Dude, the dci sphere has been lacking some good content, thanks for making this community/hobby so much more interesting. Keep it up

That's me at 3:21. I consider it the honor of my life to have been a part of a Zingali creation. He had a way of drawing out the best in the performers. He knew all the tricks. Every conversation you had with him was like those seminar clips. That's not to say he wasn't tough at times. He and Sylvester would play good cop/bad cop all the time and it wasn't always clear who was the good cop. But we would crawl over broken glass for him, because we did not want to let the master down. We knew we had something special.

Zingali worked for BK in 1990 and 1991! 1991 was the first year in our organizations history that we made finals, and in 1990 w got thirteenth, up from sixteenth the year before. 1990 is a very special program to our history, as that show and corps is where our corps song "I Go On" comes from.

I had my issues with the short-lived Star of Indiana, but that "cross to cross" drill was one of those near-orgasmic moments that DCI-lovers in the 80's and 90's always remember. Pure genius.

Fun fact: Sometimes when he was writing, Zingali would use pieces of string placed on drill paper to create forms and connect them together. That's one of the ways he came up with the Z-Pull.

I think Zingali wrote 1987 Cadets Appalachian Spring drill as well. Perhaps the single most beautiful show in the history of Drum Corps.

God bless him ! I saw the cross LIVE in 1991 in Dallas. Never will forget that show when I was 16

The man was an absolute genius as well as being a nut case (in a good way). I had the pleasure of working with George for several years. The comments about writing the drill by hand brought back memories of 1980 when I was crashed at George's house for the summer along with a few other 27th staff. He had pages and pages of diagrams strewn all over the living and dining rooms. Many times up all night along with raiding his mother's absolutely incredible sauce and meatballs in the fridge.

YES! I was hoping you'd do the back-to-back-to-back Z-Pulls! I did that in my "Modern Vs. Classic Era" video in the final chapter. So damn cool to see them one after the other. I also LOVE the buildup to the "Cross-to-Cross" moment. Truly one of the most incredible maneuvers in DCI history. This was a truly beautiful video. By the end, when there's the pretty long clip of George speaking, you're just so drawn in to what he's saying after your presentation of him throughout the video.

THANK YOU for making this. George was a mentor and a friend. He taught me to write drill by helping him as a student to the craft. An important part of my life. I am not who I am without George Zingali. I miss him dearly.

The first time I saw the dissolving company front from Cadets 1987 show I burst into tears. The beautiful music and the build up into what I expected to be a traditional company, made me lose it when it began to dissolve. I remember everyone in the stadium cheering while I sobbed..... I was so embarassed.

I remember seeing a video of the cross to cross in high school and being absolutely stunned. It's even more impressive knowing George staged it on the field in a night.

Thank you. I marched 27th lancers 80 & 81. Our best performance in 80 was at DCI east a week before finals. We peaked too early and lost to BD at finals a week later. I also marched 85 cadets. Thanks for putting this together.

RIP, truly a legend of the activity taken from us too soon.

In 1986, some of the DCI corps had a European Tour. I was station with the USAF in England and had the joy of watching the shows. One of me fellow Airmen had marched Madison Scouts a couple years prior and offered to introduce me to George, the man in whom I had utmost awe. I was too nervous to meet him and kick myself ever since for not meeting him. His drill writing has always been in my mind in what I do ever since. In his early drill writing days, he would drop string on the floor and pull on certain places to see how it reacted and moved.

Great video. I had the privilege of marching Star ‘86 and experiencing George’s brilliance. He is a legend and so inspiration.

I had the honor of meeting him in 1987. I “marched” With the Sunrisers, however, I was in the Pit. This video made made understand something that he said to me almost 40 years ago. I was familiar with his drill and color Guard work. I told him that “I wish I could have marched to his drill”. He said “that doesn’t matter as long as you feel like you’re a part of the music”. I did feel like I was part of the music! Being in the Pit was so much fun and such chaos, but the sound that came out of it was magnificent and added just the right touch. Watching this video just brought me back to being 16 years old and added to my love and passion for the marching arts! Thank you!!

I truly miss this era of drum corps, 80’s/90’s. DCI’s Golden Era in terms of excellence AND entertainment. I haven’t attended a show since 2005. The entertainment level just isn’t the same. George was someone you just couldn’t replace. Definitely a master of his craft and simply a good person, not a pretentious bone in his body. God bless his soul.

