The Trombonist - Spring 2013

Spring 2013 £4.00

Bob Hughes hosts star-studded cast at London’s Academy

Young trombonists in Durham Davur and the Shilkret Trombone Concerto Trombonists in The Salvation Army Stuart Horton’s Desert Island Discs Dirk Amrein, Chris Houlding and Matteo De Luca

Contacts British Trombone Society www.britishtrombonesociety.org Honorary Patron: Gordon Campbell Executive Board President Carol Jarvis president@britishtrombonesociety.org Vice-President Christian Jones vicepresident@britishtrombonesociety.org Past-President Brett Baker 01606 783869 pastpresident@britishtrombonesociety.org Chair Ben Bouzan eastanglia@britishtrombonesociety.org Secretary Geoff Wolmark 01377 202209 1-3 Church Street, Hutton, Driffield, Yorks, YO25 9PR secretary@britishtrombonesociety.org Treasurer David Carnac 07958280089 treasurer@britishtrombonesociety.org Development Officer Stewart Drummond education@britishtrombonesociety.org Staff Membership Manager and Bookkeeper Chris Sowerby 01924 437359 membership@britishtrombonesociety.org 1 Ullswater Road, Dewsbury WF12 7PH, Webmaster Edward Solomon 07903 152148 webmaster@britishtrombonesociety.org Associate Webmaster Mike Saville webmaster2@britishtrombonesociety.org Please submit news items for the website to Geoff Wolmark: news@britishtrombonesociety.org The Trombonist Magazine Editor Dr. Joanna Cambray-Young 07901 733719 editor@britishtrombonesociety.org Magazine Director Brett Baker 01606 783869 pastpresident@britishtrombonesociety.org Publishing and Distribution British Bandsman Advertising Gregan Quick 01933 445474 adverts@britishbandsman.com Design and DTP GK Graphic Design The Trombonist is published quarterly.

Please send material for reviews to Chris Mackey 17 Coombe Road, Gravesend Kent, DA12 5PB mb 07758 451146 reviews@britishtrombonesociety.org Representatives Scotland Chris Stearn 01360 860220 scotland@britishtrombonesociety.org Wales Arlene MacFarlane 07773 290975 wales@britishtrombonesociety.org North East & Yorkshire Simon Mansfield 01484 602401 northeast@britishtrombonesociety.org North West Kerry Baldwin 07920 022395 northwest@britishtrombonesociety.org East Midlands Paul Emmett 07974 137693 eastmidlands@britishtrombonesociety.org West Midlands: Martha-Ann Brookes 0121 444 5655 mb 07966416198 westmidlands@britishtrombonesociety.org Northern Ireland Stephen Cairns 02892 602646 northernireland@britishtrombonesociety.org South Richard Debonnaire 07595 458984 south@britishtrombonesociety.org South West Tony Evans 01752 263069 southwest@britishtrombonesociety.org East Anglia Ben Bouzan 07970 502509 eastanglia@britishtrombonesociety.org Wessex Bruce Harding 01202 880814 wessex@britishtrombonesociety.org Brass Band Paul Woodward 01924 823840 brassband@britishtrombonesociety.org Jazz Jeremy Price jazz@britishtrombonesociety.org Young People James Howard 07906 392992 youngrep@britishtrombonesociety.org

Prelude

Hello!

NEWS

Spring 2013 The Trombonist

Welcome to the first 2013 issue of your favourite trombone magazine.

From the front cover you can see that there was an excellent day of music-making at the Royal College of Music, held last autumn, which was kindly reviewed by Nick Walkley, a professional trumpet/ cornet player and son of celebrated trombonist Stephen Walkley. The day was led by former BTS President Bob Hughes, and featured many prominent players, such as Matthew Gee, Ian Bousfield, Gordon Campbell, Jörgen van Rijen and the Black Dyke Trombone Quartet. The Bob Hughes Bass Trombonist Competition was also held for the first time, with a very high standard of playing; James Buckle just pipped the other contestants to the post to win this prestigious award. Turn to page 8 to find out more about the event.

As usual, we also have reviews of other BTS events from around the country; a budding star of the future, Andrew McCoy; trombone islands discs, with Stuart Horton from Enfield Citadel Band of The Salvation Army and expert tips from Jeremy Price and Tony Howe, who are Professors of Trombone at Birmingham Conservatoire of Music. You can also look forward to hearing Jeremy in action at the BTS Jazz day in April (see page 35 for details). Richard Debonnaire, the London area BTS rep, tells us about trombones in the Salvation Army, whilst former BTS President, Chris Houlding, shares his experiences of Germany with us. Davur Juul Magnussen takes us through his approach to playing Nathaniel Shilkret’s Concerto, and Dirk Amrein, an international soloist from Germany, chats to Peter Chester about his early and current playing.

In the last issue we welcomed Chris Sowerby to the post of BTS Membership Manager and he has been working tirelessly in the background ever since. Carry on reading to find out about a bit more about him and enjoy the rest of the magazine too.

Finally, you will see in the diary (page 35) that there is a massed blow for trombonists of all ages and abilities, in Bristol Cathedral on Tuesday 2 July. This is being led by past BTS President Brett Baker to celebrate his 40th birthday in true trombone style. So why not come along? The aim is to get 1,000 trombone players there - that should blow out the candles on his birthday cake!

Best wishes,

Joanna Cambray-Young Spring 2013 £4.00

Bob Hughes hosts star-studded cast at London’s Academy

Young trombonists in Durham Davur and the Shilkret Trombone Concerto Trombonists in The Salvation Army Stuart Horton’s Desert Island Discs Dirk Amrein, Chris Houlding and Matteo De Luca

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President’s address

Spring 2013 The Trombonist

President’s address Even though it’s already March, may I take this opportunity to wish you all a Happy New Year!

2012 was a great year for the British Trombone Society and this year is already shaping up to be a good one too.

I would like to start by urging you all to make sure that the BTS has your current email address on its records, as an online survey will be circulated to our members with email addresses very soon. This is your chance to get involved and let us know what you want from your society. There is a great incentive to take part in the survey too, as you will be automatically entered into a free prize draw! The BTS can only improve if we know what you want, so please let us know your current email address, by emailing us at membership@ britishtrombonesociety.org and keep an eye out for the survey coming your way very soon.

We have a lot of regional event dates being confirmed at the moment, but two events worthy of a mention include our East Yorkshire BTS Day, at which we are extremely pleased to have the Opera North trombone section, in collaboration with jazz trombonist Kevin Holborough, running an exciting day on Sunday 14 April in Beverley. A fortnight later, on Sunday 28 April, we have the first ever BTS Jazz Day at the Royal Northern College of Music. Guest stars will include Jeremy Price and Jiggs Whigham, with classes, workshops and the final of the Jazz Competition. Do come along and learn more about the art of playing jazz on the trombone and hear these stunning international trombonists in action. We are also hoping that the event will extend into the evening, venue permitting, to a jazz club.

Our Webmaster Ed Solomon has been extremely busy upgrading the BTS website to keep it up-to-date and make it responsive to all devices you choose to view it on. Many improvements are being made, including a more interactive calendar that can even be added to your smart phone with one click! Do go and check it out and don’t forget that if you have your own trombone gigs that you would like to promote and advertise for free, you can submit them on the BTS website at www.britishtrombonesociety. org and it will be added to the calendar of events, the BTS magazine, and even end up on people’s phones!

We are putting the final touches to our new and bigger list of member benefits and discounts, so keep an eye out for all this information. The next edition of The Trombonist is already looking to be a fabulous one, with guest editor Ian Bousfield, and will include some wonderful articles by some of the most prominent trombonists in the world today.

If you know trombonists or trombone enthusiasts who aren’t members of the BTS, then they will definitely be missing out on some great offers and a magazine that is going from strength to strength!

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Spring 2013 The Trombonist

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Bare Bones

Spring 2013 The Trombonist

Young bass trombonist triumphs in BBC competition Bass trombonist Josiah Walters, aged 20, was crowned the BBC Radio 2 Young Brass Award winner for 2013 in January this year. For the second time, the BBC nominated winners in three different categories, with the trio competing against each other at the RNCM in Manchester as the finale to the Festival of Brass weekend.

Josiah’s performance of Paul Lovatt-Cooper’s Song for the Skies and the soloist’s own arrangement of Chris Brubeck’s James Brown in the Twilight convinced judges Richard Evans, Hallé Orchestra tubist Ewan Easton, composer Simon Dobson and British Bandsman Editor Kenneth Crookston, that he should follow in the footsteps of some illustrious predecessors and take the title.

Fellow competitors Thomas Fountain (who played both cornet and flugel horn) and Youth Brass 2000, conducted by Chris Jeans, were the other performers in a final notable for the high standard of performance.

Further success for Peter Moore

Congratulations to 17 year-old Peter Moore, who recently won the Royal Overseas League Wind Final and who will go on to compete against all other categories in the Grand Final on 3 June. Special mention must also go to bass trombonist Simon Minshall, who won the Philip Jones Memorial Award that evening for an outstanding performance. All of us at the BTS wish Peter the very best of luck in the final.

Death of Glenn Miller veteran

Paul Tanner, a trombonist with the Glenn Miller Orchestra who became a prominent jazz educator at UCLA and created an unusual electronic musical instrument heard on the Beach Boys’ classic 1966 hit Good Vibrations, has died at the age of 95. He died of pneumonia at an assisted-living facility near his home in Carlsbad, California. The last-surviving member of the Miller ensemble, he also taught jazz at UCLA and recorded with several Hollywood orchestras over a long career. However, he remained best known for his work with the Californian rock band.

Although many assumed the eerie whistling tones on Good Vibrations were produced by a theremin - the electronic musical instrument played by waving your hands around two antennae - Tanner was actually using an instrument of his own design called the electro-theremin. Easier to use than its Russian counterpart, Tanner’s instrument was played by moving a slider up and down a diagram representing a traditional piano keyboard - similar to the Stylophone, which became popular in the 1960s. Tanner, who had his design built by inventor Bob Whitsell, also played the instrument on other Beach Boys songs including Wild Honey and I Just Wasn’t Made For These Times. Of the recording sessions, he said: “They were usually very late at night, very long, and very well paid!”

Born in Skunk Hollow, Kentucky, in 1917, he was an accomplished musician who studied piano before taking up trombone at the age of 13. As well as his work with the Glenn Miller Orchestra, with which he toured from 1938-1942, he was a symphonic player for conductors such as André Previn and Leopold Stokowski. His music classes in California’s UCLA were unsurprisingly popular. The Los Angeles Times reported in 1979 that he had taught 65,000 students in 15 years and maintained a ‘continuous waiting list’. He recorded a solo album, Music for Heavenly Bodies, with his electro-theremin and provided sound effects for several interstellar TV series including Lost In Space and My Favourite Martian. He considered the instrument a ‘toy’, though, and had sold it to a hospital to use in hearing tests by the late 1960s.

Pen Portrait

Chris Sowerby - Membership Manager

Chris Sowerby hails from Dewsbury in West Yorkshire, where he first studied piano under the late Miss Nellie Knowles and continued his interest in music while studying electrical engineering at the University of Bradford. There was a rather fine electronic classical organ in the main hall there and Chris could be found ‘unofficially’ accompanying Student Union filmshows!

Work-wise, Chris specialised in industrial lighting as a lighting engineer for Holophane Europe Ltd., one of the oldest established lighting manufacturers in the world, and is responsible for many prestigious lighting projects, providing solutions for such clients as Network Rail, British Aerospace and Rolls Royce.

Music has always played a part in Chris’ life, as a pianist and as a singer with a local Gilbert and Sullivan Society, playing such parts as the title role in The Mikado, Sir Roderick Murgatroyd in Ruddigore and the Pirate King and Sergeant of Police in the Pirates of Penzance, though not all at the same time!

