Brass Chamber Music: Brass Quartet & Brass Octet (with Percussion Makes 9!). ALBUM IV

Dear Friends, I have been creating Ad hoc “albums” of collected videos and recordings in which my bass trombone and I have taken part. Jazz duos with Mitch, Jazz Duos with Lindsey, Brass Duos, Concertos, a Christmas Trombone Sextet Album with Dr. Campbell’s Trombones, a Ray Charles DVD, and now this-Brass for four and eight! As a young bass trombonists, this is the type of music I would have been searching for…

Brass Miami Live in Concert (“La Rejouissance” from Music for the Royal Fireworks, by George Frederic Handel.

GRATITUDES! As a freshman at Illinois State University I was blessed to have Rick Lehman as my brass quintet coach and to be allowed to play in the brass quintet where other members were graduate students or seniors! (He even let me play my bass trombone!). Rick was one of the best friends I ever had, and when one of the trumpet graduate students graduated-he joined the group even though he was a faculty member!

“Adagio” by Benedetto Marcello, Brass Miami Octet Live! (Also recorded in rehearsal with Gittelson/Brubeck and trOmBOnE tm Duo Winds)

I was fortunate indeed to know ISU Trombone Professor John Rehm and Charlie Stokes, who formed a student/faculty trombone quartet. Fellow trombone student Bill Aurand and I were blessed to play alongside them and share in their incredible musical knowledge and musicianship. The provided an intimate education in the music of Heinrich Schutz and other Renaissance and period brass music in particular. My favorite recollection was a performance they scheduled for us at the church in Springfield, Illinois where Abraham Lincoln had attended.

“La Morisque” from Five Renaissance Dances by Tylman Susato, Brass Miami Octet-Live

In the summer, I was privileged to play in a brass quintet, bass trombone on tuba part, at Birch Creek Academy. Our coaches were the incredible Chicago Chamber Brass with Steve Gamble on trombone. I have yet to hear a better brass quintet live and am so grateful that my high school trombone teacher and mentor, Dr. Thomas Streeter provided this to me. I have so many blessings to be thankful for!.

It was at Birch Creek that I decided chamber music was my favorite medium of expression for classical music (Duo Brubeck later made it my favorite for jazz). At Northwestern….sadly, no chamber music! Except possibly for the orchestral excerpt class- to which Frank Crisafulli from the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, made the most profoundly musical and humorous contributions. (We were all in shock and awe! (TRULY Unexpectedly HILARIOUS and PROFOUND!). Rex Martin, Vincent Chicowicz, and others were unbelievable.

“Dance” from Three Dansyere by Tylman Susato, Brass Miami Octet-Live

“Hornpipe” from Water Music by George Frederic Handel, Brass Miami Octet-Live!

At UM, I remember starting the UM Trombone Choir with my students and Dr. Campbell coming in and making it official by adding his. Apart from a great brass choir with trumpet master Gil Johnson, and a the wonderful UM Tuba Ensemble, where I played euphonium, WE MADE OUR OWN chamber music! I could not have been more fortunate to have attended at the same time as two other fine trombonists and we played trombone trios for about two hours literally every day, M-F, for two years (!): Domingo Pagliuca, Steve Saunders..

The climax of my college chamber music experience had to be playing the world premieres of two pieces written for me by Dr. Campbell, one solo with String Quartet and another within the context of a trombone quartet-but that sounds like another album! It is still an incredible honor when a composer dedicates a piece to me, and none mores than those by my teacher, Dr. Campbell, and friend and colleague, Thom Sleeper.

As a professional I have been most blessed by performing brass at Coral Ridge, and with the brass quartet/octet of John Georgini, The Coronation Brass in addition to my collaborations with Brian Neal and my own groups.

Fun fact-I was THIS stupid: Rolf Smedvig called and asked me to play a concert with the Empire Brass in Naples as a jazz soloist and I said no…… (WHAT was I thinking??)