1st experienced Z In the early 80s with 27th. It was rumored he had a sketch pad at his bedside for dreamed drills…there was also the cut rubber bands on a board covered with water story too. Contrabasses did not escape him either. Thanks, Cj

George also wrote the drill and taught Alliance from Greater Boston in 83. He was a Genius walking among us. And yet humble. He could explain his vision for the drill with ease. RIP George

I marched with the Garfield Cadets in the 1980s. I was only 15 years old when I started, and I can't tell you how inspiring George Zingali was. I was in awe of how he would create brilliant drill moves right on the field without any paper (or computers); he was driven to mazimize each musical moment visually based on the emotion of the music. He was brilliant and demanded perfection, and we wanted to be perfect for him. Most of all, I'll remember the side conversations I would have with George after rehersals or late at night before getting on a bus: discussing how music can move you and motivate you artistically and in your performance. What a beautiful soul George was.

George Zingali came to my school in `85 or `86, and gave a clinic just like this one. 1984 was my 1st year marching drum corps (Blue Knights). "West Side Story" was my 1st Garfield show. I was even at Whitewater, WI when the hornline piled up during the 'z-pull'. I remember him talking about how, when the judges didn't "understand" the drill, he would literally take his drill designs sheets into the judges to explain what the corps was doing (This was during the after show mtg with judges & corps staff). It's amazing how much drum corps changed from 1980 to 1990....and George was a big part of that change. 🙌🙌🎺🎺🎺🎺🥁🥁🥁🥁🚩🚩🚩🚩🙌🙌

I had just started undergrad at Madison in 84, and got to see those shows. Amazing now to look back and realize I was seeing history in the making.

6:40- George wrote for Star of Indiana in 1985, the same year that he wrote the third straight title-winning drill for the Garfield Cadets.

zingali passed on my birthday. as much as a fanatic i’ve been of the work of him i never knew we shared that date. i will always admire his work so much i love this art so much

I remember seeing the Cross to Cross live...so much emotion in the stands. We were all blown away!

When I marched in the early 90’s I always heard stories from the vets about how George wrote his opening set for 85 Garfield by dropping a handful of marbles or bb’s on to a large plot of drill paper. Wherever the marbles fell, that was a member’s dot. Don’t know if that was true or not, but it’s cool to imagine nonetheless.

Zingali changed the game and his drill was absolutely insane but beautiful.

hes the man who made the iconic z-pull

I watched him rehearse 27 on a parking lot at Whitewater back in the 70s. He had chalk in his hand and he was running around like a wild animal marking spots as they practiced this rotation over and over. I had never seen a person with so much boundless energy. I was just starting out my BD career and thought this guy was in another league considering I had come from a high school and college that did step-two drills back and forth up and down the yard lines. I knew this "corps" style of marching as we called it was the way of the future for marching bands. His new vision set me on a new course at the beginning of my long career as a band director.

This video is on point! I was in Star from 89-92. George is the best drill writer ever. The day it was announced that he had passed, we were all grieving, but we knew he would want us to get it done right!

Absolutley riveting content and channel. The DCI community is grateful for you. Please keep it up!

It's amazing the parallels you can draw between him and Howard Ashman, influences still felt today despite being tragically cut short by AIDS.

Thank you so much for the great tribute. I was there on the field in '91 and the description in this video is just how it happened.

Thank you for this and thank you George for everything. Two most favorite classic drum corps moments were because of this man. The opening hit of Jeremiah, Cadets ‘85 and the Appalachian Spring dissolving and resolving company front, Cadets ‘87

Thank you so much for making these history videos. A lot of older people seem to think that everyone know the history of this activity just because it’s relatively young but in my experience a lot of the people actually performing these shows Don’t understand the years of history that led us here. I’m so happy that what seemed like secrets locked away in the minds of designers and directors who lived through these histories are now being compiled in an easily consumable and very well made video!

I marched Blue Knights in '91, and it was a Zingali drill. He even came to work with us a couple times. He would stop the raw repetition once in a while and talk about what the drill meant to him, and what the music is trying to convey. He was inspirational in that way and it showed that year as we (Blue Knights) cracked the top 12 for the first time in our history all the way to 9th. I marched SCV the next summer and to compare the two drills is like comparing Ford and Ferrari. Fords (SCV) are great and have their place (sorry, Myron). It'll get the job done and move you from point to point. But a Ferrari is a Ferrari. It's elegant and beautiful.

Cross to Cross is the finest drill in DCI history. When we saw it...we knew that the trajectory of drill had changed forever.

I remember seeing the Z pull and the G pull and I was floored. AMAZING! Also, watch the opener from two-7 in 1980. So far ahead of its time, I don't think the judges knew what they were seeing and how to score it correctly. Incredible stuff

In high school, I convinced our drill writer to write in a z pull to company front for our closer. Unfortunately we were a small school so theres no video, but we pulled it off and performing that is one of my favorite marching memories.