Chris is relatively new to the trombone, having taken up the instrument a few years ago as a result of a generous 50th birthday present and currently studies under Les Heppleston of Wakefield, playing 2nd chair in Les’ brass band, Phoenix Band Wakefield and also with Gawthorpe Brass 85.

As Membership Manager, Chris aims to continue the work set out by Lisa Penn, being of the opinion that if something isn’t broken then it doesn’t need fixing. A streamlining of the membership numbers is, however, on the cards, partly as a means of simplifying the way in which members are recognised and accounted for, some currently having up to three IDs, and also to line up with a discount structure being negotiated between the Society and several outlets within the music industry. Chris may be contacted on 01924 437359 or by email at membership@britishtrombonesociety.org

Josiah Walters (centre) with Simone Rebello and Frank Renton

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Spring 2013 The Trombonist

Slides

British Trombone Society Day, Ro

Bob Hughes conducting the massed trombone choir

Report by Nick Walkley Forgive if you will this slight intrusion to your magazine. As a trumpet player, despite being the son of a trombonist, I can’t confess I’ve ever had the urge to attend a trombone conference before.

However, as it seems every literate trombonist was either too busily involved in the event or too frantically stocking up on Slide-o-Mix from the trade stands, the task of reporting this event has fallen to me - and how blessed I was in this duty!

Whilst attentively listening to my third or fourth compelling trombone performance, it turns out there was little feeling that this was ever going to feel like a long day, much rather the opposite, despite the packed schedule.

Following a mass warm up in Duke’s Hall, the proceedings kicked off with the inaugural Bob Hughes Bass Trombone competition, held in the Henry Wood Room, tightly contested against a slightly distracting background of London traffic noise and enthusiastic practising piano students in adjacent rooms. Despite this, the trio of Simon Minshall (RAM), Josh Cirtina (RNCM Junior) and James Buckle (RAM) each delivered highly committed performances to an adjudication panel of Dick Tyack (formerly of Covent Garden), Lyndon Meredith (LPO) and Christian Jones (Opera North). By their verdict, the general standard of solo ability was declared ‘staggering’ for such an untraditional solo instrument. The deserving winner was James Buckle, with charismatic performances of the set test, the first movement from Sonata for Bass Trombone

by Timothy Bowers, and Eugene Bozza’s New Orleans, the latter being performed from memory with a confidence and an easy-going persona that warmed him to the packed room, to a standard that would have been worthy of a spot on the day’s

main stage.

Running simultaneously with the competition was an orchestral workshop led by Mark Templeton and Pat Jackman.

Working with students they presented a potted history of orchestral trombone music from Mozart (on sackbuts) to Mahler (on modern instruments), exhibiting an impressive range of versatility and skill.

The final feature of the morning was a recital from Matthew Gee (principal RPO) entitled Conquests. He chose to feature works by Folke Rabe, Oliver Rudland and Daniel Schnyder, in an adventurous programme which included handouts of a sample score and CD for the Rudland work, in an unashamed plug to bring new repertoire to the fore - and why not? It was delivered with assured confidence, with warmth and a touch of flamboyance to sign off.

After a short lunch break, the Royal Academy’s own trombone choir provided a superbly sonorous and rhythmical rendition of Gordon Jacob’s Octet, which provided the ‘overture’ for Ian Bousfield’s early afternoon recital. Having recently departed the orchestral scene, Ian admitted that for the first time in 30 years he has all the time he needs to commit to new challenges, with more practice time now devoted to solo repertoire and performance. The first of these challenges was Gunnar de Frumerie’s Trombone Sonata, adapted from the original for cello. This tested the lyrical qualities of the instrument as well as the extreme high register, which Ian typically delivered with equal tone quality and projection throughout the entire range. He was able to find a cellist-like approach to phrasing and articulation, in direct contrast to the following contemporary composition from Rene Staar called Panic and Irony where the trombone was treated more like itself. Leading straight into Pierrot’s Dance

from Die Tote Stadt, by Erich Korngold, provided a juxtaposition of modern pyrotechnics and effects against good old heart-filled melody, the latter performance really setting this artist apart from the ordinary.

But what more conventional Bousfield way to finish than with ‘a bit of Bluebells’?

Well, actually he confessed to have being banned from that particular piece, not that it stopped him getting a quick phrase in as part of his introduction to another one of Pryor’s party pieces. Annie Laurie was the substitute, executed with trademark virtuosity and panache.

Next up in Duke’s Hall was Gordon Campbell’s contribution as the jazz representative, and he chose to give an interesting lecture on styles of vibrato.

It was a chance also to sample Gordon’s ever expanding record collection, as he enthusiastically chatted about and demonstrated the finer details of his personal heroes over short prepared clips of each, from Dorsey to Urbie Green.

If anyone was expecting a stereotypical brass band vibrato from the Black Dyke Trombone Quartet then they would have been disappointed. Instead they were provided with a dazzling display of technique and clinical ensemble in a light and cheerful programme. In his opening introduction, quartet leader Brett Baker confessed the more edgy and direct approach of the modern brass band trombonist might have worried Academy staff into having to reinforce the chandeliers. Brett needn’t worry as I’ve already had a good go at breaking them myself in my recent and early days as a trumpet student here, before being persuaded to adapt to the more conventional orchestral style!

A personal highlight of the day was Jörgen Van Rijen’s early evening recital, which

Slides

Spring 2013 The Trombonist

oyal Academy of Music, London

Contestants and judges of the Bob Hughes Bass Trombone Competition pictures: Benjamin Harte began with a perfectly crafted performance of the Albrechtsberger Concerto for Alto Sackbut, alongside the RAM Junior String Orchestra. In contrast, following this was a moving if not intriguing performance of Jacob ter Veldhuis‘ composition entitled I was like… wow. For accompaniment, the string orchestra was replaced with a laptop linked to a TV screen, from which was playing documentary video footage of an incident involving US soldiers during the Iraq war. As Jörgen explained in his introduction, the title comes from a quotation of a soldier in the film who is describing his experience of surviving a huge IED explosion, a very different

perception of the word ‘wow’ to what might initially be thought. The soloist’s contribution (enhanced by live electronic sound processing with a delay effect) was to add musical expression to the ideas of the film, sometimes portraying the excitement and drama of young men fighting a war together. It also enhanced poignant moments, for example, where Jörgen van Rijen’s trombone wailed a haunting melody over a young solider recounting a near death experience: “I said a lot of things I thought would be my last words… and they turned out not to be,” he said between eerie reflective phrases.

This was a powerful and thought-

Jörgen Van Rijen performing with members of the RAM Junior String Orchestra

provoking way to end an intense but rewarding day. If all aspects of trombone playing could possibly be summed up in a single-day event, then Bob Hughes and his team have had a pretty good go. It is rare, even at the Royal Academy, to witness performances of such high distinction and quality in such quick succession. The enthusiasm and motivation for playing the trombone ran on into another mass blow which extended past the allocated hall booking, much to the annoyance of a waiting orchestra and despite the temptation of the Academy bar opening up downstairs!

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Spring 2013 The Trombonist

Slides

Spring 2013 The Trombonist

Oundle BTS Trombone Day

Ben Bouzan reports 2 October 2012 saw the eighth annual East Anglia Trombone Day take place in the Great Hall of Oundle School, and what fantastic weather we had yet again!

Paul Fisher very kindly agreed to take the youngsters’ massed blow while the AGM and passing over of Presidency from Brett Baker to Carol Jarvis was being held upstairs. Eye of the Tiger was definitely a wake-up call for 10.00am!

Duncan Wilson was next up to conduct the full massed blow. He had specially arranged five pieces for us all to play through: three Bach Chorales, Gounod’s Funeral March of a Marionette, Berlioz’s March to the Scaffold, the traditional Welsh tune All through the Night and finally a renamed piece from Pierrot’s Dance, Entry of the Trombone-iators (Gladiators). A glorious sounding, 40-strong Trombone Choir!

All throughout the day we had Will Watson of Prozone Music and Chris Fower and Becca Pope of Warwick Music set up with all their products for everybody to look at, try and buy. We are extremely grateful and thankful that they take the time to bring their business to this and other BTS Days.

After lunch, we had a fantastic mixed session of masterclass, performing and improvisation workshops. Christian Jones started off by working with 15 year-old bass trombonist Katy Surridge. Then followed a performance of Satin Doll and Whoopin’ Blues by nine year-old Thomas Wiggins (his parents had VERY kindly driven him all the way from Germany!) and this then led into an improvisation workshop with Nat Witts. Nat took part in the very first Oundle BTS day back in 2005, as part of the performance that day by the National Youth Jazz Orchestra Trombone Section. Great to have had her back!

The day finished with a spectacular performance from Lee Hallam and The Steel City Bones, a Jazz Trombone and rhythm group. The group was made up of trombonists Lee Hallam, Brian Archer, Stuart Garside, Matthew Ball and David Pearce; Andy Dressler on piano, Derrick Harris on guitar, Adrian Knowles on bass and George Double on drums. It was a spectacular performance and a fantastic finish to a fantastic day.

My thanks go to everyone who was there, in whatever capacity. You all make the day what it is!

Porthywaen BTS Day Gareth Johnson reports The autumn season of BTS events kicked off in fine style at Porthywaen Silver Band Hall, on the Shropshire-Welsh Border. The wonderful facilities available made this a very special day and drew players and delegates from far and wide. Brett Baker started the day with a massed blow, which was also a first rehearsal for the evening concert, including Procession of the Nobles, Franner Otter’s Octet 1 and The Simpsons.

Brett’s masterclass followed, which generated a real energy throughout players and spectators alike. His demonstration of Baroque repertoire, accompanied by Ruth Webb on piano, was stylishly performed and professionally conveyed to a very appreciative audience.

Danny Brookes and Stephen Lomas, principal and bass trombone of Leyland Band respectively, were next up. Both Danny and Stephen had played the night before in Preston as part of the Preston Guild celebrations, marching with Leyland Band until after midnight.

Their enthusiasm was first class and duet playing of the highest standard wowed us all. It was rounded off with a brilliant performance of Charles Small’s Conversation.

At lunchtime, sausage, bacon and egg butties were in great demand, and plentiful, as more players started to arrive.

First to play after lunch was Ryan Watkins,

RNCM student, and principal trombone of the National Youth Brass Band of Great Britain (NYBBGB). Ryan played Sandstrom’s Sang til Lotta and Sonata for Trombone and Piano by Sulek with style and panache.

Ruth and Ryan really connected and gave a great performance. Ruth was then joined by fellow NYBBGB trombonist Ross Johnson, who played Softly Awakes My Heart. Again the connection was magical and the music was stunning.

The Black Dyke Trombone Quartet was next on stage. A mixture of senior and youth amalgamated for the first time, with Brett Baker and Garry Reed from the senior ranks joined by Adam Reed and Ross Johnson from the band’s Youth Quartet.

Anticipation was high, excellence expected and we were not disappointed, particularly with the splendid playing in Red Shield March. The Quartet was then joined by Ryan Watkins, Osian Davies, Simon Holland and Erika Canty and performed as an octet, playing a selection of hymns, Scarborough Fair and The Simpsons.

Stephen Sykes, Tredegar’s principal trombone, joined bass trombonist Jonathan Warburton in performing duets written for Jonathan. These were expertly performed by players at the top of their game and we were also entertained by the gentle banter from both players.

The afternoon was rounded off with the final massed blow and a rehearsal for the

evening concert.

