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Erik van Lier is one of Europe’s great bass trombonists, a thinking man’s musician, and a keen observer. A dynamo in his own right, he has accompanied some of the best jazz musicians in the world, and was a member of Slide Hampton’s storied European four trombone line-up. Erik van Lier is serving on the faculty of the 2014 Dutch Bass Trombone Open from September 5th through the 7th, and will provide his wealth of expertise and experience to those in attendance, in addition to presenting a workshop focusing on the bass trombone in a big band setting. davidbrubeck.com is privileged to present Mr. van Lier as the third respondent in our third series of “7 Positions” tm

1. What do you look for in an instrument?
Since I mainly work in sections of 4 trombones, I like to have an instrument that can blend with jazz tenor trombones like the King 2B or 3B and Conn 6H. My idea is that the range of bass trombone parts can be divided in two functions. The bass function is roughly from B-flat on the second line of the staff downwards. Above that line, many times you don’t have a bass function. My experience has been that more than 50% of all the material that I have played in my life is above the B-flat on the second line. That part of my material would actually sound best when played on a tenor trombone! If I were to choose the biggest horn, with the darkest sound and the biggest mouthpiece my contribution to the section sound would be inadequate. Because of these realities, I think there should be some kind of compromise. A bass trombonist in a big band setting should be able to blend in both registers, below and above the B-flat that I mentioned.

For that reason, I think that the old Elkhart Conns-(71H, 72H or 73H), are the ideal horns. Compared to other bass bones, the bore of the tuning slide going into the bell is slightly smaller. That enables a compact sound that blends well with the tenor trombones, while retaining enough bass quality. I use 1 1/2G Bach mouthpiece. I think Bach mouthpieces sound the best, but unfortunately they are not consistent in quality. When subbing in a symphony orchestra, I used to play a Conn 63H with a red brass bell. It was a fantastic horn that blended well in that environment but, with the big band, I couldn’t use it because it doesn’t blend with the smaller jazz tenor trombones.

2. How do you conceive, describe or visualize the ideal tone quality?
I like to get a centered sound that blends with the tenors. I try to hear the pitch very well in order to get in the middle (center) of the note.
I want to hear the overtones. I want to make the sound rich by opening up the oral cavity, while staying compact in a relaxed embouchure. I compensate the opening up of the mouth cavity by applying more air volume.

I want to project my sound in order to reach the listener: like a teacher pointing out something on the blackboard with a long stick I want to touch people with my sound. With the richness and warmth that I try to achieve, I want to embrace the listener with my sound. Most importantly, I always want to make an emotional connection to whatever I am playing and that means that I am involved. This gives a different energy and therefore a different quality to the sound than just blowing air through the horn while holding the slide in a certain position and having no emotional connection to whatever you are playing. I want the sound to be soulful,
While trying to incorporate all these qualities and still keep my ears wide open to the lead trombone and the lead trumpet-in order to support them by blending and following their phrasing.

3. What is your secret to a good legato?
Dennis Wick said that you can play ‘forte’ while using a ‘piano’ tongue.
I try to minimize the tongue.The consequence is that the air has to function well.The most easy way for me is to have a musical image of a vocal style. The old ‘Belcanto’ school in singing is a good example-a centered, round, beautiful sound produced without any force in a fluent way. When you have that musical image of the ‘Belcanto’ style, and don’t think about the slide or the tongue at all, things will fall into place without you knowing how you did it.

In addition, I like to avoid the clicks going from one overtone to another. I use glissando’s first to find the most efficient way to go from one note to the other, and then I try to use my embouchure in the same way when I make natural slurs. As a result, I try to use my embouchure in a (fast) glissando way which is similar to singing. When I go from F in the staff to G using 6th position to 4th, it could sound like ‘taahee’ whereas, going from 1 to 4 it could sound like ‘taalee’. To avoid this click (‘taalee’) I try to move fast in the (glissando) embouchure, and move late with the slide.

4. What helps you to achieve musical expression?
I like to play with authority. Authority in time and sound.
Since I want to be emotionally involved while playing, I try to adapt my personality to the character of the tune that I am playing. While playing a fast tune I will imagine myself as a bit of an uptight person who is perhaps also a bit aggressive. When I play a ballad, however, I will be mellow; I might imagine falling in love. Thad Jones wrote a tune with a nice title that reminds me how I should approach my musical language: ‘Mean What You Say’.

5. Name two types of inspiration: Musical & Non-musical
George Roberts is, of course, my musical inspiration number one.
Krishnamurti ,Karlfried Graf von Drckheim and Hazrath Inayat Kahn are people who inspire me on a spiritual level.

6. What are the one or two main points you learned from each of the following teachers: George Roberts, Ed Kleinhammer, Paul Falise, Alan Raph & Phil Teele?

George has, of course, this great sound. His style is coming from a musical approach, and this musical approach comes from singing Like a beautiful voice, it is focused, relaxed, round and flexible with a beautiful concept of sound. George Roberts possesses all of the qualities of the great singers of the Belcanto school.

Ed Kleinhammer has been a lifetime inspiration as well.
His dedication was always without any compromise; he was always there, always well prepared. Many times, Kleinhammer was the first one to warm up. All his life was dedicated to doing a great job in the orchestra, and his enthusiasm for music and playing the horn stayed till the very end.

Paul Faulise does a great job of playing the whole range in one embouchure setting with a very nice bass trombone sound. His kindhearted personality shows in his music. Paul gave me several good exercises to enable me to practice his approach.

Alan Raph did a great job designing the King 7bB by insisting on wide loops on the valve section and incorporating big valves. Alan advised me to open up a bit to improve the sound in the valve register.

Phil Teele told me that I had to pull in my cheeks a bit when playing the pedals, in order to keep the sound centered. That was simple, but very helpful advice.

7. When playing really fast (‘prestissimo’) becomes necessary what percentage does each contribute to the equation; A good slide, A particular slide motion, Air, Articulations or Other Factors? What is your strategy?

When I have difficult parts to play I will practice in steps:

i. I try to sing the notes so I will have a good idea of the intervals in a certain musical passage.

ii. When I know the music in that way I will look for different slide combinations and practice different options; just moving the slide without playing-(slowly, at first).

iii.When this is going without hesitation I try to combine the two.

iv. When the passage is really hectic I try to find out where are the important notes in the phrase and just play those in time, (leaving the unimportant notes out).

v. Then I try to sneak in, step by step, some of the less important notes while just staying focused on the timing of the important notes.

T1. What is the best trombone playing you have ever heard?
This is a difficult question to answer because there are so many great trombone players that do fantastic things.

However, if you were to ask me, “what is the trombone solo that moves you the most ?”, I would have an answer to that it is a trombone solo played by my good friend, Bobby Burgess, on ‘MacArthur Park’ with Woody Herman’s big band. Bobby plays the melody like a volcano, bubbling under the surface. First, in the lower octave, on his big Earl Williams trombone. There is much emotion that wants to come out. Then Bobby moves to the upper octave, and tells his story in a heartbreaking way. All of this is done with a fantastic sound, but most of all, Bobby is telling a story that moves me and that I believe in 100 %. There are no slick or artificial tricks; its very pure and honest music performed with a very high quality of trombone playing. Listen to the sound, to me, it’s unbelievable. Bobby once told me that they did 7 takes of the tune before everybody was satisfied, and that he started feeling better each track.

T2. Describe your jazz soloing in big bands and small groups. How did you begin to solo, and what are your favorite recordings of your solos?
I started playing professionally in the radio big band the Skymasters when I was 17. I never played any jazz solos. Then, Slide Hampton moved to Holland and formed a trombone quartet with my brother Bart, John English and myself with a rhythm section. Everybody was playing solos except for me. When some people asked me why I didn’t play solo, I gave them the stupid answer that “the bass trombone is not really suited so well for jazz solos”. But, after a while, I got fed up with this answer, and decided that it was time to give it a try.

The tune that I did play my first jazz solo was Donna Lee. I was 26 at the time. A favorite recording might be a solo that I did on First Brass; a recording with Bart, Alan Botschinsky and Derek Watkins; “Interlude No. 4”,played on my Miraphone ‘F’ tuba

T3. How did you play a key role in developing the tuning on the valves of the bass trombone?
In February 1969, I received a letter from Tony Studd-(a fantastic bass trombone player, listen to “Smackwater Jack” by Quincy Jones), about the Conn double-valve bass trombone that he was helping to design with Paul Faulise. He said that the ‘D’ horn was still a bit stuffy, and advised me to wait a bit until they were able to get some of the bugs out before buying a Conn double valve. As a matter of fact, when Conn brought it on the market, the horn had a very tight ‘D’ plug. The Conn people at that time didn’t seem to have any awareness of the advantage of an open wrap. Larry Minnick recognized the problem, and created an open wrap D plug that worked much better.

