WINTER 2020
The Trombonist
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President’s Welcome Editor’s Welcome MATTHEW GEE
BARNEY MEDL AND
Welcome to the Winter 2020 edition of The Trombonist. Although I write this in mid-November, I am desperately hoping that come publication we will be full of Christmas cheer – lockdown number two safety negotiated, America a little less orange, and the world on the brink of a vaccine. But where do we really find ourselves? Although this lockdown feels a little different to the first, it still remains a major challenge to our physical and mental health. So once again I find myself doing high intensity training (HIT) workouts by night and bake my way to happiness by day. It has been great to see what other people have been getting up to. The Classical Nursery – a very clever, classical twist on all your favourite nursery rhymes – is a particular highlight (my two-year-old Fred is obsessed with it!). Written, produced and performed by trombonist Matthew Knight and stunningly sung by his wife Lucy, this album is a must for anyone with young children; to be honest it is worth a listen even if you do not have kids. Pure magic, seasoned with plenty of low brass accompaniment. I have also been delighted to see so much homegrown success in recent online competitions. Angus Butt, Isobel Dawes and Merin Rhyd deserve special mention. On the back of what has been a particularly tough time for students, they have shown resolve, dedication and determination. All that remains is for me to wish you a very Happy Christmas. Remember those really nice bottles of wine which you save for a special occasion? Now is the time. Let us embrace the New Year and all of the challenges it may hold head on, trombone in hand, with big smiles on our faces.
Conspicuously absent this December, along with trips to busy pubs, are the huddles of brass players on street corners or crowded into organ lofts playing classic carols and cheesy pop arrangements. Sadly, this reiterates one of the themes of the year; millions of audience members deprived of the joys of live performances, and many thousands of performing professionals witnessing their livelihoods evaporate. However, talking to Josh and Becky (P30 & 31), Douglas as he’s put together the What’s On (P38 & 39), or Jane, as we’ve found more new releases to review this issue than at any time in the year so far, there is a palpable sense that artists and institutions are itching to roar back to musical life. Waiting to Continue (P10–15), the apt name of the new album from Marshall Gilkes, sums up the mood. As fresh scientific breakthroughs show there may be light at the end of the tunnel. We can all hope that next year will see us gradually overcome this pandemic, rekindle our performing industries, and, indeed, return to busy pubs. In the meantime, I wish you all a merry Christmas, and hope we can all look forward to a Happy New Year. Barney Medland editor@britishtrombonesociety.org
Matthew Gee president@britishtrombonesociety.org
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CONTRIBUTORS TO THIS ISSUE
Alison Keep Andrew Kershaw Becky Smith Barney Medland Bob Hughes Bone-afide Chris Branagan Douglas Coleman Harry Maund James Adams Jeremy Price Jon Stokes Josh Cirtina Matthew Gee Patrick Johns Peter Chester Rob Egerton Dr Sarah Crick
BRITISH TROMBONE SOCIET Y :
CONTENTS 03
WELCOME
06 09 10 15
16 18
19 20 24 26 29 30 32 36 37 38
NEWS
PRESIDENT’S TOOLKIT
THE FRONT COVER: INTERVIEW WITH MARSHALL GILKES
REVIEW: WAITING TO CONTINUE, ALBUM BY MARSHALL GILKES
MUSICIANS’ HEALTH: COVID-19 AND PERFORMANCE
REVIEW: NIBBLES, ALBUM BY THE NORWEGIAN TROMBONE ENSEMBLE
REVIEW: TRYPL, THE NEW ALBUM
INTERVIEW: MELISSA BROWN
EDUCATION COLUMN: PATRIC K JOHNS
QUEEN VICTORIA’S CONSORT
AMERICAN TROMBONE WORKSHOP 2020
FROM THE STAGE TO THE PIT
JAZZ BY JEREMY: EMBRACEABLE QUASIMODO
C HRISTMAS CROSSWORD
BOB HUGHES’S LOC KDOWN LISTENING
WHAT’S ON
Officers & Staff // Honorary Patrons // Committee // Officers
Opinions expressed in The Trombonist are the authors’ own and do not necessarily reflect the view of the British Trombone Society.
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BY BARNEY MEDL AND
THE NEWS BTS ANNOUNCES ITS ANNUAL AWARDS The annual BTS Awards were presented at the British Trombone Society’s first virtual AGM on the 15 November 2020.
The Outstanding Contribution Award was awarded to Dudley Bright. Dudley was principal trombone with the London Symphony Orchestra from 2001–2018, before 2001 he held the same position with the Philharmonia Orchestra. Dudley is professor of trombone at the Royal Academy of Music and is also a highly respected composer of brass band music, having had a long association with the brass bands of the Salvation Army. Player of the Year was awarded to Trevor Mires. Trevor is a leading performer who has toured with the likes of Jay Z, Beyoncé, Noel Gallagher, Sir Tom Jones, Barbra Streisand, George Michael, Randy Brecker, Buddy Rich Big Band, George Benson and Joshua Redman. He is a member of TRYPL, the jazz super group which has recently released an eponymous album (reviewed in this magazine on page 19). Trevor is also a leading educator, having taught jazz trombone at Guildhall School of Music and Drama, Trinity Laban College, and the Royal Academy of Music. In celebration of his Player of the Year award, Trevor kkindly offered a number of free Zoom lessons to trombone students of pre-conservatoire age. The Sheila Tracy Award was awarded to Becky Smith. Becky is principal trombone at the English National Opera, having previously held the position of Sub-Principal Trombone with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra. Becky also performs freelance with many of the UK's top orchestras, and also performs freelance with many of the UK’s top orchestras, such as the London Symphony Orchestra, the Philharmonia, and the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, and is a
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member of the trombone quartet Bones Apart. The Sheila Tracy Award is presented in memory of the late Sheila Tracy and is awarded to a female trombonist in recognition of a significant contribution to the field of trombone music. Turn to page 30 to read Becky’s regular column From the Stage to the Pit, co-written with Josh Cirtina, principal bass trombone with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. Simon Chorley was awarded Student of the Year. Simon studied at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, graduating last Summer. He has performed with the likes of Southbank Sinfonia and the National Youth Jazz Orchestra. Simon was recently accepted as Assistant Musical Director with the National Youth Music Theatre. He also works as a sound engineer, having recently produced and mixed projects with Voodoo Brass Band, Young Musicians Symphony Orchestra, Sam Every Big Band and others. This year, the Teacher of the Year award went to Katy Jones. Katy is Principal Trombone with the Hallé Orchestra and teaches at Chetham’s School of Music and the Royal Northern College of Music. She was previously Co-Principal Trombone of the London Symphony Orchestra. Katy has worked as Guest Principal with many of the UK’s leading orchestras, has appeared on the soundtracks of numerous blockbuster films, and coaches the trombones of the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain.
BTS PRIZES RECOGNISE OUTSTANDING TALENT Congratulations to Alan Adams who was won first prize in the Bob Hughes Bass Trombone Competition 2020. The panel of judges, Christian Jones, Roger Argente, and Josh Cirtina had to decide from a highly competitive field. Congratulations are also due to Josh
THE NEWS
Cargill and Jan Erik Kruijsse, who won second and third place respectively, and will each receive vouchers to be redeemed at JUNE EMERSON , the specialist sheet music shop. First prize was a FOCUSRITE SCARLETT 2I2 Studio 3rd Generation USB Audio Interface Recording Set. 12 talented composers entered the BTS Composers’ Competition 2020. The judges, Martyn Brabbins, Callum Au, and Dan Jenkins, awarded first prize to Andy Wareham for Fanfare and Three Poems, scored for trombone quartet and drum kit. The work was judged to be energetic, exciting, and rhythmic. Rude Mechanicals by David Lancaster and Hymn to the Sun by Ronald MacNiven were also highly praised by the panel. Special mentions went to Adagio and Allegro, for trombone duo, by Bruce Stark and Avebury’s Stones, for trombone and piano, by Dave Taylor. It is heartening to see the trombone repertoire grow in valuable and exciting ways, despite the enormous challenges of the year. If readers are interested in finding out more about any of the pieces mentioned above, including potential performances, please contact administrator@britishtrombonesociety.org
BTS FORCED TO CANCEL OCTOBER’S NATIONAL DAY Unfortunately, disruption caused by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic forced the British Trombone Society to cancel the national trombone day that was due to take place at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama on 18 October. This meant that the Ian Bousfield International Tenor Trombone Competition 2020, which was due to take place at the event, has also been postponed. Although it remains uncertain when live national events will be viable again, the BTS are working hard behind the scenes to ensure that 2021 is a year to remember.
PERSONNEL CHANGES AT THE BTS The BTS are pleased to welcome Tom Lees and David Horden to the committee. Tom Lees is a leading sackbut player who has a prolific list of playing achievements, having performed with all of the leading period instrument ensembles, including as a founding member of the English Cornett and Sackbut Ensemble. He has played on numerous film soundtracks, including on screen in Pride and Prejudice playing a genuine 18th century trombone. David Horden is a prolific performer, having played with the likes of Take That, Peter Andre, Yolanda Brown, and the Moscow City Ballet. He is also a busy educator, holding teaching positions at Hampton School, Tiffin Boys School, and Surbiton High School.
David is director of The London Street Band Ltd., who have performed around the world and featured on many TV shows. Andy Gray and Becca Pope are leaving the BTS committee, the BTS would like to thank them for all their contributions to the Society. The BTS would also like to thank Martha-Ann Brookes, who is stepping down as regional representative for the Midlands. The committee of the British Trombone Society was confirmed at the AGM on the 15 November. To view the full committee as it currently stands, please visit the BTS WEBSITE.
The BTS is pleased to have Martin Lee Thompson on board as the new Social Media Manager. Readers are invited to send any content they would like to be considered for the BTS’s FACEBOOK or T WITTER feeds to CONTENT@BRITISHTROMBONESOCIET Y.ORG.
MBE Recognises Extraordinary Roy Williams World-renowned British jazz trombonist Roy Williams has been awarded an MBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours. Over a long and distinguished career, Roy has been an eminent jazz soloist, has collaborated with the likes of Humphrey Lyttelton and Doc Cheatham, and has built up a substantial catalogue of recordings. The award is testament to Roy’s eminence as one of the greatest living British trombonists.