Porthywaen Silver Band was in fine form under the baton of Mark Parry and a packed audience had a real treat in store. The Black Dyke Quartet played Mr Sandman, Gospel Time and the last movement of Philip Sparke’s Tokyo Triptich with an excellence that Black Dyke commands. Ryan Watkins, principal of Brighouse and Rastrick Band, gave the première of Equinox by Andrew Stevenson with Porthywaen Silver Band, this being his first guest solo appearance and certainly not likely to be his last. Stephen Sykes’ rendition of Stardust with Porthywaen Silver Band was amazing. Jonathan Warburton’s Rainy Day in Rio, Introduction and Burlesque, finishing with Mr. Nice Guy, gave the bass trombone a real feature and was much appreciated by the audience. The BTS Choir gave a wonderful performance of Octet 1 by Franner Otter, with Porthywaen’s Alan Metcalfe playing the solo part in front of his home crowd.

The occasion proved to be a great send off for the retiring President of the British Trombone Society, Brett Baker, and he stunned the audience with Leona, Mr. Bojangles and You Only Live Twice, which brought the house down.

A big thanks to everyone who took part, especially Ruth Webb - a wonderful pianist!

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Historical Feature

Spring 2013 The Trombonist

Fond Memories of the Tromtones by Donald Gibson

As a former Brighouse and Rastrick trombonist, RAF bandsman and brass teacher, I was experimenting to explore which trombone music was most suitable for an average audience. Over time, I came to the conclusion that although the trombone is a versatile brass instrument, in order to captivate and engage an audience we needed a front man. This person needed to be a first-class trombonist, talented in presentation, able to make an audience laugh and equipped to sing and to captivate an audience. A gentleman called Donald Hawkridge, who had played with me in Crossley Carpet Works Band, fitted the bill.

Strange as it may seem, as an arranger I first tried out this idea at a full brass band concert in a park in Morecombe. With just four trombones and percussion, the group played my arrangement of Whistling Rufus, getting the audience clapping to the rhythm.

Some couples got up and danced in the isles and the audience appreciation was tremendous. With that experience I realised that my idea had potential, so I began to take things more seriously and knuckled down to arrange a suitable programme for a club audience. With hard work, careful planning and me doing the arrangements, we went to audition in one of the local pubs and from that we were attracted to an agent who signed us up for a number of engagements and in effect the Tromtones were born.

The line-up was first trombone Grenville Richmond, former solo trombonist of Black Dyke Mills Band, myself as musical arranger and 2nd trombone, Donald Hawkridge - presenter and singer on 3rd trombone, and Stuart Wilson laying the foundation on bass trombone. The quartet had to rely on the clubs’ backing groups for accompaniment. There were no rehearsals, unlike today, where the backing music is pre-recorded with superb orchestral sound, perhaps giving a misleading impression to the audience.

Around 1967, there was a popular TV programme called Opportunity Knocks, presented by Hughie Green, a well-known celebrity. The Tromtones entered the audition and we were chosen to appear on the show. We were given six minutes on the air and the pieces we played were I’ll Never Smile Again, followed by What a Day For a Daydream (it turned out to be a dream come true).

Bob Sharples and his Orchestra backed the Tromtones and on the night we came out at the top of the audience ‘clapometer’, which in those days was a huge dialled clock that recorded the volume of sound. We had won! Stars were born! At the next engagement we

got a standing ovation before even playing a note!

By this time I was starting to show signs of age and not wanting this to be the case, being the eldest member of the group, I enlisted my wife Audrey to dye my hair black. That evening, whilst taking a bow at the end of the first session, Grenville whispered, “Don, the dye’s running.” I could feel something dripping down my forehead and put my hand on my forehead, to find it was just perspiration. Happy days!

One of the outstanding numbers performed in the clubs was a popular piece called Inn of the Sixth Happiness, taken from a famous film of the day. As a warm-up before playing the piece, the following was explained to the audience (this is a true story!): Gladys Aylward became a missionary in China during the tumultuous years leading up to World War II. China was invaded

by Japan in 1937, which meant that Gladys was left to look after 50 orphans, which later became 100 stranded children. She led the children across the mountains, eventually arriving safely, and to keep their spirits up they sang This Old Man as they marched into town. The tune was also known as Knick Knack Paddy Whack. In our arrangement the percussion and bass trombone started (ppp), in the distance, to a march tempo. Once the march tempo had been set, the muted lead trombonist entered quietly with the melody, followed by the others until they reached a rousing climax as they all reached safety! Audiences were often moved and elated and so this became a standard piece in the Tromtone repertoire.

Following the TV show the engagements rolled in. The Tromtones were invited to appear at the famous Batley Variety Club, where at that time such celebrities as Louis Armstrong, Shirley Bassey, Gracie Fields and Frankie Vaughn also performed.

The group was very popular, but as time rolled by the players in the group were finding it stressful, as they all also had responsible day jobs. In the end we had to decide whether or not to go professional, taking the risk of their popularity continuing or calling it a day whilst still in the limelight. After much discussion we reached the decision that it was too risky to continue, so we finished our bookings and went our separate ways.

I now have grey hair (again) and am still playing the trombone in my 80s!

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Spring 2013 The Trombonist

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Spring 2013 The Trombonist

15

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Spring 2013 The Trombonist

Education Feature

Catch them young Peter Chester meets some young trombone players in County Durham Most of my playing has been in my native North East of England and I have had the pleasure of performing with numerous trombonists from the major fields of orchestras, big bands and brass bands that flourish in our corner of the world. Several of my musical friends are teachers of our favourite instrument, and that’s how I found myself on a beautiful autumnal morning entering another trombone world - a primary school.

I was at Sedgefield Primary School at the invitation of trombonist Carolyn Norris, the Deputy Head of Durham Music Service, with the kind permission of the Headteacher Andrea Cox. Carolyn is herself a busy peripatetic teacher and she had invited me to see one of her pet projects in action. The school prides itself on having one of the most established provisions of brass playing in the county and, as I was told very firmly by one of the pupils Cameron - “It’s great - most schools don’t do this, you know!”

I was there to see the ‘mini trombones’.

As I arrived at break time, when the ‘minitroms’ were gathering, I was soon aware that several small trombone cases and their owners were accompanying, if not actually sweeping, me and my own instruments down the corridor. “Don’t run!’’ was the inevitable call down the

corridor, but their enthusiasm was difficult to curb and once out in the playground, across to the music room, there was no stopping them - all were evidently rather keen.

The school had thoughtfully provided a separate classroom - a permanent mobile, which has the clear advantage of being out of earshot - important for keeping the peace with the neighbouring classes, but certainly not the ‘cupboard down the corridor’ that sometimes is the reality of teaching space for visiting music teachers.

Once inside, I was confronted by 16 little chairs in a semi-circle, soon to be occupied by 16 small people with their E-flat alto trombones ready to play. Not all perhaps as delicately handled as we might wish, but nonetheless ready. Use of the small trombone is, of course, the key here to the success of this project. At this beginner stage, what is important is familiarity with the instrument and the niceties of small arms reaching positions 5/6/7 on a full size tenor, or the joys of reading alto clef, are not what are needed. The instruments were actually Roy Benson alto trombones, purchased with a DfE grant, to support a Wider Opportunities programme that has been running in the school since 2007.

In the school all children in this Y4 class get a chance to play the instrument, to learn how to produce notes and the basic ideas of slide positions, to enable them to be

Durham County Youth Orchestra’s low brass section

able to play a scale and some simple pieces.

This taster is intended to help them make an informed decision about whether or not they wish have lessons and hopefully progress sufficiently to join a school or county band or orchestra. From the 20102011 class, 14 youngsters continued to play, but Carolyn has since told me that 22 children from a class of 31 have continued with a variety of brass instruments, which is most satisfying.

However, back to my visit. FUN is the name of the game, so we started with buzzing (of course) but buzzing as ‘aeroplanes’ or ‘rough seas’. All buzz together now…

Then stand up - “good musicians listen” - and a moment for a keen one to play something she had practised the evening before; not backward in coming forward these children. Then onto the prepared pieces - a concert for the whole school and any spare Mams ‘n’ Dads was looming that week. The Charanga computer programme, useable with a whiteboard or laptop, provided the backing and so away they went with CeeDee Blues - slides pumping away, some cheeks bulging, all playing with gusto, but a chance to impart some serious musicianship as well. The group now had an audience - me - so they could think about performance, being ready, and listening, to make the best and most in tune sound they could.

As for me, I thoroughly enjoyed it and it was very encouraging to think of such activities taking place. The production of my orange pBone brought excited cries of - “I’d like one for my birthday!” After our photograph session, before their dash off to lunch, I managed to ask a question along the lines of ‘what do you think about playing the trombone’? Among the “brilliant”, “excellent”, “it’s fun”, “it’s really easy”, “one of the best instruments”, we did get a Kate who “definitely wanted to carry on” and a Sophie who said “when I get older I want to be a professional”. I have since learned that Sophie has indeed opted to continue with the trombone, so who knows?

Sophie may very well follow in the footsteps of another County Durham young lady I met at another event, in March 2012. I wanted to follow-up the primary school experience a little, to see where it might lead and so was I invited to attend the Durham County Youth Orchestra’s annual orchestral weekend.

There, who should I meet but Hayley O’Connelley. Hayley perhaps needs no introduction to BTS members, as in

Education Feature

g…

Spring 2013 The Trombonist

Carolyn Norris with the young trombonists of Sedgefield Primary School

October 2008, at the tender age of 13, she won the British Trombone Society Young Trombonist of the Year competition. At that time she was taught by experienced local teacher Keith Norris. Today, she leads the DCYO’s trombone section, fitting that into a very busy life of completing AS levels on her way to veterinary college, playing in the National Youth Brass Band, the Reg Vardy Band, taking the odd lesson from Brett Baker and going to as many BTS events as possible! Having the support of a trombone-playing dad also helps…

Two other members of the section, Francesca Rigg and Lewis Wilkinson (bass), attend the same school as Hayley - Durham Johnston - where they are taught by Peter Wilkie, another prominent North East player. Both are currently working their way through grade examinations, and at the time of writing, Lewis was about to join Fishburn Band. Another of Peter Wilkie’s pupils, Hugh Morris, from Framwellgate School Durham makes up the section. Although quite at home in the orchestra, as they all were, Hugh has an extra interest playing bass trombone in Jambone, a regional youth jazz ensemble led by Andy Sheppard, at the Sage Gateshead. Mention should also be made of Tom Hobbs, DCYO’s promising tuba player. Tom survived a particularly challenging day when I was there, not only having to support four excellent trombone players, but also be under the close scrutiny of course leader and conductor Robert Pearson, his very own tuba-playing

teacher. No room for errors then!

Actually, as a visitor I must say I was made most welcome by these promising young musicians and soon found myself joining in and trying hard to keep up. A wide repertoire had been selected, which included Elgar’s Pomp and Circumstance March No.4, Copland’s Fanfare for the Common Man and the Hoedown from Rodeo, Berlioz’ March to Scaffold, as well as Sir Henry Wood’s Fantasia on British Sea Songs. Such pieces gave them lots to do and their playing was particularly enjoyable to listen to, especially the solo and ensemble passages they delivered in the Sea Songs.

For someone who has not been in contact with music in schools for several years, my visit to the course was an enlightening and rewarding experience. It was heartening to see the talent there and set my earlier visit to the primary school in a broader context. Here were young people willing to tell me about the wind bands, big bands and brass bands they were in alongside the DCYO and it was encouraging to see that there were youngsters coming through to participate in the musical life of the region.

No doubt brass teachers from many other parts of the UK have their success stories, and I trust BTS members will be pleased to learn about them. Let us know what is going on in your area. The latest BTS project to put more trombones into schools can only be to the benefit of youngsters and music making in general. Certainly the young people I met in County Durham

were a credit to themselves, their teachers and their families, but what came across most of all was the sheer fun they had in playing, which is, after all, why most of us do it. I am told that alongside the minitrombones, mini-tubas are on the horizon for County Durham - where will it end?

