The Trombonist - Autumn 2015

autumn 2015 £5.00

the

trombonist Rule Britannia!

The BBC Symphony prepare for the Last Night of the Proms

BBC NOW trombone section ‘holiday’

Exploring German instruments in Bremen

Noise in the workplace Hearing loss, and hearing protection for musicians

The Bass Bone Files Paul Milner from the LSO

Ian Bousfield custom trombone The 4147IB Getzen reviewed

WIN a set

customoef plugs wo ar rth £200

contents Regulars 6

Presidents Column Farewell from Jones.

7-9

News, Event Reviews & Previews

Keep up to date with the latest happenings.

22

Jazz by Jeremy

Get studying!

33

What’s On

32

G&T

Matt and Mark’s highlights for the next 3 months.

Interview with Josh Cirtina.

23

Brass Band Corner

25

Military Music

Arriving at The Band of The Royal Corps of Signals.

26

resources 11

34

29

Trombonist’s Handbook

Places to eat and drink in Birmingham.

4

Hearing Loss & Hearing Protection.

19

The Bass Bone Files

The BBC Symphony low brass.

“Once it’s gone, it’s gone!”

profiles 21

Dates to put in your diary.

Section Spotlight

features 15

Roger Argente profiles Paul Milner.

FAST TALk

A minute with… Richard Wigley.

Rising Star

This Autumn’s Star of the Future.

Composing

Dan Jenkins’ new work for the BBC Symphony Orchestra.

30

Gear Review

The 4147IB ‘Ian Bousfield’ custom Getzen.

31

Reviews

Book: ‘Unlocking the Trombone Code’ CD: ‘Paradiso E Inferno’ CD: PHEE (Patrick Hayes Electric Orchestra) Cover photography courtesy of: Nikos Zarb

Welcome to the autumn ISSUE OF THE BTS magazine We’re still celebrating the BTS being 30 years old this year. We had a fantastic National Trombone Day at the Royal Academy of Music, organised by our superb London representatives. Turn to page 6 for details of the next National Trombone Day (yes, we’re being greedy this year!).

The winner of the Summer magazine caption competition is Dan James with his caption: ‘Chris to Roger: “I don’t care if you think you can do this gig with your left arm tied behind your back - it’s neither the time or the place!”’

Congratulations Dan! We hope you’re enjoying your copy of Ian Bousfield’s new book. If you didn’t win, don’t forget to use your exclusive 10% discount code to get yourself a copy.

This issue you could win a set of custom made musician’s ear plugs with a special decibel filter, worth £200! Turn to page 17 to find out more.

Please do drop us a line if you have any ideas or input for your BTS magazine. We love hearing from you all.

With best wishes, Carol & Simon drop us a line: editor@britishtrombonesociety.org

The Trombonist Magazine Commissioning editors: Carol Jarvis & Simon Minshall editor@britishtrombonesociety.org Sub-Editor: Peter Chester Publishing and Distribution: HMCA Reviews Editor: Ross Learmonth reviews@britishtrombonesociety.org Advertising: Wesley Tatton advertising@britishtrombonesociety.org Design: Sian Nowley sian@hmca.co.uk The Trombonist is published quarterly

Any views expressed in ‘The Trombonist’ are those of the individual contributors and do not necessarily

represent the views of the British Trombone Society.

Contributors in this issue: Roger Argente

Matt Knight

Donal Bannister

Barnaby Philpott

Peter Chester

Jeremy Price

Matt Gee

Jane Salmon

James Howard

Jon Stokes

Ross Learmonth

Mark Templeton

Patrick Jackman

Ryan Watkins

Dan Jenkins

Richard Wigley

page 8

page 30

page 25

page 14

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autumn 2015 the trombonist

president’s column This is it! It’s been a privilege to serve you as BTS President since 2013, but my two-year tenure ends at our AGM in Oundle School on Sunday 15th November. The brilliant Liam Kirkman will take charge, while I remain on the Committee with the pastpresident@britishtrombonesociety.org email address, currently held by my inspiring predecessor, Carol Jarvis.

I am particularly pleased to hand over to someone who moves in slightly different musical circles to me, as the varied contacts, ideas and experiences Liam brings can only benefit the BTS. I’m sure you’ll all join me in wishing him well as he settles in.

I want to thank each and every member of the BTS Committee and Staff, past and present, for their selfless and steadfast support. Without them, I would never have been able to oversee the regular business of the BTS - trombone events, meetings, promotions and so on – as well as our move to magazine publishers HMCA, our registration as a charity and the imminent website renewal with Devmac.

The top job has been more rewarding, yet more challenging, than I anticipated. The workload would reduce overnight if every member made a contribution, however small, whether it’s writing a magazine article, encouraging a friend to join us, or emailing the Committee about a local trombone day. Just a few minutes a year from everyone would make a vast difference to what we can achieve collectively.

As you may recall, the other big change at the AGM is our Secretary, Geoff Wolmark stepping down after ten years of relentless emails, phone calls and meetings on behalf of the BTS. Quite literally, not a day goes by without some input from him towards our smooth running as a society. Thank you Geoff, from all of us.

Our Summer issue went to print before all the sponsors were confirmed for our 7th June trombone day at the Royal Academy of Music. I’d like to thank Denis Wick and Warwick music for donating vouchers as raffle prizes, Phil Parker and Dawkes for bringing trade stands packed with goodies, Iain Muirhead for donating a set of sixteen mutes and Getzen for gifting a brand new model 4147 trombone as first prizes in our inaugural Trombone Quartet and Ian Bousfield Tenor Trombone competitions respectively. Lastly, Paul Sarcich of Cala records has very kindly donated to the BTS a complete set of Eric Crees’s London Trombone Sound arrangements, recorded on the legendary 1995 CD. Looking ahead, Courtois have just confirmed sponsorship of featured artists Richard Ashmore and Davur Magnussen at the next 30th anniversary National Trombone day in Leeds on Sunday 4th October. Please follow the shiny new BTS website to keep up to date with latest news on what promises to be a great day.

The large Yorkshire/North East region has been split up, as we welcome Peter Chester and David Thornber who will share responsibility for the North East. Simon Mansfield’s replacement in Yorkshire will be announced in due course.

Meanwhile, I’m pleased to announce that principal trombone of Brighouse and Rastrick, Ryan Watkins, joins the BTS team as our new brass band rep.

So, it’s goodnight from me! Thank you all for an exhilarating couple of years – and do keep in touch!

With best wishes,

Christian 6

president@britishtrombonesociety.org Christian Jones BTS on Facebook @CJones_BTS on Twitter

British Trombone Society www.britishtrombonesociety.org

The British Trombone Society is a Registered Charity. Reg No. 1158011 Honorary Patron: Gordon Campbell Board of Trustees (please note that not all Trustees are members of the BTS Committee) President: Christian Jones president@britishtrombonesociety.org Vice-President: Liam Kirkman vicepresident@britishtrombonesociety.org Immediate Past-President: Carol Jarvis pastpresident@britishtrombonesociety.org Chair: Matthew Gee chair@britishtrombonesociety.org Vice Chair: Alison Keep alisonkeep@britishtrombonesociety.org Secretary: Geoff Wolmark 01377 202209 1-3 Church Street, Hutton, Driffield, Yorks, YO25 9PR secretary@britishtrombonesociety.org Treasurer: Simon Minshall treasurer@britishtrombonesociety.org John Barber johnbarber@britishtrombonesociety.org Adrian Morris adrianmorris@britishtrombonesociety.org Becca Pope beccapope@britishtrombonesociety.org staff Administrator, membership, bookkeeping Chris Sowerby 01924 437359 membership@britishtrombonesociety.org 1 Ullswater Road, Dewsbury, WF12 7PH Please submit news and events items for the website to: Ross Learmonth news@britishtrombonesociety.org Representatives Scotland: Chris Stearn 01360 860220 scotland@britishtrombonesociety.org Wales: Jo Hirst 07729 144690 wales@britishtrombonesociety.org North East: Peter Chester & David Thornber northeast@britishtrombonesociety.org North West: Kerry Baldwin 07920 022395 northwest@britishtrombonesociety.org Midlands: Martha-Ann Brookes 07966 416198 westmidlands@britishtrombonesociety.org Northern Ireland: Stephen Cairns 02892 602646 northernireland@britishtrombonesociety.org South: Matthew Lewis 07849 774777 south@britishtrombonesociety.org South West: Vacancy southwest@britishtrombonesociety.org East Anglia: Ben Bouzan 07970 502509 eastanglia@britishtrombonesociety.org Wessex: Robb Tooley wessex@britishtrombonesociety.org Brass Band: Ryan Watkins brassband@britishtrombonesociety.org Jazz: Jeremy Price jazz@britishtrombonesociety.org Young People: Vacant youngrep@britishtrombonesociety.org Military Bands: James Howard military@britishtrombonesociety.org

event news

ews reviviews pre

reviews & previews review peter moore & jonathan ware

Ewazen has a great sense of the capabilities of brass instruments, particularly of the trombone, and his music is both challenging to play yet approachable for an audience.

