WINTER 2023
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President’s Welcome Editor’s Welcome SIMON MINSHALL
AL ASTAIR WARREN
As we approach the end of 2023, I hope you are all busy playing and making music. This time of year is a golden opportunity to meet up with friends and play together, maybe even share a mince pie or two … I am delighted to share with you that the British Trombone Festival 2024 will be held over the weekend of 26 and 27 October, hosted at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire. We look to build on our fantastic weekend of 2022 and bring together as many of you as possible. The Festival will feature all of the BTS performance competition finals, including the exciting addition of a new Alto Trombone Competition, with a prize generously supported by Jürgen Voigt Brass, and a new Community Trombone Choir category. As a Society, we were again able to help many members this year with a BTS Bursary and through the Instrument Loan Scheme. I can assure you that these really do help to grow our future trombonists and support members. When we are not able to offer financial support, we look to help with 'soft skills' from committee members. We have partnered with Slide Action to assist in bringing together a series of videos on writing for the trombone. We hope this will help future composers/ arrangers in producing the best music for our instrument. We have a new secretary, Phil Dewhurst. Phil is excited to get stuck in and help make our Society as good as it can be! Thanks to our Wessex representative Kevin Morgan for organising a successful day in Bournemouth; more regional events are being lined up for you in the New Year, including Wells, Durham and Northern Ireland. Please do get in touch with the Committee or any of the Regional Representatives with any trombone-related questions or ideas. If you are unsure who your Regional Representative is, click here.
Welcome to the Winter 2023 issue of The Trombonist. We open this edition by congratulating the winners of the BTS Annual Awards, several of whom we will hear from within the pages of The Trombonist across the next year, starting in this issue with Player of the Year Katy Jones, who discusses the benefits of nose breathing. Elsewhere we report on two very successful BTS events in Wessex and in London, BTS South East representative Michael Pilley reflects on his experiences of starting a new trombone choir on the South Coast and we speak to Tony Hawkins ahead of the launch of his new range of trombone mutes. Bringing some colour to the dark winter days we learn about Beautiful Bones, a large-scale street spectacle built around the trombone, and Joe Arnold celebrates the life of his English National Opera colleague Martin Kelly, who sadly passed away recently, shortly after retiring. Amongst our regular columns are reviews of two very different albums by outstanding female bass trombonists and of BONE-AFIDE’s performance at Brass in Concert. There’s also a look at some new publications from Warwick Music and Jeremy Price considers the playing style of Wayne Henderson. Looking ahead to early 2024 From the Stage to the Pit and What’s On highlight some of the best concerts and opera performances the New Year has to offer. Finally, the Listening Lounge pays tribute to Pete Smith, another great Brtish trombonist who recently passed away. Sit back and enjoy tracks from his seminal album ‘Bones Galore, and perhaps treat yourself to just one more mince pie. On behalf of the team at The Trombonist I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year.
Simon Minshall president@britishtrombonesociety.org
Alastair Warren editor@britishtrombonesociety.org
GET IN TOUC H: British Trombone Society, Registered Charity No: 1158011, Main Telephone: +44 (0)7715 273740
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THE TROMBONIST MAGAZINE TEAM EDITOR
Alastair Warren editor@britishtrombonesociety.org SUB-EDITORS
Peter Chester and Alison Keep NEWS EDITOR
news@britishtrombonesociety.org EVENTS EDITOR
events@britishtrombonesociety.org REVIEWS EDITOR
Jane Salmon reviews@britishtrombonesociety.org ADVERTISING MANAGER
Chris Valentine advertising@britishtrombonesociety.org SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER
Martin Lee Thompson content@britishtrombonesociety.org MAGAZINE DESIGN
Sára Mikkelsen saramikkelsen.com FRONT COVER
John Kenny in Beautiful Bones Glasgow, August 2023 Photo credit: Brian Hartley @stillmotionarts
CONTRIBUTORS TO THIS ISSUE
Alastair Warren Simon Minshall Peter Chester Josh Cirtina Becky Smith Katy Jones Kevin Morgan Joe Arnold Jeremy Price Michael Pilley Eddie Curtis Rob Tooley
CONTENTS 03 06 08 11 13 14 20 21 24 25 27 28 29 30 32 34 38 40 41
WELCOME
THE NEWS
REMEMBERING MARTIN KELLY
BTS WESSEX TROMBONE DAY
PRESIDENT'S TOOLKIT
BTS ANNUAL AWARDS 2023
CD REVIEW: GRIT AND GRACE
BEAUTIFUL BONES
NEW FROM WARWIC K MUSIC HOW TO START A TROMBONE C HOIR
CD REVIEW: LOUDMOUTHED BEAUT Y
COME AND PL AY T WO
CONCERT REVIEW: BRASS IN CONCERT
THE SHAPE OF THINGS TO COME
MUSICIAN'S HEALTH
JAZZ BY JEREMY
FROM THE STAGE TO THE PIT
WHAT'S ON
LISTENING LOUNGE
BRITISH TROMBONE SOCIET Y : Officers & Staff // Honorary Patrons // Committee // Officers
Opinions expressed in The Trombonist are the authors’ own and do not necessarily reflect the view of the British Trombone Society.
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EDITED BY AL ASTAIR WARREN
THE NEWS BTS welcomes new Secretary Phil Dewhurst is a Scottish-based freelance trombone player who studied at the Royal Academy of Music in London with Ian Bousfield, Denis Wick and Dudley Bright before taking up the position of second trombone
PHIL DEWHURST
with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, a post which he held for two years. Whilst there, he freelanced with major orchestras across the UK before going down a completely different route as a management consultant, working with businesses globally to upscale their contract workforce. Now settled in Clarencefield, Dumfries with his wife and son, Phil is very passionate about doing all that he can across the education network to provide opportunities to play brass instruments in schools and local organisations whilst freelancing with various orchestras and local ensembles and is very excited to be a part of the BTS.
Parker, Pee Wee Ellis, Jamiroquai and The Brand New Heavies. Click here to watch Dennis introducing his exciting new project.
Two Come Along at Once … On 26 November BBC Radio 3 featured two trombone related programmes. The Early Music Show broadcast the English Cornet and Sackbut Ensemble’s recent ‘Golden Age of the Spanish Renaissance’ recital given at Manchester’s Stoller Hall, which included the winning compositions of the 2023 National Centre for Early Music Young Composers Award. In The Listening Service Tom Service reflected on the history of the trombone section over the last 500 years, with guest expert Hallé Orchestra Principal Trombone, Katy Jones. Moore returns to Wingates On 4 November, Wingates Band welcomed back former member Peter Moore to Bolton Parish Church as featured guest soloist in a concert to celebrate their 150th anniversary. Peter is pictured with Wingates trombonists (l-r) Stuart McCreedy, Sam Olsson and Joey Wong. Peter was appointed Solo Trombone of the band aged just 10!
Dennis Rollins Launches Online Learning Platform Dennis Rollins has launched Funkytrombone.com, a developing series of online courses aimed at teaching the nuances of funky trombone playing based on his 40+ years of experience performing with the likes of Maceo WINGATES. PHOTO CREDIT: DANIEL TAYLOR
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THE NEWS
SLIDE ACTION KEVIN SMITH
Kevin Smith Retires After 30 years Kevin Smith has stepped down as bass trombone with the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra. ‘Smiffy’ as he is known joined the orchestra after studying with Harold Nash at the Royal Academy and being a member of the European Community Youth Orchestra. A consummate musician, he is also a fine conductor who has been a huge asset to the BSO’s community orchestra project the ‘Rusties’ as well as expertly conducting local orchestras and brass bands. This musicianship combined with his keen competitive spirit (I never dare beat him at pool!) has no doubt contributed to his own band in Verwood flourishing under his direction, with a great community setup from beginners ‘Acorns’ right up to the championship section Verwood Concert Brass. All his friends and colleagues at the BSO wish him the best for the future! Robb Tooley (Sub-Principal Trombone BSO) Rockschool Launches Horn Section Exams Rockschool has launched an innovative suite of Horn Section exams for saxophone, trumpet and trombone, recognising the huge impression the horn section has left on popular music, from jazz to Motown classics, and from Pop hits to Latin grooves. Pieces from some of the world’s biggest artists are combined with a fresh approach to supporting tests, technical exercises, and groundbreaking technology to introduce players to the discipline, challenges and techniques required. Available as either a Grade Exam or Performance Certificate, Horn Section exams can be sat face to face, recorded or, uniquely, even live streamed. Watch out for an in-depth long term test review in the Spring 2024 edition of The Trombonist; in the meantime, learn more about the trombone syllabus here.
Slide Action Slide Action have been busy, not only releasing Part 2 of their Trombone Toolkit, focusing on the myriad mutes available to the trombonist, but also enjoying a sevendate tour to Switzerland in October, which included two performances at the Swiss Trombone Days. In February 2024 the ensemble will be entering the studio to record their debut album, with opportunities for a lucky few to attend the recording sessions, see Slide Action’s website for more details. More success for Paxton Congratulations to Alex Paxton for winning the Claussen-Simon Composition Prize 2023. In addition to €15,000, he receives a commission for a new work to be premiered by Alan Gilbert and the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchester in 2025. In November Alex received a nomination in the large ensemble category at The Ivor Classical Awards 2023 for iloli-pop and has just completed composition of Apocalypse Flower for solo sackbut, commissioned by Emily White with support from the BTS. Keel Watson World renowned bass-baritone Keel Watson died suddenly in November. Keel studied trombone with Roger Brenner at Trinity College of Music and singing with Elizabeth Hawes. He aspired to be a professional brass player until a vocal role in an opera gave him a change of perspective, ‘I realised my singing was better than my trombone playing so I changed my plans’, he said. However, he never lost his love of the instrument as this wonderful video with conductor, and fellow trombone player, Martyn Brabbins shows. ◆
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Remembering Martin Kelly BY JOE ARNOLD
Martin Kelly, our dear friend and very recently retired Sub-Principal Trombone at English National Opera, passed away on 9 September 2023. He will be desperately missed by his family, as well as the numerous friends and colleagues who had the pleasure of performing and socialising with him. Martin was born in Oldham, Lancashire on 13 January 1958, the middle of three children; his younger brother Terry would also go on to be a professional trombonist. As a child, Martin suffered from rheumatic fever and due to weakness in his lungs, it was recommended the family move to better air by the sea, so off the family went to Fleetwood and Martin’s recovery soon followed. From an early age Martin showed a keen interest in music, learning the piano with his Civil Servant father, Brian, an accomplished pianist who had studied piano and organ at the Royal Northern College of Music. No doubt Martin’s famous sense of ‘perfect pitch’ developed during these early years. Martin began learning the trombone at the age of 12 with Glyn Lloyd, the visiting brass teacher at the Cardinal Allen Secondary School in Fleetwood. His sights were set on the cello, but by the time he went to choose his instrument at school, the trombone was the only thing left to borrow. Very quickly he became quite accomplished, and his father often accompanied him on the piano whilst practising. Many evenings and weekends were spent rehearsing or performing with either the local Brass Band, Poulton-Le-Fylde, or the Lancashire Youth Orchestra. Sometimes he would take part in ‘Slow Melody’ competitions, often winning prizes. When he was 15, Martin attained Grade 8 trombone with distinction, making him eligible to apply to the Royal Academy of Music in London. One of only seven of 185 entrants to be awarded a scholarship to start that academic year, he travelled to London, aged 16, to
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JULIE AND MARTIN.
