The Romance of being a “Chamber Musician”

Last nights show with Sarah Darough was a great experience. I love opportunities to play new and interesting works with good people, and getting the chance to play something that allows me to truly focus on a beautiful sound throughout is very satisfying to boot. There were some beautiful moments in last nights work. Overall, the show went off without a hitch and any performance mishaps were recovered professionally enough to keep the audiences experience in tact. I would call my experience last night, an exercise in subtlety.

When you play chamber music you have the opportunity to be a soloist and ensemble performer all at the same time. You need to find how your part interweaves with the other musicians. Feel out when it is ok to give a little more, without sacrificing the mood and experience of the audience and the other players. You learn to savor the one note solo’s. With so few players on stage, you all learn to look out for one another. Breathing becomes a group activitiy. The rhythm and rhyme of the music translate into a gentle wave that passes through the players as they all begin to sway to the beat.

Chamber music is a great way to awaken the romance of music in even the most cynical of pros. I know very few players that don’t enjoy being able to create in such a warm and giving environment.

Now I am on to a couple days of personal practice time to make up for the past 5 days of performances and rehearsals. I have mentioned before just how difficult the balance of practice vs. performance can be. We have to practice to be able to perform at our best and we, or at least I, need performances to look towards to get the full benefit out of my practicing. I can always feel when I have been doing more public playing than practicing. There is a similar decline in subtle nuances of my playing as when I take a day or two off. It happens a little more gradually, but the deterioration shows first in entrances and the connection of notes, and moves on to range and eventually endurance goes down. Luckily a couple days of shedding and fundamentals tends to correct any of those issues that tend to arise.

So now I get to look back at the past few days with a smile and the knowledge that some very fine work was done, and forward to doing an even better job on what is to come based on what I have been able to learn from those days.

My first appearance at Portland’s TBA Festival is tomorrow night!

I am very excited to be a part of the TBA (Time Based Art) Festival tomorrow night. This eclectic arts festival encompasses everything creative about the arts. I have been lucky to be asked to perform a piece by Portland musician Sarah Dougher. The piece is titled Fin de Siècle and uses trumpet, trombone, violin, cello, percussion, keyboard, and a small chorus of 5 vocalists. The three piece work focuses on three poems by the late poet, Leslie Scalapino and photographs by Themba Lewis. Very moving work and a wonderful opportunity for me to work on my chamber sound.

The dress rehearsal went very smooth tonight. I was only able to catch this and one other rehearsal before the show tomorrow night so I am lucky that the other musicians know what they are doing and are willing to help me along in a couple of the tricky spots I encounter. I would classify this in the classical chamber idiom of music but I hear distinct echos of folk, classical, and some crunchy contemporary chords going on. It also is a very programatic piece that lends itself to the interplay between the instrumentalists and vocalists creating a true partnership in the music instead of just an accompanied choir piece.

If you are around tomorrow evening you should come and join us and experience the Portland arts culture to it’s fullest.

What: Fin de Siècle, composed by Sara Dougher
When: Wednesday September 14th at 8:30 PM
Where: Washington school, between 12th and 13th and Stark in SE Portland
Tickets: HERE

Made it Through the Weekend

Well I am back in Portland and made it through my two big band gigs. Both were hot,  due to the weather, not the music, although there were some great moments there too. So onto the recap…

Saturday evening was a fun gig at Pearson Air Museum. Fun and a little painful. I am a bit meticulous when it comes to my warm up’s as you can attest to if you have read this before or even just talked to me. So getting a nice long warm up was the only thing that helpped me to make it through this evening. Now it was not that it was an unusually hard couple of sets but they were tough sets that were spread out over a long period with very long breaks in between. Long breaks mean there is a lot of time to cool down in between. What I have learned in these instances is that you need to use the first couple of tunes back on the stage, to get everything back up and running without blowing out the face. These first two tunes become a warm up if approached correctly.

Second thing I keep in mind with these type of gigs is to not let the adrenaline drive my volume. If you are generally comfortable on a high D and all of a sudden find yourself struggling to hold on, it probably means you are working too hard with your air and pushing the physics of the horn beyond where they can vibrate efficiently any longer. My luck was provided by a very nice sound guy that was willing to give me a nice hot mix in the monitor. If you can hear yourself you are less likely to attempt to punch through the back wall.