When I discovered that the configuration of the tubing could have an effect on the resistance in the valve register, I started thinking about another option to get a better low ‘B’, since I was not satisfied with the low ‘B’ I had on my horn. Going into the valve and out again causes the tubing to make two bends of 90 degrees. I reasoned that if I could make my second valve section very long, it would enable enable a low ‘B’ with just one valve, and I would have cut out at least two of these 90 degree corners.

I went to my repairman Ruud Pfeiffer, whose father was an instrument maker that had build French horns for the Residentie Orchestra of Den Haag. Ruud still had sketches from his old man showing a configuration of an open wrap similar to what is still used on German trombones. The tubing is also going forward, past the bell support, creating tubing that has roughly the shape of an 8 lying down sideways. Ruud did a fantastic job, and the result was a much better low ‘B’, because Ruud had eliminated (all together), 5 bends in the ‘D’ horn. As an extra bonus, there was a low B in first with two valves.

In 1974 I studied with Ed Kleinhammer, who was one of the forerunners in double valve design. He liked my instrument very much, and asked my permission to have a copy made by Shilke. Of course, I agreed. The disadvantage, however, of this double valve setup was that it effected the open horn in a negative way. As a result, I am very happy now to be using the Hagmann valves (not in-line).

For forty years, I have been using single tubing on the valve section (no tuning slides), which results in less weight and better resonance. When pulling out the valve section you will create a gap; the air passage becomes partly wider because of this pulling out and therefore there will be turbulence in the air column. You can avoid this turbulence by filling up the gap with tubing the same length of what you pull out. When you want to change your tubing to single tubing you only have to make sure that your first positions are high enough in pitch.

Final Thoughts
In order to improve as musicians we first have to become aware of the things that could benefit from a different approach. I have found that when we raise the level of awareness, we increase our chances to improve.

Many trombone players practice flexibilities without correcting the sharpness or flatness of some of the overtones. By doing so, bad habits are easily created and reinforced. By raising one’s awareness and listening carefully, one might find out that some notes are really out of tune. In turn, this could lead to adjustment of the positions, thus avoiding bad habits and creating better sounding notes. One would also become more familiar where to place these alternative positions.

My general advice to all musicians would be to raise the level of awareness in all the elements of their playing

c. 2014 David William Brubeck All Rights Reserved. davidbrubeck.com

PS
Dear Dave,
Please don’t hand in this information to the jazz police, otherwise I might be stopped at the border!

Interested in more “Seven Positions” tm Interviews?
Charlie Vernon
James Markey
Chris Brubeck
Doug Yeo
Jeremy Morrow
Tom Everett
Gerry Pagano
Ben van Dijk
Randall Hawes
Denson Paul Pollard
Thomas Matta
Fred Sturm
Bill Reichenbach
Massimo Pirone
Erik Van Lier
Jennifer Wharton
Matyas Veer
Stefan Schulz

c. 2013/2014 David William Brubeck All Rights Reserved davidbrubeck.com

Massimo (Max) Pirone has steadily imagined more and more for his beloved bass trombone, and achieved it! Though a multi-faceted performer whose talent alights on tenor trombone, bass trombone and tuba, Pirone seems to have settled his heart firmly on the bass trombone. With impressive consistency and amazing depth, Pirone has recorded more jazz bass trombone cds as a leader/bass trombonist than has any other bass trombonist. Furthemore, he has expanded the melodic, interpretative and accompanying roles of the bass trombone to include improvisation. A gifted composer, his compositions adorn many of his tracks, which are laid down in a variety of styles. Pirone has paid homage to George Roberts, and stood toe to toe with Bill Reichenbach, to emerge as one of the most promising and easily the most accomplished jazz bass trombonist of his generation. “Seven Posistions” tm crosses the Atlantic to soar with maestro Prione as he becomes the second respondent in our third installment of “Seven Positions” tm the interview series.

1st Position
What do you look for in an instrument?
I look for an istrument with a warm sound like the Conns, especially the Elkhart 62H & 70H horns. I like instruments that are fluid-blowing and have a lightweight bell. I have found all of these qualities in my Kanstul 1662-totally in bronze. While heavy horns are appropriate for symphonic use, in jazz we need a fast response in order to achieve longer phrases when soloing-especially in the low register. Too heavy a horn can take double the air and might pose additional problems.

2nd Position
How do you conceive of an ideal tone quality for a ballad?
Well the conception (or secret), to a beautiful sound for a normal playing and especially for ballads is emulate a good singer like Frank Sinatra or Nat King Cole. While trying to emulate their legato and warm sound in the deeper voice of the bass trombone I also (naturally), recommend listening to George Roberts. For tenor trombone, I like to imagine Dick Nash, Urbie Green, Tommy Dorsey or Lloyd Ulyate-all great ballad players, and try to make the same sound on my horn. I prefer lip vibrato, and not slide vibrato on bass trombone. Using a slower vibrato on bass trombone than on tenor, try tonguing very softly with syllables like D or L for legato. Restrict your dynamic range on ballads to mezzo forte (no more), to have the best result.

For big band?
In my life, I collected everything played by George Roberts in order to understand and emulate his sound the best that I can. George has the best sound ever on the bass trombone! His clear articulation is perfect for a jazz soloing, too. When you play jazz you need a clear articulation. With a heavy bass trombone, that is really hard. Many players think bigger is better. For me, is bigger is bad. When you hear a bass trombone with sound like a slide tuba, it sounds strange. Great bass tormbonists have a true trombone sound at the core like George Roberts, Bill Reichenbach, Paul Faulise, Kenny Shroyer or Phil Teele; they all have a warm sound with clear articulation. In big band work, you need also the same type of sound and not a symphonic sound.

In the studio?
Another challenge in the big band is that sometimes the bass trombonist is called upon to play more like a 3rd or 4th tenor than a bass trombone. Sometimes guys will play too large a bass trombone that is too heavy for both the player and for the music! Urbie Green,Paul Faulise, Bill Reichenbach and George all told me that “you need a small, centred sound with a big projection; not a wide sound with no projection”. It is true! When you play with a sound that is too fat, loud, wide and dark you will be much less effective blending with the tenor trombones, not to mention being heard.

Also, in order to play fast and light passages with tenor trombones effortlessly, you need horn that is easy, and not really a symphonic-type bass. Studio work requires many different skills. The first thing that you need to know is music-all kind of music! Don’t be so concerned with massive volume, the microphone doesn’t need a FFF. Many small horns like a King 2B (tenor) or Conn (bass) 62-70-72h or Kanstul 1662 and 1606 have a really good projection and the mic captures all of their sound-especially for the 2b and the 70h. While each can have a small sound live, on the mic the result really BIG. In the studio, especially after 27 years of studio work, you will need a really relaxed and easy approach to play at the highest level. Many top players in LA are very, very close to the perfection in the first take; it is very high level of playing with players who exhibit extreme musical finesse and personal control like B. Reichenbach, P. Teele, D.Nash, G.Roberts, A.Iles, A.Kaplan and many more. In Los Angeles, (where the most worldwide studio work occurs) all the players have 3-4 tenors in various sizes and a bass,and a sometimes even a contra-bass, in order to provide the most appropriate sound for the music.

3rd Position
What is your secret to a beautiful legato, especially for a ballad?
When I play a ballad I use the soft D and L for articulations for smoother legato and a lot of air to play long passages. I use deep breaths to take in as much air as possible, without opening jaws too much. I also think about a very focused and smallish air passage into the center mouth, again with the ideal of laying like a fine singer-good fluid blowing. When performing a ballad, you need a deeper feel and to think about the music to ensure that everything goes right-(legato,tone, slurs etc.). To get the best result with a ballad, Bill Watrous told me, “you have think about the words of the song for the right feel”.

4th Position
What helps you achieve musical expression, particularly when soloing?
When I play a jazz solo it is a result of years of studying and listening to jazz. This is what makes it easy for me to play a bass trombone with the facility of a tenor while playing one or two octave below and make the passages sound fluid like a valved horn or tenor. The main thing is not only the study of arpeggios from all kind of chords and scales, but to try to transcribde solos from records you like! Take inspiration from all kind of soloists, like Freddie Hubbard. First, try to take in his feel, not just the notes.The feel are is most important thing in music, not the note! If you play with the right feel first, you will meet goal.