study for three years as the first student of Harold Nash (Royal Opera House) as an alto trombone specialist. His housemates during that time included Gabriel Kwok, Bob Hughes (former LSO bass trombone and current RAM professor) and Greg Morgan, brother of Kev Morgan (RPO tuba player). With Kev making trips to visit his older brother at RAM, close friendships were formed between them all during that time. Whilst studying, Martin worked with various London and Provincial Orchestras. One of his first ‘dates’ in 1975 was with the Basingstoke Symphony Orchestra for which he was paid the princely sum of £5.50 plus an extra £2.00 for expenses! On leaving college, Martin returned to the north of England, where he worked mostly with Variety Acts such as The Krankies, Black Abbots, and Jim Davidson. Whilst working on Cinderella in Wolverhampton he met Fran, the mother of his children, Emma and Laurence. By the early 80’s Martin had returned to London, working alongside his brother Terry at The Prince of Wales Theatre in An Evening with Tommy Steele, a very proud moment for his family to see them both playing
REMEMBERING MARTIN KELLY
trombone together professionally. It was whilst working in the orchestras of West End Musicals such as Cats that Martin met Musical Director Tony Stenson, who later offered him the position of First Trombone on a new production by Andrew Lloyd Webber, Starlight Express. This was to run in the West End for the next 18 years! In 1989 Martin was offered the position of Sub Principal Trombone with English National Opera. Debating whether to leave Starlight Express, he decided that with a bit of careful juggling, and the use of his trusty ‘Deps’, he could just about manage to keep both going at the same time, and he did so quite successfully. During some of his ‘free’ time, Martin would often be seen, or heard, in recording studios playing incidental music for TV shows and films, such as Only Fools & Horses, Maleficent and even Thomas the Tank Engine! As busy as he was, Martin always found time to be with his children. Emma remembers she and Laurence would be at the door asking him if he was going to work today… or to Starlight! Martin would often take Laurence fishing, a pastime he had enjoyed since he was a child. On one occasion he lost his footing and went overboard, fully submerging. Thankfully another of his hobbies was swimming! Martin was also a complete shark at darts and snooker, and was a dab hand at magic tricks, presumably developing those skills whilst working in the band for Paul Daniels. He was also incredibly handy at DIY and during Covid taught himself to skilfully turn wood on his lathe, making wine glasses, mouthpieces and candle sticks. In the early 2000’s Martin began a relationship with Julie, having worked together not only on Starlight but also as The Apollo Brass Trio, with Julie’s brother David, performing educational concerts in schools. For 11 years, alongside their music careers, they successfully ran a pub in London Colney, The Bull, which focused on ‘Real Ale, Real Food, Real Music’. Once or twice, they hosted Mark Nightingale (and friends), as part of the pub’s busy gig schedule. Julie and Martin married in early 2018 and shared a lovely home in Langport, Somerset. Martin was at ENO for over 30 years. All who sat next to him in the brass section would comment
ENO PL AYING CRIC KET IN RUSSIA , MARTIN FAR LEFT.
on how simple he made playing look and sound. He could float out jazz licks in the high register during his warm up, switch to a broad orchestral sound for a Wagner opera, and was perhaps musically happiest when playing a beautiful phrase in Mozart’s The Magic Flute. He was the glue in the middle of the brass section, with a great ear for intonation and enviable ability in the high and low registers. He was a gentle, kind, consistent character at work, keeping his head down and always polite to conductors, unless he needed to stand up for his colleagues, in which case he seemed to grow two feet taller and speak two octaves lower. He was a great colleague to work with and was famous for being welcoming and encouraging to young players just beginning their careers. To an extent he was quite self-deprecating about his playing, but he quietly backed himself and could rely on his flawless technique, always delivering performances to a high standard. Orchestras would invite him to do trials over the years, knowing he was a high-quality player, but he refused. He seemed happy and content working in the ENO orchestra with his friends. Highlights of his career with ENO include the opening ceremonies of The Millennium Dome and the Eurostar, taking centre stage at a muddy Glastonbury in 2004 for Die Walküre (dinner suits and wellies!) and a famous, long tour to Russia in 1990. Many of us will remember sharing a drink with Martin … swapping stories and laughing – a whole lot of laughing! We all miss him greatly and his memory will live on; at ENO, in the West End and far beyond in the years to come … RIP. Joe Arnold is ENO Principal Bass Trombone. He would like to thank the Kelly family for their assistance in the preparation of this article.
ENO LOW BRASS 2015–2023. L–R BEC KY SMITH, MARTIN , JOE ARNOLD, NIC K HITC HENS.
Continues on next page …
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REMEMBERING MARTIN KELLY
Becky Smith, ENO Principal Trombone ‘I feel very lucky to have spent nine years sitting in the same section as Martin. In every way he was the most brilliant colleague. Aside from his exemplary playing, Martin was one of those rarities who made going to work so joyful! He was friendly to everyone, always had a positive outlook and made us laugh in even the most tedious of rehearsals. I’ll miss opening the pump room door to see him warming up, his boomy voice relaying funny antics from the past few days, singing along to the tunes in rehearsals, telling me where to play when I’d lost count and generally being the warmest, funniest, kindest, most generous and genuine human being there was.’ ◆
L–R DAVE WHITSON , MARTIN , LES L AKE, NIC K HITC HENS.
Dave Whitson, former ENO Principal Trombone ‘Martin never changed throughout the 50 years that I have known him both as friend and colleague; always immaculate with his playing as well as his appearance. The comment from a fellow student of ours back in the day, Steve Baxter, sums up so appropriately the player that Martin was … ‘Martin Kelly can do what Frank Rosolino does but Frank couldn’t do what Martin did!’ I’ll miss his voice whispering to me in the pit in such smooth basso tones … ‘one bar to go!’ … as we negotiated another long break or tacet in the middle of a lengthy opera. We enjoyed many happy times outside of work too, most notably when our boats were moored at the same marina outside of Windsor for many years. An all-round great personality, father, musician, publican, boater, friend and ‘cool’ one-off mate who fitted into the music business so well and will be so greatly missed.’ Les Lake, former ENO Principal Bass Trombone ‘It was an amazing and gratifying sight to see so many of the capital’s brass players, along with other colleagues and relatives, who made the journey to Taunton to say a sad and loving farewell to Martin at his funeral. Martin’s temperament was so marvellous – he just fitted in and there was never a need to discuss the merits of this or that semiquaver, it all happened automatically. The perfect colleague and a wonderful friend.’ Nick Hitchens, ENO Principal Tuba ‘Martin was a special man and I’m so grateful for the unique bond we shared over the 26 years we worked together at ENO.’ Martin would refer to Nick as his best friend.
10 PHOTO: ISTOC K
BTS Wessex Trombone Day BY KEVIN MORGAN
Sunday, 19 November saw the yearly gathering of the Wessex branch of the BTS. The 31 attendees included a group from the South East (thank you Michael Pilley), a trombone quartet from Trinity Laban, a BTS member from Leicester and a young man whose father had travelled from a Danish orchestra to bring him along! The day started with the traditional warm up, run on this occasion by Gary Austin, who used excerpts from his book Brass Supps for Bass Trombone to get everyone breathing, blowing and articulating in a variety of different ways, while also ensuring our brains and imaginations were running at optimum speed (clearly slightly different for everyone on a Sunday morning). His book is worth a look, bringing many new ways of exploring the traditional techniques we use to develop our playing skills. The first trombone choir session focused on Palestrina’s Ecco veniet dies illa which is much easier to type than pronounce. This beautiful Renaissance motet worked very well in the acoustic of the student hall at Bournemouth University (many thanks to Ian Davis for hosting the event – the university is keen to be at the centre of community music making). This was followed by my arrangement of Greensleeves which was ably navigated by the massed forces. The second session was introduced by my BSO colleague, Robb Tooley. We have been chatting recently about writing some exercises based on cross harmonic scales. This was the first opportunity to try out some of our ideas on a captive audience and Robb eloquently translated our thoughts into something reasonably understandable while also demonstrating the exercises. Watch out for further news on this subject if I can get my computer to recognise its Sibelius license! Before lunch the trombone choir attacked It Don’t Mean a Thing If It Ain’t Got That Swing with preprandial fervour after which we all refuelled at the local
coffee shop. The post-prandial snooze slot was filled with a Q & A session. There was an interesting selection of general questions which included practice patterns of professional players, unnecessary alliteration, and visualisation as a practice tool. It was fascinating to hear different views and one of the key points was that we are all unique and what works for one person may not work for another. We then rehearsed Yes Sir, That’s My Baby and Funny Valentine completing the repertoire for our end of day performance. Before that, however, we were treated to the excellent musical skills of the Trinity Laban trombone quartet: Hannah Roberts, Danny Sampson, Dexter Wong and Lance Leslie-Smith. Joe Arnold, who has been coaching them, introduced the group and their repertoire. They began by performing Bruckner’s lovely Christus Factus Est in a beautiful singing style. They have clearly developed a group voice with matching sounds and tight ensemble. This was followed by Ingo Luis’ arrangement of Georgia on My Mind. Smoothly played with just the right amount of jazz inflection – the bass trombone solos sounded very stylish. Giving feedback, Robb pointed out the different possibilities available when using slide vibrato and this was tested out by the group. They finished the set with my arrangement of Teddy Bears’ Picnic. Frightening to realise it was 40 years ago that this was originally played (I think Ealing Broadway Shopping Centre was the venue) but, surprisingly, I was able to remember and suggest a few of the performance practice elements that never made it to print. After enjoying the quartet performance, we all reassembled and ran through the music that we had rehearsed earlier in the day to finish. Many thanks to Gary, Robb and Joe for their help in running the event and most importantly thank you to all the attendees for supporting the BTS and making it such a fun and fulfilling day. ◆
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P resid ent ’s Toolkit:
To Bass Trombone, or NOT to Bass Trombone … BY SIMON MINSHALL
When is the right time for a young player to move to bass trombone? We sometimes have a lack of young bass trombone players in our youth orchestras, ensembles and bands. At the time of writing, I am aware of several national organisations that are struggling to find bass trombone players. Is there something off-putting or are teachers not wanting to move tenor players to bass? I hope my thoughts below can help anyone who is hesitant about moving a student to bass trombone. The sheer weight and ergonomics of a double valve bass trombone can be a hurdle to overcome and something we need to be aware of – we don’t want to develop imbalances and other associated postural problems further down the line. You could start by making use of a single valve bass trombone as there are many great models out there. Kevin Price, my teacher when I was young, sourced me a lovely single valve bass to play for a couple of years until I had got a bit older, stronger and importantly, familiar with the weight in the left hand. The single valve bass trombone can act as a superb gateway into developing sound and proficiency across the lower register. In the UK we tend not to use the largest of equipment, so mouthpieces need not be large either. I would recommend something similar to a Bach 1/2G, Schilke 58, Yamaha 58 or Wick 1AL/2AL. This will give your student a good starting point to find their own optimal equipment further down their playing journey. Some great study books such as the Aharoni New Method for the Modern Bass Trombone, Brad Edwards Bass Trombone Craft, Lew Gillis 20 Etudes for Bass Trombone, Pederson’s books of Etudes and of
course the Bordogni Melodious Études and Bel Canto Studies can help develop a real understanding of how to play across what we know as the ‘golden register’ of the bass trombone. Don’t see the bass trombone as a ‘get out of jail free card’ for when the high register isn’t working. Always develop across the entire range of the trombone, be it tenor or bass. Can you promote the bass trombone as its own voice in a section? ABRSM grades for bass trombone only begin at Grade 6 so I understand it can be difficult to move players to a bass when they perhaps feel settled on tenor. There are only a handful of players who started their trombone careers directly on bass, most of whom transferred from euphonium. Why not see how your student reacts to playing across the valve and if they enjoy the sound of the bass trombone? Play them some recordings of the variety of genres in which the bass trombone is featured, big band, orchestral, bass band, musicals, solo, opera and ballet to nurture excitement, and be sure to point towards appropriate role models for inspiration. To get you started click here to access a playlist of some of my favourite players. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to me at: president@britishtrombonesociety.org ◆
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BTS ANNUAL AWARDS
2023
The winners of the BTS Annual Awards 2023 were announced on 6 November. Changes introduced this year to the nomination and voting process resulted in far greater engagement from members of the Society and led to a record number of 49 nominees across the five categories. For the first time in the history of the Awards, joint winners for Player of the Year and Student of the Year were selected and in another first, one player won two accolades. Congratulations to all the recipients on their well-deserved awards.
