The Trombonist - Summer 2014

summer 2014 ÂŁ5.00

the

trombonist

total perfection

The Award winning Total Brass Peter Moore wins the LSO job Maisie Ringham MBE turns 90 The John Wilson Orchestra Trombone Section

WIN

A 1929 G Bass Trombo ne

contents Regulars 6

Presidents Column

An invitation for nominations to the BTS Awards

7

News, Event Reviews & Previews

Manchester, Northern Ireland and the West Midlands get a mention. Plus a preview of the Tiddly Troms day

12

Jazz by Jeremy

An unwritten list of repertoire that you really need to know

33

What’s On

Up and coming events that you need to put in your diary

4

Resources 13

Skills Focus: ‘Benny’s Basics’

Technical advice from the Hallé Orchestra’s bass trombonist

profiles 15

Maisie Ringham

Jane Salmon catches up with Maisie as she celebrates her 90th birthday

26

22

The Bass Bone Files

Virtually Extinct. Steve Haynes looks at a worrying trend emerging within musical theatre; the replacement of live musicians with recordings.

29

Tips from the Top

32

G&T

Matt and Mark’s choices for the biggest classical music festival in the world bringing you the best orchestras in this years summer Proms

Roger Argente profiles the world’s top Bass Trombonists

Trombonist’s Island Discs Leonhard from Mnozil Brass with his favourite music picks... and his fruit basket!

34

FAST TALk

A minute with… Alistair White

Welcome to the SUMMER ISSUE OF THE BTS magazine

Thank you so much for all the wonderful comments about your new-look magazine. It’s great to hear from so many BTS members and it was also wonderful to meet a lot of you at the extremely successful National Trombone Day back in March.

We’ve been thoroughly entertained with your entries for the Sshhmute competition, and we’re pleased to announce that the winner is Mark Grant with his entertaining entry: When I toot my ‘flute’ it sounds a beaut, but neighbours shout shoot! (tho’ pronunciation is moot), so gimme a SSHHMUTE and then if I hoot it’ll just sound cute.

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

Contributors in this issue:

Congratulations Mark. Your Sshhmute is on its way.

It’s a bumper competition magazine this issue; Along with the prestigious Bob Hughes Bass Trombone Competition and the Don Lusher Competition, we’re pleased to have a magazine competition for members to have the chance to win an historic 1929 G Bass Trombone! Turn to page 17 for more information, and good luck!

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

Roger Argente John Barber Stewart Drummond Matt Gee Steve Haynes Alison Keep Ross Learmonth Adrian Morris Leonhard Paul Jeremy Price Jane Salmon Jon Stokes Mark Templeton Alistair White David Whitehouse

features 18

Centre Showcase

page 15

page 23

page 26

page 18

Total Brass

20

Amateur Point of View

Alison Keep talks Amateur

21

Rising Star

All eyes on William BarnesMcCallum

23

Spotlight

The John Wilson Orchestra trombone section hit the high notes.

31

Reviews

Robbie Harvey’s CD Books by Larson and Kevin Morgan

5

summer 2014 the trombonist

president’s column

As I said to Clare Teal on Radio 2 back in March, “the trombone is a social instrument” and we have recently enjoyed some fabulous events to prove just that! A broadcaster and jazz singer, Clare takes a keen interest in the trombone and the video of her lesson with Gordon Campbell (http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p01w9q9n) is well worth watching!

Our interview formed part of the BTS national trombone day on 30th March, where the main events in Portadown and Manchester were deservedly very well received.

As always, many of us worked together to make these days happen, but there are a few individuals whose significant contribution must be singled out for thanks: in addition to all our performers, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Clare Teal; Simon and Steve Minshall; Carol Jarvis; Kerry Baldwin; David and Tim Chatterton; Stephen Cairns and Will McClean. Their determination and generosity of time has done the BTS proud!

Our Manchester day was rounded off in style by the indefatigable Jiggs Whigham, who comes to the end of his four year tenure as ITA President this summer. We wish Jiggs well as Joe Alessi takes over the top job, ably assisted by Ben van Dijk and the BTS webmaster, Ed Solomon, as 1st and 2nd Vice Presidents respectively. Congratulations all!

Remember, for just £18 per annum on top of your BTS subscription, you can join the ITA for a year, under the affiliate membership offer. They also produce a quarterly journal and host events worldwide, such as the 2012 conference in Paris. Please check our website or contact Derrick Parker (ita@britishtrombonesociety.org) for more details.

Plenty more BTS events are in the pipeline, so keep checking out our website for the latest; the Tiddly Troms day in Monmouthshire in June looks a real treat - many thanks to Jo Hirst for getting this going!

The BTS AGM and annual awards ceremony will be held on Sunday 5th October at Oundle School, after which we host the biennial Don Lusher jazz and Bob Hughes bass trombone competitions, generously sponsored by Michael Rath.

The day is filling up nicely with other events, including an improvisation workshop for all with Ray Wordsworth from the Humphrey Lyttelton band - so do come along armed with your trombone!

Please send in your nominations for the BTS awards by Friday 29th August to our secretary Geoff Wolmark secretary@britishtrombonesociety.org. As always, the categories are: Player of the year Student of the year Teacher of the year Outstanding contribution to the trombone Have a great summer and happy honking!

Christian president@britishtrombonesociety.org Christian Jones BTS on Facebook @CJones_BTS on Twitter 6

British Trombone Society

www.britishtrombonesociety.org Honorary Patron: Gordon Campbell Committee President: Christian Jones president@britishtrombonesociety.org

Vice-President: vacant vicepresident@britishtrombonesociety.org Past-President: Carol Jarvis pastpresident@britishtrombonesociety.org Chair: Matt Gee chair@britishtrombonesociety.org Secretary: Geoff Wolmark 01377 202209 1-3 Church Street, Hutton, Driffield, Yorks, YO25 9PR secretary@britishtrombonesociety.org Treasurer: Simon Minshall treasurer@britishtrombonesociety.org Development Officers Stewart Drummond education@britishtrombonesociety.org Mark Templeton marktempleton @britishtrombonesociety.org Alison Keep alisonkeep@britishtrombonesociety.org Staff Membership Manager & 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 and events for the website to: Ross Learmonth news@britishtrombonesociety.org Representatives Scotland: Chris Stearn 01360 860220 scotland@britishtrombonesociety.org Wales: Jo Hirst 07729 144690 wales@britishtrombonesociety.org North East & Yorkshire: Simon Mansfield 01484 602401 northeast@britishtrombonesociety.org North West: Kerry Baldwin 07920 022395 northwest@britishtrombonesociety.org East Midlands: Paul Emmett 07974 137693 midlands@britishtrombonesociety.org West Midlands: Martha-Ann Brookes 07966 416198 westmidlands@britishtrombonesociety.org Northern Ireland: Stephen Cairns 02892 602646 northernireland@britishtrombonesociety.org South: Matt Lewis 07849 774777 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

event news

ews reviviews pre

reviews & previews review National Trombone Day Chethams’ School of Music, Manchester

Chethams’ School proved an excellent venue and trade support from Rath Trombones, Phil Parker’s, Warwick Music, Bach, and Emerson Music, was similarly much appreciated.

This wonderful day finished in the Band on the Wall Club with more of Jiggs’ cool playing and the funkiest trombone group ever to play for the BTS – Soul Tubes (Jon Stokes, Robbie Harvey, John Barber, Carol Jarvis & Simon Minshall).

review National Trombone Day Northern Ireland Massed blow

Spring sunshine greeted BTS members at the National event in March at Chethams’ School. Christian Jones, Carol Jarvis, Simon Minshall, and Kerry Baldwin had all worked hard to produce a day featuring a goodly number of distinguished players and providing the blend of entertainment, learning and involvement that make these days special.

After a short welcoming recital from BTS President Christian, warm-up sessions and workshops targeted at specific instrument and ability groups were provided, a useful touch (playing all together came later!). Famous names and impressive playing were the afternoon’s fare, starting with contrasting programmes from Blair Sinclair, Katy Jones and Simon Cowen. Powerful recitals from top student trombone choirs followed, then it was Awards time, with Jiggs Wigham and Brett Baker, representing the ITA, giving Awards to Eric Crees and Roger Argente. A distinguished team ably chaired

by Carol then presented the first-ever BTS on-line discussion.

The audience and on-line callers were treated most effectively to their collective wisdom on the skills and techniques of auditions.

Rath Trombones stand

The Northern Ireland March 30th contribution to National Trombone Day took place in Bann House, Portadown and featured guest soloists John Trotter, a stalwart of the local jazz scene and Peter Moore.

John Trotter

The day was the usual mixture of warm up, massed blow, recitals and masterclasses which attracted around thirty players from both sides of the border over the course of the event.

During the morning session John, in addition to demonstrating his jazz credentials to a selection of backing tracks, invited some young players to take part in an improvisation session on the blues. The players who availed of this opportunity were Hannah Rice, Jessica Mackin and Feildhim McCauley, all of whom acquitted themselves well.

