Focus on your strengths!

Sometimes, it pays to focus on the things in life that we do best! It's great to continue to improve our weaknesses, but don't fight your natural abilities - embrace your strengths and allow them to work for you!

Cool Stuff at ITF 2016 - part 2

Picking up where days one and two left off, Saturday at the 2016 International Trombone Festival saw some great events and visits to exhibitors.  I will admit straight away to being a little ashamed that I missed Peter Ellefson’s 9AM recital, but I had a good excuse.  I have wanted to see the High Line on Manhattan’s lower West side for some time now, so while my dad judged one of the competitions, I took the 1 train down to Penn Station and walked over to 10th Ave. where the High Line begins.  Built on a converted elevated rail line running along 10th Avenue, the High Line is a wonder of urban design, landscaping, and ingenuity.  It was a such an enjoyable visit, I was sorry when I reached the Southern terminus at Gansevoort Street. 

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The High Line - NYC

So, after a quick ride on the 1/9 back up to Lincoln Center, I managed to catch the second half of the World Trombone Quartet.  The quartet usually consists of Joe Alessi, Michel Becquet, Jorgen van Rijen, and Stefan Schultz.  On this particular performance, Hakan Bjorkman and Denson Paul Pollard substituted for Becquet and Schultz.  Wow, what a group!  I caught two solo performances, the first by Hakan Bjorkman of the Carnival of Venice.  He played the original Arban version, and holy cow did he play it!  Besides amazing technique, Mr. Bjorkman has all the other tools that made it obvious why he would sub in a group called the World Trombone Quartet.  Unfortunately, Mr. Bjorkman was in a bicycling accident at home a few days after the festival ended, and sustained some major injuries.  According to what I see on Facebook, he appears to be recovering well and out of immediate danger.  That is great news, and I wish this fantastic musician my very best in his recovery.  Having had a couple of bad cycling accidents myself over the years, I feel his pain, and I hope he reaches full recovery.  Following the Arban, Jorgen van Rijen performed a piece called Slipstream.  This utilized a loop station with Mr. van Rijen providing the loops in a live recording environment.  What a cool piece!  Jorgen’s playing is so smooth, even, and effortless, he makes things sound so easy.  This is a genre that seems new, but has a lot of elements that have been around for years.  Improvisational in nature (I assume), the piece really develops as if you are hearing it for the first time, and made this listener feel like I was hearing something being literally composed right in front of my eyes.  I am going to have to definitely check out the piece and the loop station setup.  The final piece on the program was for the full quartet, First Trombone Quartet by Steven Verhelst.  This was a perfect closer and featured a little bit of everything, including some lovely clog dancing by all 4 players.  Besides his beautiful bass trombone playing, Mr. Pollard provided the closest approximation of what my own attempt at clog dancing would look like… but it was very entertaining!  As serious as Joe Alessi might appear to us all, he showed once again his great sense of showmanship and humor, along with Jorgen and Hakan.  Really a fun program and great ensemble.  The have a new CD available - buy it and check it out.

I heard bits and pieces of a few other things - I’m going to list them in no particular order… There was, as always, a lot to see and hear - way more than I could absorb!  

M&W Trombones - Matt Walker and Mike McLemore have continued the tradition they began when both worked for Gary Greenhoe - the tradition of making beautifully crafted horns that play great.  Their new instruments are stunningly beautiful, and they play just as well.  I only wish I was in the market for a new horn!  These guys will have their work cut out for them in the years ahead meeting demand, I imagine.

S.E. Shires - while not a Shires player myself, I have really liked some of the horns I have played that this Boston based outfit makes.  Like the M&W horns, these instruments are beautiful, and play amazingly well.  They make the FINEST alto I have ever played (the edition with a b-flat attachment), and were I doing more alto work these days, I would find a way to pay for one and add it to my stable.  BUT, what I thought was really super cool is the new screw bell tenor trombone edition they have come up with.  A concept that has been around for a while, Shires has taken it and made it a truly useful and practical option.  In addition to a bell section that is already screw bell converted, they have created an amazing little hard case.  People, this thing is SMALL.  Slightly larger than a violin case, the design is ingenious, and very protective.  If I flew a lot with a trombone, I would buy one in a heartbeat.  Just amazing.  You have to check it out!