5th Position
Name two types of inspirations.
Musical. & Non-musical.
My personal inspiration for the way I like to play are players like Frank Rosolino, Carl Fontana, Urbie Green, Bill Reichenbach, George Roberts, Dick Nash, Paul Faulise, Tony Studd, Kenny Shroyer and Dave Taylor. At the same time, I have also admired many musicians who are not trombonists such as Freddie Hubbard, Clark Terry, Count Basie and many others. My inspirations in to compose and perform are from great moments in life, musical tributes to great players and to special people I have met.

6th Position MP
Which instruments do you play professionally? What do you like to do on each? Do they express different aspects of your personality?
I play Kanstul bass trombones 1662 with lightweight bell, totally in bronze and are they work best for me. I use them for solo work, big bands and studio work; they are great! The versality of these horns are great, and have been inspired by the 62h Conn Elkhart model but even easier to play. On tenor, I play the Kanstul 1606 and a Williams 6 Burbank-two great horns.On tuba I play a old Boosey and Hawkes eb 4 full compensating. When I play any of my horns I think in the same manner; jazz feel, sound and musicality. For example, the Rosolino turns or Urbie Green’s beautiful ballad playing style both work very well on tuba. And Howard Johnson’s tuba soloing style sounds great when translated to tenor trombone.

I do think of or accept any limits on what can be done on tuba,trombone or bass trombone. Just try to play Charlie Parker, for example, on bass trombone, tuba or tenor.

7th Position MP
Why jazz bass trombone? Why a quintet? Why another bass trombonist as a sideman?
I love to play bass trombone and also tenor trombone and tuba.The bass trombone is not a standard horn in jazz, and I think that a George Roberts sound with a Frank Rosolino/Carl Fontana’s jazz feel is a perfect combination for me. I try to approach jazz in this way. I love the jazz quintet, ala Jay and Kai, and a version an octave lower is a funny idea that resulted in a good jazz feel, too. Bill is one of my heroes, one of the best guys I have ever met, a special friend and the simply the best jazz bass trombone player. For me, he is also an amazing tuba and tenor trombone player, too. I love to make music with him, and to have him alongside me as we formed together what maybe the first jazz quintet with a front-line of two bass trombones!

T1
What is the best trombone playing you have ever heard?
The best tenor trombone playing, for me, has been done by Frank Rosolino, Carl Fontana, Dick Nash, and Urbie Green. The best bass trombone playing I have ever heard has been from George Roberts, Bill Reichenbach, Paul Faulise, Tony Studd,Phil Teele and Kenny Shroyer for basses and Bill Reichenbach, and Dave Bargeron. The best tuba playing has been Don Butterfield and Howard Johnson.

T2
What is the best trombone playing you have done?
I don’t know where my best playing has been, but in the studio I try to play for the best feel, without fear of mistakes. This is the secret to having the best feel.

T3
What paths and opportunities led you to become a bass trombone soloist? Which paths do you foresee in the future for younger bass trombonists?
I started to play jazz on bass trombone at the age of 17 by accident. When I played along with the George Roberts’ records, I tried to emulate him and I tried to improvise lines like the Nelson Riddle’s bass trombone lines on the Sinatra recordings. After that,. I started to play all sorts of “patterns” on tenor and on bass. I played all sorts of things over changes like chords arpeggios,scales and transcribded solos. After I heard Don Menza’s “Horn of Plenty” with a super bass trombone solo on Take the A Train, by Bill Reichenbach, I found a real confirmation of my way of playing. Many bass trombonist play solos on bass trombone in the tenor trombone range. I don’t like that way. It sounds to me like an elephant! Trying to play like a tenor trombonists and is not a real bass trombone sound. I hope that younger, or new bass trombonists, will enjoy a bright future, and I hope the jazz bass trombone is among the new jazz solo horns for a front line, and not just a 4th trombone in the trombone section. My advice for new bass trombonist: think of your horn like a jazz trombonist or a jazz saxophonist does, and not like a jazz elephant with a lot of problems! In order to be a jazz soloist, try and try. You will find your identity, and be able to study and perform the same things as a saxophonist or a trumpeter.

c. 2013 David Brubeck All Rights Reserved davidbrubeck.com

Interested in more “Seven Positions” tm Interviews?
Charlie Vernon
James Markey
Chris Brubeck
Doug Yeo
Jeremy Morrow
Tom Everett
Gerry Pagano
Ben van Dijk
Randall Hawes
Denson Paul Pollard
Thomas Matta
Fred Sturm
Bill Reichenbach
Massimo Pirone
Erik Van Lier
Jennifer Wharton
Matyas Veer
Stefan Schulz

c. 2013/2014 David William Brubeck All Rights Reserved davidbrubeck.com

https://davidbrubeck.com/2013/12/premiere-liz-seigidos-ascensions-mariae-the-ascension-of-mary-for-live-processed-bass-trombone-and-video-overlay/

Edwards trombones have a reputation for excellence and quality. Though a relatively new brand, they have garnered support from the trombone community which has both depth and breadth. davidbrubeck.com is delighted to host Christan Griego of Edwards in the latest installment of “The Craftsman’s Bench” tm.

1. In your estimation, how did Benge trombones rise and fall-was there anything in that experience that caught your attention?
I have not studied the Benge rise and fall. It’s my opinion that companies downfalls are financial with overspending, or they are just not that good and so sales will not support the manufacturing costs.

2. When you set out to build the best trombones available, what were the top three characteristics you hoped to achieve:

For classical?
1. manufacturing consistency
2. consistent sound production
3. correct tonal balance within the sound.

For jazz?
1. manufacturing consistency
2. consistent sound production
3. correct tonal balance within the sound.

3. What important perspectives have your artists shared that have influenced the designs?
It’s not just the “artists” that influence design. Every person that comes through our doors gives us knowledge on what is good and what needs improvement on. It’s only if we are interested in making changes and continually improving that will allow us growth. A lot of companies hear what they need to do to improve, but never act upon the knowledge.

4. Which bore Edwards size reached or exceeded your expectation the most quickly? .500, .547, or .562?
I really don’t know, they are all great when correctly fit to the individual. When I came to Edwards in 1998 I expected Edwards to be incredible professional instruments and they meet my expectations. It’s making sure they are always to this level that is work. Every day we have to meet this very high expectation.

5. What advantages have you found in your geographic location? Disadvantages?
We are close to the metal industry and within days I can have any equipment, material, or anything to my hearts desire. The negative is it’s cold in the winter time and the days are short. Not sure I’ll ever get used to this weather in the winter.

6. A positivistic, team effort is exuded at Edwards. How it take shape, and what do you do to foster it?
I don’t “foster” it, we just enjoy what we do and enjoy our customers. Even when there is a problem with a customers instrument it becomes a very personal issue for us. We do our best to treat everyone like we want to be treated.

7. Why did you decide to use a new name, rather than designate a new Getzen series?
Edwards started as a division of Allied Instruments. Getzen was out of the family and was bought back after Edwards was already established.

8. Which characteristics did you admire of the historic brands?
Jazz:
King…….Rich centered sound.
Williams…….Response
Olds…….Thick sound-(not sure I admire this though. I am a bit scarred by their student case that hit me in the knee every step to school.)

Classical
Bach…….round sound
Conn…….near feel presence for the player
Holton…….nice big sound with 9″ bells on tenor. Good sounding basses as well. (I played a TR158 for 14 years through school.)

9. Which lubricants do you recommend, and why?
Our own (Edwards). They work and do not “build up”.

10. What qualities have others said Edwards trombones possess?
Consistent sound, consistent articulations throughout registers, great sound, too many to list.

11. What do you consider your major breakthroughs or innovations?
Not sure there have been yet… The harmonic bridge used on the Alessi was a breakthrough in sonic variation, I always have developments in the pipeline and I’d love for every one of them to be a major breakthrough but at the end of the day it’s as I’ve always said “the market will decide”.