As a ‘last chorus’ from the North East, so that the grown-ups are not left out, readers of The Trombonist might be pleased to know that, in December 2011, a group of adult trombone players got together to play, four of whom are amongst the teaching staff of Durham Music Service and now around a dozen devotees meet regularly each month in Darlington. All playing backgrounds are there and new members will be welcome.

Their first ‘gig’ at the Darlington Jazz Festival in April 2012 went well, surviving the gentle scepticism of some, to show that ten trombones can make one of the most glorious sounds in music, but then we trombonists knew that, didn’t we?

Coda: January 2013: Trombonists and many other musicians across the North East were saddened to learn of the death, after a short illness, of Ray Chester. Ray had been an eminent teacher, arranger and band leader for many years, and was no mean soloist, fronting his band in true Tommy Dorsey style. A member of BTS and passionate about the trombone, his reputation and friendships in music spread far beyond his native North East and he will be sorely missed.

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Spring 2013 The Trombonist

Orchestral Feature

Dávur Juul Magnussen performed this concerto with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra in December 2010. This guide, written by the soloist, reviews much a lot of the preparatory work Dávur did for that performance and covers the aspects that he feels are important for performing the work.

A Guide to the Nathaniel Shilkret Trombone Concerto Introduction The trombone is normally not considered a soloistic instrument and its repertoire is thought of as limited. There is, however, a good deal of forgotten music out there, spanning the period from 18th century to the present day, and the reason why it is forgotten is not necessarily because it was bad. One of these curious pieces is the Trombone Concerto by Nathaniel Shilkret, who was one of the leading composers and conductors working in popular recorded music, in Hollywood and New York in 1930s and ‘40s.

History Nathaniel Shilkret wrote his trombone concerto in 1942. It followed a request from the famous trombone soloist Tommy Dorsey, who was probably looking for a piece to compete with the likes of Rhapsody in Blue by George Gershwin and, perhaps, Contrasts by Bèla Bartók.

This piece stands out in both Shilkret’s and Dorsey’s repertoire. Shilkret and Tommy Dorsey were well acquainted, as Tommy was an RCA recording artist and a regular guest in the studios, both as soloist and collaborator with other artists.

For the première, on 14 February 1945, RCA Victor engaged another of its artists, none other than Leopold Stokowski, to conduct, and the New York Philharmonic to accompany (not the same as today’s New York Philharmonic, but a session orchestra that did a lot of studio

recordings). Stokowski liked the piece a lot and wanted to record it with Tommy Dorsey, but shortly after the première Tommy Dorsey changed management and record label to Decca. He was thus not able to work with RCA Victor anymore and his association with Nathaniel Shilkret and Leopold Stokowski diminished.

Stokowski later did get his recording, with a trombonist named Hoyt Bohannen, but this was nowhere near as successful as the première had been. In fact, during that first performance Stokowski had to turn around and discipline the audience for their raucous cheering and applauding between movements - a testament to Tommy Dorsey’s popularity. Even so, because of his move to Decca, Tommy Dorsey never again performed the piece in its original setting and it slipped out of the repertoire.

During this time there were two streams in jazz, an unfortunate result of the social circumstances in early 20th century America. Even if jazz musicians often collaborated across racial divides, in the public eye jazz was very much split up into black and white musicians. White jazz musicians were seen to provide a sanitised version of jazz music, which the white middle class could tolerate. This, combined with the often classical tuition of the white jazz musicians, resulted in a straighter and generally cleaner style. This very much characterised Tommy Dorsey’s style, and this is where Tommy fits into jazz history.

It can also partly explain why Tommy and some of his other contemporaries wanted a ‘classical’ concerto, as he could probably hope to appeal to a new audience of listeners who had perhaps listened to orchestral music before.

Analysis The concerto is a piece of ‘crossover’ music, which means that it mixes the elements from jazz and classical orchestral music. This is a genre that proved popular with a several artists of the day. Other examples include Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue (1924), Stravinsky’s Ebony Concerto (1945), written for Woody Hermann, and Bernstein’s Prelude, Fugue and Riffs (1955) for Benny Goodman. The concerto is in three movements, like a classical concerto, and the general form of the movements is also according to classical principles.

The first movement is marked Moderato maestoso and is the most comprehensive of the three movements, starting out as a sonata form, with clear main and secondary themes. Melodic material from these two themes is developed within the movement, but there is also a lot of seemingly unrelated thematic material, and also a fugato section, which stands out from the texture. The first few bars bring to mind the opening credits of a movie, which is understandable given Shilkret’s previous experience. This movement is highly lyrical and the scoring is lush. The two themes are recapitulated, separated

Orchestral Feature by the fugato section and the cadenza.

The form is certainly reminiscent of sonata form, but only in its overall structure. The conventional middle section, where the themes are developed, is missing. Instead we have little morsels of lyrical phrases.

It is clearly written to suit Tommy Dorsey, instead of being an exercise in sonata form. The two themes from the first movement are very lyrical and are clearly tailored for Tommy Dorsey’s trademark long phrasing.

Shilkret wrote a highly curious cadenza for the first movement, but Tommy Dorsey did not play it in his première recording.

It contains multiphonics, which is when the performer simultaneously plays one note and sings another. This technique was well known much further back in music history than one would expect, and brass instrumentalists during the Baroque period are known to have utilised this technique.

However, it did not appear in writing for the trombone until more recent times.

Tommy Dorsey and his contemporaries could also do multiphonics, but it is just not something they would do on stage.

It was reserved as a curiosity for the band room and it suggests a lot about the sound aesthetics of the time. The sound coming from multiphonics is slightly rough around the edges and I suspect that is why they would not do it on stage.

Tommy Dorsey’s sound ideal was the exact opposite of ‘rough around the edges’.

In my performance, I chose to play the original cadenza, as I think it is great.

The novel effect from the multiphonics is very effective and in the original cadenza the concert master joins the soloist in a charming little duet towards the end. It is, however, also possible to extemporize in this cadenza. It is something I plan to try out the next time I play it.

The second movement is marked Andante piu mosso. In the context of a classical concerto, one would expect this movement to be like a ballade and this description fits. The trombone’s first entrance is marked Blues and the thematic material is scattered with blue notes. It starts with an orchestral theme, which is never played by the trombone, but appears to be the tune that the trombone’s solo theme is based upon. The solo theme reappears four times with different variations, in different keys and with different orchestral accompaniment, all very lyrical and bearing evidence of the Negro spiritual tradition.

This was in fact something that Shilkret often incorporated into his music - a very simple blues melody, but harmonically advanced.

The third movement is marked Allegro, at a bright boogie woogie tempo. This is clearly the virtuoso movement with two very different themes, separated by virtuosic technical passages. The main theme is strictly ‘boogie woogie’ and

in a major key, while the second theme is much more lyrical, in a minor key, and reminiscent of the two preceding movements. The virtuosic interjections in fact form a stark contrast to the rest of the piece and were clearly written to show off Tommy Dorsey’s phenomenal technical ability. The rondo-like form is reminiscent of the second movement, although the feel is totally different.

I suppose most classical concert-goers today would not be too challenged by hearing a blues-inspired piece, but to hear a full-blown ‘boogie woogie’ is something else entirely. One can see that Shilkret again follows the ideal of a classical concerto in his form: fast-slow-fast and also sonata-ballade-virtuosic display. The thematic material, however, points much more towards jazz and commercial music, and in this lies the definition of ‘crossover’ music. Shilkret keeps his jazz elements and classical elements well defined and separated, so that one can hear the two influences clearly. In this way the piece serves its purpose best, because it can appeal, at least in theory, to two different audiences. In fact I believe that this coming together of audiences will have been a big motivation for the composer, and a large audience was very important for these pieces, as they were definitely composed for the purpose of making money, as well as making art.

Performance Because this piece was written specifically for Tommy Dorsey, knowledge and understanding of his music, style and influence is crucial. He can be argued to be the Louis Armstrong of the jazz trombone as was one of the first people to make the trombone a soloistic instrument in mainstream jazz and he became very popular - a rock star of his day. Tommy Dorsey’s style is epitomised by his phrasing and his vibrato, his most famous attributes, and they can be very hard to copy or assimilate. Even if the concerto is written with this unique sound in mind, one has to be careful about how much one wants to hint at this style, however historically correct it might be.

There are countless examples of bad imitations of Tommy’s style. Tommy Dorsey would also feature as a singer with his band and his phrasing on the trombone is very vocal and lyrical. The phrases seem to stretch very far, and he does not breathe in the obvious places from a brass player’s approach. However, they might seem much more practical to a singer. Frank Sinatra, who took a few lessons and pointers from Tommy Dorsey early in his career, cited Tommy as a great influence on his singing style.

Tommy Dorsey’s vibrato is often misinterpreted. It is very fast, but also very narrow. In Dorsey’s treatise on trombone

Spring 2013 The Trombonist

playing from 1944, he says the following: ‘The vibrato, is a wavering or quality of tone produced by the rapid oscillation of the slide. The true artistic vibrato is obtained by oscillating the slide within a space of no more than an inch; the wrist must be kept very flexible and the arm rigid. The given tone (note) is struck immediately preceding the oscillation and the resultant vibrato must not have a tendency to force the tone (note) out of pitch, nor should it simulate a trill… The student is cautioned against producing the vibrato by means of the lips or throat; such methods not only result in an unmusical sound, but they may also impair the health of the player.’

The problem with reproducing this kind of vibrato is that trombonists tend to stretch the movement way beyond the inch specified by Tommy Dorsey in his treatise, in order to get the speed of the vibrato right. This results in a very pronounced and heavy vibrato, which often alters the pitch too much, and also sometimes results in a brutish sound, more akin to the 1960s way of playing. Tommy’s vibrato also has a great deal to do with his instrument, the King 2B. In his day, it would be seen as the equivalent of a symphonic trombone.

However, the mouthpiece he used would have had a much smaller back bore and the bell would have a smaller diameter and a more acute bell flare. This results in the pitch being much more susceptible to slide movement, thus facilitating Tommy’s fast but narrow vibrato. If the same movement was performed on a modern large bore instrument, it would sound more like a wobble than a veritable vibrato. A player today has to make his mind up on how much he wants to simulate the style of Tommy Dorsey in a performance of this piece. Granted, the piece was written with Tommy’s sound and style in mind, but they are unique and can therefore be hard to replicate, especially if one chooses to perform the piece on a modern trombone.

Choosing a smaller instrument will make both phrasing and projection easier, as well as providing a jazzier sound and making the vibrato much more fitting, should one choose to use it. I would most certainly use vibrato, but I would not try to imitate Tommy Dorsey’s, and would instead use his phrasing and vibrato as ideals rather than examples. Instead of trying to sound like Tommy Dorsey, I believe that one should try to approach it like Tommy Dorsey: With a soloistic attitude and one’s own unique and characteristic sound.

And that is the soloist’s job - to translate music from the language of 1945 to that of 2013. The concerto has emerged from the influence of Tommy Dorsey and the Swing Era, and it is now not only a crossover between two genres, but also a crossover between two eras.

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Tips from the top

Speaking music: Learning to improvise

by Jeremy Price

Composers write music.

Classical musicians recite the music of composers.

Jazz musicians speak music.

That’s one way at least of looking at what makes improvisation distinct from other forms of music making. Music is a language in its own right. We use it to communicate meaning to each other, and if you fully understand the language of music you come to realise that what it can communicate is an expression beyond that which words can manage. Whether composing or reciting or improvising, it is this language of music that we are

material that may well have been played many times before, maybe even in their very last solo! The good news is that if you really want to, you can do this preparation too. It’s only practice, or as jazz musicians say, “wood shedding.”