JOHN IVESON.
Outstanding Contribution – John Iveson ‘I feel very honoured and humbled to have been nominated for this award. The fact that I have been retired from trombone playing for so long only adds to the sense of gratitude I feel in accepting the honour. Thank you so much.’ John studied at the Royal College of Music from 1963, and in 1965 was appointed Co-Principal trombonist in the BBC Symphony Orchestra. In 1969 he was appointed principal trombonist in the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, succeeding Evan Watkin. From 1967 to 1980 John was the principal trombonist
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of the Philip Jones Brass Ensemble, in both its quintet and ten-piece formations. Many of his arrangements for brass date from this period. Following a brief spell as an Area Music Advisor for Leicestershire Music Services from 1974, John returned to London in 1976 and enjoyed a busy spell as a studio session musician before taking up the position of co-principal trombonist in the orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden in 1980. In 1991 John retired from full-time playing to take up the post of Head of Wind and Brass at Marlborough College. John was a Professor of Trombone at the RCM from 1967 to 1994, taught at the RNCM from 1996, and was an examiner for ABRSM for 17 years. John and his wife Mary moved to Cumbria in 1997 where they still live; he conducts a local brass band and continues his writing and arranging activities. Player of the Year and Sheila Tracy Award – Isobel Daws ‘I am so honoured and thrilled to have won both these awards. The Sheila Tracy award is particularly special, knowing my first teacher, Maisie Ringham, was also a recipient.’ Isobel began playing the cornet at the age of three, learning with both her father, David Daws, and the late Maisie Ringham Wiggins MBE, before switching to trombone in 2008. Within six months she gained a scholarship to study trombone and piano at The Purcell
BTS ANNUAL AWARDS 2023
S ISOBEL DAWS.
KAT Y JONES. PHOTO CREDIT: MEL ANIE WESTHEAD, JUST PL AY PHOTOGRAPHY.
School, remaining there for eight years before moving to Chetham’s School for her A-Levels. Isobel was a BBC Young Musician of the Year Brass Category finalist in 2014 and again in 2018, on which occasion she was crowned Category winner. In 2017 she won the BBC Young Brass Award, playing live on Radio 2. Isobel graduated from the Royal Academy of Music in 2022, having studied with Matt Gee, Peter Moore and Ian Bousfield, and won the Karajan Academy position at the Berlin Philharmonic in the same year. She has just started a master’s degree at the Universität der Künste with Professor Stefan Schulz, bass trombonist of the Berlin Philharmonic. Isobel has performed with the London Symphony, Berlin Philharmonic, BBC Symphony, Bavarian Radio, Philharmonia and Aurora orchestras, Berlin Staatskapelle, Orchestra of the Royal Opera House and the brass ensemble, Septura. Earlier this year she won the Solo Trombone position at the Luxembourg Philharmonic Orchestra, starting her first season in September 2023. Isobel is a founder member of trombone quartet, BONE-AFIDE, and recorded her debut solo album in 2022, which is available to listen to on all streaming platforms.
to share this award with the brilliant Isobel Daws, who I had the good fortune to work with as a young student at Chetham’s. What a pleasure it is to see her flying the flag for young British brass players with such brilliance.’ Katy has been Principal Trombone of the Hallé Orchestra since 2012 and Senior Tutor in Trombone at the RNCM since 2015. Prior to this she was Co-Principal of the London Symphony Orchestra, where she toured worldwide with conductors such as Boulez, Gergiev and Previn, and featured on numerous film soundtracks, such as the Harry Potter series, Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith, and The Marvels. Katy is in demand as a Guest Principal throughout the UK and works regularly with the Chamber Orchestra of Europe. Katy gave the UK première of Arlene Sierra’s Trombone Concerto, and the world première of The Madonna of Silence by John Casken, a concerto written for her and the Hallé, and broadcast on BBC Radio 3. A guest solo artist at various international brass festivals, Katy enjoys combining her orchestral career with solo and chamber work, and teaching. Online you can view videos she recorded for the Hallé during lockdown, as well as a solo performance of Fischietto è Morto by Gary Carpenter with Psappha. Most recently she performed a concerto and recital at the ITF 2023, as well as a giving a masterclass to the youth workshop, and a lecture about breathing techniques. Katy completed a Master of Pharmacy degree at The University of Manchester, but returned to music full-time after working with Pierre Boulez in the Gustav Mahler Jugendorchester; she was appointed to her first position in the BBC National Orchestra of Wales within a month of graduating.
Player of the Year – Katy Jones ‘I have been a member of the BTS since I was a young girl and remember vividly going to watch Ian Bousfield give a masterclass at Huddersfield University at a BTS day in the early ‘90s. I certainly never imagined myself on the voting list for an award such as this, especially in such highly esteemed company! I couldn’t be more delighted
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BTS ANNUAL AWARDS 2023
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EMILY NICOL AS.
MORGAN BL AND.
Student of the Year – Emily Nicolas ‘I am incredibly honoured and grateful to have been voted Student of the Year and would like to say a very big thank you to my wonderful teacher, Katy Jones, the BTS, and everyone who has supported me in my musical journey so far: I can’t wait to see where it takes me!’ Emily has a passion for all things musical and is currently in her second year of the GRNCM ‘joint course’, studying at The Royal Northern College of Music and the University of Manchester. She began learning the piano at age four, but first picked up the trombone aged ten and instantly fell in love! Her growth as a musician has been shaped by her teachers and a multitude of performing opportunities, most significantly the National Youth Orchestra, the National Youth Jazz Collective and the Amersham Band. She has played with the Cory and Foden’s Bands, alongside trumpeter Louis Dowdeswell’s Big Band, with jazz trombonist Gordon Campbell and trumpeter Mike Lovatt and under the baton of several world-renowned conductors. At the RNCM, she has taken part in a masterclass with Joe Alessi, Principal Trombone of the New York Philharmonic Orchestra. Prior to studying at the RNCM, Emily was taught by David Whitson, ex-Principal Trombone of English National Opera and a previous BTS Teacher of the Year. She now studies with Katy Jones. Alongside her academic studies, and a busy performance schedule, Emily has recently discovered a keen interest in conducting. Over the years she has developed a love for presenting and has taken part in numerous interviews for BBC Radio 3 and 4. Emily also received a personal invitation from the multi-talented presenter and musician Anna Lapwood, to shadow her on the set of BBC Young Musician, one of her favourite experiences to date.
Student of the Year – Morgan Bland ‘I’d like to thank everyone at the BTS for the award, it means a lot to be regarded as a top student, and for giving me such great experiences to meet and work with some amazing players.’ Morgan began playing trombone aged 6, after going along to his Mum’s brass band rehearsal, where he had lessons with one of the trombone players, before having lessons at primary school with Kev Dye. Morgan then attended Junior Birmingham Conservatoire and is currently in his third year at Wells Cathedral School studying with Tom Lees and Emily White, as well as having jazz lessons with Nick Malcom. He has been a part of organisations such as the Leicestershire Schools Music Service Jazz Orchestra, National Children’s Orchestra and National Youth Orchestra. He feels playing with the NYO at the BBC Proms in the summer earlier this year has been his biggest highlight so far. Morgan’s current goal is to spend the next two years preparing for auditions for music college. After college he is considering a move to Germany to find more opportunities in the playing world. Teacher of the Year – Tom Lees ‘I’d like to say thank you to the BTS members. It’s a great honour to receive this award as I know there are so many fantastic teachers out there supporting their pupils and sharing their love of our instrument.’ Tom grew up in Nottinghamshire, learning the trombone with two of the county’s legendary teachers, Nadine Evans and Doug Wilkie. Whilst studying at the Royal Northern College of Music, a visit by Peter Bassano and a class on historical trombones kindled an interest that led to regular trips to London for sackbut lessons with Sue Addison. Thanks to a Countess of
BTS ANNUAL AWARDS 2023
Munster Scholarship, Tom was able to continue fulltime sackbut studies at the Royal College of Music (the first student to do so), studying with Peter Bassano and taking trombone lessons with John Iveson. Whilst at the RCM he started working with period-instrument groups such as the English Baroque Soloists, Gabrieli Consort and Players and Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, and formed the English Cornett and Sackbut Ensemble. Subsequently he has joined with London Brass for a record of Venetian music and played for dozens of productions at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre. Tom has built up the trombone departments at St Pauls School, King’s College School Wimbledon, and Latymer Upper School, and teaches with Emily White in Wells Cathedral School’s specialist music department. Away from the trombone, Tom is a keen watcher of sport, with membership of Surrey CCC and a season ticket at AFC Wimbledon. ◆
TOM LEES.
