

20 minutes ago, scheherazadesghost said:

So much flourish, so much yummy support that doesn't just copy/paste the hornline. I assume the layering with the battery is equally as complex. Can anyone else speak to that?

Great point. Really nice exposure that enhances the brass without being a mirror image. I think that's a good ear on the description. Battery layering this year was good and the bass line was OUTSTANDING. There were some tenor things that sounded a little out of place early season but the final product was tasty. One of the things that is harder now that we don't have field judge tapes to listen to, is really getting a feel for battery parts (in detail) against the back drop of the full brass ensemble. Lot videos show off the book but you just don't get the full monte and listening to full performance videos of the whole corps doesn't give you the battery and pit detail. 

[Chief Guns]

I remember BDs pit from the 2000 Methods of Madness show being absolutely insane that year. The battery..............not so much.

[Weaklefthand4ever]

56 minutes ago, Chief Guns said:

I remember BDs pit from the 2000 Methods of Madness show being absolutely insane that year. The battery..............not so much.

Yeah it was such an ODD book for the time. Great bass line though and I would agree that the front ensemble was pretty tasty.