The Trombonist Spring 2009

british trombone society

The Trombonist Spring 2009

www.britishtrombonesociety.org

Sykes and Buchanan star at Wells Top teenagers impress with solos and quartets under the watchful eye of Bones Apart at popular trombone day hosted by Wells Cathedral School. playing by all four ladies. The Wells Cathedral Trombone Quartet then played two movements from Four for Four

by Brian Lynn and after some coaching from Bones Apart sounded very professional indeed.

The day ended as it began with another mass blow but this time recorded and will be available to hear on the British Trombone Society web page.

Alan Hutt

Above: Stephen Sykes Right: (L-R) Michael Buchanan, Emma Bassett, James Buckle and Morrison Cole

Vienna cheers “cultured” trombone solo

© TERRY LINKE

Some 30 trombonists and one young euphonium player began this September day with a blow through the popular arrangement of Scarborough Fair by Bill Reichenbach. With Bob Hughes encouraging everyone to listen more carefully and to try and widen the dynamic range, a final performance set the tone on what was to be a great day.

Kevin Morgan got everyone breathing properly with some thought-provoking ideas and finished the first session with a play through one of his many excellent arrangements: Tico Tico.

The recital, billed as “two stars of the future,” lived up to its name. In fact I would say, and Bob Hughes agreed, Stephen Sykes and Michael Buchanan are already stars and we shall hear a lot more of these two I am sure. Stephen, who studies at Chetham’s, played impeccably and with an ease that belies his 17 years.

Michael is a Wells student and is just 15. He performed from memory and with great maturity of expression.

After lunch those wonderful ambassadors Bones Apart gave a concert which included many of their own arrangements. My favourites were the movements from West Side Story by Becky Smith – lovely colours and terrific

“Vienna Philharmonic solo trombonist Ian Bousfield played [the Rota concerto] brilliantly, with an explosive weight of tone, but also with the most delicate piano and much cultured legato playing.

The full house cheered.” Wiener Zeitung, 4/9/08 “It’s a great source of pride to me to know that trombone players all over the world are now going to their conductors and saying ‘Hey look, if it’s good enough for the Vienna Phil and Riccardo Muti in some of the biggest concert halls in the world, what’s your excuse now?” Ian Bousfield The Trombonist | Spring 2009 | 1

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NEWS

Musical-chairs

© RICHARD CAMPBELL

Arlene Macfarlane has recently joined the BBC National Orchestra of Wales as Sub Principal Trombone.

Arlene graduated from the RSAMD in 2006, plays with brass quintet Thistle Brass and hails from West Lothian.

The position in Cardiff has been vacant since 2004, when Katy Jones left to freelance, subsequently joining Fine Arts Brass and since September 2007 she is now also Co-Principal at the London Symphony Orchestra.

Bass trombonist Lyndon Meredith has been appointed to the London Philharmonic Orchestra. Since finishing at the Birmingham Conservatoire in 2000, Lyndon spent four years with the Philharmonie der Nationen, a year at the Gran Canaria Philharmonic Orchestra during Mark Hampson’s sabbatical, and has been freelancing in the Midlands, including with the CBSO, during his UK visits.

Strictly Greek dancing for under 16s Congratulations to 13 year-old Haley M O’Connelley from Durham who is the winner of the BTS National Competition for Young Trombonists 2008.

Haley triumphed in the final at the BTS trombone day in Oundle, Northamptonshire in October. Judges Mark Templeton, Bob Hughes and composer of the test piece Bruce Fraser spoke of the high standard of all three finalists, who had been selected from 25 taped entries of students up to the age of 16 from across the country.

The runners up were Charlie Osborn from Purley and Andrew Savill from Taunton, who impressed many. Bob Hughes said that with high standard and large distances travelled by the finalists it proved that the competition had been hotly contested and truly national.

After a talk from Bruce Fraser about the Greek-inspired piece Hellas, specially written for this competition, each contestant played the test-piece and one of their own choice.

Charlie picked Smoke Gets in my Eyes, Haley followed with Panis Angelicus, and Andrew finished with Guilmant’s Morceau Symphonique.

As winner, Haley took part in a masterclass given by Mark Templeton during the day, and she looks forward to another lesson from him as part of her prize.

Above: Haley O’Connelley awarded by Bob Hughes.

Left: The Oundle BTS event was kicked off on the Saturday night by Jeremy Price who led a concert with jazz trio.

Below: Adrian Taylor took the BTS day’s young trombonists through Batman-inspired improvisations.

©ROBBIE GIBSON

BTS attracts great new pieces

After the Royal Scottish National Orchestra BBC Prom, 6 Sept 2007 picturing 34 years of RSNO first trombones: (L-R) Lance Green, Henry Hardy, Davur Juul Magnussen.

Following 46 submissions to the BTS Composers Competition 2008-2009, judges Bruce Fraser, Philip Wilby and Paul Lovatt-Cooper have selected worthy winners.

Entries were received from Italy, America, Switzerland, Czech Republic and, of course, the UK. Winners receive the opportunity to have their composition published by Warwick Music and performed by top players at BTS events during 2009, including the prestigious Black Dyke Arts Festival on 31 May 2009 in

Leeds (see events page 5).

Here are the talented prizewinners: • Junior Quartet: winner Robin Benton (UK) with Dance Suite.

• Senior Quartet: winner Philip Nell (UK), submitted by Derek Bishop, with Three Variations for four trombones. Runner-up Marcus Weeks (UK) with Carreaux.

• Trombone and Piano: winner Ryan Jesperson (Kansas, USA) with Fragments and Memories.

• Unaccompanied Trombone: Winner Dan Jenkins (UK) with Fantasia. Runner-up Luca Vanneschi (Italy) with Being.

The Trombonist | Spring 2009 | 3

NEWS

Feast of BTS events for 2009 Did you catch the Vienna Philharmonic trombones’ unique performance last year?

Bones Apart playing their superb new arrangements?

Brett Baker playing the best of the new solos? Enjoyed the camaraderie and golden sounds of a massed trombone choir? Last year’s BTS events were great, so don’t miss out on 2009’s! Make a note in your diaries now and check back on the BTS website for any updates.

Yorkshire > 21 & 25 February > Leeds Education Days – Trombone days featuring the Black Dyke Band Trombone Section. Both start 9.30am. All are welcome! Entry: free to BTS members and those part of Leeds Music Service, others £5.

Venue: The West Park Centre, Spen Lane, Leeds.

Northern Ireland > 22 February > Stephen Cairns is once again welcoming trombonists to Bann House, Portadown in Northern Ireland. Starting at 10.30am, the day will host special guests Jonas Bylund and the Trombone Choir of the Hannover Academy of Music.

Manchester > 22 February > RNCM trombone day – Ben van Dijk, Niels-Ole Bo Johansen, Chris Houlding and the RNCM Trombone Ensemble. Premieres by Ilja

Reijngoud and Wayne Siegel.

Massed trombone choir on a new Eric Crees piece.

Admission free, but must preregister with: Chris Houlding on christopherhoulding@ googlemail.com or write c/o RNCM 124 Oxford Road, Manchester, M13 9RD. 3-6pm at the Lord Rhodes Room, RNCM. Yorkshire > 14 March > Salvation Army Trombone Focus Day – workshops from 10am, concert 7pm. Black Dyke Trombone Quartet, Bob Hughes, Castleford Band. Venue: Salvation Army, Castleford. £2/£3 Wales > 22 March > Trombone day, Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama.

Artists include Chris Thomas (Cory Band) the BBC NOW trombone section with an orchestral repertoire session.

Massed trombone choir conducted by Bob Hughes.

RWCMD tutors consisting of Roger Cutts, Brian Raby, Donal Bannister, Rob Goodhew, Chris Mowat and Kevin Price who have offered individual lessons. The RWCMD Sackbutt

Quartet, the RWCMD Brass Band conducted by Bob Childs. BTS members free for day time activities or nonmembers for £15. The evening concert is a separate ticket and costs £5 for all-comers.

East Midlands > 28 March > BTS Trombone Day, Oakfield Primary in Rugby, Warwickshire. Starts 9.30am.

Artists include, Brett Baker (Black Dyke) on new repertoire, Chris Jeans (GUS Band) with junior players, Jeremy Price (Head of Jazz, Birmingham Conservatoire) on a jazz workshop and Tony Howe (CBSO) will run a

masterclass. BTS members free, others £10.

Yorkshire > 31 May > Composers’ Forum Day at Black Dyke Band Festival, Leeds Metropolitan University, Headingley Campus. Featuring

winners of BTS Composers Competition and commissions

by Brett Baker and the Black Dyke Band. Massed blow led

by Bob Hughes.

Scotland > 7 June > Chris Stearn is involving both school-aged children along with more traditional trombone day fare. The afternoon will involve performances from students, Q&A with RSAMD tutors, massed blow and the trombone featured in an evening concert with the Scottish National Wind Orchestra. Venue: RSAMD, Glasgow.

London > 21 June TBC > Hopefully this date will be confirmed and Bob Hughes can welcome us back to the Royal Academy of Music.

This trombone day is likely to include the trombone section of London Brass , Bones Apart, as well as the RAM trombone choir and some special guests.

Later in the year: North-East > 5 July > Brett Baker is brewing a new trombone day at Durham University, at the ‘Brass’ festival.

East > 3-4 October > Oundle School: Saturday Jazz, Sunday Trombone Day & BTS AGM North-West > 5 December > Trombone Solo & Quartet competition The latest is on the website.

Forthcoming concerts and events In June 2009 the International Trombone Festival (ITF) comes to Denmark. The event has a number of themes, including: Trombones and Children, Trombone Ensembles, Trombone and Theatre, and The Spiritual Trombone.

Organiser Niels-Ole Bo Johansen is particularly looking forward to: “the first performances of Niels Marthinsen’s In the Shadow of the Bat featuring Håkan Björkman, Jörgen van Rijen and Stefan Schulz, and Poul 4 | Spring 2009 | The Trombonist

Ruders Concertinonew for Bass Trombone and Ensemble featuring Stefan Schulz. Also, Mark Nightingale’s new piece for trombone and classic ensemble featuring him is going to lots of fun.”

his trombone class, Wycliffe Gordon, European soloists Christian Lindberg, Jorgen van Rijen, Michel Becquet and there’s sure to be a whole new batch of exciting new music from the NTC itself.

Organised by the New Trombone Collective, the Rotterdam-based “Slide Factory 2009” will be the biggest yet. Taking place at the end of March, the festival features a stellar line-up including Joseph Alessi with

Bones Apart will be visiting Essex, Gateshead and Portsmouth in a tour organised by Music in the Round who are also promoting the likes of the Belcea Quartet and Cropper/Welsh/Roscoe

Trio. Their programme features arrangements of Mendelssohn’s Suite from A Midsummer Night’s Dream Christian Lindberg will perform Troorkh with the BBC Symphony Orchestra on 7th March. This will be the first UK performance of Xenakis’ 1991 piece. With it’s uncompromising high tessitura, Lindberg describes it as “the most taxing trombone concerto ever written,” and he should know!