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This was a prototype case Shires has developed for their new screw bell tenor trombone option... I was told the final production case will be slightly thicker - but it is still super compact!

Soul-O mutes - This is the one thing I came to the workshop dead set on buying before I left.  I walked up to the booth with cash in hand determined to not leave without one!  The Soul-o folks are very friendly, and have created a bucket mute that is the sweetest sounding version of the genre I have ever played.  They have also begun making a cup and straight which I unfortunately didn’t have a chance to try, but if they play as well as the bucket, I imagine I’ll end up with those at some point as well.  I have some plans for some recordings using bucket, I’ll keep you posted when I get them recorded.  Looking on their website, most of the big names in the LA scene these days seem to be playing their mutes, so they are definitely a hot commodity!

Edwards/Griego mouthpieces - As always Christan had his full arsenal available to try.  Again, I didn’t play any horns as I just didn’t want to make myself “need” another horn, but the Edwards remain as popular as ever.  If you haven’t checked out Christan’s line of mouthpieces, they are truly beautifully made and sound great.  

Some other people I ran into or met for the first time:

• Doc Marcellus - I always love seeing Doc.  He is such a wonderful person, and never fails to make me feel glad to be a trombone player.
• Carol Jarvis - I met Carol briefly for the first time.  I have only recently become familiar with her playing, and I really enjoy her beautiful style of performing.  Her new album is great.  I downloaded it as we were driving out of Manhattan, and it was the perfect accompaniment for our drive through the Lincoln Tunnel and back to DC.  Carol is beginning to work with ITA on their social media presence, which I think is a great move on ITAs part.  The organization is definitely behind the times in that respect, and I think they will see some good growth, especially among younger players, with a more concentrated effort in social media.
• Jon Whitaker - Jon was conducting the Cramer Choir this year, and it was great to see him, albeit briefly.
• Joe Dixon - Joe has been a teacher in Texas for a number of years and is always a great resource for information about teaching.  He has a great website with a lot of materials he has developed for use with his students over the years.  MANY of his former students play in major symphonies all over the world.
• Steve Norrell - It was a great pleasure to see and hear Steve again.  He played in the Juilliard alumni choir, and it’s amazing to think how many performances this man has played at the Metropolitan Opera over the years.  I remember vividly hearing a master class he gave at the 1991 trombone workshop in Rochester.  His sound and concept of playing has been burned into my brain ever since!
• Dave Taylor - I already mentioned Dave in Part One, but he is always such fun to be around.  A man that is all about the music, he is an inspiration.  His interest in young players and his care for their development is evident in the way he interacts with people he meets.  A gentleman and a New Yorker in the very best sense of the term.

The Juilliard Alumni Choir performed an afternoon concert which was well attended and sounded beautiful.  It was such great fun to be back at Juilliard and get to perform a little with such great players and friends.  Per Brevig did a fantastic job getting the group ready in basically one rehearsal to play a very nice program.  Hearing many alumni who attended Juilliard before me, and connecting everyone’s lineage of teachers and experience at school was really amazing.  This isn’t the first time I’ve experienced this in an “alumni” event.  They can be a great way to bring a sense of camaraderie to a group that might not otherwise ever meet, much less perform together.

After the Alumni concert, it was time to do some more sight seeing and “New York stuff”.  We had a blast and really enjoyed the rest of our weekend.  Many thanks to Joe Alessi, Jack Schatz, Per Brevig, The Juilliard School, and the ITA for a fantastic experience and weekend.  If you haven’t been to an ITF, try to get to one at your first possible opportunity - you won’t be disappointed!  Next year's festival is at University of Redlands in Redlands, California, June 28-July 1, 2017.

