When you think about percussion excellence, most drum sticks ultimately point to Santa Clara, California. Drum Corps International’s highest percussion honor is called the Fred Sanford Award, after all. Walking in the footsteps of one of DCI’s legendary writers and teachers is no small challenge. Jim Casella was up to the task.
A west coast kid, Casella cut his teeth in the Santa Clara bass drum line from 1989 to 1991. Corps leaders knew he had something special. After “aging out” as a performer, he took over as the Cadet corps percussion caption head between 1991 and 1993. By 1994 he was a front ensemble staff member with the “A” corps. In 1996 Casella became the caption head and arranger, a post held through 2004. His tenure saw Vanguard win two Sanford caption awards and a World Championship title.
“During his time at Santa Clara Vanguard, Jim became known as an innovative percussion arranger who emphasized musicality, melodic drum writing, and tightly woven blending of the full ensemble,” Vanguard alum Charlie Iwanaga said. “Jim developed his own unique voice in marching percussion as one of the few DCI percussion arrangers in DCI writing the full percussion score for both the battery and front ensemble.”
Casella’s compositions for Santa Clara Vanguard are described by University of Delaware music professor Jim Ancona as ones that “forced people to listen.” “He brought a new level of artistry to marching percussion. His unique rhythmic vocabulary had a more organic and fresh sound,” Ancona continued. “His writing required performers to have a vast skill set. From the lightest and most musical touch to ultra-athletic chops, these players covered the entire musical spectrum.”
Casella went on to arrange for The Cavaliers (2006-2009) before retiring from “full-time” drum corps work.
But that’s just part of Casella’s story in the music industry. In 1998, he co-founded Tapspace with fellow Santa Clara Vanguard staff member Murray Gussek, which has grown into one of the world’s leading percussion music publishers. He also developed and produced Virtual Drumline, a widely used sample library across the music industry. Casella’s compositions have been heard in commercials and movies and his mallet line with Innovative Percussion was the first-ever signature series for marching percussion.
It takes a certain kind of person to make it in music and business. Ancona says Casella is that kind of guy. “When people ask me about Jim Casella my immediate response is that Jim is a great human,” Ancona said. “He is easy-going, easy to talk to, intelligent, creative, and a pleasure to work with. With his quiet demeanor, he still knows how to get the job done, how to get the best from his students and staff, and how to achieve excellence. He is, at heart, an artistic and creative person, but still a driven competitor and motivator.”