Peter Moore presented the Sonata in a relaxed and confident manner, producing a lovely warm sound, somewhat reminiscent of Alessi himself perhaps. The intense passages of the second movement, for example, demanded great control and were beautifully executed.

From a different musical tradition came Dutilleux’s Choral, Cadence et Fugato, and, typical of the French school, this piece required a large range along with playing finesse, something Peter Moore demonstrated to great effect. One of his intentions in recitals is to introduce audiences to contemporary material and his expert rendition of Folke Rabe’s Basta fitted the bill perfectly.

There’s something quite arresting for an audience when they hear trombone multiphonics for the first time!

Reviewed by Peter Chester “It’s the way he puts the notes together that’s so impressive” was a comment overheard in the audience at a recital given by Peter Moore at the Sage Gateshead on June 7th. “Putting the notes together” may seem to be an obvious activity for a musician, but when you think about it, many can play the notes, but putting them together effectively is what speaks to an audience and turns mere notes into real music.

The audience in the Sage for this ‘Future Classics’ recital was indeed treated to a masterful demonstration of such music making by Peter Moore and his distinguished accompanist Jonathan Ware.

The recital opened with Eric Ewazen’s Sonata for Trombone and Piano, a piece originally written for Joe Alessi.

Two Serious Songs, numbers 1 & 4, by Brahms, were a significant contrast, and in many ways provided the emotional heart of the recital. Obviously transcriptions, they nonetheless suited the singing qualities of the trombone, and Peter Moore’s playing in particular.

The tone he produced was gentle and even, and although not technically difficult, these were the sort of pieces where the smooth “putting the notes together” really did communicate the emotion of the music. The sensitive support provided throughout by Jonathan Ware was particularly evident in these pieces.

in the trombone repertoire of course, anything by Arthur Pryor is bound to get an airing, and Peter Moore’s impeccable rendition of Pryor’s Thoughts of Love – Polka provided a very entertaining finale, generating smiles of pleasure and appreciation all round. The warmth of the audience’s reception underlined what an impressive recital it had been – certainly a very pleasant way to spend a Sunday afternoon!

REVIEW National Trombone Day 2015 Royal Academy of Music

All here at BTS HQ would like to thank everyone who was a part of the organization of the recent National Trombone Day held at the Royal Academy of Music. It truly was a fantastic day of music making! We will be printing a full page review of the day in the Winter Edition of ‘The Trombonist’, so please look out for that.

Serocki’s Sonantina for Trombone & Piano produced further confident and powerful playing, although the stillness generated in the inner movement was just as meaningful as the flamboyance of other passages. For real flamboyance 7

news

and reviews

REVIEW PHEE album launch

Monday evening saw the debut album launch from PHEE (the Patrick Hayes Electric Ensemble) at the Jazz Cafe in Camden. The band performed a mix of high-energy originals alongside authentic 80’s funk and soul covers with a tight band sound and strong performances all round.

Over the course of the one hour and a half set, Patrick invited three special guests to take to the stage, the first being flautist Gareth Lockrane who featured on the title track from the album, Back To The Grove, a Hayes original inspired by his time in Miami.

Next to join the band was guitarist Jim Mullen to perform the George Benson classic Affirmation in a heated duel with PHEE’s own Rob Luft.

Musical OrbitLearn Online!

As our lives get busier and the roads more crowded, we’re all looking for online solutions to the things we need from life.

Everything is covered, it seems, from online shopping to yoga classes to health advice. But until recently live music lessons have not been very effective.

Skype has been problematic with fuzzy images and screens freezing at the critical moment. But with the unstoppable advance of ever improving Broadband and the emergence of rivals to Skype which have better quality of sound, image and much easier connection processes, it’s now a much more useful and relevant platform for music lessons.

Professional musicians who previously found it hard to schedule teaching into their hectic touring schedules are now able, through a new site www.MusicalOrbit.com, to offer lessons to anyone in the world through their laptops, whether they’re on tour or at home.

Katy Jones

The final guest, Hamish Stuart, made a total of three guitarists on stage and sang Watcha’ Gonna Do For Me, along with a world live première of the Average White Band’s Would You Stay. Overall an exciting return to live performance by PHEE after an extended time in the studio - hopefully much more to come!

Young musicians from Lancashire and Yorkshire can compete for a share of a £16,000 prize! The biennial Pendle Young Musicians’ Bursary competition provides support for tuition, instruments and courses to help students aged 17-21 pursue a career in music. Entries close 21 November.

For more information visit www.pymb.co.uk.

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‘We’ve had all sorts of people buy lessons, from students preparing for exams and auditions to amateurs wanting a top up lesson to keep their standard up.’ explains founder Nicole Wilson.

‘We’re even helping other professional musicians and teachers who want to access the very best players in the business for help with specific repertoire.’

The teachers range from musicians teaching early grades right through to leaders of orchestras. With new musicians joining everyday, if you can’t find a teacher to suit you, you can ask them to find you a particular standard of instrumentalist or singer and they will try and link you up. ‘It doesn’t matter where you live, with the spectacular improvement of Broadband, we feel there shouldn’t be anyone we can’t try and help.

Hopefully soon, everyone will be able to access the teacher of their dreams’.

MEMBER DISCOUNT

Turn to Page 31 for the CD review

BURSARY COMPETITION FOR LANCASHIRE AND YORKSHIRE

Potential students find the musician they want to learn with, buy a lesson slot, choose whether they want the lesson online or at the teacher’s location, pay with PayPal and then learn from one of the top musicians in the country.

Mark Templeton

We at QPark would like to offer BTS members a prebooking code which offers a further 10% off our prebooking discounted rates in our car parks across the UK, including airport parking at Heathrow, Gatwick and Glasgow.

Our car parks are in convenient city centre locations including Aberdeen, Birmingham, Chelmsford, Croydon, Glasgow, Leeds, Liverpool, London, Manchester, Nottingham, Reading, Sheffield and York.

Just enter the promocode ‘Trombone’ when booking via www.q-park.co.uk/pre-book

hot

PRESS

OFF THE

Trombones at the Globe

A powerful blend of just five trombones and sackbuts are currently providing the musical accompaniment to Shakespeare’s Globe’s production of Richard II. With an imaginative and intelligently composed score by Stephen Warbeck, this moving, funny and tragic play runs until October the 18th. Don’t miss it!

For more on this turn to page 28.

Plack Institute in Göttingen, Dr Peter Iltis and Dr Jens Farhm and his team, Sarah aims to help teachers and players understand better what goes on inside us when we play and even hopefully help with playing problems such as focal dystonia.

For more information, to watch the MRI scanner video and a full interview with Peter, scan the QR code or visit www.sarah-willis.com/sarahsmusic/e15

1st Swiss Trombone Days 2015

FRENCH HORN IN MRI SCANNER! Sarah Willis

Over the 24th and 25th October this year will see the first ever Swiss Trombone Day. Being held in the beautiful city of Zurich, the festival features by artists such as Jacques Mauger, Justin Clark and Mike Svoboda. Also in attendance will be Steve Shires of Shires Musical Instruments giving a question and answer session on ‘Trombone Tuning’.

Also as part of the festival, there will be a Tenor and Bass Trombone solo competition with an esteemed jury consisting of our own Ian Bousfield, Jacques Mauger, Ben Green and Mike Svoboda. For more information please visit: http://www.musikpunkt.ch/files/ swisstrombonedays/ Ian Bousfield

Berlin Philharmonic french horn player and presenter, Sarah Willis, has recently had a project which involved spending two hours in an MRI machine wearing a “Stormtrooper mask” and playing a specially designed version of a French horn! With the help of the Biomedical Magnetic Resonance Labe at the Max

t he ho t offess pr

becky smith moves to ENO

The BTS would like to extend our congratulations to Becky Smith who has recently been appointed Principal Trombone of English National Opera.

Becky was born in Cambridge and studied the trombone with Christopher Mowat and Euphonium with John Clarke at the Junior Guildhall School of Music and Drama from the age of 12 to 18.

During this time she was also a member of the National Youth Brass Band of Great Britain.

In 1998, Becky gained a scholarship to study at the Royal Northern College of Music and whilst studying there won many awards, including the 2002 Royal Over-Seas League Music Competition Brass Prize. Since graduating, Becky has had a busy freelance career performing with many of the UK’s orchestras.

She was appointed SubPrincipal trombone of the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra in 2013, a post she held until her appointment Becky Smith as Principal Trombone of ENO.

new design Wedge Mouthpiece

A completely new design mouthpiece concept has recently hit the market. The Wedge mouthpiece has already had great success with helping players use less pressure and prolong their playing. Free shipping and a 90 days trial period makes these mouthpieces worth a try.