In the afternoon Peter gave a masterclass which featured three young trombonists: Conor McCusker, John Gamble and Oliver Begley. Again, these young people demonstrated great potential and benefitted from Peter’s pleasant and supportive approach.

Our trombone events generally end with a ‘concert’. This started with four arrangements for trombone octet, which was followed by Peter with his recital, accompanied expertly by Danny O’Neill.

Peter with Conor McCusker Peter’s great sound and musicianship were demonstrated in ‘Recitative and Romance’, while his flawless technique was evident in music by Arthur Pryor. He finished with some unaccompanied jazz. Everybody was thrilled to hear how easy Peter made his programme sound, while knowing very well that it was anything but ‘easy’.

A great day was brought to a resounding close by the massed choir.

7

ews reviviews pre

reviews & previews continued... review West Midlands Day Solihull Event

I had been buzzing with excitement at the thought of playing a fanfare with the other trombonists in Solihull School. I couldn’t believe that we had our very own piece of music to play that had been composed especially for us! Attending the BTS Trombone day was an amazing experience playing with so many other fellow trombone players. Playing with other musicians I now realise that the trombone is a fantastic instrument, and brings everyone to the same level, no matter how good you are.

Everyone warmed up together and had a mass blow that instantly filled the atmosphere in the room with excitement to start us off.

We then were handed a piece called “Pastime with good company” and practiced this together. Instantly I could not believe the sound that we all produced just after a few minutes of warming up. The piece sounded phenomenal even though we were all sight reading!

The day ended with a concert which began with our fanfare.

The programme also included all the trombonists playing together with the Birmingham Schools Wind Orchestra and also playing in our groups separately. Martha Ann Brookes, my trombone teacher, played a solo of a piece of music, that had been composed especially for her, which was absolutely amazing.

Jessica Anderson, age 11, grade 6 “My favourite part of the day was the concert. It was amazing to play with the Birmingham Schools Wind Orchestra in the massed trombone piece. It gave me a lot of inspiration to keep playing the trombone.”

Thomas Gidding, junior school pupil of Solihull School

news Slide Project ITA Finalists

Slide Project

Slide Project are excited to be flying over to the Eastman School of Music in the USA to compete in the final of the International Trombone Festival’s Trombone Quartet Competition on the 6th of June. The group consists of tenor trombonists Rupert Whitehead, Rory Cartmell, Barnaby Philpott as well as Barry Clements on bass trombone. The group met in 2012 whilst students at the Royal College of Music. They would like to thank the RCM who have very generously donated funding for the trip and also Graham Lee for his creative guidance in preparation to record the set piece, Raymond Premru’s Tissington Variations for the first round of the competition back in December. Fly the flag for the UK Slide Project!

8

news rpo trending

The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra got themselves trending as a popular topic on Twitter recently with audience and orchestra using L-R Andy Wood, Ryan Hume, the hashtag #rposelfie.

Roger Argente Following the hashtag reveals a huge array of amusing ‘selfie’ photos including one from the trombone section at the Symphonic Rock concert at the Royal Albert Hall!

preview tiddly troms

Come and join us for another fun filled day of everything trombone!

We are looking for beginner-grade 5 trombonists to attend this free event where young trombonists will have the opportunity to perform, watch and work with some of the best trombone players around. The day will end with a concert where everyone will perform together, alongside the Chepstow Community Microjazz Band. This year we have a special appearance from Gareth Roberts, one of the leading Jazz trombonists in the UK (www.garethtrombone.co.uk), and guidance throughout the day from the trombone students of the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama PLUS some other special guests; this day is not to be missed…

Sunday 22rd June 2014 Venue: Usk Primary School, Monmouth Road Usk, Monmouthshire NP15 1SE Time: 9am- 5pm (Registration- 9am- 9:30am) Concert: 4:00pm – 5:00pm – Junior trombonists take centre stage in a free concert for friends/family Please bring your trombone, music stand, packed lunch and appropriate footwear for lunchtime games.

For more detailed information and a registration form please contact: Jo Hirst on 07729 144690 or j.l.hirst@hotmail.co.uk NB: All completed registration forms Jo Hirst to be returned to: 47 Corvette Court, Atlantic Wharf, Cardiff, South Glamorgan, CF10 4NN by Friday 13th June 2014

tony evans passes

It is with great sadness that the BTS heard of the death of Tony Evans in October 2013.

Tony was the BTS South West Regional Rep for many years, a fine player and teacher and with his wife, Linda, ran a flourishing music business in Plymouth.

hot

PRESS

OFF THE

LSO for Peter Moore

We are delighted to hear that Peter Moore has been offered, and accepted, the position of Co-Principal Trombone of the London Symphony Orchestra. Peter shot to fame at age 12 when he became the youngest ever winner of the BBC Young Musician of the Year 2008. Since then, Peter has appeared as a soloist with orchestras and ensembles around the globe. All at the BTS would like to send our congratulations to Peter!

media interest The BTS had a lot of media interest in recent months.

Mark Templeton (principal trombone LPO) had an interview on BBC John Suchet Radio 3’s In Tune in Leipzig programme, during which, he popped in a big plug for the BTS and our National Trombone Day. A few days later, Clare Teal had a trombone themed show on her evening BBC Radio 2 programme, with guests Gordon Campbell (BTS Honorary Patron) and Becca Pope (pBone/ Warwick Music). Clare also mentioned a lovely big plug for the BTS and the National Trombone Day, and followed this up a week later with a live interview with BTS President Christian Jones from Manchester’s Band on the Wall at the end of the National Trombone Day. Carol Jarvis presented and chaired a live online broadcast with an expert panel of trombonists from across the UK and USA, during the National Trombone Day, getting questions in from viewers online including someone tuning in at 3:30am in Australia to watch!

John Suchet also gave a big plug to the BTS and the National Trombone Day on his Classic FM show. Being a trombone enthusiast and amateur player himself, he said he would have come along if he hadn’t have been on holiday. He sent a photo to the BTS from his holiday in Leipzig instead.

Thanks to all our new friends on the BBC and Classic FM!

t he ho t offess pr

joe sharples news

Peter Moore

bts interviews

The BTS YouTube channel is gradually building up with material, not only from BTS Days, but an interview series has begun, beginning with Christian Lindberg.

We received many questions from BTS Facebook and Twitter followers, so keep an eye out for the next interviews coming up, and send in your questions!

You can view this interview on the BTS website or at www. youtube.com/britishtrombone.

Keep checking the website for our next episode in the series with Ian Bousfield.

zoltan kiss appointment

The Philip Jones Centre for Brass has recently announced the appointment of Zoltan Kiss as International Tutor of Trombone. He replaces Chris Houlding, who taught trombone at the RNCM for almost 30 years, after Chris gained the position of Head of Brass at Birmingham Conservatoire.

Young Trombonist and Chethams’ School of Music student Joe Sharples has been awarded a bursary Joe Sharples from the charity, Future Firsts. This has provided the funds for Joe to purchase a new Conn Tenor Trombone and enable him to continue his studies to the highest level possible.

Two years ago the charity also supported Joe in providing him with travel funds to attend lessons with the LSO’s Dudley Bright.

Over the past ten years Future Talent has made it their mission to find and support talented young musicians from across the UK, helping to provide equal opportunities for all (regardless of background, circumstance, ethnicity or disability). The charity believes that the development of talent takes time, and they are committed to providing meaningful and sustained support to a diverse group of young musicians, putting them on the pathway to a career in music of all genres. It has been the case that the charity does not receive an equal share of applications from brass players (and in particular trombonists), but they hope this will change over the coming years. For more information on how Future Talent (and other such organisations) can help you, visit www.futuretalent.org.

Trombone stars in BBC Young Musician of the Year Zoltan Kiss

Zoltan visited the RNCM at the beginning of March and made an immediate impression after a recital given to a capacity audience and with his two days of teaching. Born in Hungary, Zoltan has earned wide critical acclaim for his virtuosic playing, commitment to teaching and of course his membership in Mnozil Brass.

Last month, three young trombonists progressed to the category final of the prestigious BBC Young Musician of the Year, Ellena Newton, Isobel Daws and Lewis Bettles. The BTS would like to congratulate them on their fantastic achievement!

9

jazz by jeremy

By Jeremy Price

LEARN SOME TUNES! To play jazz you need to learn a few tunes. There’s an unwritten list of repertoire that you really need to know if you want make any headway amongst fellow jazz musicians. This is true of your first jam session, having a play with some mates round at your house or sitting in with any seasoned jazz player. “Sitting in”, that’s being offered the chance to play a tune as a guest on someone else’s gig, is most likely to be one of your first breaks, so it would be as well to be ready.

What you understand as “learning a tune” is really important. Anyone who calls themselves a jazz musician will know tunes from memory, that’s the melody and the harmony and then obviously the form. They may also know stock intros and endings as per such and such a record by a certain artist. So the way that you learn the tunes is crucial; from memory and in the context of having heard at least one recorded version by someone historically important in jazz.

I hope this doesn’t sound daunting.

