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Cavaliers................69.2 Phantom Regiment.........68.1 Glassmen.................67.0 Colts....................61.1 Pioneer..................54.1 Phantom Legion...........42.2 Empire Statesmen.........Exhibition Thanks to Phil Lehenbauer for emailing us these scores!
It was a weather-perfect evening in Toledo, with a decent size crowd in the wonderful Glass Bowl facility, and here is my views of this early season show:
The Star Spangled Banner was well-done by the Voices of Tomorrow Youth Choir from Toledo, 29 voices representing 19 different schools.
Phantom Legion (16H/21P/12G) was first up, with a decent show for a young corps. They presented a complete show as far as drill was concerned, with a nice opening featuring red oversized flags in the guard. While the show seemed somewhat dissonant throughout, they seem to have a good handle on things at this point. The middle voices seemed to be the strongest of the horn line.
Empire Statesmen (57H/36P/27G) were next up with a fun and entertaining show of West Side Story selections. They really hyped the crowd from beginning to end with loud horn licks and lots of crowd-pleasing visuals! Some interesting arrangements were highlighted by a Latin-style version of America. The show was complete with guard work throughout, a rarity on this evening! This corps received the best crowd response of the evening, with the Glassmen coming in a close second.
The Cavaliers (60H/28P/33G) have some wonderful music, with my favorite being the Philip Sparke work. While they feature some traditional Cavie drill, the corps stood still for the last couple minutes, and much guard work is missing at this point. At the post-contest concert, the horn line seems to be playing very well for such a young season!
Pioneer (51H/39P/21G) definitely are more "in your face" (as per the title of their show) than usual, with lots of volume impact points throughout. The brass tone is quite out of control at many points, but they are loud. They did march a complete show, with mostly complete guard work. The music is still recognizable Irish, but there were many balance problems between low and high voices. The drum line is full, and there are some nice drill moments.
Phantom Regiment (67H/22P/28G) are still in black, but have a red "drape" across the front for color. The guard is in a short, white Roman costume that seems incomplete. The horns sounded quite top-heavy and thin on this evening, but I'm sure the traditional Phantom sound will quickly develop. There was nice use of herald "trumpets" at the beginning of the Resphigi and lots of rotating blocks during the program, but the ending was without any guard on the field.
The Colts (58H/32P/27G) were next with a pleasant show of contemporary gospel tunes, with an especially nice use of a jazz waltz for the second tune. Their drill seems more visual than in previous years, and once the guard outfit is complete and work is in place, it should be a good total package.
The Glassmen (57H/26P/29G) are definitely off to their strongest start ever! They presented a complete show featuring music of Borodin, with the only drawback being some horn and guard holes. The guard is in a very nice oriental-type costume which adds good color to the field. The drum line seems especially strong in this complete show, with some very effective impact points in drill and music. They are in the running for their highest placement yet! They've obviously done their work in the "off-season"!
All in all it was a well-run show that appeared to run smoothly, even if the performance order was completely different than what the $3.00 program stated. This is a great facility for a show and was a nice start to the season.
June 13, 1998 -- Toledo, Ohio...Despite not marching the last minute of their show, Cavaliers defeated Phantom Regiment by 1.1 to win the DCM All-Star Review, continuing their winning streak from the first DCM contest in Portage, Michigan, the night before. Cavaliers earned their victory by winning general effect music, both ensemble captions, and visual performance. Phantom Regiment held on to second with victories in GE Visual and Brass Performance. In their first performance of the season, Glassmen came within striking distance of Phantom Regiment by capturing percussion performance.
(IMHO, Glassmen should have beat PR, just like they did the next night)
Cavaliers scored 69.2 to lead a field of six junior corps. Phantom Regiment tallied 68.1 and the newly powerful Glassmen posted 67.0. Nearly six points behind the elite units were the Colts, 61.1, Pioneer, 54.1, and Phantom Legion, 41.1. The defending DCA co-champion Empire Statesmen performed in exhibition.
(I think that they would have beat Colts if they had been in competition. They certainly got a better ovation!)
From the very first bars of Jay Kennedy's "The Path Through the Mountains" until they stood still for the last minute of the show, Cavaliers (59 B, 28 P, 34 G, 1 DM) displayed the kaleidoscopic drill of rotating and sliding blocks and squads that has been their trademark for the past decade. They also projected a rich, smooth brass sound, building from a lush low brass backfield opening to a powerful full brass fanfare when the corps first faced front, prompting applause from the audience. The guard then grabbed the spotlight, as they lined up on the 50-yard line and executed an impressive ripple move up the file with green, white, and black flags. The opener ended with the guard switching first to all white flags and then flags and rifles while the corps pushed forward in a wedge that broke into rotating blocks. Phillip Sparke's "Dance Movements" began with a drum solo that took advantage of the Cavaliers ten-man snare line. The snares split into two five-person squads that played a call-and-response pattern on opposite sides of the battery. The selection continued with a delicate passage played at a standstill by muted sopranos and bells that began as a soli and transitioned into accompaniment for a mellophone solo. As the entire brass line played a lush piano section, they stepped out of standstill formation in a ripple from the audience's left to right, while the guard picked up gold flags. William Bolcom's "Machine" began with a silent drill capped by a startling "bang" from the horns and percussion, which drew screams of surprised delight from the fans. The corps then formed a block and stood still while the music proceeded furiously along for the last minute of the show. While the unfinished drill hurt Cavaliers' GE Visual score (they finished third behind Glassmen and Phantom Regiment), the effect of the music alone was enough to draw the audience to its feet. Cavaliers have learned the last minute of drill and planned to ready it for performance at their next show.