For more information go to: www.wedgemouthpiece.com 9

10

ion Sect tlight Spo

Beyond the squeaky gate

BY Dan Jenkins (BBC Symphony Orchestra)

The current BBCSO Trombone Section sprang into being on April 2nd, 2011, when Rob O’Neill joined us to fill our Bass Trombone vacancy. In those days we were a gang of five, one of the fortunate few orchestras to have two Principals, but Roger Harvey retired from the orchestra in December 2013. He selfishly left me to be Senior Member, a role I sustain convincingly by being not only the oldest but the roundest, least healthy but most sleepy. However, I haven’t been in the band the longest.

Helen Vollam, Principal, joined in

February 2004, tuba Sam started two years later, shortly after me, and Rob completed the line-up in 2011.

In the BBCSO, a lot of the focus is on very modern music, ‘squeaky gate’ music, as it’s known, and that brings with it all sorts of techniques and

demands not always common in standard repertoire.

Acting, singing, even shouting, whacking the mouthpiece and

In the BBCSO, a lot of the focus is on very modern music, ‘squeaky gate’ music… quartertones are all old hat to us, and a lot of new hat is simply impossible. Section favourite of the impossible things we’re asked to do is known as the ‘octopus’. This is a situation where you’re asked to play plug notes, move the slide, and operate a wa-wa mute all at the same time, which leads to the sarcastic question to the composer “How many arms do you have? cos I’ve only got two.”

It’s surprising how often the octopus surfaces.

it through, there’s almost always something to be gained or enjoyed from it by the time of the show. And we get to play Mahler and Brahms too, hurray!

A lot of the new stuff is technically challenging but that and the constant variety of new dots to sight-read are two of the aspects that make working in this orchestra so stimulating.

One week we could be picking out virtually indecipherable rhythms, the next using every mute known to man in a tranquil piece depicting a Japanese garden, and the next pile-driving through power clusters like compressors in a scrapyard. Unfortunately ‘technically challenging’ can sometimes mean badly written, with unplayable glisses or demisemiquaver passages that look more like a piccolo part.

But however finicky or cacophonous the music appears when we first play

Musically we are well connected and listen to each other all the time.

This is fundamental for the cohesion of any section. Intonation, balance, articulation, general togetherness, all are attended to; it becomes second nature.

We’ll often rehearse a passage long into the break, or sometimes take off into another studio to try out something one of us has written or arranged.

Every section has its own vernacular and its own set of in-jokes.

Our previous Principal Conductor Jiri Belohlavek, used in rehearsals to ask for “Celli, bassi”, which in his Czech accent sounded just like Shirley Bassey, and would provoke any of us into playing the gliss at the end of the first phrase of ‘Hey Big Spender’.

We eat well, especially on tour, with curry houses in Seoul, Yokohama, Guangzhou and Whitechapel taking particular hammerings over the years.

Continues on the following page.

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autumn 2015 the trombonist

beyond the squeaky gate continued...

If we ever go to India I fear for the country’s already dangerously low food shortages.

Europe has its own high spots, which many travelling sections will be familiar with. Spain in particular has been a favourite, with its open-to-the-street tapas bars, and particularly memorable haunts being a fois-gras and red gin bar in Pamplona, and a Flamenco club in central Madrid.

The BBCSO dresses up well for themed tour parties; this photo is from Heroes and Villains in Taipei in 2013.

everyone remembers their first gliss

The Last Night of the Proms is of course special – hopefully the Saturday after this issue comes out – and a lifetime experience for the audience in the Albert Hall but also for those watching on TV. Being, as Helen calls us, “the big shiny things at the back” there are usually plenty of shots of us on the screen.

It’s a big occasion, and it’s strange to think that every note we play that night can be heard by whoever’s watching in a shisha bar in Kyrgyzstan, on breakfast TV in Brisbane, or as a colleague used to say, down the docks in Buenos Aires!

World travel is a massive bonus in any musician’s life, and the way I look at it is this: when I saw the Great Wall of China, I thought ‘My trombone has brought me here.’ I could never have imagined when I first chose the instrument from a brass band cupboard that it would lead me to the Great Wall, one of the sights of the world. This obviously re-endorses the point Simon Cowen made in the last issue about the value of practice. It’s so worth it, and can lead literally anywhere!

article titles. ‘Make the most of your tuner this summer’ interested Sam, a piece about various tips a racing mechanic should be especially aware of in hot weather. At the same moment I found myself absorbed in a helpful page called ‘Make the most of tuna this summer’, featuring recipes for mayonnaise and Salade Niçoise. I hope that somewhere in the world there’s a city we haven’t been to yet, where we’ll stay in a hotel with a gym, a pool and a food court, and where nearby there’s a running track inside a race track, and a street comprised entirely of Rymans.

So it’s very much a mixed bag being a member of the BBCSO and its trombone section. But it’s those very mixed extremes of repertoire that help to keep all the quartertones and glisses as fresh as the first one you ever played.

And you know what they say: everyone remembers their first gliss.

…it becomes second nature’ Most of the year we play at the Barbican Centre, but the central part of our existence is the Proms every summer, culminating in the world-famous Last Night. Trombone repertoire-wise, this year we’ve done Belshazzar’s Feast, Planets, the bombastic Leningrad Symphony, the Firebird (full ballet score) and the Janáček Sinfonietta.

A lot of these require extra players, and let us take this opportunity to thank all our fantastic extras, who help us out so often.

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There’s a respite after the Proms, then we’re straight back into the fray with Mahler 3 at the Barbican on September 24th. Day to day, at Maida Vale studios, the section rather splits down the middle, with Rob and Sam the dynamic duo, into cars and keeping fit, and Helen and I more interested in food and stationery. This divide was visibly demonstrated one day when Sam and I arrived at pages in our separate magazines, Evo and Good Food respectively, but with virtually identical

Dan Jenkins

by Donal Bannister (BBC National Orchestra of Wales)

Bremen Marvellous! there is a whole tradition of instruments and e styles of playing that w d. re have largely igno Last year I wrote an article entitled ‘One Size Fits All’ attempting to explain how we have arrived at the universal orchestral trombone used throughout the world today. Then in March this year I presented a recital at RWCMD in which I used four different instruments, performing Ropartz’ Piece in E minor on my antique Courtois, and the Hindemith Sonata on my Krüspe.

In June the BBCNOW section visited three manufacturers in Bremen to try trombones of traditional German design, but with the advantages of modern ergonomics and mechanical reliability.

The weekend was a revelation.

The traditional design typically has a dual bore slide, though not always, and a big bell flare made of very thin brass, and often with a decorative nickel silver rim, called the kranz. The sound is very mellow at all dynamics except the loudest, when it can sizzle. It was important to remember that we were not looking to replace our usual instruments, but to find something quite different.

First, we visited the gentle Hans Kromat at his workshop in the village of Wilstedt. His is a small outfit making just 60 instruments a year, all to order, 14

(amongst his clients is Stefan Schultz of the Berlin Philharmonic). We were immediately struck by the warmth of sound, great responsiveness, and the quiet chorales in Brahms’ Second Symphony felt effortless. In addition the craftsmanship was superb and visually the instruments were very beautiful.

The alto was sensational!

Next we went to the Thein company, run by brothers Heinrich and Max. A much bigger operation, with eighteen employees, they a make a great variety of instruments, from exact copies of old trombones, to modern universal instruments. Max immediately displayed his expertise as he guided us through the permutations, explaining how tiny adjustments can make subtle differences. For example, the addition or removal of the decorative snakes can make a difference, and using their own mouthpieces proved to be crucial.

Darren immediately loved the bass trombones – “twice the sound for half the effort”. Imagine a 6’4” Duracell bunny, playing the bass trombone.

Phil struggled to find a Thein that suited him, but right at the end of the visit, Max hit on a combination that I liked very much; a bell section designed for the New York Philharmonic section, with a ‘soloist’ slide. It has a series of nodules on each leg of the outer slide that Max insisted were critical to the sound. It may all be smoke and mirrors

but playing the solos from Mahler Third Symphony, it felt tremendous.

We finished at the Herbert Lätzsch workshop where we were met by Dutch trombonist Ben Cruiming, and where the low brass of the Netherlands Symphony Orchestra were also present choosing a set of classical trombones.

Now run by Lätzsch’s nephew, Hermann Neinaber, we were simply left in a room with lots of instruments and invited to help ourselves. Once again, Darren loved the basses, and this time Phil immediately found “possibly the best trombone I’ve ever played”, so he said.

The instrument I liked was surprisingly small; making an implausibly warm, mellow sound, and the blend and dynamic range of the three together was stunning. A heroic passage from Bruckner Eighth resulted in spontaneous giggling! Afterwards, Hermann and his wife very kindly took us all out for dinner. Seven hours of trombone playing, and the beer never tasted so good!

It strikes me that since the introduction of large bore instruments to the UK, we have been influenced primarily by the USA. Turn our gaze east, and there is a whole tradition of instruments and styles of playing that we have largely ignored.