So with the long blow from the night before, the blow on Sunday afternoon left a little to be desired. I got the job done and was still quite happy with the overall show, but, always wanting to give my audience my best, I wish a few things were a bit cleaner. The show on Sunday had the added hurdle of being hot as all blazes and outside with no monitor system. This leaves the band, and myself, much more likely to over blow and to not give the most subtle of performances. Always be sure to keep yourself in check when playing outside. Pitch must be monitored more closely, especially in extreme hot or cold, and you also have to make sure you are not doing any damage to the face while producing the extra volume that tends to occur during outdoor gigs.

With these loud gigs behind me, I now look towards Wednesday. I will be performing with a chamber group to premier a local composers new work. Very pretty writing and a chance for me to exercise my quieter and more subtle dynamics. These types of gigs are fun for me and I look forward to the show.

Show Called Due to Gas Leak

Well yesterday was very productive again. Spent the morning practicing and getting ready to head out for the afternoon for Montana State University. MSU has a great opportunity right now with some fresh faces in the music program and some truly enthusiastic and dedicated professors working to take the music program to the next level. Alan Klaus, the new professor of trumpet was very accommodating in setting me up in his studio to meet with students for the afternoon. I also had a chance to talk with Dr. Stark, the director of bands, as he rushed off to Freshman convocation to lead the marching band for the opening of the festivities.

Last night I dropped into downtown Bozeman to sit in with a local band, “Florescent Brown”. They have built a really nice young following, which is very exciting since their music is entirely made up on the spot and has a strong jazz and R&B base. Very exciting to see and play with groups that have this much energy, passion and talent that have also cultivated a strong following.

Once we finished a great first set, we were all mingling and enjoying the crowd when we were told, quite hastily, that we had to exit the building due to a possible gas leak. Luckily the place cleared out with no incidences. The fire department showed up, cleared the rest of the building and determined that there was indeed a gas leak and we could not get back in. Well there goes the crowd:) Most people rushed off to the bar across the street. The band mostly hung around just hoping our instruments would not go up in flames. Good end to the evening was accomplished as they got the leak shut off and we were able to get in after only about a half hour or so. Bad news was, that since the crowd had all shuffled off by this point, they shut down early, so no second set.

Overall this has been a very fun trip. I have learned a lot and look forward to working on planning future visits to the area as well as other locations.

Today I will be off to a local music store to meet with the store manager (briefly) and then relax for the rest of the day. Tomorrow I hit the road with only one short visit scheduled at a Tacoma music store but no public workshops set up from here on out. This weekend, I get two big band performances in Portland and next week I help to premier a new chamber piece as part of the TBA (Time Based Art) festival.

BHS Workshops and a Late Night Jam Session

Let me start by saying, yesterday was a long day but so rewarding.

I started off meeting with the 1st jazz band at Bozeman High School. Those days of waking up early and getting into jazz band at 7:30 are a little ways behind me and I always find those early mornings a bit rough these days but the kids energy and enthusiasm really helpped to pull me through. I sat in with the band a bit which was a fun way to get my day started.

Next up was the concert band. For them I took the trumpets into a practice room for my workshop “The Importance of Warming up and Practice”.Very receptive kids. Also they were very shocked having to learn my biggest secret to playing the trumpet. Lot’s and lot’s of dedicated time in the practice room doing fundamentals with a minimum of an hour and a half to two hours a day “Warm Up” before I even go after any music. As disappointed as they were to find out they would have to still practice their scales and I would not be able to furnish them with the magic advice to turn them in to Doc Severinsen over night, they seemed quite receptive to my ecplanation of how I go about it and how they can apply some of my recomendations to their own practice day to improve as well.

After this class I got a couple hours off. I took this time to talk with the band director about horns as he is a trumpet player and also to get in a nice long practice session in the band room before the next group came in. Practice what you preach I say. So I got in my fundamentals warm up/work out.

The next band was the symphonic band. I did the same with this group. I was really trying to focus my ideas with the kids and make sure that each group got the same information. Only difference with a couple of the groups was that some of them actually got to play, even if just a little while in the session with me.

