Star of Indiana?
PoLoFLIP
to Star of Indiana. I loved them so much and I wish they would come back
to DCI.
Does anyone have any info on them except for the fact that they are with
Canadian Brass.
Thanks
V G
yomomma
wrote:
I go to school at IU in Bloomington, and from what I have heard from
some sources of mine, that Bill Cook has said Star will be a drum corps
again in 1997. I have heard about the financial difficulties, the
recruitment problems, and the reluctance of many concert arenas to book a
drum corps. I understand the contract with Canadian Brass is up after
this season, so maby they will be back in 1997. I would love to see this
corps back on the field again. I think drum corps needs a little bit more
Bartok.
C. Yearian
umaco...@cc.memphis.edu
> some sources of mine, that Bill Cook has said Star will be a drum corps
> again in 1997. I have heard about the financial difficulties, the
> recruitment problems, and the reluctance of many concert arenas to book a
> drum corps. I understand the contract with Canadian Brass is up after
> this season, so maby they will be back in 1997. I would love to see this
> corps back on the field again. I think drum corps needs a little bit more
> Bartok.
>
> C. Yearian
Well, my source IS Bill Cook, and he says they don't know the first thing about
what they're doing in '97............They will not even talk much about it
until after THIS season.......
Plllllllllllllleeeeeaaaaaaaaaassseee!!!! Stop spreading rumors......it just
starts arguments.......
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ***
Alan "Otto" Compton ***
Star 1991-1995 Bass ***********
Colts 1990 Bass ***********
U of Memphis Music Dept ***
*umaco...@msuvx2.memphis.edu* *** GZ WJ MS
***
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ *** BS AM
Bill Cook
> Does anyone have any info on them except for the fact that they are with
> Canadian Brass.
>
> Thanks
> V G
>> I go to school at IU in Bloomington, and from what I have heard from
>> some sources of mine, that Bill Cook has said Star will be a drum corps
>> again in 1997. I have heard about the financial difficulties, the
>> recruitment problems, and the reluctance of many concert arenas to book a
>> drum corps. I understand the contract with Canadian Brass is up after
>> this season, so maby they will be back in 1997. I would love to see this
>> corps back on the field again. I think drum corps needs a little bit more
>> Bartok.
>> C. Yearian
Hey, we're a little off here!!!
First--Star does not have financial difficulties nor have they ever had;
Second--I have NEVER said when Star will return-- we simply don't know.
Third-- we don't have nor have we ever had problems in recruiting--it was a full compliment last year and will be a full corps this year--94 members.
Fourth--Star books and pays for all of the venues and I've never had a venue turn us down because we were a drum corps. However, I have said that 'Brass Theater,' performed in a arena is more difficult to attract an audience. (Serious music goers are not used to this setting for a musical performance.)
Fifth--Canadian Brass may do one or two performances with us this year but this is still undetermined.
If anyone would like to read my 'Recollections' of Star's years as a drum corps and as a corps performing 'Brass Theater,' please give me your e-mail address. It is a long download.
Bill Cook
--
Bill
Ben Tibbals
If you want to read Mr. Cook's "Recollections" check out the Star of
Indiana Home Page at http://copper.ucs.indiana.edu/~rdorocke/star.html
It's really great and certainly worth taking the time to read.
Ben Tibbals
Star '93-'94
Candrum
>Ok, maybe I'm not up to par yet, but can anyone tell me whats gonna
>happen to Star of Indiana......(cut)
You heard it first here....Star probably won't be back. They will be
joined by at least 5 other top 5 corps and/or former top 5 corps and tour
the US & Canada putting on "A Night of Drumcorps" shows. In these shows,
not only will electronic instruments be used, but further modifications
to the procedures and processes normally used in the activity will occur.
Look for augmented numbers...up to 160 marching....including amplified
vocalists...
RANDYGAR
Tell us you're coming back in '97!
Randy
BEAU D. MEYER
GROW UP!!!
Beau
Hop88509
this is happening .... what are we going to do with these wise guys! :-)
Subject: Re: Star of Indiana?
From: can...@aol.com (Candrum)
Date: 24 Jan 1996 22:51:33 -0500
Message-ID: <4e6uo5$l...@newsbf02.news.aol.com>
On 13 January, polo...@aol.com posted:
>Ok, maybe I'm not up to par yet, but can anyone tell me whats gonna
>happen to Star of Indiana......(cut)
You heard it first here....Star probably won't be back. They will be
joined by at least 5 other top 5 corps and/or former top 5 corps and tour
the US & Canada putting on "A Night of Drumcorps" shows. In these shows,
not only will electronic instruments be used, but further modifications
to the procedures and processes normally used in the activity will occur.
Look for augmented numbers...up to 160 marching....including amplified
vocalists...
Hoppy
Cathy Doser
wrote:
George, where's your "tongue now taken out of cheek" statement?
You'll scare some of these youngsters! ;)
--
CD http://www.halcyon.com/cathyd/Doser.html E-mail: cat...@halcyon.com
CC http://www.halcyon.com/caryn/cyber/cyberhome.html - - - /|
BW http://www.halcyon.com/cathyd/BlackWatch.html | | | / |
____________________________________________ ||----------------- ___/ |
| Cathy Doser * Black Watch ||---____________ \ __ |
| P.O. Box 68096 * 1972-1978 / / | | | | \ | \ |
| Seattle, WA 98168 * 1978 Class A Champions | | | | | | | | \ |
| CIS 70515,544 * 'You are what you are, \ \_________/ / \|
| AOL CathyD2 * or what you want to be!' \___________/
|______________________________________________________________________|
| ~ CyberCorps | Incorporated 4/1/94 |
| [}==o Upper Lead Soprano | ** Black Watch ** |
| |\/ Playing in the | The Peoples' Corps |
| |_ 22 Mips range | |
|___________________________________|__________________________________|
Frank Schoenbach
: THIS GUY HAS ALL OF THE ANSWERS! YIKES .... I have to go tell everyone
: this is happening .... what are we going to do with these wise guys! :-)
: Subject: Re: Star of Indiana?
: From: can...@aol.com (Candrum)
: Date: 24 Jan 1996 22:51:33 -0500
: Message-ID: <4e6uo5$l...@newsbf02.news.aol.com>
: On 13 January, polo...@aol.com posted:
: >Ok, maybe I'm not up to par yet, but can anyone tell me whats gonna
: >happen to Star of Indiana......(cut)
: You heard it first here....Star probably won't be back. They will be
: joined by at least 5 other top 5 corps and/or former top 5 corps and tour
: the US & Canada putting on "A Night of Drumcorps" shows. In these shows,
: not only will electronic instruments be used, but further modifications
: to the procedures and processes normally used in the activity will occur.
: Look for augmented numbers...up to 160 marching....including amplified
: vocalists...
: Hoppy
Oh really? Ok, name them.
Frank
Bill Cook
The parent sponsor of Star of Indiana
Cook Group Incorporated is a privately owned company
and consists of over sixty plants and offices throughout
the world. The companies are primarily involved in the
manufacture of medical devices, instruments, and
pharmaceuticals. It was the first to manufacture rate
responsive pacemakers, coronary and peripheral dilation
balloons, coronary artery stents, and wide variety of
diagnostic devices such as angiographic catheters. In
addition, other organizations within the Group are involved
in real-estate, aircraft services, financial services, and
retailing. The company believes that its profits should
benefit its employees, the communities where it resides and
society in general.
In 1984, Star of Indiana Drum and Bugle Corps was
founded to benefit youth of our country and to perpetuate
interest in music. Star gives its members an opportunity
to achieve excellence and to be recognized for their work.
The membership learns from great teachers and conductors
how to perform before the most discriminating musical
audiences while learning how to live and work with their
peers--a pleasant experience that will remain a part of
their lives.
As you watch these young people, please remember
that they are not professional musicians but have achieved
excellence through hundreds of hours of practice. This
summer, they will travel over 16,000 miles by bus and air;
perform two-hours of virtually perfect music while at
times marching over 200 beats per minute. They will be seen
by over 300,000 people from coast to coast.
As a company, we are so very proud of these young
people.
Bill Cook
President,
Cook Group Incorporated
STAR OF INDIANA, RECOLLECTIONS
by Bill Cook and Jim Mason
Seeing drum corps for the first time
I first became aware of drum corps in 1979 when
Carl, my son, wanted to watch the DCI Championship for a
high school band project. I griped but he won out and so
the TV was turned on to Birmingham. The corps that I
remember most was the Bridgemen; to me they were humor,
professionalism, talent, entertainment, all wrapped up in a
yellow package. When the show ended at 1:00 a.m., I was
hooked and the following summer Carl and I went to several
shows--the most memorable was the championship at
Whitewater. Phantom was incredible and I couldn't believe
that 15 to 21 year olds were making such wonderful music.
Carl never considered drum corps while in high
school because he was a saxophone player, but during his
second year in college he decided that he wanted to try out
for the Colts. After a tryout, he didn't think that he
could make it but was given a flugel horn, told to go home
and learn how to play. By his own words, he couldn't play
much his first year but by the second year, he could. The
marching was a foreign language to him and he considered
that he might be cut at anytime. He aged out in 1984 and
stayed on as a staff instructor through 1986.
Star becomes a reality
After the DCI semi-finals in 1984, Bob Lendman and I
were crossing a street in Atlanta when I asked him, "Carl
just aged out of the Colts; what would you think about us
starting a drum corps?" His answer was: "you're nuts!"
I met Bob in the summer of 1982 when he appeared in
Bloomington with a huge white and blue semi equipment truck,
two sagging buses, and the "Blue Stars." Bob had parked
this monstrosity on a sidewalk next to a fire plug and was
having a conversation with a two off duty university
policemen. Earlier that morning, I had received a phone call
from the police chief telling me that some "drum" guy had
parked his semi in a no parking zone. It seems that Bob
had convinced the police that the truck belonged on the
sidewalk and next to the fireplug but only after
considerable talking. Suffice it to say, the truck remained
there until the Blue Stars and Bob left two days later. Bob
and Allison Lendman have deep roots in drum corps; their
kids marched in Phantom Regiment and Bob later became
Phantom's director. He had the fortune or misfortune of
getting two back-to-back 2nds in the World Championships.
To this day, he is sensitive to what happened. I still
greet Bob with: "hey
Bob, have you got a second?" He goes ballistic!
But back to the story in Atlanta. My next question
to him was "who would you pick as director?" He related the
backgrounds of several midwest directors but in the end
said: "I would pick Jim Mason." So off we went to find him.
Jim was standing by a Colts bus at the back of Grant field.
After several minutes of pleasantries, I said to
Jim, "would you consider being director of a new drum corps
which would be based in Bloomington Indiana?" His answer
was, "let me think about it and talk with Theresa (his
wife.)" On the following Monday, I called and set up an
appointment for the two of them to visit Bloomington.
After seeing my commitment to the project, Jim said: "You
now have yourself a corps director; I'll take the job." He
didn't ask about salary or any details before he said yes.
There has been a speculation that it required $1
million to field Star; this is true. (At another time, I
will give the details on how four corporations were started
to meet Star's financial needs in the future; these
companies are: Star Bus Lines, Star Travel Services, Cook
Aviation, and Cook Air Services. With the exception of
Cook Air Services , they are profitable and contributing to
Star of Indiana today.)
Expenses each year run between $740,000 and
$950,000. For this reason, I suggest to anyone who asks me:
"what is the first thing to do when starting a drum corps?
"My answer is: "raise enough money to get started and to
field the corps." "Never go in debt and stay within budget."
"Find a continuing source of income outside of drum corps
such as bingo or sponsorship." "Don't disappoint young
people by allowing your corps to go broke."
Jim Mason, Director, Star of Indiana
Jim was born in Cedar Rapids Iowa on February 3,
1954. Jim knew very early that music would be a part of his
life. He joined his first corps when he was seven, began
arranging for drum corps at age twelve, started his own
band in junior high school, and aged out with the Madison
Scouts in 1975. He attended college and then was offered
the directorship of Colts where he remained for eight years.
During his tenure with the Colts, they became known for
their wonderful "big band" sound. One of Jim's favorite
programs was the "Mississippi River" show where Greg Blum
was at his best with his screaming trumpet. Greg's ability
to make a soprano howl is still remembered by those who
heard him.
The Winter of 1984
During Jim's first visit, he told me that he didn't
know whether or not it would be possible to field a corps in
'85 and talked about what was needed--4 buses, two semis,
equipment, uniforms, staff, and a headquarters were all
mentioned. "The staff is the key to success and if we can
hire the right people, we may be able to teach the corps how
to get on and off the bus the first year." I didn't know
what Jim meant until we began gathering equipment and
hiring a staff.
