Furtado's trombone past

Nelly Furtado has revealed in interview that the popular singer spent her formative years playing trombone trying to make it work image-wise.

A lot of my melodies are inspired by church folk music. I also played the trombone for 10 years. I spent my childhood in front of a music stand. Very uncool, but I was trying to make it cool.

Berio recording

Probably the best known piece for trombone of tha last century, Berio's Sequenza V has recently been recorded by the piece's dedicatee Stuart Dempster.

I was pleased to discover that Abbie Conant has collected a lot of information about the inspiration for the piece, Grock the clown, who was a neighbour of Berio as a child. There are video clips with facinating notes on which performances might be related to the piece, including the famous delivery of "warum" (why).

Professor James Watson

The Royal Academy of Music is specially honouring two of its stalwart brass faculty this term.

James Watson recently became Professor of the Univeristy of London which honours "exceptional performing talent combined with teaching, research and other related musical contributions at the highest level of attainment." In celebration Watson will be giving a lecture-recital on a topic TBA.

In addition, Howard Snell's departure from the RAM is not being allowed to occur quietly - he is getting a suitable send off in one of the RAM Symphonic Brass concerts.

James Watson, Inaugural Lecture-Recital
Thursday 21st September
7:00pm
Duke’s Hall, Royal Academy of Music, London
Free tickets available from the RAM Box Office
Professor James Watson has held principal trumpet positions with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Royal Opera House, London Sinfonietta, Nash Ensemble and the Philip Jones Brass Ensemble. His conducting positions have included Artistic Director of the Black Dyke Mills Band, 1992–2000. He has been the Academy’s Head of Brass since 2001. This lecture-recital marks his appointment as a Professor of the University of London earlier this year.

Concert for Howard
Friday 3rd November
6:00pm
Duke’s Hall
Free, no tickets required
Academy Symphonic Brass
James Watson conductor
Cappa Quartet
Brass professors
Copland Fanfare for the Common Man
Haydn String Quartet op 103
Wagner arr. Snell Elsa’s Procession to the Minster from ‘Lohengrin’
A concert to mark the retirement of Howard Snell FRAM from the professorial staff at the Academy.

Academy Symphonic Brass
Wednesday 29th November
7:30pm
Duke’s Hall
Tickets £5 (concessions £3) available from the Box Office.
Academy Symphonic Brass
James Watson conductor
Mussorgsky arr. Howarth Pictures at an Exhibition
Bernstein arr. Crees On the Town
Bernstein arr. Crees West Side Story
James Watson, Head of Brass, conducts a programme of barn-storming music.

Academy Trombone Choir
Thursday 30th November
1.05pm
Duke’s Hall
Free, no tickets required
Bob Hughes director
Mark Nightingale jazz trombone
Programme to include music by Mark Nightingale including the UK première of Turning Back the Clock for solo jazz trombone and trombone octet.

Carol's Cancer Charity Concert

The Royal Northern College of Music has a vibrant brass department and this term's concert in October features Janacek's Capriccio for left-hand piano and brass ensemble.

It is a feast for brass lovers that day in Manchester because later on there is a concert given by an all-star big band to raise money for Carol Jarvis and Cancer Research.

UPDATE: Carol has just called to say the Brass Appeal concert has been post-poned and an announcement will be made soon.

RNCM Brass Ensemble
12/10/2006 1:15pm - Haden Freeman Concert Hall, RNCM, Manchester, UK

Toru Takemitsu Signals from Heaven
Leos Janácek Capriccio for left-hand piano and brass ensemble
Richard Strauss Feierlicher Einzug

Jerry Hou, John Miller conductors

A lunchtime break with the RNCM Brass Ensemble is sure to re-energise you for the afternoon ahead. One of the most original works in the piano literature, Janácek's Capriccio was written for pianist Otakar Hollmann, who lost the use of his right arm in World War I. Richard Strauss' rousing fanfare makes a perfect partner piece.

Free admission, no ticket required

Brass Appeal 2 - NOTE THIS IS CANCELLED
12/10/2006 07:30 pm - Bruntwood Theatre, RNCM, Manchester

Following the success of January 2005's Brass Appeal concert, we're delighted to welcome back this all-star Big Band featuring some of the UK's finest jazz musicians. This concert is to raise funds for trombonist Carol Jarvis and Cancer Research UK.

Derek James

To you young trombonists just starting on a musical career, my advice is to have a good sense of humour, don't take yourself too seriously, and accept the fact that you will make mistakes and probably play a 'domino' here and there, as we all do from time to time, which we put down to experience.

Derek James

Derek James' career as a trombonist spanned the Welsh Guards Band and Royal Opera House, London Philharmonic and Royal Philharmonic Orchestras. The quote is taken from an old "Tips from the Top" article in The Trombonist magazine, and available here on the BTS website. I wonder if anyone can recommend any recordings of this British legend?

Lindsay Shilling showed his admiration for a mix of current and former greats of the British trombonists, including James:

Personally, I try to emulate breathing and sound quality like Dudley Bright, warming up and tuning like Ray Premru, keeping the instrument still and projecting like Derek James, musical integrity like Arthur Wilson, effortless demeanor like John Iveson

Into the mind of Steve Turre

Read a new interview with Saturday Night Live's trombonist Steve Turre on his many philosophies for a lifetime in music. Also, how to play the conch shell and his love of gardening.

A musician is like a doctor; he should make you feel better.

Dodgy contest results

Brass bands take contests very seriously, but all artistic judgements can be controversial, and some bandies are prone to being rude in their disagreements. Accusations of partiality, public name-calling, even the odd punch-up: contests have them all. It's not for nothing that judges are confined to a tent for many hours at a time - inhumanity and mistrust in the name of fairness. This is not the sort of thing you find at international piano competitions is it?

Well actually, the Villa-Lobos International Piano Competition made the NY Times this week in reports of scandal: judge resignations, contestants pulling out, accusations of result tampering, open criticism by judges of contestants and more. And this is only in the qualifying round. It puts those drunken "we wuz robbed" remarks in the pub across the road from the Town Hall in a whole new perspective.

Davis and Reichenbach

Mike Davis and Bill Reichenbach can be seen and heard recording Mike's excellent Trombone Institute of Technology on this free video. Awesome playing, but look how easy they make it look. Great stuff.

Mozart and the alphorn

This summer I've had the pleasure of playing in a groups which featured the glass harmonica and alphorn. It's easy to scorn these instruments - people say they are limited curiousities. But Wolfgang Mozart and his dad Leopold wrote pieces for them, so perhaps there is hope as a serious musical instrument?

The glass harmonica in Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor sounded rather beautiful and haunting, accompanying a rather fraught Lucia in the famous aria where she goes mad. The slow start to the notes was rather unique, and despite being difficult to get together, was rather effective.

It was my second brush with alphorns, and the brass quintet I was depping with had the tuba player out front to play some of the Mozart piece, and the rest of the group played the string quartet parts. It was an outdoor concert and the item rather tongue-in-cheek, but actually despite some pretty darn dull writing from Mr. Mozart, the alphorn sounded really resonant and rounded, like a good tuba. And it certainly carried well in the landscaped gardens we were sitting in, probably better than any of our modern brass instruments. I really think it's a shame it's not chromatic! But I have yet to be convinced of the need for an alphorn ensemble...