Many companies develop valves, trombone copies, different, etc. and at the end of the day it’s not a “monumental” breakthrough. I don’t want to sell “different” I want to sell “great” equipment that helps people make the music they want to make, in the way they want to make it.

c. 2014 David William Brubeck All Rights Reserved davidbrubeck.com

Photos Courtesy of Griego Mouthpieces and Edwards

Few, if any, chamber music ensembles have had more direct contact with student musicians than has Dallas Brass. Performing with and inspiring thousands each year, they have captured and distilled Americana and the musical traditions of our great nation and her bands. Founded in 1983, Dallas Brass initially infused ragtime and jazz rhythms into a line-up that would include a bass trombone (in place of the tuba), and a distinctive sixth member-percussion. They have embraced professional blocking, incorporated hand rhythms and produced grand musical gestures from Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue” to “American In Paris”- all with the forces of six dedicated musicians. When combined with local musicians, the synergy of the Dallas Brass and their mission are an irresistible joy. davidbrubeck.com is ecstatic to present Dallas Brass as the second installment of our salute to chamber music, “FIVE!” tm.

DJ Barraclough-trumpet
What are the pluses and pitfalls of the road?
First, we all appreciate the opportunity given to us to be doing what we love. It’s a privilege. Having said that, the road, by definition, is very demanding — flying, driving, packing, unpacking, new hall every day, clinics, rehearsals, performances, and lack of practice time. For me personally, the road experience is maximized when I have the necessary “space”, which is the foundation of balance in every part of my life. With that is the rare communion with nature we may happen upon at moments unexpected. So with such a demanding schedule, I have to make choices to protect my personal time as much as possible so I can bring my “A Game” everyday.

How do you structure your time when you are off the road?
Life off the road consists of quality family time, quality practice time, and as much rest time as can feasibly occur. I also do some instrument repair work, teach lessons, and do some free-lance work as well. In the summers I have been doing pit orchestra work at the Utah Shakespeare Festival and Tuachan Center For the Arts in Southern Utah.

How do you play differently when the arrangement calls for three trumpets as opposed to two plus a horn? What color differences do you hear?
I prefer to approach my role in the trumpet section as a single voice when there are two parts- striving constantly for a balanced blend and similar tone/articulation concept to the other part. When a third trumpet enters the equation it is very easy to become “top heavy” in the group thus a change in tone concept is generally in order in those cases- towards something more blending and warm depending on the style of the music being played. The key is being aware of how your sound fits/influences the ensemble – which brings to light the importance of harboring a unified sound/style concept constantly in the group.

What are your secrets to fostering chemistry? How important is it?
I’d like to start off by saying that Michael Levine, founder of Dallas Brass, has always made it a top priority to have healthy group chemistry. It’s essential that anyone coming into the group understands and shares the mission, purpose and philosophy of Dallas Brass. It’s not enough to just have great players; the compatibility must be there, too. Even with compatible people it still takes constant work to maintain that chemistry.

We have all heard stories of people who play in ensembles with great disdain for one another and to this I say “we ARE the music”. Yes, one may choose to hold onto dislike, judgement, resistance of a colleague and try not to let it bleed over into the music every day, however in Dallas Brass, the quality of life so vital to our general well being hinges upon acceptance and respect for each other. This doesn’t mean we have to like everything each other does all the time, but acceptance is disarming by nature and effectively opens doors to creativity, spontaneity, and harmony — and that’s what it’s ALL about!!

We all just need to be aware of what we are creating each and every moment — and remember it is supposed to be and IS FUN!!!

Luis Arraya-trumpet
How hard is it to memorize the show? Compare memorizing melody with harmony.
It is not that hard for me because I have a pretty good relative ear and I memorize the sounds/fingerings/rhythms at the same time. So basically I learn it mostly by ear with visual help. The harmony is a very important aspect of the learning process because it helps me to know how to adjust the intonation of the different pitches depending on their function in the chord structure (major or minor third, major or dominant sevenths, etc.)

Were you surprised how well ‘Rhapsody in Blue’ works with reduced forces when you experienced it? What is it like to perform that as part of your set?
I think it works really well. I am not surprised because Mike is a good arranger. It sounds a bit like the original orchestration which was a much smaller ensemble than the more common orchestral version. And fortunately, we have the piccolo trumpet to cover the famous clarinet lick at the top!

We always look forward to having a guest artist and playing Rhapsody fits our program beautifully.

How important is the choreography?
We actually refer to it as blocking, more than choreography. But either way it is very important as our goal is to entertain audiences, regardless of their background, and the visual aspect of a performance is as important as the musical aspect to serve this purpose. The ongoing challenge is to find a good balance between these two. We always want the visuals to serve the music and not the other way around.

For Juan Berrios-horn
How do you like the ‘peck’ horn?
I really love the Eb alto horn, or, as I first got to know it, the tenor horn! I actually played tenor horn for a couple years in the Brass Band of Central Florida before I even heard that nickname at a horn workshop. Playing tenor horn has been a huge part in my development as a player and a musician. I think it’s a beautiful sounding instrument and I really enjoy playing it. It’s a very expressive instrument with a warm and velvety tone. Of course, like any instrument, it depends on who’s playing it, but I personally don’t think there’s anything ‘pecky’ about the tenor horn, especially when you hear it played by the players in the world’s greatest British style brass bands!

What in your background allows you to switch so effortlessly from horn to trumpet to alto?
I think it’s safe to assume that having doubled on certain brass instruments for a long time makes it easier to switch back and forth. I doubled on horn/trumpet all the way through high school and have been doubling on horn/tenor horn since my 2nd year in college. I guess in DB I’m a tripler!

Mike plays a slightly smaller and brighter trombone than most quintet players. The horn often plays trumpet or flugelhorn. What colors does this allow you as a quintet to add with TDB?
Because DB’s repertoire requires us to play a considerable amount of jazz/commercial music, we have to change our sound accordingly. I think Mike’s medium bore trombone allows him to be more versatile when changing styles with just one trombone, as opposed to having a large bore tenor trombone for the “legit” stuff and a straight tenor for the commercial stuff. As far as the horn goes, there are also ways to change the color/character of the sound, specifically the use of hand position variations. For example, if I’m playing a jazzy/commercial tune on the horn and have a unison lick with the trumpets, I’ll use a much more straight and open hand position to match their sound better. This way we’re able to experiment and achieve specific colors for specific tunes. It also gives us more options when it comes to arranging!


Mike Levine-trombone/leader
Which groups and experiences inspired you to start TDB?
My inspiration for Dallas Brass goes back to my first love in music as a kid, which was Broadway musicals. I loved the whole production idea. As much as I also love symphony orchestras, I felt too limited in that environment. I wanted to interact with the audience and reach people who would not typically go to a symphony concert.

Having said that, when I first formed Dallas Brass, it never occurred to me that we would do anything beyond some weddings and other local gigs in Dallas! Once we started playing around town (mostly background music settings), I started to get the itch to play concerts. Between a lot of hard work and some nice breaks/opportunities that came our way, we were able to turn it into a concert group.

Both Canadian Brass and Empire Brass were my two biggest “brass” inspirations. I was particularly intrigued with how Canadian really connected with the audience and made it fun and entertaining. Another big influence was the Kings Singers! I really admired the class and elegance which they displayed.

How did you choose the instrumentation? Why did you change it?
I suppose the main thing that separated Dallas Brass in the early years was the full time use of a drummer. I didn’t add the drums to be different than other groups. I just thought it would sound good. We were playing casual gigs around Dallas and besides a few classical pieces, mostly we were doing more lighter material (i.e. Joplin rags, Sousa marches) and it just occurred to me that having a drummer would be a great fit. Our first drummer just read the tuba book and played whatever felt good to him. It opened up the whole sound of the group and there was no going back. Eventually, we added mallets, too. I’ve always said brass and percussion is like peanut butter and jelly. They go great together!

We’ve done some experimenting with the brass over the years as well. At one point we replaced the Horn with Alto Trombone/Bass Trumpet. I liked the idea of getting all the bells out front. There is no question that balancing a traditional brass quintet is always a challenge — with three cylindrical instruments pointing forward and two conical instruments pointing in other directions — and particularly that middle voice. It worked great — esp. with the players we had in the group — Jeff Thomas was the first guy to do it; then Jay Evans. Both were fabulous.

Then we had a season where we brought in an Eb Alto Horn to cover the book — still conical and pointing up but it was a neat timbre. All this time I still missed the color of the French Horn on certain pieces. Now we have Juan Berrios who plays Horn, Alto Horn and Fluegelhorn, depending on the piece. It’s a great combination and Juan nails it!

On the bottom voice, we had Dan Satterwhite with us for a number of years and he played bass trombone and tuba. Once again, it was nice to have the choice depending on the style of piece. Nat McIntosh joined the group several years later and he doubled on Sousaphone. That was really fun!