The Monroe County school board had just advertised a
surplus grade school for sale. It was located 7 miles North
of Bloomington and there were only 6 houses in a three mile
radius. We went out to have a look at it and we talked
about leveling the playground for a practice field. Two
weeks later, the Brown School was purchased for $225,000,
and the following week bulldozers began leveling the play
yard. In the meantime, Bob had found three MC-9 buses that
were for sale at Badger Bus in Madison. We bought two of
them for $19,000 and the other one for $26,000. A few weeks
later a semi-trailer was purchased for $2900 and Erik Lund
gave the "Blue Star" equipment truck plans to two
carpenters--their job was to prepare it for instruments and
uniforms that was not even purchased yet. In December, a
cab-over tractor was purchased for $16,000.
That same week, Jim introduced me to Michael Cesario
who would design the uniforms and serve as a consultant for
the corps. Michael was enthusiastic about this new project
and his enthusiasm encouraged Jim and me.
Jim emphasized the importance of recruiting
instructors and a support staff that could take the corps
down the road. Both of these groups were equal in Jim's
mind. I want to recognize their contribution because they
were responsible for ma king Star a reality in 1985.
The key instructors and creators were: Larry
Kerchner, John Simpson, Dennis DeLucia, Bob Dubinski, Steve
Suslik, Marc Sylvester, George Zingali, and Mike Cesario.
It is interesting to note that every man accepted and the
question seemed to be: "will we get paid?" The support
staff members, who came to Star that year, were Moe Latour,
Eric Lund, and Dave Crouch. Moe's friendliness and ability
to run the corps on the road made Jim's job easier. Dave
came from Phantom Regiment and was our head bus driver; he
managed getting us down the road superbly. Eric Lund is
still an integral part of Star today. Quietly and
efficiently, he drives the equipment truck, repairs and
maintains all of the instruments. Again, drum corps experience counted--Eric aged out in the Blue Stars.
When Star began, there were many corps that were
having financial difficulty. Several of the prospective
staff members, whom we interviewed, had not been paid for
one and sometimes two years. It was very difficult to
convince them, as a group, that they would be paid;
however, they accepted our word that they would. Some of
them were bitter and some of them were hurt by the
perception that they had been previously taken advantage of.
If there was any single hurdle that Jim had to overcome
with Star's first year staff, it was trying to get the staff
to believe that they could trust us and that we would meet
our commitments to them.
In October, Jim decided that it was time to get new
members and to name the corps. When the corps was
incorporated as a 501.c3, the original name on the charter
was "Hoosier Assembly." A contest was suggested for naming
the corps and an advertisement was circulated through the
Bloomington newspaper and our company. Hundreds of
suggestions poured in but in the end "Star of Indiana" was
selected and the winner was Larry Kerchner's wife.
The 1985 membership poster and advertisement were
put together. Jim told me: "all I've got to sell is hot
air!" He designed the ad with pictures of the new caption
heads surrounding Bob Knight, Indiana University's
basketball coach. What Bob Knight had to do with drum
corps, I still don't know! Hundreds of leaflets and posters
went out to high schools and colleges in four states with a
note from Jim saying: "Band Directors, if your students do
not have a summer music program, will you loan them to us?"
Some of the Directors were quite hostile because in
the past, they had lost students to drum corps during their
summer programs. They did not trust Jim that Star would not
siphon their best students.
After Star's first open house, Jim got a call from
an Indiana band director who had six students attend. He
said to Jim that he was counting on them for his summer
program and asked: "what are you going to do about it?" Jim
called all of the kids and encouraged them to stay with the
band program instead of marching with Star. The band
director was shocked and called later; this time he asked
what he could do for Star. As a consequence, Star received
his graduation list resulting in eight more, experienced
players. Star's first camp had over 150 people who
auditioned.
Although events proved otherwise, in September,
there was an indication that the Bridgemen were going to
take a year off. A couple of former Bridgemen instructors
were let go or refused to return. In addition, the members
were told that their corps would not be able to make it
another year and so a contingent of Bridgemen found their
way to Indiana, including drum major Karen Ruschman.
By May, it was clear that some additional members
were needed. During that month, Pride of Cincinnati
announced that they would not field a corps in '85 and
shortly afterwards, Ron Poole, Director of Pride, called
Jim and asked if Star had any openings. On the following
Saturday, a Star bus headed to Cincinnati to pick up the
Pride members who would become part of Star's drum corps
backbone. And so the misfortune of two corps enabled Star
to field the '85 corps.
The first season Star had a total of fourteen
seasoned drum corps members out of 131. These veterans were
crucial--they helped establish how we got on and off the bus
and what was expected from a drum corps.
The Summer of 1985
There is a nasty side to drum corps and little did
any of us realize the hostile environment that we would be
entering. Rumors mixed with fact began circulating that
Star raided other corps of staff and members. Some corps
alumni and members alleged that Star ruined their corps or
stole their staff. And even before the corps performed its
first show at Normal Illinois, drum corps pundits were
stating that "Star was the best corps money can buy" and
"the Mickey Money Corps;" Star was born to be disliked!
When 1985 was complete, Star had a tenth place finish and
the next rumor circulated was "Cook bought the finals."
These are perceptions; why did the corps receive
such a response? First, there was never any question that
Star would be adequately financed. Even though criticized,
our company made a commitment to drum corps.
I actually believed that other companies would soon
follow our path and either start a corps of their own or
sponsor a corps. Such was not the case; in 1993, Star
remained the only fully corporate sponsored drum corps. I
wish that others could appreciate the value of this
activity and its impact on young people who participate.
In addition, I believe that Star's apparent
efficiency honked many old timers. How did we achieve this?
Simple--Star was built around an experienced staff and
seasoned veterans.
From the beginning, Star was operated as a business.
Buses and trucks were to be maintained, corps equipment was
to be cared for, and the corps was always to be well fed and
housed. Later, we found that it was better to use
professional drivers, to have a trained nurse or fitness
director, and a professional cook. Personal safety of the
membership was an absolute priority.
Several years before Star began, Bob Lendman shared
a secret with Jim which was to fake a bus break-down. Sure
enough on Star's maiden voyage, Jim pulled this trick. The
members and equipment from the 'broken bus" were transferred
to the other two buses which continued on to Normal,
Illinois. After the driver of the broken bus had a cup of
coffee, he started down the road and arrived five minutes
after the corps. The purpose of this exercise was to have
the corps learn through experience what life on the road is
like. We also arrived a day early in Normal so we could
practice going over to the stadium, unloading, warming up,
and even marching to the entrance gate. Good practice for
opening night and it paid off!
On June 16, 1985, Star took the field at Normal
Illinois for the first time; the scores were Cavaliers--
76.9; Phantom--74.4; and Star of Indiana--73.6. Star won
their first high brass award at that show. Mickey Mouse was
born!
Because Star was not a member of DCI, we had to find
our own shows; sometimes we performed for free or for $375.
Many nights, we had to travel hundreds of miles in order to
find work. For example, we traveled from Springfield MO to
Durham NC without stopping except for fuel and from DeKalb
Illinois after DCM on July 27 to Corning NY for a
performance on July 28. We were national nomads migrating
to any sponsor who would have us.
We arrived in Allentown for the DCI East
Championship, placing 13th in prelims behind the 27th
Lancers, and missing finals for the first and only time as
a drum corps. After the prelim scores were announced, Jim
stood next to the wall at Hamilton Stadium scratching the
concrete aimlessly while pondering what needed to be done to
motivate this new corps.
As the year progressed, our scores were still not
going up and the separation from corps above us kept
getting larger. On August 6, Freelancers were ahead of
us by 7 points, Madison by 13, and Santa Clara by 24.
Apparently, we had stalled and it appeared that we would
place anywhere from 13th to 18th at championship. But we
knew that if we could hold on until we reached Bloomington
for the August 12 "Pride of Indiana" show, the hometown
crowd and new revisions might be enough to makes us
competitive again. When we arrived in Bloomington, our
drivers were dead tired but Jim asked several of us if we
could go out to Pennsylvania and pick up the 27th--two of
their buses were down. If my memory serves correctly we
met them some where in Ohio and they made the performance.
During finals week, television stations and
newspapers were asking for interviews. On one particular
interview, the reporter asked me: "I heard that you are
called the Mickey Money corps;" at the time, this question
did not anger me but unfortunately I shot back (my misspent
humor,) "yeah, it's the best corps money can buy." At the
time this question and comment seemed so innocuous but those
words have haunted the organization and me to this day.
Because Star was not a member of DCI, we had to go
through prelims, quarters, and semis before we would know
whether or not we would perform at the Saturday night
championship. Star won prelims with a score of 84.1
followed by Les Eclipses with an 80.3; in quarter finals we
scored 86.7 followed by Troopers, 85.6, Les Eclipses, 82.4,
Skyriders, 81.1 and Colts, 80.9.
Early in the year, Jim had booked a hotel for our
annual banquet on Friday--none of us thought that we could
make finals on Saturday. After our semi performance "in the
sunlight," the buses were loaded and we headed for the
hotel. No one could keep their mind on the banquet; very
little food was eaten while we waited for semi scores.
Finally at 11:00 p.m., Jim came over to Karen Ruschman and
my table and told us: "9th place, Troopers, 87.9; Velvet
Knights, 86.8; Freelancers, 86.8; Free lancers, 85.9; and
Star, 87.5. It didn't sink in; we thought that we had
gotten 13th and then Karen went ballistic. She went to the
podium and took up the microphone and repeated Jim's report.
We had made finals, unbelievable!
The final night was bittersweet to some of us
because we knew what George Bonfiglio, our friend, was
thinking. The semi-final performance would be 27th Lancers
last as an open class corps. For Jim, it was particularly
sad because he idolized George. His relationship with and
respect for him continues today.
Star's magical year was over but the legacy of that
year would both exhilarate and haunt the corps until it left
DCI membership in 1994.
The PBS Television Broadcast
On the morning of the 1985 championship, I met Don
Pesceone, Executive Director of DCI, and he asked if our
company would be interested in sponsoring the championship
telecast in 1986. I answered that we would be interested.
From 1986 through 1992, our company was either a co-
sponsor or sponsor of the championship telecast. Since
there was no one with television experience at DCI, Don
later asked if I would produce it and I accepted the job of
Executive Producer. I remained Executive Producer until
1992, but our sponsorship continued until DCI took over the
responsibility in 1993. I'm very proud of these telecasts
and had many intelligent people to rely upon. Tom Blair and
Keith Klein are two indispensable individuals who taught me
that excellence could exist in the production of a DCI
championship. These are the men who made the DCI
Championship a highlight for PBS. Steve Rondinaro, Michael
Cesario, Charles Webb (Dean of IU School of Music), and Curt
Goudy all gave freely of their time. Most of these men
worked only for expenses which says much for people who are
more dedicated to the activity than they are to self-
interest. The television broadcast looked professional, was
expensive to produce, and these men gave of themselves to
make it happen. For the record, the broadcasting of the
championship cost between $150,000 and $200,000 depending
upon the year.
The Summers of 1986 and 1987
In 1986, Jim Prime and Donny Van Doren became new
staff members and I might note that they are still with us
today. 1986 was the year of "Star Wars". George Zingali
mandated that there shall be giant wheels rolling over the
green. These wheels appeared in two shows, were actually
used in one, and then relegated to a sink hole near the
corps hall. This was the year of glitz and glitter!. For
those around drum corps, you may have noted that the music
book became more difficult and more emphasis was placed on a
musicianship. The color guard put on weird wigs and the
corps tried to bore holes in the air with sound. We moved
up two spots to eighth place.
I987 was the year of "Circus;" circus wagons
appeared as backdrops and the corps spent most of the summer
trying to make the props work. Again, glitz was the name of
the game and Star folk were learning the hard way that huge
props were next to impossible to utilize in drum corps.
Some of the members were hurt unloading them.
Frustration is the best word to use for 1987 because
so much time was spent trying to get visuals integrated
properly; in retrospect, time would have been better spent
perfecting drill. When the season was over, many Star folk,
including Moe and me, were seen beating the circus wagons to
a timely demise--we should have wrecked them in June. A
valuable lesson was learned this year--props are difficult
to utilize and they detract from practice in other areas.
We tied for 7th with Velvet Knights with a score of 90.
The Summer of 1988, the year of change
The 1987 season altered Jim's programming
philosophy. He decided to "play the game, win the game, and
change the game." Jim asked me if I wanted to take a
different direction with Star. I asked him to explain and
he indicated that the corps had enough experience and
maturity to eventually make them championship contenders.
He knew that the level of difficulty for the drill and the
arrangements had to increase if we were to break into the
top six and then top 3. I liked the idea because for the
first time, Star would be given a difficult objective to
achieve--to build for a championship.
At this point, we needed stronger technicians. Todd
Ryan who had helped Scouts win their championship was
looking for a new challenge. He was asked if he would risk
coming with Star to further develop the marching caption.
He accepted the challenge, and so Len Kruscecki, Steve
Brubaker, and Steve Suslik had a person who could look at
the performance with new eyes. Todd knew how to fix feet and
clean without destroying the design.. Few props were used
in 1988; the color guard were dressed as southern belles.
This was the year that Carl Ruocco became Assistant
Director. And so in the summer of 1988 Star played and
marched to Porgy and Bess, made a trip to California, and
placed 7th place with a score of 95.5.
