Triple Forte Posted June 21, 2006 Share Posted June 21, 2006 (edited) Well here is a summary of what I saw and heard at the Cabs Beach Party Drum Corps show in Wildwood on Saturday, 6/17 Skyliners: The Skyliners show started with an all percussion opening which came off real well. A real Latin feel to the opener translated pretty well. It is one of the numbers that the Madison Scouts played back in 1996. The corps appears to be a bit younger overall. Next up was a real good bari and mellophone duet in the ballad. The mellophone player had some additional solo work which was really well played. Both players did a fine job. I kept being drawn to the drumline. I would say their drumline is probably their strongest section in the corps right now. The drill and marching seemed to be ok for June as well. I am glad to see that the drill is written with the size and experience of the corps kept in mind….nice. The corps handled the last number (Bohemian Rhapsody) the best. The last minute or two did not feature CG work and the corps stood still. The crowd responded quite well for the first corps of the night. Hurricanes: Playing the music from Jesus Christ Superstar are the 2006 Hurricanes. A tad unusual starting position for the CG. The CG are all lying on the ground in a circle and slowly get up as the music builds. The music build is similar to what Madison did back 1999. The hornline appears to be pretty confident and more on the ball for them at this time of the year. Their sound is more powerful and consistent then in the recent past. The Mellophone in particular grabbed my attention several times. The drumline did not stand out too much during the first two numbers but did make their presents felt during their drum solo. They have a neat roto tom feature that is going to be nice when cleaned up a bit. The hornline enters back in at the end of the drum solo with a huge unsuspecting sound. The Hurricanes do make JSU their own but there are definitely a lot of parts that will remind one of 1999 Madison (Which is fine by me…..I LOVE 1999 Madison) Like the Skyliners there was some missing drill for the last number. The guard also had quite a bit of work missing as well….which is a tad unusual for them….they are usually strong right out of the gate. This corps has a lot of potential of being the best Hurricane corps in a couple of seasons. All the pieces are there.…they just need to finish things up and ofcoarse clean. Also….I think the corps needs to produce a better feeling of flow overall….the transitions need a little work but at this point in the season…..these types of issues are typical for most corps. Thanks Hurcs for a fun show……always love the sop solos…. Buccaneers: First thing that I would like to say is that the Buccaneers have the best Drum Major in the business. Really solid and a true showman. He’s like a tribute to George Parks….without a mace ofcoarse. As the show starts we hear the sounds of Bolero brewing which leads us to a nice impact. The flags in the opener are a really nice red and orange combination with red poles. The guard did a great job overall on both rifles and flags. I did notice a couple of times that the upper brass entrances were a little on the shaky/abrasive side. Early season type issues…… The drumline does a really nice job during their solo and they made Scheherezade sort of groovy. Hard to explain but it sounds neat. In the ballad the hornline comes up to a major hit in great coordination from a huge saber toss. Overall a strong show is that is very entertaining……should be a contender for sure. Empire Statesmen: I had not read much about the Empire Statesmen throughout the off-season.This typically means that the corps is doing well and is flying under the radar. It only took a few seconds before everyone realized that the Statesmen have a SUPER SOLID corps with a great show. The opening is quite interesting as it features the contras and sop soloist leading in to the first big opening hit. The hit was really impressive as the color guard sprayed the field with great color from dual hand flags. Overall the marching was in pretty good shape with a few ‘not so straight’ lines here and there but nothing unusual for June. The drumline was solid throughout. Richie and Joey’s sop solo work was awesome as always…..Especially in America. The feeling I came away with is that this corps came to play and really want to win the title in their hometown in September. Caballeros: Another show that featured a percussion opening which lead to a strong entrance by the brassline at center field. The corps has some great soloists that really drive home the spanish-style music. The opener this season is definitely my favorite out of all the original music that Cabs have been presenting the last couple of seasons. It really drives…… The corps doesn’t back down for a second as it enters in to a haunting entrance to Malaga. Malaga is probably the corps toughest number on the field this season and it will take a little time to get a super-energized feeling out the number. The drumline is really solid throughout the show and especially during the drum solo. The ballad is a fresh arrangement of a Cabs classic. The ending is really exciting and combines all the elements necessary to drive home a great show. The Cabs are back…..without a doubt. They should be right there in the thick of things all season. Jersey Surf: The Jersey Surf put on a strong exhibition performance and there was no doubt that they performed better than just one-week prior in Bayone. After a powerful opening statement the Surf go in to a really nice tango feel. At one point the upper brass players and color guard pair up for some dancing. The ballad is strong and CG shows off some nice colors with purple and white flags. At one point in the show part of the hornline is marching in 3 and some in half and full step. Overall a very good show from Surf tonight. Caballeros Alumni: AHH….here there are folks…one of the best alumni corps out there. The corps marched off the line tonight with a really straight line. Full of sound and purpose. The corps did a good job and all of the solo and small ensemble work was outstanding. The corps put in one their new tunes for 2006 ;Pagliacci It sounded really good for the first public performance. The corps is strong in all departments and really excite the senses every time they grace the field. Great job as always….and I absolutely love the new ending. Results: Buc’s 76.788 Empire 76.0 Cabs 74.638 Hurcs 66.863 Sky 62.20 Personally I thought that Empire should have won this show. They were really solid and as I said…."came to play". I also felt that the spreads were too large between 1 2 and 3. To me its seemed as if the judges did not want to upset the apple cart and kept things sort of unchanged from last year. I am definitely not a judge….but all three corps performed back to back….so it made it easy to compare. We will see what happens. One thing is for sure…anyone of the top three corps in Wildwood could walk away with the title. Triple Forte Edited June 21, 2006 by Triple Forte Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spamula Posted June 21, 2006 Share Posted June 21, 2006 (edited) Very good review!!! Thanks! (edit :they moved it so my comment could be removed) Edited June 21, 2006 by spamula Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cabsleadbari79 Posted June 21, 2006 Share Posted June 21, 2006 Mr. Forte What a great review, thanks for putting it out there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Ream Posted June 21, 2006 Share Posted June 21, 2006 great review. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JKatzmellophone Posted June 21, 2006 Share Posted June 21, 2006 Awesome review. Its only gonna get better from here!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elphaba01 Posted June 22, 2006 Share Posted June 22, 2006 "Great Review, great season's opener": One of the BEST "Opening Nights" in recent memory. A big bow from the waist to the Caballeros organization and everyone who contributed to this teriffic night of drum corps. Elphaba WWW Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buzzgok Posted June 23, 2006 Share Posted June 23, 2006 Awesome review. Its only gonna get better from here!!! It's gonna be a barnburner os a season! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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