Its not meant to. But I can see to the novice this may sound like an esoteric closed shop. Don’t worry. Once you have the method or process, there are many, many easy tunes you can learn that will get you started. Jazz musicians are generally a friendly and supportive bunch, so nobody’s going to call a tune you don’t know or feel is too hard for you, but you will need to have some suggestions up your sleeve. A simple tune learned in the right way will go down very well.

12

start a tunes notebook A good idea to get going on this is to start a tunes notebook. Get a small notepad from a stationers and write down titles of tunes that you either know or want to know. You could have categories; blues heads, rhythm changes heads, core standards, jazz standards, ballads, jam session “must knows.”

I’m now going write you a list of tunes I reckon are on this unwritten, far from definitive list.

Blues heads: If somebody in the band wants to play a blues, the next question is which head to play, which will probably decide the key. Really easy ones are, C Jam Blues, Sonny Moon for Two and Tenor Madness. Slightly more elaborate alternatives could be Au Privave, Blue Monk, Straight No Chaser, Sandu.

Rhythm Changes: This classic AABA form from “I Got Rhythm” will feature on most gigs at some point. Some of the more boppy ones are pretty hard to play on trombone, so watch out(!) but the following are quite doable. Oleo, Rhythm’n’ing, Anthropology, Cotton Tail plus slightly rarer but good on trombone is Wee by Dizzy Gillespie.

Try to resist calling the Flintstones.

Core Standards; These are tunes that all jazz musicians know and practice.

There’s a lifetime of acquisition ahead but here are a few of the all pervasive ones. What is this Thing Called Love, Green Dolphin Street, Stella

by Starlight, All the Things You Are, Softly as in a Morning Sunrise, Autumn Leaves, All of Me. Core Jazz Standards: These are tunes composed by jazz masters that have taken their place in the core jazz repertoire. So What, Maiden Voyage, Recorda Me, Yardbird Suite, Stolen Moments, Song for My Father.

Ballads: A ballad will be called at some point, probably one each set.

Its as well to know the Ellington trombone features, Chelsea Bridge and Sophisticated Lady, but if these are too difficult to improvise on, consider Misty, Lover Man, Polkadots and Moonbeams. Others that rhythm sections will definitely know are Body and Soul, Round Midnight and You Don’t Know What Love Is. Jam Session “must knows”: The following are incredibly popular on jam sessions, so whether you want to or not, you will probably find yourself soloing on The Chicken, Cantaloupe Island, Chameleon, Summertime, So What and Watermelon Man. In your tunes book, mark the ones that you definitely know and could confidently play in a gig with no music.

Currently, it may be one or none, but it won’t take you long to build up a couple of sets worth. Good luck.

LET’S JAZZ IT UP!

SKILLS FOCUS

benny’s basics - part 1 BY Adrian Morris

Swift, smooth and uncomplicated • this is the optimum speed at which your slide should travel…

In this Skills Focus section, I thought it might be useful to cover a very important part of our trombone playing; slide technique.

Having a good slide technique is often overlooked when we start playing as we focus on making a good sound, looking after our embouchure and learning to read music etc etc, but as we progress as players our teachers hone in on it, and we realise what an important part of our playing it really is.

It isn’t something to get “hung up” about, but a good and uncomplicated slide technique will obviously help with difficult technical passages (such as William Tell, Till Eulenspiegel), and will also help you produce a really beautiful and smooth legato for those luscious solos and slow melodies.

1

1A

1B

1c

My philosophy is that your slide technique should be swift, smooth and uncomplicated. You want to move between notes in different positions quickly, but without any jerkiness.

My favourite way of teaching and practising this is based on something that Peter Gane showed me around 30 years ago. It’s simple, but it works for me.

The snippets above will show you exactly what I mean, but the idea is as follows.

Play an F (bass clef) in 1st position for two beats then shift to an F in 6th position, without breaking or having a gap in the note. (example 1)

Adrian Morris

I practice this on Fs, then Bbs in 1st and 5th positions, C in 1st on

the valve and 6th and low F in 1st with the valve and 6th. (examples 1A – 1C) The crucial thing is to try to do this while holding the note. Try to make it so that it is a constant tone while moving the slide, like playing these notes on a euph and putting down valves 1 and 3.

No glissing or smearing!

When you have worked at this for a while and you can play the two notes with minimal disruption to the sound and pitch, take a mental note of how slick your slide movement is.

If you are doing it correctly, this is the optimum speed at which your slide should travel while playing normal music.

Now try to apply this slickness to everyday playing. If you feel you are falling back in to your old ways just redo the exercises. It won’t take long for your muscular memory to adapt to this new slicker slide movement.

I hope this has given you something to think about - try it out for yourself.

13 15

summer 2014 the trombonist

SKILLS FOCUS

benny’s basics - part 2 BY Adrian Morris

A good legato is essential in your armoury as a trombonist. Whether you are playing a beautiful hymn tune or a Brahms Symphony you will want to play smoothly and produce well-controlled legato phrases.

Once you have mastered a decent slide technique it will help you play a smooth melodic line. There are a few things for you to think about as you try this: Soft tonguing.

If all the notes in a phrase are on the same harmonic of the trombone, let’s say between F and B, the only way you can join them smoothly is up by using a soft tongue articulation. (Example 2) As you move up or down the slide you must be careful not to produce a glissando or portamento, but endeavour to leave as little a gap between the notes as possible or they won’t be legato.

So, ideally you will move the slide swiftly between positions with no jerkiness (as this will disturb your embouchure), playing full value notes with a constant stream of air.

When you play these notes on a valved instrument you simply keep blowing through the instrument and press the valves to move between notes.

No break in the air flow at all. Easy!!

On the trombone there must be a tiny break in the air stream or you will get a gliss, but the skill is in not letting the listener detect this.

14

2

3

4

5 Another legato technique is slurring between two notes on different harmonics, such as F and Bb in 1st position (Example 3). You will have practised this under the guise of lip slurs in your warm up. Just play the F and without a diminuendo or a break in your airflow just relax and drop across the harmonic break down to the Bb. Obviously doing the reverse is just the same, only push more air through and support as you flip gently across the harmonic break from Bb to F. Slurring G in 4th to F in 1st (example 4) requires you to combine aspects of both of the above.

You need to move your slide slickly with no bumps while sustaining the airflow. You don’t need to soft tongue the F, because the jump as you cross the harmonic break provides a beautiful legato articulation if supported correctly.

Be careful not to diminuendo on the G before you move the slide, or play pear shaped notes. These will both spoil the legato effect.

Playing from F to C on the valve (example 5) is similar to example 3 but using your F valve. Simply put down your valve while you are

playing, keeping the sound constant and projected. You may find you need to push a little more air through to achieve a perfect join as the valve opens a longer tube. Just support a little more. Once again no tongue is needed, as the valve provides a good legato articulation.

I guess the next thing is for you to recognise which of these techniques you will use as you play a legato phrase, identifying which will produce the most effective and smooth legato.

As you become more familiar and practised at these, it will come naturally, and what seems a little convoluted and complicated will be second nature.

You may not always want to slur across the harmonics for your legato, sometimes you might soft tongue instead, it really is up to you, but these ideas certainly work for me.

Maisie and Isobel

happy birthday maisie!

by Jane Salmon

Iconic trombone player, Maisie Ringham-Wiggins MBE, will celebrate her 90th Birthday in June this year. The life-long Salvationist, and former Principal Trombone of Manchester’s Hallé Orchestra, is still an active musician and an inspiration to many.

“just happened to be lying about the house”. Some four years later, a trombone appeared in the house.

Maisie played it, and stuck to it. Her father was her first teacher. In 1935 she took part in a Divisional Young Peoples Festival at Ipswich, giving an impromptu performance of Unfathomed Love. The solo was such a success that the ten-year-old found herself appearing regularly in Salvationist concerts and other events as ‘The Wonder Girl Trombonist’.

Maisie was born in 1924 in Woolwich, London, where her parents were the Salvation Army Commanding Officers. According to the Salvation Army archives, “on the morning of her birth, the band from Abercarn, Wales, were visiting the Woolwich corps and on hearing the news, they gathered outside the house to play the hymn tune Aberystwyth”.

Family moves around the outbreak of war brought Maisie to Stockport. With her home in the North West, she was awarded a scholarship to study at the Royal Manchester College of Music, as the Royal Northern College of Music was then called. While still a student at the RMCM, Maisie was featured as a soloist on three recordings, produced

by Regal Zonophone Records, a British record label known for its releases of Salvation Army music. These celebrated recordings are currently available to listen to online at www.regalzonophone.com in the ‘78s’ 1941-1948 category.

Growing up surrounded by music, Maisie, then aged 6 taught herself to play the ‘C’ scale on a euphonium that

Record label for ‘O for the Wings of a Dove’, MF 314

Her studies complete, Maisie successfully auditioned to become Principal Trombone of the BBC Midlands Light Orchestra. Her tenure was short. As she explained to her friend, the journalist and trombonist Shelia Tracy: -

‘Dad, I’ll play in that orchestra one day’.

