Count Plays Duke – Count Basie Orchestra
Impressions: The Covers EP – Mayer Hawthorne
Tower of Power 40th Anniversary – Tower of Power
Keep ‘Em Flying – Airmen of Note
Copland: The Music of America – Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Erich Kunzel
The Reiner Sound – Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Fritz Reiner
Precision trumpet playing-here’s why we aim for it!
I often stress the importance of playing accurately to my students. Rhythm, timing, pitch, articulation, style, purity of sound, evenness of tone in all registers, etc. all make the difference between a good player and a great player. I found a video that illustrates this perfectly. Listen to how every musician (not just the trumpets) matches style EXACTLY. Notice the dead-on pitch between the trumpets when they are in octaves towards the end of the clip. Every note from the trumpets speak perfectly with no hesitation or timidness. It doesn’t matter if it’s an Ab on the top of the staff, a low C, or a double Bb. Bam! There it is.
This video features three of England’s top studio trumpet players, including the great Derek Watkins on lead. These guys are the equivalent of our Los Angeles studio trumpet players (Malcom McNabb, Wayne Bergeron, Rick Baptist, Warren Luening, etc.). Derek has a phenomenal list of credentials, notably lead trumpet on ALL of the James Bond movies.
Maurice André, 1933-2012
Another legend in the trumpet world has left us. French trumpeter Maurice André, known for his spectacular piccolo trumpet playing, passed away a few days ago. His sound and musicianship have been an inspiration to trumpet players for decades. Some argue that Maurice was the best classical trumpet soloist on the planet. Others say that he had great joy in his playing, akin to a young child, and that was what made him special. I believe that Maurice will be remembered among the great icons of trumpet playing like Raphael Mendez and Louis Armstrong. He will certainly be missed.
Mnozil Brass
One of the best brass ensembles in the world, Mnozil Brass (from Austria), is pure entertainment of the highest quality. These guys play with relentless energy and great musicality. There are dozens of videos on YouTube, so I picked a few of my favorites. Enjoy!
Groove Therapy – The Band website update
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Groove Therapy, the eight-piece horn band (of which I’m a member) has updated their website. It’s not much at this point, but it’s now a place where you can learn about the band, listen to audio clips, contact the band directly, and most importantly-check out their performance calendar (I’ve heard more performance dates are coming soon).
Please stop by and have a look around, and don’t forget to check their Facebook page!
Groove Therapy’s website
Recommended Music!
A Strange Arrangement – Mayer Hawthorne
Urban Litany – Tower Brass of Chicago
The Complete Columbia Studio Recordings – Miles Davis and Gil Evans
The Great Summit – Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington
Grand Piano:Chopin – Josef Hoffmann
Nightlife In Tokyo – Eric Alexander
Allan Dean and Kevin Dean, trumpet
I recently stumbled across this series of YouTube videos uploaded by a YouTube user named “wideangleman”. Allan is a professor at the Yale School of Music, while Kevin is a professor at McGill University’s Schulich School of Music in the Jazz Department. Also of note is the relationship of the two trumpeters-Allan is Kevin’s uncle. I’ll post as many of these videos as I can- they represent some fantastic trumpet playing.
Also of note is the interesting fact that Allan, Kevin, and the saxophonist Al McLean play on various vintage and/or rare instruments for their performances. You can really hear the differences between old Martin, Conn, French Besson, Bach, and Olds trumpets (and Selmer, Martin, Conn, Leblanc, and other saxes).
Wayne Bergeron Masterclass!
Wayne is one of my favorite trumpet players and is just a great guy. I credit Wayne for advising me about an important adjustment of my trumpet playing. He’s a wealth of knowledge and a world class player in every respect. Enjoy this masterclass in five parts:
Merry Christmas!
Doc Severinsen!
Doc’s one of the greatest trumpet players, ever. Such a beautiful, ringing, resonant sound that would punch a hole in a brick wall. He still practices 5 hours a day in his mid eighties. ‘Tis the season, so I’ll start with a holiday favorite!