NEWS Diary Dates RCM Brass Trombone day Trombone day Trombone day RWCMD Brass & perc Trinity Brass Experience Trombone day RAM Trombone Choir Peter Moore Peter Moore Guildhall Brass band C Lindberg, BBC SO RWCMD Brass & choir SA Trombone Day RNCM Brass ensemble RAM Brass Band Trombone Day Slide Factory 2009 Trombone Day RWCMD Brass ens. & band RSAMD Brass & big band Peter Moore, Chester PO English Cornett & Sackbut Ens. Bones Apart Bones Apart Bones Apart Trombone compositions John Kenny & string quartet Trombone day Fine Arts Brass Fine Arts Brass ITF 2009

London 6pm, Holy Trinity Church, Prince Consort Road, SW7 Leeds See p4 Northern Ireland See p4 Manchester See p4 Cardiff 1pm, Cardiff Museum London See below / www.tcm.ac.uk Leeds See p4 London 1pm, Regent Hall, W1 Bristol 3pm, St. George’s Bristol Leeds 1pm, The Venue, Leeds College of Music London 1pm, Music Hall, Guildhall School London 7pm, Barbican Centre Cardiff 7.30pm Derby Cathedral Yorkshire See p4 Manchester 1.15pm, RNCM concert hall London 1.05pm, Duke’s Hall, RAM, free Cardiff See p4 Holland See p4 / slidefactory.nl Warwickshire See p4 Cardiff 7.30pm, Bute Theatre, 029 20391 391 Glasgow 7.30pm Academy Concert Hall Chester Chester Cathedral, 01244 402111 Dorset St Peter’s Parkstone, Poole Essex 3pm, Harlow Playhouse, 01279 431945 Gateshead The Sage Gateshead, 0191 4434661 Portsmouth Portsmouth Cathedral, 023 9284 3757 Leeds See p4 Edinburgh Edinburgh Harp Festival Glasgow See p4 Worcestershire 7pm, Madresfield Ct, Malvern Festival Hampshire 7.30pm, Bramley & Little London Festival Denmark itf2009.org

Roger Argente is delighted to announce the Trinity College of Music’s Brass Experience 2009, taking place 23-27th Feb in Blackheath Halls and in Greenwich. Portugese tuba player Sergio Carolino

appears as artist in residence, Richard Thomas will direct early brass in the glorious Old Royal Naval College Chapel and the grand finale of the week will be TCM Symphonic Brass Ensemble conducted

Shrewsbury-based trombone player Ian Moseley has a background as a travelling musician—playing on ships and touring the UK/Europe— and now has set himself an even greater challenge.

He’s packing his trusty Rath R1 into a Landrover to spend a year driving through and exploring the West coast of Africa to Cape Town.

Taking a sabbatical from gigging and teaching throughout 2009, Ian hopes his instrument will help him

interact with the locals he meets on the way.

He has also said that he would appreciate any information about music schools or musical contacts he can use along my route.

To help with funding the expedition, he’s recorded a trombone CD of himself, multi-tracked from 4 to 10 parts.

Read more about the CD and a blog of Ian’s travels on his website: www.overlandtrombone.com

©LAURA MTUNGWAZI

19 Feb 21 Feb 22 Feb 22 Feb 22 Feb 23-27 Feb 25 Feb 27 Feb 1 Mar 4 Mar 6 Mar 7 Mar 13 Mar 14 Mar 19 Mar 20 Mar 22 Mar 26-29 Mar 28 Mar 3 Apr 5 Apr 25 Apr 20 May 24 May 25 May 29 May 31 May 29 Apr 7 June 12 June 18 June 25-28 June

TCM Brass Experience 23-27 Feb

by Tom Hammond playing Bernstein’s Prelude, Fugue and Riffs and J.S.Bach’s Toccata and Fugue in D minor arranged by Eric Crees.

BBC Young Musician winner

Peter Moore will give a recital on 1st March in Bristol and with two fellow Chethams School musicians in Leeds on 4th March. He also plays the Nino Rota concerto with the Chester Phil on 25th April.

The Trombonist | Spring 2009 | 5

FEATURES He might have just turned 50, but virtuoso trombonist Christian Lindberg has taken up new challenges that have seen his career now include composition and conducting. David Whitehouse talks with him about getting to the heart of music, taking musical risks and...crashing a Ferrari.

© MATS BÄCKER

From strength to strength?

C

hristian Lindberg was speaking after a rehearsal with the London Philharmonic Orchestra last October, playing Leopold Mozart’s Concerto and Jan Sandström’s Cantos de la Mancha. His alto trombone had been written off in the hold in the flight from New Zealand and he did the rehearsal and concert on a borrowed instrument and the wrong mouthpiece.

So, the question on everyone’s lips… what mouthpiece do you use? [chuckles] I use my own one. I worked for 8 or 9 years to create those mouthpieces; there are 6 different sizes. I would have used the 15CL for the alto today, but I can only get a10CL. It’s going to be tough in the high register!

How did you get them made? Did you approach a manufacturer?

My father-in-law is actually an instrument maker, so we made it together.

6 | Spring 2009 | The Trombonist

Do you get enough time to practise, or indeed, do you need to practise as much now as you have done before?

These days, my number one priority is to compose, and the number two is to conduct, and then the trombone is number three, but I try to keep up at least 2–3 hours’ practice a day.

And is that where you get your incredible stamina from?

Well, I got it when I was between the ages of 23 and 25 when I used to practise between 6 and 8 hours a day.

So, do you think that having done all that practice when you were younger, it sets you up for life, stamina-wise?

Yes, absolutely. Since the age of about 25 I have had no stamina problems whatsoever.

But I’ve learnt, now that I am 50, is that you get much more grounded in your playing and your sound grows, it gets bigger and more interesting musically.

Do you find that the conducting and composing all helps with playing?

Yes, they both help. You learn so much about body movement and body language from being a conductor, and through composing you learn the root of music. So it’s really fantastic to be able to do all three.

How do you find time to compose? Do you compose on planes?

Yeah, I compose a lot on planes! From very very young I have been very, very active, so I sleep very little. I can start and stop writing a piece at any time and when I write a piece I work with it for two or three years.

I have a schedule that takes me into 2011/12, so I have to be good at planning.

I say “right, I’m set aside these hours to be completely dedicated to the trombone, these hours are completely dedicated to composing and these hours are completely dedicated to studying scores.”

To even do one of the things that you

FEATURES do requires an incredible amount of discipline.

Yeah, in a way I would think it’s like doing a triathlon – they all help each other. Rather than doing five hours trombone trombone trombone you can get very narrow minded, so you actually rest the trombone, rest your mind and your lips, and keep ticking over musically. The only difficult thing for me is that the conducting and composing is taking over so much, it’s so exciting, but I don’t want to lose contact with the instrument because to have contact with the instrument also makes you a better conductor.

So I guess it was a natural progression for someone who has achieved so much with their instrument to move into conducting. Since you conduct a lot in Scandinavia, does it also mean you can spend more time at home?

My family is the most important thing to me, but the reason is always to make music.

Nowadays, the different aspects of music are divided into different professions, but I believe that either you are a musician or you are not, and the conducting, composing and playing are all linked together. Also for orchestral musicians, you’ve got to have some kind of relationship with being a conductor to become a really good orchestral musician.

You are potentially involved with every aspect of the music making process – are you a control freak? [laughs] Probably I am! But seriously, it is a good question and I don’t think I am really.

I am completely dedicated to music, and I cannot stand when some part of it is not taken care of. When I wrote Helikon Wasp for conducting trombonist and orchestra, where I also wrote the lyrics, it’s very, very exciting to see the first step when you are a composer because then you don’t care so much what you write for yourself. And then you come to practise it and you think “Why did the composer write it so difficult!”

Do you ever suffer from nerves, and if so, does it get easier with age?

Everyone gets nervous, but I learnt something some years ago that if you reach technical perfection it’s not something that an audience likes. I remember once when I did the Serocki with the Swedish Radio Orchestra, I made the most perfect performance I ever made, and I thought they were going to go crazy, but there was much less applause than normal. We can get too stiff and focused on creating “the perfect performance”. We all want to create split-free performances, but these aren’t necessarily the best – an audience wants you to take risks. I’ve noticed that by being more relaxed, you miss fewer notes. You need to let go a little bit when you perform, but not when you are practising.

Lindberg in concert 10th October 2008, Royal Festival Hall, London. LPO, Yannick Nezet-Seguin conductor, Christian Lindberg trombone Trombone concerto performances at the South Bank don’t come along that often so it wasn’t a huge surprise that Christian Lindberg’s visit to perform Leopold Mozart’s Concerto for alto trombone and Jan Sandstöm’s Cantos de la Mancha attracted considerable interest. Lindberg’s performance of the Leopold Mozart required the reduction of the LPO to a small orchestra of winds and 3-4 desks of strings. The resultant performance was beautiful, especially the lyrical playing in the second movement and his assured articulation in the faster outer movements creating a real sense of understanding between soloist and orchestra.

The Sandström work needed a far larger orchestral contingent and required the soloist to speak sing, laugh and act (in addition to playing the tenor trombone).

As one might, expect these additional On the subject of practising, how would you approach something like The Blue Bells of Scotland?

You must get everything in place, never make a mistake, slowly, slowly. And if you practise it once or twice too fast then everything may be lost. You may never be able to do it properly.

Do you ever yearn to play in an orchestra?

I did for one year when I was 19/20, and I did jump in with the Chicago Symphony once; they forced me to play first trombone with them! I said that I didn’t have any tails with me so I can’t play, but for the performance they had some tails delivered to my dressing room so there was no excuse! I’ve done Mozart Requiem a couple of times and I’ve done bits and pieces. When I was studying to be a conductor, I would sit with the section to try and remember what it was like.

So you didn’t have your motorbike leathers with you?

Ha ha, no, not on that occasion.

Do you ride a motorbike?

No, but I did have a Ferrari Testarossa once. I crashed it, or rather, a taxi crashed in to the back of me at 120kph. In fact, Charlie Vernon was in the car with me. We were both ok though.

You always seem to be on top of your playing, but do you ever suffer from any playing problems?

Everyone has technical problems, you just have to find a way to work them out. I think I’m good at focusing, and my really strong abilities are the ears, rhythm and musical craziness [laughs], and if you have the will to

duties were performed without any reservation in an enthralling performance that certainly provoked a wide range of reactions amongst the audience, including a significant number giving him a standing ovation at the end of the work.

The concert ended with Ravel’s orchestration of Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition, and its pairing with the concert’s opener of Ravel’s La Valse provided a chance to hear the LPO demonstrate its class with a wonderful variety of timbre, considerable dynamic range, all complemented with many exquisite individual solos and an abundance of glorious orchestral tutti.

David Carnac “When he returned in full evening dress for something called Cantos de la Mancha by Jan Sandstöm, suspicions were aroused.