The summer of 1989
1989 was another frustrating year for Star; we were
improving, we knew we could execute, and our brass and
percussion lines were scoring well. Star had better marks in
marching and visual but we just couldn't seem to get beyond
the competition who were ahead of us. In retrospect, I
would say that we executed and we had the stamina to win but
I don't believe that Star's "British invasion" had enough
difficulty built in to put us into the top 3. We placed 6th
with a score of 95.3. 1989 was a very strong year for
morale; it was the year that Star realized that they could
be challengers and were no longer considered as the little
pink corps with funny uniforms. (The fuschia uniforms had
made their last appearance in the beginning o f 1989.)
The summer of 1990
This was Star's year for a leap. Playing William
Walton's Belshazzar's Feast, the music had a flavor; it was
recognizable but yet difficult to play and execute.
George's drill was superb and Jim Prime's arrangements were
haunting, seamless, and dark. The members loved the music
and wanted so much to please the audiences. The large
scrim intrigued people: "what does MENE, MENE, TEKEL,
UPHARSIN" mean? It drove the old timers nuts because the
corps sounded different than a drum corps and it didn't
quite look like a drum corps. Glitz and sparkle were all a
part of the slight of hand. Many thought that the corps had
new uniforms, but in reality only a sequin over-the-shoulder
piece was added along with a purple sash. With an
incredible mellophone line and some great drill moves, we
moved finally into 3rd place with a score of 96.5 and
winning high brass for first of four consecutive times.
The summer of 1991
Everyone in the corps began to believe that this was
their year. It was amazing to me to see these young people
go out and perform Jim Prime's "Roman Images, the music of
Respighi." And for George Zingali, it was his life wrapped
up on the field; his images of Christianity were woven
throughout the pictures which came and went as Star executed
for him. Our members knew that George was dying and they
knew that they wanted to give him a monument, a memorial in
life.
As sick as he was, he was the backbone and spirit of
the corps. He was driven by desire that few will ever
understand and his will went out to touch us all. On August
4th, Star arrived in Boston. With the help of his care
giver, George arrived at the stadium to meet his corps.
Something happened to him that afternoon--he seemed
transformed, energized. His strength had returned--it was
the "old" George on the field that day--"You've got to be
shittin me!" "That's wonderful!" "Cupcake, you were
terrible!" Late in the afternoon, he told Jim--"the new
closer is not right." A few minutes later, he left the
stadium. None of us knew where he had gone or if he would
be back. About eight o'clock, George returned and said:
"we are going to have two crosses at the finish instead of
one." The next five hours were unbelievable. He ran from
one section to another telling members where they should be
at the end of the final cross. He wanted them to count
measures--"count and run around until time to make your
final set." Hour after hour, the corps tried and failed
but finally, at 2 a.m. the next morning, the cross was seen.
The next night in Lynn, Star put in the new move; needless
to say, there were more than a few wrecks at the end but we
won over SCV by 1.9 points.
Star's greatest performance that year was not at
finals but in Little Rock Arkansas on August 12. Most of
the staff had gone ahead to Dallas, so the corps was on
their own and relaxed. What they did that night will always
be a memory for me. To this day, that performance remains
my favorite while they competed. The word electric fits it
best.
The championship week was anti-climatic because the
corps knew what had to be done and were confident that they
could do it. Even though they were expected to win, they
were focused, relaxed, and determined. In retrospect, I
wish that the field had been cooler (it was 124 degrees) and
I wish that they could have moved a little more slowly
because I wanted to hear the sound that I heard that cool
night in Little Rock. We became champions of DCI for the
first time with a score of 97.30. A truly magical year for
a corps that once wore a pink uniform and were branded as a
rich man's toy.
George
That winter George Zingali passed away, but in the
hospital he said: "Bill, the championship was the most
wonderful night of my life." George still remains a part
of the fabric of Star and I know that other corps cherish
his memory as well. What more can be said of George
except he lived to create, inspire and teach.
I would like to digress a moment and talk about what
it takes to win a championship. First, a corps must have
experience, a work ethic that goes beyond saying "I worked
hard" because working hard on the wrong things will
eventually ruin a corps hope for success. I believe that
staffs win championships. A corps director must
instinctively know where to place the emphasis and the staff
must have a music and drill book that is sufficiently
difficult. A championship book must appear to be seamless--
it must flow and the members must be sufficiently
accomplished to make their actions appear easy. If the
spectators perceive the work as being easy but executed to
perfection, then the staff has done its job and the corps
has learned their lessons well. Physical conditioning also
is an integral part of the success formula--every member
must be able to finish.
The summer of 1992
Jim and the staff wanted to try to make Star more
accessible to the public. They were ready to go back into
time and perform a book that would hopefully be
identifiable. And so "American Variations" was designed.
Jim wanted to experiment with a form of visual that
utilized body motion, executed by the entire ensemble. This
experiment was tried in only one number, "Amber Waves" and
it appeared that motion had a favorable impact on the
audience. To the folks seeing the show for the first time,
body sculpting appeared be a gimmick, but as the year wore
on we knew that visual body movement should be explored
further. It had to wait until 1993.
Star folk loved this show; it was beautiful and many
fans identified with it. The last week, a giant scrim was
thrown up; a 40 feet high by 60 feet wide Lady Liberty
covered the front of the entire corps. It was a great
visual but not one t
hat was universally accepted (said with a grin.) We ended
our season with a third in Madison with a score of 96.7
behind the Cadets of Bergen County and the new champions,
the Cavaliers who had a score of 97.5.
Westley
Another friend and staff member left this life in
1992--Wesley Johnson. His easy smile, beautiful agility,
and his love of teaching will be remembered by all of us who
were privileged to know him.
Jim Mason's psyche in 1992
For Jim, 1992 was a pivotal year because the show
was designed for a broad audience appeal and the result was
a hostile crowd. At that time, he decided to explore
different directions. His frustrations led him to the 1993
Medea program be cause he wanted to give the organization a
vehicle where they would be in control of their performance
from beginning to end. Looking back at Medea, there were no
opportunities for the audience to react until the show was
over. This concept made some of the audience uncomfortable
and created even more controversy. I guess that was Jim's
vengeance. Also at that time, he began to contemplate doing
something other than drum corps with the Star of Indiana.
Perhaps the seed of Brass Theater was planted during this
period.
The summer of 1993, the year of the bitch
The "Medea" show was music by Bartok and Barber.
Again, Jim decided to experiment with body motion executed
by the entire ensemble. He asked the visual people to
design a stark show which would be portrayed by contrasting
colors and shapes--triangles and straight poles. The 1989
uniforms were replaced with a cream and black uniform. He
did not want visuals to detract from the drill or body
sculpting; the music was to be arranged to enrage and anger.
It was not supposed to be sweet and lilting. Suffice it to
say, the audience responded properly but the raw discordant
sound grated on me at the beginning of the season--I was
irritated after each performance. When the show was
finished, it was beautiful to watch. And today, the 1993
show stands out for me as my favorite.
The drill intensity, blatant bursts on the horns and
discordant percussion were intriguing . I'm probably nuts
but I actually enjoyed getting irritated--Medea was truly a
bitch. Our final score was 97.3 for second behind the
Cadets with a 9 7.4.
Retrospect, 1993
I'm often asked and I'm sure the members are asked:
"Didn't you think that you should have won?" Hey, I think
that Star should always win but that is not the way life is
played. The beautiful part of drum corps is that there can
only be one champion and in 1993 it was the Cadets. Now,
what about the members? Were they disappointed? Come on--
sure they were. But after a few tears were shed, most of
them headed for supper and a few of them were looking for
rides back to school. Like many other corps, we were all
glad to leave Jackson--it was hot, it was humid, and it
rained!
Championship week for Jim and me was bittersweet.
The week was exciting and had the best of what drum and
bugle corps has to offer. Our future was already charted;
we would go with the Canadian Brass--win or lose.
When we came back to Bloomington, we announced at
our annual banquet that Star would be leaving drum corps,
would be playing on b-flat horns, and would be performing
"Brass Theater." It seemed like 1985 again when Jim "sold
hot air." He de scribed "Brass Theater" to the members, and
then he casually mentioned that they would have to prepare
for two types of shows, one performed on a small stage and
one performed on a basketball floor. He explained that the
repertoire would exceed two hours in length, that percussion
and brass ensembles would be featured during various parts
of the show. When he finished, I felt warm and fuzzy but
I'm not exactly sure how the corps felt except confused.
After this meeting, I have been asked what the corps members
thought and I can only answer--anxious but understanding.
Star's association with the Canadian Brass
1993 was the year of Star's swan song. In the
early spring, Star, Glassmen, Chicago Vanguard, and Pioneers
gave a stand still performance at Indiana University's
Auditorium in Bloomington. The night before, all of the
corps attended a performance of the Canadian Brass
ensemble; the auditorium was filled and the crowd received
them with the enthusiasm of brass music lovers. That
evening, Jim and I had been invited to a reception for the
five CB which was hosted by Harvey Phillips, Dr . Tuba
Santa. During a conversation, Chuck Dahlenbach of CB asked
us if he and two other CBers could stay over and watch our
drum corps show on Sunday afternoon. He didn't need to ask;
we would have begged him to do it. In any event, they
attended the performance, and afterward Chuck broached the
subject of how Star could participate with them.
The following Monday Chuck called to ask if some of
Star's percussionists could play on their 'Broadway' CD.
During the time of the recording, ideas started to develop;
several weeks later, we met Chuck and Gene Watts in Florida
and began discussions on how we could perform together. At
the time, I did not believe that the corps could learn two
hours of music and play it with the precision necessary to
satisfy audiences that had very high expectations. But Jim,
Gene, and Chuck though t otherwise. In June we signed a
letter of intent which resulted in a contract that was
signed in September.
We thought that our members deserved a chance to
perform at some of the best venues in the world, to try to
reach a level of excellence that is uncommon for young
people and to be a part of a new genre. The program had to
be two hours in length with twenty two minutes of drill
plus solo features for both brass and percussion little did
we realize what a challenge this was going to be.
The summers of 1994 & 1995, the years of "Brass Theater"
When Jim Mason described "Brass Theater" to the
corps and staff for the first time, none of us actually
could visualize what it was. After two years of watching
and listening, I believe that "Brass Theater" is designed to
entertain--it is not designed to score points nor is it
designed for a football field. It is not a drum corps
performance nor is it a band concert. Elements of drum
corps exist in this genre but it is not drum corps. There
are elements of opera, broadway musical; circus, and
symphony, but even these idioms only partially describe
"Brass Theater."
The term today has come to mean -- an ensemble that
performs on a sixty by one-hundred foot stage. The music is
selected for audience appeal and the visual enhancements
include marching, dancing, color guard work using flags,
poles, rifles, sabers, and other tools found within the
colorguard armamentarium. Electronic amplification and
synthesis are used as well as theatrical lighting, back
screen projections, and other props to enhance the
performance. Music and the visual elements are designed to
elicit emotion from the audience.
The ensemble has had to learn two separate shows;
one show is designed to be performed on small stages--this
is an "in-concert" formation and it is NOT "Brass Theater."
"In concert" formation is performed on small stages where
marching and color guard work are not practical or are
minimized. On the other hand, a "Brass Theater"
performances includes all of the elements mentioned
previously utilizing both G-bugles and B-flat horns
including trombones, tubas, and French horns.
The venues have differed greatly during the last two
years. Concerts have been performed at Tanglewood, Ravinia,
Wolf Trap, Lincoln Center, Hollywood Bowl, Interlochen,
Columbus Zoo Amphitheater, Joliette Quebec Amphitheater,
Tanglewood (Winston-Salem NC) and several other outdoor
concert sites generically called "sheds."
"Brass Theater" is normally performed on a
basketball floor converted to a stage. These venues permit
the use of stage lighting and large backdrops. Examples of
the "Brass Theater" venues are Indiana University Assembly
Hall, St. Paul MN Arena, Cedar Rapids Iowa Conference
Center, Buffalo New York Memorial Arena, Illinois Normal
Arena, and other facilities where seating is tiered and the
total capacity normally exceeds 15,000. CB/Star's largest
crowd to date has been 18,000.
These last two years for Star members have exposed
them to entirely new audiences that are primarily made up of
families and music patrons who have little exposure to drum
corps and who attend musical events regularly. The crowds
have been enthusiastic and have responded typically with
three and four standing ovations. We were favorably
adjudicated by several newspaper performing arts critics and
I will be happy to send anyone an e-mail of these critiques.
Because either concert is performed only once in a city,
critics did not always attend.
I saw every performance during 1994 and 1995 and I
can only say that they have been thrilling to watch. In
1994, I gave Star/CB a final score of 99.5 and in 1995, a
score of 99.8. (Nobody is perfect so I couldn't give a
perfect score but if we all keep trying, we might get it
right someday.) In summary, these were not stressful years
for the corps because there were no competitive pressures.
The pressure came from wanting to perform perfectly for an
audience that would impartially adjudicate them.