International Trombone Festival 2016, New York City - Part 1

Phew! I just returned from a whirlwind trip to New York City where I attended the International Trombone Festival, hosted by Joseph Alessi at The Juilliard School.  Joe did an amazing job as the organizer, and of course treated everyone to multiple fantastic performances over the course of the 4 day festival.

I arrived mid-day Thursday, so I missed a couple of fun events that happened Wednesday.  First, Sarah Willis hosted one of her Horn Hangouts with members of the World Trombone Quartet.  For the interview part, Joe and Jorgen van Rijen spoke about their careers and the quartet, and they were then joined by Hakan Bjorkman (Swedish Radio Symphony) and Denson Paul Pollard (bass trombonist of the Metropolitan Opera).  If you haven’t seen one of Ms. Willis’ hangouts, I highly recommend you check them out!  Then, a group (army?) of trombonists descended upon the plaza at Lincoln Center for a flashmob performance, and to break the Guiness record for the largest ever mass trombone ensemble. 

On day 2, Jimmy Clark (my father) and I drove up to New York from Washington, DC, and arrived just in time to hear the “Women of Juilliard” recital.  The recital featured three fantastic musicians, all of whom studied at Juilliard.  Natalie Mannix opened the program with two very interesting pieces, Elegy by Anthony Barfield, and Two Latin Dances by Lauren Bernofsky.  Natalie’s beautiful playing shows one reason she has had such a varied and successful career, and how she will be a great influence on students at her new position at University of North Texas.  Vanessa Fralick, trombonist in the Toronto Symphony, performed a lengthy sonata (which I unfortunately did not keep a record of the composer’s name) which featured her beautiful playing and fantastic range.  Finally, Abbie Conant performed two very interesting pieces of her own for solo trombone.  Ms. Conant looks so at ease on stage, and her elegant playing and beautiful sound were very enjoyable to hear. 

If I have one criticism of this year’s festival, it’s that printed programs were in short supply.  The Festival made use of an app that contained access to the events each day, but at many of the venues, printed programs were either non-existent or few in number.  This made it difficult to know exactly what you were hearing, and to recall it later if you didn’t write it down!  I liked the use of an app and the paper-free workshop, but an updated web page, Facebook post, or even Twitter message containing a link to the program info at the time of the concert would have worked great. #justathought

Hanging with fantastic musicians and gentleman, Tom Malone

Following the Women of Juilliard, a large trombone ensemble made up of many of the NYC’s finest trombonists took the stage for a tribute to the legendary Urbie Green.  Following a touching introduction by Joe Alessi, bass trombonist Jack Schatz introduced a panel consisting of Bill Watrous, Jack Gale, and David Taylor, among others.  All of these gentlemen have been colleagues of Urbie during his playing career, and they had some great stories about him to share with the crowd.  After the panel discussion, the ensemble played some of the well known tunes from the 21 Trombones albums that Urbie recorded back in the day.  The group sounded fantastic, especially soloists Marshall Gilkes, Tom Malone, and Bill Watrous.  Many of the players took a chorus on the final tune, and the crowd really enjoyed it.  I only wish we could have heard more!

Me and buddy Mike Boschen

I had a special treat on Thursday night, as my dad and I hung out with my good friend, Michael Boschen, at his current gig on Broadway, Matilda.  Mike has been playing this show about 3 1/2 years, and I would say he’s got it pretty dialed in by now!  It’s an interesting book… the show is about 2.5 hours in total, and the brass consists of just two trumpets and one trombone.  The rest of the band has a string and reed section, plus two keyboardists, and a percussionist.  I have to say, having never played a true Broadway show, it was fascinating to watch the guys at work.  The trumpets and trombone have their own room, with a plexiglass window looking in to the rest of the orchestra and conductor.  Everyone plays into an individual mic, and wear headphones to hear the click, which is somewhat intermittent.  It kicks in for most tempo changes as well as the beginning of a lot of tunes.  Mike sounds fantastic.  He has always been one of those guys that can pretty much do anything, and he has taken up bass trombone with a vengeance since we left school years ago.  The Matilda book is for tenor and bass trombone, and it’s really an honest to God bass trombone part!  I don’t think I would have anything to do with that!  Interestingly, Mike also plays a Bach Model 6 that belonged to Glenn Dodson… Mike and I both studied with Glenn, so it was really touching to get to hear him play that particular horn at the show.  The whole band sounded great, very tight, and it was a highlight of our trip to see NYC freelancers in the wild!