Time for a change?

Seven hours of trombone playing, beer never tasted so good!

Once It’s Gone, It’s Gone!

by Jane Salmon

According to the World Health Organisation, noise induced hearing loss is the most common workbased injury and by the nature of our work, musicians are especially vulnerable to prolonged exposure to loud noise.

Injury of any kind can be devastating for musicians and the British Trombone Society are delighted to have been offered the following advice from various professionals in the industry, to help advise you on how best to look after your hearing.

(albeit with existing damaged hearing) expensive custom plugs offer little more than cheap foam plugs. I have a set of moulded plugs costing £150-£200 with interchangeable attenuation filters and with their fixed design they are simultaneously too effective and too aggressive to play in. Cheaper squishy plugs can be pushed as far into the ear canal as needed to maintain a better awareness around you. I have spent the majority of my career sat in front of four trumpets and in close proximity to a drum set so it is hardly surprising in my case but there are plenty of other factors, such as in-ear headphones and riding motorcycles (wind noise inside a helmet above 35mph is around 115db).

…take responsibility for our own hearing protection

happy it is mostly settled where it is.

You do not need to spend a fortune on custom earplugs and in my own case I prefer the cheaper foam variety.

“Once it’s gone, it’s gone!”

Musicians’ Hearing Services, part of Harley Street Hearing, specialize in all aspects of hearing and provide hearing protection, tests and advice on tinnitus or hearing loss. We spoke to Matthew Allsop about protecting our hearing.

When should you be protecting your ears? What sort of sounds and what levels should you protect yourself from?

In short, all of the time. The Control of Noise at Work Regulations (2005) has a two-tiered system. When sound pressure levels reach 80dB then employers must provide information and training on keeping ears and hearing healthy.

British trombone player Liam Kirkman, Vice-President of the BTS, has been kind enough to share his story about hearing loss and how this has affected his playing…..

“It was certainly a gradual thing that crept up on me over ten years or more which I foolishly did nothing about... until it was too late. Noise related hearing loss is irreversible and whilst it doesn’t cause me too many problems playing, it’s a real problem keeping up with conversations in (not so) noisy places. Distinguishing single voices with clarity is typically difficult if there is any background noise. Consonants are lost and then guess work takes place with often embarrassing outcomes!

“As musicians often working freelance, we tend to slip between the safety nets of company employers and so need to take responsibility for our own hearing protection. In my own experience

“So the result of this is two NHS hearing aids costing roughly £4000 if bought privately. Do I like them?

No. Should I wear them more often?

Definitely. Do they come anywhere close to the natural sound of decent hearing? Nowhere near.

“We are all different and some people are more susceptible to things than others. A certain proportion of my own hearing loss is hereditary (occurring below 1kHz) but coupled with noise related damage (around 2kHz) then the result is not ideal.

“I try and get my hearing checked every year to monitor any decline and am

Continues on the following page.

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autumn 2015 the trombonist

once it’s gone, it’s gone! continued...

If the levels reach 85dB then appropriate hearing protection must be provided by the employers. The volume of a trombone can range from 90-106dB at a three metre distance. In the world of musicians, however, it is as much the responsibility of the musician as it is the venue to protect your ears, particularly for a freelancer.

What options are there available and what are the differences between them? Some players have talked about the sensation of playing with earplugs in, and how uncomfortable they can be when your jaw moves.

Do you have any advice on what type of protection may be suitable?

There are many types of ear protection.

This makes it difficult to choose, and often people end up leaving it completely. For orchestral players I would recommend ‘ER’ earplugs.

These are custom made and have filters that reduce the levels of sound, whilst maintaining the fidelity of the music.

The filters can be interchanged, so should you feel that you need a greater or lesser reduction they can be easily changed. The choice of filter can come down to your position in the pit and also your preference. Being custom made, ERs should provide a tight seal to protect your ears whilst at the same time remaining comfortable with jaw movement.

What are the signs of hearing damage? Is this damage reversible?

Most of us will have experienced ringing ears and tinnitus after a loud concert. This can result in a temporary threshold shift in your hearing.

The hair cells in the inner ear become temporarily damaged and can take up to a week to recover. If this happens repeatedly it can cause permanent damage to the auditory system. If you experience this and your hearing has not returned after two weeks you should consult an audiologist or your GP. Is it worth spending as much as you can afford on protection? We are often provided with complimentary foam earplugs. What are your opinions 16

on these? How effective are they?

What is the best way to use them?

Custom hearing protection is worth the money. Alternatively, generic earplugs are better than nothing. It is at least worth having some protection until custom hearing protection can be organised.

Some venues provide complementary earplugs which again are good to have if you no alternative. The only downside is they occlude everything.

Some musicians find that this can make playing and listening to music seem unnatural and it puts them off wearing ear protection altogether.

Can certain protection interfere with you being able to hear things like conductors or even the players around you?

Some musicians report that they aren’t fond of ear protection as it makes them feel detached from their instrument, the rest of the orchestra, and the audience.

The key with this is to not just wear them at concerts. Wear them at home, when practicing, in fact, wear them as much as possible when playing your instrument to get used to how things sound. When you have acclimatised to listening with earplugs, playing begins to sound more natural.

Musicians’ Hearing Services is a specialized firm that works in partnership with both the Incorporated Society of Musicians and the Musicians’ Union. MU Live Performance Organiser, Dave Webster highlights the importance of the availability of hearing protection.

The MU are delighted to be working with Musicians’ Hearing Services.

Our Musicians’ Hearing Passport scheme provides our freelance members with the ability to monitor and protect their hearing and to purchase bespoke hearing protection. It is important for freelance musicians to be able to have this service.

In an employed situation the duty of care lies with the employer. However, if you are a freelance, then it is in your

Download a decibel monitor app on your smartphone and check the levels in your rehearsals.

best interest to take steps to ensure you protect yourself.

All musicians are vulnerable although for brass players who have to contend with reflective screens and perhaps close proximity to other players in orchestra pits, concert stages, bandstands, or studio booths, hearing protection is a particularly serious issue.

Our hearing is central to our work and it is incredibly important to protect ourselves from potential injury as best we can. We must consider the exposure we have away from work as well as the responsibilities we have during our practice, rehearsals and performances If you suspect you are having difficulty or merely want to protect yourself from possible future problems, please make use of the fantastic help available to you. There are numerous services that are dedicated to dealing with the challenges our industry presents.

Please refer to the resources listed below for just some of the places that can offer you help in finding what protection suits you best.

Helpful resources:

BAPAM www.bapam.org.uk ISM www.ism.org

MU www.musiciansunion.org.uk Sound Advice www.soundadvice.info Help Musicians UK www.helpmusicians.org.uk/get-advice/// musicians-health Musicians’ Hearing Services www.musicianshearingservices.co.uk Production Safety Limited www.productionsafety.co.uk Action Hearing Loss www.actiononhearingloss.org.uk

GUESS THE BASS TROMBONE MAKE COMPETITION Linking with our theme of hearing and listening, it’s time for you to do the listening and put 6 sound examples in the correct order. Simply go to soundcloud.com/british-trombone-society and listen to the 6 sound files of bass trombones you will find there, and allocate which make of trombone you think they are, from the following list: • Shires • Thein

• Rath • Kühnl & Hoyer

• Courtois • Lätzsch

The person who gets the closest wins a custom set of ear plugs with special decibel filter, worth £200!

Email your list to editor@britishtrombonesociety.org Closing date 1st November. The winner will be notified shortly after 1st November.

Eligible to BTS members only

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AUTUMN 2014 the trombonist

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Rising stars:

g risin s star

Nathanael Rashford Nathanael Rashford, aged 15 attends Phoenix High School Year 10 and has so far reached Grade 5 Distinction.

How old were you when you started playing the trombone, and why did you choose it?

I started playing at age 8. The local music service was promoting brass instruments and it was a choice between the trombone and the trumpet.

I was attracted to the trombone because of its size and intrigued by the slide action.

Who are your teachers?

Richard Turner What music do you like to play and listen to?

Jazz Fusion and Classical. It’s good to get a balance of different styles.

What make of instrument to you play?

International.

Would you like a career in music?

Yes, It would be really cool to make a living doing something I enjoy doing.

What are your other hobbies?

I like swimming, cycling and solving maths problems.

What is the single best thing for you about playing the trombone?

Creating a good sound.

Which orchestras or bands do you play with at the moment?

Tri Borough Music Hub New Generation Orchestra and Adelphi Youth Orchestra.

Nathanael recently performed in a project with the Tri Borough Music Hub at the Albert Hall. This included musicians from the Aurora Orchestra, Southbank Sinfonia, Royal College of Music, Royal Academy of Music and selected musicians from the Tri Borough Music Hub. 19

autumn 2015 the trombonist

heart and soul transcribed

by Rob Egerton

Transcription by Rob Egerton, of Curtis Fuller’s solo on ‘Heart and Soul’. Quite a playable little solo. Have fun with it!