Specialist Brass Music lies at the heart of Wells Generous financial funding of up to 100% available for exceptional young brass players Proud to be hosting the BTS Trombone Day in January 2024
Find out more https://wells.cathedral.school/brass admissions@wells.cathedral.school
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CD Review
Grit and Grace – JENNIFER WHARTON’S BONEGASM
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BY EDDIE CURTIS
If someone were to ask you how many top-level jazz trombone quartet albums you could name, I bet you could count your answer on one hand. That being said, a new powerhouse of an album, Grit and Grace, headed by New York bass trombonist Jennifer Wharton and her ensemble Bonegasm, has some sensory delights to savour. It is clear, listening to this album, that Jennifer Wharton is a multi-genre master of the trombone. We hear delectable pedal tones, with a peachy bass trombone sound accompanied by a stellar line up of three tenor trombones (John Fedchock, Nate Mayland, Alan Ferber) and rhythm section. This rare form of ensemble is one that is individual. Bonegasm is a sound that you won’t have heard before, but by coupling original compositions, all commissioned from female composers, with Wharton’s own expert writing and performance, it is one you will want to hear again. Some of the tracks on the album set an orchestral tone, with expansive harmony, and a broader, more symphonic sound. What is unique is the diversity of styles that Wharton captures, sometimes even within each tune. Norhala is a standout track for me. With a euphoric melancholy opening swiftly rolling into a trance-like bass-heavy ostinato. It’s rare to hear a trombone recording with the ability to make my head bounce up and down like I’m at a rock concert, whilst my ears are feasting on fast and flawless bass bone interjections, with phenomenal jazz solos by her accompanying trombone colleagues.
The flow from track to track is well planned, and towards the back end of the album we hear Jennifer demonstrate her multi-genre prowess. Menina Sozinha begins with a Greensleeves-esque quartet: a closeharmony wall of trombone sound, descending into a driving Latin groove. Here I was seriously impressed with Wharton’s technical ability on the bass trombone, playing with incomparable tone, which adapts perfectly across every genre we hear on this album. The blend of the trombones is world class and is something that is not to be understated. Her rhythm section has fantastic feel, particularly in the Latin numbers on the album. The recording itself is also of an exceptional standard, with great audio mixing and balance throughout. I have been pondering the name Grit and Grace, and it has multiple meanings in the album. On the one hand it describes the way Wharton plays the bass trombone but could also show the necessary skills it takes to be in the music profession itself, particularly playing such a male dominated instrument. Maybe it’s the way the styles contrast at the drop of a hat, or maybe grit and grace was what it took to record some of the hardest technical passages in this album on studio day! Within the context of jazz albums, Grit and Grace is a piece of art that will definitely sit on the easily reachable regions of the CD rack and is an album that you will want to listen to, and get more and more enjoyment from, every time you hear it. Grit and Grace is available to purchase via Jennifer Wharton’s website. ◆
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Beautiful Bones BY AL ASTAIR WARREN
2023 saw three performances of Beautiful Bones, during the UCI World Cycling Championship in Glasgow, at Hull Freedom Festival and the Spraoi Festival in Waterford, Ireland.
BEAUTIFUL BONES IN GL ASGOW. PHOTO CREDIT: BRIAN HARTLEY @STILLMOTIONARTS
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Beautiful Bones is a collaboration between Surge, Scotland’s premier development agency for street arts, physical theatre and circus, composer and MD of Love Music Stephen Deazley, the Dragon Voices trombone ensemble, led by John Kenny, and designer Alex Rigg to create a large-scale street spectacle and musical pandemonium that reframes the rituals of death as a celebration of life. Western contemporary culture appears spectacularly disinterested when it comes to the subject of death, especially our own, leaving the mechanics that surround it to others. In Beautiful Bones a theme of general celebration, comedic irreverence and blissful acceptance challenge our own dour and often miserable rituals. At the heart of Beautiful Bones is inclusive community participation, combining professional and non-professional musicians, performers and dancers, integrating theatre, music and dance, with multiple access points for players and performers depending on their experience and skill.
‘IT WAS BIZARRE AND CRAZY, BUT I LOVED EVERY MINUTE OF IT! THE MUSICAL DIRECTOR WAS GREAT AT KEEPING US PL AYING TOGETHER. AN EXPERIENCE I’LL NEVER FORGET.’ JOSEPH, AGED 11. PICTURED WITH (L–R) JOHN KENNY AND PATRIC K KENNY IN GL ASGOW.
A professional core of musicians and performers lead a massed community ensemble through a series of promenades, high impact choreographed street interventions and a final stand-off between four professional trombonists, drawn on chariots by wild physical theatre performers (together they are the four horsemen of the apocalypse), a community trombone orchestra, and brass bands. The horsemen are drawn into an anarchic street party and defeated by a celebration of public coffin dancing. The work draws inspiration from across the globe, including the Aztec story of the creation of man from the bones of demi-
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Beautiful Bones
‘I ENJOYED THE FREEDOM FESTIVAL BECAUSE THERE WAS MUSIC, I LIKE HOW EVERYONE PL AYED AND AT THE END THEY THREW FAKE BONES AND FAKE FLOWERS OUT OF THE COFFIN AND PEOPLE COLLECTED THEM AND AT THE VERY END THERE WAS MUSIC AND WE COULD DANCE. I GOT INVOLVED IN IT BECAUSE I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE NICE REPRESENT THE SCHOOL. WHEN WE WERE AT THE FREEDOM FESTIVAL WE HAD OUR FACE PAINTED. AFTER THAT WE GOT OUR INSTRUMENTS AND PL AYED WHILE WALKING TO OUR DESTINATION. WE ALSO DANCED WITH OUR INSTRUMENTS IN FRONT OF LOTS OF PEOPLE.’ JAKUB, LONGHILL PRIMARY SC HOOL. PHOTO CREDIT: TOM ARRAN. PHOTO CREDIT: BRIAN HARTLEY @STILLMOTIONARTS
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gods, the Norse hounds of the sky, and from the Gnostic Gospels descriptions of the afterlife as a place of mirrors. Stephen Deazley’s original music and sound design takes inspiration from 1990’s rave, British SKA, and medieval secular dance music, bound together with the energy and colour of Mardi Gras. A massed trombone orchestra forms the backbone of the finale, joined by community brass bands. John Kenny writes, ‘I love Stephen’s music, and his writing for trombone is superb. We’ve enjoyed over 20 years of friendship and collaboration, beginning with an international music theatre ensemble called “Music in the Brewhouse”. After he came to an Edinburgh Festival gig by Red Shift, the five jazz trombone quintet run by myself and Australian trombonist Chris Grieve, featuring the late, great Rick Taylor, Stephen and I discussed the idea of him writing a large scale trombone ensemble piece. Not long afterwards, Stephen met Alan Richardson of Surge, and Beautiful Bones sprang to life (or should that be Death!?) The trombone quartet at the centre of the show is Dragon Voices: Ian Sankey, Adam Crighton, Patrick Kenny and myself. For the Hull performance we were joined by Charlotte van Passen and Yusuf Narcin. Massive thanks to percussionist Darren Gallagher and choreographer Mel, who lead the
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Dogs of War, and our four wonderful physical theatre specialists, Roanna, Fionnuala, Gemma and Estlin who make it look easy to tow a trombone quartet in heavy costumes through crowded streets. It really is quiet the most crazy, exuberant, challenging and FUN show imaginable!’ Click here to learn more about the development of Beautiful Bones, and here to view more images from the Glasgow performance. Beautiful Bones in Hull ‘Beautiful Bones was this year’s largest participatory project at Hull Freedom Festival. Presented in partnership with Hull Music Service, Freedom Festival coordinated an engagement process that spanned over six months, with 114 people participating. There were pupils from local dance and drama schools, musicians from across the country and around 40% of participants were aged 16 and under, including the addition of Longhill Primary School pBone players. It was a huge, unique experience to bring together and seeing the finale in Queen Victoria Square, in the centre of Hull, the sun shining, coffins and trombones, local DJs playing a family-friendly rave – it was something really special at this year’s Festival.’ Freedom Festival Arts Trust
Beautiful Bones
‘I LOVED GETTING MY FACE PAINTED. WE LOOKED GREAT. THE FESTIVAL WAS FUN BUT WE WERE REALLY NERVOUS BECAUSE WE HAD TO PL AY IN FRONT OF 100S OF PEOPLE.’ OLIVIA , LONGHILL PRIMARY SC HOOL. PHOTO CREDIT: TOM ARRAN.
Speaking about the opportunity to involve and enthuse so many young trombonists Richard Shaw of Hull Music Service said, ‘Longhill Primary School was approached by Freedom Festival to participate with Beautiful Bones as they currently have two classes of children playing pBones with Hull Music Service. The school leapt at the opportunity and soon began organising rehearsals and started to send information home to parents. The children who participated had to give up the last four days of their Summer Holidays to take part and thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it. It will be something that they will remember for the rest of their lives. Since returning to school after the Summer holidays the participating children are now having instrumental lessons and are looking forward to more performances on the trombone!’ Young trombonist Maya said of her experience, ‘In year 5 we have music lessons, and we were invited to the Freedom Festival to take part in it. What I loved the most is that I got to play in front of people.’ ◆
‘THIS WAS AN OPPORTUNIT Y TO DO SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT AND WORK WITH OTHER MUSICIANS/PERFORMERS. I LOVED MEETING EVERYONE AND HEARING ABOUT THE PROJECT AND OTHER THINGS THEY DO/HAVE DONE IN THE PAST. ALSO, THE CHANCE TO REACH A COMPLETELY NEW AUDIENCE AND SHOW A DIFFERENT SIDE TO BRASS BANDS AND WHAT WE CAN DO.’ DEBBIE, PARTICIPANT. PHOTO CREDIT: TOM ARRAN.
