Bon-accordion

Following the New York Times heralding the trombone as being an important solo instrument, another instrument hankering for legitimacy in the modern era could be coming into its own.

An accordion played skilfully, with feeling, can produce a truly rapturous noise.

The Scotsman newspaper admits the instrument is "so weighty that their owners become hernia-prone" but clearly things are looking up for the accordionists. A Russian virtuoso player called Friedrich Lips is quoted as saying:

The golden age of the violin was the Baroque era. For the piano it was the Romantic era. The accordion is still changing all the time and we are just entering its golden era. It's the most exciting time possible to be playing it.

Bousfield's French album

Ian Bousfield is featured in a new solo disc released this week. But since it is a Japanese label, details are sketchy and mostly in Japanese. Luckily Google provides free electronic translations, so here are the details in pseudo English. Note that Bousfield translated into Japanese and back again comes out as "Bausuhuirudo"! Let's hope this CD makes its way to shops in the West soon!

The album where becomes first, from [kamerata] of head trombone player [bausuhuirudo] of the Vienna filling. One it is piquant you blow easily unrestrictedly with any difficult tune and handle, makes the charm of the trombone taste freely.

CAMERATA CMCD-28117

Price: 2,940 Yen (including tax)

　Bozza: Ballade
　Debussy: Clair de Lune (arranged from Suite Bergamasque)
　Debussy: Minuet (arranged from Petite Suite)
　Defaye: Deux Danses
　Dutilleux: Chorale and Cadence et Fugato
　Gaubert: Symphonic Piece
　Ropartz: Piece en Mi Bemol Mineur
　Saint-Saens: Cavatine
　Saint-Saens: Romance op.36
　Saint-Saens: Romance op. 67
　Salzedo: Piece Concertante

There are pictures from the recording sessions in Vienna and Japan here and here

Here's the blurb from the record company:

Technique of astonishment. Strange vision unrestricted timbre. New album of odd ability [bausuhuirudo]!

　It is [kamerata] first recording CD of [ian] [bausuhuirudo] which handles recording so far energetically with the plural labels.
　When already the London resounding/affecting (LSO) [bausuhuirudo] where is inaugurated as the head, in 2000, transferring to the head player of the Vienna filling which presently is on the register with 20 generation first half, it became very topic.
　As for [bausuhuirudo], with the technique which even transcendent technical skill can be said, it handles the trombone and starts making the strange vision unrestricted timbre freely. Licking and others umbrella and [bausuhuirudo] which unites forcibleness, presently the highest trombone player saying, are not overstatement.
　With the latest new recording CD, Gounod, you gather the French work such as [dobiyutsushi] and sun = [sansu], the color impression, tenderness of the whole music, thinness of the rhythm impression of appearing the time, and so on strength of the French work and the heart which [sarari] announces the transcendent skillful work 憎 unites beautifully. One you can enjoy the performance of [bausuhuirudo] from heart is.

Trombone games

After years of focussing on cartoon characters and sports simulations, electronic games-manufacturer Nintendo has finally noticed the potential fun to be had playing trombone. The new Wii console features a motion-detecting air-mouse allowing you to weald it like a tennis racket or steering wheel. The question is, when the excitement of fighting Zelda or punting a ball in Madden NFL 07 has died down, will the 'air trombone' feature be the next craze amongst pre-teens?



A recent release "Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz" contains a number of mini games with familiar titles: Alien Attack, Fish Catcher, Hovercraft Battle and ... Trombone!

You have to move the Wiimote closer and further away like you were playing a slide trombone to get different pitches. It worked flawlessly.
theworldofstuff.net

I've not tried it yet, but the concept of playing with a slide that is as smooth as riding on air (because it is air) is very attractive.

In the Trombone game, move the remote towards and away from the TV screen like you were moving a trombone slide. Then press the button at the right time to play notes. Notes are color coded, so you can see how far you need to move by watching the pointer and what color your monkey is standing on.
Klonoa, GamerDad.com

I guess it is too much to ask for points to be awarded for stylish phrasing, but at least it focuses on the basics of the right notes in the right places.

Trombone seems simple in that it requires you to move over the colour-coordinated note as it appears, but doing so is hilariously hit and miss.
Eurogamer.net

An ex-high school trombonist, with web-alias "Klonoa", was spotted bragging about his/her latent slide skills:

I did pretty good on all three songs, beating the high scores by a long shot. The first song, "Frog Song" is just a scale. The medium song, "Stars" is just Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. And the last hard song is "Merrily We Row Along," which beginning piano players all know. It would be cool if the Trombone game let you play a bass trombone or an F attachment and you could use the trigger buttons as valves to play notes so you don't have to go through all the slides.
Klonoa, GamerDad.com

Marketing success for trombone promotion

Exciting reports have come in about the presence of a trombone icon achieving significant mind-share of the general public. Could Douglas be the most famous trombonist in Britain now?


According to the latest study by YouGov, star of the Lurpak ads for 20 years (until recently being axed), trombone-playing 'Douglas' is ranked an amazing fifth among animated and cartoon animals in UK adverts. In the poll which was topped by Nick Park's Creature Comforts, Douglas beat Levi's Flat Eric and the Peperami animal into 6th and 7th places.

Who says it's the silly season, where there's nothing of substance to report???