From a Madison Scouts press release: "It takes vision, imagination, and guts to capture the look of sound," said Madison Scouts director Sal Salas, adding "and we've got the corps to do it!" Introducing the 2004 production "Madisonic," Salas revealed a show of extraordinary innovation and unique visual concepts. "Madisonic"creates an original, fresh context for the power and passion that the Madison corps shares with its fans, according to the press release. Ever-changing patterns of sound visually mark each acoustical variation in the show. This visual approach guarantees that Madison's music must hold the sound essentials that audiences expect from this Midwestern powerhouse. Hot and cool, linear and clustered, "Madisonic" is packed with contrasts. Intended as a new, non-stop total show, it uses the works of two modern jazz artists as melodic inspiration. Arrangers/composers Scott Boerma, Colin McNutt and Iain Moyer created a full-scale comprehensive work that draws on their impressions of the West Coast jazz scene of the 1960s and the two guiding lights of that era, Oliver Nelson and Bill Holman. Redefining what sound looks like, "Madisonic" combines new and familiar melodies in a striking package. From the "cool" end of the spectrum comes the sleek and sophisticated "Sound Piece for Jazz Orchestra" by the legendary Oliver Nelson. Remembered as the composer of such jazz classics as "Stolen Moments," he worked with musicians as diverse as Duke Ellington, Freddie Hubbard and Quincy Jones. Branching out into film and TV scores, he continued to be hailed for the jazz frames he set for icons Thelonius Monk and Wes Montgomery, as well as the lustrous pop settings he created for the Temptations, Nancy Wilson, James Brown and Diana Ross. Nelson left a legacy of intelligent and soulful gifts, which have been woven into the fabric of "Madisonic." Assuming the "Hot" identity is easy for jazz giant Bill Holman. Holman's works for modern big bands are held up as the pinnacle of the art. He first wrote for the Stan Kenton Band in the early 1950s and continues to release new CDs of his ever-expanding repertoire today. He most recently won the Grammy in 1997, and also provided many of the charts for Natalie Cole's successful "Unforgettable" CD. Drum corps audiences know him best for his infectious arrangement of "Malague?±a." But it's his original piece "Malaga" that provides "Madisonic" with its fiery side. Long associated with the Scouts, "Malaga" is reimagined in this new context. There is no doubt, however, that the "Men of Madison" will "sign their name" with this exciting trademark work. Visual designers Jamey Thompson and Jennifer LeSeth explore the challenges of exploding music into form, body and equipment. "Of course, it's "Scouts at the Speed of Sound," said Thompson, "but the patterns and wavelengths of the acoustics play on a different level." Salas adds, "It's no doubt that music has met its match in this visual production." Whatever the future looks or sounds like, the Madison Scouts promise to make each summer night the hottest part of the day with "Madisonic."