Grand Mesa Music's 2019 Marching Catalogue: Thoughts and Grades

I listened to Grand Mesa Music's 2019 Marching Band "package shows" which I have been excited for ever since I listened to their 2018 catalogue. Did the 10 shows written by the 5 composers, including the 2 new to marching band and one new to Grand Mesa Music, meet my expectations, exceed them, or fall short of them? We'll see....

Bollywood Adventure (Randall D. Standridge): This was a Mumbai-ized version of the 2014 catalogue's "Dreams of Persia", but more musically demanding. I liked the fact that the opener was split into 2 "mini-movements" that contrasted with each other, which is part of the modern competitive show formula (opener w/contrast, ballad, drum break, closer). This show follows this formula, with a powerful ballad that reminded me of a combination of Olathe East's 2017 and Valley Center's 2018 ballads, without the warrior/warlord feel. The Drumbreak only lasts 8 measures, but is a great way to start the closer to this show. The closer's time signature switches to 7/8 halfway through, and that is a very creative musical element of this show. Even though the closer switches back to 4/4 for the finale ultimo, this show and its closer were both amazing. I would make the ballad music a bit more challenging for this show to become competitive at contests like SMN and Neewollah. Grade: A-

Dante (Standridge): I read parts of The Divine Comedy last year (in English rather than in the original Italian, so I didn't get the full effect) and I liked Standridge's attempts to make this a competitive show. It sounds surprisingly mature for a grade 2+ peice of music, especially the movement, "Inferno" which was part 2 of the opener. I also liked the narration throughout the show, during the prologue and at the beginning of each movement. (Narration will be a theme throughout this post.) The ballad, "Purgatorio" with music from "Funeral for Richard Nordraak" was another powerful ballad - but a scary, wrenching, and sad ballad - which provides for a good contrast within itself. The drum/pit break in "Escape", the first part of movement four, was not as musically challenging, and that is why I think it is graded only a 2. "Paradiso" closes out the show with the melody of "Praise God, From Whom All Blessings Flow", a song that I sang in Church a few weeks ago. I liked all the callbacks that Standridge put in this show, both references to other classical works or sacred songs or to Dante's own writing with the narration. I think this show has great potential and would love to see it performed by a band in Kansas this year. Grade: A

Discovering Wonderland (Jason K. Nitsch): At first glance of the poster for this show, I saw this as a combination of "Ever After" (Buhler 2017) and "Step Right Up" (Topeka West 2018). Buhler because of callbacks to Alice in Wonderland, and TW because of making something normal seem scary, like they did a good job of in "Step Right Up." But, as the proverb instructs, "never judge a book by its cover." The first half of the show's opener seems Buhler-esque with its adventurous feel, but loses it with a try-hard, but still less adventurous new melody. The end of the opener is cliché, and the mini-drum break doesn't help it. The ballad reminded me of the 2015 GMM package show "Both Sides of the Groove"'s ballad, because it was still kind of fast compared to other ballads, but musically challenging. BSOTG was a more challenging and exciting show overall, but Discovering Wonderland fails where its ballad succeeds. It just feels... generic. And that's how I feel about the entire show. Nothing really special about it - just normal, grade 3 music (possibly 3 unused and unnamed pieces for concert band) compiled into a marching show. This show was the most boring of any show that was released this year. And why not include a "spook" element, like I expected? The cover is promising, but the show does not deliver. Grade: C-

Epic Expeditions (Anthony Susi): I have never heard of Anthony Susi before this show. I actually looked up his music and he does not have a very full resume, with only 4 published works other than Epic Expeditions, all for concert band. The opening sounds like the opening to a grade 3 concert band fanfare, one that would probably be played by a freshman band at a spring concert. The syncopation done by the tenor saxophone parts and pit percussion mid- first movement was a good contrast to the trumpet fanfares that happened before and afterwards. I trekked through Iceland this summer and the nice, sunny days (or should I say light days with fog) were evoked in my mind for some reason throughout the first movement. The second movement (ballad) had a 6/8 that felt like 7/8 and the pit feature was well executed in the show concept. The "dance" feel that was felt in the ballad made me shake in my chair as I was writing this. The third movement could be improved upon - it starts with a trumpet solo and its sound evolves into a good pit break in 3/4. The African waltz feel in the movement is kind of weird, but Susi makes it work, just like every other element in this show, which is wonderful for a first attempt at writing a marching show. Congratulations, Anthony Susi, and good luck on writing new compositions in your future. You're good at the marching band arrangement, and I hope you do more. I also hope this isn't beginner's luck. Grade: B+

