Ten years ago, Glassmen celebrated its 40th anniversary in grand style, placing 5th at the DCI World Championships for the third time in four years, (including 1998 and 1999). At the 2001 Finals, the corps scored just 3.05 points under first place with a 94.30, the corps’ highest Finals score ever. “IMAGO” took us south of the border, and south of that border, all the way to Brazil and Argentina, with a return stopover in Cuba. The music represented novel sounds that were still novel and unexpected in mid-Century North America. Delightful in its quirky South American melodies and bombastic in its passionate, hammering Latin rhythms, the show commenced with an extended primal drum solo leading into violent brass attacks that shook one’s composure, culminating in a glorious standstill hit.
Many have wondered about the source of this piece. A few years after the Glassmen performed it, a video showed up on YouTube from the XX International Chamber Music Festival in Belem, Brazil. I think you’ll enjoy listening to Mois?©s Pena performing the piece in this video:
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.