I suppose there are plusses and minuses with all combinations, but it’s really all about being committed to balance and blend — and even more so when adding drums into the mix!

What have been the high water marks for the group? What do you most enjoy?
The whole run has been a ‘high water mark’. I am proud of the fact that Dallas Brass has been around 30 years. I’ve gotten to work with many phenomenal musicians along the way — each has brought something unique and special to Dallas Brass. There are certain highlights like performing with Bob Hope, playing at Carnegie Hall and playing for several U.S. presidents, but every time we get to walk out on a stage is a privilege no matter where it is. Years ago, an elderly lady came up to me after a concert in South Florida and told me this was the first time she had gone out since her husband passed away a few months earlier and that she had such a wonderful time and couldn’t stop smiling. That was one of the most rewarding moments of my career. Those are the type of things that matter most to me.

And the chance to work with kids…I have no idea what the number is, but we have been bringing 100 – 200 kids on stage to perform a piece with us on almost every concert for over 20 years. There are no words to describe how gratifying that is.

Paul Carlson-tuba
What are the duties of a tubist in a brass quintet as compared with a wind band?
In a quintet, you are a section of one and you are often a rhythm section of one (except in Dallas Brass where we have drums as well). This is a much more active role than in a tuba section in a band. There is a lot more playing in a quintet as there is usually a very active bass part. In band literature there are many passage where the tubist will not play, but the bass part will be covered by the bass clarinet or bassoon, etc. Also, there are more agility challenges as the tubist in a brass quintet may need to be playing a solo above the staff in one measure and have a pedal pickup note to the next bar. Also, since there is only one tuba and it has such an important role in a quintet, there is a much greater demand for accuracy than in a wind band where there are many people often playing the same part.
In many ways, the tubist’s job in a brass quintet is closer to playing bass in a jazz combo or electric bass in a rock back than it is to playing tuba in a wind band.

What size tuba do you use with group, and why?
Right now I’m using a 4/4 CC tuba. It is a Meinl Weston 2145. I used a large F tuba (Perantucci PT-16) for my first 3 years in the group, but our repertoire has changed over the years and right now a CC tuba makes more sense. Also, a small CC tuba is a “do everything” instrument and I find it easy to play in any style with this instrument. I miss the F tuba sometimes because it was so easy to play with great clarity, but the depth and color of the CC tuba makes it the better choice. When picking a tuba for a quintet, it is really important to consider what repertoire you will be playing as well as how the trumpets and trombone play. Tuba is pretty easy to blend with nearly any horn, but if it doesn’t blend with a trombone or the trumpet concepts, it can be a lot of work for everyone.

How do you separate your soloist style from your accompaniment style?
When I am the soloist, it is time to sing and shine. When my part is accompaniment, it is time to support. I think it is important to distinguish that there is a big difference between supporting and following. When you are accompanying you are not unimportant- you just don’t have the most important thing at that moment.
For me, I think about being a vocalist when I am soloing, but a bass player (or cellist in a string quartet) when I am accompanying. There are always exceptions depending on what we are playing, but it is always important to sound as beautiful as possible and get into whatever the musical situation is at the time.

Do you accompany trumpets differently than trombone or horn?
Yes and no. When accompanying anyone, it is important match articulations. When it is just trumpets and myself, I try to hone in on matching the front of their notes, where the front of the note is usually a little thicker with trombone and horn. Also, I try to match their color which is brighter than the lower brass. At the end of the day though, the tubist’s role is to provide a solid foundation for the ensemble rhythmically and harmonically and make their jobs as easy as possible. Hopefully, this can be done with as virtuosic a voice as possible.

c. 2014 David William Brubeck All Rights Reserved. davidbrubeck.com

Interested in more “FIVE” tm interviews?
Canadian Brass 2014, Windsync 2014, Boston Brass 2015, Mnozil Brass 2015, Spanish Brass 2014, Dallas Brass 2014, Seraph 2014, Atlantic Brass Quintet 2015, Mirari Brass 2015, Axiom Brass 2015, Scott Hartmann of the Empire Brass 2015, Jeffrey Curnow of the Empire Brass 2015, Ron Barron and Ken Amis of the Empire Brass, Meridian Arts Ensemble 2015, Berlin Philharmonic Woodwind Quintet 2015, American Brass Quintet 2015

In the words of Windsync oboist Erin Tsai, “We are approachable and accessible to seasoned concert goers AND to those who have never heard classical music”. In a wind chamber music environment dominated by brass touring groups, Windsync has drawn from the best of those traditions, blended in their own unique and yet cohesive musical personalities and added dash of inspiration from the Imani Winds to fashion a compelling and mesmerizing chamber music ensemble. Breaking boundaries and blazing trails seems matter of course for the group, as they incorporate blocking, memorization, costumes and unusual spaces into their performances. “Five!” tm, is davidbrubeck.com’s celebration of chamber music quintets, and we are scintillated to sail our maiden voyage with the delightful and generous members of Windsync!
Garrett Hudson-Flute
1. How did you guys meet?
I think we each have a unique and fascinating story to tell when it comes to how we all met and came to join WindSync. As we all know, the music world can be a very small place and some of us crossed paths years before the WindSync dream ever emerged. For instance, Erin and I met at an international music competition in Canada… where she beat me. Tracy crossed paths with Anni in Italy at a time when we were looking to fill the horn position. Anni and Jack both pursued their Bachelors degrees together at USC. It would seem that there is often just one or two degrees of separation in the classical music community.

2. What do you most enjoy (or learn) when listening to string quartets or brass quintets as opposed to wind quintets? What do you miss?
What I most enjoy when hearing string and brass chamber ensembles is the uniformity of sound that those combinations of instruments are able to create. Not only are their instruments made of the same material, but the way they produce sound is also identical; a bow across a string or the buzzing of the lips through a mouthpiece. The flip side of this is that I love the unique and individual qualities that one finds in the Wind Quintet. Each of our instruments are made from different materials; silver, brass, various woods. Equally interesting is the fact that we produce sound in different ways. Having 5 unique instruments provides us with an endless palate of colors and textures to choose from when we’re creating music together.

3. How much do you keep the audience in mind when selecting a program?
Always. I don’t think we’d have much of an audience if we didn’t consider what our programs can offer. One of the beautiful things about WindSync is our desire – our need – to innovate and try new things. We find that our audiences appreciate being a part of that exploratory process with us and, truth be told, we have many years behind us of trial and error that have led to the exciting and meaningful programs that we try to sculpt for our audiences today.

Erin Tsai-Oboe
1. How do you approach playing melody as opposed to accompaniment? Is it hard not to draw attention to your part as an oboist?
When I’m playing the melodies, I think of myself as an principal oboe player in an orchestra, but when I’m playing an accompaniment figure, I think of myself as a second player to whomever has the melody and try to blend to his or her instrument’s tone as much as possible. There are some hunky low notes on the oboe that are just really hard to hide; luckily my colleagues understand and know to help-by either playing the rest of the chord fuller or when arranging a piece for the group avoiding low ‘Bb’ on the oboe in a pp setting.

2. Which Wind Quintets have inspired you and how? Which Wind Quintet has come closest to the success of say The Canadian Brass?
The Imani Winds have always been an inspiration. We love the energy, dynamic, and professionalism that they bring to the stage; meanwhile, they are also humble and personable. Although not a wind quintet, eight blackbird has been a great inspiration to the group as well. We also highly respect many string quartets and admire some of the best repertoire that has ever written for them.

3. How important is visual communication when you perform?
Visual communication, such as eye contact, facial expression, and body movement, is extremely important for us in a performance, not only among ourselves, but also between us and the audience members. This is one of the reasons that we chose to get rid of the music stands completely when we perform-to reduce the distance between everyone.

Tracy Jacobson-Bassoon
1. How important is the choreography? How does it help the music? How does it get in the way?
Some elements of choreography are completely essential for us to play. We’ve become accustomed to using our bodies to enhance our playing abilities and to play together. We also find that it often helps the audience to focus their listening at any given point in a piece.

2. A new law decrees that the instrumentation of the woodwind quintet must change! Which instrument would you remove, and which would you replace it with? Why?
All of the instruments in the wind quintet create essential sounds and fill musical roles that really can’t be replaced. I would add a bandoneon, which is also a wind instrument and creates a fantastic blend and sustain in the group, but unfortunately, I don’t think there’s an instrument we can do without!