Four Dragons (Jeremy Doss): This was a show that I thought would have a cliché East Asian legend story, and it did. But that ultimately did not distract from the fact that the music in this show was above average for a show in this package. The show starts with a bit of narration for exposition, and then gets into a pit line that begins a crescendo and more parts coming in. The music then goes from A-flat major to F Minor, and I like the transition there and back to A-flat. The pit is strong in the first movement, entitled, "Noble Creatures," which, when put out on the field, I think is supposed to bring about some exposition. The first movement ends with a gong and some narration to transition to the next movement, "Dragons bring Rain", the ballad of the show. The ballad proves more than enough that this is a show with a pit emphasis and should be done when there is a band with a strong front ensemble. There are pentatonic scales of F-G-A-C-D, which is common in East Asian music. Doss must have used a lot of Chinese and Korean folk music for inspiration when writing this show. The third movement was entitled "Mountain Prison" and reminded me of "Pursuit" from Free State's 2017 Show, Ká. This is because of the pursuing and foreboding feel of the music. Doss does a great job in capturing the Dragons' emotions in what is supposed to be going on in the story. The end of the show is entitled "Flowing rivers" and includes more pentatonic scales, which is something all East Asian-themed marching shows should have, as well as a strong conclusion, and "Four Dragons" definitely delivers on that. Grade: B

Knights (Nitsch): This show was the definition of predictability. It featured a triumphant first few measures with fanfares from Trumpets and Trombones and then the drumline kicked in for more medival fanfares and rhythms. The Pit feature happened for 8 measures, followed by a rather impressive flute duet, then more trumpet fanfares and rebuilding and falling. As the second movement (which has no name, as none of the movements in this show do), the ballad, begins, the pit keeps sounding out dissonant chords and more foreboding and melancholy feel. This did not feel like a ballad, as it had the normal amount of battery percussion, despite the tempo being slower than the other two movements, which were also pretty boring. This was supposed to be an exciting show, but it just proves that 2019 was Jason K. Nitsch's worst year yet. I hope he can rebound in 2020 to improve. Grade: D+

remiX (Standridge): From the Grade 4 label and name alone, I was expecting this show to be sort of like Both Sides of the Groove, one of my favorite package shows to come from GMM. I read the description for the show and Standridge described his creation as "a kaleidoscopic whirlwind as the main theme from Beethoven's Fifth Symphony is "remiX'ed" in a variety of unexpected ways". I remember going to KBA 2017 and hearing Beethoven's 5th Symphony in Goddard-Eisenhower's "The Sounds and Silences of Beethoven" and in Topeka West's "Story of Our Life". So I had mixed feelings about this show after reading the description - it mentioned choir features, which can either work great or work poorly for a marching band trying to compete. The opening of this show reminded me of GE's 2017 opening, but with a front ensemble feature instead of a drumline mini-cadence to start the show. Then there are sound effects, and the 5th movement gets the EDM remix treatment in the opener. I liked the mellophone feature that happened halfway through the first movement. The second movement begins with a bassoon, and then the pit and trombone section kick in and then the instrumental gradually builds. I liked the switch-offs between the drumline and pit throughout the second movement. Movement 3 (the ballad) begins with a french horn/mellophone solo of the main theme, accompanied by the pit, and then there is a trombone/baritone solo that takes up the next 8 measures of the solo. The trumpets come in and change the key, which makes this ballad really saddening and makes you feel like you are sinking into your chair as you're listening to it. The ballad progressively gets faster, and then segues into the 4th movement, which begins with the drum/pit break and adds more parts as it adds accelerando to it. The guitar and pit/drum break makes for an ancient feel to the penultimate 30 seconds of the show. The space sfx ends the show, and what a roller coaster it was. The name was appropriately chosen for a wild ride of a show, and the 5th symphony was well incorporated in every aspect. I would love to see a band like Topeka West or Valley Center do this show next year, because after a rough last year for both bands at KBA and Neewollah, respectively, this show is definitely going to make whichever band performs it a surefire finalist at KBA and maybe a winner at Neewollah. My only complaint is that it seems too easy to be a grade 4, and I could hear no choir feature as was written in the description. But that aside, wonderful show that would bring me to the edge of my seat while watching it live at a competition. Grade: A-