(Dar should like this review, since it talks about her brother's corps)
The musicians in Phantom Regiment (67 B, 23 P, 25 G, 2 DM) have replaced the ring logos from last year with gold-trimmed red Roman- inspired sashes that drape across their chests and hang from each shoulder like narrow capes. Completing the Roman theme of their show, Phantom Regiment's guard wore short, white, toga-like dresses with gold belts. The corps opened Berlioz's "Roman Carnival Overture" by adding snares one by one on the right side of the field and brass players on the left while building tension to a climax. The corps completed the opener with an exciting sequence of a follow-the-leader into two sliding blocks, which merged into one block sliding from left to right, and finishing with a single rotating block, all the time playing with unleashed power. The effect would have been even more spectacular if the brass players had been able to maintain the files of the final block formation.
(It was really filthy :-6 )
Puccini's "Un Bel Di" began with lovely soft playing while the corps stood in a backwards-facing semicircle and continued with the corps stepping off in a left-to-right ripple out of concert.
(This seems to be the marching move of the season)
Respeghi's "Pines of Rome" opened with something not seen or heard on a competition field in several decades--valveless bugles! Two soprano players on each side of the formation picked up valveless herald bugles and played a fanfare in stereo.
(I haven't seen anyone mention this on RAMD, although both the reviews in Drum Corps World that covered PR mentioned it--all the more reason to subscribe!)
The full corps continued the stereo effects while marching a rapidly moving drill during "Pines of the Villa Borghese". During the slow opening of "Pines of the Appian Way", the baritones played call-and-response with the melody while the corps formed three wedges, which came together to form a single wedge which pushed at the crowd to growing applause, culminating in a ragged but enthusiastic standing ovation.
(This is a move that they did going into concert in 1978--how many of you old farts will recognize it? :-)
Phantom Regiment's show has good music selection for the corps and a drill that complements the music. Although the marching is very rough now (the corps finished third in visual ensemble and performance), the show should clean up very nicely.
(Whitney and I looked at each other at the end of the show, make sour faces, and in unison said "They were filthy!" It's a well-designed show, but the members are not executing)
As usual at this show, the host Glassmen (58 B, 27 P, 28 G, 1 DM) entered the field to an enthusiastic ovation from the Glass Bowl audience, complete with yells of encouragement from friends and family. To portray the theme for this year, the Mongolian- and Chinese-inspired music of Alexander Borodin, particularly selections from "Polivetsian Dances" and "On the Steppes of Central Asia," the guard wore red Mandarin uniforms and began the show with red flags bearing a Chinese design emblazoned in gold. The guard changed flags several times, first to tall multicolored Mongolian banners, then to gold and silver crescent moon flags and finally to gold, purple, and pink sun flags.
(This is background info from a conversation I had with Michael Cesario at the end of the show)
The corps opened the show with by rotating a circle and sliding from the audience's left to the center while playing a lovely melody first backfield and then to the front, concluding with a fortissimo rendition of "Strangers in Paradise" which the home-town crowd found highly effective. The first drum solo showcased both the rudimental ability of the drum line and the marching ability of the corps, as the horns and guard moved in interweaving ranks while maintaining good alignment and interval. Such solid marching allowed Glassmen to beat Phantom Regiment in visual performance and ensemble and Cavaliers in GE visual. The brass playing out of the drum solo, accompanying a drill that ended in a semicircle on the front sideline, drew the first mid-show standing ovation for any of the junior corps. The pit was featured in a melodic solo backed up by an active battery that demonstrated the musical ability of the percussion section. The judges rewarded the versatility and ability of the drum line with the high percussion performance score.
(Lee Beddis himself told Whitney and me that he wrote his drum parts to satisfy those with both "musical" and rudimental tastes.)
The corps followed this by a soft section that concluded with the brass playing a chorale while members of the guard flew kites from lower left to upper right. The show concluded with effective use of squad marching, then concluded with a build into a company front along the front sideline. The audience began clapping with the beginning of the build. The applause crescendoed until it climaxed in the most energetic standing ovation of the night.
(I'm looking forward to Glassmen later in the season--the corps will be a pleasant surprise for everyone except their competitors!)
Defending DCA co-champion Empire Statesmen (58 B, 34 P, 26 G, 2 DM) returned to the Glass Bowl with an exhibition performance of selections from the drum corps standard "West Side Story" which delighted the crowd with great brass playing, solid percussion, a lovely guard, an entertaining drill, and great showmanship by Drum Major David Bruni. Watch and listen for a swinging ensemble during "Tonight", an engaging pas de deux between the guard dance soloist and a horn dance soloist in "Maria", rocking Latin percussion in the pit during "America", sections of the battery marching in front of the pit during their features in the drum solo, the brass section stripping down to red and yellow T-shirts to become the Sharks and the Jets during "The Rumble", and an impressive drill collapsing down to the front sideline during "Somewhere" as the guard spins double flags. If last year's corps was able to share the DCA title, then this year's much improved version should certainly be a favorite for the senior crown. The crowd gave them several standing ovations, including the second most ardent of the night.