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Music Review BY AL ASTAIR WARREN
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New from Warwick Music The final instalment of 2023 delving into Warwick Music’s catalogue of newly published works features compositions from Jeremy Dibb, Andy Derrick and John Frith.
As suggested by the title, the four movements of Jeremy Dibb’s Around the World for Trombone Octet and Percussion skilfully showcase characteristic musical styles from different parts of the globe. The familiar Latin rhythmic patterns of Rumba in Rio give a vivid impression of the colour and energy of Carnival, while Spanish Son transports us to the drama and tension of the bullring. Celtic Breeze opens with a plaintive folk melody that builds in intensity before transforming into of full-blooded jig. The final movement, Swinging at the Kazbar, evokes the image of a grand procession, first heard in the distance and gradually drawing nearer and nearer until a reaching a final climax. Around the World is well arranged, often featuring smaller combinations of players, or pitting one half of the ensemble against the other; the full ensemble is used relatively sparingly but to great effect. The addition of percussion elevates the suite, helping to fix each location with distinctive instrumentation and rhythmic patterns. One word of warning though; Trombone 1 is not for the faint hearted, with the tessitura of the outer movements sitting very high and regularly ascending to E and F above high Bb. Jazz 1, 2, 3! by Andy Derrick is a set of 10 pieces in a variety of non-classical styles, encompassing blues, swing, Latin and rock, which can be performed solo or with a duet partner, and with or without the included piano accompaniment. Aimed at the fledging performer the solo part has been composed with real thought, using only scales and ranges found in grades 1 – 3 and avoiding seventh position B naturals. Despite these restrictions each piece is characterful and musically satisfying with just the right degree of challenge for a developing player.
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The duet part requires a slightly stronger player, and one who is able to reach seventh position, perhaps a teacher or more experienced student. The addition of a piano part (particularly one even my limited pianist abilities can manage) is very welcome and adds immensely to the usefulness of this book, though for maximum flexibility a set of backing tracks would complete the package. John Frith’s Meditation for bass trombone, composed for Jonathan Warburton in 2010, is here presented in a new version, replacing the original organ accompaniment with piano. Subtitled … On the lamb that was slain, this is a contemplative work which maintains a slow tempo throughout, charting an ebb and flow of intensity, before reaching a climatic high Ab near the end. While the piano accompaniment does lose some of the richness afforded by an organ and produces a starker contrast of tone colour with the soloist, it does make the piece more accessible. It is no surprise then that Meditation appears on the 2023 ABRSM grade 8 bass trombone syllabus, where it makes an excellent option for a student looking to perform an original composition, as opposed to one of the many arrangements listed, very fine though they are. Overall, Meditation presents few technical challenges, focusing instead on sustained tone quality and musical expression; range is from pedal G to high Ab, including several low B naturals, rhythms are straight forward, and phrase lengths are comfortable with plenty of places to breathe. Click here to listen to a performance of Meditation ◆
Don’t forget BTS members receive a 10% discount on direct purchases from the Warwick Music website!
How to start a TROMBONE CHOIR BY MIC HAEL PILLEY
Back in 2020, exactly a week before the first lockdown, I moved into a lovely little cottage in Robertsbridge, East Sussex after being on the road (and sea) for 5 years. I’d done some house sitting in the area and managed to build a small network of musicians around Brighton but hadn’t a clue where my gigs were going to come from. Unluckily, the pandemic meant that any further networking would have to be put on hold for a year, so I spent my time creating videos for my YouTube channel Super Bone. Through this process of recording myself and other trombonists from around the world, along with watching a couple of International Trombone Festivals online, I developed a passion for trombone ensembles, and delved into the varied repertoire available for them. The only times I’d been lucky enough to encounter a trombone choir live was at university, or a trombone conference, and that was usually a one-off event. Once the lockdowns had subsided and gigs commenced, I found myself playing in a variety of bands, all of which had a different trombone section. It got me thinking ‘how would I start a trombone choir?’. Sure, you only need 8 trombones to play most of the repertoire written for it, but could I actually convince enough trombonists to gather in the same place at the same time, knowing that each was probably already in two ensembles already, with a full calendar of events? I started by asking every trombonist I came across if they’d be interested in such a thing. The overwhelming answer I received from everyone I talked to was one of affirmation, ‘yes, I’d love to play in a trombone choir,
let’s do it!’. After all, is there any more glorious sound than masses of trombonists all playing in perfect togetherness, with the acoustics of any room you encounter stretched to its limits and the sheer power and capabilities of the instrument being tested with every note? I was also inspired by the British Trombone Festival that took place in October 2022, which led me to being appointed BTS South East representative later in the year. So, I was forced into action by the encouragement I received from those trombonists with whom I shared a stage. Firstly, I created a form with which to gather the contact details of every trombonist in the area. I intended to see where the majority of participants would come from before deciding on a general location for sessions, as I myself was an hour’s drive from Brighton, where I was doing the majority of my gigs. Months went by, and I was still collecting names and numbers, asking others to pass the link onto any trombones they came across, and even taking the extreme approach of emailing every big band, wind band and brass band I could find. I wanted to make sure I had a decent number of contacts before deciding to commence the sessions. There was already a fear in my mind that we wouldn’t be able to get this ensemble off the ground if we didn’t have enough support, but I was determined to do my best to make it work. Once the new year came, I bit the bullet and sent out what would be the first of many polls to find a mutually acceptable date for our first meeting. As most people would already have a full calendar, I figured this would
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HOW TO START A TROMBONE CHOIR
be the best way to find a date where I had critical mass. At this point I had around 40 names on my list, scattered between Kent and Portsmouth, so if I could get half of them to agree on a date, that would be a win. It was at this point that I started to collate the various pieces I had collected over the years. After combing through them, I realised that suitable pieces were few and far between, as most of my own arrangements were done for professional level players and would be much too hard for an ensemble with mixed abilities. Luckily, the BTS came to the rescue, allowing us to start the choir with pieces from its extensive library. At last, we had a date for our first session, in February 2023. Among our members was a very helpful student from Sussex University in Falmer, who was able to book us a room with some music stands. In an effort to save paper, I decided to use tablets for our music, and was able to get access to an amazing system, called justgig.live, that a friend had developed, which hosts pdfs online and gives temporary access to them, part by part. The day of reckoning arrived, and I loaded up my car with a couple of trombones, some emergency printed music and my tablets (one new, and two old ones that somehow still worked, although a little battered). Once I arrived at the university, I soon realised that our trusty student had misunderstood the timing of the session and wouldn’t be there to open up the room. On top of this, the extremely accurate directions I had sent, along with a Google pin, had been lost in translation. So, as I was going the long way round to get someone to open the room for us, herds of random trombonists were roaming the university, like lost school children, in search of the elusive ‘recital room’. As my phone blew up with messages, missed calls and emails, I finally gained access to the room, like Indiana Jones finding the path to the Holy Grail, and attempted to help the lost bones who had been wandering like Moses in the desert for what probably seemed like hours. At last the menagerie of trombonists gathered, a veritable cacophony of ages and abilities, all looking slightly dazed and confused at the ordeal of finding the room. But as they opened their cases and began to blow, a glorious sound filled the air, one that can only be described as random reverberation. I’m sure the readers of this magazine are familiar with that sound and have their own memories of massed trombone events all over the world. My memory of that first session is one of many emotions: relief that it was finally off the ground, joy
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at hearing all different kinds of trombonists enjoying the experience, and exhaustion from the months of planning that went into bringing everyone together. The South Coast Trombone Choir was born. Fast forward to today, and we are busy preparing for our first indoor concert, ‘A Very Slidey Christmas’ featuring Mike Hext as a guest soloist. We had our first performance at a park in Brighton cancelled due to a massive hotel fire, but our second performance in Horsham Park was a great success, with 20 trombonists entertaining family and friends, random park visitors and a child’s birthday party! We also held a jazz gig in Brighton, which involved 12 of our members with a rhythm section, playing a variety of tunes from many of the jazz trombone greats. There are plans in place for next year: an early music project, a few more jazz gigs, and far fewer polls with fixed dates instead for sessions for the whole year. Our aim is to foster an environment where trombonists of all ages and abilities can enjoy playing music together, and in the process, we’ve created an inclusive community where everyone is welcome. Well, trombonists anyway. Michael is BTS South East representative, and is keen to support all of the trombonists from Kent through to Oxfordshire. Contact him at southeast@ britishtrombonesociety.org if you’d like to discuss how we can help. ◆
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CD Review
Loudmouthed Beauty – CLARE FARR
BY JOSH CIRTINA
At last, a CD the brass world actually needs and benefits from, rather than another vanity project. As Clare Farr says, ‘The aim of this album is to showcase all the best sides of the bass trombone … … By commissioning and playing new works and allying myself with great friends on trombone, organ, harp and piano, I have attempted to give new colour to the bass trombone repertoire. I hope the album can be of inspiration for many future bass trombone recitals.’ Inspire it will. Clare juxtaposes new music with a few classics of the repertoire. Opening her album and setting the tone is a new work by Bente Leiknes Thorsen commissioned by Clare, Lush Darkness – glaring light (because the loudmouthed forgot the beauty of a simple tone). It’s quickly apparent how this piece earned its title – a BIG opening immediately morphing into a sumptuously rich melody showing off Clare’s glorious sound. I hope to hear many performances of this work in the future. The oft over-played Sachse Concertino is given a new lease of life in the form of a new arrangement with organ, a welcome revision of this piece. It adds whole new dimensions of weight and colour along with some wonderful lyrical playing from the soloist, effortlessly showing off her fine technique in the third movement. Tomasi’s monologue from Hamlet Être ou ne pas être (To be or not to be) follows. Farr paces her interpretation masterfully. I’ve heard all too many recordings and performances of this that are way too slow and self-indulgent. Not here – I was gripped from start to finish. A mention should also be made of her colleagues in the Norwegian Trombone Ensemble for their excellent accompaniment.