Contributions to DCI and other corps
From 1985 through 1993, Star, Jim Mason, Cook Group,
and I tried to make a difference in drum corps. Jim, the
staff, and I served on task forces both as members and
advisors to DCI. Jim was the official member of DCI and I
served as an advisor from 1987 through 1992. When we
left DCI, Star or the Cook Group had contributed over $1.5
million to DCI and to other corps.
Star sponsored all four DCM All Star appearances at
the New Year's Cotton Bowl, Orange Bowl, and Fiesta Bowls
(twice) in addition to the first Macy's Thanksgiving
parade appearance of the DCM/DCE All-Stars; the appearance
of Phil Driscoll at the Kansas City World Championship who
played the "Star Spangled Banner," trumpet solo; the
appearance of DCA's Steel City Ambassadors at the 1990
World Championships in Buffalo. Jim headed the All-Star
drum and bugle corps that played two "Star Spangled
Banner" renditions in both Madison and Kansas City. (These
corps consisted of 1200 and 1500 members respectively. The
first one was under the direction of Pepe Nataro, a friend
who is gone.)
Corps that have received either prizes, grants or
loans from either Star or Cook Group are: Colts, Troopers,
Phantom Regiment, Magic of Orlando, 27th Lancers, Crossmen,
Velvet Knights, Spirit of Atlanta, and eleven other
organizations. The amounts ranged from a minimum of $1,000
to $150,000.
In addition, Rick Snapp, a Cook computer manager,
and I wrote the financial, sales order, and championship
ticketing programs that DCI has used since 1990. DCI's
three computers were given to DCI by Star. Cook Group
Companies sponsored an d produced the DCI World
Championships for five years.
Star founded on behalf of DCI the DCI Foundation
which still maintains an office in Bloomington and
administers such scholarships as those given in the names of
the Americanos, George Zingali and others.
Employees of Cook Group and a large contingent of
former corps members from all DCI corps staffed the
hospitality tables stationed in five to seven hotels through
the various championship cities.
For all of us drum corps was not just Star, it was
the entire activity. Yes, this information has not been
discussed until now, but Star members and their friends
deserve this explanation. If there must be an epitaph for
Star, for Jim, for me, and for Cook Group, it should be --
we tried!
A Personal philosophy
I believe that all humans are to some degree
competitive, moody, happy, sad, angry, tranquil, and
cooperative. The Drum corps experience is guided by
association with many different personalities who have
joined together in an attempt to achieve and possess the
above traits to a greater or lesser degree.
I believe that drum corps organizations can only
point the route but not predict the destination.
I try never to fear change, I enjoy risking the
unknown, and I try to seek guidance through previous
experiences. The path to a goal is not always clear and
instead of 'Ready, aim, fire!," it may be better to "Ready,
fire, aim!"
I believe that a human should be prepared (ready) to
act, then act (fire), and finally analyze what was done
(aim.) Instinct exists in all of us but so often we fear
the unknown to the extent that we are incapable of action.
I ask readers
: "do we always need to analyze and discuss before acting
or should we learn how to react based upon circumstances and
cumulative history of the past?" (Invention is based upon
instinct and then trial but status-quo is based upon
copying.)
I believe that if one goal is reached, there should
be another goal waiting. If failure results, try again and
again. You have all heard this before but "do you believe
it?"
A personal perspective on drum corps
I believe Star and other corps members strive to be
better humans as a result of their drum corps experience.
I believe that Star and other corps members are products of
many points of view and they are surrounded by teachers and
people who care about them. Within their organizations,
they are respected for what they are--young people seeking
their way in life. In return, they are loyal and very
proud of what they have accomplished.
I believe that Star and other corps teach pride in
personal accomplishment which is achieved by honesty and
work.
Star's staff, 1984-1995
Jim Ancona Percussion Instr/Arr 93-95
Charles Anderson Caption Hd 88
Bill Armstrong Star BoD 91-95
Dave Asa Brass Caption Head 87
Kristi Avilla Auxiliary Staff 91-92
Chris Bartholomew Brass Instr 89
Tim Bartholomew Brass Instr 88-89
Eric Beck Brass Instructor 94-95
Lee Beddis Percussion Instr 93
Denise Bonafiglio Color Gd Instr 93
Carol Brown Uniforms 85-90
Steve Brubaker Vis Des/Cap Hd 88-89
Philip Burton Vis Designer/Stage Dir 93-95
Pat Butler Visual Instructor 87-94
Sandy Butz Visual Design Consult 87-90
Allen Casey Guard Instructor 87
Michael Cesario Costumes 85
Alyssa Cimino Guard Instructor 85- 86
Mark Cole Production Staff 95
Wanda Conway Guard Instructor 85-86
Bill Cook Star BoD 84-95
Gayle Cook Star BoD 84- 95
Jeanne Coonan Brass Instructor 92
Jonathon Corley Percussion Instr 91, 93
Ray E. Cramer Conductor 94-95
Dave Crouch Transport/Ass't Dir 84-94
Sadie Cummings Guard Instr 85-86
Darin Dalton Visual Instructor 90
Gerardo Davila Percussion Instr 90
Dennis DeLucia Percussion Cap Hd 85-89
Barry Doss Costume Designer 95
Nancy Dreher Executive Secretary 84,-95
Bob Dubinski Perc Inst/Cap Hd 84-95
Alicia Elliott Ass't Choreographer/ 94-95
Cindy Epson Promotional Assistan 86
John Evans Percussion Instructor 87-89
Lee Ann Evans Color Guard Instructor 91
Trent Evans Brass Instructor 89-91
Steve Ferguson Star BoD 84- 95
Clark Gardner Percussion Instructor 95
Jeff Gooch Visual Instructor 94-95
Charlie Gumbert Guard Instr 93-95
Jonathon Gurney Perc Instr 85
Phil Haines Brass Instructor 86-88
Thom Hannum Perc Arr/Caption Hd 90-95
Matt Harloff Drum Major/Brass Inst 94-95
Phil Hathaway Star BoD 85-90
Tim Heck Guard Caption Head 86
Jim Heckman Production Staff 84-95
Craig Hedden Brass Instructor 86-93
Luther Henderson Arranger 95
Rhonda Henderson Wardrobe 95
Wendy Hicks Visual Instructor 86
David Higgins Technical Staff 94-95
David Hochoy Choreographer 94-95
Todd Horton Guard Instructor 87
Dan Hostetler Percussion Instr 86-90
Barry Hudson Brass Instructor 89-94
Becky Hudson Drum Major/Corps Mgr 89-95
Bobby Hullett Drum Major/Visual Inst 91-93
Jim Jeffries Brass Inistructor 85-87
Matt Jenkins Brass Instructor 89-95
Melisa Jobe Visual Instructor 90
Carl Johnson Drum Major 86
Wesley Johnson Auxiliary Designer 91-93
Stephen Jones Brass Instructor 94
Bill Jurberg AuxDes/Caption Head 93-95
Ken Karlin Visual Instructor 90-92
Joe Keays Visual Instructor 90-95
Kay Keays Kitch Sup Staff Hd 87-95
Larry Kerchner Brass Arranger 85
Len Kruszecki Visual Director 88-92
Moe Latour Tour Dir/ Corps Mgr 85-87
Chris Lee Percussion Instructor 91-92
Allison Lendman Star BoD 84-95
Bob Lendman Star BoD 84-95
Karen Louk Promotion 95
Eric Lund Transport/Ass't Dir 84-95
Lori Lund Merchandising 94-95
Jim Mason Director 84-95
Bruce McConnell Percussion Instr 85-86
Jeff McKnight Viaual Instructor 89-90
Colin McNutt Percussion Instructor 93-95
Jenny McVey Visual Designer 95
Bob Medworth Visual Instr 87-95
Steve Meikle Visual Instructor 86
Jim Miller Percussion Instructor 85
Chris Minges Instructor 87-89
Brent Montgomery Percussion Instr 91-94
Tom Newell Percussion Instructor 89-90
Walter Niekamp Photo/Production 84-95
Joan Noble Color Guard Instructor 88-89
Todd Parker Perc Inst/Mus Dir 85-86
Susan Patton Medical Support 95
Ron Perez Color Guard Instructor 85-86
Paul Perniciaro Stage Direction 85
Charlie Poole Percussion Instructor 87
James Prime, Jr. Brass Cap Head/Arr 86-95
Greg Radcliff Percussion Instructor 89-90
Mario Ramsey Percussion Instructor 92
John Robertson Production Staff 95
Joe Roche Visual Instructor 93
Carl Ruocco Perc Inst/Ass't Dir 85-89
Karen Ruschman Drum Major 85
Todd Ryan Visual Des/Caption Hd 89-93
Eric Sabach Vis Inst/Stage Dir 85-86
John Sanchez Stage Direction 85
Rob Santa Star BoD 93
Matt Savage Percussion Instructor 90
Kenneth Schermerhorn Conductor 95
Mark Schleihs Vis Instrr/Cap Hd 86-93
Lori Schnieders Wardrobe Dept. 94-95
Kevin Schussler Visual Instr 89-93
Mike Schwandt Technical Staff 95
Pat Scollin Percussion Instructor 87-91
Steve Scully Brass Inststructor 85-95
Jeff Secor Brass Instructor 85
John Simpson Brass Instructor 85
Barbara Soules Wardrobe Dept. 93-94
John Steinke Brass Instructor 87
John Steinke Promotions 90-92
Judy Steinke Promotions 90-92
Phil Stiers Program Guide 85
Jim Stock Merchandising 85-88
Tom Strachen Visual Instructor 90-92
Kirsten Streib Wardrobe 85
Steve Suslik Stage Direction 85-91
Mark Sylvester Stage Direction 85-86
Josh Talbott Brass Instructor 94-95
Asley Tappan Drum Major 89-90
Philip Tartalone Vis Instr 87
Tina Tartalone Vis Instr 87
John Tatgenhorst Arranger 95
Dave Tippett Brass Instructor 85
Linnea Trippiedi Auxiliary 94
Peggy Twiggs Color Guard Instr 86
Marilyn Tye Program Guide 85
Jon Vanderkolff Viaual Designer 93-95
Don VanDoren Brass Caption Head 86, 88-95
Jay Webb Musical Direction 85-86
Mo Webber Brass 95
Peggy Webber Production Staff 96
Todd Whisler Visual Instructor 86
Al White Technical Director 94-95
Marc Whitlock Brass Instructor 93
Becky Wood Drum Major 86-88
Jeff Wroblewski Vis inst/Cap Hd 87-92
Linda Wysong Production Staff 95
George Zingali Visual Designer 85-92
CRITIC PERFORMANCE REVIEWS OF STAR OF INDIANA
1995 Brass Theater
Critic Performance Reviews Brass Theatre
Columbus Dispatch-July 2
Columbus Zoo
By Barbara Zuck
Dispatch Senior Critic
2nd group joins Canadian Brass to dazzle crowd
They are the best thing to happen to brass music
since the invention of the spit valve.
The Canadian Brass, five virtuoso musicians with a
sense of humor and a plethora of virtuosity, made their
second appearance at the Columbus Zoo last night (their zoo
debut was two year's ago). The lone classical component of
this summer's Rhythm "n" Zoo series, the Brass once again
proved that serious music can be entertaining, that
entertainment need not be simplistic.
The Brass, incidentally, was not the only honkers
from Canada making its presence known. A flock of Canadian
geese created an impromptu antiphonal chorus part way
through a rendition of Mussorgsky's "Pictures at an
Exhibition." Tough to say who should have gotten top
billing.
The Brass also were joined by another crackerjack
group-the Star of Indiana Brass & Percussion Corps. The
presence of the 80-member ensemble made it possible for the
Canadian Brass to extend its repertoire into areas
heretofore uncharted for the quintet.
The two groups teamed up for what one might call a
literally heavy-metal version of Britten's Young Person's
Guide to the Orchestra. Interesting-yea. Fun? Not really.
The rendition lacked a witty narrative.
Better was the Gavrieli's Canzone No. 3. I should
note that keeping things together last night was Kenneth
Schermerhorn, principal conductor of the Nashville Symphony.
The distinguished-looking director belied his aristocratic
demeanor by re questing brisk tempos and plenty of oomph
and oompah from the assembled forces.
Even so, the first half of the concert lacked that
jene sais quoi. Well, maybe I do know what: the Brass
schtick.
With the Star of Indiana in tow; the concert
struggled to stay lively-for a major component of a typical
Canadian Brass concert is humor. The Star engaged the
musical possibilities but stifled the mood a tad.
The second half, however went quite swimmingly. The
percussion section of the Star opened with a catchy piece
that seemed to start in Japan and drift into the Caribbean,
stylistically speaking. It was a tour de force and the crowd
loved it. Then the Brass got into the swing of things with
a delectable arrangement of hits from Gershwin's Porgy and
Bess.
When I had to leave, the two groups were heading into
their first encore: "Barber's Adagio for Strings" (or,
perhaps, for brass and geese).