Scan the QR code to vis it Rob Egerton’s YouTube channel where you can listen to and read through all his transcriptions.

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brass band corner Ryan Watkins interviews Josh Cirtina

How did you first get involved with brass bands? I started learning the trumpet at school and got bored with it pretty quickly, so asked for a trombone.

A friend of mine played in the local band - Cheltenham Silver, and invited me along to their training band. I really enjoyed the music and people were really welcoming so I kept going back!

You play for the band, Fairey’s, and are apparently the 7th bass trombonist in the band’s history. That must be a privilege. What have the band been up to recently?

It really is! The band has a rich history involving some of the greatest brass musicians of their generations, so it’s very humbling to follow in their footsteps. The band is currently involved in some exciting projects. We’ve recently recorded a CD of Robert Redhead’s music, and alongside the British Open and National Finals competitions, we are also performing with the Rambert Ballet Company in Gavin Higgin’s new ballet with brass band - Dark Arteries at the Lowry later in the year!

You recently won the best trombonist at Brass in Concert 2014. What else have you been doing behind the scenes as a soloist? I was really lucky in 2014

to do well in a few competitions, both with Fairey’s and as a soloist. Since then I’ve had the opportunity to record a solo on Fairey’s most recent CD release, Nefarious, which was a really invaluable experience for me. As well as this,

I have spent much of this year spending more time focusing on professional playing in more orchestral circles which has also been a fantastic experience.

So how do you effectively juggle your busy schedule whilst still committing to Fairey’s? It’s a balancing

act that can be difficult at times.

However I generally find that as long as I keep a well-organised diary, there are never any issues. I’m in a really great position at Fairey’s where the band management are very understanding in situations where college or professional work needs to come first from time to time.

How has college been so far? Does it focus on one genre of playing or have you found yourself to become more versatile as a player? I’ve just finished 2nd year at

the RNCM and so far it’s been absolutely brilliant! Personally I have found the tuition at college to be really varied and interesting. There is a fairly even range of ensembles that we are delegated to, from the college symphony orchestras to brass bands and big bands, with much more in between. Since being at the RNCM I have certainly become far more versatile as a musician.

Many brass banders wouldn’t consider a bass trombonist as a serious soloist instrument in a band. Can you give any tips to other bass

trombonists inspiring to follow the same route as you? Indeed, the bass trombone

often isn’t taken seriously as a solo instrument, which isn’t always helped by the fact that many of the solo items for bass trombone and brass band are more for comedic value than serious repertoire, although that’s not always a bad thing! My advice would be to simply act as an all round musician.

Don’t always fulfill the stereotype of being the instrument that plays the loudest or pedalling every note of every piece. Perform as part of a section and take pride in the sound you make.

It’s great fun!

What’s next for you?

I am entering my final year at the RNCM. As I said earlier, there are some exciting projects coming up with Faireys, and aside from that I have a quintet comprised of two saxophones, a trumpet and to trombones called ‘Aether’.

Together we have some concerts and recordings booked and the future looks bright for the group. I am also trying to develop my freelance career further and I have a number of professional engagements already in the diary, which I’m really looking forward to.

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jazz by jeremy

Jazz Heads as Studies By Jeremy Price

Studies on the trombone are essentially our way of steadily building on technique. At a certain level they become a way of re-aligning or benchmarking your technique.

Professional players, for instance, will dust down the Lafosse once in a while, to make sure they can still get to the standard they were at when they had acres of time to practice. For me, studies are a useful way of making sure you are not getting blown off course from the landmarks of fundamental technique.

In jazz, and I hope I’m not speaking out of turn here, I feel there are plenty of things that can blow you off course, perhaps more so than in classical music. If you are on a gig where you are improvising 95% of the time, there is so much going on that you’re not really thinking about technique. Primary concerns are thinking of something melodic to play, listening to the rhythm section, concentrating on the form, and making sure you’re alert to cues, visual or aural, from the rest of the band.

So that little voice in your head that reminds you of the niceties of posture, breathing, articulation and so on rarely has the chance to be heard above the clamour of other concerns. Not being a classical soloist I can’t really vouch for that experience, but I should imagine that having prepared a piece thoroughly, going along the same well trodden path in performance gives you space to keep your concentration on technique as well 22

Jazz Studie s

as the musical communication. Let me know, readers, if I’m making too bold an assumption.

One way I’ve found helpful is to use jazz heads as studies. Here’s some recommendations.

Another thing against us as jazz players is that, because you are improvising, on a gig, by definition, you will be playing by choice, so there is a possibility that you will play within your technique.

Playing a written study forces you to go the distance in stamina and range, something classical players would take for granted.

Ellington/Strayhorn Lush Life: For stamina, legato and range. Use big over-arching breaths supporting the phrases. Play quite strictly and with a metronome. Try different metronome settings to test your endurance. Take with Lafosse 12 studies on the whole technique of the instrument, study no.4.

Intonation in a jazz group can be pretty wild. To put it generously, there’s a wider band width of tolerance for what is in tune and what is out of tune. Classical music by contrast is far stricter, so you are less likely to stray. As technique is so inter-related with intonation, it’s important for jazz trombonists to check in with A440 on a regular basis and test ourselves on all those micro-adjustments of the slide positions we use for pure intonation.

So I think studies for jazz trombonists are really, really important. It’s so easy to spend practice time noodling about and before you know it, you’ve drifted way off course.

But there is only so much time. How can you deal with all that “preparation for improvisation” practice - learning licks and language, tunes and forms, plus key dexterity, and keep up all your orthodox technique?

Coltrane 26-2: For swing articulation in lead trombone range. Take with no. 1 of Lafosse 12 studies.

Bill Evans Very Early: For large legato leaps across the harmonics and for watching posture on the dreaded Bb to B natural shift. Take with no. 2 of Lafosse 12 Studies.

Miles Davis Oleo: For swing phrasing in the mid range and for playing Bb in shortened 5th position in a variety of contexts. Play all Bb’s in 5th, all the D’s in 4th and the C in bar 7 in 6th.

Clare Fischer Pensativa: This is an intonation roast. It really highlights all the small slide adjustments you need to make. Get the tuning meter out for this one.

There are many more, and of course, find your own as well. Hopefully this flags the need to look after these areas, and gives you some time efficient ways of combining jazz practice with orthodox instrumental technique.

notes from a small trombonist

by Patrick Jackman

On October 16th, Dan Jenkins, Sub-Principal Trombone of the BBC Symphony Orchestra, will have a piece of his performed by the Orchestra. Dan has held the position since 2005 and it has been ten years of playing and composing to reach this point, as he describes: “When I wrote my Trumpet Concerto in 2009, a commission from the City of London Sinfonia for their Principal Trumpet Nick Betts, I didn’t tell anyone about it except Simon Wills, who was my composition teacher at Guildhall.

I’d always been shy about anything I was writing but he said the opposite, that I shouldn’t keep it to myself but tell everyone! Since then I’ve been much more open about pushing my own stuff into the public domain. If you don’t do it, how can you expect anyone else to?

“Inspired by a performing a week of music by Steve Reich, particularly

his Variations for Strings, Winds and Keyboards, which I think is just beautiful, I wrote two pieces in his style.

The management of the BBC Symphony Orchestra have always known about my composing, and recently approached me about having one of those pieces, which I’ve called SRI, performed in a Maida Vale studio concert in autumn. It’s Steve Reich’s 80th birthday in 2016 so I’m a little early in my tribute to him, but it’s an honour to have the piece performed at all”.

I also asked Dan for a few of the influences that have inspired and encouraged his composing.

“As for composers, Shostakovitch always thumps me and I love his tonalities, Prokofiev writes what is most important for me, melody, and so did Arthur Sullivan. Composers we’re lucky to have today are James MacMillan and John Adams and I genuinely believe Adams’ music will be played in a hundred years time. And there’s certainly a place in my music for the ‘popular’ side, such as Genesis and Pink Floyd – they are fantastically musical bands.

“For teachers of composition, there’s Simon Wills. And for trombonists, there’s Simon Wills, Lindsay Shilling, Byron Fulcher, and Dudley Bright.

And you have to have passionate people like Tristan Fry, who just told me to keep writing. That’s an inspiration.

“One of the great things about playing the trombone in an orchestra is that you have a lot of time to listen and study how all the instruments are used by the composer.

“Pieces for trombone that I’m particularly proud of are From Princip to Poppies, a Trombone Octet about the First World War, recently performed by both the RCM and RNCM trombone players; The Celestial Bear, written in Bucharest airport, when I had four hours to kill and decided to try and write something instead of sitting in the bar. Sitting in the bar a piece quickly followed, and while the local beer, ‘Ursus’, gave the piece its name, I soon realised that what I was writing would be perfect for Byron Fulcher, as it just seemed to be in his particular style.