The Daughters of Erda by Torstein Aagaard-Nilsen is a trilogy that began life in the form of the first movement Urd, for Clare’s master’s final recital in 2001. It has been added to with Skuld, a solo for tenor trombone played by Sverre Riise, and Verdande, a duet for both soloists, which connects the two movements in the present. The solo movements are extreme explorations of the sounds and colours of which the bass and tenor trombones are capable – expertly performed by both soloists before joining together for the thrilling tonal soundscape in the third movement. As with earlier pieces on the album, Clare breathes new life and colour into another popular work. Harpist Sadsel Walstad has transcribed Jan Sandström’s Sång till Lotta for bass trombone and harp, which adds a fragility not commonly heard in bass trombone recitals … ! Charles Small’s challenging duet Conversation is the penultimate work featured. Petter Winroth and Clare converse eloquently and are very well matched in this performance, weaving their individual lines together with detail and precision while maintaining a ‘human’ connection in this ‘conversation’. To conclude Clare once again demonstrates her smooth and galaxy-chocolate-like sound in Lebedev’s Concerto No. 1. She traverses the range of the instrument with ease and proves to us all that the bass trombone is a deserving solo instrument. I urge you all to listen to this album. It is rich with musical integrity and quality trombone playing. Loudmouthed Beauty can be purchased here or streamed via your favourite service. ◆
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Come and Play Two BY AL ASTAIR WARREN
PHOTO CREDIT: DAVID HORDEN
On the afternoon of Tuesday, 24 October, players from as far afield as the Midlands and Paris gathered at Regent Hall on Oxford Street, London, for the second edition of ‘Come and Play’. Having hosted the inaugural ‘Come and Play’ during International Trombone Week 2023, on this occasion the event was included in the annual Regent Hall Brass Arts Festival. The BTS is incredibly grateful for the ongoing support of the Salvation Army in allowing us use of such a wonderful venue in the very heart of the capital. The ensemble, comprising 25 tenors, eight basses and a contra(!), and representing all ages and standards, was conducted by Richard Ward with his customary good humour, insight and words of wisdom. The music selected for the day was a mix of old favourites and new compositions. John Williams was well represented with three iconic pieces; Superman, Yoda’s Theme and Jurassic Park, this last in an arrangement by Callum Au originally scored for eight bass and contrabass trombones. Callum’s ITW 2023 commission Fanfare for the Common Trombonist followed. Adrian Taylor’s arrangement of Pastime with Good Company and Tom Pilsbury’s recent arrangement of Holst’s Nunc Dimittis were a welcome change of pace, the latter perfectly suited to such a large trombone choir. Rounding off the selection were some lighter pieces: two Eric Crees arrangements, The Pink Panther and Layla from the London Trombone Sound album and two Tutti Camerata charts, Just a Closer Walk to Thee and
Twelfth Street Rag, all underpinned by the excellent Max Mills on kit and Sandy Suchodolski on bass. The standard of performance achieved across the afternoon was very high and it was great to see the trombone community in action; more advanced players helping the less experienced, older participants encouraging the younger, the youngest of whom deserves special mention. Leo, nephew of BTS President Simon Minshall, enjoyed taking part in his very first BTS event at the age of just 6! ‘Come and Play’ will return for a third edition during International Trombone Week 2024, 7–13 April. ◆
L–R SIMON MINSHALL, KATE MINSHALL AND LEO.
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EV I EW
Concert Review
Brass in Concert BY PETER C HESTER
Friday, 17 November saw the opening concert of this year’s Brass in Concert in the newly re-christened Glasshouse International Centre for Music (Sage as it was) in Gateshead. A top-class British-style brass band from Kansas USA, the Fountain City Band, was in residence and their playing provided ample evidence of their standing as one of USA’s finest. However, for that niche market, the trombone aficionados, the real draw was the chance to hear one of the finest trombone quartets in Europe today, BONE-AFIDE, one of whom, Isobel Daws, has just received the BTS Player of the Year and Sheila Tracy Awards. As was reported in the Summer edition of The Trombonist, this has been quite a year for Isobel, having recently been appointed solo trombone with the Luxembourg Philharmonic Orchestra, alongside her study at the Karajan Academy with the Berlin Philharmonic. Interestingly, Angus Butt, BONE-AFIDE’s bass trombone player, is also working in Europe at the moment, as a member of the Berlin Staatskapelle Academy. Isobel graced the stage in the first half of the concert with a wonderful performance of Gordon Langford's Rhapsody for Trombone. There was much ‘Lusheroso’ playing and the original dedicatee, Don Lusher, would have been much impressed with Isobel’s smooth, singing tone and total command of the music and her instrument, in what was a flawless performance. BONE-AFIDE opened their spot in the second half with a very special piece, Callum Au’s Four Dances. The four movements of this entertaining suite were composed to reflect something of the temperament of each member of the quartet and each movement did indeed feature an individual. Opening with Low Down, Angus Butt gave us a beautifully rich tone from his bass trombone, impressively flexible in that lower
register. Rob Moseley, with Sentimental Gentleman, followed with a smooth ballad style piece, reminiscent of the Dorsey era, with a high register to suit. Kind of Blues gave Merin Rhyd the chance to show off his skills with an improvisatory style, complete with jazz breaks. Isobel’s Trombolero, a lively samba, smoothly melodic with a strong bass line initiated by Angus, completed an amazing performance, the whole very well received. One of the strengths of BONE-AFIDE is their readiness to expand the repertoire for trombone quartet and in the concert they presented no less than three first performances. These were ingenious arrangements, by Chris King, of music for trombone quartet and brass band. The first was derived from one of Bach’s Violin Concerti, which allowed some very effective contrapuntal passages from both band and quartet, as well as a chance to feature Rob Moseley on alto trombone. Then came a beautifully gentle Long and Winding Road, with the quartet very much in the foreground to set the mood. The third was a fast and furious arrangement of Chick Corea’s Señor Mouse, which had solo opportunities for each member of the quartet as well as some fantastic support from the Fountain City Band. The final piece of the concert, an exciting arrangement of Malaguena for the band, also allowed some extra parts for BONE-AFIDE, so this splendid concert finished with the glorious sound of eight trombones enriching the band. Very enthusiastic applause followed and as the compère remarked, listening to BONE-AFIDE is an education into what the modern trombone can do in the hands of such talented young players. Too true! One gentleman in the audience was celebrating his st 81 birthday. He was Isobel Daws’ grandfather. What a present! Visit BONE-AFIDE’s Facebook page for a soundcheck clip of Señor Mouse. ◆ 29
The Shape of Things to Come BY AL ASTAIR WARREN
Ahead of the launch of the Hawkins Trombone Straight Mute early next year, The Trombonist caught up with Tony Hawkins to find out more about his unique designs.
modern playability – a mute that responds well, that stays in tune across the range, and with a subtle and flexible sound.
ALASTAIR WARREN: What motivated you to bring a new
AW: I believe members of BBC Symphony Orchestra were involved during design trials.
TONY HAWKINS: In the world of brass playing, achieving the perfect sound is key. Great musicians are always on the lookout for gear that (i) offers creative new sounds, and (ii) makes these sounds easier to produce on demand, ultimately allowing for better expression. But there isn’t one perfect mute that is suitable for all playing situations. My thinking was, if a producer or conductor wants a muted trombone sound, and you only bring along one mute, they will either like it or not. However, if you turn up to a session with an array of mutes, you are more likely to find their idea of a perfect sound from within the wider pool. This idea motivated the development of Hawkins Mutes, simply to add another sound to the oeuvre. After trying out many different designs, I found a way to create a mute with a fresh new sound and
TH: Towards the end of the design phase, some amazing
mute to the market?
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players were kind enough to trial the new designs to hone the final characteristics for optimal playability and response. Helen Vollam (BBC SO) generously gave her time and considerable expertise throughout this project, with helpful insights that have certainly improved the final product. I’d like to thank all the players who were involved for their time and invaluable help in creating a product that performs.
AW: How would you describe the sound of the Hawkins
Straight Mute? What benefits does its striking design bring? TH: Like our trumpet straight mute, the trombone
straight mute produces a sound that sits between the
THE SHAPE OF THINGS TO COME
traditional ‘edginess’ of metallic mutes, and the soft round sound of wooden or fibre mutes, offering a combination of richness and warmth. The most notable hallmark of the Hawkins straight mute lies in its faceted design. This patent-pending innovation eradicates standing waves, allowing for consistent playability across the entire range of the instrument. With seamless transitions between registers, players can explore the full spectrum of their instrument’s capabilities, with increased control and finesse, unencumbered by tonal inconsistencies. Meticulous attention to detail has ensured the mute boasts perfect tuning, allowing flawless pitch alignment throughout the instrument’s range. Such precision enables impeccable slotting and responsiveness, facilitating effortless and seamless note transitions. AW: What comes next? TH: Looking ahead, in the medium term, we have
exciting plans to introduce an adjustable cup mute to the line-up, which can be set with a simple twist in the same way as our adjustable trumpet cup mute. This addition promises to provide trombonists with even greater control over their sound, enabling them to adapt their tone to suit a wide range of musical styles and context. The tenor and bass trombone straight mutes will be available in early 2024, priced at £99, with pre-orders now being accepted. The adjustable cup will follow shortly afterwards. ◆
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MUSICIAN’S HEALTH
Nose Breathing: Controversial? BY KAT Y JONES
At the International Trombone Festival 2023, held in Salt Lake City, Katy Jones gave a lecture entitled ‘Breathing is for Life, not just the Trombone’. What does she mean, and how could it help you?
10 seconds. Do this 3–4 times, and your nose should feel clearer. If this, or other exercises do not help, you may need to see your doctor to investigate or be referred onwards. The more you use your nose to breathe, the easier it gets.
Why nose breathe? Our noses filter out bacteria, viruses, pollen, dust, and pollutants; moisten and warm the air, providing excellent protection for our lungs. Our lungs, as well as our lips, pay our bills so it makes good sense to look after them. As well as the protection our noses offer, how quickly we breathe, and how often, has an enormous impact on so many of our body systems including our digestion, circulation, nervous system, and even the pH and thickness of our blood! There is also an incredible chemical, Nitric Oxide, which resides in our nasal cavities and dilates our bronchioles and blood vessels if air is taken in this way. Finally, nose breathing naturally activates our diaphragm to contract, and this is the most efficient way to breathe. Our diaphragm contracts and moves downwards, and also pulls our ribcage out to the sides, back and front.
How can we begin to breathe in the most efficient way? Make sure you are wearing comfortable clothing without a tight waistband. Start by lying down on your back, but with your feet on the floor (Alexander Technique resting pose). Make sure you are breathing in and out through your nose. Be patient and allow your breathing to settle and slow. Notice that your abdomen just below your ribcage is moving gently. Gradually you can start to increase the amount of air flow to replicate the trombone by allowing a gentle outbreath to be through the mouth. If you are tense it can help to think of the outbreath as being ‘first’ and just allowing the air back in through your nose.
