Edwards

We take a lot of pride in building great instruments for our customers. And when those instruments help them win jobs, well, you can imagine how it makes us feel. Edwards players have fared very well at auditions since we opened the doors in 1989. And recent results have been overwhelmingly positive as many of them have won positions in excellent orchestras.

Recently, Samuel Schlosser won the Milwaukee Symphony’s second trombone audition on his Edwards T350-E with a 321CF bell, rose dual radius tuning slide, T-BCN hand slide and a T2 brass leadpipe. He also won the audition for second/assistant principal trombone for the Cincinnati Symphony, which qualifies him for a trial week in May.

John Thevenet also won a position in the Milwaukee Symphony. He’ll be joining the orchestra as its bass trombonist. John plays a B454 with a 987CF bell, rose tuning slide, B-DBN hand slide and a B2 brass leadpipe.

How are they doing it? First and foremost, they are extremely talented musicians dedicated to their craft. But our horns also play a part. Finding the correct instrument fit enables a player to breathe into the instrument and create what they want musically.

And while these two trombonists won jobs on time-tested equipment, we are always looking to forge ahead with new designs to meet even more musicians’ needs. We are thrilled with the success of the Alessi horn and how it is fitting into sections. The National Symphony Orchestra tenor section is all on the T396-A. What a sound it is coming from that section!

Congratulations to Sam, John and all of the other Edwards players that have found success in this crazy field we call work. I look forward to being a part of your future!

Jason Beghtol, bass trombonist with the Tupelo Symphony and professor at Northeast Mississippi Community College, will premiere Titan’s Gaze, a concerto for bass trombone, symphonic band, and choir composed by Nathaniel Murphy. The concert is April 18, 7pm, at Northeast MS Community College.

Nathaniel recalls how the piece came about: “Jason contacted me to write a piece for him and symphonic band, and I jumped at the chance! Even in high school Jason was an incredible player, so a few years later I was ready to give him something he would enjoy playing as much as an audience would enjoy hearing… or at least that was my intention. I started the creative journey by thinking of the bass trombone as a strong instrument that commands a rich, royal presence within a concert band. I thought of it as a titan, and so my connection with Greek mythology began.”

Titan’s Gaze can purchased through Natrebo Productions. A piano reduction of the accompaniment will be available soon.

Edwards trombone artist Haim Avitsur recently performed Meira Warshauer’s Tekeeyah (The Call), a concerto for shofar, trombone and orchestra. Accompanied by the Western Piedmont Symphony, Haim performed both solo parts and did so extremely well. According to the reviewer…

“It is without question that Mr. Avitsur is an extremely accomplished trombonist. That he can coax tonal sounds and beautiful music out of a ram’s horn is truly virtuosic and astounding.”

Read the entire review: Western Piedmont Symphony Sounds the Call

Dave’s creativity knows no bounds. This isn’t your typical Ewazen!

You can purchase the recording on Amazon.com.

John Mackey’s Harvest – Concerto for Trombone, performed by Joseph Alessi and The West Point Band, Timothy Holtan, conductor, is now available on iTunes.

From the composer…

“Harvest: Concerto for Trombone is based on the myths and mystery rituals of the Greek god Dionysus. As the Olympian god of the vine, Dionysus is famous for inspiring ecstasy and creativity. But this agricultural, earth-walking god was also subjected each year to a cycle of agonizing death before glorious rebirth, analogous to the harsh pruning and long winter the vines endure before blooming again in the spring. The concerto’s movements attempt to represent this dual nature and the cycle of suffering and return.”

Read more about the piece on John’s web site.

We’d like to congratulate Caleb Ketcham, a sophomore from Oklahoma State University, for winning this year’s Big 12/Edwards Bass Trombone Solo Competition. The finals took place at the Eighth Annual Big 12 Trombone Conference, hosted by James Decker and Texas Tech University. Jeriad Wood (University of Texas) and Jeremiah Stones (University of North Texas) were the other finalists. Judges were JoDee Davis (University of Missouri-Kansas City Conservatory), David Jackson (University of Michigan) and Martin McCain (Texas State University).

For performing the Halsey Stevens Sonatina so well, Caleb received a $1000 Edwards gift certificate.

UPDATE: This event has been cancelled due to inclement weather. The OSU brass faculty hopes to bring Jim Markey, Adam Unsworth and Vince DiMartino to Stillwater at a later date.

The third annual Oklahoma State University Brass Day will take place on Saturday, February 5, 2011, and will feature James Markey, New York Philharmonic bass trombonist; Adam Unsworth, University of Michigan horn profressor; and Vince DiMartino, international trumpet soloist. All three will present masterclasses and perform.

There will also be performances by the OSU brass faculty (including Edwards artist Paul Compton), trombone ensembles, horn ensembles, low brass ensembles, trumpet ensembles, wind ensemble and guest participant ensembles.