Thank you for this. It's an important piece of history and a beautiful homage to a poignant man. Rest easy, Mr. Zingali. My only wish was that he'd have gotten to see Star '92 and '93.

Yet another certified banger and a half of a video

"Babe wake up, new cj's music upload"

I would love to see a video about the evolution of Front ensemble since its addition in late 70's early 80's (I think). I believe it to be the section that has changed the most over all of drum corps history (Yes even the switch away from G-Bugles).

DCI youtube has really lacked serious historical/critical content, and you are providing it!

Great work on this! He was truly a genius! BTW - It's Twiggs....Peggy Twiggs.

So happy he is finally getting the appreciation he deserves. That man revolutionized marching band.

You were right in the sense the Cadets were the first three-peat champions in DCI, but they were the first ones that were still around (at the time of the video’s production). The ACTUAL first three-peat champions were the St. Ignatius Girls. They won the DCI All-Girls Championship titles in 1975, 1975, and 1977. 🙂

One of the approximately 40.4 million people that have been lost to that terrible disease. How many brilliant minds have we lost? I can only imagine what the activity would be today were he still alive. He as true genius that changed the marching arts forever. Every drum corps member should include his story, Al ig with many others in a day of history and remembrance. We have lost so many legends in the activity and many to come. The generation that caries on the legacy of this uniquely American activity showed study and understand their past and got them to where they are today. I can only imagine the heart break the George’s students and friends felt when he left this earth. He changed lives. That’s what this activity does, it changed mine as a 16 year old gay boy. I found a home and people who understood me the way my small southern town didn’t. I met people from all over the country and eventually the world. I made life long friends. Thank you for making this video, and I hope it will reach many people in the future.

I marched with a small corps in 1983 and remember seeing Cadets and thinking "how can they do that?" That was a beautiful period and something people miss is, for every innovation a designer came up with, they had to develop a way to teach it. So many people of that period really helped move music education and marching arts forward.

Awesome video, thank you so much for taking the time to research and document this brilliant individual

Great video! I was at finals in 91 and the cross to cross about made my head explode. Very cool to get this background on Zingali. What about the Cadet's dissolving company front in 87? That was him too, right?

Thanks for putting this out there...great content

Please make more like this. This is exactly what I've been looking for. Excellent work.

thank you so much for this video CJ, it truly is a gift to the drum corps community.

A wonderful tribute to a truly inspiring creator! Nice to see the clips of him throughout the video. Thank you!

Excellent, compelling content. Keep up the good work!

I think this mught be your best video! The class this information is presented with is great, and it was amazing hearing so much of his journey through his words not just yours. What a great video!

This video is of excellent quality, and I appreciate your attention to detail and care lining up the story and the history from the mouths of those who lived it content like this cannot be beat I hope to see more from your channel soon! Zingali is a legendddd!!! He is the best DCI visual designer in history, and he is my hero. He is a funny character & genius who enjoyed Drum Corps as an almost religious experience. He is a DCI Hall of Famer, and he holds a special place in my personal design notes. I constantly reference his techniques and tiny details. He is a legend, and I am so inspired by him. He will always be remembered and never forgotten ❤ RIP Zingali

I adored that man so much. I marched for him in 27th for three years, and he was though, but such a love. His passion for creating was palpable. I cried so hard when he passed. There will never be another Zingali.

Thanks for showing us the man behind the innovations.

Excellent video !!

Do not stop posting these videos, they're amazing

Staging on the field is insane. It's a shame he never saw how much he evolved the activity. I am fortunate to have been under the instruction of Marc Sylvester for a few years of my marching experience, and Zingali clearly left a lasting impression on all those involved with him.

Great work on this! Enjoyed it...

Awesome content. Looking forward to others you post! Thanks for doing this.

Very well put together!

One year my high school band's show had a bit at the end that was inspired by the cross-to-cross. Thats when I learned about star of indiana and the legacy they left. What a legend this guy was.

This was a phenomenal video thank you for creating it. It was both educational and entertaining. I learned a lot I did not know

Thanks man. This was great! -'91 & '93 Sky

Wow man! Good for you. I love your videos.

Zing wrote the shows for our Highschool marching band in the 80's that helped us dominate other schools up and down the East Coast.. We were in a track meet, the competition were on a Saturday night stumble back from the bar.

Beautiful video!