Within seconds he hurled his trombone to the floor, started screaming at the audience, ripping at his attire. Nervous breakdown or performance art? Both.”

Edward Seckerson, Independent play things the way you want to play them then you overcome the technical problems – that’s the only reason I can play the trombone. There’s no magic!

Where did you study the trombone?

I had about 15 teachers altogether, each with different styles. I learnt a lot from doing that, and each one of them influenced me of course, but ultimately you develop your own way of playing.

How would you compare the different styles from around the world?

Register-wise, it’s very interesting because if you compare, say, the British school and the French school, they are about a 5th apart.

The French cannot play the low notes and the British think that anything above a top D is high. You have to think broad and open your mind.

When you launched your solo career, you had, in effect a “clean slate” regarding style – there were no other trombone soloists around.

That’s right, but I want to stop the preconception that “Christian Lindberg plays with vibrato”. There are very many different expressions that you need to know, and I play a straight note when I want a straight note, and I use vibrato when I want vibrato – it would be very dull to speak in a monotone all the time, and it is the same for playing an instrument.

How do you choose your repertoire for each concert? Do you look at what the orchestra has already programmed, or does the orchestra choose pieces that complement your choices?

The Trombonist | Spring 2009 | 7

FEATURES improving as an instrumentalist at least for 15 more years. But my dream has become a reality. I have played with the Berlin Philharmonic and the Chicago Symphony, I’ve made all the recordings I dreamt about doing and had every major composer write for me. My main focus now however is to write music, but the trombone will of course be involved in that. The conducting is also taking a lot of time, with orchestras such as the Rotterdam Philharmonic, BBCSSO, Verdi Orchestra Milano, Deutsche

That’s usually a long process and a tough process. You have fight to survive because if you played what they want you to play, I would only ever play the Rimsky-Korsakoff, because he is a famous composer.

And we’ve moved on from that!

Well, not everywhere. We have, as trombonists.

So does that mean that you are winding down?

Definitely not! I feel I am in better shape than ever, and I guess I will be able to keep

8 | Spring 2009 | The Trombonist

© MATS BÄCKER

With your 80 commissions and 200 premières, you have done your best to bring the rest of the world with you.

It has been an enormous fight, and many promoters think I am a very stubborn man, because the only way to get this instrument to the fore has been to stay with your values.

When I started playing the trombone, many people considered it to be a very low class instrument. I suppose you could say that I am almost leaving the business because of the conducting and composing, so it’s very important for the next guy who comes that we all support it. We have much more interesting repertoire now, thanks to the many players that have contributed, and together we can all help to take the instrument forward.

Staatsphilharmonie, Gürzenich Orchestra and many many more. I have just started a project for BIS records to record the music of Allan Pettersson – he is like the Swedish Mahler, but lived a bit later. He wrote 17 amazing symphonies that are all fantastic, and I am going to record all of them. In addition to that I will conduct recordings for BIS of Brahms, Dvorak, Tchaikovsky, Berwald and much more. That’s going to take a lot of time, but I will continue to play as long as I keep my lip...

FEATURES

Thinking of hitting the bandmaster with your trombone?

The diary of a 19th century trombonist reveals some enterprising concerts given by twelve top French trombonists and a stark warning to those angered by critical conductors. Cliff Bevan picks some choice passages.

Jules Rivière began his life in 1819 in the French village of Aix-en-Othe and ended it in 1900 conducting an orchestra in Colwyn Bay. Along the way he had learned violin, been a French army bandsman, promoted and conducted monster concerts in Paris and London and toured with his orchestras the length and breadth of the British Isles.

His autobiography, My Musical Life and Recollections, was published in 1893. One of the most notable things about it is the frequency with which he mentions brass instruments. He often gives the names of the eminent players who were members of his various orchestras, but he himself was not unfamiliar with the feel of mouthpiece on lip. During his military conscription he took the opportunity of learning french horn, alto ophicleide and later, as he writes: “I took to the slide trombone myself in the place of the alto ophicleide, this instrument having gone with the band to Africa . . . The regiment was being supplied with musical instruments from Besson, the celebrated brass instrument maker of Paris, and when I wrote and asked him to let me have a good tenor slide trombone, for my personal use, at as low a rate as he could charge me, I was surprised at receiving a superb electro-plated instrument with my initials engraved on the bell, together

with a most flattering letter, begging my acceptance of the instrument. This trombone, which, apart from the fact of its being a beautiful instrument, I valued for sentimental reasons, was I regret to say, lost during the riots in Paris in 1848. I was then a member of H. Marx’s orchestra at the Château Rouge, and was in the habit of leaving my instrument in the bandroom. It happened that a regiment of dragoons took possession of the establishment during the Revolution, and presumably, when they went away my trombone travelled with them. Anyhow, I never saw it again, and strange to say, I have never since chanced to play a note on the trombone.”

Trombone choir concert He was, however, still keen on the instrument and in 1856, while directing an eighty-strong orchestra at Le Jardin d’Hiver: “I carried out the novel idea of having a triple quartett of slide trombones, that

is to say, three players to each part. I was on very friendly terms, at the time, with Dieppo, the celebrated trombone player, who was principal at the Opéra, and professor at the Conservatoire. Dieppo, who was a native of Denmark, had come to Paris at a very early age, and soon attained celebrity, becoming, in fact, the greatest trombone player that ever lived. Besides composing numerous solos, studies, exercises for his favourite instrument, he published a tutor for the slide trombone, which is still in general use, because it is considered the best on record.

Chatting with Dieppo one day, I learnt he had arranged some trombone quartetts, and it occurred to me that I might make something of a sensation by introducing them at my concerts with three players to each part, making twelve in all. And as, for such a scheme, I needed good performers, I engaged only those who had obtained a first prize in Dieppo’s class at the Conservatoire. My plan delighted the handsome Dane, and it was The Trombonist | Spring 2009 | 9

FEATURES arranged that he himself should conduct on this occasion. The three pieces selected were the septuor from Lucie, the Fisherman’s Prayer from Masaniello, and Johann Strauss’s valse Philomelen. Playing a valse on trombone was certainly a tour de force, but it was most successfully accomplished, and the performance was a triumph. I put the twelve trombone players in a semicircle in the orchestra, with Dieppo in the centre, and the effect was singularly striking. I am unable at this lapse of time, and having no notes to go upon, to recall the names of all the players, but among them were Rome, Richir, Dantonnet, Simon, Vobaron junior, Venon, Puchet, François, Morcau and Sauret (father of Emile Sauret, the great violin player, professor at the London Academy). Many years after, I repeated this performance at the Alhambra [Theatre, London], on the occasion of one of my annual benefits, but I did not again venture upon a valse. I replaced it by the quartett from Rigoletto.”

Slide rage Many of Rivière’s trombonistic recollections were happy, others were sad, but there is one which was nothing less than tragic.

The event occurred while he was an army bandsman.

“Still, the life at Verdun, which had begun so disagreeably, also ended sadly, for I was an eye-witness of the execution of a young

trombone player belonging to a regiment of dragoons, who, for having struck the bandmaster with his trombone, was tried by court-martial and condemned to be shot. A deal of sympathy was expressed for the young fellow, who had been punished by the bandmaster, a German, for an imperfect rendering of a certain passage on his trombone, the punishment inflicted having been two days’ confinement. This unjust and tyrannical treatment led the trombone player to commit the offence, for which he suffered death in presence of all the troops of the garrison, the different regiments being drawn up in a large square on the Place d’Armes, in front of the citadel, twelve soldiers firing at the word of command, and sending their comrade into eternity. The preliminary was first gone through of the sentence being read over to him, and the buttons torn off his coat. I shall not forget the scene. It was a very sad one.”

You can only imagine the amount of practising in the following weeks...

Instrument illustrations from Lavignac: La Musique et les Musiciens (Paris 1895)

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FEATURES

My Time in the 70’s (the decade not my age!)

John Maines describes his view over a golden era of the brass band movement from the Principal Trombone seat at Fairey Engineering Band: when pride would make a bandsman stay at a band even when a rival one offers him a golden handshake worth two years’ salary plus a car.

O

ne of the most frequently asked questions in the brass band world today is: How does today’s banding compare with the banding of the past?

Now before anyone starts thinking that this is an article about ‘when we had a band’ let’s say now, it’s not!

It’s not about who was better or who was worse; it’s about my experiences at a time that was known as one of the “golden era’s” of the brass band movement (I happen to think the “golden era” is whenever you’re enjoying your playing!).

Nowadays the divide between the various brass genres has almost disappeared so today’s brass players from other than

the brass band world would be forgiven for thinking that our world hasn’t changed in 150 years!

In some cases they would be right, the same as the orchestral or jazz worlds still hold certain traditions and customs dear to their hearts.

We still have contests, still put adjudicators in boxes, still spend mega-money to travel miles to enter a contest only to get drawn number one, play a fifteen minute piece and come home! We still sack conductors if we don’t win the required number of contests and still bemoan the adjudicators, the organisers and anyone else within a 100 mile radius of the contest venue, except of course, ourselves!

I for one believe that the standard of playing in depth has improved tremendously.

A lot of the soloists of the past would easily compare with any of the present but today’s Joe 3rd cornet is much better equipped technically than his counterpart of say 40 years ago. Some of the test pieces of today could not have been played then simply because the lower parts would have proved too much for some. Perhaps that’s a bit of a contentious statement and might upset some, but however we like to think the ‘good old days’ were the best then I’m afraid that’s not always the case.

I have seen this improvement in ‘strength in depth’ at first hand.

I was a playing member of the National The Trombonist | Spring 2009 | 11

FEATURES Youth Brass Band in 1963 when a trombone player actually played The Acrobat for his seating place audition! I have been Trombone Tutor for the NYBB for 29 years and players now perform music from the likes of David or Larsson, and still for the 2nd trombone spot!

So after reading my introduction I hope the reader sees that I am definitely NOT one of the ‘Life Diviners’ who think nothing good ever got past the 1970’s!

I think what has happened is that the banding world has changed somewhat from my early days of top banding. I say ‘top banding’ because that is where I think the biggest change has taken place.

I joined the Fairey Engineering Band in 1978 after a couple of years with Bodmin Band in Cornwall. The lure of the ‘name’ bands was too hard to resist! The conductor at Faireys was Scotsman Walter B. Hargreaves, ‘the wee professor’. We were no strangers as I had played under ‘WB’ at Stanshawe (later to become Sun Life) and that was one of the reasons why I went to Faireys.

Discipline in the bandroom WB was, in my opinion, the finest band trainer to date. His uncanny knack of getting even the most mediocre player to play at the highest level is something I marvel at even today. WB was also the strictest conductor I ever played under, but fair if you were a good player. Someone once said that he made Sir Thomas Beecham seem like Minnie Mouse! He was what people used to call a martinet, a man who didn’t suffer fools gladly.