“I’d been with the MLO for just over a year when I got a telegram from Sir John Barbirolli saying they had a vacancy in the Hallé and would I like to join them? Not only was that a tremendous thrill, but it was the fulfillment of an ambition, because I remember my father taking me to hear the Hallé Orchestra when I was still quite small and my whispering in his ear, ‘Dad, I’ll play in that orchestra one day’.

I never really believed it - but it happened.”

The Hallé Orchestra is the oldest permanent symphony orchestra in Britain and amongst the oldest in the world.

On his appointment in 1943, John Barbirolli set about rejuvenating the players, a large task in the middle of a war. Maisie Ringham was one of the new faces.

Continues on the following page.

15

summer 2014 the trombonist

happy birthday maisie! continued...

The new orchestra included 28 female players, an extraordinary change from the previous year when there were only 8.

the Salvation Army. Maisie taught her father, her sister and herself, beginning on cornet at age 3.

The rejuvenation was a wild success, and led to Barbirolli taking the Hallé on their first foreign tours. Maisie features on the souvenir brochure to celebrate the orchestra’s 1948 tour to Austria.

My final question to Isobel was if she had anything special to wish Maisie for her birthday; her response was delightful. “On her last Birthday, I played Happy Birthday on the phone to her – she liked it and I will do the same on her 90th Birthday”.

With thanks to Eleanor Roberts from the Hallé office.

Leaving the Hallé after ten years to raise a family with her husband Ray Wiggins, Maisie remained in demand as an orchestral musician and soloist.

She had solo works written for her including Erik Leidzen’s Concertino for Trombone and Band and returned as soloist with the Hallé to give the first performance of Fantasy for Trombone

by Paul Creston. A recording conducted

by Leidzen is currently available to listen to on the previously referenced Regalzonophone website (MF 390).

Maisie can also be heard on the sensational The London Trombone Sound (1995). Eric Crees highlights her presence in the CD inlay; ‘one of the real delights of the session was to see Maisie Ringham, Principal Trombone of the Hallé Orchestra from 1945-55, tucked away at the back of one side of the tutti group’. This recording session brought together six principal trombonists of the Hallé, spanning 40 years, including Mike Hext, Chris Mowat, Ian Bousfield, Maisie Ringham, Roger Harvey and Dudley Bright.

In 2011, Maisie appeared on the list of recipients of the MBE in the New Year’s Honours ‘Mrs Maisie RinghamWiggins. Trombonist, for her service to music.’

With a list of successful past pupils, Maisie still teaches. I have been lucky enough to speak with a past pupil of Maisie’s, the young trombonist Isobel Daws (14). Isobel was one of five Brass category finalists of the BBC Young Musician competition, 2014.

Isobel’s family has known Maisie and her family for over 45 years through 16

me to meet my new and current teacher, Rob Workman. She has always been and remains incredibly supportive and encouraging”.

Jane Salmon Masie Ringham-Wiggins MBE

“We often bump into Maisie at various Salvation Army concerts and we also like to keep in touch as she is very special to us, as is her daughter, Susie.

A few years ago Maisie had a shoulder injury so couldn’t play her trombone, but we’d been asked to play a duet at a concert in Staines so Maisie and I both played a pBone” “I am very thankful to Maisie for her inspiration, teaching and passion. She is so patient! I was a very loud cornet player so I’m very grateful to Maisie that at age 8 she let me try the trombone. After just 6 months of trombone lessons with Maisie I auditioned for a place at Purcell school and got in! It was very exciting but also a little sad as it meant that Maisie would no longer teach me. Maisie came with

Acknowledgements I would like to thank the Hallé Orchestra, Maisie herself, and Isobel Daws and her family for their contributions to this article. Further acknowledgements towards writings by the Salvation Army, Shelia Tracy and Michael Kennedy’s writings on Sir John Barbirolli.

Austria Tour front

cover

competition

time

WIN

A 1929 G Ba Trombone ss

To be in with a chance to win this 1929 G Bass Trombone, answer the following question: “Who was the last orchestral G bass trombonist in the UK?” The winner will be announced on the 1st of August Send your answers into editor@britishtrombonesociety.org Donated by Rodney Court, who tells us: My association with this particular piece of plumbing goes back about 70 years to the day that my very best friend, Colin Wood and I rolled up at the Filey Silver Band room and asked to join the band.

The bandmaster produced two instruments which he said “were t’ best instruments in t’ band”, but I think they were all he had. That opinion was not shared by our mothers when we arrived home, me with an Eb bombardon and Colin with the above-mentioned trombone.

He had a particular problem with his instrument. Whilst I would not say he was ‘vertically challenged’ he was not a big lad and even with arms akimbo couldn’t reach the water key.

He resolved this by using the toe of his boot, a practice he maintained throughout his musical career. He rapidly became a very competent player of this instrument and when playing with a marching band he could be heard a couple of blocks before the band appeared. This earned him the name of ‘Jasper the Rasper’ and he retained the ‘Jasper’ pseudonym for the rest of his life.

In the late 1950’s The Filey Silver Band, along with many in this part of Yorkshire were forced to disband as so many of their players went off to compulsory military service and Colin inherited the band’s trombone.

My friend Colin departed this mortal coil about 20 years ago, a great pity as I was looking forward to getting together with him in retirement and playing a few riffs’. His widow gave the trombone to me and after playing a few scales for old time’s sake I donated it to The Filey Museum where it was displayed until recently when it was returned to me due to lack of space in this small local museum.

17

summer 2014 the trombonist

total BRASS

by Ross Learmonth

Total Brass was formed in 2009 whilst all members were studying at the Royal Academy of Music. Consisting of Jason Evans and Robert Smith on trumpet, Elise Campbell on horn, myself on trombone and Matthew Blunt on Tuba, the group has won numerous awards over the years.

We are Leverhulme Chamber Music Fellows at the Royal Academy of Music for the academic year 2013/14, as well as Park Lane Young Artists for 2013/14, Yeomen of the Worshipful Company of Musicians, courtesy of winning the WCOM Brass Ensembles Prize in 2012, and we are also Tunnel Trust Award Winners for 2014/15.

Since the group formed, things have quickly progressed with a somewhat snowball effect in recent years. Amongst the lunchtime and evening recitals, we have been incredibly lucky

18

to perform at some very high profile events, for example, at the Royal Academy of Arts in 2012 for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations in the presence of the Queen and other Royals. We have also been a Featuring Ensemble on BBC Radio 3, playing in the ‘In Tune Christmas Special’ in 2011 and 2012, with ongoing discussion about appearing again in 2014. We also performed at the 2013 Gramophone Awards at LSO St Luke’s, sharing the stage with Alison Balsom and Benjamin Grosvenor, and performing to Mark Elder and Antonio Pappano to name a few. We also opened the Regent’s Hall Brass Arts Festival 2013, a spot which has previously been taken up by Canadian Brass and Boston Brass. We are also lucky enough to have extensive Education and Outreach experience, having worked with the North Bridge House School and Camden, as well as on Outreach projects arranged with the Worshipful Company of Musicians.

The quintet has gone from strength to strength as we have all developed as individuals and an ensemble and Total Brass has become an increasingly important part to all of our diaries. We take pride in the combination of individual styles and personalities that create our unique sound and engaging performances. We give consistently professional

We have a fantastic group relationship and thoughtful performances which reflect the enjoyment which we get from working as a quintet, and it has often been remarked by audience members that it is obvious how much we enjoy playing together.

Individually, all members of Total Brass are building extensive careers, working with orchestras up and down the country.

Jason Evans is Principal Trumpet of the Philharmonia Orchestra, as well as guesting with other orchestras throughout the UK. Robert Smith was recently on trial for the 3rd trumpet position with the London Symphony Orchestra. He has also worked with the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, the Philharmonia, Academy of St Martin In The Fields and the Gabrielli Consort. He is also a member of the European Union Youth Orchestra. Elise is currently on trial for 3rd horn at both Welsh National Opera and Scottish Opera, as has had a previous trial at the Royal Scottish National Orchestra.

She has also worked with BBC Symphony, Bournemouth, London Chamber and Royal Philharmonic Orchestras, to name a few. Ross has worked with the London Symphony and Royal Philharmonic Orchestras and is a member of the Gustav Mahler Jugendorchester, touring to such venues as the Musikverein in Vienna and the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam.

Matthew is also a member of the GMJO and a past member of EUYO. He has also worked with the Philharmonia, Bournemouth and London Symphony Orchestras. We are very lucky that our varied experiences as individuals are adding to our confidence and strength as a group.

We have a fantastic group relationship, where we enjoy spending time together inside and outside of rehearsals and the professional ensemble setting. We hope that Total Brass carries on developing and becomes an even bigger part of our bread and butter, and becomes an influential and important part of the chamber brass movement, but for that we need your help. We like to keep our audiences updated with happenings, at www.twitter.com/totalbrass and www.facebook.com/ totalbrass. Our website is www.totalbrass.co.uk and we would love to hear from you if you have heard one of our concerts or if we came and played for you. The website also has further information about the quintet and players, as well as a variety of soundcloud recordings, including those from our demo CD. We hope that we will be coming soon to a concert hall near you!

lows Leverhulme Chamber Music Fel at the Royal Academy of Music for the academic year 2013/14

19

summer 2014 the trombonist

view from the back by alison keep

the trials and tribulations of an amateur trombonist not to play quite d n te ts is n bo m o tr Orchestral ndsmen. so constantly as ba

The band has been rehearsing for weeks and is now ready for the concert. The rehearsal room is large enough to accommodate everyone with plenty of room to manoeuvre; the concert venue is a church with pews, choir stalls and a narrow chancel.