Jazz musicians spend a huge amount of practice time preparing musical materials with which to improvise. This type of practice goes beyond merely learning scales and arpeggios and accentuates the use of them as melodic materials. Jazz musicians think in terms of sonorities and relate scale and arpeggio patterns to particular sonorities that you might want to improvise on. C Major, for example, becomes not a sequence of slide positions, but a sound that can be described, using certain combinations of notes relating to that scale.

Improvisation… ‘to speak rather than recite’ engaging with and making connections between all three of these ‘modes’ of music-making will hopefully give you some helpful insights into what it is to be an improviser.

I’m aiming this article primarily at good instrumentalists, who enjoy playing from written music. You may be brilliant at your ABRSM grades and audition pieces and you may be a fine orchestral or brass band player. Your musicianship is never in doubt while you are playing from sheet music but given a bit of space to improvise, to speak rather than recite, you suddenly feel you don’t have anything to say or don’t have the vocabulary to express it or the means to articulate it. Confidence crisis ensues! If this is you, read on.

Firstly, let’s debunk a big myth. When you hear a good jazz musician in fluent free flow of musical ideas, it’s not all a completely spontaneous cascade of melody gifted to them from the gods - although many would like you to believe this.

You’ll be hearing a good deal of prepared

So, some fluency with melodic materials will get you ready to speak in music. Your first utterances may be neither witty nor profound but this preparation will give you the possibility of at least vaguely commenting on the subject at hand, even if you are stating the obvious! That’s certainly better than being tongue-tied or coming out with nonsense.

But how do you get beyond playing notes that fit, and a bunch of disjointed, learned melodies? The next stage is a lot harder and is a real test of musicianship.

This is where your experience of playing composed music from the written page comes in. You’ve played music of the great composers, and know it intimately, perhaps even from memory. What sounds so great to you is the way a story unfolds from a great piece - now you have to tell your own story.

You have to start thinking in terms of musical narrative, which means developing your understanding of musical organisation. What keeps the listener engaged in following a musical thread?

Contrast and repetition are key.

Contrast in sound colour, dynamics, register, contour of line and repetition in all its guises, from riffing to motivic development and variation. There’s a myriad of musical devices to choose from, but choose you must - that’s the deal! Jazz musicians mainly use recordings of jazz master improvisers rather than composed music as examples for structuring coherent solos, but the listening and analysing processes I’m suggesting are the same.

Lastly, you have to remember to practice improvising. This is the obvious one but very easily neglected. Ask yourself how much of your daily practice is spent improvising. The answer may well reflect how good you are at it! Try half an hour a day playing a blues in F. Next time you get a chance to improvise in a band, you’ll be speaking music.

Tips from the Top

Spring 2013 The Trombonist

Keeping Practice Interesting

by Tony Howe, 2nd trombone of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra

When you’re new to playing everything is

assessing everything you play when you

new and fun and you are constantly and

practise, to question whether you could

easily learning new things, but later on you

achieve the same results in less time. Are

experience the law of diminishing returns

your practice routines and exercises as

- it takes more and more practice to make

concise and compact as possible? Are you

progress until eventually you may feel

slavishly practising them in every register

you’ve reached a plateau and can get no

when you are strong in one register and

better. Then you might well find practice

weak in another? If so, practise them

becomes less interesting.

mostly in the registers where you are least

At this point, you must accept an essential

good.

truth - nothing ever stays exactly the same in your playing, therefore logically

Some aspects of technique naturally need

everything will either be improving or

a lot of practice, but they don’t need to

deteriorating. So if you think you’ve

take a long time every time. One or two

reached a plateau look out, it can

minutes’ practice on a specific aspect of

easily turn into decline. Watch out for

playing is certainly more useful than not

challenge yourself by performing in ways and in situations that take you out of your comfort zone

listen to, with more to say as a musician.

Keep interested by always trying to develop as a musician. We all need technical exercises, but don’t just bash through them ad nauseum - have fun playing real music you enjoy.

Music is probably the purest form of communication between two people performer and listener - and everything you practise should keep that ideal in mind. If you are communicating thoughts, moods, and emotions directly into the mind of another human being, make sure you have something to say!

Finally, perhaps the single best thing for

deterioration and arrest it by inventing

doing any on occasions when you lack

keeping practice interesting is having

concise playing exercises to maintain your

the motivation or time to spend longer.

something worth practising for. Always

standard. At the same time, continually

And if you are struggling with motivation

look out for new music to challenge

look for small, day-to-day improvements in

but have plenty of time, don’t fill it with

yourself and keep you interested and,

your playing. They are not always easy to

aimless practise simply because you’ll feel

even more importantly, challenge yourself

achieve, especially as you get older, but it

guilty otherwise - you will almost certainly

by performing in ways and in situations

is a lot easier to make small improvements

achieve more with 20 minutes of really

that take you out of your comfort zone

than large ones, and in any case large ones

focused, constructive practice. If you

somewhat (but not too far!). If you are

are often just the sum of lots of little ones.

can’t focus, leave the instrument alone

excited or even a bit scared by what

Keep your practice interesting by setting

completely and do something you will get

you have taken on then your practice is

clear goals and try and achieve them in

more out of. The best musicians are usually

likely to be interesting! Music needs an

the shortest possible time. This is the most

rounded people with a strong general

audience, and audiences need performers

efficient way to practise and frees up your

interest in life. Adopting that attitude can

who are willing to take risks.

time for other things. It means constantly

make you a more interesting player to

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FAREWELL Spring 2013 The Trombonist

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Composer’s Corner

Spring 2013 The Trombonist

Benjamin Ellin Pandora - A Concerto for Trombone and Symphony Orchestra

by Benjamin Ellin World première 6 April 2012 Joseph Alessi, trombone Kory Katseanes, conductor BYU Philharmonic Orchestra It was a cold and windy night in late 2010 when I received an email from ‘edu’ stating I had won a competition. After nearly hitting the delete button, I opened it instead. I had won the 2010 Barlow Endowment Prize for Composition and I was being offered the chance to write a concerto for one of the greatest trombone players alive today, Joseph Alessi! That was then, and now I write this on another cold and windy night (that’s the British summer for you!) with the recent première still a potent, proud memory.

Writing a full concerto for trombone and orchestra and for a musician such as Joe was always going to be both a dream and an exciting challenge. What I soon discovered after calling him and then meeting him in person was that he is a wonderful artist to collaborate with and a real gentleman. Before I had even committed real ideas to paper I wanted to understand Joe as a player, as a musician and as a person. Melody and a love of jazz seemed to be of great importance. We were both eager to end up with a ‘real’ piece, and not just an excuse to exploit every single technical capability of this wonderful exponent. My conversations with Joe about music, about solo playing and about interests outside music were really important to me. They helped create a distinct image of a character I wanted to have within the composition and within the solo part itself.

Concerti are, by definition, compositions of conflict, discourse and catharsis. There has to be a dramatic interplay between the two main component parts and I looked to the age-old story of Pandora’s Box as a broad basis upon which to hang my ideas. As the piece began to take shape,

this back-story became the foundation of the journey for the entire work without becoming a tone poem as such.

The final work is in three separate movements but with the third actually being two distinct sections joined together for dramatic effect. The trombone flies through a myriad of emotions and tests. At times singing and seemingly improvising across the orchestral backdrop, it also fights with them, challenges them and at time is beaten down by them before returning from a confrontational finale to a glorious conclusion of affirmation and intent. The orchestral writing is aimed at real drama and emotion too. Subtle and beautiful harmonies give way at the other extreme to blazing wind, brass and percussion calls whilst tutti sections oppose real chamber music sections between flutes, solo violin, timpani and solo trombone.

The orchestra for the première was the Brigham Young Philharmonic Orchestra from the wonderful University of the same name in Utah, USA. Crucially, I wanted to give the orchestra some real meat to get stuck into but, given this was an academic institution; I never really knew where the orchestra’s strengths would be two years hence. Luckily, decisions of featuring certain sections and individual players within the orchestra before I knew what players there would be proved successful.

The première was a great experience.

Broadcast worldwide across the digital medium, it felt very much as if one journey had ended and another one had begun.

Now, with the beginnings of wider interest in taking this work on, I hope that Pandora will be coming to a stage, or indeed a music stand near you! www.benjaminellin.com

About Benjamin Ellin Award winning British conductor and composer Benjamin Ellin is currently Music Director of Thursford Productions, Principal Conductor of the Slaithwaite Philharmonic Orchestra, Music Director of the Southbank Centre’s Soundbank Ensemble, Music Director of Focus Opera and President of Pembroke Academy of Music, London as well as a busy guest conductor with orchestras across Europe, Russia, Asia and the Americas.

A multiple award winner, Benjamin was awarded 1st Prize and the Public Prize from the inaugural Evgeny Svetlanov International Conducting Competition in 2007. In September 2009 Benjamin was awarded the Barlow Endowment Prize for composition, becoming only the second British composer in twenty-five years to be awarded the prize. His subsequent commission for a trombone concerto was premièred the New York Philharmonic’s Principal trombonist, Joseph Alessi, in April 2012. Benjamin’s debut composition CD, Three States at Play, was released in Spring 2012.

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Spring 2013 The Trombonist

Essays

Trombones in The Salvation Army

by Richard Debonnaire

many outstanding brass musicians, like Denis Wick, Don Lusher, Maisie Ringham, Christopher Mowat and Dudley Bright, to name a few, as well as the likes of Philip Cobb, David Daws and Philip Smith - to name a few more! For the vast majority of us who consider ourselves to be keen amateurs, in addition to our spiritual aims, it is also a means to enjoy making brass band music, and The Salvation Army has a very rich heritage of this to draw upon.

I wonder what you think of when you hear a Salvation Army band in the High Street, perhaps around Christmas? You might think about The Salvation Army’s social work, or that it is a part of the church?

Maybe it just makes you feel nostalgic, or “rather them than me” on a cold December day?

Salvation Army (or ‘SA’) bands have been around for many years; one of the first officially recognised Salvation Army Corps (i.e. centre) bands was formed in Consett, County Durham in 1879, and there are still many SA bands around the country, ranging in size and ability, although perhaps not found in the numbers they once were. In the south of England, like most of the UK, SA bands are dotted around most major towns, and some are quite well known. Anyone interested in brass banding has probably heard of Enfield Citadel Band, Hendon Band and Regent Hall Band, and although not a corps band, the London-based International Staff Band, which is the SA’s premier brass band in the UK. A Salvation Army band is first and foremost a means to help spread the Gospel and in striving to do that they aim high in terms of quality, with each group counting amongst its membership real brass enthusiasts, as well as folk who simply enjoy being part of the group.

Over the years, the SA has produced

In any brass (and, I suspect, orchestral) group, there can be little doubt that trombone players see themselves as a breed apart. There is something about the trombone that seems to attract some of the more outgoing and extrovert people to it, which encourages great music to be written for it and, of course, associations to be formed to promote and celebrate the instrument. You don’t get that with many other musical instruments. And that sense of the extrovert, excitement and the feeling that we trombonists are somehow different (in the best possible sense) exists in the SA as much as anywhere else, and although I’m writing this from a south of England perspective (as the BTS South representative), I know that there is a sense that an SA trombone club exists across the UK and indeed the rest of the world.

Every group of trombonists I’ve ever played with has always shared this sense of belonging, regardless of their level of ability. I play in Bromley Temple Salvation Army Band, where there are presently four of us, although one is away studying at university. The remaining three of us have played together for nearly 20 years and we like to play as a group whenever we can.

It has been our pleasure to take part in various events, either as a trio, quartet, or part of a larger group.