(My Caballero poll voters won't be happy to read this. From what I've read on RAMD and in DCWorld, quite a few senior corps are much better this year than last, including the Brigs, Cabs, and Kilties. It should be a good year to go to DCA! :-)
Colts (60 B, 32 P, 28 G, 2 DM) have retreated from the bold Rock and Roll of last year's Blood, Sweat and Tears show to a much tamer celebration of a capella music. While the brass playing was solid (forth in brass performance, only one tenth behind the Glassmen), complete with beautiful solo playing, and the drill was appealing, the performance lacked spark and seemed bland in comparison to last year's edition of the Colts. The guard uniforms, consisting of black pants and a white polo shirt with the corps logo, unfortunately supported the overall impression of the show. The most interesting moments came from the percussion during the second and third selections. During the mysterioso second selection, the pit was able to set the mood and still make the audience's toes tap. During the more delicate third section, hand playing by the battery attracted the fans' attention. In the final selection, the horn line finally unleashed their power while building from sustained chords to a solid hit.
(Too little, too late. Until this point, the show was a snore. |-o zzzz I'm glad to read that Colts have made their show more entertaining and improved their scores since then!)
The corps earned a polite standing ovation at the conclusion of the show.
(Chuck Naffier liked my review last year. I don't think he'll be so thrilled with this one!
Pioneer (48B/38P/20G/2DM) promised "Irish in your face" this year and they delivered with traditional Irish melodies that have been used successfully by corps such as the 27th Lancers and Guardsmen. The combination of drum corps standards with the hard-sell approach has finally given longtime fans of Pioneer the power from the hornline they expected when the 26-person hornline of the 1994 version of Pioneer expanded to the 40+ person hornline of recent years. Other than the sheer volume, the best brass effect was the melody of Victor Herbert's "Irish Rhapsody" being passed from the lead sopranos down through all the voices to the contrabasses. The brass more than held their own, keeping only one tenth behind the Colts and two tenths behind the Glassmen in Brass Performance. The percussion was also impressive, with the 26-person battery (including 10 snares) being showcased in a drum solo that included the snares playing in stereo on either side of the quads. The drill also complemented the corps music, particularly an expanding rotating block at the end of the opener and the final shamrock formation. Despite some alignment errors and an incomplete guard show, Pioneer defeated Colts in Performance Visual, earning fourth. The corps earned a sincere standing ovation from the audience, who cheered appreciatively and clapped rhythmically to the corps as it trooped the stands to Pioneer's trademark "Gary Owen March."
(I like a corps that blows my face off! I see that Pioneer has been beating Kiwanis Kavaliers by up to 4 points this week. Erin Go Brah!)
Phantom Legion (16B/21P/12G/1DM) opened the contest. Their musicians wore gray uniforms and the guard wore the red dresses the Phantom Regiment wore in 1996. They played "Florishes" by Frances McBeth, "On a Southern Hymnsong" by David Holsinger, and "Intrusions" by Michael LeKrone. The absolute highlight of the corps is their drumline, especially their six-person snare line. Listen to the drum solo when you see them and notice how they are able to spark the rest of the corps to an energetic finish to the show.
(They were really filthy in both marching and horns and they got 2.9 out of 10 in visual performance. They deserved it. I didn't think they would get as good as score as they got. Apparently, they have really cleaned up and are dong well--when they can get to shows!)
Vince Lamb
Corps GE ENS PERF PEN SCORE
MUS VIS MUS VIS BRA PER VIS
Cavaliers 139 123 113 108 69 77 73 0 69.2
Phantom Regiment 134 136 100 99 70 75 69 0.2 68.3
Glassmen 136 127 96 101 66 78 70 0.4 67.0
Colts 130 114 94 91 65 63 53 0 61.1
Pioneer 117 103 71 69 64 61 56 0 54.1
Phantom Legion 102 81 59 51 41 59 29 0 42.2
Caption Winners
GE Phantom Regiment 270
ENS Cavaliers 211
PERF Cavaliers 219
BRASS Phantom Regiment 70
PERC Glassmen 78
VIS Cavaliers 73 (Performance only)
Empire Statesmen performed in exhibition.
Watch for the review in Drum Corps World!
Vince Lamb
Brigadiers...............69.9 Caballeros...............68.3 Buccaneers...............65.2 Sunrisers................63.9 Grenadiers...............58.5 Heat Wave................50.3 Generations..............48.4 Thanks to Tom Peashey, DCA PR& MKTG for emailing us these scores!
Madison Scouts...........71.6 Capital Sound............51.8 Blue Stars...............43.1 Decorah Kilities.........31.0 Coachmen ................22.7 Americanos...............Exhibition Thanks to Kenny Miller for emailing us these scores!
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