3. You have placed an emphasis on solo bassoon, how does that help you accompany others? Is it frustrating to have the melody less frequently?
As bassoonists, we’re accustomed to infrequently playing the melody and learn the joys of playing a supportive voice. In an orchestral context, my greatest frustration was with not being heard-rather than a lack of the lead lines. Fortunately for me, in a quintet, the bassoon is always present so I never need to worry about my part being inconsequential. I do enjoy my moments in the spotlight, but am just as excited to lay down a solid bass line.

Jack Marquardt -Clarinet
1. How do you approach blending differently with each of the other instruments?
The most important thing to keep in mind when blending with other instruments is to know your own instrument’s tendencies in terms of pitch issues and sound distortions that may arise at different dynamic levels so you can best compensate to match your colleagues.

Flute – Generally the flute and clarinet are written in octaves when playing together, so it is important to create a large body of sound that resonates well and is not forced. The flute tends to play at the higher end of the pitch spectrum when it is at the top of its register, so it can be very helpful to ride a little higher with your pitch so you can make the flautist’s life a little easier.

Oboe – Composers often love writing for Clarinet and Oboe in unison, with the most famous example being the opening of Schubert’s Unfinished Symphony. This can be a very rewarding blend to create; capable of so many colors beyond what our individual instruments can create by themselves. It is very important to have a dialogue about who is leading the sound and who has a more subservient role, so that neither is competing with each other to dominate the sound.

Horn – The Clarinet and Horn are capable of creating the largest bodies of sound and often have to work together to simulate a large brass section.

Bassoon – Often the Clarinet and Bassoon are written in octaves. It’s important in this situation for the Clarinet to play into the Bassoon’s sound and let that instrument dominate the collective sound.

2. How important is chemistry in chamber music-personal and musical?
Chemistry is one of the most important factors contributing to the success of a chamber ensemble. We try to make sure that we communicate to our audiences our love for each other and how much we enjoy making music with each other. It adds that extra layer to a performance that really makes the music come alive to us.

3. How do you select, rehearse and stage a new piece?
We have five very different musical aesthetics within the group, so choosing repertoire that all of us will enjoy can be challenging at first, but even if one or two members do not always care for a particular piece, we can always come to a unanimous consensus within the group about which pieces will be best for the group and showcase our strengths the most. We always begin learning new pieces with the music first; we try not to memorize as we learn the piece.

Anni Hochhalter-French Horn
1. If you could add a sixth regular instrument to the group, and literature was not a consideration, which instrument would it be and why?
I would include a harp. This instrument would add beautiful colors and textures but also provide a great source of rhythm.

2. How different is the student chamber music experience to that of a touring professional? What experiences most prepared you?
Honestly, the life of a student practicing chamber music is the exact opposite from the life of a touring professional with one exception – performance time. Your tour environment is unpredictable, your sense of routine completely vanishes, and you spend more time with your fellow musicians without your instruments in your hands than with them. This is a stark contrast to the hours spent in a comfortable practice room with your group, the consistency of daily habits, sleeping in your own bed every night, and preparing for a concert held in familiar location. However, the skills honed in those hours of practice and rehearsal as a student will be the greatest tools for success.

The experiences that most prepared me for touring as a musician were those that took me out of my familiar surroundings. During my undergraduate I had the opportunity of performing all over Los Angeles with a horn quartet and even went on a tour to New Orleans. I have relied upon these fundamental experiences ever since. As a side note for touring, remember your routines and habits that keep you healthy and happy as a person and musician and cling to them! That way you can be as flexible as possible in other ways for the group.

3. Which is more important to your impressive ensemble playing: familiarity with the composition, listening or familiarity with each others’ playing?
At this point, it is most important that we are familiar with the composition. It has been a real gift to play with the same musicians for an extended period of time and to work so closely with them year after year. It seems that we can almost predict each others playing and even instinctively accommodate to one another, and that is a huge part of the experience for the audience.

c. 2014 David William Brubeck All Rights Reserved. davidbrubeck.com

Interested in more “FIVE” tm interviews?
Canadian Brass 2014, Windsync 2014, Boston Brass 2015, Mnozil Brass 2015, Spanish Brass 2014, Dallas Brass 2014, Seraph 2014, Atlantic Brass Quintet 2015, Mirari Brass 2015, Axiom Brass 2015, Scott Hartmann of the Empire Brass 2015, Jeffrey Curnow of the Empire Brass 2015, Ron Barron and Ken Amis of the Empire Brass, Meridian Arts Ensemble 2015, Berlin Philharmonic Woodwind Quintet 2015, American Brass Quintet 2015

Bill Reichenbach is a multiple-instrument master of brass. From tenor trombone on Michael Jackson’s “Thriller”, to bass trombone on numerous Hollywood films, commercials and a solo with Buddy Rich on “Wave”, Bill Reichenbach has surpassed all the expectations for the bass trombone and redefined new ones.

I remember first hearing “A Train”, from the Don Menza Sextet, which featured bass trombone ensemble playing and a bass trombone improvised solo! I listened over and over and marveled at playing unlike any I had previously heard. It might have been comparable to a reception from an eligible offensive lineman to win a “Superbowl”. davidbrubeck.com is thrilled to present the legendary Bill Reichenbach as the first respondent in the third series of “Seven Positions”

1st Position
What do you look for in an instrument?
I wish I could find a horn that not only plays itself, but can drive itself to the gig. Falling short of that, I like horns that are quick and responsive.

I’ve been playing Conn bass trombones for quite some time. They feel like they vibrate when you’re playing them. I like that. I’m using one of a couple of Greenhoe Conn-type horns that I was lucky enough to get before he decided to close up shop.

Specifically, I’ve always tried to find a horn that responds well also in the double trigger range, so one of the first things I do is try the low “B”.

Just a habit by now, I guess.

2nd Position
How do you conceive of an ideal tone quality for a ballad? For bop? In the
studio?
One of my main considerations about sound is whether I’m playing solo, the only trombone in a small “horn” section, or in a trombone section.

For a ballad, I try to make it as vocal as possible, but instead of a Rochut type vocal style, it would be more like a jazz singer, particularly when it comes to vibrato and bending notes, etc. Those influences could come from Louis Armstrong, Frank Sinatra, Chet Baker, Ella Fitzgerald, my brother Kurt . . . many others . . .

For bebop improv playing, on bass trombone, one issue is lightness and agility. The soloing range is down near the string bass and surrounded by the drums (sonically) so it’s a good idea, I think, to be able to differentiate your sound from whatever else is going on in that register. Probably, accentuating the highs can help. Overall, when I’m playing jazz (improv), I’m thinking about time feel more than sound and by trying to stay crisp and clear on the time, the sound gets lighter on its own . . . or, at least I hope it does.

In the studio, there are a couple of very different requirements. On the larger film orchestral dates, with a trombone section, I try to play as orchestrally as possible while keeping the time as accurate as I can. When I say orchestrally, the difference between the studio and the concert hall, I think, is in the focus of the sound. We play into mikes that are either quite or too close or 10 to 15 feet away, or in front of the whole orchestra. Quite often, all of these mike set-ups will be there at the same time and the engineer and composer will pick the tone quality they like best. So getting a good core sound is probably going to give them what they need to work with.

On smaller dates, like pop and rock records, I try to go with the other instruments in the room or the ones on the track. If it’s something like 2 trumpets and a sax or 2, and I’m playing only bass trombone, the sound concept could be a bit like a bari sax or like the other bass instruments on the track, like Fender Bass or synth bass.

Usually, on horn section dates, I’ll play tenor trombone on one track, and then add the bass trombone on another track.

3rd Position
What is your secret to a beautiful legato, especially for a ballad?
To the extent that I can actually succeed in getting “the legato” to work well, it relates back to a couple of great teachers I was very lucky to spend time with.

One was Bob Isele. He had recently retired from the job of soloist with the U.S. Marine Band.

The first note I heard out of Bob’s horn changed my whole life. I know that might seem like a bit much, but hearing his sound and the way he approached playing, from the standpoint of relaxed air, and getting a beautiful vocal quality without having to rely on vibrato, and eventually my trying to play the Melodious Etudes in unison with him . . . all that set me up for my time with Emory Remington at Eastman. Bob had studied with Remington for one year before going into the Marine Band and, while not professing to be an orchestral player, he had the greatest trombone sound I’d ever heard. All based on air. And playing vocally.

So I had two similar but slightly different versions of the same idea . . . to play like you’re singing.

I’m still trying to get it right.

