"A Drum Corps Fan's Dream" - Madison Scouts Drum & Bugle Corps (1995), with Scott Boerma (Brass Composer & Arranger)

“Proud, Loud, and Pleasing the Crowd.” This is the mantra of the
Madison Scouts Drum & Bugle corps. And it’s safe to say that
since 1938, the Scouts have consistently brought audiences to their
feet with their entertainment-focused programs. And while the corps
had won two DCI world championships, in 1975 & 1988, for some,
it was the shows of the 1990s that really solidified the Madison
Explorer Scouts as one of, if not the favorite corps in all of DCI.
Whether you were an alum of the corps, had a friend or family
member that marched the corps, or just a normal fan with or without
ties to other drum corps, the Scouts of Madison, Wisconsin was the
corps you were always excited to see. Fans didn’t leave
their seats to get a hot dog or go to the restroom when the Green
& White took the field. After winning their 2nd DCI world
championship in 1988 with Latin music by Paul Hart & Ernesto
Lecuona, the corps spent the next few years exploring music from
musicals, big band, jazz, & jazz fusion before finding their
way back to Latin and Latin jazz music in 1994. This untitled
production featured Santos by Louie Bellson, Cuban Overture by
George Gershwin, & Malaga by Bill Holman. The corps had slowly
been creeping up the finalist rankings since their 9th place finish
in 1990 and finished the 1994 season in 6th place. For the 1995
season, the Scouts once again turned to Latin music by Joaquín
Rodrigo, Bill Holman, and original music by Scott Boerma, brass
composer & arranger, Jeff Moore, battery composer &
arranger, and Taras Nihirniak, front ensemble composer &
arranger. The Madison Scouts have had many crowd-pleasing shows
throughout their history; we could fill an entire season of
episodes focusing on each and every one of these shows. But perhaps
no Scouts’ production is more loved than the 1995 production. This
show has widely been considered one of the most entertaining drum
corps shows of all time and for some, is the hands-down favorite.
This opinion was in fact proven scientifically accurate with fans
and alums voting the 1995 show as the winner of the 2020 Virtual
Drums Along the Parade, with the 1988 championship show coming in
2nd. The 1995 DCI season ended with the Madison Scouts finishing in
4th place with a score of 95.40, and winning High Brass in a
three-way tie. Joining me today is composer and arranger Scott
Boerma, who was the brass composer & arranger for 20+ shows
over a span of 4 decades! And who without a doubt I consider to be
one of the "Four Horseman of DCI Arrangers.” If there was a Mount
Rushmore for DCI Music Arrangers, his face would be one of the
first 3 carved. On this episode of Musicbook, we discuss the
Madison Scouts’ 1995 production, “A Drum Corps Fan’s Dream: A Day
in the Life of a Bullfighter.”