Torky was a drummer— not a percussionist—a drummer... basically a walking disaster zone An example of this was when he wanted to rid the band of a particular trombone player who’d had the audacity to answer WB back (something not even the fearsome Lyndon Baglin would do). The wee professor had his own way of dealing with the hapless trombonist. He started to tune the trombones and said to me “give me a C my bonnie boy” and then asked the bass trombone to play his B , again with the same friendly air. He then turned to the 2nd trombone: “Joseph play a C,” (his name was not Joseph but this was a sure sign that someone was on his way!). “Joseph” played the C, “FLAT” was barked at him, “SHARP” at his second attempt, “TOO LOUD” was the next utterance and “TOO SOFT” the next. After approximately 10 attempts the poor player couldn’t even produce a note with worry, at which WB turned to the band manager and said “he needs to be 12 | Spring 2009 | The Trombonist

replaced. He can’t even play a middle C!” Apart from his frightening ways of dealing with certain players WB was a great conductor and a very shrewd operator. He would re-write various parts, not because they couldn’t be played, but simply to change the colour of a chord or alter the way in which it was heard. I very often found myself playing back row cornet parts muted (frightened to death that the adjudicator would suspect!). He taught us all a great deal about band training such as balance, colours, dynamics and, above all, sound.

Because a large majority of the band worked at the factory we would meet at lunchtimes in the bandroom for a blow.

This became affectionately known as ‘the B band’. We would tootle away through whatever test-piece was on the go at the time and always end up putting the banding world to rights!

The band itself was a very experienced one at that time. Almost all of the name bands had players who had ‘served an apprenticeship’ elsewhere, so to see very young players was quite an exception.

That I think is probably one of the biggest changes – the age range of the top band players seems to have decreased considerably. The fact that there are quite a few band musicianship courses at various colleges means that a ready made stream of good young talent is there on tap. And even players bent on an orchestral career don’t mind helping out, especially if it brings in a little more money to help the grant. Another change!

Just rewards It’s unfair to say that a lot of players get paid for playing in bands because a lot don’t, and to those who say ‘nobody got paid back in my day’ – oh yes they did!

At Faireys in 1978 I was paid £11 a week retainer as solo trombone plus £5.50 a job (and there were quite a few). Given that my weekly wage as an electrician with Fairey Engineering was around £75 then that is quite a nice sum for a hobby! Other bands paid more! It wasn’t new then either: in the 1930’s players were given houses and free coal as reward for joining whatever band.

I was once offered, in 1964, by Harry Mortimer at Morris Motors Band in Oxford, a signing on fee of £300 (that was double my annual salary as an apprentice!) plus a car when I was old enough to drive! My dad wouldn’t let me go as he taught me a lot about loyalty to my band at the time, Cammell Laird Works Band. I was duly rewarded with an apprenticeship in electrical engineering – not bad for someone who left school at 15 with no exams!

Back to Faireys! Even when the wee professor wasn’t there the regime of playing in Faireys was quite strict. When people say that if you missed more than a couple of rehearsals you were out was, to a great

extent true, but the world was very different then. We had no demands such as exams, shift work (most people worked at Faireys) and wives and girlfriends seemed to be more tolerant of their men being at band a lot (or at least that’s what we thought). Peoples lives were more in their own hands as regards taking holidays at a time when the band shut down or taking days off work for band engagements; employers in the present climate are far less tolerant in these matters. One player at Faireys was a postman and in order to go on some band engagements he would start work at 2.30 am in order to finish on time to catch the coach!

Wives and girlfriends seemed to be more tolerant of their men being at band a lot (or at least that’s what we thought) As far as the actual playing side of things is concerned I don’t think things are much different nowadays. Rehearsals were very much the same as any period in brass band history, although being a works band we started rehearsals at 5.30pm. As more and more players found jobs outside of Faireys the start time was put back to 7pm to accommodate travelling etc.

We didn’t take part in many guest solo jobs and master classes very much, perhaps because the band was busier then.

Although the very best bands, as today, had a fairly strict code of conduct, there were quite a few lighter moments (in fact hilarious!). Most of them at Faireys involved someone who became a legend for all the wrong reasons: Raymond Torkington (Torky). Torky was a drummer—not a percussionist—a drummer. He came from an age when the drummer would sit at the back of the band with a bass drum, side drum and a cymbal (in some bands he even had a triangle!).

Torky was basically a walking disaster zone. The number of funny stories surrounding Ray would fill a book, mostly concerning either the use of explosives in 1812 or his car!

Doing the unthinkable Some of the disasters weren’t funny at the time but looking back I can’t believe some of them actually happened.

In 1979 Faireys were on top of their game: we had won Granada Band of the Year and were crowned British Open Champions at Belle Vue. A month later we appeared at the Royal Albert Hall going for the Double.

The test piece was Volcano by Robert

FEATURES Simpson. The only problem was Torky never ever got to grips with the counting aspect – not good for a percussionist (sorry, drummer). We sat on stage as British Open Champions, proud as punch and raring to go. Shaun Crowther on E Bass had the very important job of counting for Torky and as WB’s baton came down, Shaun turned to Torky to give him his first cue, to find him chatting to one of the elderly ladies sat at the back of the stage.

Shaun whispered loudly to Torky who promptly said to the lady “I’m sorry love I have to go now it looks like we’ve started!”

Needless to say he didn’t find himself in the right place at any time during the performance. As a result almost everyone else, including myself, carried on playing whereever we wanted! At the end of the performance (if that’s what you could call it) all I remember are two things: the first is when euphonium star Lyndon Baglin turned to me and said: “come on let’s **** off before someone recognizes us,” and the other was WB storming past, saying something to the effect of: “I am now going to strangle a drummer”. Happy days!

Torky was in the twilight of his career at a time when perhaps the biggest change of all happened: the introduction of percussion in competitions. The late 1970’s and early 80’s saw a massive acceleration in the amount of percussion writing in test pieces from the likes of Edward Gregson, Elgar Howarth and later Philip Sparke.

Bands were suddenly in the market of looking for the extra percussionists to play instruments some of us had never even heard of! In 1978 Faireys decided to hire a tam-tam for Bliss’ Checkmate.

We didn’t buy one because the band manager thought we would probably only use it once!

All-in-all I think it’s fair to say that, yes there has been change, but players of today will be telling similar stories for generations to come. Players will move on, whether voluntarily or otherwise, conductors will be fired off and the only good contest results will be the ones which leave a trophy in the bandroom!

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FEATURES

Spotlight series

Interviews by Carol Jarvis

Carol Jarvis talks to Adrian Morris

© PETER J MOORE

Continuing my series of interviews with professional trombonists for the BTS, I was keen to speak with Adrian Morris, who is not only a fantastic player, but has a rare quality of being very appreciative of his blessings and thoroughly enjoys his career as a trombonist.

Thanks for agreeing to an interview for the BTS, Adrian. Firstly I’d like to find out a little about your background – where you grew up, where you studied and about your teachers.

I’m from Shropshire originally, which is a beautiful county, and I still visit there as often as I can. I started playing when I was ten with the local brass band and then the Shropshire Schools’ Band and Orchestra.

A few years later I was playing with the Telford Band and the conductor at the time was Roy Curran, who was in the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra.

He suggested that if I was serious about playing I should get some lessons from the CBSO’s bass trombonist, Brian Altham.

Brian was a lovely chap and the long journeys from Bridgnorth to Birmingham were well worthwhile. The CBSO was thriving and it was great to hear them play. For a lad from the sticks this was all very exciting.

14 | Spring 2009 | The Trombonist

From 1983–87 I studied at the RNCM, mainly with the legendary Neville Roberts, but also with Peter Gane and Terry Nagle.

Howard Snell was also a source of encouragement and a major influence. He once gave me a lesson on how to milk a cow, on his farm!

In ‘87 I moved to the Guildhall to do a post-grad and studied with Eric Crees, Peter Gane, Ray Premru and the occasional lesson from Dick Tyack.

I was certainly lucky over the years to have studied with some great players.

As well as all the symphonic influences I played with as many top brass bands as possible at this time, mainly Leyland, Fodens and Desford.

My jazz development came from many memorable outings with NYJO, playing alongside some seriously talented guys including Richard Edwards and Mark Nightingale.

When did you decide playing the trombone was what you wanted to do for a living?

I can remember vividly when I was thirteen learning that you could play the trombone for a living. It was at that point that being a train driver went out of the window and I had to learn how to spell professional musician.

Your professional career started pretty soon after college didn’t it?

Yes, in 1988 I was delighted to get the Ulster Orchestra job, over in Belfast. The job was fantastic actually. It was a really varied existence as the orchestra was closely associated with the BBC and did lots of recordings and studio concerts for them. We also did an opera and a ballet season on top of the orchestra’s regular concert series.

I stayed in Belfast for 11 years and still keep in touch with the many fantastic

FEATURES friends that I have in Northern Ireland.

I returned to the mainland with much terrific experience and a wife in 1999, which is when I started at the Hallé.

And you teach in Manchester?

Yes, I’m lucky enough to teach at the Royal Northern College of Music, which is a fantastic place to study. The facilities at the Northern are better than ever now, with the new Oxford Road wing complete.

What do you find you say a lot when teaching students?

Always treat your peers with respect because, believe it or not, many of them will still be in your life in 20 years time.

With regards to playing I find that many students practise too loudly, not looking after their sound quality while they work at pieces, and play with little regard for dynamic contrast. Breathing is the other big issue. It takes a while to convince young players that they actually need to plan their breathing when preparing a solo piece, rather than leave it to chance.

I can remember vividly when I was thirteen learning that you could play the trombone for a living. It was at that point that being a train driver went out of the window Of course your lip never goes while playing bass trombone (!), but do you ever have chops/shoulders problems and how do you cope with them?

Of course it doesn’t! Actually, I’m very fortunate that so far I have had few problems with my face and shoulders etc.

I do believe in practising in 20–30 minute sessions though rather than playing for hours at a time. After a particularly big blow at work I always think it’s a good idea to have a gentle “warm down”. Just playing a few middle – low register legato notes to reset the embouchure helps me go home happier than just leaving it.

Can you tell me more about your composing/arranging and website?

I’ve written a few things for the bass trombone. Confliction is unaccompanied and I really did it for myself to play at the Repton Trombone Festival a few years ago. Saddleworth Sounds was written for a good friend of mine: Garrath Beckwith. He’s from Saddleworth—such a breathtaking place to visit—which is what inspired the piece.

The piece I’m currently working on is for Jonathan Warburton, who is tireless in the

Hallé section in the Konzerthaus in Vienna, September 2008. After 20 years, this was Andy Berryman’s last concert as Principal Trombone. (L-R) Adrian Morris, Andy Berryman, Ros Davies and Ewan Easton.

pursuit of new music and very busy as a soloist.

I have also been working with Peter and Sandra from DrDowningMusic on a series of books. Tone Ups for Trombone and Technique Doctor have been for people (adults as well as young people) that haven’t been playing for too long, but I also have a couple of very interesting projects on the go including a book of Advanced Studies.