I can’t breathe through my nose The Buteyko Breathing Technique recognises that some people find it easier than others to breathe through their noses, and there are some specific exercises which can help with this. A simple one is to breathe in and out through your nose, then lightly pinch your nose whilst gently blowing against the resistance for around
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What about when I need to pick up the trombone? We want to take the supported ‘feeling’ from the previous exercise, so the most important thing is that we are standing or sitting in as balanced a way as possible. The muscles throughout our bodies are all connected through a network of fascia, so when you tense one part of your body it has an impact on another. As an experiment, just notice your hand being relaxed by your side, and then tense it by pretending to hold your
MUSICIAN'S HEALTH
trombone slide very strongly. You can feel how many muscles engage all the way up your arm through your bicep and into your shoulder just by increasing the strength of your grip. Posture doesn’t have to be static; thinking of it as balance can allow for freedom of movement. Balance comes from strength in the deep core muscles around our spine, such as those trained by doing Pilates. Having this core strength (not just a six pack!) allows for better freedom of movement of our other muscles. Other courses such as Yoga, Feldenkrais, Alexander Technique, and Qigong amongst others, all improve our body awareness, which can be helpful. But I just can’t get enough breath in! If you are smaller, or female (we have a naturally smaller lung capacity), are you using your abdominal muscles to push out the last bit of air at the end of each phrase? If so, remember you’ll need to relax them to be able to breathe in again! Those of us with smaller lung capacities do need to breathe more often, but we can also be clever about how we hide the breaths in a musical way. Think about an excerpt such as Sibelius’ Seventh Symphony. I would love a larger lung capacity for that piece, but I have to create an aural illusion by hiding the breaths within the phrase. It is not practical in these moments to use nose breathing because it is too slow to get the air in, but the more natural and relaxed it can feel the better. Breath, air flow and sound are inseparable, so imagine the sound you’d like to create and breathe appropriately. When could I use nose breathing as a trombonist? I consciously use it during my warm-up – if you are concentrating on a slow relaxed breath in through your nose between each exercise, you are also doing a meditation alongside your practice. Just five minutes of conscious breathing exercises such as these have been shown to be as effective as half an hour of meditation.1 When our nervous system is in this parasympathetic state (feeling safe and secure) our brains are more able to take on new information, so your practice becomes more effective! Stress is endemic in our society, and we underestimate the real physical effects it has on our bodies, so if you can incorporate this into your daily practice, you are being healthy as well as productive! NB. You don’t have to keep your chops stationary during this exercise because that would turn it into a stamina exercise.
I also use nose breathing in the orchestra, for example before the start of the solo in Ravel’s Bolero or the slow movement in Saint Saens Third Symphony. When playing solo music, it can be used to slow your heart rate after a vigorous first movement, which in turn helps your breath control in a second slower movement. Want to Know More? Even just in the short time I have been working with this technique, people have reported better control of anxiety, reduced palpitations, decreased (Ventolin) inhaler use, reduced snoring, better asthma control, a decrease in reflux symptoms and even improved running times and VO2 Max! The Buteyko technique involves using breath holds in a very specific way, so doesn’t appear to naturally align with playing the trombone. Good information about breathing in general can optimise your health, improve certain symptoms, and possibly even help your trombone playing! If you need convincing further of the benefits of nose breathing, I highly recommend James Nestor’s book Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art, or read more on the Buteyko Breathing Association website. Katy Jones is Principal Trombone of the Hallé Orchestra, having previously been Co-Principal of the London Symphony Orchestra, and is Senior Tutor at the Royal Northern College of Music. She holds a Master of Pharmacy degree, has completed courses with Tom Myers (Anatomy Trains) and is a qualified Buteyko Breathing Practitioner. Alongside her playing and teaching career in music, Katy helps people interested in learning the Buteyko Technique, whether for a specific health condition, or simply for interest. She also gives lectures and workshops, presenting well-researched information in an interesting and engaging way to all age groups. She is a member of the Buteyko Breathing Association. Instagram: @kjtrombreathe Facebook: Katy Jones Trombone Twitter: @fineartskaty ◆
1 Brief Structured Respiration Practices enhance mood and reduce psychological arousal; Balban, Neri and Kogan. 10 January 2023 Cell Reports Medicine PHOTO CREDIT: MEL ANIE WESTHEAD, JUST PL AY PHOTOGRAPHY.
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BY JEREMY PRICE
JAZZ BY JEREMY Wayne Henderson – Do You Remember When?
Do you remember Randy Crawford singing Street Life on the radio throughout the 1980s? It still gets a lot of airplay today. That was the hit single by The Crusaders, formerly known as The Jazz Crusaders. Wayne Henderson, Wilton Felder and Joe Sample were the founder members of The Jazz Crusaders along with drummer ‘Stix’ Hooper; this transcribed trombone solo is from their 1973 album The 2nd Crusade. If you haven’t discovered Wayne Henderson yet, you’re in for a treat. Wayne has a great sound, robust and full, born out of having to project live over a very active rhythm section. Consequently, he has all the tricks you need to cut through, including big swoops and hollas, riff type repeat notes that catch the kicks from the bass and drums and a very strident mid to high tenor range. Lip breaks abound, that have big air support, so the overall effect is a strong articulation despite no tonguing. I’ve written a previous article on lip breaks in the Spring 2022 edition of The Trombonist, if you’d like to refer back to that. For trombone teachers out there, I could imagine this album working really well as a jazz supplement alongside the usual studies and grade preparation. Many of the arrangements are very repetitive so easy to get down by ear during a lesson, and unlike the solo here, the heads are often in mid to low range, giving easy access to beginners. The writing is usually in unison with tenor sax which is one of the classic frontline combinations in
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jazz so would maybe inspire a student to get together with a mate on sax to play through in lunchtime breaks. This is how it all starts! In fact, Wayne Henderson and tenor sax player Wilton Feldman were school mates, so there you go. The rhythm section is always funky, with really clear time on appealing grooves, so potentially better than recommending metronome practice and certainly more fun. You could even use the tracks as play-a-long records as there are long swathes of rhythm section only that would lend themselves well to blowing over and trying out your own improvisations. The solo transcribed here by Rob Egerton is about three minutes into the track and starts with a nice gestural shape from an F sharp down to a B. The figure is repeated with a modest development of a repeat note on the B for bar 2. Again, this is great Jazz Education material as repeating your own phrase with just one small modification is a good way to get started. The next phrase is basically enjoying that nice ergonomic shift from F sharp to G on the trombone. Note that many trombonisms in jazz stem from comfortable and available slide shifts and Wayne’s solos are full of those little gifts. We then see more riffing on a top B, finding groovy ways to join in with kicks from the drums. Now let’s look at the big modulation to C. That’s a big harmonic shift in this genre, and jazz musicians like to pre-empt these and show the band and audience that
JAZZ BY JEREMY
they know they are coming up. Rhythm sections like it when you do this as well, as you are marking the form with them rather than just expecting them to do it for you. There’s drama and a bit of tension by the repeat of the F sharp to G again, and Wayne waits for the modulation to move up to a top C that effectively flags the new harmonic area and fulfils that fundamental tension/resolution aspect we all need to hear in a good melodic line. Again, repeated notes with groovy 16th note kicks are used from then on which is another simple improvisatory device. The solo then winds down with a return to the F sharp to B motif, rounding everything off in a satisfying compositional way. I hope this article has initiated or re-awakened an interest in one of the trombone masters in the field. There is much more to explore, so let the playlist algorithm do its work and go on a journey that will hopefully lead you to more Jazz Crusaders work. Joe Sample and Wilton Felder also make great role models for melodic improvising. Listen to Scratch, Congolese Sermon and Appointment in Ghana for more straight ahead jazz playing and something a little more involved, or by all means stay in the funky smooth zone. Either way, playing along with this record will be a pleasure, I’m sure.
PHOTO: ISTOC K.
Continues on next page …
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JAZZ BY JEREMY
Wayne Henderson's Solo On...
Trombone
Do You Remember When = 90ish
Bmin7
E7
3
3
4
12
14
Bmin7
A
G C
C9 3
E7
3
3
Bmin7
A
Emin7
Rob Egerton Jazz Transcriptions
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3
C 9
Emin7
E7
A
Emin7 7
The Crusaders
JAZZ BY JEREMY
Wayne Henderson's Solo On...
Bb Treble Clef
= 90ish
Do You Remember When
The Crusaders
F♯min7
C♯min7
F♯7
3
3
B
4
7
F♯min7
F♯7
C♯min7
3
B
A D D
9
D9 C♯min7 3 3
12
3
F♯7
14
B
F♯min7
Rob Egerton Jazz Transcriptions
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From the Stage to the Pit … As the New Year of 2024 dawns, orchestras and opera companies across the country are unleashing some eclectic programmes, several featuring exciting new commissions, others juxtaposing the contemporary with the classic. The giants of the Classical and Romantic periods are not forgotten though, and with many more concerts being presented at work or family friendly times, there is truly something accessible for everyone.
BY JOSH CIRTINA // PRINCIPAL BASS TROMBONE IN THE ROYAL PHILHARMONIC ORC HESTRA
SYMPHONIC HIGHLIGHTS PANUFNIK REIMAGINES ALMA MAHLER GAVIN HIGGINS HORN CONCERTO
– BBC SCOTTISH SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
– BBC NATIONAL ORCHESTRA OF WALES
7.30pm, Thursday, 15 February Glasgow City Halls, Glasgow The featured item on the ticket here is Rachmaninov’s Second Piano Concerto with the fabulous Boris Giltburg as soloist. However, what excites me most in this programme is Alma’s Songs Without Words by Roxanna Panufnik – vivid new versions of Alma Mahler’s neglected love songs. Valentina Peleggi is guest conductor.
3.00pm, Saturday, 13 January Brangwyn Hall, Swansea 3.00pm, Sunday, 14th January BBC Hoddinott Hall, Cardiff The BBC NOW, conductor Jamie Martin and soloist Ben Goldschieder present the world première of Composerin-Association Gavin Higgins’ Horn Concerto – this is sure to be an absolute firecracker! Brahms’ Second Symphony also features with its spring-like freshness and one of the greatest D Major endings of all time!