I marked Blue Knights in 1989 and it was a pleasure and dream to work with George Zingali. The moments you talked about the Cross to Cross move and how he came down on the field and just marked positions for each section was an experience I had with the 1989 show with the Blue Knights. The ending move wasn’t working for us, so he came down and literally rewrote the drill from field level. He was telling people, “You go here and pass through those two on at this point in the music” and stuff like that for 30 minutes. Then he would run up to the press box and have us run the set over and over. Our visual designer told me that the football field was George’s sandbox, it was his playground. I aged out that year and went to a rehearsal to help out a bit for the 1990 show. One of the greatest honors I had was him telling me, “I wish you were marching this year.” The man was a genius and there hasn’t been anyone to replace him to date in Drum Corps. Not to take away from some amazing drills that have been created, but George’s drills were a different level and that worked for the shows he wrote. thank you for putting this video up. Well done.

Dude, this is great content!!

in love with this channel and content. please keep it up :3

Met George while in ‘89 Cadets. Creative genius and had a huge heart.

That 1982 Cadets drill was the wake up call / 1987 Cadets and 1991 Star represent his best work IMO. Absolutely amazing. Most people cant appreciate how hard it was to design drill before pyware grew into its own in the mid to late 1990s. I wonder what he could have written if he had pyware....

Just amazing and Star was amazing

I marched with the 2019 Phantom Regiment, and our opener actually had drawn influence from the cross to cross. Such an awesome history

I know I'm old, but damn, that was peak drum corps. Those Garfield show electrified me, and I can't seem to get that back. I met George while watching him work the Cadets for a small show in 1983. The energy he was putting out in just a practice was immense. He came over, slapped me on the belly and said "Hi, I'm Georgie", LOL. I was offered the chance to play baritone 2nd tour, but was out of work and needed $ for school the next fall. Sometimes I regret that decision.

Hell yeah man keep it up

Your vids are awesome dude

The Nishihara 2000-2001 ARDIENTE SENTIMIENTO drill from Japan is one of the most amazing drills I've ever seen. I could watch it all day and still be amazed by it.

& what a sweet men👏🔥❤🙏thanks 4 this…..oliver

Did 7 years in drum corps as a teen. Best years of my life. 🥁

The sound fills the stadium - and this was before miking

I was in high school Flag Corps for three years and am in awe of what I'm seeing starting at 12:00. I've never seen backwards running pinwheels before.

I still watch 91 Star whenever I think about it. The first time I ever saw the cross to cross was my freshman year in high school during band camp. It was my first time being in marching band and didn't know what was about to come. Some seniors were watching the drill on a old TV and VCR that belonged to the band. It's really something that stuck with me throughout the years. Zingali was a genius. Too bad he went so soon.

I blew an opportunity to go to Lynn, Ma and see the first time they put the "cross to cross" into action. Some friends of mine went and told me of the people falling, it was wet they said, but they also remarked about how incredible the show was.

I remember Tam Easterwood from the Madison Scouts... Joey Robinette....both were members of the winter guard, Chapter V. I was in the winter color guard, Entrada, for one year, 1979. We traveled to Madison, Wi., that year for the championship. I cant remember where we placed, but I do remember the standing ovation we got. People in guard and DCI are, and will always be special people! Our instructor had her favorite picks, but I wasnt one of them because my family was not wealthy. However, I will never forget the experience of band, guard, and going to DCI. I just missed my 40th year class reunion because I was in Wyoming. But I digress! I would LOVE to work with a high school band, or a corp

I was very lucky to work with George when he wrote drill for the UMass Marching Band in 88

I LOVE DRUM CORPS

It can't be understated, and often is, how GOOD his drills SOUNDED. Same with Marc Sylvester, their approach in that regard was the same. It created the "guard rails" necessary to both of them to really be creative. The constraints of presenting the written music EFFECTIVELY allowed for the creativity to really speak. But the basis is clear, and George says it in that talk but I think with most people is goes in ear in and right out the other. Music First. He says it very clearly. Not many people heard it correctly or percieved it correctly.

There will never be a guard like 27th lancers

This video is fantastic. Let's be sure to not forget Steve Brubaker and of course Michael Gaines.

No question Zingali was a master drill designer. You should also look at the work of Steve Brubaker and Michael Gaines with the Cavaliers, with some of the most mind bending creations ever seen on a football field.

Zingali is the GOAT for sure, but Michael Gaines definitely deserves recognition as being just as innovative in drill but in a later decade.

The closest description I can give of my friend, George is - he was the closest to being like "Mozart" that I ever knew in my lifetime. He could also be a "nut!" We took him to Wendy's for a hamburger. He was so loud with his talking that the whole restaurant was staring at him. My friend Jennifer said, "George - we can't take you anywhere!" I will never forget, and never stop missing him. His drill and teachings will live in us like the music of Mozart keeps on going.

My English teacher marched star of Indiana the year they did the cross to cross