The Berkshire Eagle-July 6
Tanglewood
By Elsbet Wayne
Special to The Eagle
Tanglewood celebrates the Fourth in brassy fashion
Lenox-If the Fourth of July celebration at
Tanglewood represented a slice of Americana with family
oriented fun throughout the afternoon, it also featured an
evening concert of utmost musicianship and artistry.
Give the audience the Canadian Brass and put them
together with a drum and bugle corps, Star of Indiana,
composed of the nation's finest young bass and percussion
performers, and dancers, and the resulting show is bound to
be fabulous. It was.
The -Evening of Brass Theater" was a celebration of
instrumental music that combined jazz, symphonic and
marching band literature with traditional marching,
dance and specialized movement. Blended in was the
technology of modern theater. After 25 years of
trailblazing, the Canadian ensemble-trumpeters
rederick Mill and Ronald Romm, hornist David
Ohanian, trombonist Eugene Watts and tubaist Charles
Daellenbach has brought the limited repertoire of
brass instruments into an ensemble whose programs
range from the Renaissance to commissioned works and
anything in between.
Star of Indiana has surpassed the traditional
concept of a drum corps. Ensemble precision, incisiveness
and excellent sonorities are visually enhanced by the
group's impeccable dress and deportment.
Both ensembles excelled in sensitive interpretations
and pyrotechnic dexterity. They were compatible partners.
An aura of festivity hung over the Shed as one entered.
A screen stood at the front of the stage, ready for
the laser images that would be projected on them by a
nearby apparatus. An enormous array of percussion,
including multiple marimbas, vibraphones and xylophones
awaited the arrival of the players on stage.
Sound preceded the performers as the Canadians
marched into the Shed in slow, dirgelike pace. This was
where the showmanship began.
The Star of Indiana's percussion section introduced
the rest of the ensemble by letting loose with a mixture of
unmatched virtuosic Afro-Latin intricacies.
Strike it, stroke it, pound it, shake it or play it
with double sets of mallets, the Star of Indiana's
precision is flawless. Their brass and percussion ensembles
were rated the best in the world at the Drum Corps
International Championship two years ago.
Joining forces, the two ensembles regrouped around
the Shed for a reading of Giovanni Gabrielli's Canzona per
Sonare No. 3, the more thrilling as the audience was
engulfed in beautiful sound.
There is always a risk trying to keep a fanned out
group together. Only on rare occasion has the Boston
Symphony employed the technique.
Guest conductor Eiji Oue, newly appointed to head
the Minneapolis Symphony, managed very well. The music
unfolded seamlessly.
There was not a dull moment in this "Evening of
Brass Theater."
The Bach Toccata and Fugue in D Minor, BMV 5095, as
well as "The Beale Street Blues," highlighted the Indiana
Brass' resonance and dexterity.
Some of the colorful arrangements hid the original
music well, such as Barber's Adagio for Strings and Bartok's
Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta.
The showmanship went on and on. Where has one ever
seen eight performers play, simultaneously, on six mallet
percussion instruments?
Each half of the program culminated in a big number.
Selections from Moussorgsky's "Pictures at an Exhibition" (a
slight flaw in a horn release here) and a Sousa medley
combined multimedia components-patriotic symbols on the
screen, laser be a ms shooting through the Shed, dancers
twirling batons and waving flags. If the decibels could be
measured on a Richter scale, they would have registered a 9.
When You Wish Upon a Star" was offered as a quiet
encore. The evening ended with fireworks over Stockbridge
Bowl.
Boston Globe-July 6
Tanglewood
By Richard Dyer
Globe Staff
Brass, bugle herald
Tanglewood Fourth
Lenox-Some 12,600 people weren't at the Esplanade
Tuesday evening to see Keith Lockhart because they were at
Tanglewood instead. The Boston Symphony Orchestra took the
day off, but the management had arranged a festive day's
entertainment featuring the Canadian Brass and the
astounding drum and bugle corps Star of Indiana, as well as
comedians, clowns, the Berkshire Community College
International Chorus, face painting and "Hurdy-Gurdy,
Monkey & Me."
Everybody seemed to be having a good time except
possibly the people who didn't bring their own picnics and
found themselves standing in line at the cafeteria, where
the ratio seemed to be one cashier for each thousand
customers, and there we re complaints about prices that were
outrageous even by holiday rip-off standards.
Late in the afternoon the Canadian Brass with Star
of Indiana presented a special program especially for
children or as trombonist and emcee Eugene Watts put it,
"for anyone under 15, or over."
Although the Canadian Brass has entered its second
quarter century, it still plays with youthful zest and
performs with consummate professionalism. After slow-
marching into the Koussevitzky Music Shed as the group
played an old gospel hymn, the black-sneakered Canadians
offered Bach's "Little" G-Minor Fugue, which they performed
with wonderful ease, articulation, crispness, balance and
polish. They preceded this with an amusing little
introduction to the art of fugue. The rest of the pro gram
was mostly devoted to novelty numbers showing off the
individual members of the group and their instruments.
Tubist Charles Daellenbach rejoiced in his ragtime moment,
at one point sustaining a low B-flat while rotating his
instrument 360 degrees around his mouth.
Star of Indiana is now in its 11th season, many of
them spent as America's No. 1 drum and bugle corps-the
program modestly noted that Star of Indiana "burst onto the
scene with an unprecedented 10th-place finish in the Drum
Corps International World Championship." By 1991 the group
won the world title. You could certainly see and hear why
when 18 percussionists took to the stage for a number called
"Marimba Spiritual" led by soloist Drew Schneiders. The
Canadian Brass joined the full dazzlingly disciplined
complement of 86 brass and percussion players for Morton
Gould's meditation on -America the Beautiful" and an
arrangement of the finale of Britten's "Young Person's Guide
to the Orchestra." Both of these were conducted by Eiji Oue,
music director of the Minnesota Orchestra, former music
director of the Greater Boston Youth Symphony Orchestras and
a Tanglewood graduate.
The evening promised a fuller experience of "Brass
Theater" with the Canadian Brass, Star of Indiana and a
laser show by Image Engineering of Somerville. The musical
program was so far-reaching that it promised such unlikely
fare as brass arrangements of Barber's "Adagio for Strings"
and Bartok's "Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta."
And afterward, of course, there had to be fireworks.
Cedar Rapids Gazette-July 28, 1995
Five Seasons Center
By Rebecca P. Lindwall
Gazette assoc. arts & ent. editor
Brass '95 a feast of sights and sounds
Peer into a kaleidoscope while rotating its base
quickly, creating perpetually changing patterns of vibrant
color. Look closer and see that busy bodies are the shapes
in that design.
Meanwhile, absorb cascades of brass and percussion
music that fill your ears with shimmering sound from the
baroque to jazz to contemporary genres.
Welcome to the world of Brass Theater '95, brought
to Cedar Rapids Wednesday night by The Canadian Brass, and
the Star of Indiana, a magnificent drum-and-bugle corps made
up of 14 to 22 year-olds from all over the country.
The performance brought people of all ages to the
Five Seasons Center. At least three ovations marked the
evening.
Brass Theater is a hip and non-conventional fusion
of music and dance. Trombonists appear to be ballet dancers
as they move fluidly across the stage, horns held high.
Bouncing dancers personify musical notes as they leap
through the air.
The result is more rollicking than a circus and as
professional as what you would find performed at Tanglewood
and Lincoln Center-guess what, they've played there, too.
It's graced with three young members from Marion,
Independence and Manchester. Its producer is Jim Mason, a
Cedar Rapids native.
The Canadian Brass-a quintet-served both as
musicians and hosts for this event. The ensemble soloed
sweet selections from George Gershwin's "Porgy & Bess" and
was accompanied by the group in a brass version of Samuel
Barber's somber "Adagio f or Strings."
Best was the creative take on Mussorgsky's "Pictures
at an Exhibition." With bright brass filling the arena, the
piece was punctuated by colorful dancers who uncurled from
embryonic positions on an artist's pallet at the piece's
start. Magnificent was the percussion section's marimba
spiritual, a wild, rapid-fire piece with hand drumming and
call-and-response vocals.
Los Angeles Times-July 20, 1995
Hollywood Bowl
Canadian Brass' Bowl Extravaganza
The Canadian Brass was on a mission to entertain
Wednesday night, sashaying onto the Hollywood Bowl stage to
the tune of "Just a Closer Walk With Thee" done a la
Dixieland. The quintet, tellingly attired in white dress
jackets and coordinated tennis shoes, offered up polished
musicality with impish levity to match.
Kitsch may be a strong part of this group's
vocabulary, but there's more an assiduous musicality that
enhances the cause of brass. This was a night of high, low
and middling ambitions, unflappable resourcefulness and
brassy grandeur as the 25 -year-old group joined forces
with the impressive brass-and-percussion ensemble Star of
Indiana, conducted by Kenneth Schermerhorn.
From those ranks, the accomplished percussion
ensemble summoned up heroic panache and quirky rethinking
for an arrangement of Bartok's Music for Strings,
Percussion and Celesta. All hands on stage conjured up a
brassy sheen for snippets of Mussorgsky's -Pictures at an
Exhibition," a work easily adapted without damage. For
Gabrieli's "Canzona per Sonare, No. 3," the troops were
dispersed around the Bowl's box area, generating
encircling, canonic ripples.
Not all the instrumental translations were so
inspired. Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D minor, BWV 565
begged for the majesty of its original arrangement for
organ. Samuel Barber's elegiac Adagio for Strings lacked
that all-important ethereal transparency.
On themes from Gershwin's "Porgy and Bess," the
quintet brought out a vibrant warmth, but it only managed a
well-meaning, stiffly phrased interpretation of a Duke
Ellington medley.
To close, a resplendent Sousa medley, replete with
beautifully gaudy choreography for object-twirling
majorettes, seized the Bowl's friendly audience-with a 8,434
head count-and rendered the evening's aesthetic pluses and
minuses somewhat moo t. This, after all, was an evening in
the park, a musical picnic where brass was king for a night.
Josef Woodard
St. Paul Pioneer Press
Showtime-July 31
St. Paul Civic Center
By Bob Protzman
Jazz Critic
Brass Chuckles
When the Canadian Brass joins forces with the Star
of Indiana drum and bugle corps, the result is an electric,
often hilarious and always delightful theatrical adventure,
sort of a brass-roots movement.
What on Earth is the classical Canadian Brass
quintet doing traipsing around the country with the Star of
Indiana drum and bugle corps?
Making fun, exciting eclectic music, according to
Canadian Brass co-founder Gene Watts.
You ought to hear the sound we get from about 60
brass and 20 percussion," says Watts. "We can go from Bach
to ragtime to Gabrieli's 16th century vocal music to
Broadway and Gershwin to Ellington to Sousa."
Probably the first pairing of brass quintet with
drum and bugle corps, the Canadian Brass and Canadian Brass
and championship Star of Indiana merger came out of mutual
need: The 25-year-old CB wanted a bigger sound, and the 11-
year-old Star wanted a longer show.
Watts explains, "We didn't know much about drum and
bugle corps; they're quite separate from our music world.
But we did a workshop for the Star of Indiana in
Bloomington-their home base-back in 1992. Afterward, we
heard them perform in a concert hall, which was quite
unusual in itself, and noticed what a wonderful sound they
produced. So when we found out they were interested in
expanding their show from the normal 15 minutes to two
hours, we were interested in working with them."
There was one obstacle, as far as the CB was
concerned. "We asked them to play regular brass
instruments, rather than bugles."
Wait a minute. A drum and bugle corps without
bugles?
The bugle is really a second-class instrument. It's
tuned in a really bad key (E-flat) and is not compatible
with the normal B-flat instruments," says Watts.
So members of Star of Indiana agreed to drop the
bugle from the drum and bugle corps in favor of other brass
instruments, and a partnership was born. Last year, the new
collaborators did about 10 performances of a show they
named Brass Theater, which included not only music, but
also dance and other movement, and costumes and other
visuals.
This year, they're taking Brass Theater on an eight-week,
16-city tour, including a stop Tuesday night at the St. Paul
Civic Center.
"The excitement is in the sound," says Watts, "but
the visuals are pretty powerful, too. From the drum and
bugle corps, we've incorporated the color guard, and 20
women do precision flag, rifle and sword drills. We've
added a lot of lighting, which drum and bugle corps aren't
allowed to use in competition, and even some amplification.
Brass fans will hear some 20 trumpets, 10 French
horns, trombones and tubas, plus euphoniums and more. Drum
freaks will enjoy snares, bass drums, cymbals, vibes,
marimba and xylophone, bells, chimes, wood blocks, shakers
and electronic keyboards. "there are no synthesizers yet,"
say Watts, "but I bet they're coming."
A Brass Theater CD from last year's tour is
available. And sometime in August, there will be a live
recording and concert in Bloomington to be taped for a
forthcoming PBS special. This fall on RCA, the Canadian
Brass will release "Swingtime, " a CD with jazz musicians
Gerry Mulligan and Bob Brookmeyer (and, via sampling, Zoot
Sims and Roy Eldridge).
"We've done some traditional jazz tunes, but this is
our first jazz album, so it's pretty exciting for us," says
Watts.