I’m also very proud of Fantasia, dedicated to Ian Bousfield, which became the winning entry for the BTS competition in 2008 and has since been performed

by Brett Baker and Ryan Hume”.

SRI by Dan Jenkins will be performed at 2 pm on the 16th October 2015 at Maida Vale Studio 1 with the BBC Symphony Orchestra under Martyn Brabbins, an ex-trombonist himself. The concert will also feature Simon Wills’ boisterous overture ‘The Empress of Blandings’.

I’d always been shy about anything I was writing…

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fanfare As with any new job I felt a keen sense of trepidation upon my arrival at The Band of The Royal Corps of Signals, especially as this marked the end of my training at the Royal Military School of Music and my first posting into the regular Army.

Having been an avid brass bander before I joined the Army, I was delighted to be posted to one of the Army’s new brass bands. Sitting down at the first rehearsal to familiar favourites, such as the red hymn books and marches such as Slaidburn and Puncinello, was a welcome return for me.

The first few days were a blur of meeting the members of the band, sorting a mass of issued kit, including my new uniform, then familiarising myself with my new home, RAF Cosford.

During my first four months with the RCS Band, I have had the good fortunate to perform at some very high profile jobs.

There was a flashmob in the centre of Birmingham, then we played at the Rememberance Sunday edition of Songs of Praise to a full congregation, as well as playing for the opening of a new memorial at the National Arboretum in Stafford, which Prince William attended.

At the time of writing (February 2015) the band is still classed as a reduced capability ensemble. We are still in the process of recruiting keen brass banders into our ranks. Consequently, due to the size of the band, a significant part of our work at the moment consists of small engagements, namely dinner nights, which has given me the chance to perform in quintets up and down the country. This smaller ensemble means more challenging parts for the trombone player, along with a great variety of styles, from classical pieces to more light-hearted selections.

As part of our professional development in the bands players are required to take a series of musical exams known as CEQ’S (career employment qualification). I was lucky enough to be entered for my CEQ 2 at the end of October 2014.

Thanks to the tutelage and encouragement of senior band members including the Bandmaster, Band Sergeant Major and Director of Music, I was pleased to be able to pass first time. This allowed me a rise in pay grade and also gave my confidence in my instrumental abilities a considerable boost.

In addition to our musical activities, the band does other things and I was lucky to join the band five weeks before our adventure training in Capel Curig in Wales. Having always enjoyed hill walking I found my first adventure training to be a rewarding and exciting experience. These activities involved two days of hill walking and one day on a high ropes course.

That involved free fall jumps and navigating a variety of obstacles high in the treetops. After first thinking I would have no problems with this challenge, I found myself quivering at the top of a 106ft. drop and it took me several minutes to work up the courage to finally launch myself off. The adventure

ary milistic mu by James Howard

training also proved to be a good team bonding exercise for me. As I’d only been in the band for a few weeks, I still hadn’t had a chance to socialise with many of the band outside of work. Adventure training gave me the chance to get to know people better over a flask of coffee or a well-deserved pint at the end of the day.

Over the next few months I am looking forward to more exciting challenges with the RCS Band. These include a trip to Algeria and a performance in the Adrian Boult Hall in Birmingham, with the Prince of Wales Brass Band and the Birmingham Conservatoire Brass Band, performing a selection of traditional brass test pieces. I am also looking forward to pushing the boundaries of my instrumental skill over the next few months – I think I’m in a good place to do that.

I have had the good fortune to perform at some very high profile jobs

Adventure training gave me the chance to get to know people better

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autumn 2015 the trombonist

by Roger Argente

Thank you for taking the time to tell the BTS about yourself and your life as a musician.

How long Can you tell us a little about your n? icia mus al ion have you been a profess as a two s, year 24 t I’ve been in the business for abou in t eigh free-lancer, fourteen in Opera North and the LSO.

with all of I grew up in Scotland and was very active as making the school and county ensembles, as well go to the to rday Satu y ever the journey to Glasgow at the ied stud then I RSAMD Junior Department. just seemed I ey.

Stor Les RNCM with Nev Roberts and rding jobs. rega time to be in the right place at the right , a glut days ge As I was coming to the end of my colle fantastic me of bass trombone jobs came up, which gave nt trials. experience of doing auditions and subseque ?

How did you come to join the LSO the over all jobs ral Having been on trial for seve favourite my be to country, I was offered what happened this for job at the time. There were several reasons reason main the ose supp I but job, being my choice of freelance was my wife-to-be, Zoë. She was a busy s in and post bassoonist with a lot of good teaching e away from around Manchester. She didn’t want to mov going to have the area, so if I wanted to marry her, I was to stick about. although in So I had 14 happy years in Opera North, there was a small pit with such a small string section, symphonic always a yearning to get out to do some big Opera at estra orch of stuff. Also, because of the size atic oper er North, we rarely got our teeth into bigg repertoire.

ison retired During my time at Opera North, Frank Math ge to enjoy Brid den Heb from the LSO and moved up to Frank s, his retirement. Over the next couple of year Symphony would dep for me in the Performing Arts

26

Orchestra doing outdoor gigs in the grounds of National Trust properties and so on. We became Paul Milner good friends and it became very apparent to me that .

Frank’s love of music was stronger than ever and took every He was so enthusiastic about his playing opportunity to do so. myself ‘loving’ At this stage in my career, I couldn’t see as Frank did, h muc as ed the bass trombone when I retir devotion and m usias so Zoë and I decided that this enth .

LSO the to music had come from his life in I decided that, I think that it was during those years that h with my if I was to ever to move from Opera Nort , the only job great lifestyle in the hills of West Yorkshire that would attract me would be the LSO job.

, so there was At this time, Bob Hughes was in the LSO tely Bob rtuna Unfo no chance of the job coming up. forced to was and began suffering from focal dystonia some did it, retire from his job in 2006. I applied for about and trial practice for the auditions, was awarded a nine months later, was offered the job.

Where do you live? t like to I live in Coggeshall in deepest Essex. I don’ to conjure s seem it use beca just say that I live in Essex, me a gave Zoë on! up visions of false suntans and so only can “you .. proviso when I was offered the job.. r”. This is accept it if we live out towards Colcheste where I live. because her parents live in Ipswich. I like country, but It is far enough out of London to be in the on, handy for only 45 minutes into Liverpool Street Stati the Barbican home of the LSO. Pet hates? s of the Conductors who only address the front desk strings. er Tenor trombonists that don’t use their F trigg properly!

The Bass Bone Files : TOP SECRET

Bass Bone Files

The Bass Bone Files : TOP SECRET

Paul, Frank and Bob

I consider myself extremely fortunate to be in the LSO Any stand out events?

I consider myself extremely fortunate to be in the LSO. In the eight years that I have been a member, there have been so many highlights that I am struggling to single them out. I try to take the view that every single day of my working life is a highlight. Let’s face it, being paid to do my hobby and getting to travel all over the world can’t be bad. It’s too easy when greeting colleagues to sound bored or disinterested in the business. How many times have you heard “same old ****, just a different day”? I am guilty of saying this too, but every so often, I remind myself of how lucky I am to be where I am and ask myself how many budding bass trombonists would give their back teeth to be in my position.

What’s a “normal” working week?

There is no “normal” in an LSO working week.

We are lucky to have such a diverse schedule.

There are the usual rehearsals and Barbican concerts, studio recordings for CD or film - or even elevator music and even mobile phone game music, tours ranging from a one night stand in Europe to a full blown 2/3 week tour of the States or the Far East and Austr alia.

I also work for LSO Discovery, which allows me to take my trombone into hospitals and special schools, to pass on my enjoyment of music to others.

Trombone heroes?

Bob Hughes is my hero. I came through college listening to his SNO recordings and later his

Philharmonia and LSO recordings. Don Lusher too, also Frank Mathison because he gave me the inspiration to audition for the LSO job.

What does the future hold?

Sir Simon Rattle is coming to town, so it will be interesting to be involved with the orchestra during this time.

Relaxation and life away from music?

I don’t have a lot of time away from music, but what little time I do get, I spend with my family Zoë, Adam & Emily. My time on the train is usually spent being addicted to Real Racing 3 on my iPad. I’ve just bough t a 1972 VW Beetle with my son to restore, which shoul d keep me busy for the next few years.

For all those Boneheads out there that just need to know…!

Bach 50B3 Bass, Bach 42B Tenor, Bach 1½G mp and a Haag Contra in F Keeping your chops in shape?

I generally do a very basic warm up to start the day and then try to do my practice as I am rehearsing with the orchestra. The LSO is usually very busy, so there’s not much time to practice alone. During rehearsals, I am always listening to my playing, not just performing with the orchestra, but trying different things to make my playing better.