And finally… Highly regarded brass teacher, Helen Minshall, has completed an awesome aquatic feat, all for good cause. Bolton-based Helen swam 10.5 miles across lake Windermere. To make the achievement even more impressive, her support boat carried a pBone and the inspirational teacher stopped every hour to tread water and play the likes of Smoke on the Water and I’m Forever Blowing Bubbles, all whilst remaining afloat. The epic swim raised £2,000 for the Royal Society of Musicians. After the nine-hour endurance test Helen said 'I’m astounded by the level of support I’ve received. People from all different parts of my life have sponsored me. I think it’s touched everyone that so many musicians are facing hardship due to the current situation.’ ◆
HELEN MINSHALL
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PRESIDENT’S TOOLKIT:
Warming Down BY MATTHEW GEE
One of the areas of my playing which has seen the most development over the last five years is the warm-down. I would not say that I totally neglected it prior to this, simply that I did not realise and access the benefits it can bring. The most obvious advantage is aiding consistency and being able to start your playing from the same point each day. I remember, as a student, getting frustrated that I was battling a completely different set of challenges every day. Over time, regular practice will help to develop consistency, but a short warm-down could speed this process up dramatically. Some of the exercises I regularly use are below. They focus largely on false tones, that is, bending the note down, or up (although this puts more stress through the embouchure), solely using the lips without moving the slide. For example, play a B-flat in first position, then slacken the embouchure until you glissando down to an A-natural whilst remaining in first position. You need to keep the air-flow relaxed and try not to use too much pressure; there just needs to be a seal between the lips and the mouthpiece. Encouraging the lips to relax like this stimulates blood flow through them. Once you have mastered this simple exercise, see
how far you can take it. I play all of the examples below in the video, but there are plenty more, just be creative. The second part of my warm-down consists of descending arpeggios into the pedal register. Once again, start simply – perhaps down to a low F-natural – and then keep going as low as possible. The same rules apply: gentle air, nice quiet dynamic, as little pressure as possible. I find this sort of exercise is great to ‘reset’ the embouchure. I’ll quite often play it during my practise sessions too, especially if I have been playing high, or putting a lot of stress through my chops. What works for me might not necessarily work you for. I have heard other brass players focus on low articulation in order to relax their chops, or simply a little mouthpiece buzzing. After a tiring concert, rehearsal or practise session the desire to pack up as quickly as possible is overwhelmingly strong at times, but try to remember that the muscles which surround the lips are very small and delicate. A little time spent warming down and completing the circle can be hugely beneficial to your playing, even if it is just for thirty seconds. ◆
DIAMOND NOTE HEAD INDICATES FALSE TONE
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HE FRONT COVE
To Be Continued…
JON STOKES TALKS TO MARSHALL GILKES
BY JON STOKES
Marshall Gilkes is a rare breed of trombone player whose total command of the instrument and deep understanding of music allows him to move effortlessly between styles. He is part of Maria Schneider’s expansive Jazz Orchestra as well as holding the lead chair in one of the world’s best-loved big bands, The Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, based In New York. He is a member and composer for the trombone super-group ‘Slide Monsters’, with Joseph Alessi, and he has recently released his sixth album, ‘Waiting to Continue’, his first trio album with bassist Yasushi Nakamura and drummer Clarence Penn. I managed to catch up with him, via the wonders of technology, to talk about his latest album and get geeky about his trombone playing. We met back in February while Marshall was in the UK working with students from the Royal Northern College of Music. After reminiscing about our night out in Manchester, we moved on to the devastation caused by Covid before tackling the turbulent US Presidential election. It was at this point that I thought we better get on with the important stuff …
Let’s start with your 6th album, Waiting to Continue. Had you already planned to record the album this year and how did a global pandemic affect your plans? JON STOKES:
We were going to record around 15 April. We had done some touring as a trio last year
MARSHALL GILKES:
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after which I wrote some new material. We had a couple of rehearsals, playing through the new material, but in mid-March, the pandemic hit and everything just stopped. Studios closed. Everything closed in New York. So I said, ‘Alright let’s just put it on hold, we’re ready to go whenever the opportunity comes.’ JS:
And then the opportunity arose?
Around mid-June I decided to write to the The Bunker Studio in New York. Aaron Nevezie, an old friend of mine, is one of the owners and he’s a great sound engineer. I wrote to them and just asked ‘Hey, do you guys have any plans now things are getting better?’. They said ‘Yeah, we’re going to start doing sessions again at the end of the month’.
MG:
I’m assuming there wasn’t much work between April and June. You obviously managed to keep your chops in! JS:
I hadn’t played a gig! I’d been practising but I was pretty consistent with practising for that whole time. I wrote some short trombone choir things too, which I took with me to the studio. One was a song called Anya’s Tune, which is a piece I wrote for my wife. One reason I did a choir thing with it is because the harmonies are pretty dense in that tune for a trio so I was a little worried my harmonic intent wouldn’t come out clearly. I also thought it would make for a nice change
MG:
THE FRONT COVER
MARSHALL IN THE STUDIO
for one tune on the record to have a lot of trombone backgrounds. So, for Anya’s Tune I programmed the click with all the tempos and I recorded all my parts without the rhythm section. Then I brought that to the studio and had the engineer play that through the cans [headphones], then we played complete takes of it with me playing the lead part. After we recorded the rhythm section in the right place, I re-recorded the other parts, 2 through 5, before we mixed it. Just to make sure it was more natural with the rhythm section. JS: I’ve been listening to the album. I love the sound of the trio. You play, and have played, in some incredible large ensembles (WDR – Westdeutschen Rundfunks Big Band, Vangaurd Jazz Orchestra, Maria Schneider, for example). What drew you to scale down to a trio with no chordal instrument like a piano or guitar?
Money! Just kidding. I had wanted to make this record ever since Sound Stories, the last quintet record I made. At the time, I thought my next record was going to be a trio record, but then I got the opportunities to record with the WDR Big Band. Even back then I would do gigs around Germany just with a trio and the very first time I played at the International Trombone Festival
MG:
I brought a trio from New York. It’s kind of my favourite format to play in. So, it had been on my mind for a long time and I finally decided: this year I’m going to do it. The group works really well together. Yasushi Nakamura on bass and Clarence Penn on drums are clearly wonderful musicians. What is it about these guys that made you ask them to be involved? JS:
They both played on my second album, Lost Words. Yasushi also played on my album Sound Stories; we actually went to Julliard together. We’ve known each other for years. Clarence and I played with Maria Schneider’s Orchestra. He doesn’t anymore but he was in the orchestra for years. We’ve played in settings from really straight ahead to more modern stuff. I guess the biggest thing for me is to have musicians that are really versatile: forward thinking but can also play traditionally really well. And those guys, when they do that, it’s just like ‘Oh man!’. It just sounds like it’s supposed to be. There are several tunes in 7-time on the album and some swingers, Latin type rhythms too, and straight 8ths. Clarence can play with this incredible intensity but that intensity doesn’t necessarily translate to volume, which helps me get through the set, or recording in this case.
MG:
Continues on next page … 11
THE FRONT COVER
JS: Talking about that intensity and getting through the sessions, how many days were you in the studio for? It must have been tough. It sounds like you’re all really going for it sometimes.
I think there was probably a good deal of excitement in the room because most of us hadn’t played with other human beings in months. I was a little nervous going in. There are some tunes on there we did in one take. I thought there isn’t really a reason to do more. Knowing the physical demands from a trombone standpoint, I tried to be practical. So, we recorded for two days, but they were pretty relaxed days.
MG:
You use the entire range of the instrument on your albums. Could you talk me through the sort of practice you do? JS:
There’s a daily routine that I’ve been doing some version of since about 1996. In my first year of college I went to the University of Northern Colorado where I had a teacher named Buddy Baker. I studied with him for a year and he was adamant about all his students playing the daily routine. I used to be really neurotic with it. I’d probably spend two hours or an hour and a half going through that stuff. Now I try to get it out within 30 or 45 minutes. It’s everything from classical legato tongue to trying to work on range. Sound stuff too, so lots of air attack exercises. I address slide speed in it and flexibility at the end. Often I’ll buzz a bit beforehand. Sometimes I’ll just improvise on the mouthpiece, just messing around. Do you know Andy Hunter?
MG:
JS:
I’ve heard of him.
He was my roommate in senior year of high school. We went to a specialist arts school in Michigan called the Interlochen Arts Academy. He gave me the idea to start playing Remington warm-ups starting from 7th position. Sometimes, if I don’t have a ton of time to warm up, I’ll do something like that, something that feels good. For many years after that I would just play scales and arpeggios every day, starting on a low Bb and going up chromatically until I couldn’t get any higher. That’s primarily what I used for a lot of years to build my range. That’s how Buddy Baker had us do it. Maybe I took a little different step, if I got up to high F and it was really tight, I would stop and stretch, trying to teach myself how to relax a little bit, how to make it feel normal.
MG:
JS: Is that a bit of Telemann and Bordogini I see on your music stand?
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Yeah. Telemann 12 Fantasies. But if I’m getting ready for a big recording [holds up Bordogini], book 2 especially. I’m almost superstitious. I try to practice two of these a day. At the pitch they are written, down an octave and in tenor clef. If I can get through No. 68 and be able to play in tenor clef, you know, there’s high F’s all over the place, with legato playing up there, then I feel like I’m going to be in pretty good shape for playing in a trio.
MG:
JS:
How do you approach practising improvisation?
If I don’t have a gig coming up, I’ll just practise blowing over tunes and taking them through different keys. Something I’ve been working on with my students is adding chromaticism to interval groups or triads. Most days I try to work on my velocity. I’ve got a pretty systematic way of doing that where I’ll set the metronome at 280 [bpm] and, usually with a blues or Cherokee tune, I play in one key for a while and then speed up the metronome and switch the key. I try to get my ear to take the ideas I hear in one key and push them in to the next.
MG:
JS: It seems like practising the trombone isn’t enough on its own if you want to get your music out there. What other skills have you found yourself having to acquire?
I start these things with a lot of gas in the tank but then I burn through it pretty quickly. If someday a really great label wanted to put my stuff out I would probably happily jump on board, but the first couple of records I made I tried some record companies but nobody was ever interested. It can be frustrating at times, so I hired a publicist for this one. There’s going to be something like four reviews in Japan and there was an article in JazzTimes. But, you know who’s always so supportive of me and my music is the trombone and brass community. I’ve decided to just embrace that rather than trying to force all these powers that are out of my control to latch onto my music.
MG:
I wanted to talk about your compositions, they sound so uplifting and optimistic to me. You write and arrange for many different kinds of ensemble, do you have a preference? It seems like your big band writing is expertly crafted and arranged whereas the small group stuff is open to more improvisation from within the group. JS:
Interesting. For a lot of the big band stuff I write, most of the solo spots are leading to another section so I guess the shape of the solo is built into the composition a little bit. I guess with Waiting to Continue most of
MG:
THE FRONT COVER
MARSHAL (LEFT) AND JON , TALKING OVER ZOOM
these tunes are ‘head tunes’, going back to a classic jazz interpretation. The tunes on here are with a trio but they’re really trombone features with the rhythm section in an accompanying role.
JS: Who would you say has influenced your music the most and are you listening to anything at the moment that you’re particularly in to?