Everyone is cramped, elbows bumping. The trombones are seated at the front of the chancel with music stands precariously balanced on the first step. In front of them are the cornets and trumpets with little slide room between chairs.

Playing starts. Slides meet resistance from trumpeters’ elbows.

The section frantically re-thinks how to play the music using alternative positions and valves to avoid sixth and seventh positions. A water-key caught in the pocket of the trumpeter in front does not make for easy playing. The second trombone vows to write a letter of complaint to the Chairman (he is the Chairman). His humour diffuses the situation, stress levels return to normal and the concert turns out to be one of the best ever. Such is the lot of the amateur wind-band player.

Orchestral trombonists tend not to play quite so constantly as bandsmen. We’ve all been there; sitting in a rehearsal counting our way through eighty-five bars rest, lifting the trombone and taking an enormous breath only to have the conductor stop and go back to re-rehearse the strings. There have been occasions when I have played as many as two whole notes in a whole hour! Late-comers present more of a problem. The double-bass 20

clatters his way in and joins the end of the line of basses which also places him right in front of the bass trombone.

Does he imagine I have x-ray vision? Brass section – “shuffle chairs along please”. The flute player weaves her way across the orchestra running the gauntlet of the trombone slides, reminiscent of a gladiator dodging the blades on a spinning pole during training. The day of one concert arrived and there was a morning rehearsal at the venue. The chorus was arranged on the main stage and the orchestra on a series of hydraulic tiers in front of them. Music stands provided were of a fairly flimsy type. A bassoonist arrived late and struggled through the orchestra. She caught the edge of my stand, I made a frantic grab at the music and managed to save all but one piece which drifted serenely towards the back of the tier and slotted itself neatly down the gap and disappeared into the bowels of the theatre. There was no easy access. An engineer had to raise and lower the tiers in order to find the music. The sight of the orchestra going up and down on platforms at random was an experience not easily forgotten. Black looks from the conductor, but this was my fault how? Note to self: bring own solid stand next time.

Why do we do it?

Why do we do it? We all have our own reasons for playing the trombone as an amateur. Perhaps to get out of the house two or three times a week, for the companionship of like-minded people, or just for the love of the music, but it is mainly for love of the trombone and that wonderful sound. There are lots of us from all walks of life, young, old and all ages in between, playing in every imaginable type of ensemble from quartets and quintets, brass, wind, big, jazz and funk bands to orchestras. The versatility of the instrument is something that draws us to it. Whatever your reason – keep playing!

g risin s star

Rising stars: William Barnes-McCallum William is 16 years old and in year 12, studying for ‘A’ levels at school in North London. He comes from a very musical family; his Mum was joint first-study piano and trumpet at Music College and now teaches ‘A’ level music, and his Dad is co-principal trumpet in the BBC Concert Orchestra.

William achieved distinction in Grade 8 two years ago, and is now a member of the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain (NYO). He is also a keen singer. He has a great attitude and is a very level-headed chap whose passion for music is very clear. He plays on a Conn 88H. How old were you when you started playing, and why did you pick the trombone?

7 years old, as far as I remember. I chose the trombone because it seemed like the coolest instrument option. I hadn’t heard of any famous trombonists to be inspired by at that stage.

Who do you study with?

I started with Ian Hogan, and then Simon Hogg for a term, and now with Amos Miller at the Royal College of Music Junior Department where I have been going every Saturday for the last few years.

Do you have any career or further education ideas yet?

Haven’t quite decided yet, probably either Music College for trombone or University to do physics and then a postgraduate course afterwards. Definitely trombone in the end though!

What’s your favourite music to listen to and to play?

To listen, I love Take 6, Lyle Mays, and any film music, especially anything by John Williams – it’s hard to beat the music for the original Star Wars film.

To play, everything we did in NYO last year was amazing, especially Stravinsky’s Symphony in Three Movements.

Do you have any other hobbies?

I like cycling, but music seems to take up most of my time!

William Barnes-McCallum

21

summer 2014 the trombonist

virtually extinct

tips m froe top th

by Steve Haynes

Remember that terribly biting scene in the film ‘Brassed Off!’ which culminates in a clown clad Stephen Tompkinson uttering ironically ‘You remember them, love?

Dinosaurs, dodos, miners’? Perhaps he should have added his other vocation to that list; Trombonists.

There is a worrying trend emerging within musical theatre; the replacement of live musicians with recordings. Currently a triple threat, the most straightforward to explain technologically is the situation on the West End production of War Horse, where the whole band (including one trombonist) is replaced by a full recording of the music from the show.

Next we have the scenario heard on the UK Tour of Dirty Dancing where individual instruments are pre-recorded onto a ‘click track’. This is then activated during the show and the musicians playing live essentially play along with the track.

Both of these options function until the intervention of good old fashioned human error. As Dame Judy Dench puts it, the main reason people enjoy live theatre is the excitement created when performers risk falling from the ‘high wire’! Even the most experienced actors in London’s glittering West End are prone to the occasional mishap.

Thankfully though, a live orchestra is 22

usually on hand to adjust and adapt, often without the audience even noticing.

Such timing restrictions of pre-recorded audio have, until recently, dictated the necessity of having live musicians performing from the pit. The only other option was to have keyboard players playing ‘patches’. These are sampled sounds which, whilst flexible in terms of tempo, are inferior both in terms of audio quality and phrasing.

Now though, shows such as the UK Tour of Disney’s The Lion King use the Keycomp Virtual Orchestra device. Here, the whole musical score is inputted one part at a time by real instrumentalists. The parts are then broken down into individual beats enabling the device to follow any fluctuations in time via the keyboard player. In the case of The Lion King tour, there are ten musicians playing live in the pit (as opposed to 17 in London); the other parts (including two trombones) are activated on the machine allowing flexibility of time from the actual instrumental sound.

Whilst this trend is worrying, what is really disappointing is the decision to give the audience an inferior product.

Furthermore, non-musicians struggle to grasp that whilst we are playing the same show on a daily basis, it never actually is the same show twice. It is not possible to enhance nuances of harmony or adapt to alterations in the feel of time with any device that cannot react. These real time adjustments are created by musical radar honed over many years of training and experience, allowing musicians to interact with one another to produce harmonic bloom and groove. This is what creates the energy of live music which is then conveyed to the other performers and the audience.

I defy anyone to find a singer, actor or dancer who says they do not thrive on the vitality created from having live music surround them. Anyone who fails to acknowledge this is depriving an audience of what they have paid to experience.

What concerns me most is the gradual diminution of public expectation.

It is all relative, so if audiences hear a lesser standard of what they think is ‘live’ music, they come to expect less.

They certainly will not enjoy the same excitement so are unlikely to pay as much for a ticket next time. As a result the quality of the production will have to be condensed, thus a reduced budget for music; completing the vicious circle.

Reassuringly, an American orchestrator who has had shows both on Broadway and in the West End joked, ‘you have to be careful when writing for trombones as they tend to muddy up the colour of the synthesizers! Seriously though,’ he continued, ‘I like to have three trombones. On one of my current shows I have three trombones, two trumpets, five woodwind, harp, two keyboards, percussion, drums, bass and guitar.

The three trombones make it!’

If only all shows had orchestrators like that. Right, back to business; now where’s my miners’ hat?

JWO Trombone Section

By Peter Chester

At the National Trombone Day in Manchester this year Jiggs Whigham reminded us all how lucky we are to be musicians, and perhaps those of us attracted to the trombone might feel ourselves especially blessed.

JWO Brass Section

‘We all bring a little bit of something to the party’ Imagine, then, the feelings of pleasure at being a trombonist playing wonderful music in an almost unique orchestra for ten years, alongside players who are not only the very best but are also your good friends, and all this led by one of the brightest stars in today’s music scene. Having recently talked to the players who make up the trombone section of the John Wilson Orchestra, this scenario is not a fiction. These happy (and lucky!) men are Gordon Campbell, Mark Nightingale, Liam Kirkham and Andy Wood, and as John Wilson himself acknowledges “they have played elbow to elbow for over a decade now, as have the trumpets and saxes … and that, as much as anything, has helped forge a sound and style”.

John Wilson has made a name for himself as a conductor and arranger, and is an internationally recognised scholar in the fields of light music, jazz and music for the screen.

In this latter area his skills as an expert re-constructor of music scores for Hollywood films and Broadway shows have brought the music to life again for modern audiences. As Mark said, “John’s Orchestra is one of the few remaining bastions of a type of music and orchestration that I’ve loved ever since my early playing days”, and the Orchestra’s annual tours and BBC Promenade concerts have given it a huge profile with the public.