My website is just a bit of fun really. I decided that I would like to learn how to build a website, so I bought the relevant software and had a go. I would love to spend more time on it really because I find the Internet fascinating.

What exciting pieces/works do have you coming up with the Hallé?

We have an exciting tour of South America coming up soon, followed by a tour of Germany, both packed with

interesting repertoire. This is followed by one of my all time favourites: Mahler’s 2nd Symphony.

A few weeks after that, we have the Rite of Spring, and I’m led to believe that work is underway for a Hallé staging of the Ring Cycle.

Do you ever get nervous?

That’s an interesting question. Thankfully not very often, but sometimes when I’m over-tired I can start thinking about the wrong things: not nervous about what I’m going to play, more about daft things like can I sit still during a five minute piano cadenza.

I always enjoy the little solos we have in the symphonic repertoire and look forward to playing them, but if you do get nervous before you play my advice would be to make sure that you learn the part thoroughly, breath properly and count the bars rest are things that will help.

Hallé Trombone section doing Mahler’s 2nd symphony recently. (L to R) James Garlick, Richard Brown, Andy Berryman, Garrath Beckwith, Adrian Morris and Ewan Easton’s tuba The Trombonist | Spring 2009 | 15

FEATURES Who have been your major influences? General music-wise and trombone player-wise?

Ray Premru was the finest bass trombonist I was ever lucky enough to meet, and a real gentleman too. I also love George Roberts’ playing and any chance I get to play big band or swing I really enjoy.

Both Peter Gane and Howard Snell were major influences when I was younger. Both were very professional and gave me lots of great advice about becoming a pro.

What have been your most memorable places to perform and pieces to perform?

There are so many. I love playing in Vienna, in the Musikverein; it’s such a beautiful hall. Then there’s the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam and playing in the Royal Albert Hall is always such an event.

As far as pieces are concerned I have enjoyed every Mahler symphony I have ever played in any venue. I really enjoyed playing Year of the Dragon at the European Championships in Nottingham in the ‘80s with Desford. It was one of those performances that made the hairs stand up on the back of your neck.

As far as jazz is concerned it would have to have been playing with the Jack Sharpe Big Band in the Bull’s Head in Barnes. They were fantastic.

I’m lucky to have had a very interesting career.

What do you do in your free time? Hobbies?

Free time? No such thing! I love to fill the time when I’m not on stage with all sorts of different things.

I have been enjoying doing a bit of brass band conducting and I like to write, so I’ve become a correspondent for 4barsrest.com.

My wife and I have an Internet business that sells herbs and

Copacabana beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

spices (spice-master.com) which is a fascinating diversion. I do however like to visit sunny climbs whenever possible. Carole and I got married in the USA, so it is one of our favourite haunts – Florida in particular.

I love to watch cricket and I am fascinated by railways and steam locomotives.

And finally, what ambitions do you have still?

To keep improving every day, to do more big band/light playing, to win the Open and the Nationals (conducting) and to adjudicate at both, to be slim, to be able to cook the perfect curry etc etc. There are loads of things I would still love to do.

Thankfully I’m only 43 so still have plenty of time to do them.

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FEATURES

Ian Bousfield’s mission in Vienna: enjoyment and expression Brett Baker interviews Ian Bousfield on New Year’s Eve about how life in Vienna is going and his hopes and fears for the future Which aspect of your role at the Vienna Philharmonic are you the most passionate about and why?

The protection of a heritage. While the rest of the world is obsessed with modernisation and the latest fad, Vienna quietly sticks to the style that has served it so well for so long. Whatever one may say about other orchestras, the Vienna Phil is the biggest brand name in classical music and the fastest to sell out.

What is your primary objective for the year in 2009?

To enjoy myself; to be fulfilled in what I do. It’s now no longer good enough for me to play well, I want to enjoy it as well – sometimes in order to get the result I want I put myself under too much

pressure. I have such a great section here in Vienna now, it’s a real joy to turn up to work.

I’d also like to try and develop a bit of a life away from the trombone. I am a very expressive person, not just musically, and I’d like to try and develop in other areas like maybe amateur acting or something.

What has gone well for you in 2008?

Well, one never stops working on ones basic technique and I feel I’ve turned a bit of a corner with a few thing that have been sticking for a few years. I now feel I can pick out pretty much any note on demand under any situation at even the most frightening of ppppppppppppp’s!

I’ve also started to win in my battle with the bass trumpet! Last year we decided to move the bass trumpet from the 2nd trombones to the first because of our soloistic abilities. The only problem is that my fingers are slow and the instruments used here are in C. So with my brain being in B flat, I had quite a bit of fun to start with. But I must say that playing the Ring Cycle on bass trumpet is some buzz!

I had a wonderful time with the great people at the Santa Fiora Festival in

Tuscany. Check it out – great teachers, fantastic concerts and a wonderful place!

And on a very positive note, a lot of my Burgundies are starting to drink well!

I know that one of the highlights of 2008 will have been to play the Nino Rota concerto with the Vienna Phil.

This is bound to help promote the trombone more as a solo instrument in the future. What can we do to increase the trombone as a solo instrument?

Yes, you’re right! It’s a great source of pride to me to know that trombone players all over the world are now going to their conductors with the current Vienna Phil year book and saying “Hey look, if it’s good enough for the Vienna Phil and Riccardo Muti in some of the biggest concert halls in the world, what’s your excuse now?” To answer your question directly, though, is really tough. My first thought is maybe we should try to play the instrument in a way people will want to listen to, i.e. don’t beat the heck out of it, re-learn how to play from the heart (not just with vibrato), try to rediscover pianissimo and remember that we are in a communication art form – we’re

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The Trombonist | Spring 2009 | 17

FEATURES supposed to be speaking to other peoples’ hearts not showing them how good we are.

What projects are you involved in during 2009 that will be of interest to our readers?

There is this fantastic new thing that Google and Michael Tilson Thomas have cooked up called “YouTube Symphony” which looks like it’s going to be amazing. Partly in cyber space and partly real, it will attempt to bring together musicians all across the globe via the internet. I will be part of the launch in Carnegie Hall in April and will also be the trombone mentor following that, So, if a trombonist in Taiwan or Tintwistle wants help with a certain aspect of playing, all they have to do is go online and I’ll be there! I feel that this is probably one of the most exciting and important things I will ever get the chance to do.

I’m also absolutely delighted that I will be doing the Albrechstsberger this year with the Vienna Hofmusik Kapelle – the oldest orchestra in the world. I am a member and it is a great honour that they’ve asked me to do this twice in the Musikverein and it’s going to conducted by Sir Neville Marriner which is just amazing – I really never thought that I would ever get the chances I’m getting. It seems that others have had done lots of ground work and I’m coming in at the top! Now I have to work out whether I’m going to go the whole way and play it on the baroque trombone. I also have the Rota concerto with the Orchestra de Lille and the Rimsky Korsakov with the Baden Württemberg Symphony Orchestra to look forward to in the autumn so all in all I’ve got lots to prepare for.

Is there anything about your playing career that you do not enjoy?

I suppose the first thing that springs to mind is I don’t like the feeling of being under ridiculous amounts of pressure from time to time, but I would add that I feel incredibly blessed to

be doing what I’m doing. I would love a “normal” existence. My professional life is incredible – it really is the stuff of dreams, but my private life is, well, difficult. My obsession with music has not made life easy, and the idea of a 9–5 job with a wife, couple of kids and a big hairy dog sounds ever more attractive!

A lot of people will think that playing in one of the world’s finest orchestra being conducted by the finest conductors of our time and travelling the world will be a really fantastic experience all of the time and cannot understand how there maybe something to complain about.

You know, musicians always moan about how badly they are treated but think about it – who treats musicians the worst?

OTHER MUSICIANS! From the village band to the student canteen we are always getting on each others’ case and putting each other under pressure. In this regard every orchestra I’ve worked in has been the same and I’m certainly not pleading innocence in this regard! (Note to self: give the percussion section a break!)

Can you give me the best and worst part of this situation?

Not being at home very much is probably the worst thing – I have a lovely house in a village in the Vienna woods and a flat right in the centre of town, but am only in Austria six months of the year which is rather frustrating.

What do you think about the idea of releasing a DVD solo album as opposed to CD recording?

I would be much more interested in making a teaching DVD as a kind of guide to teachers. Actually that’s a good idea – I’m planning to co-write a book this year along the lines of trouble shooting for teachers, so maybe a DVD would be better.

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FEATURES

Ian Bousfield is congratulated by Riccardo Muti after a performance of the Nino Rota trombone concerto, performed on 28th September 2008 as part of the Vienna Philharmonic subscription concerts at the Musikverein, famously with a ticket waiting list of decades.

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orchestra what would it be?

Yeah, I’d like a solo everyday like the one the clarinet or oboe gets!

Can you give an example of something that has happened to you that we can all learn from?

When I was younger, the most important thing to me was that everyone thought I was a great trombonist. If I had instead concentrated on making myself the best person and musician I possibly could, things would have been much easier for me. The point at which I gave up my ambition to prove things to the rest of the world, which happened around the age of 30, things have gone ever upwards for me since. Give up misplaced ambition.

Life is one long learning process. Make sure that you only ever do things for the right reasons in order to be true to yourself. Never do things simply for how it will appear to others.

What is your favourite film / TV programme?

“Being there” and “Frasier”

JOSEPH ALESSI E MICHEL BECQUET E JÖRGEN VAN RIJEN STEFAN SCHULZ E CHRISTIAN LINDBERG NILS WOGRAM E CSABA WAGNER E FABRICE MILLISCHER ROTTERDAM PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA

E AURELIA SAXOPHONE QUARTET E CORPUS TROMBONE QUARTET

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What is your favourite food / drink?

My last meal...Pigeon from Bresse with a bottle of Vosne Romanee 1er Cru from a good grower (see the Frasier connection?)

What is your favourite car?

BMW M4 (am currently fighting with myself not to buy one!)

What is your favourite holiday destination?

Beaune Favourite non-musical pastime / ways to relax?

Cooking OR a big sporting event – I love the sound of a big crowd.

The Trombonist | Spring 2009 | 19

FEATURES

Trombonist’s island discs J.S. Bach – The Well Tempered Clavier, Daniel Barenboim, piano A big choice here. We need some thoroughly satisfying, substantial and thoughtful music-making, and my taste turns to Bach.

Whether to choose between Murray Perahia in the Goldberg Variations or Daniel Barenboim playing the 48 Preludes and Fugues is a very difficult decision. They are both two of the very great musicians who can make the keyboard speak equally expressively but in the end, perhaps just because of the variety of composition the 48 won.

Barenboim is quoted as saying “I tried to play the piano as a stringed instrument with the kind of legato that only the bow can produce.” The careful way he brings out the various musical lines with both a sense of intellectual rigour and expressiveness certainly seems to show that he has succeeded.