Children’s music [starts playing Wiggle Wiggle Wiggle on the piano] and I listen to a lot of Cuban music. I really like this band Havana D’Primera. It’s Timba music, a genre of Cuban music. Years ago, I used to hear Kurt Rosenwinkel every Tuesday, I love his compositions. In terms of this particular recording, I can say that I used to listen a ton to the Joe Henderson trio record, State of the Tenor – Live at the Village Vanguard.
MG: JS:
Did you grow up classically trained?
Dance you mean? [Laughs]. You know I have a t-shirt that says ‘classically trained’ and it has a picture of the original Nintendo on it … I started as a classical player and even at my first year of college I was a classical major because there was no jazz major at the school. And then when was I was at Juilliard, I took all my trombone lessons with Joseph Alessi, so I did a lot of orchestral excerpts and that kind of thing.
MG:
JS:
Do you still do much orchestral playing?
JS: Who were your influences growing up? Was there anyone in particular who inspired you on the trombone?
My Dad was a conductor in the Air Force. There was a trombone player there, Mark Burditt, who was one of my first jazz teachers. There was another guy, Ryan Haines, and another, Rick Crafts, who was a beautiful ballad player. So those were the first guys I would listen to. That got me into stuff like The Tonight Show Band. Then I somehow found my way into some small group recordings and then I went to Interlochen Arts Academy. There, all of a sudden, I was surrounded
MG:
A good bit of it, yeah. I auditioned a couple of times for The New York Philharmonic Orchestra. I made the semi-finals once, I’ve never been that nervous in my life. Alessi told me afterwards ‘it was pretty good, but I think you swung a few notes in [Richard Strauss’s] Alpine Symphony’. I was so nervous that I’d told myself to just read the music and pretend I was on a gig.
MG:
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THE FRONT COVER
PHOTO CREDIT: DAVID MARIANO
by a lot of other young musicians. And they were like ‘Hey, check out this Herbie Hancock recording’. I used to have a John McLaughlin record I loved, Que Alegria, and man, if I put that record on now, I can smell my dorm room. I bought a record of Conrad Herwig called the New York Breed. I remember putting it on and being like ‘Wow! What is this?’. I really dug his playing. Lots of saxophone players too. I like Mark Turner’s playing a lot, he used to play in the group with Kurt Rosenwinkel. He plays with this even sound all over his sax. I guess I always wanted to be able to do that. Maria Schneider was definitely a huge influence too. JS:
And now you play in her band!
crafted and harmonically intriguing but doesn’t sound forced, do you know what I mean? I definitely write more that way. JS: What do you do away from the trombone? I enjoy your spoof trombone lesson videos. I seem to remember you skiing with your son?
I’m really into skiing but I don’t get to go skiing all the time. I like to cook a lot too, but there’s only so much time now I have a 2 and a 4-year-old. I like to hang out with good friends. I’ve also been fishing a lot this summer. The back of my car used to always be bucket mutes and trombones but now it’s just fishing rods.
MG:
JS:
I remember getting her first record from Tower Records in Denver, Colorado when I was 17 or 18 and listening to that in my dorm room over and over again. But now she’s written features for me. There’s one on her last record and there’s one on the new record. This trombone feature is really challenging; she wrote a double high A in the melody. I feel like listening to her music made me feel it’s ok to just like what I like. Her music is incredibly well
So, what’s next?
MG:
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Lunch! It’s almost 12 here. I have this idea to maybe write some duets and record them. That, and practising.◆
MG:
Marshall Gilkes's new album Waiting to Continue is reviewed on page 15. For more about Marshall, visit his website: https://www.marshallgilkes.com/ Jon Stokes is a leading performer and educator, and Chair of the BTS.
R
REVIEW Waiting to Continue THE NEW ALBUM FROM MARSHALL GILKES BY HARRY MAUND
‘(Gilkes is) one of those musicians who constantly just drops my jaw and leaves me shaking my head in disbelief,’ says Maria Schneider. Whether a long-standing member of the Maria Schneider Jazz Orchestra, the WDR Big Band in Cologne, or a sideman with Columbian Harpist Edmar Castañeda’s Trio, trombonist Marshall Gilkes is the ultimate embodiment of musical versatility. Two-time Grammy nominated Gilkes recorded his sixth album, Waiting to Continue, in New York City at the height of a global pandemic. The first half of 2020 was set to be one of the busiest periods in Marshall’s career to date. However, following the outbreak of coronavirus, tours with Makoto Ozone, Maria Schneider, the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, Slide Monsters, Brass Band of Battle Creek and his own band ‘were all cancelled in a matter of days.’ With Covid-19 impacting musicians globally and seemingly little light at the end of the tunnel, Gilkes decided enough was enough and booked two days of recording with his trio, in the depths of the pandemic. Comprising drummer Clarence Penn (Betty Carter, Steps Ahead, Wynton Marsalis) and bassist Yasushi Nakamura (Wycliffe Gordon, Christian Sands, Chad Lefkowitz-Brown,) the trio had rehearsed several times prior to lockdown, so come their studio date in July they were ‘ready to go!’ Coronavirus safety precautions were sure to add to the stress of recording an album, but this does not show in the music. A strong sense of fluidity and intention shine through, with Nakamura’s huge sound anchoring the band. Meanwhile, Penn’s mastery and considered phrasing mould and shape direction within the music allowing Marshall to soar above and beyond, indeed, this album contains some of the finest brass playing there is. The trombone is shown in its highest and purest form of ability, at a technical level applauded by jazz and classical fans alike. Marshall Gilkes is truly a master of his craft; each note and phrase executed with accuracy and authority, whilst rooted in deep lyricism. While Gilkes’s reputation is built upon his virtuosity as a trombonist, Waiting to Continue is a powerful statement of intent from him as a composer, featuring eleven of his original compositions which ooze bebop and gospel influences. ‘Waiting to Continue wasn’t initially intended to be the title of this album.
We were originally scheduled to go into the studio at the beginning of April 2020 but had to cancel due to the pandemic. At that time I planned to call the record ‘Play Date’. But after several months at home, living in limbo, Waiting to Continue proved to be a more suitable title that better conveys the feeling the album represents’ writes Gilkes on the album’s BANDCAMP page. Gilkes kicks off the record with the title track; Waiting to Continue, a richly symphonic trombone chorale. Meanwhile, Archie’s Theme demonstrates the signature agility we have come to expect from Marshall’s playing. Gilkes’s deftly manages an unrelentingly intervallic melody, navigating three-octave jumps and bluesy lines up and down the instrument at ferocious speeds. Anya’s Tune (written for Gilkes’s wife) is a luscious and heartfelt journey fulfilling a beautiful contrast with some of the more fiery material featured elsewhere on this record. Here, the emphasis is no longer on technical fireworks but rich and sonorous orchestration as Gilkes’s thickens the texture; his warm and full-bodied tone making five trombones sound more like twenty. Employing overdubbed ensemble writing, staggered entries and thick cluster voicings; these elegantly crafted splashes of colour invite the melody to soar above. My personal favourite composition of Marshall’s featured on this album is Play Date, a contrafact on the jazz standard Cherokee. Made infamous by its dizzying fast tempo, ‘Cherokee’ was once a vehicle for the masterful dexterity of the great Charlie Parker. Gilkes masks the chord changes at first, teasing us with the provenance of the material until the band let loose huge explosions of sound, and bursts of energy are thrown around between the trio. ‘While Waiting to Continue was recorded during a time of uncertainty, it also conveys the message that we will get through this and we will, in fact, continue!’ says Gilkes. This album is a bright light of hope to us all – music will never stop and neither will we! ◆ Waiting to Continue was released on 23 October, for more information including how to buy the album, visit Gilkes’s website HERE. Turn to the crossword on page 36 for your chance to win a copy. 15
BY DR SARAH CRIC K
Covid-19 and Performance MUSICIANS' HEALTH
2020 has been a year of unprecedented changes, both positive and negative, but affecting how we live, work, socialise and interact as human beings. Unfortunately, in the performing arts world the impact of the pandemic has been more sustained than for most, with very few performances, and a catastrophic blow to creative output felt across the sector. The Office for National Statistics published data in October 2020 suggesting the arts, entertainment and creative industries had the highest number of workers on partial or full furlough. However, this is unlikely to appropriately reflect the devastation COVID-19 has had on the music profession. Research undertaken by ‘Help Musicians’ found that 50% of musicians were not currently earning anything from music and 80% were worried about being unable to pay household bills. This is grim reading and it’s essential that we remember that behind every statistic is an individual coping with these changes, adapting, supporting dependents, spouses and extended family. There are many very personal stories. So, what has the world of Performing Arts Medicine (PAM) been doing to try and support performers during this time? The Royal Society of Medicine dedicated a WEBINAR education event to looking at the impact of COVID-19 on Occupational Medicine in the Performing Arts. Chaired by Dr Finola Ryan (some of you may remember her excellent article on hearing for the BTS last year), it featuring three prominent experts
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within PAM to share their views: Dr Hara Trouli, Mr John Rubin and Dr Jonathan Fishman. For performers, many factors are influenced by COVID-19: general fitness, mental health, environmental influences, including incorporating safe practice space, artistic identity, creativity and the dilemma of return to work. The British Association for Performing Arts Medicine has worked tirelessly providing remote consultations, advice and support for performers, adapting their clinical assessments to adhere to national guidance. In March–October 2020 they saw an increase in mental health consultations from 15% to 26% compared to the previous year. Dr Ryan has produced a risk assessment for return-to-work guidance which is available for download via the BAPAM WEBSITE along with many other useful resources. The current research on musicians and aerosol generation is new and as a result, incomplete, sometimes posing more questions than answers. However, the number of studies demonstrates the willingness of the medical field to understand more, with the aim to normalise performers’ lives as soon as possible. In regards to SARS-CoV-2 virus (Covid-19), it is spread by smaller particles rather than droplets, hence the concern about aerosol transmission. It remains suspended in the air and influenced by air flows. One question is, how far can the particles spread? The current social distancing guidance is based on
ILLUSTRATION: ISTOC K
MUSICIANS' HEALTH
many studies including from Echternach et al. (2020) that aerosol generation occurs up to 1.5–2m. However, on sneezing aerosolisation can be up to 8m. Gregson et al. (2020) demonstrated an increase in mass concentration with an increase in volume, therefore at quietest volumes singing and speaking have the same transmission as breathing. Consequently, it was felt amplification was one of the key recommendations of this study. Looking at aerosol generation in different wind instruments, He et al. (2020) categorised instruments into low, medium and high risk. Tuba was low risk, bassoon, french horn and clarinet intermediate and unfortunately trumpet, bass trombone and oboe were categorised as high risk. This data may be taken into account when planning for orchestral rehearsals although as we know, however, changing a layout of an ensemble has additional complexities when performing. The risk of infection is related to viral dose and exposure time. Factors to consider to reduce risk are therefore social distancing, larger rehearsal spaces, lower
performer numbers, duration of rehearsal (<1 hour), environmental factors (hand washing, temperature, humidity), use of PPE and positioning of instruments within a group. It is important to recognise that this research is fairly limited and recently published and possible changes will occur as new data is published. To end on a positive note, performers have demonstrated extreme resilience and creativity during the pandemic. There are many inspiring projects being produced via virtual or streaming platforms. To those who have had to choose an alternative career path, be this long or short term, we are in awe of your adaptability. With the vaccines in the process of being approved, it feels there is possible light at the end of the tunnel. This will allow the world of performing arts to return to a something a bit more like normal. â&#x2014;&#x2020;
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RE V IV W Nibbles BY BONE- AFIDE
Bone-afide are an up-and-coming trombone quartet, the members are: Angus Butt, Chris Brewster, Isobel Daws,and Merin Rhyd
Album by the Norwegian Trombone Ensemble
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Nibbles: a vibrant and varied new release from The Norwegian Trombone Ensemble – a group comprised of the leading orchestral trombonists in Norway. This debut disc goes above and beyond to portray not only instrumental tact and musical understanding, but also a real breadth of repertoire which can cater for everyone’s taste. Telemann’s Sonata a 4, originally written for four violins, provides us with a glorious opener that really sets the scene. The sonorous opening exhibits the true cantabile trombone sound that we all love to hear, followed quickly by nimble articulation and wonderful phrasing to bear a true baroque poise with great ensemble unity in the second movement. The heart wrenching slow movement has some seriously impressive phrasing, with clear harmonic intentions. The four movement work ends with light and spirit filled playing, complimented by an overarching sense of ease throughout all dynamics. It is truly inspiring to hear how much joy can ring through the Trombone! Alfie provides a complete contrast to the previous four tracks of Telemann’s music, and shows off NTE’s lyricism. It features some tremendous bass trombone
NIBBLES is released by L AWO Classics, buy it HERE.