John himself knew that to re-create the sound of Hollywood movies and musicals, and the MGM studios Orchestra in particular, a special team was needed. The orchestra would have to produce a sumptuous symphonic sound, with strings, woodwind and horns, but also it would need at its heart a big band of saxes, trumpets and trombones, along with a solid rhythm section. This he has done and the entire JWO is noted for the calibre of its players.

So where do our lucky trombone players fit into this? John Wilson points out that the composers and arrangers of the Hollywood scores approached their work very seriously and the challenge is the meticulous re-creation of that work. For the brass, John knows that they have to cope with the widest stylistic demands, being “required to play in a straight ahead symphonic style in one instance and in a jazz idiom the next (and everything in between). I would say that this is the most challenging aspect of this repertoire as only a very limited number of players have the skill to manage all these styles.

I want a sound that fits a style, be it Mozart or Billy May”.

In 2013 the repertoire included a suite from the 1938 film ‘The Adventures of Robin Hood’ by Erich Korngold, which Gordon admitted was a challenge, as the symphonic style was not his usual fare. But the flexibility of the section came through and they did it to considerable approval not least, apparently, from their symphonic orchestra colleagues.

It is not just flexibility of styles that the JWO requires, there’s also flexibility on instruments. Andy generally plays bass, but as modern bass trombones are a quite recent development, a switch to a lighter tenor instrument is frequent. And, as Liam said, “although Gordon is generally called upon to play the big ‘sweet’ solos, we swap the lead parts around and everybody gets a turn at playing some of the juicy bits! I often seem to get handed the lead part when the chart calls for the trombone section to be ‘lairy’ in the big band style – great fun to play!”

John Wilson conducting

23

JWO trombone section continued...

“We all bring a little bit of something to the party; I like doing the sweet notes, coming in on the quiet notes” said Gordon, “and we all know what each other is going to do”.

This illustrates the section’s core strength of skills and experience, and as Liam reflected, “In many ways playing alongside great players makes things easier. You’re never battling with tuning issues or questions about phrasing. We all know how each other plays and pretty much what John is after”.

And what John is after is clear enough, as Mark commented, “John is a hard taskmaster and demands stylistic accuracy, close attention to dynamics and precision togetherness.

The quality of players throughout the orchestra is such that he gets what he wants. Once the big band bits are off and running, however, he rarely needs to comment much at all – and it seems to bring a big smile to his face!”

Gordon Campbell

‘Perhaps the only ‘challenge’ is keeping your slide well-lubed’ One particular skill that seems to exercise the team is vibrato.

“Perhaps the only ‘challenge’ is keeping your slide welllubed”, according to Liam, “and it is no good turning up The John Wilson Orchestra without plenty of Slide O Mix and water!” Fortunately the section has one of the world’s experts on vibrato, Gordon, who reminds us that the real skill of that technique is not really taught. It has to be learned by listening. He learned it by listening to great players like Tommy Dorsey, Urbie Green, Cy Zetner and Dick Nash – a lesson for us all.

Clearly section members all enjoy the music although some favourites emerge from the repertoire. One nameless diplomat among them thinks the trombone section makes the orchestra sound great anyway (!) playing anything from “lush sweet solos, then barking like angry Rottweilers, to glowing pianissimo chords”. For Gordon, the Sinatra songs are a particular favourite, backing singer Matt Ford, and the special mood of Robert Farnon’s arrangement of A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square. Anyone who has heard Gordon play that will know what he means. Mark himself has also done some fabulous trombone section features for the big band which they all enjoy playing.

In recent years the JWO has undertaken tours around the UK, to sell-out audiences. In 2013, in John Wilson’s native Gateshead, an entire extra concert had to be arranged in The Sage, such was the demand for tickets, and the BBC Prom on

August 2nd as well as the 2014 autumn tour are likely to sell out fast. However, the Orchestra has been abroad as well, most notably to Hollywood in October 2013, where the reception was overwhelming. The audience had not heard anything like the JWO in concert before. After the show a distinguishedlooking gentleman came backstage looking for the trombonist who “sounded like Lloyd Ulyate”. He found him – it was Gordon Campbell. Needless to say the normally modest Gordon felt distinctly flattered, especially as the distinguished gentleman turned out to be John Williams, the celebrated composer. The rest of the team were introduced, an event particularly memorable for Liam, as not only is he a huge fan of John Williams, but he was in the middle of getting dressed - “I never thought I’d meet him wearing only my socks and underpants”! Such is the life of an itinerant musician……..

In talking to these lucky men a number of things come through, not least their respect and admiration for John Wilson and his music, but also for the other members of the orchestra, in particular the trumpet section of Mike Lovatt, Pat White, Andy Gathercole, and Jim Lynch, along with principal horn Chris Parkes, and there is no doubt in their minds that the rhythm section of Matt Skelton (drums), Jeremy Brown (bass), and Colin Oxley (guitar) is a bedrock of the Orchestra. Yet also evident is a great sense of fun and camaraderie and one graphic image from Mark perhaps sums this up.

The John Wilson Orchestra

So where do our lucky trombone players fit into this?

Picture the scene: The JWO was on a trip to Berlin. It was the end of a long, tiring day. The young German girl at the hotel reception was rather flustered by a whole orchestra trying to check in all at once. In an attempt to organise things she shouted, ‘Quiet!’

The room fell silent. ‘Right’, she said to the nearest person, ‘You – what is your name?’ Without hesitation, a voice from the back of the crowd shouted, ‘Don’t tell her, Pike!’ Roars of laughter from the Orchestra, and a very bemused young lady.

The voice belonged to… Gordon Campbell.

And so, the fun continues…

For more information: www.johnwilsonorchestra.com 25

summer 2014 the trombonist

Bass Bone Files!

by Roger Argente

I’m delighted to bring to the members of the British Trombone Society a chance to meet some of the world’s finest bass trombonists. In this first edition I take the opportunity to speak with Bob Hughes. Bob should be no stranger to BTS members, as a recent past president of our society, and I would like to thank him for giving us a glimpse into his wonderful career.

Can you tell us a bit about your musician background? I’ve been a professional in for 36 years and started playing the trombone first teacher Montgomeryshire, Mid Wales, where my with the was Gordon Tune. I played bass trombone the and estra Orch North Powys Youth Band and went I 1976 In s.

National Youth Orchestra of Wale with y to the Royal Academy of Music to stud Harold Nash.

h a range How did you come to join all suc nd year of wonderful orchestras? In my seco BBC the with job a ic, Mus of at the Royal Academy friends my and up e cam Scottish Symphony Orchestra of brief le coup a r Afte persuaded me to go and audition. the me ed offer trial periods I was amazed when they little very post, as I had just turned 20 and really had ation’ and experience. This was my ‘University Educ n and Nigel my colleagues, Peter Oram, Tony Swainso moved to the Boddice really looked after me. In 1981 I Glasgow. in d base still , Scottish National Orchestra on and I secti s bras ted This was a young and very talen SNO as the with ing enjoyed 8 years of memorable play . I was land Scot in well as enjoying a great quality of life

26

Bob Hughes

the BBC also lucky at this time to work regularly with such as s ician mus t grea Scottish Radio Orchestra with er.

Drov Gordon Campbell and Adrian

top London I’d always had a dream of working with a Ray Premru Orchestra and I had my opportunity when USA in the to back ed mov left the Philharmonia and in the ing Play .

1989 1988. I took over from Ray in Again ce!

Roy s Roll Philharmonia was like sitting in a ley Dud ded another fantastic brass section which inclu to just id Dav Bright, John Jenkins, John Wallace, Mark name a few.

LSO. In 1994 Frank Mathison retired from the ency at the resid At this time the LSO, with their solid in London Barbican Centre were spending more time t make life than the Philharmonia. Jill and I felt this migh g family. somewhat more conducive to raising a youn on with The LSO also had an incredible brass secti d, Eric Crees, sfiel Bou Ian ks, Maurice Murphy, Rod Fran Harrild. ck Patri and Lindsay Shilling, Jim Maynard Berlioz and kner Highlights for me were Sibelius, Bruc ies phon sym cycles with Sir Colin Davis; Shostakovich and ms Brah and Romeo and Juliet with Rostrapovich; Mahler and ink Hait ard Bern with Bruckner cycles course Of as.

Thom n Tilso ael symphonies with Mich I played ks. dtrac soun film its the LSO is renowned for e just nam to rt, ehea on Star Wars, Harry Potter, Brav my with cred t a few. This really gave me some stree UK the to ts ticke kids, especially when I could get them premières in Leicester Square! extremely In 2002 I went through a devastating and completely st almo I n frustrating period in my life whe years two r Afte lost my ability to play the trombone. ce from advi of trying to regain my playing and seeking diagnosed many kind colleagues and specialists, I was ded to with Task Specific Focal Dystonia and I deci I’d like . hing coac and ing teach focus my energies on e to me ortiv supp dibly to say that the LSO were incre during this difficult time. nal life Do you teach? Throughout my professio it find I have always taught and really enjoy it. I ing my extremely rewarding passing on and shar

The Bass Bone Files : TOP SECRET

Welcome to the first chapter of our new series;

The Bass Bone Files : TOP SECRET

The SNO Section

The LSO Section

I’ve been fortunate to work with some very talented students over the years experience with young people. I am presently Senior Tutor in Brass at the Royal Academy of Music where on top of my bass trombone teaching I run the tromb one choir, take regular low brass classes, wind and brass coaching sessions and assist Mark David, RAM Head of Brass in the day to day running of the brass department .