After two more bands I headded up to Montana State University to meet the new trumpet Profesor, Alan Klaus. Super nice guy. We had a very pleasant visit. I am looking forward to meeting his trumpet students tonight (Wed). I am going to be setting up the Harrelson horns and banners up at MSU from 4-8 tonight so the trumpet players in town and at the college can come on by and visit and try out the equipment.

After meeting with Alan, I zipped back to home base to throw down some dinner and change close. Back into the High School to assist with marching band rehearsal from 6:30-8:30. Had a very fun time helping the kids stay focused and find their spots on the field. Very reminiscent of my days on the Bozeman football field marching around like little soldiers in the cold. Ah the memories:)

I got a little break so I treated myself to a beer and an order of tastey parmesian fries at Ale Works. Always a nice establishment to visit when I am in town. That and the fries were free cause the waitress felt bad they took so long.

At about 10:15 PM, I rolled into Peach Street Studios. What a gorgeous studio. It was very impressive to play in there. I was joinded by some of the hot talent in town and other visitors from out of town as well. It was a great night of improvised melodies and tasty grooves. These guys were such pleasure to play with.

So tonight, as I mentioned, I am up at MSU from 4-8 showing off horns and then I am at Colonel Blacks from 10 PM on with a local band. This should be a fun night. Looking forward to some practice time on the horn today as well.

BYU Trumpet Hang

Well the weekend kicked off with a bang as I played for a wedding on Saturday night. It prepped me well to get up and head south to Provo to hang with a couple of new friends at BYU. While I am on the road this week, I am working to do some promo work for my friends at Harrelson Trumpets. I got to sit back and listen as two new fans were inducted into the Harrelson Family.

Dallas Crane and Jordan Coon and I met up on the campus of BYU. I had my Summit and my 909 set up for the demo as well as a C and B flat set up with a Harrelson trim kit. We had a great time exchanging licks and ideas. I look forward to getting back to do a more official workshop with them and the rest of their trumpet friends there in the future.

Resting up today and getting ready for a full day of workshops at Bozeman High School an a fun jam session tomorrow night at Peach Tree studios.

Stay tuned for more updates.

Last rehearsal before heading out of town

Had a great rehearsal tonight. I have been asked to be part of a chamber group that is premiering a group of pieces that are created around three different plays. Very interesting to hear dialog redone as a libretto for chamber voices and ensemble.

Chamber music is always fun for me. It allows me the challenge of performing with a large warm sound but in a much softer dynamic level. I enjoy this type of playing because it is out of the norm of what I get called upon generally. It takes a much different concentration level and sound concept than my usual gigs call for. Much like playing in a jazz small group, you have to listen closely to what the other players are doing. Work together to bring out a new musical element. Be a group of soloists without the ego that goes along with being a soloist. I see it as all the best elements of orchestral, big band, solo, and small group jazz playing all rolled into one.

Next time you get asked to perform in this type of setting, I challenge you to challenge yourself with the task. It can be very rewarding.

Friday I hit the road. Sunday is my first group get together in Salt Lake. I am looking very forward to meeting and working with the BYU trumpet players to introduce them to Harrelson Trumpets and myself as well. I will be posting video and pictures of my week here and on facebook, so stay tuned to see what I get up to on my NW Road Trip.

Getting ready for the road trip

Well I just finished up a fun couple of sets with the Steve Hal Quintet. Nice way to finish out this evening. Tomorrow I head off to rehearse for the premier of “Fin De Siecle”. This is a new composition for chamber orchestra and singers that I will be performing on September 14th. Very exciting stuff.

The other news is that the quintet finally got our physical CD’s. We are all quite happy with the finished product. I will get to travel with a small batch of these so if you are able to see me while I am on the road next week, you are welcome to purchase a copy. Everyone else will have to wait for the official release and digital downloads to go live. Don’t worry, I will keep everyone posted as this get’s finalized.

Just a couple more days in town and then it is off to Salt Lake City for the first leg of the trip.

Stay tuned!

Hitting the road for workshops and networking

Hello Friends,

I will be hitting the road this weekend for a week out of Portland to do workshops, play and network as well as provide some horn demo’s for my friends at Harrelson Trumpets. You can keep up with me as I post my daily events here at the blog. I will be taking my trusty video camera along to capture some of my activities so stay posted for all the goings on.

See you all on the road!

John

New dates announced for March and April on my calender at www.johndmusic.com. Very exciting stuff in the coming months!