Storm Chasers (John M. Pasternak): Like Anthony Susi, I have never heard of John M. Pasternak before this show. I actually looked him up as well, and he has written a lot of concert band music in every level from grades 1 through 5. He has never worked with Grand Mesa Music before, though, and "Storm Chasers" was his first work, concert or marching, to be published by GMM. The opening to the show is in 3/4 and opens with a tympani solo before the winds come in and the time changes to 2/4. The pit feature 20 seconds in reminds me, strangely enough, of the opening to James Barnes' concert piece, "Escenas de los Aztecas". Maybe it's the 2/4 time in 3/4 feel, but I can't be sure. This also reminded me of the opening part of BVW's 2018 "One World" because of the off-step time. After the 6/8 time, the second part of the opener begins with 4/4 and a resemblance to "Centuria" by James Swearigen, because of its opening riff to its allegro movement. I went to the NEKMEA district band concert this year, and the Blue Band played a song called "Shortcut Home" that also has a resemblance to "Storm Chasers." The first movement of the show sounds better suited for concert band than it is for marching band, which is a good thing in a way. This makes the music sound more challenging and therefore gives the music aspect of those performing it more points. The ballad opens this way as well, with a choir singing in the background to give it more effect. The flute solo sounds sub-par and distracts from the show. However, the Ballad is still suited to the rest of the show, which is a good thing for anyone trying to perform a show trying to get GE points as their strong suit. The pit music is weak and the flute solo is still dissonant as the ballad ends, but the narration on the show makes for something better in the end of it. As a trombonist myself, I would agree that the trombone parts sound naturally like a tornado, which makes a trombone feature a lot more effective in a show with that theme. The ending of the show is strong with the storm gone, as all shows should have a strong ending. Wonderful job on your first marching band show, Mr. Pasternak. Keep writing shows in your future. Grade: B

The Presents (Standridge): I was expecting this show to have a Christmasy, light-hearted feel judged by the cover of it. Then again, titles can be misleading. Its story begins on Christmas and begins with some narration: a conversation between a young girl named Lydia and her doctor. As Lydia and the doctor are talking, the pit plays "Carol of the Bells" with a mellophone solo in the background. The drumline comes in, more instrument parts kick in, and Lydia explains to her doctor that she got magic toys for Christmas while striking up the band to join the pit in the Carol. The second part of the opener sounds happier with a major-key trumpet fanfare highlighting it. The second movement, "They're Alive!" begins with more narration, then a drum roll happens and the band plays the Russian Dance from the Nutcracker, bringing a more lively and light-hearted feel to the show. Always great for halftime, but not so good for competition. I thought the first 2 movements were lively, but still cliché. Then movement 3 happened and I got a "Step Right Up" flashback with Lydia explaining that the toys were whispering in the night and that got me all excited for the rest of the show. The narration was accompanied by a creepy pit feature and a flute solo playing the theme from the 3DS game Luigi's Mansion. The game music made the show all the more spooky and horror-filled. The band joins in and changes the music around a bit, then the flute solo is back with whispers in the background. The 4th movement was accompanied by an organ to bring the scare factor all the way up to 11 (à la Spinäl Tap). Then we get a minor version of the dance of the Sugar Plum Fairies being played by the pit during a drum break. The show ends with some narration with the doctor telling Lydia she's crazy and putting her in a coma as she screams, "I'm not crazy". Then a final riff, and the show is over. And I'm not lying when I say that this show legitimately frightened me, accomplishing its goal. I can't wait to see this show performed live if it is chosen by a Kansas band. Grade: A

Tribes (Standridge): The show opens with a drum cadence and a tribal woman screaming a shout of attention, followed by a horn solo. The trumpets and rest of brass come in to round out the first part of the opener. The second part of the opener happens and we get a pit/woodwind feature followed by more brass fanfares that were quieter than the first ones in the show. I really liked the percussion and sound effects in the first movement, as the show moves the drumbreak to early in the show for a creative element. The opener ends and ballad begins with a marimba/vibraphone duet and a change of tone. The woodwinds and trumpet solo play music in a slow C minor ballad with drums representing raindrops. The ballad speeds up to signify thunderstorms happening in the tribal land, and ends on a picardy third to just go back to minor and have the trumpet switch his solo from F major to F minor and back again. The third movement begins with a pit feature and drum break for 16 measures and then war calls, more brassy riffs, and generic tribal feel, like was expressed in VC's 2018 show, "War Dance". The show music switches back and forth again, even within the course of a single measure, from F major to minor. Then there is a plucked cello solo going on in the pit, then a trumpet/mello/trombone feature going on with bird chirps in the background. The show ends with the tribal call and heroic feel of unity between tribes. Wonderful show overall, and I hope I get to see it performed live. Grade: B

From All of us at KBN, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.