I also teach and coach at Birmingham Conservatoire.

I’ve been fortunate to work with some very talented students over the years, many I now regard as fellow colleagues who enjoy successful careers in top orchestral positions in the UK and abroad. In my teaching I always try to emphasize the importance of good basics e.g. the ‘Three T’s’-Tone, Tuning and Time.

Secure these and you’re halfway there.

Who are your trombone heroes? Over the years I’ve had numerous trombone heroes and have been lucky to sit beside many such as Lance Green, Dudle y Bright, Ian Bousfield, and Gordon Campbell. Denis Wick and Don Lusher also made big impressions on me as a young player. As a bass trombonist my bigge st influences were Ray Premru, Frank Mathison, Charl ie Vernon and Jeff Reynolds. I must also mention Georg e Roberts, who I think has inspired all bass trombonists by his great artistry.

What music do you like listening to?

I’m always preparing something for a repertoire class or rehearsal, but my Trombonist’s Desert Island Discs would include recordings of Urbie Green, Tommy Dorsey, JJ Johnson and Frank Rosolino.

Name two inspirations, one musical and one non-musical? Jill my wife who is a constant support and stops me from becoming set in my ways, and Radovan Vlatkovic, the great horn player, for his wonderful musicianship, integrity and wisdom.

How do you relax and enjoy life away from music? At weekends Jill and I enjoy walking our dog, Brodie. For holidays we enjoy hill walking and spending time with our two grown-up children who are both at University. I occasionally play a round of golf with some good trombone buddies (followed by a pint or two!) and I enjoy watching sport on TV.

What is your view of the diverse nature of bass trombone playing today, compared to how it was when you were first starting out? 30-40 years ago I think we were advised to specialise and strive for excellence in a particular field.

Now you need much more flexibility. I think most young musicians need to have a portfolio of skills such as teaching, conducting, arranging, and more.

For all those Boneheads out there, what type of bass trombone did you use and can you explain why you chose this instrument?

I played on an Elkhart Conn 62H with a Bach 2G wide rim mouthpiece. I felt this gave me the right balance of sound for orchestral work.

Pet hates? I hate sloppiness and untidiness, not only in playing but also in time keeping, communication and day-to-day stuff. No matter what you are doing, do it to the best of your ability.

Your favourite composers? There are so many I find it impossible to say, but I have a leaning towar ds Berlioz, Sibelius, Ravel and Debussy.

If you had the chance to meet any compose r of your choice what type of questions would you like to ask them? Sackbut players from Gabrielli’s day; players from Mozart and Beethoven’s time; players who played in the first performances of Mahler’s Third Symphony, Stravinsky ’s Rite of Spring, Nielsen’s Flute Concerto, Berg’s Three Pieces, to name but a few. What did they think of the composers and pieces? How revolutionary did they find the writing at the time?

London Trombone Sound CD recording

‘Three T’s’-Tone, Secure these an Tuning and Time. d you’re halfw ay there.

27

Leonhard Paul

TROMBONISTS

ISLAND DIScS

Here’s my fruit basket, my musical secret loves. No brass CDs because I have this music around me all day.

I got closer to so many other “foodplaces” than brass food, (it’s often junk…), places where I still get fresh things for my old brain. I have three pieces that forced me to stop driving, not expecting me to react so strongly.

Franz Schubert: Quintet in C, Alban Berg Quartet & Heinrich Schiff.

One of the best ever, especially 2nd movement. Thrilling to hear those five men breathing.

Robert Schumann: Dichterliebe, sung by Fritz Wunderlich.

There are many Dichterlieben but only ONE with Wunderlich.

The way he sings, “Ich liebe dich...” is one of the most moving moments ever.

a balance g in d in f “ ” sic is for me, mu sion and relaxation between ten

With a little help from my friends, from Wolfgang Muthspiel’s CD ‘Loaded like new’. Again a recording that stopped me driving. Slow food for your mind – tasty and intelligent.

F. Loewe: Ascot Gavotte from My Fair Lady, played by Ruby Braff/Dick Hymann ... Just to hear him play; the stories between each note, following his heart!

Julius Fucik: Under the admiral’s flag, played by the Czechoslovak Army Central Band. If you want to know how to play marches, understand Mahler and Dvorak, enjoy Bohemian food and beer - you have to listen to this band!!

All CDs of the Red Priest ensemble...the Renaissance and Baroque period is my second love (not for historical correctness, but smelling the energy). On the other hand, one of the most energising AND historically punctilious recordings of Handel’s Flute Sonatas is made by Sven Schwannberger, proving that it’s possible to keep to the rules AND make music with your heart.

Leonhard Paul

summer 2014 the trombonist

tombonists island discs continued...

Autumn Leaves by Jacky Terrasson, and his version of Charlie Chaplin’s Smile on the same CD. I love this version, because it is one of the hardest things to make something new from an old hat that nobody wants listen to any longer.

Born 1967 in Vienna, my first musical steps were the recorder at five and piano a little later, changing to trombone at eight because my teacher needed a trombone in the wind band. I learned euphonium too. At high school I had my first jazz improvisations, improvising with no plan, but successfully. I became a member of a boys’ choir, touring every two years to Japan for seven weeks in summer - one day off a week, 56 concerts, that’s lots of new experiences!

After high school I served in the army band. My decision to study music was done spontaneously. I had no other vision of what to do.

I studied Classical Music, Jazz and Pedagogy in Vienna then started to teach at an elementary music school and I still teach at the University of Music in Vienna. I ‘depped’ in orchestras, but realised it was not really my way. I played sackbutt with the Concentus Musicus ensemble, directed by Nikolaus Harnoncourt, and also with Tonus in Vienna.

I joined Mnozil Brass nearly 20 years ago, changing, my life. I started to arrange and compose. I didn’t learn it, I just did it in a way I thought would work. And still today it’s a challenge for me, for example, to arrange for Mnozil Brass and Symphony Orchestra. We just had a project running in Vienna’s Musikvereinssaal (the golden one!) where we performed our music with a Symphony Orchestra, which was a very hard, interesting, but successful project.

For me, music is “finding a balance between tension and relaxation”. I think musicians should never forget to tell their stories to the audience. Unfortunately, I often feel we get more of the execution of printed dots than the interpretation of the glue between them.

That does not mean that I know all the secrets and rules, but I try to research again and again.

Maybe that’s also a reason why I listen to more chamber music, strings, piano, more than brass ensembles?

30

y music was My decision to studly done spontaneous

reviews 10 Jazz Etudes for Trombone

By Anders Larson

Zen and the Art of the Trombone

by Kevin Morgan

Reviewed Jon Stokes.

Reviewed by David Whitehouse.

The acclaimed Swedish trombone player Anders Larson sets out to make practice more fun with his ‘10 Jazz Etudes for Trombone’. Each etude is based on a popular jazz standard and is presented in two sections – easy/medium and advanced. Whilst there is no substitute for listening and transcribing your favorite jazz solos or going out and performing with like-minded musicians, this book is a useful tool for players looking to start playing more jazz or for younger players to gain an idea of jazz language and jazz phrasing. The book does not come with a CD but I believe you can buy one separately. I personally feel that getting the CD would be a good idea, unless you have the luxury of a piano player or better still a whole rhythm section in order to hear the changes and play the melodies on which these etudes are based. This book is fun to practice, although most études are medium-swing and based in the friendlier flat keys and therefore maybe not suitable for more accomplished jazz musicians.

To call Kevin Morgan’s new tutor “for thoughtful trombone practice” merely a tutor, does not fully do it justice. In it, he shares with us his approach to playing, based on years of thought and performance at the highest level. And, as one of the country’s longest-standing principal trombonists, he is a person that should be listened to.

You won’t find pages and pages of exercises within. But what you will find is as much explanation as notation, designed to arm the player with knowledge that can be applied to anything that might be encountered in other areas of music, be it another tutor book, or a Mahler symphony.

And what better time to “road test” it than having recently had two weeks of not very much playing, followed by six days of no playing, with Elgar’s Second Symphony, Brahms’ Second Symphony and Berlioz’ Corsaire Overture, all on principal, as my first day back?

My own warm-up and practice routine (I use the term loosely), has traditionally been of the “play a few notes and try to fix what doesn’t work” variety, so this book gave me some much-needed structure to get my own playing back into shape. After 20 minutes of following Kevin’s excellent advice, it really felt like the air was moving properly and the lips were vibrating freely, and it certainly felt and sounded better than it deserved to after a quiet few weeks at work.

ews i v e r

Kevin’s hope that this tutor will “complement the existing material by encouraging a more holistic approach to practising and performing” certainly hits the nail on the head, and it will be a book that I refer back to time and time again.