Six Desert Island Discs! This is always a complex and tricky subject, especially as contributors are being limited to six instead of the usual eight recordings. Are we looking for our six favourite pieces, or those that we regard as the greatest musically? My feeling is that they have to be pieces that will bear repeated listening as well as being obviously entertaining. The last twenty minutes of Götterdämmerung may well be some of the greatest music ever written, but I personally would only want to listen to it three or four times a year. No, what we want is repertoire that will move us, entertain us, perhaps make us laugh or soothe us if we manage to get some coconut milk fermented and have a moment or two of contemplation in the sunset.

The Tony Bennett/Bill Evans Album I probably listen to more jazz at home than any other type of music and this first choice was an easy one as it combines two of the very greatest artists, singer Tony Bennett and pianist Bill Evans. The way they fit so fluidly together like one in some of the greatest standards, plus the musical imagination and faultless technique makes this moving on so many levels and thus compulsory.

Riffs I have Known. Rob McConnell Big Band A great big band is a must and my favourite of all time is Canada’s Rob McConnell Big Band, not only because of the immaculate ensemble but the exceptional and very witty arrangements of the band leader: his valve trombone playing also shows his tremendous and varied character – one gets the impression that he would be, like Haydn, a most convivial companion for an evening. Guido Basso’s flugelhorn playing for me simply displays the most exquisite brass musicianship imaginable.

The Best of Spike Jones. Spike Jones and his City Slickers We need some fun! I’ve been listening to the zany and musically superb band of Spike Jones for many years and the arrangement that makes me laugh out loud most is the Dance of the Hours by Ponchielli from 1949.

For those of you who don’t know the band I advise that you quickly make its aquaintance. Jones was a percussionist and session musician whose speciality was also crazy musical effects. In order to take his bizarre tastes further he got together a group of the very finest American musicians to form his ‘City Slickers’.

As we are a trombone magazine, I suppose you should know that his players over the years were: Harry (Chick) Daugh20 | Spring 2009 | The Trombonist

Eric Crees has been Principal Trombone at the Royal Opera House since 2000 and before that at the London Symphony Orchestra, where he spent twenty-seven years, twenty as Co-Principal Trombone.

He is also Professor at the Guildhall School of Music teaching trombone, the BMus course, arranging and composition whilst also conducting the Wind, Brass and Percussion.

As director of the LSO Brass regularly at the Barbican Centre and now the ROH Brass Soloists, a total of more than seven CDs have been released, many featuring his famous compositions and arrangements.

Delius – On Hearing the First Cuckoo in Spring. Royal Scottish National Orchestra, David Lloyd-Jones, conductor I love music which is quintessentially English and Purcell first came to mind for his wonderful scrunchy harmonies and idiomatic word-setting, but I decided that the unique pastoral quality of Delius would be both soothing and moving at the same time, so On Hearing the First Cuckoo in Spring is the choice here. An examination of the musical language shows that Delius was using jazzstyle chromatic harmonies for expressive effect which were close to, but prefigured the be-bop era by twenty or thirty years, a fact that has been scarcely recognised.

erty, Kingsley Jackson and Earl Bennett, the latter known for his silly giggle and also named Sir Frederick Gas by Spike for his ability to make the deliciously rude ‘phonk’ (fonk) sound which characterises so many of Jones’s arrangements, especially in Der Fuerher’s Face which became a national hit as it was an out-and-out Hitler insult. John Stanley covered the years 1942-45. Jones also used Eddie Kusby to record Lassus Trombone and Tommy Pedersen in the hysterical Flight of the Bumblebee.

My favourite of all his musicians is George Rock, not only an extraordinary Dixielandstyle trumpet player but an expert in braying and neighing effects, as well as doing a perfect vocal imitation of the child singer, Shirley Temple.

I appear to be one of the few remaining experts in the ‘phonk’ effect, so if anybody is planning a Spike Jones revival band, do give me a call! (Richard Edwards can be first dep).

Elgar – Symphony No. 1. Philharmonia Orchestra, Sir John Barbirolli, conductor A big orchestral work is a necessity just to remind me what I did before I got to the island. The Alpine Symphony by Strauss was an obvious candidate (especially as it is one of both my daughters’ favourite pieces) as was Debussy’s Iberia, one of the most exquisitely orchestrated pieces ever. Both were front runners but one of the pieces and recordings which was immensely striking at a very tender age was Elgar’s First Symphony in a recording with the Philharmonia Orchestra and Sir John Barbirolli. It expresses the British character and language in a completely different way from the Delius, but what an immense and positive piece it is with its strong outer movements, virtuoso march—scherzo, and ethereal slow movement.

It would also fondly remind me of my first teacher Arthur Wilson, who leads the trombone section of I think, Ray Brown on 2nd and Ray Premru on bass.

FEATURES Onyx Brass are inviting players to a week of coaching held at Eton College this summer, and in anticipation, Amos Miller provides a guide to Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake. In his other role as the Royal Ballet Sinfonia’s principal trombonist, Amos has the benefit of countless performances of this work...

The only good swan A dissection of the Finale from Swan Lake ‘Why on earth did he pick this excerpt?’, I can hear certain people ask. My dislike— nay loathing—of this piece is well known amongst my near colleagues, who are subjected to a torrid tirade of whingeladen epithets every time we have to play it. Indeed, on occasions during the second act, I have occasionally found myself transported to a fantasy world of alternative employment nirvana: the battery turkey artificial-insemination plant, for example, or perhaps the city morgue in Murmansk.

Therein, however, lies one of my reasons for picking this extract: the great joy of a musical career is that a goodly percentage of one’s employment is actually enjoyable. Whilst in this scented haze of musical rapture, one still needs to be aware of the other bits. The 443rd Swan Lake in Little-Depressington-under-Slime certainly counts as an “other bit”, and, without careful preparation, both mental and physical, it can musically derail even the most conscientious optimist.

The other reason for choosing this bit is that, removing my jaundiced visor-ofdoom for a moment, it’s Tchaikovsky at his most exciting and characteristic, and contains many of the same pitfalls as the symphonic repertoire.

The most notable of these pitfalls concerns the marked dynamics. Tchaikovsky is as liberal with his use of “forte” and its multiples as he is with histrionic romanticism.

Taken too literally, these dynamics will not only render the most important parts of the score completely inaudible (with the commensurate decrease in one’s popularity with the lucky purveyors of those tunes) but they will also markedly undermine one’s physical ability to get through eight or nine shows in a week. (The emotional ability to achieve this is obviously beyond the remit of this article, although I can recommend a good therapist.)

So, at figure 18, for example, strive for a rich and dark sonority, with each voice in the chord fully resonant; true fortissimo needn’t come into it.

The bass trombone entry after figure 20 is one of those moments where the conductor, during his or her preparation, will have pre-decided that you are coming in late after the rest and then rushing. My advice, to counter this somewhat dispir-

iting and all-too-prevalent lack of actual listening from the front, is to memorise this passage. One can then latch onto the ‘cellibass and eyeball the conductor. This is not guaranteed to prevent a superfluous remark, but it may undermine their confidence in so doing.

The unison triplet motif before figure 23 is a genuine fortissimo, but it is worth remembering that if it is bang in tune, with matched articulations, and a uniform length of note, it will sound much louder than an individual jamboree of edge.

Think for a moment of playing a string instrument, and imagine a full bow on each note. For information, there is always a huge ritardando two bars before 23, whatever may have been said in rehearsal.

Try and refrain from cheering raucously at 23, tempting though it is. The triplet figures (crotchets in the bass trombone and tuba, quavers in the 1st and 2nd parts) are the important notes here: this passage is deceptively quick, keep the air column vibrating and maintain the feeling of for-

ward motion.

The 2nd trombone has a moment of glory at figure 24 with THE TUNE! Despite being marked only single forte, one occasionally comes across conductors (e.g. Jurowski) who cannot get enough of this passage.

Remember that it is a melody, and try to make breathing as quick and efficient as possible, and make the instrument sing.

Figure 26 is a glorious example of Tchaikovskian “wodge” orchestration. If tempted to play a genuine triple forte, stop for a moment and sing the line to yourself. Is it interesting? No, didn’t think so. This actually needs to be reasonably light (imagine ever so slightly “off the string”) and IN TUNE. If the chops are starting to protest at this point (this is the last act of four, after all), don’t let everything tense up in sympathy: keep breathing and blowing. With any luck, you won’t then have to prise your clammy, cramp-laden fingers from the trombone with a monkey-wrench during the curtain calls.

In conclusion, remember that, even when dying, swans are elegant creatures: as frustrating as Tchaikovsky’s somewhat thankless orchestration may occasionally be, we are there to support and enhance the ballet, not to provide a competing vision of what might be lurking under the surface of the lake…

Onyx Brass present ‘OnyxBrass at Eton’, an International Summer School, 2-6th August 2009.

This intensive work out for brass players over the age of 18 aims to cover the major areas of expertise required to be a professional musician. Onyx Brass will provide specialist tuition

in chamber music, orchestral repertoire and solo playing. The college’s fantastic sporting and recreational facilities will be available to all musicians on the course. There is a discount for applications made before 31st March. For full details visit: www.onyxbrassateton.com

Bass trombone entry after 20

The Trombonist | Spring 2009 | 21

FEATURES Encouraging other members to promote jazz in their regions, BTS member Ivor Lee relates his experience setting up the Corner Pocket Jazz Club.

It don’t mean a thing... unless we promote jazz onnie Scott pretty well summed up this business: “How do you make a million running a jazz club? Answer: start with two million.” There is not a shortage of jazzers wishing to play; the challenge is in the audience department – the most essential part of the club.

This problem had seen off the Coventry Brass Festival, but in its short life it had struck upon a great new venue for music.

It was a beautiful stone building in the grounds of 14th century Bablake School (Coventry). It is now owned by the old boys association who had particularly enjoyed the lunchtime jazz and they asked me to run a series of jazz events. Unfortunately jazz and blues was not catered for in the area, so I accepted.

We were lucky to coincide with a UK tour of a good friend: pianist, R’n’B singer Steve “Big Man” Clayton, now resident in

R

Germany. He filled the club on our first gig and we were up and running. Three years later and plenty more great jazz has been performed here at our monthly gigs.

We can’t usually afford to pay for more than a jazz trio, but just to provide a club to play to an audience is very important when clubs are so few. Several big bands have called us wanting just an audience, so we made it work: the club could offer them the door money, squeezed them all in, no mikes, all acoustic, the band has to play mezzo-forte and below, and it all sounds great.

The “marketing” of the club is problematical to say the least. With little budget, we rely on newspaper listings or most important of all: word-of-mouth. We found buying a subscription to Jazz West Midlands well worth it, and we try to be inventive by illustrating our flyers with line drawings

to make them stand out a bit in the local libraries.

Coventry’s population is 300,000 so it shouldn’t be difficult to sell forty tickets.

We’re seeking out what’s left of the big band audiences, which sold out the Coventry Hippodrome or Hotel Leofric in the 50’s and early 60’s. Sonny Stitt downstairs and Georgie Fame upstairs with full houses.