playing, which is perfectly present without disturbing the blend. The soaring melody flows effortlessly and really explores the trombone’s versatility and expression. This is another inspirational track, showing how it is possible to get away from the technicalities of the trombone and just create beautiful melodies! Two classics of the quartet repertoire are heard next: Debussy’s Trois Chansons, and Beethoven’s Drei Equali. The former is a favourite piece of ours, and this recording has certainly done the work justice. The first movement is packed full of flow and cohesion – themes are passed from player to player with great ease and grace. We are reminded once again of the wonderfully light articulation throughout the second movement, which leads us directly towards the dramatic and beautiful third and final song. This performance strongly supports the idea that the trombone is the instrument best resembles the voice – a warm, vocal sound quality is maintained throughout the work. The Beethoven Drei Equali follow and then there’s a great contrast in a cool jazzy arrangement of Fascinating Rhythm, with so many colours, from the mysterious opening to the crisp and lively main section. Nibbles is an album packed full of impressive and characterful playing in a wide range of styles. From a sonorous rendition of Bruckner’s Locus Iste, demonstrating warm vocal colours, to a foot tapping arrangement of the ABBA hit Money, Money, Money, it is great to hear so many different styles being played so well on a single CD. Nibbles is a fantastic album – it has something for everyone and is full of contrast. The ensemble displays every style the trombone can play and does so in an extremely convincing way – truly inspiring! ◆
THE NORWEGIAN TROMBONE ENSEMBLE, FROM LEFT TO RIGHT: Petter Winrot h, Clare Farr, Sverre Riise, Auden Breen. PHOTOGRAPHY: Anna-Julia Granberg.
TRYPL is the self-titled debut album, released on the Ubuntu music label in August 2020. It features on BBC Music’s Best Jazz Albums of 2020 list, and from the first moment it hits your ears, it’s clear to see why. Each of these Latin Jazz tracks has been expertly crafted by the band and all but one are original compositions. This all-star super group was formed in 2017 and is led by the powerhouse horn trio of Trevor Mires (trombone), Ryan Quigley (trumpet) and Paul Booth (sax). They are supported by an equally outstanding Latin rhythm section, Alex Wilson (piano), Dimitris Christopoulos (bass), Edwin Sanz (percussion), Tristan Banks (drums), and Davide Giovannini (drums). The opening track perfectly demonstrates why these three friends and long-time musical collaborators laid down their first album. Entitled Bojo (nothing to do with our current PM), it kicks off with a relaxed but insanely tight unison horn line over a groovy ostinato bass, a crisp modern take on ’70s Herbie Hancock. An immaculate trumpet solo rises above the conga and cowbell, followed by a teasing sax solo that builds into a hip, rhythmic explosion. The track closes with an extravaganza of collective improvisation, ideas bouncing off each other with instruments seamlessly coming in and out of focus. This is where we hear our first glimpse of the solo trombone magic to come. A perfect example of this is in the fifth track, Scallywag, which explodes with the sheer energy and virtuosity that explains why these guys are among the first-call horn players in London today. The precision and dexterity of the playing is breath-taking. Having established the frenetic opening, it suddenly drops to a half time, laid back groove, from which Trevor Mires emerges in his element. His mastery has always been in establishing the space and calm from which he effortlessly expands in both range and intensity, never losing the framework of his memorable, song-like phrases. This is a perfectly crafted musical journey, every note has a purpose and a place and it is beautiful. Transcribe it, study it, learn it! The only ballad on the record, Tres Palabras, beautifully exhibits the flexibility
EVIE
BY JAMES ADAMS
TRYPL
UBUNTU MUSIC, 2020
and sensitivity of these musicians. It opens with a haunting improvised duet between sax and piano, followed by a lush, lyrical Freddie Hubbard-esque trumpet chorus. Whilst maintaining his instantly recognisable style, Trevor Mires’ sweet trombone solo has hints of the best bits of Curtis Fuller and Frank Rosolino and would sound right at home in any ballad by Eddie Palmieri. This tune is in such contrast to the rest of the high energy album that it proves particularly affecting. TRYPL is available to buy from UBUNTU MUSIC , or from the TRYPL Facebook page (where you’ll also find videos of their lockdown chop-saver gymnastics. Sheet music is provided for those brave enough to give them a go!). TRYPL will be performing at Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club and The London Jazz Cafe in January. In the meantime, I advise you to go and buy this album, play it loud, and bring some high energy, life affirming, joyous sounds into your life! ◆
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NT ERVIE
Bold As Brass Peter Chester talks to Melissa Brown, podcast presenter and self-confessed ‘noisy trombonist’.
BY PETER C HESTER
Hello Melissa and thanks for speaking to the BTS today. Can you please introduce yourself?
PETER C HESTER:
I’m a trombone and euphonium player, newly relocated to Leicestershire, and I’ve played the trombone for about 15 years. We moved here from Oxfordshire in the summer, following my partner’s new job. He’s a chemistry researcher/lecturer, (and a tuba player!), so it was easier for me to follow him. MELISSA BROWN:
PC:
How did you start on the trombone?
I started learning in a brass band and am eternally grateful to Chatteris Band, in Cambridgeshire. My Dad is a tuba player in the band and I was very young when I started asking to play, which I did, on cornet, when I was about 9. I soon switched to the tenor horn as the bigger mouthpiece was better, but when I was 12 or 13 there was a concert by our Band President, who was (and still is) Lindsay Shilling, Principal Trombone of the Royal Opera House Orchestra. I distinctly remember coming home from that concert and saying ‘That’s the one I want – the noisy, slidey, silly one. That’s the one for me’. So, I took an old bandroom trombone home for a summer and started. My teacher, Duncan Wilson, had suggested I drop the tenor horn, so the two things clicked together, and I’d finally found my instrument. MB:
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PC:
So, that got you started. What happened next?
MB: I was really lucky there, as I continued studying with Duncan and he took me right through to finishing at school and helped me prepare for music college auditions. That led to a place at Trinity Laban College of Music and Dance, where I studied for four years. I think it’s true that if there was a trombone player coming to Trinity, I got to study with them. My first year tutor was Mark Templeton, my second was Carol Jarvis, my third and fourth was Phil White of the Philharmonia, and that’s alongside masterclasses with Denis Wick, Don Lucas and Byron Fulcher, so I think I was very lucky. PC:
What did that lead to?
At Trinity I took my 3rd and 4th year electives in Instrumental and Vocal Teaching which led to an additional qualification upon graduating. It was lots to undertake and, pre-college, I’d sworn blind I was never going to teach. It’s hilarious now because I love it and it pays the mortgage! This module lined up well for me because in 2012, I was offered some teaching at my old school, which was nice and so I graduated with my performance degree and teaching diploma concurrently in 2013. After graduating I was mostly teaching in East London, but I was at the time also taking professional MB:
INTERVIEW
auditions. Unfortunately, and I think it is important for me to be quite open about this, in 2013 I started to suffer with my mental health and decided to stop taking professional auditions. Being in a room by myself and practising all day was proving quite difficult, but I found teaching beneficial as I had to get out of my own head and be focussed on someone else and their happiness. It made me feel better in myself and I realised I was quite good at it, so it’s become what I do and I now spend most of my time teaching. Nowadays alongside my private teaching, I have taken on something very much outside my comfort zone: two days a week as a curriculum music teacher in a lovely local primary school. I have the knowledge and was given a lot of freedom with material choice but was a bit nervous about being able to deliver it well! Anyway, I started in September and I’m having a lovely time. Most of my instrumental teaching is selfemployed, although because of the pandemic much of what I had lined up – work with Brass of the Saff band project in Leicester and teaching with Coventry Music – has been put on hold while things calm down, but I hope to be back with them fairly soon. PC: In non-Covid times, what would have been your other musical activities – Bands? Orchestras? Big bands?
