Blue Devils 2006?

[newterak]

Back to the topic of shows... Rumour has it that they had an idea, but with copyright stuff, they are still working on it all. So, no official announcement yet, but its all in the works.

i heard the same thing

[Musical_Spinner]

When you could hear it over the narrator ...

Seriously, though, I though BD '05 was the absolute *WORST* example of hack'n'slash (or "diddly-bop") brass arrangements I've ever heard in DCI ... and BD has pretty much always been the worst culprit. I'd love to hear 'em play a nice tune in a fairly straightforward fashion for once. That aside, though, I just hope that for '06 they worry a little less about their fancy WGI-style concepts/themes and more about just turning on the audience.

Fancy wgi-style concepts? I am curious to hear some elaboration. Especially in reference to Scott Chandler's WGI design/approach and the way he puts together a BD show. Cause, honestly, I don't see it........

(FYI Chandler directs James Logan World Winterguard, 8 time world champions (that's 8 in a row mind you 98 99 2000 01 02 03 04 05), which I am sure a lot of people know, but just added in there if some didn't.)

[liebot]

you're kidding.

I thought 2003 was one of the most brilliantly put together BD shows I have ever heard.

~>conner

i love BD 03... but to say that they didn't completely bastardize take five, blue rondo a la turk or cool is just, well, false... i mean, come on, have you listened to the original version of blue rondo? it sounds absolutely nothing like what BD played... that, to me was the epitome of hack 'n slash arranging.

[Sideways]

I vote for BD 1986. :P

I was thinking an updated version of 1988.

[ninjaturtle]

i love BD 03... but to say that they didn't completely bastardize take five, blue rondo a la turk or cool is just, well, false... i mean, come on, have you listened to the original version of blue rondo? it sounds absolutely nothing like what BD played... that, to me was the epitome of hack 'n slash arranging.

It's an arrangement...not a transcription, so they did what they wanted with it. And it was a #### of an arrangement at that...they completely broke down the piece and almost made an entirely new one. If we didn't have arrangers and writers, we would hear the exact same transcriptions all the time. It's cool you didn't like it, but don't say they 'bastardized it" because it was an arrangement; it wasn't supposed to be just like Brubeck's recording.

[Maestro767]

BD 2000 remains my favorite since probably '86.

[Maestro767]

Although, I have to admit I loved 2004.

I didn't care for any of the top 3 in 2003. But PR, SCV, Bluecoats - WOW.

[Orpheus]

It's an arrangement...not a transcription, so they did what they wanted with it. And it was a #### of an arrangement at that...they completely broke down the piece and almost made an entirely new one. If we didn't have arrangers and writers, we would hear the exact same transcriptions all the time. It's cool you didn't like it, but don't say they 'bastardized it" because it was an arrangement; it wasn't supposed to be just like Brubeck's recording.

Well, back in ancient times, like up through the mid-90s, when a corps played a piece, they actually tried to arrange it to sound pretty much like the original. I mean, when Garfield played "Appalachian Spring" in '87 or "Short Ride ..." in '91, they frickin' well played the piece -- adapted to the instrumentation and arranged to suit the field, to be sure, but not hacked and slashed to the point where it's not even the same tune. I think that there came a time when visual got to be increasingly important and arrangers began to write the music to provide "impact points" instead of just trying to write accessible and pleasing arrangements. So you started to get all the snippets of tunes tied together with lots of pointless arpeggios, stacatto accents, and power chords that come out of nowhere and have nothing to do with the original music. I may be in the minority these days, but when a corps announces that they're playing "On the Town" (for instance) I appreciate it a lot more when it actually sounds more than just vaguely like the music it's based on. Can you imagine Phantom Regiment '96 if they had "broken down" the finale from Shostakovich's 5th and made an entirely new composition of it? No thanks! Let's let the great music remain great music. (IMHO)

Edited December 2, 2005 by Orpheus

[Triple Forte]

QUOTE(Orpheus @ Dec 1 2005, 08:58 PM)

If we're just talking brass ... I vote for '91.

Bawker

I change my vote accordingly.

BD 1991 is proof that you can be "out there", play "bop" and still make it musical and engaging.

bawker......stick with 1986 :P :P .......the best BD show ever !!!

Triple Forte

[liebot]

Well, back in ancient times, like up through the mid-90s, when a corps played a piece, they actually tried to arrange it to sound pretty much like the original. I mean, when Garfield played "Appalachian Spring" in '87 or "Short Ride ..." in '91, they frickin' well played the piece -- adapted to the instrumentation and arranged to suit the field, to be sure, but not hacked and slashed to the point where it's not even the same tune. I think that there came a time when visual got to be increasingly important and arrangers began to write the music to provide "impact points" instead of just trying to write accessible and pleasing arrangements. So you started to get all the snippets of tunes tied together with lots of pointless arpeggios, stacatto accents, and power chords that come out of nowhere and have nothing to do with the original music. I may be in the minority these days, but when a corps announces that they're playing "On the Town" (for instance) I appreciate it a lot more when it actually sounds more than just vaguely like the music it's based on. Can you imagine Phantom Regiment '96 if they had "broken down" the finale from Shostakovich's 5th and made an entirely new composition of it? No thanks! Let's let the great music remain great music. (IMHO)

they did edit finale from the 5th a little bit, what with the soprano runs going up to that big power chord in the middle (that change really pisses me off, btw.. if that song isn't exciting enough as is, i don't know what song is)... but nothing like what BD has been doing/did with blue rondo. i agree completely.