We’re now working on recruiting from the venue’s own old boys association. With 900 children at Bablake School, a small percentage of the ex-pupils may well be jazz fans – potentially a large membership.

We would like to see the club grow – we have a list of musicians waiting to play and quite a few wanting to return. But we’ve been proud to host plenty of great gigs so far, and shown what’s possible with the help of like-minded people, a minimum of capital and a bit of good luck.

J ‘n’ K tribute

revisited.

Richard and Lee had diligently transcribed many of the featured tunes from the original J ‘n’ K LPs and it was the intention to have a rehearsal for an hour before the audience was to arrive to get the geography of the charts sorted, mainly the repeated sections.

Motorway traffic delayed Lee’s arrival, so only a cursory look at the charts was possible. Roger (piano), Roy Dutton (percussion) and John O’Connor (bass) rose to the situa-

tion and sight-read the pad brilliantly.

The first set kicked of with an ambitious piece This Could be the Start of Something Big and indeed it was. It set the tone and standard for the whole of the evening. This was followed by Blue Monk, The Way you Look Tonight, a superb performance of Lament

by Lee, Silvers Serenade, Beautiful Love which was Richard’s turn to impress the capacity crowd and the set ended with Kenya.

After the break was Quincy Jones tribute Gorilla Joe, Softly as in a Morning Sunrise with Roger giving a vibraphone solo, an extended Yardbird Suite, then a most poignant interpretation by Richard of Bob Haggard’s What’s New? It was so melancholy and sensitively played...I hope there was nobody in the house with a recent broken romance!

The finale was S’wonderful but audience calls for more brought us Take the ‘A’ Train.

During S’wonderful Lee held out the chart, like wallpaper, arms extended: an indication of the amount of work out into the “dots”!

The evening was a triumph – jazz of the highest quality by all the musicians, the “bone” players in particular, as demonstrated by the line of audience congratulating the performers at the end.

We at Corner Pocket hope that “This is the Start of Something Big” and tonight’s group will go on to play for many, many more jazz fans and lovers of good music.

Last October, Corner Pocket Jazz Club brought together two trombonists Lee Hallam and Richard Baker and the Roger Heeley Trio to pay a musical tribute to J J Johnson and Kai Winding.

Organiser Ivor Lee describes the evening.

What a night of pulsating, swinging, beautiful ballad trombone playing! The 1950’s

22 | Spring 2009 | The Trombonist

REVIEWS 46 GREAT WINNERS PETER LAWRANCE BRASSWIND £9.95 (CD EDITION) Without pushing the upper range too high Peter Lawrance has compiled a selection of pieces which will stretch the grade 4/5 player in other ways. The technical demands for younger players are hidden in well known popular tunes and will provide stimulus and a sense of achievement when mastered. The tonguing in Master of the House, the legato slurs in Cool and the intervals in Raiders March will challenge the players in different ways and will allow teachers to cover these technical aspects in lessons.

Brian Humpherson’s sympathetic but supportive piano playing is worth buying the CD version for, although not every tune in the book is covered.

Although in the same vein as the other “Winners” this latest album has stimulating tunes and will be enjoyed by younger players with aspirations.

Stewart Drummond LATINO ARR ROBERT RAMSKILL BRASSWIND £6.95 (PIANO EDITION) All the tunes in this Latin-American selection can be played by good grade 3 and 4 players. Both rhythmically and slide-wise there are difficulties to overcome but there’s plenty of opportunity in every tune to teach and show the student how much progress they are making. Opportunity too to introduce students to seven different dance tempos and styles.

I particularly liked the slow ballad Cuando Calienta el Sol, a good vehicle to introduce young players to sustained playing, breath control, legato and possibly a discrete vibrato? Your better players might like to try it an octave higher in Tommy Dorsey mode!

Stewart Drummond THE ART OF PRACTICE HOWARD SNELL PEN PRESS £8.99 Former principal trumpet with the LSO, Howard Snell, tackles a subject about which many assumptions are often made – most frequently that musicians instinctively know how to do it well. His experience of teaching at the Royal Academy of Music has shown that conservatoire students not only require lessons on their chosen instrument but also in the art of practice. This book distils his teachings on practice into a single easy to read volume.

Although firmly aimed a music college students, those not at conservatoire level and

those past this stage already in the profession will find much of value here.

The first part of the book describes accurate musicianship and details how the student might develop a strong concept of how they want to sound. There is much focus on concentrated listening which can lead to a better self analysis. Snell has strong views on the role of the teacher as the person who will question and draw out the student’s own unique qualities – the teacher ultimately becoming redundant as the student will have learnt how to teach themselves. He also firmly advocates that students should take an active role in developing individuality.

The second part of the book provides ideas and

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techniques for many aspects of practice including planning, use of time, sound concept, rhythm, simplification, repetition and using the mind to practice away from the instrument.

The cornerstone of Snell’s approach is ‘listening as the controller of practice and the engine of improvement’. This is an excellent volume with something new for players of all instruments regardless of ability.

Mike Saville 10 SIMPLE ANSWERS (FOR 10 TROMBONES) ARTEM VASSILIEV WARWICK MUSIC £19.95 This piece was commissioned on behalf of the BTS by the Royal Academy of Music and Warwick Music.

Artem Vassiliev studied at the Moscow Conservatory and is currently working on his PhD at the RAM. I invited him to com-

pose a piece for large trombone ensemble in 2007. He enthusiastically listened to a few trombone choir rehearsals and recordings and has produced an extremely interesting work that is both fresh and challenging.

The piece is a dialogue between each of the 10 performers and the rest of the group. There is a strong rhythmic and conversational character to the piece with each soloist or group of players seemingly asking musical questions and responding often in an antiphonal manner.

Some of the tempo relationships between each section are quite challenging! The range is from high B in the upper parts and down to pedal E in the bass trombone.

There is a quasi “Tango” feel for much of the work mixed with occasional tongue in cheek humour. Colourful textures and clusters are created with frequent use of mutes and short glissando effects.

10 Simple Answers requires careful attention to section balance and rhythmic discipline and is an extremely interesting and individual work well worth including in a trombone choir concert.

Bob Hughes THREE SHANTIES (FOR 8 TROMBONES) TIMOTHY JACKSON ONYX BRASS PUBLISHING (FROM EASTER) £25/£30 Tim Jackson is a highly accomplished horn player with the Philharmonia Orchestra and a first rate composer and arranger.

Premiered by the RAM trombone choir in October 2008, not only is the writing beautifully tailored for trombones these arrangements are great fun to play.

No.1 “The Fish of the Sea” has a bluesy jazz waltz feel to it requiring some solid pedal F’s from the bass trombone and some strong chops in parts 1 and 2 (top C’s and Eb’s).

No.2 “Dance to your Daddy, Sing to your Mammy” very cleverly takes the passacaglia theme from the Finale of Brahms’ 4th Symphony as the ground bass for this movement. Tim very skillfully builds the textures up to a powerful climax before ending with a tranquil triple pianissimo.

Very effective.

No.3 “On Board the Kangaroo” kicks off with plunger muted solos for 3 players in a gospel style before launching into a raunchy jazz rock feel. Tim manages to weave several other snippets of tunes into this movement before finishing up with a rollicking bluesy finale.

This is a must for any trombone group worth its salt! Great fun for players and listeners alike.

Bob Hughes The Trombonist | Spring 2009 | 23

REVIEWS POWER BASS ARR. ALWYN GREEN BRASS WIND 2130 £9.50 MEDIUM/SLIGHTLY DIFFICULT This book of solos for bass trombone addresses a gap in the repertoire for the developing player. While tenor trombonists enjoy many such compilation albums of familiar or light music, partly created to meet the needs of the exam syllabus, there is a lack of such material for bass trombone. Therefore players of around grade 5-7 standard, at which Power Bass is clearly aimed, are left to either appropriate music for other instruments which is not necessarily idiomatic or rely on music recommended by the exam boards which, though of high quality, tends to be rather serious.

The seven pieces selected by Green include arrangements of Saints-Saens L’Elephant and Allegro Appassionato, Dukas Sorcerer’s Apprentice, Kern All the Things You Are, Porter Anything Goes, Carmichael Georgia on My Mind and Bruch Kol Nidrei.

Helpfully, each piece has a brief written introduction with pointers to musical style and advice on technical issues, though some bottom B naturals mean players of single valve instruments will not be able to fully enjoy a couple of the arrangements.

In many places optional octave transpositions are given in both high and low reg-

isters to enable performance by players of different abilities.

For the student or advanced performer alike, Power Bass is an excellent resource of familiar, and not so familiar, melodies arranged specifically to exploit the qualities of the bass trombone by one of the finest players in the country. I hope more volumes will be forthcoming and that some of the lighter pieces find their way on to future exam syllabus.

Alastair Warren WHAT A WONDERFUL WORLD, JAZZ WALTZ, TICO TICO ARR. INGO LUIS UETZ MUSIC €13-€18 EA. We tried out these three trombone quartets from Ingo Luis, the popular arranger and professional trombonist from Germany.

We started with the Jazz Waltz by Shostakovich, a well-known work that audiences love. As it is a typical waltz, you do get a fair amount of repetitive off-beat rhythms, but the melody is shared amongst all the parts so no one gets bored playing it. Though it’s not a hard piece to play, the high register of the 1st trombone part could put off some less experienced players – this would be great to play if you had a group of students of mixed abilities, or even if a tutor played the 1st part. Equally the piece would not be out of place in a professional

Reading clefs a problem?

Bass clef to treble? Treble to tenor?

Bass clef to all others?

And what about Alto clef?

Are leger lines your bugbear?

“Benny” Morris’s slide charts are the cure.

Enjoy learning clefs with our books: Bass Clef is Easy! for Treble clef readers Treble Clef is Easy! for Bass clef readers Tenor Clef is Easy! for Bass clef readers Alto Clef is Easy! for Bass clef readers

Beautiful slow music for a perfect tone.

Bass Trombone Tone-Ups and Tenor Trombone Tone-Ups in bass clef and treble clef versions (Grade 3+). Much more inspiring than boring long note exercises! http://www.DrDowningMusic.com/Trombone.html Telephone +44 (0) 161 437 5607/4772

24 | Spring 2009 | The Trombonist

programme, to complement more serious repertoire. Overall this is a very good arrangement that has a lot of possibilities for performance and teaching use.

Tico-Tico (by Zequinha Abreu) is a lively Latin piece that really suits the character of the trombone. The arrangement has been well-done, with lots of articulation and dynamic markings that make it easy to play the piece stylistically. This piece is slightly trickier to play – most parts have fast quaver runs, and both the 1st and 2nd parts are quite high. I would consider rearranging the parts out so that the 1st player uses an alto trombone. It would be a fantastic encore piece to play with a professional group.