It would be a little different from the situation at the moment as I’ve moved, but it would include, possibly, some conducting a couple of times a week, and playing in a brass band. It’s something I’ve always enjoyed and maintained as a hobby and band meant nights out with my tuba-playing other half – something we could do together. Orchestral playing was usually reserved for work. In Oxford, I had many friends who play in local orchestras, and I would go to help out, just to have a day with my pals. I have to say I am the least jazzy person you could meet, though! I took two years of jazz lessons at college with Mark Bassey, a wonderful man, but even he suggested, very diplomatically (and I’m paraphrasing slightly), ‘I think your hours might be better spent in orchestral studies’. Big bands are definitely not my strong suit. MB:
Now, this interview arises from your podcasts. How did they come about? PC:
MB: Well, the first lockdown was not easy. Suddenly, with losing seven hours a week class teaching and not commuting, I had 16 hours a week to spare, not easy in a flat where there was only so much practice I could do. I began to wonder, ‘What are other brass players doing
MELISSA BROWN
to occupy their time?’ and so I thought I’d ring them up and ask them, record it, and share it with other people, and from that it has just snowballed. I’d done a bit of research into podcasting, and I found it tricky at first, but it seemed like something I could learn, with lots of things to do with hosting websites, streaming platforms, editing software and so on. I was in way over my head, but I went through my phone book and thought, ‘I don’t know what I’m doing, never done it before – who’s going to say yes to me?’ So, I was very grateful to the first people I lined up, Duncan Wilson, Carol Jarvis, Chris Augustine, a college friend of mine, who’s now with Welsh National Opera, Callum Rookes (tuba player with the Coldstream Guards Band), pals and former teachers, who basically said, ‘Why not? The worst thing that can happened is we spend some time together chatting and it never goes on air.’ The way I run it is sort of cheeky. These fab people give their time generously, for free, but I also ask them if they could recommend someone for an interview. Thus, Duncan Wilson’s recommendation was Dan Jenkins, Carol’s was Zoltan Kiss. So it was soon growing and growing and I’ve met such wonderful people. I couldn’t pick out particular favourites from the talks but overall I’ve come to fully appreciate what all-round
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INTERVIEW
musicians brass players are and also the transferable skills that a music education actually delivers. I should also acknowledge the power of social media. For example, there’s a wonderful forum on Facebook for female, non-binary, trans brass players. I put a post on there one night and twenty people signed up! That was in July, and I’ve been recording recently, and I now have enough episodes to go through to March 2021! So I’ve gone from having too many free hours in my week to having none, something I never thought was possible. PC:
What would be your best brass-related memory?
MB: Can I mention two? The first, my first ‘professional gig’, was in a packed-out Albert Hall, playing the offstage band parts for the 1812 Overture in a Tchaikovsky Festival for the Royal Philharmonic as a 2nd year student. In 2011, Roger Argente, at the time Trinity’s Head of Brass and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra’s bass trombonist, arranged that the offstage band would be students from Trinity. It was fantastic, not high pressure, nor the parts super difficult, just the overall experience was amazing, AND it was Mother’s Day, so I went in full ballgown to jump on the Tube to dash back to Cambridge to visit my Mum and a few people on the train were definitely confused. My second comes from 2012, when I got invited at last minute to dep on a tour to India as part of an Orchestra promoting the music for a new film called Neethaane En Ponvasantham. There’s a film composer, well known in India, called Ilaiyaraaja and we were flown out to play the audio launch. I hadn’t travelled much outside Europe before but it was a fantastic experience. PC: What about your worst experience? In your podcasts you ask guests to encapsulate it in three words or phrases.
The three things for this are: (1) oompah band, (2) Lufthansa Airlines party and (3) inappropriate costume.
MB: My taste in music is enormously eclectic. I was bought up on a diet of 80’s rock bands and brass bands, but one I always recommend to my trombone students is the London Trombone Sound. Any trombone player can find something that they like on that CD. It’s probably the first time most young players will hear a mass trombone ensemble. And as for their version of Eric Clapton’s ‘Layla’ – the bass trombone is wonderful. It’s my favourite for a good bit of low-brass cheese. Another CD that influenced me massively was Bones Apart’s album Four4Four. I wasn’t massively aware, before college, of how many female trombone players there were, the standard they were or the amazing repertoire available. I hadn’t played chamber music but I was then fascinated by the idea of playing in a trombone quartet. I remember playing it non-stop. Then, a slight curve ball, of course there’s the band Reel Big Fish – any album of theirs! PC:
So that’s for keeps, what would you chuck out?
MB: I have a particularly scarring memory of Mozart’s Requiem, but I like the piece too much to bin it completely, but I will go with Ferdinand David’s Concertino. I think I have racked up enough practice and performance hours of that piece to bank for the rest of my life. PC: Is there any one piece you would advise brass players in particular to listen to?
I would say, listen to as much music as you possibly can, including stuff that’s not necessarily relevant to your instrument. I do suggest trombonists listen to other trombonists, though to learn more about tone and stylistic aspects of the music they’re learning. MB:
PC: So apart from vegan dogs, do you have anything else in your life?
MB:
PC:
What’s the best advice you’ve ever been given?
MB: Mine probably comes from listening to lots of different people, not from a single person, but it would be: don’t compare yourself to others. It’s very easy, especially if you’re at a conservatoire, to be really bogged down in such things, but it is not a good frame of mind. Find the things you’re good at and forge your own path. They all sound like clichés, but they make sense and they work.
MB: They were vegan but they’re not anymore! They actually belong to our friends. I love baking, and I can make things that are fairly edible. I love swimming and I am also learning Greek, a bit taxing on the brain but my Mum is half Cypriot. She grew up in Britain and we never learned to speak Greek, so I decided it was time I learned, if only to address some of my family in their mother tongue. PC: Shall we try some of the ‘one-liners’ you use in the podcasts? Alcoholic preference? MB:
Regarding your own tastes in music, if you were to have two or three ‘Desert Island’ discs, what would they be?
Beer, ale not lager.
PC:
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PC:
Comfort food?
INTERVIEW
MB: PC: MB: PC:
Cauliflower cheese Most comfortable season? Born in June and half Cypriot – it must be summer. Night or day person?
MB: Being a musician has made me a night person, but my current position requires me to be slightly more functioning during the day. Tricky! PC:
Which animal would you be?
A squirrel – they seem a bit frantic, always busy yet semi-organised. Maybe a red one as they are rarer! MB:
PC:
Do you have a ‘bucket list?
MB : Yes, one as long as my arm. I’d like to take my piano playing more seriously, maybe get to grade 8, just for my own personal satisfaction. I’d also really like to become more fluent in Greek or at least more conversational, and I’d enjoy travelling more outside Europe. PC : Do you have any links with the BTS beyond this interview? MB : My links actually go back a long way. In my first year at college, we had a quartet, and we won the quartet competition at Kneller Hall. I remember there was a very generous prize – a set of Denis Wick Mutes.
We later also played a recital slot at a BTS Day in Bromley in March 2012, presided over by Dudley Bright and Brett Baker. This year I’m actually enormously thankful to the BTS. I had a student back in Buckinghamshire who has this year received a BTS loan trombone. He is about to take his grade 8 and is a really deserving recipient, so that’s amazing really. I was really thrilled for him that he can now use an instrument that’s worthy of his playing. PC :
Is there anything else you would like to add?
MB : The only thing I’d like to say is that running a podcast, which I absolutely love, does come with costs. Since April I’ve been paying for hosting websites, software, microphones and there’s been my time (recording and producing) as well. About 90 minutes of work goes into producing a single episode, so now I’m fundraising through a platform called Patreon. There are four different subscription tiers from around £3 up to £20 per month, plus ‘rewards’ for subscribers, such as the chance to attend live interviews. That can be accessed by www.patreon.com/ boldasbrasspodcast. The podcasts are available through Spotify, Google and Apple podcasts – easy to find with a smart device. Just to give you a sneak preview, guests for the New Year include Christian Jones, Aubrey Logan, and Carol Jantsch, principal tuba of the Philadelphia Orchestra.◆
LOGO CREDIT: STUART CRANE
Bold as Brass Podcast Nosy trombonist Melissa Brown c hats to brass professionals about t heir careers, how t hey got t here and what music t hey’d happily put in t he bin! Lots of trombonists for your ears including Lindsay Shilling, Sue Addison and Carol Jar vis alongside ot her brass names t hat we’re sure you’ll recognise!
FB: BOLD AS BRASS PODCAST Instagram: @BOLDASBRASSPODCAST 23
DUCAT I O
Teaching, the Whole Experience BY PATRIC K JOHNS
One of the key aspects of being a trombonist is versatility. It’s a huge strength and it’s made easier by the fact that our instrument fits into so many different ensembles and styles. Many of us will have experienced the joy of playing shows, orchestral music, jazz, big band, ska or chamber music, all on the same instrument. My faithful Bach 42B has allowed me just such experiences, having taken me to Mumbai to play Beethoven, to Bahrain to play Hip Hop, to Tokyo to play rock, and to Cornwall to play with Chas and Dave, and Hayseed Dixie. (Honestly!) My main gig, though, is with one of the UK’s hardest-working quintets, Oompah Brass, and the thrill of blowing down that tube of metal is there every single time. I have – and will never lose – the bug! And, of course, like many other trombonists, I teach, and have done since 2007. Although I did several years as a low-brass visiting music teacher, I also now work part-time as a classroom teacher. As part of this, I have conducted, and played with, many a school orchestra, and have noticed a regular, and sometimes overlooked, aspect of these ensembles. They vast majority of schools won’t be able to put together a full symphony orchestra to play the 19th and 20th century repertoire that we, as trombonists, can really get our teeth into. How many times have I seen a Haydn symphony pulled off the shelf, with a slightly apologetic nod to the formerly-enthusiastic ’bones, that, once again, they are surplus to requirements. Of course, I understand why; logistically, it’s far easier for a school
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band to play 18th century music than it is 19th or 20th century music. But what message does this send out to the trombones? Perhaps I’m being unfair, but the message I see is, ‘Trombones: you are less important than everyone else. It’s more important for others to play music comfortable for them than for you to play at all.’ (To be honest, it’s not much better for the trumpets; how many Grade 7 and 8 players find themselves counting bars rests before playing endless tonic-dominant crotchets?). This is not meant as a criticism of fellow teachers and youth orchestra conductors. I just think it’s a lack of awareness of the situation. As an old TV colleague used to say: ‘Don’t bring me problems, bring me solutions!’ OK, so how about this? Why doesn’t some talented arranger take it upon themselves to study the scores of trombone-less pieces popular with school orchestras, and write parts for one, two or three trombones, to complement the composer’s original orchestration? It’s surely not fair to make young trombonists negotiate ’cello or bassoon parts, just to be included. A well-arranged combination of bassoon, horn, and ’cello lines would, I’m sure, if done tastefully and sensitively, provide young trombonists with the opportunity to play on equal terms in orchestras. The series could be called ‘Fill It’, ‘it’ being the gaps carelessly left by the composers, and Fill It… Fillet… ’Boneless…? I’m here all week.