The Alessi Seminar will be hear before you know it. In addition to the usual suspects (Alessi, Ellefson and Whitaker), this year’s seminar will feature Trombones de Costa Rica and Sim Flora. Trombonists interested in performing and/or teaching as a career choice should definitely attend this event. And since it’s being held in Alabama, we expect to see lots of trombonists from Florida, Mississippi, Georgia… you get the idea. Visit www.alessiseminar.com for all the details.

Are you a university bass trombone student that wants a $1000 Edwards gift certificate? Do you play musically, in tune, in time and with a great sound? Then you should probably keep reading.

The Edwards/Big 12 Bass Trombone Solo Competition will be held at the 8th Annual Big 12 Area Trombone Conference at Texas Tech University, January 14 – 16, 2011. The competition is open to all university students who play bass trombone. The only caveat — you must be 26 or younger (as of January 16, 2011). The grand prize will be a $1000 Edwards gift certificate. Up to five finalists will be invited to perform in a recital, held and adjudicated at the conference.

Preliminary audition CDs will be accepted through November 30th, 2010. These CDs must be an unedited recording of Tcherepnin’s Andante, opus 64 (M.P. Belaieff). The piano accompaniment must be included on the recording.

The final round work will be the Stevens’ Sonatina for Tuba or Trombone and Piano, movement 1 (Peermusic). Finalists can use their own accompanist or one of the Big 12 staff accompanists for a $50 fee. Finalists will also be complimentary guests of the Big 12 Trombone Conference.

Competition requirements:

Recording must be unedited and include accompaniment
Identify yourself on the CD jacket but not on the recording itself
You may email an mp3 instead of mailing a CD

Please send the CD/mp3, along with your name, mailing address, phone, email address, photocopy of your student ID and a check for $25.00 (checks payable to “Iota Tau Alpha”) to:

Professor James T. Decker
c/o Texas Tech University School of Music
Box 42033
Lubbock, TX 79409-2033
email: james.decker@ttu.edu

The entry will be considered upon receipt of the recording and the entry fee.

I’m thrilled to announce that my band Brainkiller will be releasing our new CD next week on RareNoise Records! And we’re embarking on a pretty delicious-looking tour of Mexico!

First things first… BRAINKILLER: The Infiltration, available October 4 in the UK and soon thereafter in stores in the US, Europe and Japan. It will also be available on all of the usual online retailers (iTunes, emusic, Amazon, Rhapsody, etc.).

We’re excited to be working with RareNoise, a really cool label and home of a lot of interesting bands and artists like Bill Laswell, Bernie Worrell, Toshinori Kondo and Nils Petter Molvaer. Lots of cool things are cooking.

One of the album’s tracks, called Michaelsketch (by yours truly) is also the lead-off track on a new benefit compilation CD for the legendary bassist Mick Karn, who is, unfortunately, struggling with cancer. It is available on Amazon, Rhapsody and Zune. Here is more information.

Now, the Mexico Tour:

• Universidad de San Juan del Rio, Queretaro
  October 6 @ 13 hrs
• La Encrucijada Jazz, Jazz Club, Queretaro
  October 7 @ 22 hrs ($80)
• Feria del Libro, Zócalo del DF, Entrada Libre
  October 8 @ 21 hrs
• Cuernavaca, festival de arte Revindie, Museo Casona, John Spencer
  October 9th 2010
• UNAM, DF, Facultad de Química – Auditorio A
  October 11 @ 13:00 hrs
• UNAM, DF, Facultad de Economía – Vestíbulo
  October 11 @ 17:00 hrs
• FORO 81, Junto al Convite, Ajusco 81, Portales Sur, DF
  October 12 @ 21 hrs ($80)
• UNAM, DF, Facultad de Derecho – Vestíbulo
  October 13 @ 12:00 hrs
• Centro Cultural España, Centro Historico, DF, Entrada Libre
  October 13 @ 22 hrs – CD RELEASE PARTY!!!
• UNAM, DF, FES Aragón – Teatro
  October 14
• Film Club Cafe, Satelite, Mexico DF
  October 14 @ 21 hrs ($80)
• Pollak Forum, Polanco, Mexico DF
  October 15 @ 21:30 hrs ($80)

Brainkiller began 10 years ago, originally a duo with pianist Jacob Koller, who now lives in Tokyo. Mexico City drummer Hernan Hecht came on board over 3 years ago and Brainkiller has been a trio ever since. I’ve been here in Mexico City this week writing new music for us, so we’ll be playing tunes from the record and new things in preparation for an upcoming recording.

You can listen to Brainkiller music, see videos and keep up with all the updates on our Facebook page. And here are a few videos from earlier Brainkiller tours:

• www.youtube.com/watch?v=RIq7k3MIADw
• www.youtube.com/watch?v=CYnyJzDlZXw
• www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=149869575051945

Hope to see you here or there. Thanks for your support and interest!

Sincerely,
Brian Allen