Zen and the Art of the Trombone is priced at £10 available from www.trombonemusic.co.uk

Blowin’ That old Tin Can Robbie Harvey Reviewed by John Barber.

The energy, musicality and feel captured on this album is one that both showcases and celebrates a fantastic young talent in the trombone world. Robbie Harvey has put together a selection of charts, some original and some new arrangements that are an absolute pleasure to listen to and appreciate.

Surrounded by a handful of great musicians (the piano playing of Leon Greening in particular catching the ear) Robbie slides through the gears from ballad and inner reflection to Bebop in a way that musically affirms his status as a wonderfully lyrical musician whilst also demonstrating that Robbie’s technical facility is simply quite stunning. All of the tracks are excellently delivered and I particularly enjoyed the Raymond Hubbell Poor Butterfly where Robbie turns his hand to a wonderfully soulful and bluesy solo.

From young aspiring musicians to those who have for some time enjoyed the fruits that the musical world can provide, this is a recording that deserves to be heard and enjoyed.

31

Photography courtesy of Betina Skovbro

G&T

by Matthew Gee & Mark Templeton

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

It’s summertime, which means the BBC Proms are upon us. This is the biggest music festival in the world and brings some truly great orchestras to London, with tickets as little as £5!

We’re keeping the spotlight on the best of British, so cast your eyes over our choices and either turn up, tune-in or log on, but do it all with a nice cooling beverage to hand.

Matt’s picks from the North and the Midlands first. The CBSO are playing Britten’s War Requiem with Andris Nelsons on 21st August at 7.30pm; a great work, by one of our very best composers. Idiomatic writing for the trombone section may sound somewhat like a warm-up, but do not be fooled, it is fiendishly difficult!

Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra: Elgar’s Symphony No. 2 with Vasily Petrenko, 31st July, 7.30pm. Playing Elgar is always harder than you remember - do not take him for granted.

A great workout for any trombone section, I’ll be tuning-in.

BBC Philharmonic tackle Mahler’s Symphony No. 5 under Juanjo Mena on July 30th, 7.30pm. The weight and power of Mahler’s most popular symphony is sure to send a shiver down your back.

STAR PICK: BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Mozart’s Requiem with Donald Runnicles on the 3rd August, 8.00pm. One of our best solos in one of the worlds biggest festivals!

What second trombone could ask for more? Although new(ish) to the job, Becky Smith is sure to leave us in no doubt as to why she is sitting in that sought-after seat. Great trombone writing for the whole section, they will 32

be in need of a few drinks once the Lux aeterna comes to a close, and I aim to be first down the ‘9’s’ (The Queens Arms) to meet them when it does.

‘Thanks Matt. I’m looking forward to hearing Becky play this one too.

Your own orchestras offering also tickles my fancy: all the Respighi Tone Poems with Maestro Dutoit, September 1st, 7.30pm. Sounds like quite a blow, with some superb low-brass writing.

Here is my round-up for the rest of the UK: BBC National Orchestra of Wales play Elgar’s Symphony no.1 with Mark Wigglesworth, August 3rd, 8.00pm.

A few tricky passages for the section, but wonderful writing. I would love to hear this on turn-of-the-century pea-shooters; what a sound that would be!

London Symphony Orchestra: Janacek’s Glagolitic Mass with Valery Gergiev, July 24th, 7.30pm. Some fantastic fanfares and choral writing will keep you on the edge of your seat. An onslaught for the senses , surely one of the best examples of 20th century music.

London Philharmonic Orchestra play Holst’s The Planets under Vladimir Jurowski, August 28th, 7.30pm.

Dave Whitehouse will dust-off the valves

in this iconic British work. Scriabin’s Symphony No. 5 will be a surprise treat for most listeners in the second half.

BBC Symphony Orchestra: Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture and Stravinsky’s Violin Concerto August 18th, 7.30pm. All you would expect from Russian pomp. In the 1812; big, naughty and hard to tame. Stravinsky’s Violin Concerto contrasts this with bits of neo-classicism, some great rhythmical games and a couple of first trombone solos.

That’s it till next season. Don’t forget your sun-cream (and an umbrella). If you are going to queue for Prom tickets arrive before lunch for the most popular concerts.

You will be given numbered tickets, so do not worry if you need the loo. If there is one thing us brits can do, it’s queue!

Cheerio.

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

MT

MG

t’s a h w on

what’s on June

ass Bad Ass Br Sat 14 June b d Social Clu Dobcross Ban worth d cross, Sad le b o D e, an L Platt

July

rt Bones Apa n Festival hurch Stretto Part of the C 7.00pm Tues 29 July tretton ’s Church, S St Laurence

July

al rass Festiv Schagerl B 9-13 July ustria Stift Melk, A estival.com www.brass-f

June

n Brass Kensingto to ‘From Bach ms John Willia ’ and beyond 9.00pm e n Ju 4 Sat 1 Horsham The Capitol,

June

ass Bad Ass Br owl l: Boogaloo B ow B Brooklyn 6.00pm n, SE10 0DX Mon 16 June uare, Londo q S la su in en The O2, P

June

y mbone Da ntry Junior Tro 0pm Free E .3 5 E am 0 .0 9 e ire NP15 1S Sun 22 Jun Monmouthsh l, o o ch S y Usk Primar

June

rt Music Bones apa eld Festival of fi d ra B e th of Part .30pm Fri 27 June 7 radfield E Church, B f o C s la o h St Nic

august

Course y Summer em d a c A s Bras am, Surrey 4-8 August chool, Cobh S in h u en M Yehudi k cademy.co.u www.brass-a

august

Youth National estra h Wind Orc 7.30pm Sat 9 August 1BX n Hall, OX1 Oxford Tow

august

Orchestra uth Wind o Y l a n o ti Na A st 2.30pm on, SW1P 3H Sun 10 Augu quare, Lond S h it m S ’s n St Joh

september

e Open s Trombon s a B h tc u D er 5-7 Septemb l www.dbto.n

october BTS Day & Don Lusher Bob Hughes & AGM Competitions er All day Sun 5 Octob , PE8 4EE eterborough P l, o o ch S Oundle

June

ass Bad Ass Br l va ti Halifax Fes Sat 28 June rass.co.uk www.badassb

Follow the BTS on Twitter: @britishtrombone and Like us on Facebook to receive regular dates for your diary Submit your own events on the BTS website www.britishtrombonesociety.org and they will be included on social media, the BTS website and right here in the magazine.

33

summer 2014 the trombonist

fast talk...

What’s your current job?

In terms of ‘my own chairs’ I’m the trombonist / euphonium with Van Morrison, Blur and Guy Barker but I would say I’m freelance.

What model of trombone(s) do you play? King 3B. It’s always been the one for me since my parents very kindly got me one as a Christmas present when I was 12 or so.

What mouthpiece(s) do you play on? Marcinkiewicz ET3 loper.

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

Other than playing to your strengths I can’t describe any technical advice as I have always worked naturally. Mentally, from an improvisational angle, I would advise listening to a wide range of music, thinking in terms of music as a whole rather than restricting your listening and playing style to the narrow world of the trombone, and importantly not worrying or overthinking it all.

What was the most amazing gig you’ve ever been involved in? Maybe closing Glastonbury Festival with Blur in 2009 for sheer crowd volume and energy, and the resulting feeling and performance on stage. Or perhaps an Incognito gig in Seoul a couple of years ago, absolutely incredible manic crowd!! You knew from the second you walked on stage that the gig could only be amazing with the surreal levels of screaming, bordering hysteria in the audience!

But also had a special night earlier this year supporting Tower of Power with my friend’s band ‘The PB Underground’ at Koko in Camden, and meeting TOP and listening to them at close quarters afterwards.

What was the last record you bought? Cameo – Gold. There are very few trombonists I choose to listen to.

34

in

In my time with the band Incognito we played some absolutely amazing outdoor venues including an Italian mountain fort and an amazing sweltering beachfront in Mexico.

Acoustically, the Sage in Gateshead or Bridgewater Hall in Manchester are as good venues as I’ve played in. In terms of a good craic, I’ve always enjoyed the Jazz Cafe in Camden too.

What’s your name? Alistair White

How old were you when you started playing? 8.

60cond seterview

Alistair White

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

Enjoy it! Starting out, I’d advise saying yes to every opportunity you can because even if some gigs seem fruitless at face value, something may come as a result of it.

What was your first pro gig and when? I believe it was Eric Delaney at a caravan park in Mablethorpe, 1995, when I was perhaps 14 or 15.

Where has been your most favourite place to perform?

What are you currently working on work-wise/ repertoire-wise? Van Morrison has just released a new album ‘Born To Sing: No Plan B’ on Blue Note Records so we are reasonably busy gigging the new tracks to promote the album.

Around that, various odds and ends, but I seem to have been learning a few shows this year.

What’s your favourite colour?

Not sure. Maybe the red of LFC. What’s your favourite food?

It’s hard to see anything beyond a good medium-hot chicken curry. In fact I just ate one.

Give us an interesting fact that people might not know about you… It’s actually really uninteresting, but I’m a maths graduate.

Thankfully I haven’t used the degree since I finished the course.