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Photography courtesy of Richard Henry

Left to Right - Richard Henry, Tracy Holloway, Andy Harwood-White, Hilary Belsey, George Bartle

Richard II’s Trombone’s Something strange has been happening down at Bankside over the last couple of months. Justice and Mercy, the summer season at Shakespeare’s Globe is in full swing, with sold out audiences braving the elements to get their thespian fix from one of the many plays currently showing. One particular production taking place is Richard II, a play laced with tragedy and humour, written and often performed as part of the Henriad.

Incidental music is used throughout, as is often the case with productions at the Globe, but rather unusually, that music is provided by just five trombonists.

The Globe is well known for its imaginative use of music and combinations of instruments within productions, but this, for the Globe at least, is a brave first.

I’ve worked at The Globe from time to time over the last few years on various productions and tours (and in many bizarre costumes), but it’s usually as part of the education project that takes place at the end of winter. Picture a shivering trombonist wearing an Incredibles spandex onesie, dancing a boxstep in a thick London snowstorm during Romeo and Juliet, you’ve pretty much got me for three weeks of my life in 2013. This however, is my first experience of performing in the main season and although there was still movement to be learnt, cues to be memorised and costumes to be donned, it’s been a whole different experience yet again. Talking with the other musicians, I gather they take it as a huge 28

compliment that this theatre consistently wants them to be as integrated into the plays as much as they possibly can be.

I became involved in this production depping for Tracy Holloway, a member of the original quintet along with other tenor players George Bartle and Hilary Belsey, who also double on sackbuts.

On bass trombone is Andy HarwoodWhite as well as Richard Henry who also takes on the role of Musical Director. Other deps involved are John Higginbotham, Dave Eaglestone, Alastair Warren and Emily White.

The concept of using a trombone quintet for Richard II came from composer, Stephen Warbeck. Richard Henry tells me, “When Stephen first suggested he wanted to use six trombones in the production, I actually asked him if he was joking. I said six trombones?

That’s going to be absolute carnage!”

Despite Richard’s warning however, Stephen almost completely stuck to his plan, only having to downgrade to just five trombones due to unfortunate budget constraints. “He was actually very serious about the plan and of course I thought it was a fantastic idea, naturally, because not only would it make a great sound but managing to work with four other trombonists… great!”

An interesting point to make is how Stephen has at times merged the sound of sackbuts with that of modern trombones that utilise mutes and modern styles.

by Barney Philpott

“The use of five trombones is so right for this kind of play, because the depths of emotions in the trombone mean we can do gentle, angry, sad and even comedy. It’s all there in Stephen’s trombone writing. Normally in most ensembles, the melody is in the flute or trumpet but actually, when given just a trombone to take on those responsibilities… well it really does it, and some.”

The positioning of different combinations of trombones around the theatre; up in the galleries, on the stage, amongst the audience, behind walls, has meant that the trombones are not only diverse in style but also in dynamics and overall atmosphere. Using five of the same instrument is certainly not a limiting factor. If anything it has made the composer and director Simon Godwin think even more creatively about how to get the most out of the group and the music. As Richard says, it’s a massive coup for Shakespeare’s Globe and the trombone world.

The play has been staged not only in the outdoor Globe Theatre but also in the very intimate indoor Sam Wannamaker Playhouse. It would be true to say that you can hear a pin drop in there.

After last night’s show it would also be true to say that you can hear a straight mute being accidentally kicked across a balcony followed by the 340 audience members’ collective laughter. We did say we could do comedy.

TROMBONISTS HANDBOOK Top tips from travelling trombonists.

City/Town: Birmingham introduction:

Places to park:

Birmingham is home to the historic Bull Ring - site of a market for more than 800 years. Within the complex are five retail markets attracting around 20 million customers a year.

SH: Q-Park Brindleyplace: 1 Brunswick Street, Birmingham B1 2JF Open: 24/7.

Gig venues: Symphony Hall (sh) Broad Street, Birmingham, B12 EAB. Hippodrome (BH) The Arcadian Centre, 41 Bromsgrove St, Birmingham, B5 6NU.

BH: APCOA Parking, The Arcadian Centre, 41 Bromsgrove St, Birmingham, B5 6NU. (use your BTS member discount!)

Pre-Pay Theatre Rate £5, After 5pm until 11.30pm.

Restaurants: SH: Celebrity Indian Restaurant, 44 Broad Street, Brindley

Place, Birmingham, B1 2HP. The Brass House, Wagamama, Pizza Express, Piccolino, etc all within close walk across the canal.

BH: Lots of small places to eat in and around the theatre area.

China Town is right next door, and the Bullring with bigger chain restaurants (eg Jamie’s Italian) is just beyond that.

Good pubs: SH: Prince of Wales, 84 Cambridge Street, Birmingham,

B1 2NP Beer recommendations: Traditional cask real ale pub, so all of it is great!

BH: The Wellington, 37 Bennetts Hill, Birmingham, B2 5SN. Beer recommendations: Huge array of well-kept ales, check www.thewellingtonrealale.co.uk for the latest list.

Little known fact:

Birmingham is home to Cadbury’s Chocolate. George and his brother Richard Cadbury moved their successful chocolate manufacturing business from Bull Street, Birmingham to Bournville in 1879.

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autumn 2015 the trombonist

Instrument Review: 4147IB ‘Ian Bousfield’ Custom

by Matthew Knight (2nd Trombone Royal Philharmonic Orchestra)

I ought to begin with a couple of disclaimers: I’m a Conn man through and through. My instruments of choice?

Three beautiful mid-1960s Elkhart 88Hs. So any new trombone has to compete with some pretty hefty pedigree, and 50 years of maturity, although the same can’t be said of their player, unfortunately.

Also, at the moment I mostly play second trombone in a symphony orchestra, alongside chamber music with Septura, so I’m usually slightly sceptical of “named-player” trombone models, which are, for the most part, designed by illustrious first trombonists and soloists, with a slightly different kind of playing in mind.

That said, the Getzen Ian Bousfield model may be the most perfect trombone I have ever played. Just pick it up and you can sense that it is beautifully crafted. And when I put it through its paces in a typically-varied week with the RPO (everything from Beethoven to Barry) I was impressed: the notes slot effortlessly, production is immediate and clear, and the response is

even throughout the whole tonal and dynamic range. Intonation took a little bit of getting used to, but I blame the eccentricities of my own trombones – apart from anything else, I’m used to springs on my slides.

The open-wrap valve is very free, and the incredibly smooth Getzen slide is a dream come true if, like me, you’re used to second-hand instruments, half a century old.

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So will I be rushing out to buy one myself? Well, the short answer is no, not yet. Old Conns have their issues: grainy slides, dodgy high A-flats and Ds, and hard-to-achieve clarity.

But the flip side is an unrivalled warmth and breadth of sound, a sonic character that has come to define British trombone playing. And crucial for me is the resistance: the Getzen is designed to offer slightly more than the very free-blowing trombones that I’m used to, and personally prefer.

Old instruments won’t last for ever though, and so I’m delighted to know that when my Conns are finally knackered there will be such a fantastic modern alternative. If you try the Getzen I can guarantee that you won’t be disappointed by its incredibly high quality, and it may well be a perfect fit for you. But remember, equipment is very personal: even if I dream of being able to play like him, what’s perfect for Ian Bousfield, his embouchure, and the first-trombone and solo playing he does, doesn’t necessarily work for me. And for the peculiar role of second trombone – binding together the sounds either side into a section – and for my, probably equally peculiar, embouchure, I’ll be sticking with the equipment that I’m lucky enough to have already.

reviews ‘Unlocking the Trombone Code’

by Ian Bousfield After the huge success of his online tutorial videos; ‘Unlocking the Trombone Code’, Ian Bousfield has followed up with a book detailing the methods and techniques he now uses and has used to take him to the forefront of trombone playing today. The book includes text, detailing Ian’s preparation for solo recitals and performances, alongside short extracts of exercises and routines designed to help you achieve improvements in all aspects of you trombone playing.

At £19.95, this is an affordable book for players of all levels and is available now from Warwick Music here: www.warwickmusic.com/ Main-Catalogue/CDsBooks/Books/BousfieldUnlocking-The-TromboneCode-BK018

Paradiso e inferno Matthew Gee

Reviewd by Ross Learmonth This summer saw the release of Matthew Gee’s debut album “Paradiso e inferno”, a collaboration with the supremely talented François Killian.

Matthew is one of today’s leading trombone soloists and, in his own words “maintains a strong desire to relinquish trombone playing from its stereotype and illuminate the wider public as to the beauty and terror of this misunderstood instrument” - something I believe is very clear in this album.

“Paradiso e inferno” is expertly programmed, alternating between 20th-century showpieces and 19thcentury songs, with Matthew perfectly

encapsulating all aspects of modern day trombone playing. The 20th-century music showcases his flawless technique and ability to draw phrases from the most angular, aggressive music.

Skip forward a track or two and you will be greeted with some lieder, which further demonstrates Matthew’s lyricism and the beautifully rich, warm sound he can achieve on the instrument.

This album is a true triumph in the never-ending quest to bring the trombone to a wider audience, offering something for everybody and would definitely be a welcome collection to anybody’s record collection.

