CADRE WINS 2006 DCA PERCUSSION ENSEMBLE CHAMPIONSHIP

Paul Mosley - CADRE I&E Facilitator
On Friday, September 1, 2006,

CADRE accomplished something that – to my knowledge – no other Canadian Group has done:CADRE took 1st place at the DCA I&E (Individual and Ensemble) Percussion Ensemble Championship.

Naturally, we’re elated! Here are some personal thoughts I’ve had since then. CADRE has been in existence for 11 years and we’ve certainly grown as an organization.

We’ve always sought to ally - and align - ourselves with like-minded people and organizations that share our goal of preserving and promoting the art of precision rudimental drumming.

We’re proud of our relationships with people, groups and organizations like:

• John Flowers’ APRDC (American Patriots Rudimental Drum Club) http://www.aprdc.org/
• John Pratt’s IATD (International Association of Traditional Drummers)
• Bill McGrath’s NYDA (New York Drummers’ Association)
• Doug Kleinhans’ NYPD (New York Percussion Department)
• Don Mason and The Connecticut Patriots (CFDA - Connecticut Fifers & Drummers Association; organized in 1885).
  

N.B. CADRE plans to compete again at the CFDA annual meet in 2007 – more information soon to come (BTW, the CFDA web site home page features a picture of CADRE’s 2004 rope drum quartet). (http://www.ctfifersanddrummers.com/

A bit of background on how the idea for the CADRE Large Rudimental Ensemble was formed and implemented:

• Over the past six years, several of us in CADRE had competed with USA-based rudimental groups. This experience provided access to great international rudimental drummers of vision; world class musicians who provided insights into modern, competitive percussion.
• There were two things missing, however. There was only a limited rudimental presence in DCA competitive percussion - and there was no Canadian presence at all.

On Saturday, August 30, 2003, six Canadians put together the first CADRE Rudimental Percussion Ensemble to compete at the DCA Championships: Ed Jacko, Gary Gomez, Greg Evans, Rick Hosie, Paul Kelly and myself.

In our first attempt, we placed a respectable 5th with a score of 89.
Three ‘short’ years later in 2006, CADRE has captured the DCA Percussion Ensemble Championship title (score of 96).

Not only that, but rudimental drumming has never had a stronger presence in the modern-era DCA I&E Championships!

This is exemplified by the fact that the second-place group was Don Mason’s superb Patriots’ Legends rope drum ensemble from Connecticut (they had also taken 1st place in 2005).

There are many people and organizations working hard to revitalize our art form in the modern marching era - and CADRE is recognized as a significant contributor to the rudimental idiom.

All CADRE members and other devotees of rudimental drumming should be fortified by this year’s I&E content and results.

Precision rudimental drumming is back and it’s here-to-stay!
Congratulations go to the drummers in this year’s ensemble who persevered through the many difficulties that typically present themselves throughout any competition season (even up-to-and-including border-crossing difficulties on the day of competition).
Here are the drummers who made this year’s DCA Percussion Ensemble Championship possible:

Bass Drum

• Fern Lafontaine
• Rick Hosie
  

Snare Drum

• Ed Jacko
• Nathan McLaren
• Gary Gomez
• Paul Mosley
• Bob Thomson
• Ken Miller
• John MacDonald
  

Finally, we would not have been successful in our championship quest without the support of many talented and generous people over the years. It would be difficult (as well as an extremely long list) to comment on everyone who has played a part in our success.

However, we would be remiss if we did not recognize four people in particular:
Gerry Hemsley, Doug Kleinhans and John Flowers have not only made invaluable contributions to our musical content and arrangements, but have been our ongoing ‘musical conscience’.

Finally, since the Rudimental Percussion Ensemble’s inception in 2004, CADRE President Fred Johnson has provided us with an array of services that ranged from moral support to hands-on technical expertise and coaching.

In the end, we drum not only for ourselves, but for all CADRE members and the larger Canadian rudimental community.

A CADRE ‘win’ means that all CADRE members win! We hope that CADRE members will consider this as their victory… their championship… because it is!

All of us in the CADRE Rudimental Percussion Ensemble are pleased to have been able to bring this additional honour to the fine men and women in CADRE.

Thanks for your enthusiasm and support over all the years!