4th Position
What helps you achieve musical expression, particularly when soloing?
If it comes out like a musical expression, I feel lucky. So often, in the studio, when that rare chance to solo comes up, it’s sometimes very difficult to step back from it enough to let it just happen. It’s often a space in which you have to get from the beginning to the end of and getting past that mind set is something that I’ve tried to do over the years with occasional but not consistent success. Sometimes, I find that if I get my mind off the notes and more on the time feel, and allow space, it might turn out resembling music a little better.

5th Position
Name two types of inspirations.
Musical.
As I get older, I’m inspired by musicians that sound more natural than technical. This can also relate to composers. Bach remains a great source of inspiration starting with the perfection of his chorales and Cello Suites. Even a trombone player with clumsy fingers can play through the chorales on piano. Obviously, Bach’s technique was beyond comparison, but when you think of the speed at which he had to produce music, he was certainly a natural musician.

& Non-musical.
I’m always inspired by great visual arts, from photography to painting to architecture. On my few trips to Europe, I’ve found myself spending a good deal of time just looking at art and design, especially as it relates to being the background of daily life.

I’ve also been getting a lot of pleasure, and I guess inspiration, from cooking. There’s a visual component, an improvisational component, and it can be a bit like orchestrating. But less pressure . . .

And making ice cream.

And wine drinking . . .

6th Position BR
Why is Los Angeles such a special place for great trombone playing? What have
you drawn from that tradition and expertise, and what might you have added to
it?
When I was deciding where to move to try to build a career, I already knew that I wanted to be a recording player, so at that time, in 1975, the two choices were New York and L.A. I figured that L.A. would be an easier place to sleep on the street if it came to that. Warmer . . . no snow . . .

The variety of recording work here in L.A. has always been great and players are expected to do a lot of different kinds of things. That was something that interested me. I think that might also have something to do with the overall quality of the players here. Like, you have to have sound and style flexibility to be able to function as a studio player here. I’ve been very lucky to sit next to some of the Greats. It’s made me examine what I’m trying to do constantly. I’m not sure what I might have added to the L.A. trombone scene . . . Maybe the doubling thing . . . when I came out here, there were only a few players that really sounded convincing on tenor and bass trombone. My favorite was the great Lew McCreary. He was primarily a tenor player but he could do amazing things on bass trombone. I don’t think he ever got the credit for being one of the truly great bass trombonists. He was a good friend and an inspiration.

My doubling life had started quite young, with my first instrument being drum set. When I started playing trombone, I became interested in most of the other brass instruments and I would borrow old horns and try to figure out how to make them work. That “musical playtime” benefited me more than I could have ever known. These days, most tenor trombonists are expected to play pretty good bass trombone and bass trombonists are expected to play contra bass and possibly tuba and then there’s the occasional bass trumpet, euphonium, valve trombone, etc. A lot of these doubles are showing up in the pits of show bands, too. I guess it relates to cost . . . it’s cheaper to have one player playing several instruments than to have a different player for each instrument. Fewer players working . . . not so good.

7th Position BR
What opportunities shaped your ability as a bass trombone soloist? What are the best paths available to younger cats today?
Generally, those opportunities are self created and/or rare. When I was younger, I thought of jazz playing in terms of tenor trombone and hadn’t really come to terms with soloing on bass trombone except for occasionally doing it as a change of color on a regular jazz gig. At Eastman, I was a jazz and commercial tenor trombone player and a sort of legit bass trombone player and I kept those things separate. I wish I had done otherwise because I think I might be more natural at playing jazz on bass trombone by now.

I suggest that younger players today who want to solo on bass trombone should spend time developing a good vocabulary in whatever style they want to perform. I say that because jazz is not the only solo venue. But whatever the style, players will have to encourage writers and leaders of groups that the bass trombone is a valid solo voice. So you have to be ready if someone says “OK, yes, here play this”. In addition, creating one’s own music is a good exercise to keep working on, either in the background or the foreground. For most of us, music playing started as a hobby.

When that hobby becomes the “job”, it can change somewhat. So, having a creative outlet, like working on a solo project can be good for your head. It can take you back to the “hobby” of music. I think that’s where it’s most pure.

T1
What is the best trombone playing you have ever heard?
Wow, that’s a very tough and tricky question. If I start listing names, this could go on for a while, and I would undoubtedly forget someone, so I’m just going to mention the player who probably had the greatest long range influence on me.

That was my teacher, Bob Isele. I mentioned him above. You can find recordings of some of his Marine Band solos and they are really amazing, but what I experienced when I heard him play in the little den of my parents house was something hard to define. His incredible ease of playing almost anything, combined with his humility and generosity, gave so much to me and showed me a perfect example of how to deal with my life as a musician.

T2
What is the best trombone playing you have done?
This is the hardest question yet . . .
Sometimes, I think a few of the things on my album that I did some years ago are OK.

Once, I played a Honda commercial for a great writer named Don Piestrup, who used to do many, many jingles out here in L.A. This spot was about bears in the woods, who eventually drove this Honda SUV away out of the shot. The music was three tracks of me playing bass trombone . . . kind of a George Roberts with Nelson Riddle-styled part with two more accompanying bass trombone parts, plus finger snaps and whistling (Jerry Hey). It was a pretty cute spot and got the attention of a lot of my friends here in the studios. But the funny part is that another trombone player in another city somewhere to the east of here, was telling everyone that it was him playing it. Maybe he had played something similar. But I was flattered.

I recently did an album called “Intrada” with the Dave Slonaker Big Band on which I had a bass trumpet solo. I played bass trombone otherwise on this album. Dave’s a great writer. By the time you read this, it will have won a Grammy or not.

There have been a couple of commercial recording projects over the years that I feel good about. I think my all-time favorite is the Al Jarreau “High Crime” album (but that was almost entirely on alto trombone so it probably shouldn’t count here). Also, the Michael Jackson albums produced by Quincy Jones like “Thriller” and “Off The Wall” were highlights for me. We are in the midst of doing some tunes on an album by a great young band called “Dirty Loops” which is not out yet but the tunes are amazing and Jerry Hey has written some very startling horn parts.

Otherwise, I’m hoping that my best playing is still in the future.

T3 BR
Please compare the different approaches to the soloistic use of the bass
trombone regarding your experiences with:
Buddy Rich
On Buddy’s band, the bass trombone wasn’t usually a featured instrument. Yeah, like that’s a surprise. But, there was an arrangement of “Wave” that John LaBarbera wrote for my friend John Leys. I replaced John on the band just in time to record that solo. My first time playing that chart with the band on the road was very typical . . . put the music up and read it. No rehearsal . . . there was never any rehearsal for a new player that came on the band. You just showed up, put on the dumb suit (hopefully it fit) and tried to get through the gig. Prior to playing with Buddy, I had been at Eastman, where I was playing a lot of jazz and lead on tenor trombone and trying to learn what jazz playing was all about (what it was REALLY all about). So when I stood up to play “Wave” for the first time, I played like I figured a jazz player would play a ballad. Some give and take on the time and phrasing, etc. (The chart was actually a Bossa Nova of sorts.) This approach didn’t set well with Buddy, who called an intermission and as he walked past me, he said “you better learn to play with some time, mxxxxfxxxxr.” Or something like that. So I had to figure out how to play the solo part so it would seem like I was playing some personal phrasing, while playing things that I thought Buddy could comfortably identify with.

Sometime later, he started asking me to get up and play jazz solos . . . most likely on “Basically Blues” (blues in “G”). I think it was the novelty of having a bass trombone player who even wanted to play jazz that got his attention. I’m not sure how he found out that I did that kind of thing. He also made me come over every once in a while and play his drums while he would grab a trumpet and go out front, pretending to play it. That was awkward . . . me playing his drums, I mean. I had played drums most of my life, but not his drums . . . in front of his audience.

But it was kinda’ funny . . .

Don Menza
When Frank Rosolino passed away, Don asked me to join his sextet. That was pretty scary. I wasn’t sure I could even play the parts much less, the solos. But it was a great experience for me. Chuck Findley was the trumpet player on the band and he plays very good trombone, so every once in a while, on the last set, we’d switch horns for a tune. I try to stay away from that small mouthpiece these days.

The sextet was also the nucleus of Don’s Big Band. In both groups, I was playing tenor. Then we did an album (before CDs) with the sextet called “Horn of Plenty” and one of the tunes was based on “Take the A Train”. There was a long unison line, in octaves, that I thought would be interesting to play on bass trombone, an octave lower than what I was playing on tenor. I thought it gave the chart a little bit of a “Duke” voicing. So that meant that I played my solo on bass, too. I think that’s the first recorded jazz solo I ever played on bass trombone. Despite this, I still hadn’t come to grips with really playing jazz on the bass trombone.