The Canadian Brass came together around 1970 in
Toronto. Four of its current members were founders-Watts
(trombone), Fred Mills (trumpet), Ronald Romm (trumpet) and
Charles Daellenbach (tuba). The fifth member, French-
hornist David Ohanian joined about 10 years ago.
Star of Indiana entered drum and bugle corps
competition in 1984 and immediately captured 10th place at
the Drum Corps International World Championships. The corps
went on to place in the DCI World Championship finals
nine consecutive years ( 1985-93), winning it all in '91.
They've also won many other championships.
Watts is a big admirer of Star of Indiana. "They'll
work 14 to 16 hours a day, get on a bus, go to a place, get
up and practice again. They have incredible dedication, and
the result is incredible discipline. And remember, we use
(sheet) music, but because of all the movement, they don't.
They have to memorize two hours of music."
Watts also is proud of the Canadian Brass, believing
that the ensemble, which has become known for its humor as
well as its virtuosity, was the first to take some of the
stuffiness out of the music and performances of classical
brass quintets . "We talk to our audience a lot and let
them
know that what we're doing is not so serious, that the can
enjoy Bach as they would a good jazz piece, that they don't
have to be quiet and sit on their hands, that classical
music is there to be enjoyed, to have fun with. I think we
started a trend in that regard; others came after us."
NUVO Preview-August 13
Assembly Hall
By Joe Nickell
A Star Rises Over Indiana
Close your eyes
Horses gallop lightly in a summer field. They romp
together under billowing clouds, neighing and nipping
playfully at each other. The clouds mimic the horses in-
cloud-time, morphing through slowly shifting horse shapes.
The horses, in turn, pretend to be clouds, floating
gracefully over grass. In their midst, one horse unknowing
plants a hoof on a sunning snake.
Open your eyes
The snake twists at your feet. Its scales flash in
the morning light. Twisting wildly, rolling in,
rolling out, mad death. In a blaze of final glory, it
straightens its long, thin body and rolls toward
you.
And the crowd around you erupts in a standing,
cheering ovation. Musical mandala, human pointillism, the
greatest show on earth.
Welcome to Star of Indiana
What exactly is Star of Indiana? It is a group of
performers comprised of 62 brass instrumentalists, 20
percussionist, 14 dancers and a conductor. Star performs a
wide range of music, from Stravinsky and Bartok to medieval
dance tunes, from Duke Ellington to hard-grooving Latin
jams-and more.
The twist is that one could just as easily describe
Star of Indiana as a dance company, performing styles
ranging from ballet to modern and futurist. But if that's
starting to sound too artsy-fartsy for you, how does a one-
hundred proof, full -frontal assault of the senses strike
you? That's Star, too.
Formed in 1984 by Bloomington billionaire Bill Cook,
Star of Indiana began its life as a competitor in the
strange subculture of Drum & Bugle Corps-did you know that
there are nearly 200 full-time competitive summer touring
corps in the Unite d States? In 1991, Star captured the
Drum Corps International World Championship title-becoming
the youngest corps ever to do so.
Then, in September of 1993, Star of Indiana
announced that it had quit DCI and would spend the summer of
1994 embarking on a new venture: a non-competitive tour of
the United States, performing in indoor venues with the
world-famous Canadian Brass Quintet.
"There is nothing less than the invention of a new
medium," said Corps Director Jim Mason at the time of the
announcement. "Star has always been taking risks and
challenging our membership. I ask all of you to take a look
into the future." Marching back through time.
To understand the future, one must look to the past,
to the centuries-old tradition of military marching bands.
The first Western appearance of military bands
dates to the later Middle Ages, when according to the New
Grove Dictionary of Music & Musicians, "bands of shawms,
bagpipes, trumpets and drums, broadly in the Muslim pattern
witnessed in the crusades, performed at tournaments, were
taken on [military] campaigns and were employed on naval
vessels." After a temporary subsidence of the tradition
during the Renaissance, military bands reappeared in the
later part of the 16th century. At that time, these
"outdoor combinations of wind instruments, though
consistently maintained for royal and civilian purposes,
ceased to serve the armed forces, which confined themselves
to trumpets for the cavalry and drum, or drum and fife, for
the foot." The latter-mentioned drum-and-fife corps were
charged with communicating information, commands or
encouragement to ground troops during times of war or
encampment. These foot-bound musicians also maintained
marching pace during troop movements, by providing 'so firm,
decided and overpowering a beat" that it is virtually
impossible to get out of step." (C.F.D. Schubart, 1806).
By the latter part of the 16th century, the drum-
and-fife corps had become an established part of British
military regiments, such that Thomas Digges, in his An
Arithmetical Warlike Treatise, felt compelled to call for
"A Dromme Major of ever y regiment" who, as leader of the
drummers, fifers and/or buglers, should be a man "of great
perfection in his science." Throughout the 17th, 18th, and
19th centuries, this post was given considerable importance,
and was adopted into the structures o f other European
militaries.
Historical accounts also tell us, according to New
Grove, that the drum major "was generally the most lavishly
dressed man in the regiment," and that his baton, or staff,
"has ever been considered part of his insignia." The drum
major would keep time with the staff by spinning it "with
and easy air once round, so as to keep time, and plant it
every fourth pace" (C. James, The Regimental
Companion, 1803).
It's easy to see how this well-dressed man spinning
his baton became the predecessor to the modern drum major of
every high school marching band. Likewise, the long-honored
tradition of the "firm, decided and overpowering" beat is a
well-know n attribute of such marching bands. But how did we
get from there to Star of Indiana's theatrical stage
performances of avant-garde classical music?
It happened through the evolution of a new kind of
marching corps, based loosely on the military model, but
with a strictly civilian, patriotic purpose. This type of
corps culled its music largely from the military band
tradition: patriotic m arches and light classical tunes.
Added to this was an element of movement, initially in the
style of the fife-and-drum corps.
According to DCI literature. "Veterans returned from
Europe after each world war to form corps that were parade
units. Their purpose was predominantly a patriotic vehicle,
and the corps were usually sponsored by veterans
organizations and neighborhood youth centers such as the
Catholic Youth Organization."
Performing on brass instruments and marching drums,
these corps began to compete in contests, and were judged
mainly on accuracy of playing and movement. A division
between junior and senior corps developed, with the Junior
Corps comprised of kids age 14-21.
Out of these junior corps grew the modern Drum &
Bugle Corps on which Star of Indiana was based at its
inception. Again, according to DCI: "During the 1950's drum
corps began to evolve musically, diversifying their programs
beyond the traditional marches. Through the "60s and "70s,
these changes continued as the size of corps grew, uniform
design became more diverse, contest rule changes allowed for
more innovative drill design and the instruments themselves
continued to improve."
In 1972, DCI was formed out of a perceived need to
establish a set of rules for judging and a clearer
communication network. Crowds at the shows began to grow
into the tens of thousands as more and more people were
exposed to the precision movement and virtuosi playing of
these groups of young people. The summer touring schedule
soon intensified, such that member of Junior Corps like the
Concord Blue Devils, Madison Scouts and the Garfield Cadets
could expect to perform thirty or more times in the course
of a summer, traveling over 10,000 miles and practicing for
ten to fourteen hours a day.
"It's a grueling schedule, really," explains a
former member of Star. "You're up at eight, on the field by
nine; you practice "til noon, then break for lunch, then
practice from one "til five of so; break for dinner; and
then you either go t o the venue (to perform), or practice
until ten or so" You travel at night or sleep on gym floors,
and you get a day off about once every two weeks to
do laundry."
The maximum number of performing members was set at
128-the average number of people that can be fit onto three
school buses. Each DCI corps consisted of drummers, buglers,
flag-bearers, rifle-twirlers and sabre-twirlers, as well as
a drum major.
Then, in the early 1980s "just before Star burst
onto the scene-a major change in the visual aspect of corps
performance took place when a man named George Zingali began
writing drill (the marching patterns) for the Garfield
Cadets of Bergen County, New Jersey.
Unlike others before him, Zingali designed patterns
of movement that abandoned traditional boxes, squares and
lines, and focused instead on organic movement involving
soft-edged, "morphing" shapes one would never find in a
geometry textbook. Zingali's drill-writing had a profound
effect on the world of drum corps. Organic movement favors
organic music--music in which the flow is more subtle than
the traditional rum-pa-bump of marching band music. Corps
began to experiment with music b y modern classical
composers such as Aaron Copland and Igor Stravinsky as well
as modern jazz, popular music. Broadway and even surfin"
music. And the evolution of the activity continued at a
rapid pace.
When Star burst onto the scene in 1985, they brought
with them something never-before-seen in Drum and Bugle
Corps: a corporate sponsor. Previously, corps had been
sponsored by local civic, religious and veterans'
organizations; a major part of any corps member's task was
fund-raising at bingo games and the like.
When Star appeared, if arrived with the backing of Cook
Incorporated, a Bloomington medical supplies corporation
founded by Bill Cook. Cook had first become exposed to Drum
and Bugle Corps when his son toured with the Colts of
Dubuque, Iowa. Discovering what he felt to be "a great
educational and artistic opportunity for young people,"
Cook decided to create his own corps. He recruited Colts
director Jim Mason, and then went about assembling a top-
notch team of instructors culled from the best corps around
the country.
In its first year of competition in DCI, Star placed
tenth-the first corps ever to place that highly in its debut
season. Resentment toward Star was strong, as many thirty"
and forty-year-old corps found themselves considerably less
well-funded than the "new kids on the block." Nonetheless,
Star steadily rose in the ranks of the activity, eventually
winning the DCI World Championship trophy in 1991 with a
show based on Ottorino Respighi" "Pines of Rome."
Stellar Metamorphosis
After placing third in the 1992 competition and
second in the 1993 competition, Star seemed poised to begin
a reign of domination. But Bill Cook and Jim Mason decided
to set their sights even higher. They decided to invent a
new medium.
"If we look at the big picture, this is far, far,
far beyond competition," said Horn Line Instructor Donnie
Van Doren. "This is an opportunity to work in a
professional environment. It's well beyond my wildest
expectation, something the likes of which I've been looking
forward to for a long, long time."
They called it Brass Theatre. Combining the
virtuosic movement and playing of Drum and Bugle Corps, the
intimacy of an auditorium-type setting, a lack of
regulations regarding length of performance and type of
equipment used and the lighting & props of a professional
stage production, Brass Theatre opened up endless
possibilities for the Star of Indiana.
"Brass Theater is a musical spectacle which combines
a live concert with dance, movement and scenic elements to
interpret the musical settings," explains Star Stage
Director and Dynographer Philip Burton. "Music selections
are varied using classical, jazz, ethnic, folk, film
music, percussion, modern and traditional selections. The
word "live" is significant in that all elements are
featured in an artistic whole. There is not an orchestra
accompanying any of the program, for the music is the
centerpiece. The dance and movement interpretations are
supported by a lighting and set design which also uses
multi-media projections and effects to enhance the impact
of the experience."
In 1994, building on Star's tradition of mellifluous
music and captivating visuals. Mason and his staff created a
two-hour program of music which featured humor, excitement
and great diversity. The corps performed alone (marching and
playing music from their 1993 program as well as the 1991
World Championship program), and in tandem with the Canadian
Brass. In addition, the Canadian Brass were featured alone
in several well known numbers.
In the two years since its inception, Star's Brass
Theatre program has received nothing short of ecstatic
praise. "Every place we go, the only word to describe the
audience is: stunned," says Corps Director Jim Mason. "It's
like exposing people to a circus for the very first time.
You say, well, it's an elephant. They say, what does an
elephant look like? You say, well, it has a long trunk.
They say, what's a trunk? And you say, well, it's kinda
like a big nose which can also be used a s a big nose which
can also be used as a hand. But even when you say that, you
don't really do justice to what an elephant really is.
"And that's kind of like what Brass Theatre is,"
continues Mason. "It's just almost indescribable in all the
different dimensions that it opens up musically and
theatrically. It's' well, it's just a must-see. It's a must
see for family entertainment this summer."
Even the tradition-bound world of DCI corps has
grudgingly acknowledged the achievement of Star. According
to the July 1, 1994, issue of Drum Corps World, "An Evening
of Brass Theatre is a total mind-blower, a wonderful
diversion and as (and more) innovative as anything we have
ever seen on the field. Plus and this is a big one "it is
entertaining beyond belief."
For most people, the concept of a marching band is
grounded in squawking clarinets and silly uniforms. From
the moment they take the stage, Star of Indiana shatters
those perceptions with the resounding blast of 62 horns.
Indeed, Star of Indiana may well be the most innovative,
virtuosic musical ensemble in Indiana.
Star of Indiana's final performances of the 1995
summer tour are this weekend, August 19, at IU's Assembly
Hall in Bloomington (matinee performance at 3:30 p.m.;
final performance at 8 p.m.). The program features music by
Duke Ellington, a searing percussion feature titled
"Marimba Spiritual" and a full plate of great classical
works such as Benjamin Britten's "Young Person's Guide to
the Orchestra," Mussorgsky's "Pictures at an Exhibition,"
Barber's Adagio," and a white-knuckle rendition of
Stravinsky's "Firebird Suite." The program also features the
Canadian Brass, as well as a special appearance by the
world-renowned percussion ensemble, Nexus. Call the Monroe
County YMCA at 812-332-5555 for ticket in formation.
