Buffalo Rising Online

Jul 22nd, 11:26am By Eli George

Jack Gaylord, Jr. is a driven man. He has worked for twelve years on behalf of a not-for-profit organization, constantly fighting to get recognition, sponsorship, participation, and help from the city of Buffalo. He has had great success bringing an event to Buffalo that has somewhat of an underground popularity, but that--once experienced—it's hard to fathom why the masses haven't caught on.

Gaylord is President of Drums Along The Waterfront, Inc. (DATW). He manages with a shoestring budget and does plenty of lobbying to bring an event to the WNY community that celebrates the excitement of a drum corps.

Gaylord started DATW after 1995, when the World Championship of the Drum Corps International (DCI) was held at Ralph Wilson Stadium. Apparently, Buffalo was supposed to host this week-long event for several years, but the then executive director of DCI cut a deal with Disney and took the championship to Orlando. Gaylord said a lot of bridges were burned as a result, but kept thinking, “If we can start our local show, then we’ll have a relationship with DCI, and we’d have a better chance at bringing the World Championship back.”

It became a goal of DATW, and in 2001 they succeeded in bringing it to Buffalo. Unfortunately, the championship now has a long-term deal with Indiana University, but Gaylord remains optimistic that we may still be able to get the championship to return to here once every few years. “I kind of stepped into this situation where I’m trying to facilitate…and make the event happen,” says Gaylord.

The regular DATW program has been a huge success and as a result, DCI approached Gaylord about doing an Open Class event. In DCI, there are two classes: World Class and Open Class, with the biggest difference between the two being the age range because the level of competition and skill remains high. Gaylord accepted the proposal, but he wanted to do it differently. Hence, Prelude/Finale to DATW was born. The name of ‘Prelude’ or ‘Finale’ is given to the event in relation to whether it happens before or after DATW.

This will be the third year that Prelude/Finale has been held, and currently Gaylord is trying to get the event hosted at All-High Stadium behind Bennett High School on Main Street. He has been working closely with the Buffalo Public Schools for use of the stadium, as well as places to house the drum corps when they come into the city. The last few times it was held, the event took place at Johnnie B. Wiley Stadium, formerly War Memorial Stadium and also known as "The Rock Pile". However, the event has grown to such a size that the need for a larger stadium has become more than apparent.

This year it will be known as Prelude to DATW, as it happens on July 26 and DATW takes place on August 3. Usually, Prelude to DATW is known as the community arm to DATW because it is a low cost public event that integrates various local acts into the show. This year marks the first time it is not free due to the change in venue, Gaylord says, “We really believe in the city event…for that event being for the people in the city. All-High Stadium would be a real nice stadium for the drum corps because it’s not the just the sound, it’s the elevation.”

Though last year there was not a Prelude/Finale show due to unavailability of a stadium, this year they plan on making up for it by bringing nine drum corps, including the Open Class champions and the runner up from last year. There will also be a drum corps from Canada as well as the Netherlands, making it a true international event. “There is definitely diversity in the drum corps activity,” says Gaylord.

DATW will have six out of the twelve top drum corps in the entire world. Gaylord points to a study conducted by Indiana University on the members of the drum corps. As it turns out, they have a conditioning level equivalent to a marathon runner. “These kids are musical athletes. They’re not just musicians--they’re athletes. They’re unbelievable. It really shows you what kids can do when they work in a unit. [The show] is timed to a T.” It’s one of the cool things about the show – it’s efficient,” he says.

Gaylord also likes to point out the extreme discipline the members of a drum corps imbue. The members travel on buses all summer long, sleeping and basically living on them. They sleep on gymnasium floors for some horizontal sleep, have long rehearsals, and many, many shows. It give corps members such a strong experience of camaraderie with their peers, as well as a sense of discipline and respect, according to Gaylord. All important experiences according to Gaylord, who said, “One of our ultimate goals right now is to start out own corps in the city. The benefits would be tremendous.”

With this thought in mind, Gaylord has tried to work educational clinics into the event. After the 2006 Prelude, they invited all of the kids in the stands to come down on the field. Using donated 5-gallon drums from Mayer Brothers Beverages and drumsticks from Regal Tip Drumstick Manufacturer, the kids held a jam session with a drum line from one of the corps.

It was widely successful and generated enough interest that Gaylord hopes they can start their own drum corps in the coming years. He even has a living room full of used percussion equipment, and all he needs to get the corps off the ground is financial backing. “If we have companies, corporations, or foundations that would like to assist us, we would more than embrace them,” says Gaylord.

Gaylord is never opposed to doing grassroots work to promote DATW, even passing out flyers at local parades. “We’re one of the best kept secrets around. You have to see it, and TV does it no justice. When a corps is really “on,” you’ll see the people [almost] rising,” says Gaylord.

Through his continual commitment to DATW and working to bring it to the city, Gaylord said, “I think it will be totally embraced after this year.” Helping Gaylord in his quest are committee members Barbara Franklin, who works for Kaleida Health, and Phil Haberstro of the Wellness Institute of Buffalo. Gaylord said, “It’s a small committee, but we got some good people working together.”

In fact, it is working so well that besides bringing two sanctioned DCI events to Buffalo, there may be a chance to bring a Drum Corps Associates (DCA) event to Buffalo. The DCA are drum corps who have both older and younger members and, Gaylord says they would like them to do educational clinic work monthly, utilizing the instructors they have. “Those talks have been very positive, and I hope that comes to fruition,” Gaylord said.

“Prelude” will begin at 5PM on July 26th at All High Stadium, located at 2885 Main Street behind Bennett High School. Tickets for Prelude are $5.00 and can be purchased at all Tops Friendly Markets locations.

This year’s Prelude event will feature the reigning Open Class Champion, the Spartans of New Hampshire. This corps will live up to its champion status and amaze the crowd with the power and skill it packs into every performance.

Also headlining this year’s competition are the 150 member Jersey Surf from Camden County, NJ, and Beatrix, all the way from Hilversum,Holland! Rounding out the slate will be; Spirit of Newark/New Jersey from Newark, NJ; Dutch Boy from Kitchner, Ontario; Raiders from Wayne,NJ; Legends from Portage, MI; and Les Stentors from Sherbrooke, Quebec.

There will be a free music and marching education clinic hosted by the Raiders' Drum & Bugle Corps prior to this year’s Prelude event. The clinic is free with a ticket to the competition and will begin at 2:45PM. This free clinic provides the opportunity for participants to come right onto the field to interact and learn from the corps.

DATW will be August 3 at 6:30 at Ralph Wilson Stadium. Tickets are $22 in advance, $25 day of and kids twelve and under are half price. Visit www.drumsalongthewaterfront.org for more information.