On Friday, we headed down to Juilliard early to catch a 9AM recital by Michael Powell and John Rojak.  First of all, anyone willing to pony up for a 9AM recital is a major stud in my book, and these guys never disappoint!  As always, Mike and John played with such a beautiful display of musicianship, something we have all come to expect from them and the American Brass Quintet.  Rojak has a new CD just out, which you can find here.

After the early recital, I joined David Taylor and Alan Carr in Morse Hall to judge the finals of the Yaxley bass trombone solo competition.  The piece performed by the finalists was the Sub-Zero Concerto by Daniel Schnyder (pronounced Schneeder).  This piece was written for Dave Taylor, and I think all three of us on the panel were damn glad to not have to play it!  The finalists all sounded great, with some amazing bass trombone wizardry from the eventual winner, Adib Correa Vera.  Dave Taylor sent the composer a text during the finals that pretty much summed it up… something to the effect of “….THESE KIDS!!!!!!”  Alan Carr and I missed each other at Juilliard by a few years, but it was great to make his acquaintance and here about what he’s up to.  Go here to see all the winners of the various competitions.  Donny Pinson is the ITA’s director for the competitions, and seeing the work he does up close to make all the competitions happen is truly amazing.  Donny put in a huge amount of work at the festival to see that the competitions were run efficiently and fairly - well done!

There’s one important point I’d like to make… It’s easy, especially with the availability of everyone’s recordings and projects on line, to put off actually attending an ITF in person.  I was reminded how great it is to see people in person, reconnect, meet others for the first time, and just generally hang out with other trombonists.  Of course you hear great concerts and get to try all kinds of cool gear, but the people are really what make these festivals fun.  Just my two cents, you should go next year if you can!  

Friday afternoon, I met about 20 or so other trombonists for a rehearsal of the Juilliard alumni trombone choir.  Not knowing who would show up, it was great to meet so many Juilliard alumni, especially ones that had been at school before me and many of whom had studied with the conductor of the event, Per Brevig.  Maestro Brevig immediately got everyone’s focus on the music and making the performance something special, not just a thrown-together affair.  Kudos to Jack Schatz for his organizational powers putting this together.  The concert on Saturday afternoon was a lot of fun, and came off great.  It was amazing to hear so many fine musicians who share a musical heritage.  It was especially fun to play with Mike Boschen and Tom Burge, both alums from my years at school.  

with Michael Boschen and Per Brevig

Friday night, one of the highlights of the festival occurred, with Mr. Alessi performing a world premiere of a concerto written by American composer, William Bolcom.  Joe performed with the New York Philharmonic, with Music Director Alan Gilbert, conducting.  Joe is always an amazing performer, and this concert was no exception.  Having heard Joe many times with the Philharmonic, both as soloist and as principal trombone, he sounds better than ever.  One of the funniest occurrences of the week was when Maestro Gilbert asked all the trombone players in the audience to stand…. Probably about 1/4 of the crowd at the David Geffen Hall was trombonists, and watching the expression of the Phil’s string players was priceless!  Needless to say, they were all quite shocked! 

After the concert, Pop and I hit the town to catch up on some NYC nightlife, and then rest up for the last day of the Festival.  

Thanks for reading!  I will post more about the final day of the Festival in next week’s post.  If you haven’t subscribed, scroll down to the bottom of the page (if you’re reading at my website) or sign up via the link on my Virtual Trombonist Facebook page (and like my page there too!).  Thanks very much for reading!