Bloomington Herald Times-August 13
Assembly Hall
By Kathleen Miles
Beat of a different drummer
Star of Indiana, Canadian Brass join forces to create new
entertainment
Two years ago, despite incredible success in
national drum and bugle corps competitions, Star of Indiana
decided to leave competitive performance and take on the
country's great concert halls in a completely different
style of show.
The Star, based in Bloomington, teamed up with the
famed quintet Canadian Brass for a Brass Theater show,
complete with costumes, art montages and elements of
theatrical performance.
The multi-media event was a hit. The two groups went
on to record a CD together and this summer, embarked upon
Brass Theater 1995.
It's a tour that has taken them to the Illinois
State University Auditorium, the Columbus Zoo in Ohio,
Tanglewood in Lenox, Mass., and Avery Fisher Hall in New
York's Lincoln Center.
The Brass Theater show stops in Bloomington Saturday
for two performances at Assembly Hall. Percussion ensemble
Nexus is the special guest. All proceeds from the show
benefit YMCA youth and family scholarships.
Star of Indiana, started by Bloomington businessman
Bill Cook, first entered national drum and bugle corps
competition 11 years ago. In its first year, the Star
captured a 10th-place finish at the Drum Corps
International (DCI) World Champion ships.
Star would never finish that low again. The drum and
bugle corps went on to win the DCI World Championship, the
U.S. Open Championship, the DCI Canadian Championship and
scores of other contests.
Star left competition to "try something totally
new," according to executive director Jim Mason.
Since 1970, the Canadian Brass has recorded more
than 25 albums and given nearly 4,000 concerts. The five
members of the group serve as partners and mentors to the
young people of Star of Indiana.
"It's a wonderful relationship," Canadian Brass"
trombone player Eugene Watts said at the beginning of the
Brass Theater 1995 tour. "We worked really hard last year
and we felt like we're just starting where we left off last
summer. I know it will be a glorious year and we're really
excited about it."
Watts paused to note that the Canadian Brass and
Star were wearing similarly styled jackets. "We're supposed
to be influencing them, but I don't know which way it's
going," he laughed.
Judging form the opinions expressed by Star of
Indiana's members, Canadian Brass is a positive influence.
"It's great working with Canadian Brass," said Jennifer
Sullivan, a Star French horn player from Boston. "These are
people you admire from a distance, to know them on a first-
name basis' I'm learning form having all of these great
people around me . I'm learning at a fast pace."
Playing at such lofty venues as Ravina and Lincoln
Center was one reason Sullivan, a graduate student in
environmental engineering at M.I.T., joined Star.
Though Charles Daellenbach has had many more years
of performance experience than Sullivan, those venues were a
draw for the Canadian Brass tuba player as well.
"Any tuba player would kill for this kind of
schedule," Daellenbach said.
Star of Indiana and Canadian Brass entertained
informally at the convention center in Bloomington in May.
Both groups performed portions of Mussorgsky's "Pictures at
an Exhibition" and the Canadian Brass played it typically
wacky horn numbers. Brass Theater 1995 offers that same
kind of diversity; mixing music, dance, costumes, theater
and art. The musical selections range from Mozart's Figaro
and Gershwin's Porgy and Bess to old brass favorites. "This
is terrific," Canadian Brass member Ronald Romm said after a
practice with the two groups. It's a very interesting
experience and it opens up a whole new type of entertainment
for families and that's what's needed."
Several Star of Indiana members said that
combination of entertainment styles drew them to the
organization.
"The reason I came was to learn more about theater,"
said Brian Eisert, a first-year Star of Indiana
member. "In drum corps, you only learn one 10-
minute show. With this, I've learned a lot about the
technical side of the instrument." Heather Loose, a
first-year trumpet player for Star, said when she
heard what Star was doing with the Canadian Brass
she knew she had to be a part of it.
"It sounded like the experience of a lifetime," she
said. "And it has been, It's a fabulous and awesome
experience."
COMMENTS FROM THE AUDIENCE
COLUMBUS ZOO / July 1, 1995
"Great Performance.
Go French Horns!
French Horns Rule-Tubas Drool."
"Id like to see a video or at least a CD of that incredible
Marimba Spiritual that opened the 2nd half."
"Wonderful performance. As the father of a percussionist"
I loved the percussion piece. Bravo!!"
"This was a first of its kind and I enjoyed it to the
finest. Keep playing those great tunes. Good luck to both
groups in the future."
"I really liked the concert. The trombone was my favorite."
"I laughed, I cried, much better than "Cats'. Ill see it
again, and again."
"I'm a high school band director in Santa Clara, CA who
marched in B.D. "78 & "79, your "breaking away" from the
nuttiness of DCI is awesome! I hope you can keep doing this
every year and come to Northern CA next year."
Jeff Wilhen,
Santa Clara H.S.
"Yes, we liked it. You guys are awesome!
The French Horn player is really a cutie!"
"Come again! Wonderful! Loved the CB & Star together."
TANGLEWOOD / July 4, 1995
"Ossum."
"Super the Best"
"We came to hear the Star of Indiana and we are glad we did!
Wonderful!"
Ron Horn West Suffield, CT
"I've been involved in drum corps for a long time. I never
buy a program. Tonight Ill buy a program! Thanks."
Jay McBride
"I miss you on the field but what a great show!"
"Fantastic!! Will see you 8/7 in N.Y."
"I liked it!"
"Wow!! The best!! Awesome"
Alanna Barris
"I thought it was great but you need to give out a
brochure!!"
David Cotton, Stockton, CA
"Great, but too many people talking."
"Wow, wow & wow! You blew our sox off! Great show-we rally
appreciate all your hard work-Thanks & come again anytime!"
"Wonderful! Going to bring grand kids next year!"
"Great! Exciting! Loud!"
"Wonderful! Best display of youth music I've seen. So
professional. Made my 4th of July!"
"This show was excellent. The enthusiasm from the Star of
Indiana and the expertise of the Canadian Brass made for a
first rate show. Thank you."
Star "Totally awesome! Keep it up" but come back to DCI." we
miss you!"
Madison Dad, Skyryders Mom
"We loved your show. The "new" addition -"Star of Indiana"
is wonderful. We look forward to hearing & seeing you again.
Please return to western Mass'
U-Mass-Amherst maybe?"
"Your performance has given me what will become one of my
fondest memories. I couldn't have asked for a more exciting
Fourth of July. Hope to see you again soon!"
Claudette Wire, Rome, NY
"The show was fabulous!! Come back again.
"The best 4th ever at T-Wood!
Go Indiana!
"We loved it! Very talented young and "older" people music
at its best!!"
RAVINIA / July 11, 1995
"You're all awesome. That's the best
sound I've ever heard from a drum corps ensemble in all my
14 year marching."
"Jeremy Hunter,
Phantom Regiment
"Wow! Great! Spectacular! Don't ever stop!! You are truly
fantastic! Keep shining!!"
"Wonderful!!"
"Great show! Are there any Star of Indiana video tapes that
can be purchased?"
"To Star of Indiana Members: Excellent job. Filling this out
after intermission. You just finished "Pictures'. All I can
say is "goose bumps'. Visual work made me smile. Love to see
it on a field. Thank you for the "bumps' and continue the
work. Great learning experience."
John Sierakowshi, Phantom
Regiment SOP
"Your music rocks!! and its COOL!"
"The tubas were awesome!"
"Wonderful-Come back!"
Steven Amour
"Let's put it this way. Why donut you pass out Kleenex."
"Tubas' rocked! rocked!! rocked!!!"
"I must say the show touched me a lot!! " Tacata and Fugue
"gave me goose bumps. A true special gift to hear it played
so under control. "Rimsky Korsekav "Great Gate" almost made
me cry. I'm still giddy.
"Color guard girls--a true wonderful addition to the music.
Made the music even better. You have a great combination
going there. Just keep touching people like you did me!"
"Jacqueline Pitter, Phantom Regimen, Salem, Oregon
" Very good concert. Canadian Brass is a long time favorite
and blends well with the Star of Indiana. Unbeatable
concert!"
"Bravo! Pictures at an Exhibition!"
"Hi" I want a video of the Star of Indiana doing that
percussion piece that incorporated different world styles of
drumming. Let me know if it's available."
"Bonny Sue Lundin,
Glenview, IL
"We would enjoy hearing more about the origins of the (two)
featured groups 'The Star of Indiana & The Canadian Brass-how
you got started, etc.
HOLLYWOOD BOWL / July 19, 1995
"Great!"
"You guys rule!"
"As a Vanguard Alum, I must say that you guys kicked my Ass!
Great sound; it's dark, warm & beautiful. Fabulous program &
I wish you well. I envy you all!"
Kurt Lohmiller
"Wonderful! Is there a mailing list?"
Ken Selfridge, LA, CA
"The percussion set has me up out of my seat and I know the
Brass is the show but those drums' YOWSA!! Also loved the
Samuel Barber piece, and Porgy & Bess! Thank you!!"
"The "Brass' Chowed "Star" Jamed! Wavy Gravy Guys!"
"Canadians are more patriotic. Uplifting. Really enjoyed it!
Good humor! Great flag twirlers!"
"The Visual Ensemble was outstanding during Sousa!"
"This show is the best I've ever heard."
"Your flag squad was great."
"You guys are the best!!"
"From a Vanguard age-out, what you guys are doing and how
you sound is absolutely fabulous. Congratulations."
"The drill team was also excellent. What happened to
Pachabels Canon?? Peace, Love and Good Karma. Happy
Travels!!"
"Superb combination"more!"
Clair Sasano,
Sherman Oaks, CA
"You guys are soooo great!"
Mom
"We have season box tickets'we"ve seen the Canadian Brass
the past few seasons'but this one was the best! You all were
fabulous! I hope you will be here again next year!"
"When are you guys coming back?
FIVE SEASONS CENTER / July 26, 1995
"You have changed the definition and expectations of the
word excellence."
"Hi Star! I"m 20 years as of 5/15/95. This means I have to
be making some decisions! I play tuba and do philosophy. I"d
like more info. about additions for your corps."
Nick Horak,
Swisher, IA
"Fantastic"
"Best show of any kind I"ve ever seen, heard & loved."
"It keeps getting better!!! How?"
"I loved it!"
"Beautiful Music."
MARCUS AMPHITHEATER / July 26,
"You don"t come often enough to Milwaukee. Love the music.
Wish I didn"t have to buy a program"bought the ticket &
think it should have come with it. (am retired"fixed
income.) Can"t wait to hear you again."
Jean Walters
"I"ve been going to drum corps for 6 years because my
brother Bill Tyrrell was (aged out last year) in the Madison
Scouts. I have seen Star in competition. But never and I
mean never have I been so moved by a performance. It was
great! I hope my chil dren have talent like that when they
grow up. Great show! I loved it. Thank you for brightening
my day!"
"Great music selections! Super discipline, Good moves! Very
good musical evening"Thank you!"
"Star of Indiana: Saw the show in Boston last year & it was
GREAT. This year was equally as GREAT. Thank you for all of
your work & talent that you can bring so much joy to so many
people. Must admit I do miss you at DCI."
Great! Thanks for coming!"
"Your show was fantastic " that's from a first time listener
" Bravo!"
"Fantastic group! Appreciate all your hard work! One
suggestion " less explanation more playing!"
"Great show! Who needs strings?"
"Excellent program."
"Saw it in Worcester last year " great this year " still
great "
keep doing it."
"You"re terrific; exceptionally fine musicians! We loved you
immensely!!"
"Your drumline is amazing!!"
"If it gets any better than this' please call me.
(I don"t think it can.)"
"Excellent production."
"Dan Luke
"Great! Keep up the great work!!"
St. PAUL CIVIC CENTER / August 1,
"When you wish upon a star; Spectacular!"
"Stunning fabulous'
"Very original, I hope drum corps leads to more musical
theaters, maybe musicals?"
"Great show"no prior advertising except for some radio
today."
"Wonderful show! Horn player is HOT!"
"I saw you on public T.V. last year(?) and taped it. Great
show. I had to be here!"
"The Star was great"but too many comments and tired one
liners from the Canadian Brass'why didn"t they just play."
"Supercalifragilisticexpialidocas!"
"What a wonderful marriage! Thanks for inviting me to the
wedding."
Paul Smith
"Really miss you guys on the competition field! But love you
just as much now!! Keep the amazing work!!!"
A native Hoosier
"Wow! Spectacular!
I loved it!"
FT. WAYNE COLISEUM / August 3, 1995
"Best ever seen! Keep up the good work!"Elaice Foster
"Wonderful " come back to Ft. Wayne."
"This has got to be the most incredible show I have ever
seen & heard in my entire life! Great job! Keep it up!"
"Outstanding! Please come back next year!"