As a section, this year we have had the pleasure of forming a trombone ensemble alongside Black Dyke Trombone Quartet to accompany Dudley Bright, we’ve performed as a trio in the afternoon service and open-air meeting at Chalk Farm Salvation Army and we were invited to play for visitors to the Olympic Mountain Bike event at Hadleigh Farm in Essex. It’s on days like that you realise that not nearly enough trombone trios have been written!

However, we’re not alone in this type of thing. Regent Hall Band, mentioned earlier,

also has a trombone section not averse to heading out on its own. Being based in Oxford Street in the heart of London’s West End, it is not unusual for it to play as a group to shoppers during Christmas carolling, and it has also performed programmes of its own in and around London. It is also unusual in that amongst its number it includes three professionals: two members of Her Majesty’s Irish Guards trombone section, principal Paul Hooper and Paul Johnson, as well as Dudley Bright, principal trombone of the LSO. The trombone as an instrument is pretty unique, and competent players can achieve a very large musical and dynamic range, so it lends itself very well to playing in groups, as many parts can be covered, even more if you introduce the use of alto and contra-bass trombones (as in the Moravian Trombone Choir, for example). I guess it is typical of the type of people that play the trombone that they like to form groups and it’s obviously not just SA players, Bones Apart and the Black Dyke Trombone Quartet being two further examples.

It’s not as though this kind of ‘playing together’ behaviour isn’t encouraged either. The SA band music repertoire includes many trombone ensembles with band accompaniment (a couple of which will be familiar to anyone who attended the BTS events at Bromley and Castleford).

There’s such music as Ray Steadman-Allen’s Wonders Begin when the Lord comes in and Trombone Vespers, Stephen Bulla’s Peace Like A River and The Cleansing Power, just to name two SA composers, neither of whom seeks to discourage feisty trombone sections - quite the opposite!

And who can forget Spiritual to the ‘Bone? This Salvationist jazz trombone ensemble from the USA, based on the Tutti’s Trombone model, released five very successful CD’s and toured the US, Europe and Australia in the 1990s. Its recordings will have exposed many to possibly their first taste of SA music, which really brings us back to the primary purpose of SA music in general, whether brass, choral or contemporary - it is to proclaim the Gospel.

People

Simon asks....

Spring 2013 The Trombonist

Simon Minshall meets the current principal trombone of the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Matteo De Luca.

SM: What age were you when you got involved in music and how did this come about?

MdL: I was age nine, attending elementary school and some classmates of mine started to attend the music classes in our village’s band. I decided to join them.

Music was not my priority at the time and I didn’t even know which instrument I wanted to play. I was chosen by the teachers to play the trombone, which worked out great as the trombone teacher for the band was just finishing his studies at the conservatory in Milan. I got to hear the instrument played properly and this inspired me to play.

SM: Were there any other elements that inspired to you play, in addition to the band?

MdL: I do remember another trombone player in the band, who gave me a recording of Trombone Recital by Michel Bequet. Thanks to that CD I made the choice to study trombone seriously in further education, and Michel Becquet influenced my playing a lot. Of course, I later discovered the soloists on my instrument - Christian Lindberg, Joseph Alessi etc. - and all who promoted solo trombone playing. I began attending concerts by the La Scala Philharmonic. This started to make me think more about what I wanted to do with music; the answer was playing in an orchestra.

SM: Jumping forward slightly, where and with whom did you study?

MdL: After completing my studies in Milan, I went on to study in Novara, a town near Turin, for one year at the conservatory under Maestro Corrado Colliard. I then went to Switzerland and received my ‘Soloist Master’ from the Haute Ecole de Musique, Geneva. My teacher at the time was Andrea Bandini and he was a tremendous source of inspiration, both as a person and musician. It’s thanks to him that I am doing well in my career now.

SM: Where did your passion for orchestral playing begin and what experiences did you have to contribute to your career so far?

MdL: I completed my first audition when I was 17 and it proved successful, with the symphony orchestra of my region. At the time I had no idea of what it was like to work in an orchestra, and unfortunately conservatories in Italy did not give us the opportunity to play in youth orchestras or conservatories orchestras, so my professional rehearsal skills were learnt very quickly.

An amazing experience I had was participating in the UBS Verbier Festival Orchestra, of which I was member for three years. In the orchestra I got to play with some of the world’s best conductors and soloists, and thanks to that experience I decided to apply for jobs abroad. In Italy we have an incredible opera tradition, but I wanted to play in a symphony orchestra.

SM: You talk about applying for jobs abroad. Where did this take you?

MdL: In 2009 I was on trial for the principal trombone seat with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in London and, in 2010-2011, for the same position with the Orchestra of Opera North in Leeds. I was actually offered the principal trombone position with the National Orchestra of Santiago in Chile in 2007, but I refused in order to continue my studies in Switzerland.

Currently, I am principal trombone of the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande in Geneva and have been since 2011. In addition to this, I play as guest principal trombone with La Scala Philharmonic in

Milan, the Italian Radio Orchestra and the Teatro Regio Orchestra in Turin. Other engagements include invitations to play as guest principal with the Porto National Orchestra and the Hong Kong Sinfonietta.

SM: In you opinion how does playing differ in Britain, and did you have to adapt anything when working in the UK? MdL: The brass schooling in the UK is among the strongest in Europe in my opinion. My experience in Britain has only been in London and Leeds, but after listening to many UK orchestras I think the level is very high. The main thing that impressed me most was the orchestra’s ability to sight read. There are not many orchestras that sound so good in the first rehearsal. Speaking about the style of the trombones, it is clear to me the large role brass bands play and how much they influence your orchestral and solo playing.

Articulation is very clear, sounds warm and mellow, and dynamics are never too loud.

To some up, I would define the playing as very efficient.

Referring to rehearsal length, it is extremely short! For new repertoire, sometimes the rehearsal time is a little short. With the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, we have at least three rehearsals for each programme. On the other side, when I was on stage in the UK, the orchestras would play with so much energy.

SM: Thank you Matteo for speaking about your career, and also giving some of your views on the differences in playing in the UK and Europe.

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Spring 2013 The Trombonist

product news

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When I had the chance to try the Wessex Trombones, I decided I might as well see how they stacked up to the high-quality instruments that I have always played. I was very pleasantly surprised from the first notes I played. I tried all the trombones and I found them to be very free blowing, the slides were smooth, even though they were dry, and the trombones were very well finished. I liked them so much that I ordered one for myself!

When Wessex asked if I would endorse their trombones, I agreed without reservation. The quality of the trombones and the price make it possible to get a superior trombone at a very attractive price.

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Trombone Island Discs

Stuart Horton Obviously a big slant towards brass!

Not in any order of preference, all are pure listening enjoyment but some have additionally had a real influence and mark milestones in my life musically, especially the first three.

With James Williams at the helm and such great players as Keith Hutchinson, Richard Martin, Peter Wise and Michael Savage, this was put down in one take.

A real privilege and I consider myself very fortunate to have been a part of it.

The Champions - Black Dyke Mills Band: The first ever brass band album I purchased in early 1970s, it really started my interest in brass bands. I was playing euphonium at the time as a kid and John Clough (playing Grandfather’s Clock) became an early hero. Fantastic recording of Eric Ball’s Journey into Freedom - this became one of my favourite pieces which, as SA rules on ‘outside’ music relaxed, I’ve since had the privilege of playing with Enfield Citadel Band.

Essays For Brass Volume 1 - Yorkshire Building Society Band. Under the inspirational leadership of David King, YBS deliver a fantastic recording of nine of my favourite SA pieces, especially Light of the World by Dean Goffin and Wilfred Heaton’s Just As I Am.

Royal Albert Hall - Bandmasters Councils 1977. Recording of a live performance of Song of the Eternal (Leslie Condon)

by Enfield Citadel Band, which I had the privilege of witnessing live. This had a profound effect on me as a 17 year old.

I had started work, was looking to move nearer to central London and not at all sure that I wanted to continue within The SA. This concert, and specifically ECB’s contribution, shaped my thinking. I linked up with a Salvation Army Band in Cambridge Heath, East London to continue my banding and eventually joined ECB in February 1982.

Tutti’s Trombones - Tutti Camarata. The first trombone ensemble LP album I’d heard, some 30 years ago. Some great arrangements and playing, particularly

by Ernie Tack and Kenny Shroyer on bass trombone. Now reissued on CD with Tutti’s Trumpets - fantastic.

Summon the Heroes - Boston Pops Orchestra. I enjoy my sports and nothing gets the competitive juices flowing better than this series of Olympic themes and arrangements by John Williams, Bernstein and others… and then of course there is Doug Yeo! Spiritual to the Bone - their first CD recorded in 1993 features a series of superb trombone ensemble arrangements by Stephen Bulla and William Broughton. Really easy listening and phenomenal playing by all six trombonists, but special mention for bass trombonist Willis Howell - simply fantastic.

Works of Berlioz - Williams Fairey Engineering Band. I really enjoy Rossini, Verdi and Berlioz overtures, which I have on several great orchestral CDs. Being a ‘bando’ I like the brass arrangements and the playing of Carnaval Romain, The Corsair and Benvenuto Cellini is excellent and in my opinion works really well.

Kaleidoscope - Enfield Citadel Band. A special milestone - my first recording with ECB, in 1983. It includes my all-time favourite SA piece, Resurgam by Eric Ball.

Spring 2013 The Trombonist

Corpus Trombone Quartet. Four young guys from the Franz Liszt Academy of Music. Bright and brash in places

but they are clearly enjoying themselves particularly in the James Bond arrangements.

Great fun.

Clarence Adoo’s World of Brass. Last but by no means least. Really easy listening and great playing, this CD combines the brass genres of orchestra and band and was pulled together in aid of the Clarence Adoo Trust.

I’ve known Clarence since we were at primary school and played in the local SA junior band together. In August 1995, Clarence, by then a professional trumpet player, was involved in a car accident that left him paralysed from the shoulders down. He is an inspiration to many and his determination not to allow his disability to get in the way of leading as normal a life as possible, including work, has been recognised in last year’s New Year Honours List, with the award of a MBE for services to music. Nobody could be more deserving and I feel privileged to count him as a friend.

There are so many CDs to chose from and I found it really hard to settle on ten!

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Spring 2013 The Trombonist

People

by Peter Chester BTS events always teach you something new about the trombone and its music, and the National event in Cardiff in May 2012 lived up to this tradition. Certainly, for those who heard Dirk Amrein for the first time, experiencing his skills and repertoire left many open-mouthed in amazement. Dirk, whose home is in Germany, has made an international name for himself as a specialist in what might be called avant-garde or contemporary music for the trombone (and other brass instruments - he is multi-talented in that respect) and he has had several pieces written especially for him. They all require a particularly high level of varied techniques, from the straight-forward pure trombone sound, through complex mute work, multiphonics, singing, recited words, to even ‘preparing’ a trombone with the addition of cymbals on the slide!

To tell us more about his work and his music, Dirk very kindly agreed to answer a few questions.

PC: How did you get started as a trombone player?

DA: I started actually on a German tenor horn but around age 13 I started to learn the trombone because I wanted to be a musician and with a tenor horn it does not lead to the same career opportunities. My first experience was in a semi-professional band playing at weekends for festivals, parties and so on, so I started to earn some money early. In that band we played all kinds of music and I had to sight-read everything.

PC: What were the early influences on your playing?DA: When I was about 16 I went to a lot of free jazz concerts and I had a number of musical heroes of those days, players like Albert Mangelsdorff, David Taylor, Ray Anderson, Jiggs Whigham and Bart van Lier. I had no classical heroes at that time - they came later. I heard a lot of interesting music but what I enjoyed

most was that it is all personal - their own styles. However, I was also influenced by all kinds of instrumentalists. From Miles Davis it was his artistry, from Stan Getz the use of vibrato, and from a lot of worldclass drummers and bassists, the rhythm. I just tried to catch them all in concerts and listen. Listening to the best musicians is the best way to develop a good understanding of presenting and feeling the music. I like listening to all kinds of music - it depends on my mood - but I am definitely more on the jazz, funk, rock area than the classical.