Finally, we looked at What a Wonderful World, as sung by Louis Armstrong. This sounded fantastic right from our first readthrough, and the carefully planned harmonies and suspensions make this a great piece to play. A short piece, this could work really well as part of a jazz set. It’s not too high on any of the parts, so again would be good for teaching use. My only negative comment is that at times there could be a few more markings on the page to help out the performers.

We had great fun trying out Ingo Luis’ works, and would recommend them to any quartet looking for something a bit different!

David Hopkins (BMus student, RWCMD)

REVIEWS BUCCANEER: MUSIC FROM ENGLAND AND SPAIN HIS MAJESTYS SAGBUTTS & CORNETTS SFZ MUSIC SFZM0108 Hard as it is to believe, His Majestys Sagbutts and Cornetts have just celebrated their 25th year. From the outset they were an ensemble of the highest quality, combining instrumental skill and artistry with sound scholarship. Buccaneer, their latest recording is no exception.

The recording is themed by England and Spain’s seafaring and adversarial relationship in the 16th and 17th centuries. With only a handful of pieces from these countries written specifically for cornett and sackbut, Jamie Savan (cornett) and Adam Woolf (sackbut) have adapted much of this programme from pieces originally for viol, keyboard and voices, hence the disc’s title.

This musical ‘piracy’ is much in the same way as brass ensembles do today.

As one would expect, the ensemble playing is excellent but for me the highlights are not necessarily the most virtuosic numbers. I particularly enjoyed Orlando Gibbons’ startling and dark In Nomine a 5, and Ave Virgo sanctissima by Francisco Guerrero. On the more spectacular end of the spectrum, the two fantasies by Salaverde based on Palestrina’s madrigal Vestiva i colli display outstanding solo playing; the first featuring divisions by Jeremy West and Adam Woolf, the second using the whole ensemble.

A welcome contrast of timbre is provided by Gary Cooper both as a continuo, and soloist on virginals and organ, the two Spagnoletta dances by Giles Farnaby being especially welcome. The recording ends with Adam Woolf’s fantasia-like arrangement of Greensleeves, an atmospheric and wholly stylistic piece of work.

A very minor negative is that the recording suffers from some ambient noise, and on a couple of occasions the editing has been cut in a fraction of a second too late so that the initial articulation of the players is missed. That said, this is a worthy addition to the HMSC catalogue that will give pleasure over repeated listenings.

Donal Bannister

(which the composer declares as his ‘most serious piece ever’) to the ridiculously crazy Bombay Bay Barracuda for unaccompanied trombone, a piece which was commissioned by Swedish TV for its millennium celebrations, which sounds anything but serious!

The listener can expect to learn much about Lindberg’s personality through his music. His interest in different cultures is reflected in the highly rhythmic Asa, a chamber music work which explores an interesting use of instruments and amplified effect, inspired by religious ideas and Norse mythology. The highly virtuosic trumpet concerto Akbank Bunka is a fusion of Japanese and Turkish music styles, with a dramatic rhythmical first movement, an atmospheric lyrical second movement, and a real virtuosic third movement with a Turkish feel!

Joe Jack Binglebandit for solo trombone allows us to hear both composer and performer. The work, which was written for Jonas Bylund is full of character; boisterous, fun and playful, testing the trombone’s technique and range.

Overall, Lindberg offers a contrasting selection of works in which he portrays different facets of his own personality, be that of a serious artist, or as a humorous prankster who does not take himself too seriously!

Lisa Sarasini BONE-A-FIDE BRASS JOSEPH ALESSI & IMPERIAL BRASS SUMMIT RECORDS DCD480 There’s nothing new about a recording of trombone solos with brass band, but Joseph Alessi is without doubt or reserve one of the finest players at work at the

moment, and brilliantly versatile too.

I believe that two tracks themselves justify the price of this CD: firstly You Only Live Twice (arr. Mark Freeh) – I have listened to this over and over again, and can only describe the playing as perfection. The soaring lyricism suits the instrument and soloist wonderfully. And the other is: A Time for Piece by Peter Graham, a pure gem of a melody which Joe plays straight – no hackneyed rubato – and the playing has an assured sense of vulnerability, enriching the soul gloriously.

The lighter fare on this album also includes the Tommy Dorsey number Trombonology, Holiday for Trombones and Autumn Leaves which were all very enjoyable and up there with the classic recordings. Theme and variations Home on the Range and Air Varie are given the Alessi treatment, if you like those sorts of throwaway pieces. A better choice is Green Bee, a highlight of Urbie Green’s famous 21 Trombones LP and is all very kitsch Austin Powers stuff. When Joe lets go I could see the ladies going weak at the knees!

My Refuge from Bruce Broughton reflects the darker styles of Hindemith or Bourgeois. The ponderous and aggressive opening subsides into more lyrical hymn like passages – a substantial (and challenging) addition to the repertoire.

Bram Tovey’s Veritas is both a stark and completative piece, sensitively played.

Bram brings out the dark meaning of Auden’s ‘O tell me the truth about love’.

I really enjoyed the great trombone playing and Alessi plays some real gems worth listening to over and over. My only reservations are the diversity of the tracks, and sadly that the band playing could have been better.

Simon Kingsley

CHRISTIAN LINDBERG: A COMPOSER’S PORTRAIT II BIS 1658 In a time when contemporary music is often seen as catering only for the ‘musically educated’, Christian Lindberg’s new CD of compositional offerings is a refreshing and original collection of contemporary music, unpretentious in style and accessible to a wide audience of listeners.

The disc itself comprises of an extreme range of different compositional styles, from the dramatic and violent Of Blood So Red for trombone and chamber orchestra The Trombonist | Spring 2009 | 25

REVIEWS cadences with a very impressive, well executed flourish, which pays homage nicely to his teacher Daniel Lassalle, but one that is not really in keeping with the rest of his personal style throughout the rest of the piece. Despite this, and a couple of inconsistencies in the technical aspect of the recording, including the trombone wandering around the stereo field on occasion (notably for the cadenza in the slow movement of the Albrechtsberger), this is a very enjoyable disc and a must-have for trombone fans.

Adam Woolf SACKBUTT: TROMBONE IN THE 17TH AND 18TH CENTURY JÖRGEN VAN RIJEN CHANNEL CLASSICS CCS SA 26708 This recording leaves one in no doubt that Jörgen van Rijen is a virtuosic, musical player and the more I listen to it, the more I like it. It’s nice that he’s turned his attention to the earlier repertoire and has chosen an early-style instrument for this recording.

Ironically, as more and more high profile modern trombone players such as Jörgen van Rijen are taking the sackbut more seriously in the public eye, the instrument, (which has long suffered in the UK as being thought of as the instrument of choice for the failed modern trombonist) and its relatively unknown solo and chamber music repertoire seems to be gaining more respect among players and listeners around the globe.

The repertoire on this disc includes the Albrechtsberger, Leopold Mozart and Wagenseil concerti alongside chamber sonatas of 3 or 4 parts by Bertali, Castello, Marini and Schmelzer. Considering that the sackbut’s development and real heyday was during the 16th and 17th centuries, the solo repertoire from this period is conspicuous by its absence from a CD bearing the all-encompassing title ‘Sackbutt’. Divisions on vocal pieces (a central, and often virtuosic element of 17th-century performance practice) and one or two solo sonatas would have complemented the chosen repertoire which presents the sackbut more as a chamber music instrument in diverse 17th-century ensemble works and only as a real soloist in the 18thcentury concerti which make up half of the disc’s running time and therefore gives a slightly slanted overview of the instruments origins, purpose and capabilities.

That said, it is nice to have a recording of this quality of these under-represented pieces.

Jörgen van Rijen goes a long way towards using historical playing techniques on this recording although one can still hear hints of evenly weighted symphonic trombone articulation, sound approach and note shapes. His solo in the Sonata Quarta

by Castello is an example of this and he 26 | Spring 2009 | The Trombonist

40 QUARTETTE SERAFIN ALSCHAUSKY UETZ MUSIC €20/VOLUME I am always on the lookout for new repertoire for trombone quartet, so I was pleased to encounter these by German composer and arranger Serafin Alschausky. Across the two volumes are mainly arrangements of well-known pieces from the Classical and Romantic periods – Mozart, Beethoven, Mendelssohn and Wagner are all there.

These pieces would make ideal ensemble warm-ups, with much of the material suited to an ensemble aiming to develop sound, intonation and blend.

The arrangements of Wagner’s Tannhäuser Overture and Mozart’s Ave Verum Corpus work particularly well and are suitable recital material.

The volumes are best suited to more advanced students who have great ability in ensemble playing and a wide playing register.

One disadvantage is that the text is entirely in German. I would have liked an English translation for information.

These publications are useful additions to any aspiring trombone quartet’s library.

Martyn Hunter (BMus student, RWCMD)

British Trombone Society www.britishtrombonesociety.org Executive Board President Bob Hughes (ex officio) 01494 433722, president@britishtrombonesociety.org Vice-President and Chair Brett Baker chair@britishtrombonesociety org Vice-Chair Ben Bouzan eastanglia@britishtrombonesociety.org Secretary Geoff Wolmark 01377 202209, 1-3 Church Street, Hutton, Driffield, Yorks, YO25 9PR secretary@britishtrombonesociety.org Treasurer David Carnac treasurer@britishtrombonesociety.org Education Liaison Stewart Drummond education@britishtrombonesociety.org

Staff Membership Manager Derrick Parker 020 8144 6575 membership@britishtrombonesociety.org Webmaster Edward Solomon webmaster@britishtrombonesociety.org Associate Webmaster Mike Saville webmaster2@britishtrombonesociety.org

The Trombonist Editor David Read 07812 080933 64A Dunlace Road, London, E5 0NE editor@britishtrombonesociety.org Advertising Matt Parry 07779 016164 advertising@britishtrombonesociety.org Designer David Read The Trombonist is published in February, May and September.

Editorial and advertising deadlines are 1 Dec, 1 March and 1 July Reviews: Please send all material for review to the editor.

Representatives Scotland Chris Stearn 01360 860220 scotland@britishtrombonesociety.org Wales Arlene MacFarlane 07773 290975 wales@britishtrombonesociety.org North & Midlands Co-ordinator Andrew Berryman northmidlands@britishtrombonesociety.org North East & Yorkshire Paul Woodward 01924 823840 northeast@britishtrombonesociety.org North West Gareth Westwood 07756 105524 northwest@britishtrombonesociety.org East Midlands Jim Newberry 01926 651916 eastmidlands@britishtrombonesociety.org West Midlands vacant Northern Ireland Stephen Cairns 02892 602646 northernireland@britishtrombonesociety.org Central South Phil Tarrant 01491 832109 centralsouth@britishtrombonesociety.org South vacant South West Tony Evans 01752 263069 southwest@britishtrombonesociety.org East Anglia Ben Bouzan 07970 502509 eastanglia@britishtrombonesociety.org Brass Band Paul Woodward 01924 823840 brassband@britishtrombonesociety.org Jazz Jeremy Price jazz@britishtrombonesociety.org Young People Tony Boardman youngrep@britishtrombonesociety.org

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