Back to the Grove The Patrick Hayes Electric Ensemble Reviewed by Jon Stokes Before thinking about this review I had already ordered my copy of ‘Back to the Grove’ from London based trombonist Patrick Hayes. The line up is startling and Patrick’s writing shows them off beautifully. As soon as this album starts you know you’re in for a treat.

It’s retro influences are apparent immediately, with ‘Crackin’ the Whip’ introducing the infectious, precision groove playing, tight horn lines and pristine production that are a key feature on the whole album.

ews i v e r

its craft. This time we hear from Matt Robinson tearing it up on the Rhodes.

The title track, ‘Back to the Grove’, is the first time we hear Patrick’s wonderfully rich sound sailing over the Latin grove that also features the unmistakable Alto Flute of Gareth Lockrane and the effortless mastery of Rueben Fowler on the Flugelhorn, finishing with an Incognito style ending from the clutch of vocalists.

Billy Boothroyd serenades us with his Michael Buble approach on Bruno Martino’s ‘Estate’ after the expensive sound of the strings launches us into this achingly pretty tune.

Pop salsa breaks out in ‘Night in the Gables’ giving Ed Richardson on Drums and Jon Ormston on Timbales a chance to stretch out and show some serious chops. Harriet Sydercombe-Court provides the lead vocal. ‘Safe in Berlin’ takes us on a groove-based journey with some seriously funky playing and more stylish solos from Partick, Rob Luft and the genre spanner, Laurence Ungless on the Bass Guitar.

The final track, ‘Barkham’, is the perfect end to the album, proper feel good pop ala Earth Wind and Fire. Patrick has assembled a band that clearly has a fierce understanding of the style that his tunes demand and they’ve created a wonderful album of instrumental and vocal groove gold.

We are also introduced to some of the expert soloists that make this album stand out, James Gardiner-Bateman on Sax and Rob Luft on the Guitar.

The John Scofield tune ‘You get the Picture’ picks up the pace but still shows off the pleasure this band takes in 31

Photography courtesy of Betina Skovbro

G&T autumn 2015 the trombonist

Matthew Gee from the RPO and Mark Templeton from the LPO share with us their selection of orchestral highlights for the trombone this autumn.

by Matthew Gee & Mark Templeton

Mark and I have some interesting selections this issue. There is literally something for everyone, no matter where you live.

Symphony Hall, Birmingham The CBSO Youth Orchestra tackle Strauss’ epic An Alpine Symphony under the baton of Michael Seal. Enthusiasm is sure to abound through this performance and sure to live long in the memory of all. Sunday 1 November, 7:30pm

Leeds Town Hall The BBCSSO travel south to play two of my favourite works: Strauss’ symphonic poem Don Juan and Dvorák’s Eighth Symphony. Arguably an example of perfect trombone writing!

Saturday 24th October, 7:30pm

Bridgewater Hall, Manchester Sir Mark Elder steers his Hallé orchestra through Mahler’s Sixth Symphony.

This seminal work was written in one of the happiest periods of Mahler’s life, and yet contains a trombone chorale full of foreboding and hammer blows of fate!

Thursday 8 October, 7:30pm.

Thanks Matt. Here are my highlights from the rest of the UK.

Liverpool Philharmonic Hall Mnozil Brass...Zoltan Kiss...we know them, we love them, be prepared to scoop your jaw off the floor!

Saturday 26 September, 7:30pm.

Usher Hall, Edinburgh Royal Concert Hall, Glasgow The season opener from the RSNO is Mahler’s Symphony No. 2. Some of the best trombone writing we have and absolutely world-class singers. Not to be missed, 2nd and 3rd October, 7:30pm The RTÉ also tackle this astonishing work in their National Concert Hall, Friday 16 October, 8:00pm.

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Over to you Mark...

St David’s Hall, Cardiff The BBC National Orchestra of Wales trombone section will have some fun with this one. Elgar’s Cockaigne Overture, Borodin’s Polovtsian Dances, Stravinsky’s Fireworks and Rachmaninov’s gem The Bells all have great moments for the section.

Saturday 3rd October, 7.30pm.

Royal Festival Hall, London The London Philharmonic Orchestra starts the season with Mahler’s Seventh Symphony. Dave Whitehouse will get those legendary fingers out for some epic Euphonium solos in the first movement.

There’s plenty for the rest of the team to do too.

Wednesday 23rd September. 7.30pm Barbican Hall, London Get up close to the Brass section of the London Symphony Orchestra as they perform music arranged and composed for brass ensemble. Program tba.

Thursday 26th November, 7.30pm.

Royal Opera House, London Let yourself be taken on an emotional roller-coaster as the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House and the Royal Ballet perform one of Prokofiev’s most engaging works, Romeo and Juliet.

The hairs on the back of my neck would already be standing on end if I had any.

Shows run from September 19th to December 2nd.

That concludes this season’s G&T. Let us know if you make it to any of these cracking gigs via Twitter or Facebook. We’d love to know what you thought of our choices. Cheers.

Follow Matt by visiting www.matthewgee.info or on Twitter @Geetrombone Follow Mark on Twitter @ mbonetempleton

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t’s a h w on

what’s on :30 11 September 2015 21

12 September 2015

19:15

John Barber solo s with Foden’s Ba nd Great Northern Brass Arts Festival Bridgewater Hall, M anchester

Soul Tubes er Matt & Phred’s, Manchest www.soultubes.com

2 October 2015 10:00 Trombone Mastercla ss with Weston Sprott Royal Academy of Music , London Free, no ticket required. www.ram.ac.uk

19:45 25 September 2015 london brass usic, Sarratt Festival of M e Hertfordshir www.londonbrass.net

4 october 2015

9 October 2015 13:15

2nd national trombone day Leeds. See page 6.

8 October 2015 14:30

Brass open day Royal Academy of Music, London www.ram.ac.uk

septura Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama, Cardiff www.septura.org

14 October 2015 21 :00 bad ass Brass uk tour The Lescar, Sharrow vale Road, Sheffield www.badassbrass.co.u k

15 October 2015 20:00 soul tubes Blues Kitchen, Shoreditch, London www.soultubes.com

17 October 2015 21:30 Bad ass Brass uk tour Matt & Phred’s, Manchester www.badassbrass.co.uk

15 10:30 12 November 20 y Music 13-22 November 2015 Open Public Earl ss Brass Mastercla ing Charles Court, Peacock Room, K enwich, London Trinity Laban, Gre on the door £3 in advance, £5 ac.uk www.trinitylaban.

London Jazz Festival www.efglondonjazzfestival.org.uk

:30 15 November 2015 09 BTS DAY & AGM gh Oundle School, Peterborou .org ety oci nes www.britishtrombo

16 November 2015 20:00 Tom Green Septet St James Studio, Victoria (London Jazz Festival) tomgreenmusic.com

Follow the BTS on Twitter: @britishtrombone and Like us on Facebook to receive regular dates for your diary.

Submit your own events on the BTS website www.britishtrombonesociety.org and they will be included on social media, the BTS website and right here in the magazine.

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autumn 2015 the trombonist

fast talk...

60cond seterview in

What’s your name?

Richard Wigley.

What’s your current job?

I am currently freelancing in London.

What model of trombone(s) do you play?

Rath R1 (made by Mick in 1998) Rath R4-F (~2003) Rath R9D (2013).

What mouthpiece(s) do you play on?

Rath S11 Denis Wick 5AL (given to me by John Iveson when I was at the RNCM) Rath 1 1/2.

What is the best advice you could give someone who is just starting out freelancing?

Don’t be late, and let your playing do the talking.

What was your first pro gig and when?

Well, my first paid gig was a week playing Princess Ida in Sheffield. I got 45 quid. I think I was 13-14.

How old were you when you started playing?

Nine.

Where has been your most favourite place to perform?

I love the Sage in Gateshead. Fantastic concert halls and incredible architecture. The Pyramid stage at Glastonbury was fun too.

What is the best technical advice you could give a student?

Breathe in like it’s your last breath, keep relaxed at all times, and move your chops as little as possible. Whatever you play, always try to make a nice sound.

What are you currently working on work-wise/ repertoire-wise?

I am not an avid ‘practiser’ but when I do, I always try to practise making a nice sound rather than get bogged down with technical stuff.

What was the most amazing gig you’ve ever been involved in?

Multi-instrumentalist Hermeto Pascoal Big Band, live broadcast from the Barbican on BBC Radio 3.

Weird... but amazing.

What’s your favourite colour?

All of them.

What’s your favourite food?

Pretty much everything as I’m a massive foodie, although I am a habitual salad dodger.

What was the last record you bought?

Record? What’s a record?? I downloaded (legally) ‘Snarky Puppy We Like it Here’ a few months ago... Epic!

Give us an interesting fact that people might not know about you…

I like corn-on-the-cob but not sweetcorn.

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