EDUCATION
PATRIC K, PERFORMING ON HIS SOPRANO TROMBONE
The other thing I’ve noticed, as a teacher, is how few young trombonists that I’ve met actually listen to any music that features trombones! When I was in my teens, I primarily listened to Rock bands such as Led Zeppelin, Guns ‘N’ Roses, and Primus, and whilst I loved playing in brass bands, I didn’t really listen to any brass band recordings. I always loved Jazz, but mainly the likes of Benny Goodman, Fats Waller and Django Reinhardt; hardly a trombone soloist in sight, and certainly no superstars on a par with Satchmo or Coleman Hawkins! It wasn’t until I was about 20 that I encountered Campbell Burnap’s Radio 2 show Jazz Notes, and I first heard trombonists like Frank Rosolino, Jack Teagarden, Jimmy Cleveland, Carl Fontana, Bill Watrous, and John Allred. My life changed! I became slightly obsessed – call it making up for lost time – when I realised what was possible on the instrument. And since then, my listening has expanded to incredible practitioners in other styles and I feel excited and humbled even to be a tiny twig on the same magnificent tree as players like them. So, a little advice for trombone teachers, if you’re not already doing so, wax rhapsodic about YOUR favourite trombonists. Send links to your students, give them things to listen to, people to discover. It’s never been easier to discover the work of an artist, or ensemble, and to get your students to find a new trombone hero or heroine. It’s all part of being one of us. It can only help with students’ enthusiasm for performing, practising, and living and breathing the trombone, but it’s often something
that doesn’t happen until students have left school; and for some that’s too late, as they’ve given up by then. For younger pupils, the way in could be from one of the many brass groups that cover pop songs. And there’s no shortage of them, these days! I’ve listened to many, as one of the great pleasures I have had in recent years is programming, writing and producing the BBC Radio 2 series Top Brass, presented by one of the world’s greatest trombonists, James Morrison. The new series starts in January 2021, by the way – shameless plug over! I’ve been so lucky that my trombone has given me so many opportunities to immerse myself in music of all styles, which has led directly to the wonderfully varied career I now enjoy. The two men I have to thank for that are the late, great Campbell Burnap, whose radio shows captivated me; and to my teacher in my late teens, Doug Wilkie, whose knowledge of, enthusiasm for, and skill at teaching the trombone set me off on the path I’m now on. ◆ Patrick Johns is a trombonist (Oompah Brass), arranger (My Way Music), podcast presenter (Teaching Notes), radio producer (BBC Radio 2, Scala Radio), and teacher. WWW.PATRIC KJOHNS.CO.UK T WITTER: @MRPATRIC KJOHNS INSTAGRAM: @PATRIC KJOHNSMUSIC WWW.OOMPAHBRASS.COM WWW.MUSICTEAC HERS.ORG/PODCAST HTTPS://WWW.BBC.CO.UK/PROGRAMMES/M0000FBY WWW.MYWAYMUSIC.CO.UK
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Queen Victoria’s Consort Reviving the gems of ‘the brass instrument industrial revolution’.
BY ANDREW KERSHAW
The 19th Century was a time of huge innovation and experimentation in the world of brass musical instruments. The repertoire and expectations of intonation, range and volume requirements from composers led makers to look for new designs and innovations and in turn, composers, seeing the progression of ‘the brass instrument industrial revolution’, wrote more demanding parts. Of course, previous centuries had seen the wide and successful use of some brass instruments: the cornett, sagbutt, natural horn, serpent and natural trumpet had all found their way into many genres of music. Some of these instruments had also already gone on an evolutionary journey, for example, the introduction of the slide trumpet and the classical trombone. However, it was at the outset of the 19th Century that the most interesting and numerous developments occurred. There is little doubt in my mind that the invention and development of the valve is the turning point in brass history. The valve had many early pioneers, with makers using different valve types. For example, working in France, the Belgium maker Adolphe Sax took up the use of Berliner Pumpen Valves and Perinet Valves for his families of saxhorns, saxotrombas, saxtubas and cornets. The Perinet Valve is the piston that most brass instruments use today, but the Berliner Pumpen with its shorter, wider design and straight valve ports do give a different sound and playing feel to the instruments. Other French makers, for example C MILITARY SERPENT ANON. ENGLISH, C.1810, 5 KEYS.
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QUEEN VICTORIA'S CONCORT
QUEEN VICTORIA’S CONSORT, FROM LEFT TO RIGHT: TIM HAWES, JEREMY WEST, ANDREW KERSHAW, SUE ADDISON.
Gautrot, also used the Perinet Valve and the Stolzel Valve where the piston actually sits in the wind way and pipe work exits from the bottom of the valve casing. Belgium and Viennese makers used a form of double piston (as well as the Perinet valve and rotary valve) still used in the Vienna Philharmonic horn section and prized for helping produce that very special Vienna horn sound. Other instruments in Vienna, Eastern Europe and Germany used the rotary valve and still do so to the present day. In the UK we followed more the French system, and indeed our wonderful brass bands in effect still use saxhorns and cornets with Perinet Valves alongside the slide trombones. With the trumpets, horns and slide trombones having a slight evolutionary head start it was the other tenor and bass brass instruments that were required to catch up. Composers such as Mendelssohn, Berlioz and Wagner wanted to enlarge the sound of the symphony orchestra. Other composers such as Verdi had a very clear idea of the sound that they wanted from a brass section. This was the point where existing low brass instruments were brought into the orchestral and opera repertoire from military bands, churches and of course the brass band. The serpent had been used in French and English churches to support the lower voices since the late
16th Century. Haydn’s military symphony had been performed with possibly four additional serpents at the end of the 18th Century and Mendelsohn, Wagner and Berlioz all attempted to add the serpent into the symphony orchestra in the 19th Century. The serpent sees action in St Paul, Calm Sea and Prosperous Voyage, and the Reformation Symphony by Mendelssohn, the parts being quite a task for an instrument that was already becoming out-dated. Berlioz’s score of the earliest edition of Symphonie Fantastique asks for a church serpent and ophicleide, stating that if the serpent is not in tune, two ophicleides are to be used. By the second edition it is scored for two ophicleides. Wagner scores Rienzi for serpent (first performed 1842) and then goes on to be a wonderful exponent of the bass and contrabass tubas. The serpent in orchestral music is very much a transitional instrument, in its various forms, either as an ‘S’ shape or upright ‘bassoon shape’, or later with the addition of more keys, although it lacked accuracy of intonation and volume. A type of serpent or bass horn has led to a lot of confusion in Italian repertoire. ‘Corno in basso’ (bass horn i.e. upright serpent) was written for by composers such as Donizetti. However, when Verdi decided he wanted a fourth trombone part rather than use a tuba, the term
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QUEEN VICTORIA'S CONCORT
SEVEN INSTRUMENTS BY ADOLPHE SAX / BBB CONTRABASS TO CORNET / 1846–1865.
‘cimbasso’ began to appear. These instruments were not supposed to be outdated wooden bass horns, rather another bass or contrabass trombone almost certainly with valves rather than a slide, as was the case with Italian sections of the era. As a brass musician with a passion for historical performance, I have spent a lot of time building a collection of fine playable examples of Victorian instruments. When I am asked to play for historically informed performances there are many recourses that are available to help with instrument choice, although lots of factors still need to be addressed. One option is to use a replica instrument, built to original specifications but with modern methods and materials. I like to go a stage further and perform on original examples that I have hunted for and made sure are in fine playing condition. Playing these instruments together was the main drive (along with playing in orchestra sections such as Gabrieli Consort and Players and The Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment) to form the ensemble Queen Victoria’s Consort. This ensemble specializes in performing on the instruments from my collection. We work hard to show how nimble and successful these instruments can be, given their age and still early status within brass instrument evolution. I have commissioned new music written in the styles performed by small brass ensembles and village bands of the 19th Century. The idea is to show of the sounds of these instruments but also the wonderful, and sometimes crazy, designs.
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Examples of nearly all the instruments I have talked about in this article are played in our concerts and can be viewed on the WEBSITE . It is by playing on and researching these beautiful original brass instruments that you get a true feeling for how they were perhaps used and the dexterity of the performers who used them. The instruments in my playing collection would have been used in French, Belgian and British military bands, British village and brass bands and of course opera and symphony orchestras across Europe. They all have an evolutionally place in the time-line of developing the modern brass family that we know and love. ◆
Andrew is a professional tuba player and early low brass instrument performer. He founded the historical brass ensemble Queen Victoria’s Consort. He is currently researching 19th Century brass instruments and their use in performance at Girton College, Cambridge. For more about Queen Victoria’s Consort, visit their WEBSITE . You can buy their musical Christmas card HERE :
American Trombone Workshop 2020 BY C HRIS BRANAGAN
The 2020 edition of the American Trombone Workshop (ATW) took place from 4–7 March at the home of The U.S. Army Band in Washington, DC. This seems to be a fairly innocuous way to begin a review of our event, but just days following the conclusion of ATW, we witnessed the shuttering of performing arts organizations and venues all over the world. In the months since, we’ve all adjusted to shifting our performances and teaching into the digital space, but I’m thankful to have been asked to write about and reflect on what was very likely one of the last trombone festivals to take place before the shutdown. I’ll start with a brief background for those who may not be familiar with the American Trombone Workshop. The U.S. Army Band ‘Pershing’s Own’, the premier Army music organization based in the nation’s capital, has hosted ATW since 1993. Formerly known as the Eastern Trombone Workshop, which began in 1974 as an event focused on the mid-Atlantic region of the US, the name was changed in 2014 to reflect the growth of the workshop into one of the most important events of its kind in the United States. The workshop takes place every March, includes four days of recitals, masterclasses, competitions, and featured concerts with the ensembles that make up Pershing’s Own. And thanks to the support of the US Army, the entire event is free to attend. After a substantial investment in streaming infrastructure, we are pleased to be able to offer the worldwide trombone community access to the workshop via playlists on the Army Band’s YouTube channel. Each day of the workshop ends with a feature concert, highlighting some of the leading trombone artists from across the US and around the world performing with The U.S. Army Concert Band, The U.S. Army Orchestra, and The Army Blues. This year’s roster of featured artists included a tremendous variety of classical, jazz, and genre-busting musicians such as David Taylor, Ava Ordman, Elliot Mason, Hana Beloglavec, Peter Steiner, Barry Hearn, and John Kenny. Competitions are also a major part of the daily activities with separate events for solo bass and solo tenor trombone divided into three age categories, a trombone quartet competition winner’s recital, and categories for solo jazz trombone and jazz trombone ensemble. The schedule is rounded out by visiting
THE UNITED STATES ARMY BAND
trombone artists and educators presenting solo recitals and lectures on various topics, and collegiate trombone choirs from some of the finest music schools in the US. Even after organizing ATW for more than 10 years, I continue to come away from each workshop with new ideas and inspiration. It was a thrill to host my friend and teacher John Kenny as he performed Edward McGuire’s Concerto for Trombone and String Orchestra. This is a wonderfully communicative work that more trombonists should explore. Elliot Mason’s performance with The U.S. Army Blues, our large jazz ensemble, was nothing short of spectacular. And Italian trombonist Peter Steiner’s truly virtuoso performance of Andrew Markel’s first concerto, Artifacts, demonstrated that Peter’s recent recognition at the International Tchaikovsky Competition was very well deserved. One solo performance stuck out for me as memorable. The legendary bass trombone artist David Taylor presented a full recital of his own compositions, accompanied by pianist Ron Stabinsky. It is no small undertaking to present a full concert of your own musical ideas, and it was a unique pleasure to witness David’s gift for music making. He took time between pieces to talk about the music and his approach. David’s answer to one audience member’s question was a rare gem of insight. The question had to do with how ‘narrow the career field is for the bass trombone,’ and without hesitation, David’s response was, ‘the career field we have is as wide as you want to make it, you just have to have the courage.’ It is with that sense of purpose and courage, frankly, that we continue to organize the upcoming edition of ATW. It will undoubtedly look different, but we will hopefully bring in a small number of trombone artists to perform with reduced-instrumentation ensembles, presented virtually. News of the workshop and updates can be found on USARMYBAND.COM as well as the American Trombone Workshop FACEBOOK PAGE . ◆ Chris Branagan has been a member of The U.S. Army Band ‘Pershing’s Own’ since 2003. He is a graduate of Texas Tech University and the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. He is a founding member and music director of Washington Trombone Ensemble, a 16-piece trombone choir made up entirely of full time, professional trombonists. 29
From the Stage to the Pit … Hopefully, this edition’s column is going to come across as a little more uplifting than the last. With the long-awaited announcements from Arts Council England (ACE) regarding targeted support for Arts organisations around the country, we are now beginning to see orchestras and venues take steps towards putting on more events as the financial risks are somewhat lessened (though by no means gone!). There’s even a number of live events with socially-distanced audiences which is oh so exciting! Unfortunately, however, with the ever-changing restrictions due to local and national lockdowns, orchestras and venues are keeping their cards close to their chests when it comes to advertising and putting events on sale, for fear of an unexpected forced cancellation. This means that events are often only announced a few weeks before. Thus, we can’t look as far ahead into the coming months as we would like, so the top picks are in the rather immediate future.