SHOSTAKOVICH & BRAHMS – LONDON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
ELECTRIC COUNTERPOINT – HALLÉ ORCHESTRA
7.30pm, Saturday, 3 February Bridgewater Hall, Manchester Joining the Hallé, globally famed Radiohead guitarist and composer, Jonny Greenwood, emulates his Glastonbury performance of Reich’s Electric Counterpoint. Also on the programme is Reich’s iconic Clapping Music, Runner, The Four Sections (in which Reich creates a contrapuntal web filled with melodic patterns) and Reich/ Richter, originally conceived as a concert work as well as music for the film Moving Picture (946–3) by visual artist, Gerhard Richter. Reich found his inspiration in the pulsating, colour shifting, glowing stripes of the film’s opening sequence. There’s going to be some properly cool sounds at this concert! 38
7pm, Thursday, 29 February Barbican Hall, London ‘Shostakovich withdrew his Fourth Symphony before its first performance, after hints that he was treading a fine line with the Soviet authorities. It shines on as an extraordinary vision of thwarted humanity.’ If that’s not a backstory to get you interested then what is?! Also featuring Brahms’s sumptuous Violin Concerto with the inimitable Isabelle Faust. Sir Simon Rattle conducts. DANCE RE-IMAGINED – LONDON PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA
7.30pm, Wednesday, 6 March Royal Festival Hall, London ‘Creativity inspires creativity: a sound, a melody, or a whole composition can spark endless different imaginative responses.
FROM THE STAGE …
Tania León opens the concert with her first new commission as the LPO’s Composer-in-Residence. Ravel waltzes on the edge. Wayne McGregor and Ben Cullen Williams join forces with conductor Edward Gardner for A Body for Harnasie, a dazzling, cross-artform re-invention of Szymanowski’s ballet Harnasie.’
a glorious noise. And at the intersection of jazz, classical and pop counterculture, the music of Frank Zappa and George Lewis creates fabulous new worlds.’ Conductor Ilan Volkov and pianist Stewart Goodyear lead the way. PATHÉTIQUE – ULSTER ORCHESTRA
7.30pm, Wednesday, 13 March Royal Albert Hall, London Richard Wagner didn’t just write operas, he created worlds. Heroes struggle, gods rise and fall, and whole universes crash in ruins, all swept along by some of the most intoxicating music ever composed. But you haven’t heard Wagner until you’ve heard him performed live, and in this all-Wagner spectacular, inspired by Wagner’s own eight-concert festival at the Royal Albert Hall in 1877, conductor Vasily Petrenko, the RPO, and three of the greatest living Wagnerian singers surrender to that passion all night long.
7.45pm, Friday 26 April Ulster Hall, Belfast Hungary in the late 1930s as World War II loomed was a fraught environment in which to work, yet Bartók somehow manages to fill his Second Violin Concerto, composed in 1938, full of joy, performed here by Alena Baeva. The folksongs he collected and understood so well also filter into the work, both in the melodies themselves and in the way that they evolve with each new iteration or performance. Tchaikovsky’s symphonies are no-holds-barred emotional essays and in his Sixth Symphony, the composer brings all the strength of his life-energy to bear in facing down Fate, ending in an anguished, yet utterly beautiful lament – featuring some lovely brief trombone chorales. Angus Webster conducts.
RHAPSODY IN BLUE
NORDIC NOIR – BBC PHILHARMONIC
– CITY OF BIRMINGHAM SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
7.30pm, Saturday 27 April Bridgewater Hall, Manchester ‘Conductor John Storgårds leads us through the gate into one of Bruckner’s ‘cathedrals of sound’, his Fifth Symphony. Sibelius invites us into his world of Nordic impressionism with En Saga, whilst Lotta Wennäkoski honours this in her own work Verdigris.’
WAGNER’S GRAND FESTIVAL – ROYAL PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA
7.30pm, Wednesday, 27 March Symphony Hall, Birmingham ‘Get ready to swing, on this wild ride through America. A solitary clarinet starts to wail, and the skyscrapers of Manhattan light up the evening sky. In leafy New England, marching bands collide head-first – and make
BY BEC KY SMITH // PRINCIPAL TROMBONE AT THE ENGLISH NATIONAL OPERA
OPERA PICKS Once you get Christmas out of the way it’s time to get stuck into some of the great shows that are being put on up and down the country in early 2024. There is nothing like some Strauss to start off the year, and I’m not talking about the Johann variety. The ROYAL OPERA HOUSE begins a run of Richard Strauss’ Elektra on 12 January, some fabulous music to blow away the January blues. SCOTTISH OPERA are giving the UK première of Jonathan Dove’s Marx in London! This sounds like a rollicking good night out, ‘A genuine comedy … Dove’s score is bright, rhythmically insistent and pacy’. It is being performed in both Edinburgh and Glasgow between 13 and 24 February. ‘Marx in London! takes the great thinker off his pedestal, interweaving zany humour with moments of pathos and poignancy.’ One not to miss!
An interesting show I haven’t come across before is Rachmaninov’s Aleko. This is being performed by OPERA NORTH as a double bill alongside Mascagni’s Cavalleria Rusticana from 15 February to 22 March. If Rachmaninov’s other works are anything to go by you are in for an overload of gorgeous music, especially alongside Mascagni’s beautiful score. Soak it up if you can get to one of these performances in either Leeds, Nottingham, Newcastle or Salford. At ENGLISH NATIONAL OPERA we are giving two of my favourite operas in the coming months. The Magic Flute by Mozart, 28 February to 30 March and Jenůfa by Janacek, 13 to 27 March. As we navigate through tricky times, I for one will be making the most of these as we really don’t know what the future holds for the company. If you had to choose one to come to, I would recommend The Magic Flute as the production is visually and musically stunning. And it goes without saying, the trombone writing is perfection! ◆ 39
What’s
on
By Alastair Warren
JÖRGEN VAN RIJEN UK première of Tan Dun’s Three Muses in Video Game with BBC National Orchestra of Wales 7.30pm, Friday, 26 January BBC Hoddinott Hall, Cardiff
STRICKLY SMOKIN’ BIG BAND Featuring Dennis Rollins 8pm, Friday, 23 February The Glasshouse International Centre for Music, Gateshead ENGLISH CORNETT AND SACKBUT ENSEMBLE 7.30pm, Saturday, 24 February St. Mary’s Church, Thame 7.30pm, Saturday, 23 March St John the Baptist Church, Knutsford BONE-AFIDE TROMBONE QUARTET 7.45pm, Thursday, 29 February Norden Farm Centre for the Arts, Maidenhead 4.00pm, Sunday, 3 March The Clarendon Muse, Watford PETER MOORE European première of John Chindamo’s Ligeia with National Symphony Orchestra 7.30pm, Friday, 1 March National Concert Hall, Dublin SCOTTISH BRASS BAND CHAMPIONSHIPS Saturday, 9 and Sunday, 10 March Perth Concert Hall, Perth
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CHRIS DEAN With the Dave Cottle Trio 7.00pm, Wednesday, 13 March Swansea Jazz Club, Swansea
BTS DURHAM TROMBONE DAY SUNDAY, 19 MAY. DETAILS COMING SOON.
EMILY NICOLAS Jacob Trombone Concerto with Misbourne Symphony Orchestra 7.30pm, Saturday, 16 March St Mary’s Church, Chesham BLAIR SINCLAIR Poulenc Trio and other works with members of the Orchestra of Opera North 12.30pm, Wednesday, 20 March Dewsbury Town Hall, Dewsbury GENESIS TROMBONE QUARTET 1.00pm, Friday, 5 April Pavilion Arts Centre, Buxton DENNIS ROLLINS’ FUNKY FUNK 8pm, Saturday, 6 April Pizza Express Jazz Club, Soho, London HELEN VOLLAM Grant Kirkhope’s KirkFeld with National Youth Concert Band Saturday, 6 April Warwick Hall, Warwick INTERNATIONAL TROMBONE WEEK Sunday, 7 to Saturday, 13 April MATTHEW GEE Tomasi’s Trombone Concerto with Royal Philharmonic Orchestra 7.30pm, Wednesday, 1 May Cadogan Hall, London
Do you know of an event that should feature in our next publication? LET US KNOW
s
Listening Lounge BY AL ASTAIR WARREN
This edition of the Listening Lounge is Mel Tormé, Tony Bennett, Stan Tracey dedicated to the memory of Pete Smith, and Kenny Wheeler to name but a few. Pete will be best remembered by who passed away in September. many for his groundbreaking 1969 Born in 1937, Pete studied ‘Bones Galore album, which featured trombone and piano at the Royal the cream of British trombone players College of Music and enjoyed a long and successful career as a trombonist, from both the classical and jazz worlds: musical director, composer, or arranger Denis Wick, Roger Brenner, Bill working with the likes of Don Lusher, Geldard, Chris Smith, Cliff Hardy, Don Lusher, Johnny Marshall, Maurice Pratt, Bill Watrous, Maynard Ferguson,
Nat Peck, Ted Barker, David Horler, Johnny Edwards, Keith Christie, Danny Elwood, Gib Wallace, Jack Thirwell, Ken Goldie, and Ray Premru. Click here to read an article by Bob Hughes in conversation with Pete from The Trombonist Spring 2010. Nominations of tracks or albums to include in The Listening Lounge can be made by emailing editor@britishtrombonesociety.org.
TAKE FIVE (SIX AND SEVEN) – BRUBECK
Performed here by the United States Army Band Brass and Percussion Ensemble, Take Five (Six and Seven) is one of many arrangements Pete made for London Brass. Their 1991 album I Got Rhythm – Songs from the Shows contains a set of Cole Porter arrangements which showcase Pete’s skill at its dazzling best: multi-layered, virtuosic, and full of humour. Sadly no longer available on general release but a recording well worth scouring the second-hand market for. LUSH LIFE – STRAYHORN
This suitably ‘lush’ arrangement of Lush Life features Carol Jarvis accompanied by Aeris Brass: Ian Sankey, Martin Lee Thomson, Ali Goodwin, and Adam Crighton. WORK SONG – ADDERLEY
Nat Adderley’s Work Song was already an established jazz standard by 1969, despite only being released in 1960. Pete’s arrangement cleverly mixes alto, tenor, bass and valve trombones to create a wide array of new tone colours, at times sounding as if trumpets and French horns had been added to the ensemble. HEY JUDE – LENNON–MCCARTNEY
In 1969 Hey Jude, the increasingly riotous and joyful finale of ‘Bones Galore, was already well established as one of the Beatles most popular tracks having been the top selling single of 1968 – fast forward to 2023 and the Beatles are once again at the top of the charts with Now and Then, alongside the likes of Dua Lipa and Taylor Swift; one can’t help but think what wonders Pete would have worked with the current chart offerings.
PETE SMITH AND 'BONES GALORE ALBUM COVER.
To listen to the whole ‘Bones Galore album click here.◆ 41
Your Art is Our Craft
Over 50 years of mouthpiece & mute design inspired by the constantly changing needs of brass musicians all over the world.
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