PC: Did you have any formal training and who were the influential teachers?

DA: I don’t think I was influenced by specific players, but all the teachers I had and the masterclasses I attended had an influence on me. I never wanted to copy anything, though. For me a real artist has to present something that is very personal, artistically speaking. As for formal training, I would like to mention Malte Burba and his ideas on brass playing. He has a very interesting website (www.burba.de) and some of his work is also on YouTube (http:// youtube/GR4cNsQ6Hj4). His methods have helped build up the skills needed to change instruments quickly, and not be too addicted to the trombone.

PC: Can you tell us a little about the musical circles you move in at the moment?

DA: At the moment I’d say those circles were very broad. There’s lots of contemporary music, but also New Orleans jazz, big band and Balkan music, much of it with bass trombone and a helicon. I also conduct a brass band, which gives me a lot of pleasure as the band is doing all kinds of music. I also like to play baroque music on original instruments and I have a collection of instruments I still have to explore. Recently I have been working on the Mozart Horn concertos on a rare bass flugel horn built in Basel in

the 1920s.

It’s an amazing instrument with a beautiful sound.

Look at the picture and you can hear it on YouTube (http:// youtube/ qJf5qSlBdv4) PC: Have there been important orchestras or ensembles in the development of your career?

DA: The Gustav Mahler Youth Orchestra was the first really big thing. I played in the German youth orchestra but GMJO gave me a lot of pleasure. I met lots of brass players from other countries there, especially England, where the sound of the trombone is always of a high standard. As one of the founders of Ensemble Phoenix in Basel, I have performed a lot of contemporary music with it, with some very challenging in pieces composed deliberately to stretch my abilities. I once played a piece written for soprano trombone and bass trumpet; the composer, Johannes Harneit, was fascinated to have the trombone play higher then the trumpet.

The piece uses more then five octaves and requires changing instruments very quickly. It was actually a small opera,

People

called Der Idiot (no need to translate!).

Another group gave a second performance of it a few years after we had premièred it, but they needed two players to perform it all!

PC: What has been in your musical diary recently? And in the next few months?

DA: Before coming to Cardiff, I spent a few days in Bristol doing recordings with my friend Marc Yeats. We spent a huge amount of time working on a remarkable solo piece with two bass drums called Prorrhesis, which sets new challenges in playing. We also recorded Ethos which was written for the BTS event 2012 and premièred in Cardiff. On the second day I did some recordings for my own pleasure, like The Up and Down Man and Trombonist from Hell. We also did a small opera which was written for me with the title Tromb(o) n per(a) Dirk. Earlier this year I did a world first performance in the Ukraine, in the Kiev and Odessa Festival, of a piece called About the Kingfisher and the Rat, composed by Thomas Lauck, and written for trombone, piano and several many side instruments. Recently I also played a solo on a cornet for the first time in my life, right before a trombone piece. That was also by Thomas Lauck, and was called

Kurzbiografie (it is also on YouTube). In July 2012 I toured South East Asia with my duo partner Jürg Henneberger as ‘Duo Amrein/Henneberger’, and in September we went going to Brazil. In these tours we premièred pieces from Chung Shih Hoh (Singapore), Neo Naiwen (Malaysia), Luiz Casteloes (Brazil), Fred Carrilho (Brazil) and Denny Euprasert (Thailand).

PC: What led you to the avant-garde music you play and what are its attractions and challenges?

DA: I studied in Basel, which was a good place for contemporary music and it still is, but at that time no trombone player was willing to spend time working on such pieces. So I had the challenge to do all that, which helped me work on techniques others don’t have and it also put me in contact with a lot of interesting players and composers. It certainly helped my ability to sight-read!

One attraction of contemporary music, especially solo music, is that you can show all colours and timbres of the trombone.

You’re not counting 100 bars and then playing three notes, which does happen at times and seemed to me very boring.

I’m not so patient and my mind has to be fully occupied by the music I play. For example, I find it impossible to read a book for relaxation when I am working on some new music. I like to be totally focussed.

Another attraction of contemporary music I have now is the pleasure of working with a lot of composers all around the world who want to explore the trombone and the possibilities for the musicians who play it. Every composer has a different imagination for the instrument and it’s potential. I try to satisfy all this, which is a big challenge.

PC: How do you prepare such pieces as you played in Cardiff, pieces like The Up and Down Man or The Trombonist from Hell? - do you start with the composer?

The techniques? The notes on the page?

DA: The challenge in a solo recital of contemporary music is first the huge

Spring 2013 The Trombonist

register and then the multitasking - the acting, singing, shouting, speaking - almost any effect that is possible on or with a trombone. That is what can make a solo recital on a brass instrument so exciting as it is like a concert by a whole group.

The Up and Down Man is one of my personal favourites and the BTS event was the place to present it. It is actually recorded by Albert Mangelsdorff, so I started with his interpretation. Trombonist from Hell is an enormous challenge and has not been played by someone else so far. It’s had more then 80,000 hits on YouTube since I played it for the first time, which is kind of astonishing as it is very serious music. When I first started on it I had a computer version - I just had to do the work on it which, for Trombonist from Hell, is a lot.

As you can see from the score it is rhythmically it is quite complex , there’s no time to breathe, no time to relax and the tempo is so fast that you cannot follow it with your eyes. It is an extremely energetic piece and any pause or break would spoil its sense and musical meaning. So it’s just a matter of working away it, section by section, until the pieces fit.

PC: You have taken the trombone in new directions - are there other projects you are working on at present, or other directions you could see trombone music going?

DA: Yes there are still many things to come.

I have a new work on the bass trombone for example, Orare, which will be quite a shock. I think the trombone is the most versatile instrument next to the voice, so multiphonics will surely open the world of sound for the trombone. They should be used much more in contemporary music and not be so limited - they are so far from the so-called classical contemporary composers. Adding voice, sounds, texts and videos makes the performance much more interesting. I have also started to improvise freely with an artist to create artworks.

I am very pleased to see that the young people enjoy this opening of the trombone world.

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Where are they now?

Spring 2013 The Trombonist

Houlding auf Deutschland...

Former BTS President Chris Houlding on life in Germany There is no doubt that the standard and style of British trombone playing is respected throughout the world, but our location can sometimes deny us knowledge of other schools of thought and, indeed, subtleties of execution. After 27 years as principal trombone with Opera North I decided to accept an appointment as Professor at a well-established University of Arts in Germany. The chance to become part of this country’s rich musical culture was a great attraction and I have certainly not been disappointed with the priority enjoyed by the arts here.

North West Germany is one of the most densely populated regions in Europe, but to have ten professional orchestras based within 50 miles of the school is nothing short of extraordinary. With around 140 professional ensembles throughout Germany, orchestras are graded by an A B C system, C being smaller and lower paid while an A Orchestra often consists of up to 120 members with an enhanced salary.

Within the A grade, certain ensembles such as Radio Orchestras and national gems like the ‘Berlin Phil’ receive additional remuneration. While London’s Royal Opera House employs six trombonists most of our British orchestras only carry three players (with the exception of the LSO and BBCSO). In Germany, although larger Opera Houses carry six players, the tradition is to have five players share the work, two firsts, a second, a ‘Wechsel Posaune’ and Bass. Wechsel means ‘change’ in German and so the role of this player is to play some second and the lighter parts on bass while the bass trombonist will be expected to play contrabass too. With the State Opera (Staatsoper) orchestras offering frequent performances of Opera, Ballet and Symphony Concerts, all five players are kept pretty busy.

Given the volume of professional ensembles, vacancies are proportionally more frequent (UK students and young professionals take note). Websites like Musical Chairs and, especially for the

German job market, Vioworld, feature vacancies in the music business. A good way to adapt to stylistic differences is to consider postgraduate study, an exchange programme funded by the Erasmus scheme or applying for a Praktikum or Akademie position. The latter corresponds in principle to an old-fashioned apprenticeship, receiving a modest stipend in return for regular rehearsals and performances (Dienst) with the orchestra and tuition from members of the section.

This is a great way to gain experience, learn the language and integrate into life while the remuneration is sufficient to feed and house you along with the possibility of topping it up with additional freelance work.

The procedure for obtaining a position (Probespiel) differs in some European countries, although some organisations in the UK are now holding screened auditions. Your first experience playing the Ferdinand David Concertino and orchestral excerpts to a jury (Kommission) behind a screen can feel quite lonely as it is forbidden to communicate with the jury, though they will, of course, speak to you.

The audition proceeds as a competition in two or more rounds, the eventual winner (if they choose to award one) being expected to accept the position. In the UK it is usual to select several likely players to do a trial period with the orchestra, the eventual choice being made after careful scrutiny of both musical and social qualities. In Europe the winning player must usually do a year’s probation before official appointment (Probezeit).

Study in a German University or Musik Hochschule is free, successful candidates only being expected to pay around €1,000 a year towards social costs which includes free travel within your particular region.

Most institutions have only one main professor for each of the wind instruments, though larger departments may have more plus a variety of part-time teachers (Lehrauftrag).

The support for the Arts from the Government and general public makes Germany a great place to work with good working conditions and sufficient pay. As a result, a musician enjoys a higher level of appreciation and respect from the public than in many other countries. Integrating here has not felt like a great problem to me as I have always travelled and taken a keen interest in global trombone matters.

However, as far as style and compatibility is concerned the trombone scene in Germany is far more open and international than the horn or trumpet world. You really have to play a German instrument (Alexander Horn/Deutsche B Trompete) and have studied in a German Hochschule to be

fully accepted, where as many German trombonists play on American or American style instruments and take great interest in world trombone events.

Many of the best German manufacturers are now producing ‘German’ and ‘American’ style instruments and indeed I can vouch for excellent models in both genres from small producers such as Lätzsch, Thein, Throja and Kromat to mention a few. The style of playing still remains more traditional in what was the old ‘East’, around the cities of Leipzig and Dresden. Here you are expected to play a German instrument and adhere to a very particular sound, articulation and legato. You might like to listen to players such as Prof. Christhard Gösling, Prof.

Olaf Ott (solo trombonists in the Berlin Phil), Prof. Olaf Krumpfer (Dresden) and Prof. Sebastian Krause (Leipzig) as good examples. Berlin remains an international melting pot of arts and entertainment with many players of different national backgrounds occupying leading positions.

I can mention Jamie Williams (USA Solo Deutsche Oper), Martin Reinhardt (Denmark/UK - Bass Staatskapelle Berlin) and Jesper Busk Sørenson (Denmark Berlin Phil) as good examples. I hope that along with our German colleagues, international teachers such as Prof. Jonas Bylund (HfM Hannover) and Jamie Williams (HfM Rostock) can continue to promote Germany as a leading contributor to global trombone development.

Like the BTS, Germany’s IPV (Internationale Posaunenvereinigung) is very active, with many local events and a very popular and successful annual symposium. Having hosted the IPV 2010 Symposium at my University in Essen in 2010 I have first-hand knowledge of the support and integrity of this excellent organisation. You can see highlights on YouTube: Internationale Posaunenvereinigung Symposium 2010 (English).

Personally, without a full orchestral schedule to adhere to, my new life has allowed development of my conducting activities and time to give classes/coaching/ recitals in Germany, UK and internationally while maintaining freelance playing on a regular basis with groups such as MusikFabrik (Cologne), Mahler Chamber Orchestra and orchestras in the UK. As Director of the Brass Band at the Guildhall School in London, I find it interesting that with Germany’s great tradition of brass playing many ‘British style’ brass bands are now springing up here. Given the excellent repertoire for this medium, there is already a regular National Competition while the German concert going public is fast developing a real thirst to hear this unique British export. Prost!