BY BEC KY SMITH // BEC KY IS PRINCIPAL TROMBONE AT THE ENGLISH NATIONAL OPERA
OPERATIC OVERVIEW
I don’t think any of us would have believed eight months after the initial lockdown we would just be coming out of lockdown number two. Although the pandemic is causing havoc in many areas of life, the Arts have been hit particularly badly and not knowing when it will all be over makes it much worse. However, musicians are creative people and it is great to see so many organisations getting their online content up and running. Nearly all the major opera and ballet companies are streaming live shows or showing performances from previous seasons. If Covid can have any positives, it has forced us to get into the technology of the 21st century. There really are too many online performances to mention but do check out the Royal Opera House and Opera North for their huge online output (radio broadcasts, streams and on demand shows) as well as the subscription service WWW.OPERAVISION.EU. Welsh National Opera is getting back to live performances – what a joyous thing to write! They plan to perform Verdi’s Il Trovatore and Rossini’s The Barber of Seville in Spring 2021, although times and venues are to be confirmed. 30
Opera North is performing a ‘Whistle-Stop Opera’ of Cinderella, which sounds delightful. The show takes extracts from various versions of Cinderella including works by Rossini, Massenet and Rodgers & Hart (all the best bits I presume!). But if you are expecting a full orchestra you will be disappointed as it only involves three singers and an accordionist. However, at 40 minutes long it will be perfect for children, and an ideal opportunity for you to get back into watching a live performance. At English National Opera we start rehearsing in January, with quite a full-on schedule. This includes John Adams El Niño, which was supposed to be on at the end of November, then Gilbert and Sullivan’s Pirates of Penzance and, incredibly, we are beginning rehearsals for Wagner’s Die Walküre. Watch this space for plans on how the Covid-safe performance will take place. On that note, I wish you all a safe Christmas, and one full of merriment, laughter and music. Here’s to 2021 and the return of live performances.
FROM THE STAGE …
BY JOSH CIRTINA // JOSH IS PRINCIPAL BASS TROMBONE IN THE ROYAL PHILHARMONIC ORC HESTRA
SYMPHONIC HIGHLIGHTS
EVENTS WITH SOCIALLY-DISTANCED AUDIENCES:
Brian Cox: Music and the Cosmos – 13 December 2020, 8pm – Barbican, London/Online stream BBC Symphony Orchestra/Dalia Stasevska Physicist Professor Brian Cox joins the BBC SO and Principal Guest Conductor Dalia Stasevska to explore the questions raised by music and the Cosmos concerning eternity, death, rebirth and meaning. The programme includes reduced versions of Sibelius’ 5th and Mahler’s 10th Symphonies, and Ives’ Unanswered Question. Fauré, Britten & Mozart with the RLPO – 16 and 19 December 2020, 7.30pm – Liverpool Philharmonic Hall. Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra/Stephanie Childress The RLPO is presenting live concerts of a nocturnal theme with Britten’s Nocturne (with tenor Peter Hoare), Fauré’s Masques et Bergamasques and Mozart’s Eine Kleine Nachtmusik. Childress is becoming a very exciting figure in the orchestral world, having recently won Second Prize at the La Maestra conducting competition in Paris.
STREAMED CONCERTS, AVAILABLE ONLINE ONLY:
A Christmas Celebration with John Rutter from 10 December 2020 onwards. Royal Philharmonic Orchestra/John Rutter/Various The RPO is joined by John Rutter and a host of incredible soloists and ensembles, including Roderick Williams, Melanie Marshall, VOCES8 and the Stay at Home choir, for a unique Christmas concert recorded specifically for streamed performance in the beguiling surrounds of St Albans Cathedral. More details at WWW. RPO.CO.UK
EPISODES 1/2/3 with the Hallé from 3 December 2020 onwards Hallé Orchestra/Sir Mark Elder/Jonathan Heyward The Hallé are streaming three concerts for their winter 2020/21 Season throughout December and January. There’s a fantastic selection of repertoire including Brahms’s First Symphony, Wagner’s Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, Britten’s Russian Funeral and Ravel’s Mother Goose Suite, all streamed from either the Bridgewater Hall or the orchestra’s home at HALLÉ St Peters. LPO and LSO The London Philharmonic and London Symphony Orchestras have both been presenting regular online streams from their homes at the Royal Festival Hall and LSO St Lukes respectively. On 16 December at 8pm, the LPO has a performance with Vladimir Jurowski of Stravinsky’s Pulcinella ballet, a fantastically characterful and colourful work. Go to MarqueeTV for more HERE. Meanwhile the LSO has a number of December streams to choose from. Full details HERE . Looking further ahead than the next couple of months is a little difficult at the moment. However here are a couple of things to keep an eye out for in the coming months (details to be announced): Royal Philharmonic Orchestra with Vasily Petrenko The RPO is recording a couple of concerts, especially for streamed online release, with their Chief Conductor Designate. Keep an eye on their social media channels and website for details soon. London Symphony Orchestra/Various The LSO, along with a number of other orchestras, is now advertising outlines of various 2021 season concerts. Follow the link for more details, although these will be updated over time, in line with Government guidelines. Follow this LINK . As always, please do continue to support the orchestras and venues around the UK. They are reliant on their audiences now more than ever in their histories. ◆
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BY JEREMY PRICE
JAZZ BY JEREMY EMBRACEABLE QUASIMODO
You may not be able to embrace some of your loved ones this Christmas, but you can play them George Gershwin’s Embraceable You over Zoom or Skype. Better still, follow it up with a snazzy rendition of Charlie Parker’s Quasimodo as played by JJ Johnson shortly before Christmas 1947 for Dial Records. Quasimodo is a ‘be-bop contrafact’ written on the chord changes of Embraceable You and has extra significance for us as trombonists, due to the fact that a trombone appearing on an historically significant recording date with the genius that is Charlie Parker is a rare event. A ‘contrafact’ in jazz is the term for a composed melody on well-known chord changes. This practice by jazz musicians was born out of the fact that melodies are copyrighted but not chord progressions, so if you have been playing a standard at jam sessions and want to record it, you’re better off scooping the royalty cheque by writing your own melody before getting to the studio. This has spawned many a great be-bop head including Ornithology from How High the Moon, Dewey Square from Lady Be Good and Donna Lee from Indiana, which I looked at in a previous article. The practice isn’t new; medieval Contrafactum was a process of putting new texts to older melodies, creating many of our established Carols (Keeping it seasonal!). The track is only three choruses long in total and lasts barely 3 minutes. Here is a YouTube LINK . JJ Johnson gets only an 8 bar solo as does Miles Davis, with Parker sharing the previous chorus between himself and pianist Duke Jordan. Double Bass on the recording is Tommy Potter and drums is the legendary Max Roach.
