TromboneChat

I've only come for Friday and Saturday, but I usually comment on the music i hear here. I went to two trombone choir performances, a quintet masterclass and a jazz tbone quintet performance.

The college tbone choirs were good. Ithaca college and Delaware. The trombone profs seem to use them as a way to highlight student arrangers, composers and conductors, which is great. It's a pretty safe environment to help get the kids some experience with those types of things. In prior years, I criticized the bass trombones going for the heavy ripsaw sound. This year, it seemed the opposite. Much of the sound was very diffuse, and there wasn't as much clarity as you might hope for. This included a downright cotton-ball-esque contra, and even the tenors were fluffy. Maybe it's just me.

But then an Illinois school had a jazz trombone quintet w/ rhythm section, and they were right on. The bass player (Rich Dole? maybe) was really fantastic, and the tenor players were mostly on small bores. These guys were tight. Their attacks were right on, and their sound was clear and tromboney. Couldn't believe the difference. Some of the improvising was really excellent, as well. Not all, but some. It was mostly the sound and the tight tutti sections that really impressed me. The bass bone player was playing lines with the upright bass at times, and they were right on. And then another trombone would join in octaves, and it was tight, and in tune, and clear without being fuzzy.

The quintet masterclass was with Seraph Brass, all women. They just talked and took some questions. No playing. It was kind of interesting to me, having recently started a quintet. But there's a chasm of difference between a touring group and a group trying to work a city or area. If we had the luxury of only learning one set of music, well, that would simplify a lot of stuff.

Then the Army Band orchestra played. What impressed me most about them was the tuba player. I'm not sure what horn he had, but it sounded great. The trumpet section flattened all the strings, but the tuba could flatten the entire trombone section. There were 3 soloists, but all I remember was that tuba on the Shostakovitch Festival Overture. The first two soloists played angular modern works, and did nice jobs although the music selection wasn't that interesting to me, but the third soloist played a more melodic piece, but didn't seem well prepared. So the orchestra fell a little flat. Maybe they needed the shell down lower over the strings to project them out to the audience more. The woodwinds were tight, the horns were right on, the trumpets played well, to me the tuba outshone everyone. Oh, well.

If you haven't come to these events, you really should. They're free, for God's sake. You can test trombones till your teeth fall out, buy quartet sheet music at Hickeys, chat up Doug Elliott, and Sheridan and the guys from Baltimore Brass, and then and go hear really great music that you can relate to. Getting on the base this year was WAY easier with the pre-printed pass. For some reason, I got on through the back gate without any car inspection. It was so much easier this year. Anyway, the event is totally worth your time. Plan for next year.

It wasn’t just the tuba player that sparkled in the Army Orchestra’s Shostakovich performance. It was the superb combination of the tuba and the timpani. That timpani player had some SERIOUS skills. I didn’t see the person from my seat, but he/she/they was one of the best timpani players I have ever heard. The timpani was so well in tune with the tuba that their sounds were literally almost indistinguishable. Perfect intonation, articulation, style, blend, etc…. My buddy and I were raving about the tuba/timpani sound as we were leaving that concert.

On Saturday, I went to the morning warm up, led by the director of the U of Kentucky tbone choir. Useful, showing different approaches and stages of the warmup.

The U of K tbone choir performed, and did a really nice job. Nice range of styles and selections.

...but I have to say that the Eastman tbone choir was my favorite choir. They opened up with the Bach Tocatta and Fugue in D minor, as @MattK mentioned. They really did a fine job. The youtube recording really didn't do it justice. The upper parts were very clear, the lower parts weren't too blatty, everything was in tune, and the loud stuff was very powerful. Zalkind and Kellogg have really done a great job with this bunch. They took turns conducting selections. The group sounded fantastic, and each tune was well selected and beautifully performed. Nice job Eastman. Having lived in Rochester for a while, I'm a little partial to Eastman anyway.

Northwestern University won the quartet competition. The group really did a nice job and were great to listen to. I think they convinced me to change my own quartet to perform in a block of 4 facing one another instead of an open U shape. Seeing this stuff live is really helpful if you play in or run groups like this.

And it just got better. The Capitol Bones have been a fixture at ATW for years. I always love hearing them. From Jeff Cortazzo on the bass bone to Matt Niece on the frenetic small bore, the bunch of retirees totally deliver a high energy program. Jay Gibble and Jim McFalls are small tenor players that deliver all of the improv solos from the bones. They are really masterful players. Can't say enough good about this group. Even the rhythm section lays down mouth watering solos and backup. These guys are really top notch. Most of them are retired top-tier DC military bandsmen. Just amazing stuff from classics like Manteca to updated classics like Old Devil Moon and even a Frank Zappa tune thrown in there. This concert made the trip worthwhile for me.

Is it normal for a group to do a master class and not play a note?

WGWTR180 wrote: ↑Tue Mar 14, 2023 2:50 pm Is it normal for a group to do a master class and not play a note?

I didn't think so. Master classes are generally teaching, so at least students would play, but they mainly talked about what it's like to be in a touring quintet, and took a few questions.

hyperbolica wrote: ↑Tue Mar 14, 2023 4:19 pm

WGWTR180 wrote: ↑Tue Mar 14, 2023 2:50 pm Is it normal for a group to do a master class and not play a note?

I didn't think so. Master classes are generally teaching, so at least students would play, but they mainly talked about what it's like to be in a touring quintet, and took a few questions.

Thanks. I wouldn't expect a full recital at a master class but 1 tune can be useful. I'm sure they said some wonderful things.

There was a lot of great playing. I debated going this year but am glad I did.

I thought the Army Blues were exceptionally tight. And the guest soloist who played ?Saturday? with the Kentucky choir was amazing.

The quartet from Northwestern played very well. That was a long set of some difficult music. Stylistically - tone and articulation - to my ears they were almost clones.

One observation, and I won't say which group really pointed it out to me, but it was present to some extent in several: there are some things that trombones do better than others. Singing melodic lines, balance and blend on chorale type stuff, yeah. Short fast notes, not so much. There were world class players that sounded a bit clumsy on those passages. If they can't pull it off it's not just me, it's part of the instrument. Okay, just my opinion.