"Incredible!! What a tribute to kids; Hard work & perfect
music to the ears! Bravo!"
"What a show! Great--better than last year--if possible!"
"The Arts are not dead!! Thank you."
"Uplifting and revitalizing to a music therapist with love
of all music and what it offers to all! Lots of love."
"It was fantastic! But I think they really need to advertise
a little more"they could get better attendance. I hope they
come back."
"I love you guys! I wish I was marching again!!"
LeAnn
"Incredible! You guys / gals are awesome! I miss you on the
field. But you"re great anywhere! Keep it up " God Bless!"
"Great!"
"Thank you Star & Canadian Brass! I work with the
underprivileged youth of America and you have definitely
renewed the spirit in my heart to continue on the long road
I (we) travel. Thank you and God Bless!"
"The Percussion: Dramatic, Exciting!! The Brass: Noble,
Exciting!! We shed tears of pride. Thank you for a memorable
evening!"
LINCOLN CENTER / August 7, 1995
"Come back soon. You are great!!! L.C. needs you!!!"
Love NY!
"Best I"ve ever heard at Lincoln Center!"
M. McMorris
"Wonderful show!"
"Utterly, extremely fantastic!!"
"It was a wonderful performance"enjoyed
it tremendously!"
"Super enjoyable! Come back next year."
"Just absolutely amazing, superb! Very impressive!! What
more can one say?"
Eric, NY
"We love you! Welcome to NYC and please come back!"
INTERLOCHEN / August 10, 1995
"I'm over from England on vacation and would like to say
that the band, orchestra, drums, in fact everybody that took
part were absolutely brilliant, what more can I say. Well
worth coming to America for. Keep it up!"
"I am a visitor from England, and I am so glad I was able to
come to Interlochen to enjoy such a wonderful entertainment.
I thoroughly & absolutely thought it was just great,
absolutely fantastic and wouldn"t have missed if for the
world. Thank you a ll so very much for making my evening so
wonderful. I am an old lady and will never ever forget you
all. Well done, good luck always."
Ms. V.J. Baxter, London, England
"We would like to meet you some day! Congratulations!" "
Claudia Robins, Caracas, Venezuela
"Awesome job! Horns are the best! Good luck!"
"It was awesome! I enjoyed it a lot. Congratulations!"
Mariana Guzm
"What a fantastic wonderful performance. We are from England
and thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it."
Frances and Maureen
"Impressive! Most entertaining! Wonderful blend of young
talent."
"Trombones rule on high! Way to go!"Karna, England
"Fabulous! Come again!"
"Great support staff too!"
Marshall
"Best concert in years. Please bring back Star of Indiana.
They are great!"
"I"ve seen bands, orchestras, marching units, and other
musical ensembles as well as Hollywood & Broadway plays
across the U.S., Canada, England, and in the Carribean. I"ve
been moved such as this but never as proud because it says
so much about the hope of the young people of America. Thank
you for the inspiration. God Bless you all."
Dan Blanding,
Grand Rapids, MI
BUFFALO AUDITORIUM / AUGUST 12, 1995
"Excellent! What a blend of music, talent and performing
arts! A lot of work & it shows!! Culturally enriching! Very
entertaining!"
The Kahlers, Harleysville, PA
"Star, I really enjoyed the show. I would love to see you
back on the field; with what you knew and what you"ve
learned"you would blow their socks off! I do have to be
honest with you, I am a traditionalist and I don"t enjoy
the color guards outfits, except for the John Phillip Sousa
selection. Don"t be like everyone else. Stay clean. God
Bless!
"Firebird Suite was great! I"d love to see and hear more of
that. Awesome!"
"Show was fantastic, just like last year. But, won"t you
please return to DCI, I miss you, maybe you can do both?
Maybe theater in the winter?"
"You do drum corps proud to show the legitimate music
community that we are for real too! Thanks!"
"Tremendous performance!! As a high school band director "
thank you!!"
"Excellent concept, superb performance."
"Great talent! However I feel it lost that great drumcorps
feeling it had last year, I miss the fast and creative
marching, a color guard proficient with equipment, and
occasional bugle sound. Too concert-like or recital-like.
Again, great talent, but I miss last year's excitement.
"Wow!"
"Dear Star, You guys are still happenin"! I really miss you
on the DCI Tour. Their loss! You guys keep doing what your
doing and I"ll keep coming to check you out and buying
stuff. DCI wasn"t ready for you all!"
Ondraus Cissell,
Louisville, KY
"Incredible!"
"Excellent show! So proud of you all keep up the good
work."
Stan & Mary Birsh,
Conshohocken, PA
"Battery seemed out of place"used sparingly, not enough.
Probably better none at all for this show. Percussion pieces
really rocked."
"Incredible!" "More of full ensemble Firebird suite was
FAB!"
BLOSSOM MUSIC CENTER / August 13, 1995
"Fabulous, Fabulous, Fabulous! They (Brass & Star of
Indiana) should record (CD, Audio Cassette, & Video
Cassette) together."
"Excellent'sounds as good as professional symphony
orchestra. Excellent!"
"Hey Star, loved you! We"ve been fans for years. Good
concert with Canadian Brass! Loved the good control of
sound in crescendo. Good ebb & flow. I still especially
love the "full band" sound. Like to hear Brass wail a
little and what can I say about Drum Spiritual"WOW! Would
like a little more Drum/Bugle as you did in Canton with
Canadian Brass. Need to shake up Blossom Music Center a
little. Poor color guard didn"t get much chance. Love you.
Will look for you in future. Maybe back in competiti on at
DCI? Take Care."
Claudia Widgren
"Nice job! Come more often."
J.L., Cleveland
"Awesome show! Star of Indiana was great also. Loved
everything!"
"My wife and I had to entertain my parents from Miami, FL.
Last night we took them to hear Jimmy Buffett, tonight we
are here. Isn"t life in Cleveland great!"
"Very Good! Percussion rocked! Especially Bass Drums and
Crash Cymbals!"
"Great job French Horns from a "hornist! The accompaniment
by the rest of the group was great also!!"
"Star of Indiana" Great job! Thoroughly enjoyed you in DCI
&
also in Brass Theatre. Keep up the good work. Look forward
to seeing you in the future. Saw DCI for the first time in
Mentor, OH. Are big fans now. Star is very creative,
entertaining & ha s great audience appeal. Keep it up!
Thanks for a great evening of Brass! More of color guard &
DCI type of stuff.
I.U. ASSEMBLY HALL / August 19, 1995
"This is the single most awesome event of my life! This is
3,000 X cooler than I ever imagined. Wow!"
Kara Barryman
"Wonderful! The percussion pieces were really spectacular!!
I"d like to order a tape with the percussion recordings.
Thanks for an outstanding performance!!"
Karol Krohn,
Carmel, IN
"Alright French Horns!! What a sound!! You make the trek
from New York State worthwhile! Thank You!
"Cool!"
"Great show"these kids are wonderful!"
Mary R. Mier, Terre Haute, IN
"It was great!"
Andy Geest
"Wow, Awesome, Cool, Radical, Bodatioce, Tubular!"
"My vocabulary skills aren"t developed enough to explain!"
"You Guys/Gals get better each year! Keep up the awesome
work!"
"The workshops and open rehearsal was great! Thanks!"
"It was really cool!! The 1st trumpet was great."
"To the member of Star: Thank You!! for providing me with
yet another peak entertainment experience!"
82 FANFARE MAGAZINE - November/December 1995
The Want List 1995
This is the time of the year for Fanfare's Want List.
Longtime readers know what it's all about but for those who
haven't experienced this annual ritual, let us explain.
Each of our reviewers is asked to name up to five recordings
from the previous year's releases that he or she deems
worthy of special mention. We don't call our selections
"The Best of the Year" because we recoognize that
individually none of our reviewers can keep up with the
enormous quantity of fine recordings released each
year. But we believe that our collective wisdom and
enthusiasm may help readers to enhance their future
listening pleasure. Without further ado, here is our Want
List for 1995.
Randy A. Salas
I review only a few CDs each issue, mostly releases by brass
and wind ensembles. But that doesn't mean I don't listen to
more--some on my "beat," many not. Without a doubt the
first commercial recording of David Bedford's captivating
Sun Paints Rai nbows on the Vast Waves-- with no less than
Frederick Fennell at the helm--ranks as my favorite release
of the past year, a stunning performance complemented by
vibrant sound. Equally rarely recorded works by lngolf Dahl
and Ida Gotkovsky round out one of the most significant wind
ensemble releases in years. The Hannaford Street Silver
Band's CBC recording of an all-Canadian program should be
required listening for any brass enthusiast. Gary Kulesha's
Romance for Brass Band and J. Scott lrvin e's Concertina for
Euphonium with soloist Curtis Metcalf , alone, is worth the
disk's price. I've been whining for years for EMI to
release Stokowski's recording of Holst's The Planets on CD
and it's finally here in lovingly restored sound that bar
ely betrays the forty-year-old recording's origin. The
Ravel and Stravinsky fillers are icing on the cake.
(Although I've included only one Stokowski reissue on my
list, another significant one should be noted: a two-CD set
with the Symphony of the
Air--EMIZDMB 5 65427 2 3--that includes Respighi's Pines of
Rome. Khachaturian's Symphony No. 2 and Shostakovich's
Symphony No. 1, among others. I wouldn't want to be
without it, either.) The Canadian Brass's teaming with
former world champion dru
m and bugle corps Star of Indiana-- playing "legitimate"
instruments as well as traditional, nonchromatic G bugles
was so successful in the summer of '94 that they're
touring again as I write this. A major-label recording of
their unique collabora tion, although planned at one point,
never materialized. Fortunately, they produced their own
CD, which they've been marketing themselves. There were
several fine film scores released over the past year on CD,
but newcomer David Arnold's haunting s core for Stargate
absolutely bowled me over. Yes, it's derivative (what
isn't) but it remains effective both within the film and
apart from it--all sixty-five minutes of it. I've listened
to it more than any other new film score since its late '94
r elease. (Mr.Brown surely is rolling his eyes by now.)
Finally, on the film front, it should be noted that, as I
write this, the team of Turner Entertainment and Rhino Music
has just released Bernard Herrmann,s original score for
North by Northwest a nd an expanded two-CD edition of the
Wizard of Oz that includes loads of unreleased material.
including the wonderful underscore. While I have yet to hear
either, I truly do want them,
RAINBOWS AND CONCERTOS. Music by BEDFORD, DAHL, and
Gotkovsky. Fennell/Tokyo Kosei Wind Orchestra (KOSEI KOCD-
3572)
CANADIAN IMPRESSIONS. Music by CABLE, FORSYTH, WEINZWEIG,
KULESHA, IRVINE, and LUEDEKE. Chenette/Hannaford Street
Silver Band. (CBC SMCD5136)
HOLST: The Planets. RAVEL: Alborada del
gracioso.STRAVINSKY: Petrushka: Suite.Stokowski/LOS Angeles
Philharmonic orchestra, L'Orchestre de la Radiodiffusion
Francaise, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra. (EMI COM 5 56423
2 7)
AN EVENING OF BRASS THEATER. Music by GOULD. MUSSORGSKY,
SUSATO, RESPIGHI, BARBER. GERSHWIN, WILLIAMS, TCHAIKOVSKY,
and TRAD. Cramer/Canadian Brass, Star of Indiana.
(CANADIAN BRASS PRODUCTIONS: available for $20 from: P.O.
Box 264. Bloomington, IN 47402; Or telephone (812) 876-
4903.
ARNOLD: Stargate--Motion Picture Soundtrack Dodd/Sinfonia of
London: Chameleon Arts Chorus. (MILAN 73138 35697-2)
Sunday Hearld Times December 31, 1995
Arts & Entertainment MUSIC BEAT
Peter Jacobi
......"What a way to sell good music, I wrote after
August's "Brass Theater "95." "What a way to initiate young
people into the wonders and beauties of the classics and
jazz, to let them become aware comfortably that the rock and
stuff to which they limit themselves through the boom box
and the Walkman is not all there is to music." I expressed
the wish that somehow this show could "have been bottled up,
then sent to nourish students in junior and senior high
schools around the country.".....
--
Bill
Ron Ellis
druncorps. We all know what a psychological guy hop is, he would NEVER seriously
consider ANY of those outlandish ideas. I mean drumcorps is a pretty safe institution
right. Who would want to change it?
You know who I would be worried about? Someone who looks to the activity for more
personal achievement than educating young people. Someone who SAYS that changing the
activity into something it's not is "progress" but inside knows that he/she is just
creating an advantage for him/herself and thier corps. And I don't nec. mean
competitively either.
That's who I would be worried about. I wonder if any of those people are out there?
Not in OUR youth activity, it just couldn't happen could it?
This is NOT a personal attack, just a gut feeling by a group of us that have been
whatching for a while.
Ron Ellis
Assistant Director - UCF Marching Knights
Coordinator of Student Musicians - Walt Disney Creative Entertainment
Suncoast Sound Lead Baritone 82,83,85 Staff 87,88