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Slides

Shires’ ‘Michael Davis’ trombone Review by Mike Innes When Steve Shires decided that it was time for his company to develop a sub .500 bore trombone for the commercial/jazz world he approached Michael Davis, known as the Rolling Stones’ trombonist, but who has also toured with Frank Sinatra and Buddy Rich to name but two!

Michael Davis spent 27 years playing a King 2B Silversonic and so, here at the BTS, we knew there was only one London player to ask to write the review, a man who has also played the 2B Silversonic for his entire career - Mike Innes. After two weeks of using the Michael Davis model here are his thoughts: The Shires ‘Michael Davis’ model trombone immediately struck me as being beautifully constructed, easy to hold and operate even before I thought about playing a note… a seriously good start!

I first blew a middle F in the bass clef stave. This is a much warmer note than a Bb or D on any trombone, and the instrument produced a very full and rich tone. Gradually I played all over the range from middle to low and then all the way up to a high F, all the notes were full and ‘sang’ really well! There were no stuffy areas or notes that felt like ‘smaller targets’ that you’d be nervous of and approach with caution.

There is a lovely evenness and great ease of transition from one note or harmonic to the next and it’s as though the inside of the trombone is coated with silk.

That is not to say that there is a lack of clarity and definition or that there was in anyway a feeling of woolliness. On the contrary, the tone is big and strong and the clarity and definition is superb.

I found the trombone to be equally at home playing a ballad, leading a big band trombone section or in a pop/blues band. It will fit in almost anywhere as the quality of sound carries it through a bit like a good sound system in your car or home.

The bell is a good weight and is about the size of a King 2B. This is important for the balance and feel of the instrument and it is also beautifully hand engraved. The feeling of quality also extends to the balance-weight, which is similar to the original H.N. White-made King counter-weights, and I found the water-key nicely shaped and positioned. The slide is just the right weight and is the smoothest you will find anywhere.

Although the bore is less than .500, it is slightly larger than a Conn 24H or King 2B (although not dual-bore). If the bore was to be larger than .500 I suspect the sound would be thinner and not bigger.

To me most King 2Bs sound bigger and warmer than a 2B+ and, in my opinion, there seems to be an optimum bore-size for a smaller trombone. This is it! It feels like an old friend (depending on the friend of course) and doesn’t take any getting used to.

To sum up, the Michael Davis Shires model trombone is a superior quality product and plays like one. Simply a great trombone!

For more information and to try the MD or other Shires model trombones contact the Sole UK importer Phil Parker Ltd. Tel. 0207 486 8206 e-mail sales@philparker.co.uk or visit their store at 106A Crawford Street London W1H 2HZ or online at www. philparker.co.uk

The Dancing Stones Cornish Legends in Brass Martin Prynn It’s not often that a brass CD reviewer gets to write the words ‘the Northumbrian Pipes are outstanding’ but the opening title track on this CD features just that.

Written for brass quintet and the Northumbrian Pipes, played by Andy May, this track allows you to almost picture Cornwall. It shows the descriptive and almost cinematic feel in the writing of Martin Prynn at its finest!

Each track of the recording features a different ensemble, cleverly selected to portray a different legend of Cornish mythology! As well as quintet and pipes there also features a piece for eight trombones, another for 16 brass and one that, as trombone players we will never understand, requires eight horns!

For each ensemble, Martin has selected some of the finest brass talent around, and this is much in evidence by an exciting new work for solo trombone. Men Scryfa or Written-on-Stone, based upon the legend of the great Cornish warrior Rialobran Cunoval Fil, is superbly played by Dave Whitehouse. The work, although lasting under three minutes, is in two parts and described by the composer as ‘part one fast and furious, part two slow and elegiac’. However, Men Scryfa is a workout for the soloist, and would certainly make a welcome, if challenging, addition to the recital repertoire.

So, if you enjoy brass (and Northumbrian Pipes) playing of the highest calibre this CD is a must for your listening pleasure!

Chris Mackey

Slide Slides rule

Spring 2013 The Trombonist

Gung Ho David Bremner Over the years the Antipodes have yielded up a significant number of great musicians: Joan Sutherland, Kiri te Kanawa, Charles Mackerras and brassmen such as Barry Tuckwell, Gordon Webb, Warwick Tyrell, Ken Smith and David King. To these and other great names we must now add David Bremner. This young man will already be known to followers of Desford Colliery Band, with which he has appeared over the last couple of years. His album Gung Ho stakes his claim to a position in the world class with a pleasing mix of challenging and accessible repertoire. Creston’s Fantasy has been around for half a century but owing to its huge demands on stamina has hitherto remained quite a rarity. Bremner not only tackles it with apparent ease but makes a convincing case for its musical value with his rich, flexible sound, variety of colours and shear energy. He is matched at the piano by Sarah Watkins who tackles the weighty orchestral accompaniment with impressive virtuosity. Transcriptions of two Strauss and one Brahms arias show that Bremner can make the instrument sing with his flawless legato, imperceptible breath control and sensitive phrasing. Inspiring composers to produce new works for your instrument is an almost indispensable part of being a renowned soloist. Of the four such pieces on the album, the title track Gung Ho by Chris Gendall, is by far the most notable. Written for trombone, piano and percussion in equal measure, it explores the similarities between the protagonists with much imitation of its short detached phrases; trombone and piano, for the most part, hiding their lyrical and harmonic strengths to stand on a par with the small but effective range of percussion instruments. For me this piece ‘works’ where the other new pieces are less successful. They do, however, provide the soloist with a platform to display his considerable technical skills. Clouds by Anthony Ritchie, performed with the National Band of New Zealand, begins promisingly enough with a dialogue between cruelly high cornets and the soloist before launching into a fairly guttural and arid allegro. The tortured high cornets eventually return before the work fades out with the trombone left alone, in such a way as to trick this listener into thinking the next track was in fact an extended cadenza. When the piano entered I realised I was actually a couple of tracks further on. The cadenza is actually Ken Young’s unaccompanied Panic. But David Bremner doesn’t at all! He takes the hugely extended range and technique in his ample stride. The final track is entitled Funambulistic Strains. A funambulist is a high-wire acrobat and composer Gareth Farr, in his rather monochrome work sends Bremner to extremes, but he yet again refuses to be phased by the altitude. If I seem unduly negative about some of the repertoire recorded here it is due to the sense that a trombonist the calibre of Bremner cries out for music of real enduring value. And what of that calibre? Firstly, there is a consistency of sound across the entire range, as ringing and vibrant a texture in forte as it is warm and velvety in lower dynamics. Secondly, the singing quality of his lyrical playing is enhanced by a tasteful vibrato that never impinges on the character of the instrument. Thirdly, his considerable abilities never do more than serve the music - a perfect illustration of the conundrum that to make it sound so easy is hugely difficult.

Dudley Bright

Lab 2012 UNT One O’Clock Lab Band One of the musical highlights of this reviewer’s musical year was the arrival of a new CD release by the multi-Grammy nominated University of North Texas One O’Clock Lab Band, and the 2012 release did not disappoint.

Led by an alumnus and former MF lead trombonist, the Grammy-nominated arranger Steve Wiest, the band once again delivers a musical tour-de-force!

The Lab Band harnesses the power of five - five sax, five trumpets and five trombones (three tenor and two bass), all supported by a driving four-piece rhythm section. All players must win their seats at the start of the academic year by open audition and, looking at the list, some from the 2011 recording did not make the cut!

As is tradition, the CD features predominantly original compositions by members of the band. There are two exceptions on this recording - one is the last re-working of Shiny Stockings by the original composer Frank Foster, who then gave it to a member of the band and recorded, as Steve Wiest remarks, a ‘Basie-Foster-One o’clock thing’ in tribute. The other is another original entitled The Fifth Shade by Steve himself.

Apart from the fantastic playing, ‘the Lab’ recordings feature great artwork as you can see from the graphic above. The ‘Mayan Calendar’ end of the world idea was not lost on UNT! The sound and recording values are of the highest quality, coupled with in-depth sleeve notes by SW along with a swinging band make this a must for all fans of big band jazz!

For more info on the UNT programme checkout www.jazz.unt.edu or to buy this and other ‘Lab’ recordings www.theoneoclock.com Chris Mackey

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Spring 2013 The Trombonist

Diary Dates

Spring 2013 The Trombonist

Diary of Events from December 2012 Diary of Events Items in black are organised by the BTS. Please send in details of upcoming trombone concerts or workshops and we will add them to the Diary (in colour).

Friday 22 March and Saturday 23 March 2013 International Brass Competition Paris For more details visit http://ensembledecuivres.asso-web.com Sunday 24 March 2013 Black Dyke Band Quartet Workshop Day 9.30am Registration Performance Centre The Brunts Academy, Bath Lane Mansfield NG18 2AT Lesley Humphrey 07814 847938 or email lhumphrey@thebrunts. org. Martin Heartfield 07411 223221 or email mheartfield@ thebrunts.org Sunday 14 April: East Riding Trombone Day Featuring Opera North Trombone Section 9.30am Registration The Hexagon Music Centre, Coltman Avenue, Beverley, East Riding of Yorkshire.

HU17 9LP Contact Geoff Wolmark: secretary@britishtrombonesociety.org Sunday 28 April: BTS Jazz Day Featuring Jiggs Whigham and Jeremy Price 10.00am Registration Royal Northern College of Music 124 Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9RD Sunday 19 May: BTS at the Black Dyke Band Festival in Yorkshire Featuring the Black Dyke Band Trombone Quartet 9.30am Registration Leeds Town Hall The Headrow, Leeds, LS1 3AD Contact: pastpresident@britishtrombonesociety.org

Composer’s Corner David Brubeck tells us about his Stereogram No. 37A for Bass Trombone or ‘F’ attachment Trombone (available as a free download, available on www.davidbrubeck.com).

Stereogram No. 37A is based on the same hymn tune as Stereogram No. 37, ‘Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus, but has been placed in a higher key and reworked harmonically. It lays a bit better on the slide than its lower counterpart and is meant to be played at a faster tempo.

The jazz or commercial bass trombone is often a smaller and/ or brighter set-up than its classical counterpart. Some modern commercial settings have pared the traditional big band trombone section of four down to just two. Thanks to George Roberts, the second trombone is most often a bass. In a section of two, the bass trombonists must be able to blend with a small tenor, and play comfortably in the upper register.

Although No. 37, the original, possesses a darker more characteristic bass trombone timbre and charm, 37A is brighter, exciting, and more inviting to tenor trombonists with an ‘F’ attachment.

Tuesday 2 July: Performance of 1,000 Trombones Bristol Cathedral College Green Bristol BS1 5TJ Rehearsal will be at 11.30am Performance in the recital will be 1.30pm Bristol Cathedral.

Contact: pastpresident@britishtrombonesociety.org Sunday 22 September: Wessex BTS Day Featuring Brett Baker and Kevin Morgan (principal trombone with the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra) Registration 9.30am, concert 4pm Pimperne Village Hall Blanford Forum Dorset DT11 8UZ Contact: Bruce Harding on 01202 880814 wessex@britishtrombonesociety.org or bruceandinge@btinternet. com Sunday 6 October: East Anglia BTS Day and Annual General Meeting 9.30am Registration Featuring TBA Oundle School, Oundle, Peterborough, PE8 4GH Contact Ben Bouzan: eastanglia@britishtrombonesociety.org

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With both versions- No. 37 AND No. 37A, you have the best of both worlds!

Music by William Kirkpatrick arr. DAVID WILLIAM BRUBECK (ASCAP)

For SOLO BASS TROMBONE

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35

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