Michael Davis
I first met Mike when I went back to Eastman to do a little concert and clinic thing. I think it was about 10 years after I graduated from there.

Fast forward to the International Trombone Festival in Urbana, Ill. in 1997. Up to this time, I had only been making half-hearted attempts at playing jazz bass trombone and had never thought to do as much as a whole set on it alone. Then I looked at the list of the other players on the final night concert. I’m sure you and most of the readers know how most of the ITF events schedule the jazz component. It’s usually everybody plays one very long concert on the next to the last night. Whether this is a good idea or not, I’ll leave for another time, but there I was, looking at this list of great tenor trombone players like Bill Watrous, Mike Davis, Tony Garcia, and a couple of other good players who have escaped my memory. I figured that most of the notes above middle “C” would be taken, so I decided that I would play only bass trombone. The rhythm section and I got through our little selection of tunes. I was amazed at the response. But I guess it was unusual to get up there and play something resembling jazz on bass trombone.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MeibXzoc24c

I remember Mike Davis talking to me backstage and suggesting that we do an album together. So the idea that became “Bonetown” came from that conversation. A while later, when Mike finished writing the music for the album and sent me the charts to look at, I knew it was going to be a challenge not only from the improv stand point, but just being able to get through some of the written parts would be tough. The duet “Trombone Institute of Technology” had a few passages in it that seemed fairly unplayable to me. And I must say that every time we’ve performed that piece, I’ve felt like I was hanging on by my fingernails. But over all, I’m very glad that Mike pushed me to explore some different harmonic territory than I probably would have done on my own. Mike is a great player and one of the easiest people I’ve ever played with. I hope there will be more opportunities to do some things with him.

Massimo Pirone
I first met Massimo (Max) when he brought his family over to L.A. around Christmastime a few years ago. I invited him to play with the L.A. trombone guys for the Christmas events that we do every year. A couple of years later, I was asked to play at the ITF in Aarhus, Denmark. When Max found out about me being in Europe, he organized a quintet CD project and a concert in Rome. So, it was a great way for my wife and me to see Rome for the first time and get to know Max and his family. It was difficult for me to pull myself away from the artwork and the ancient buildings and the margarita pizza and the red wine . . .

This was my first time playing with another jazz bass trombone player. Max has a lot of the same interests as I do. He likes to play different instruments, like the various trombones and tuba. It was very easy to get onto the same wavelength, musically. Most of the tunes were his originals. The other tune was based on the solo I played on the Don Menza Sextet album. I soon discovered that it’s much harder to replay a solo, especially as an ensemble, than to play it in the first place.

I’ve seen a couple of my solos written out over the years and my first impulse is “Oh no, I couldn’t have played that.” I think what we did worked pretty well.

I’m sure I’ll be seeing and playing with Massimo sometime in the near future. At least, I hope so.

I don’t know how to end this . . . so . . .

Best,

Bill

c. 2014 David William Brubeck All Rights Reserved. davidbrubeck.com

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MmN_MtecO74

Interested in more “Seven Positions” tm Interviews?
Charlie Vernon
James Markey
Chris Brubeck
Doug Yeo
Jeremy Morrow
Tom Everett
Gerry Pagano
Ben van Dijk
Randall Hawes
Denson Paul Pollard
Thomas Matta
Fred Sturm
Bill Reichenbach
Massimo Pirone
Erik Van Lier
Jennifer Wharton
Matyas Veer
Stefan Schulz

c. 2013/2014 David William Brubeck All Rights Reserved davidbrubeck.com

Edwards was the first to break through the Conn-Selmer trombone hegemony on a grand scale. Backed by Allied, their influence slowly spread to it’s current prominence. From Edwards (and Schilke), there emerged a second serious rival, who had built his reputation over several decades, the last two bringing trombones that bear his name-Shires. Others have made significant strides as well, but perhaps the third major contender to emerge is the most remarkable. The wide-spread use and notoriety of Rath trombones over the past ten years has been meteoric. In terms of tradition, Rath has not drawn upon the most vibrant trombone manufacturing traditions of the Americans, German and French, but has sprung from those of the rather modest British tradition as well as from his time with Paxman. The proliferation or Rath horns amongst jazz players in particular is impressive and his use of design and materials is inspired. davidbrubeck.com is pleased to present British Trombone Maker Michael (Mick) Rath as the fifth installment of The Craftsmen’s Bench tm.

1. What is your musical background?
I was born in Slough in 1963, and brought up in Royal Windsor, Berkshire, where the military musical presence inspired him not only to become a musician, but to embark on a career in music. Playing the tuba from the early age of eleven, I was involved with various bands in the Windsor and Maidenhead area, out rehearsing or playing concerts most nights of the week.

After leaving school, I went on to study Musical Instrument Technology, at Merton Technical College in south London, and then served an apprenticeship with the Paxman French horn company in London’s Covent garden, where I worked until 1990, when I moved to West Yorkshire.

2. What non-musical designs inspire you?
Seems stupid, but I suppose things with motion-pulleys, cogs, gears! (ie. a mechanism that presents a wire rack out of a kitchen cupboard when the door is opened!)

3. Have you been more inspired by European or American trombones? Which ones?
Over the years, talking in a repairman capacity, most instruments brought in to our workshops for repair or customising were of American origin, this I suppose must have been more of an inspiration than the small number of British/European made instruments thru the door in the early eighties. Most ‘pro’ players we were dealing with used Conn, Bach and King, with some Williams.

4. When you set out to build the best trombones available, what were the top three characteristics you hoped to achieve?
In both cases Classical and Jazz , we sought to achieve sound(relevant to the musical situation ), intonation, playability (i.e., making the players job easier), and of course-a slide that worked !!!

5. Your instruments are known for there tone and materials. Have you ever thought that you might have a special ability to perceive tone quality?
I have never thought that I have any special abilities, I just tried to be a good engineer. We have numerous combinations of tapers and materials and a many years experience. Listen to the players needs and requirements, and I think it all comes together very nicely!

6. Why Bronze? How would you describe it as compared to traditional brass?
Experiments were carried out years ago on slide materials, and bronze was the closest off-the-shelf material that resembled the characteristics we had in mind. Bronze gives a darker, richer sound than standard yellow brass.

7. What have been some of your most memorable moments with your trombone artists?
It Is fantastic to have such a great bunch of guys working with us. There are quite a few; listening to Mark Nightingale play with James Morrison in the UK; The Corpus Trombone Quartet performing in a 10-year anniversary concert in Budapest; getting a mention from Conrad Herwig at the Blue Note Club on my first visit to New York; hearing the Count Basie guys perform in the Blue note in Tokyo; Reggie watkins at the Albert hall with Beverley Knight. “The Rath Pack”-Dennis Rollins and Bad Bone and 35 Rath trombones playing the Mark Nightingale’s arrangement of “That’s What Friends Are For” at my 50th Birthday party last year! Fantastic! You just can’t mention them all and respect to all of our artists!

8. What has your geographic location brought to your instruments? What do you consider the most British aspects of your operation?
Living in Yorkshire, brings a more relaxed life style and I believe less stress to all of the guys that work here, allowing a little more love to be put into the instruments we make. A lot of the guys working here are involved in brass bands in one way or another, which are obviously very traditionally British!

9. Which characteristics have you admired of the historic US brands?
Jazz:
King…..This has always been a good lead trombone and generally well made!
Williams…..I have not seen too many, but have heard reports of quality.
Olds…..Some interesting ideas, nicely put together

Classical
Bach…..Well known for years as a standard, but I don’t see that many here for repair now!
Conn…..Well known for years as a standard.
Holton…..Known to me more for the Bass trombone! Which has been popular in the UK in the past.

10. Which lubricants do you recommend, and why?
We use Rapid Comfort with our slides-(seems to work for us).
We use Selmer tuning slide grease, and any of the thin piston oils on the valves: Al Cass, Blue Juice, or Hetman.

10. What qualities have others said Rath trombones possess?
Conrad Herwig, it allows me to be myself without restriction.

11. What do you consider your major breakthroughs or innovations?
I consider designing and introducing a full range of trombones over a relatively small period of time and seeing and hearing great players around the world using our trombones a great breakthrough.

c. 2013 David William Brubeck All Rights Reserved. davidbrubeck.com