In 2002, the DCI World Championships returned to Madison, Wis., with events for the Division II & III corps held a half hour away in Whitewater, where it all started for Drum Corps International exactly 30 years earlier. Special anniversary events in Madison included a performance of memorable moments from DCI history, done in shadow dance fashion behind giant backlit scrims by members of the Santa Clara Vanguard Alumni Corps. The Cavaliers completed an undefeated season with a record high score less than a point shy a perfect score. The corps’ “Frameworks” production won all captions but Music Percussion. With scores tight across all three nights of competition, three corps made it into the Finals that were not there in 2001: Spirit of Atlanta regained a top-12 position for the first time since 1990, Magic of Orlando roared back for the first time since 1997, and the Seattle Cascades captured 12th place after competing as a Division II unit in 2001. Crossmen’s 9th place show, “The Signature Series,” was based on a collection of selections written by great jazz artists within the quarter century prior to 2002. “Heat of the Day,” by Lyle Mays and Pat Metheny, was from Metheny’s “Imaginary Day” album, fusing international and American jazz styles. It was the winner of the 1999 Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Jazz Album. For the opening segment, the Crossmen horn line was entirely inside the tunnel at the back right corner of Camp Randall Stadium, pouring out once the piece began and executing a variety of line formations along the way. The color guard members, who were dressed entirely in flaming reddish-orange with long flowing tops that draped beneath the knees, danced while the percussion keyboards, timpani and stationary snare drummers on hi-hat cymbals played the opening groove in the front ensemble.
From there, the work proceeded through a multitude of time signatures offering hints of Middle Eastern folk music. The melodic “hook” was more of a persistent rhythm than a typical musical line. Near the climax, the brass section formed the corps’ trademark Maltese Cross, as identifiable to the Crossmen as any formation is to any other unit.
Michael Boo was a member of the Cavaliers from 1975-1977. He has written about the drum corps activity for more than a quarter century and serves as a staff writer for various Drum Corps International projects. Boo has written for numerous other publications and has published an honors-winning book on the history of figure skating. As an accomplished composer, Boo holds a bachelor's degree in music education and a master's degree in music theory and composition. He resides in Chesterton, Ind.