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Born in 1924, JJ would have been only aged 23 at the time of the recording, so has clearly established himself as the trombonist who could almost single-handedly take on the challenges of be-bop on the slide. Charlie Parker was already a giant amongst the jazz fraternity at that stage and JJ recalls that standing next to ‘Bird’ in the same session ‘would make your knees shake a lot and bump against each other!’ Getting be-bop lines together on the trombone is still no mean feat but being a pioneer of this new improvisatory language in the late 1940s would have been pretty daunting. Here’s a heart-warming contemporaneous recollection the man himself, confirming that musicians looking out for each other and sharing ideas is an inherent part of how jazz develops, then and now: ‘I had encouragement from people like Dizzy when I was struggling with lines of bebop tunes. I recall Dizzy planting seeds, saying, “JJ, try it this way.” I was amazed when it worked out because Dizzy is not a trombone player and nobody realized that he knew anything about trombone technique, but he did. He’d show me little tricks with the slide and sure enough, it would be easier.’ You can read more about JJ’s ‘Golden Month’ of recordings at the ONLINE TROMBONE JOURNAL which is a great resource and has more transcriptions too. Like Donna Lee from one of my previous articles, Quasimodo is a gem of a be-bop head to commit to memory. It has many items of language from the lexicon of jazz that, if learnt, will pop out in your playing in some shape or form at a later time. Getting things down
JAZZ BY JEREMY
into the subliminal memory bank is a lifelong pursuit for jazz musicians that pays dividends when improvising. To have this tune in the physical muscle-memory of relating slide to ear will be a great bonus, and while practicing it, you can also be reassured that you are on the shoulders of giants. Learn to scat along to the recording first, so that your vocalisations are relaxed and uninhibited by trombone technique. Then aim to replicate how you hear the melody on the trombone, matching your trombone phrasing to your vocalisations. Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll need to chase down some alternate slide positions to get the right flow of the phrases and be careful not to articulate every note uniformly, but be aware of the need for nuance and different weight to the notes according to the role harmonically and rhythmically. So get practicing to play this to the embraceable and irreplaceable people in your lives this Christmas! â&#x2014;&#x2020;
33 ILLUSTRATION: ISTOC K
LINK: ROB EGERTON JAZZ TRANSCRIPTIONS
Trombone Bb TC
Quasimodo Charlie Parker
FŒ„Š7 E7 G‹7 . j j 4 j & b 4 œ œ œ ùœ™ j œ œ œ œ œ œ ‰ œ œ œ #œ œ œ œ#œ œ ‰ œ œ œ q = 144
G‹7 C7 FŒ„Š7 j . j œ#œ œ ùœ ™ œ œ œ J ‰ J œ œ œ œ#œ œ œ œ œ œ &b œ œ œœœ Œ ‰ œ œ ‰ œ œ
4
C7
3
3
A7 D‹7 B‹7 E7 A‹7 œ œnœ. œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ j œ œ œ œ # œ œ œ œ ‰ ‰ œ n œ n œ b ‰ ‰ œ œ œ & #œ #œnœ #œ J
8
FŒ„Š7
G7 C6 D‹7 G7 G‹7 D7(#5) œ œ œ j bœ œœ œœ ‰ œ œœ œœ œ & b ‰ œ nœ Œ ‰ œJ œ œnœ œ œœœ œ#œ ‰ œJ J œ
12
D7
FŒ„Š7 E7 G‹7 . j œ j j œ & b œ œ œ œ ‰ œ œ ùœ™ œj œ œ œ œ œ œ ‰ œ œ œ#œ œ œ#œ œ ‰ œ œ
16
G‹7
C7
G‹7 C7 ™ C‹7 G7(#5) . j œ œ œ œ j ù J ‰ J œ œ œ œbœ œ œ nœ œ ‰ œ œ œ # œ œ œ œ b Œ ‰ ‰ œ œ œ & œ œ œ œ œ J
20
C7
3
3
24
C‹7
F7
œ bœ & b œ œnœbœ œ #œ œ œ
B¨6
E‹7
A7
œ Œ ‰ œ œ œ œ ‰ œj œ nœ ‰ œJ ‰ œ #œ œ J 3
B¨‹6 G7 F6 œ œœœ œ œ œ œ œ œ ‰ jœ œ b œ n œ œ b J b œ œ œ œ œ ‰ œ œ œ œ &
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D‹7
3
G‹7(b5)
C7(b9)
FŒ„Š7 3
G‹7
C7
j & b œ œ œ bœ œ ‰ œJ œ œ nœ œ œ œ ‰ œ œ œ œ œ œ™
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Copyright ©Duchess Music Corporation
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F6
j œ
LINK: ROB EGERTON JAZZ TRANSCRIPTIONS
Trombone
Quasimodo Charlie Parker
q = 144
E¨Œ„Š7 D7 F‹7 B¨7 . œ œ œ œ œ œ ? b 44 œJ ùœ™ œj œ œ œ œ œ œ ‰ œJ œ#œ œ œnœ œ ‰ œ œJ œ œ œ Œ ‰ œJ bb 3
5
F‹7
B¨7 E¨Œ„Š7 E¨Œ„Š7 . G7œ œ™ œ œ œ b œ œ ù œ œ œ nœ œ J ‰ J œ œ œ œnœ œ œ œ œ œ ‰ ? b œ. ‰ œ œ œnœ ‰ bb J 3
C‹7
9
? bb
b
œ œ œœ œœ
A‹7
œ C7 b œ F7 D7 G‹7 œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œnœ œ n œ n œ œ ‰ ‰#œJ nœnœ #œ ‰J Œ ‰J J
B¨6
B¨7 œ œ œ œ C‹7 œ F7œ œ F‹7œ C7(#5)œ œ F‹7 œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œœ ? bb œnœ J œ œ œnœ ‰ J œ œ œ œ ‰ œJ œ ‰ b
13
D7 F‹7 B¨7 . œ œ j œ™ œ œ œ ? b b ù œ œ œ œ œ œ œ ‰ œ #œ œnœ œ ‰ œ œ œ œ œ œ Œ ‰ œ J b J J
17
E¨Œ„Š7
3
F‹7
21
B¨7 œ™
B¨‹7 F7(#5) œ œ œ œ œ œ b œ œ œ œ œ œ n œ J ‰ J œ œ ‰ J
ù ? bb œ. ‰ œJ œ œ nœ œ b B¨‹7
24
3
E¨7
A¨6
œ bœ ? bb œ œnœbœ œ nœ œ œ b C‹7 œ
27
? bb
b
Œ ‰
œœœ œ
D‹7
‰ œJ
œ nœ
G7
œ œ nœ œ œ ‰ J ‰ J
œ F7 œ œ n œ E¨6 œ A¨‹6 œœœ œ œ œ œ œ b œ œ b œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ J ‰ ‰ J 3
B¨7(b9) E¨Œ„Š7 F‹7 B¨7 b œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ n œ ? bb ‰ œJ œ œ œ œ œ™ ‰ J œ b
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3
F‹7(b5)
3
Copyright ©Duchess Music Corporation
E¨6
œ J
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Christmas crossword ASK AMOS – YOUR LETTERS
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD YOUR PRINTABLE VERSION OF THIS CROSSWORD
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CLUES DOWN
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1. BY THE SOUND OF IT, SCOTTISH RODENT ATE SMALL PUDDING (6)
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2. TO SCORE AS A WRITER (6) 11
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3. FRIEND IN THE FAR EAST (5) 4. ELITE ARTIST TRANSFORMED STUDIO (7)
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6. MAIDEN POSSIBLY MEETING HORRIBLE THING DURING DARK PERIOD (9) 7. MAN WITH A CUNNING PL AN AND A WARRIOR’S BELT (8) 14
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8. WORSENING, LIKE THIS CLUE – HARD AND OF POOR QUALIT Y (8) 11. SIDE OF BEEF, PERHAPS COOKED (4)
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15. ABOVE ALL, PROPHETS MAKE GOOD SUPERINTENDENTS (9)
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17. I HAVE THIS PRECIOUS STONE SET IN MY HAT (8) 22
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18. SET OFF FOR THE MOUNTAINS, IN ORDER TO ALIENATE THE OTHERS (8) 20. BOAT CONSTRUCTED IN BAC K STREET BY L AKE (4)
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21. TROOPED OFF TO SHOOT UNDERWATER (7) 22. MEMBER OF RAC OR SOME OTHER CLUB? (6) 27
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23. GATES PAPA WON’T BE L ATE AT? (6) 26. ESCORT, MAYBE, HOLDING JULIE’S LEFT ARM (5)
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ACROSS Set by Anklepoise
The names of three albums from an iconic pop band are hidden in these answers. For your chance to win a copy of Marshall Gilkes's new album Waiting to Continue, email your answers to editor@britishtrombonesociety.org by 17 January 2021.
1. MISCALCUL ATION MISSES CALL TO ONE WHO’S IN A PIT (8) 5. BOAT PART Y CAPSIZED. WHAT A PIT Y! (3,3) 9. GIVEN PROMOTION BUT SURE PAID BADLY (8) 10. COWARDLY CRY: THAT HURT! (6) 12. A NUMBER IS SOLVED UNDER THE SURFACE (9) 13. TAKE DIRECTION FROM HERBERT VON KARAJAN OR THOMAS BEEC HAM (5) 14. TIME, THREE-QUARTERS ON AN HOUR, FOR A TRIP (4) 16. SPELLBINDING CL AIM TO WORK WITH SILVER (7) 19. WHAT’S PUZZLING MONARC H IN MY FILTHY ROOM (7) 21. NATION LOSES SOUTHERN GALLERY (4) 24. REVOLUTIONARY ACTS? (5) 25. L ABOUR COERCE THE STAFF (9) 27. AMERICAN YOUNG EDWARD PULLED (6) 28. ROLLS ROYCE GRADUALLY DEVELOPS INTERNAL GUN (8) 29. FLYSET OFF T WICE (6) 30. DOUR WELSH BAND ASSEMBLED MATERIAL (8)
EMAIL YOUR ANSWERS TO EDITOR@BRITISHTROMBONESOCIET Y.ORG
LINK TO SUMMER ANSWERS.
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BOB HUGHES’S Lockdown Listening
NAGEL HEYER RECORDS, 2017
KEY RECORDS, 1956
CAPITOL RECORDS, 1960
Bob Hughes put together this Spotify playlist to keep his Royal Academy of Music students entertained during the first lockdown. It is so good, however, that he has agreed to share it with The Trombonist’. Enjoy! It’s Too Late Now From the Album DESTINY – SUMMER FEELINGS, by Urbie Green Beautiful Love From the album SOLO SPOTLIGHT, by Glen Gray My Heart Belongs to Daddy I Only Have Eyes for You Lullaby Laura Little Girl Blue That Old Black Magic When Your Lover Has Gone Cafe Too Little Time My Funny Valentine Why Shouldn’t I From the album MUSIC FOR SLEEPWALKERS ONLY, by Murray McEachern To see Bob’s full playlist, click HERE. 37
What’s
on
By Douglas Coleman, Events Editor
As this most unusual of years draws to a close and light appears at the end of the tunnel, here is some trombone based fun to keep you going until we return to ‘normal’ activity.
LIVE TRYPL Jazz Café, 31 January 2021, 3pm. See Trevor Mires alongside Ryan Quigley (Trumpet) and Paul Booth (Saxophones) and others at the Jazz café as they explore new Latin Jazz sounds. www.thejazzcafelondon.com HYPNOTIC BRASS ENSEMBLE Jazz Café, 13 March 2021, 7pm. This Chicago based 8-piece brass ensemble (who are all brothers) have an eclectic style ranging from Hip Hop to Jazz, Funk, Rock, Calypso and Gypsy music. www.thejazzcafelondon.com
ROYAL PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA Royal Albert Hall, 3 March 2021, 7.30pm. In what should be a spectacular experience, see the RPO perform Mahler’s Second Symphony under the baton of Vasily Petrenko. ROYAL LIVERPOOL PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA The RLPO are scheduled to play Sibelius’ Seventh Symphony under the baton of Andrew Manze at the Liverpool Philharmonic Hall on 14 January, 2021, at 7.30pm. www.liverpoolphil.com
Do you know of an event that should feature in our next publication? LET US KNOW
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s
ONLINE THE ROYAL SCOTTISH NATIONAL ORCHESTRA The Royal Scottish National Orchestra are performing Dvorak’s Symphonies 8 & 9 on their digital platform. The performances will be released from the 15 January 2021. See www.rsno.org.uk for more information. THE HALLÉ The Hallé is to perform Stravinsky’s The Soldier's Tale on 18 March 2021, broadcast live from Hallé St Peters. More information at www.halle.co.uk. CORY BAND Cory Band is holding a Virtual Brass Day on 16 January 2021. Receive expert advice from trombonist Chris Thomas as well as other members of the band. See www.coryband.com for more details. MNOZIL BRASS Mnozil Brass have a series of concerts available on their website including a 20-year Jubilee edition. See www.mnozilbrass.at for more information. DAVID WHITEHOUSE (2nd trombone in the London Philharmonic Orchestra) has a growing collection of multitracked arrangements that demonstrate the very best of orchestral Trombone section playing on his YouTube channel. IAIN MACKENZIE//CALLAUM AU Vocalist Iain MacKenzie and Trombonist/Arranger Callum Au appear on a fantastic live set on Peter Long’s Golf Club Jazz Facebook page.
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