Edwards News
Blog Launches
Our newsletter has served us well for the past few years, but
as spam encroaches on all of our inboxes more and more, we’ve
decided to launch a blog to relay news and information to our
readers. We will still send out newsletters when necessary,
but be assured that we won’t be adding to your bloated
inboxes very often!
Posted December 13, 2005
Daily Updates of 2005 Alessi
Seminar
Christan Griego is in Albuquerque at the 2005
Alessi Seminar. He is checking in numerous times a day with
updates from the event. These daily notes are being made available
to our readers so that you may have a greater understanding
of the "Tour de France" of the trombone world.
Read the updates »
Posted August 1, 2005
2004 Alessi Seminar Review
Christan Griego recently traveled
to Fossano, Italy, for the 2004 Alessi Seminar. This seminar
offers a wealth of information to trombonists - participants
and auditors alike. For those unable to attend, Christan
has provided nearly 50 "Alessi-isms," recorded
on his Blackberry as Joe conducted clinics.
It
started innocently enough with a trip to O'Hare International
Airport, but after 20 hours and 15 minutes -- due to O'Hare
traffic and a re-route to Rome -- I finally arrived at my destination.
The reason for this report is not to complain about current
airline travel conditions but rather to let the trombone world
know of the events of the recent Alessi Seminar held in Fossano,
Italy.
After attending the past three Alessi seminars in Nyack, New
York, I had an understanding of what the seminar would entail.
These events are trombone "boot camps" for the participants.
However, auditors can learn just as much as the privates in
Alessi's company. More »
Posted October 8, 2004
Rosolino Competition Winner's
Edwards Experience
Michael Dease, winner of the 2004
ITA Frank Rosolino Competition, recently visited the Pro
Stop.
"With
characters resembling heroes and villains, quests for treasure
with mishaps on the way, and the ultimate hope to live happily
ever after with a newly found love interest, the search for
a great instrument could likely be compared to the drama of
a Grimm Fairy Tale. While many trombonists may find their voice
on an early horn of choice, others find their discriminating
needs unmet by the production line. While seemingly business
partners, reproduction and consistency have held a grudge with
each other in the recent pickings of the American trombone
market. Unsatisfied with the quality and performance of my
instrument, I began paying closer attention to my favorite
players, and incidentally their favorite trombones.
"I had noticed my teacher Wycliffe Gordon playing his
Edwards T302 for the past 2 years and thought little of it
(Wycliffe can make a tooth brush sound great!) until he brought
his old horn to a recent lesson. After switching back and forth
between horns, I could not believe the depth and rich color
of sound captured with his Edwards Jazz horn." More »
Posted August 30, 2004
David Holt Visits Pro Stop
It was 15:15 when British Airways Flight 298 touched down at
Chicago O'Hare after an 8-hour flight from London Heathrow.
Christan Griego met me in baggage claim and we traveled northwest
to Elkhorn, Wisconsin, the home of the Edwards Instrument
Co.
I was in the US by invitation of Christan Griego and the Edwards
instrument Co. to look at developments and learn more about
the manufacturing processes of the instruments. Whilst at the
factory I was also going to take a closer look at the personal
service they offer customers that visit the Edwards Pro Stop. More »
Posted August 4, 2004
Scott Parkinson Passes Away
Trombonist Scott
Parkinson died unexpectedly Tuesday, July 13, at age 27.
Parkinson had recently won the principal trombone position
with the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra. Prior to this appointment,
which he won through a successful internal audition, Parkinson
was Acting Principal for two seasons as well as Second Trombone
for two seasons with the BPO.
His friends and family have created
a website for people to leave notes of condolence or
memories/photos of Parkinson.
Posted July 19, 2004
© International Trombone
Association
Reprinted by permission
Trumpet Bottom Caps Now with
Less Carbs
For those trumpet players that want less weight in our Gen
II & Gen III bottom caps, your "wait" is over.
Edwards is now producing a lightweight cap that is the same
weight as its Bach counterpart. As our finger buttons and top
caps are similar in weight to those of other manufacturers,
we felt no further adjustments were necessary.
The new lighter bottom caps will improve response while providing
more high overtones. They will be available starting July 15.
Posted July 8, 2004
Production Videos Added
Many people have contacted us inquiring about factory tours.
For those of you that can't make it to Elkhorn, we are pleased
to offer the next best thing. We have just placed the first
of many production videos in
our Resources area. These videos will provide insight into
how Edwards Instruments are made, all from the comfort of
your home.
We will be releasing these videos over a period of many months.
Each clip will have two versions - broadband and dialup. File
sizes are quite large in order to allow users to see details
clearly.
Posted June 14, 2004
New Trombones to be Play-Tested
at ITF
We have had a few requests for instruments with conventional
rotor edge-braced valve sections. As a result, the Edwards
display at the ITF will include a dependent bass, independent
bass, and tenor valve section with this setup. Please feel
free to give us feedback if you are able to play these instruments.
Edwards Instruments have always been designed by the player;
as such, your feedback is of the utmost importance.
Posted June 14, 2004
Texas Tech Trombone Choir
Performs on Edwards
ITF attendees should be sure not to miss the Texas Tech Trombone
Choir performance at this year's Festival. This group is the
2004 Emory Remington Trombone Choir winner. We are proud that
95% of the group's players perform on Edwards Trombones. We
have some sound clips
from their winning audition CD online.
Posted June 14, 2004
Don Lucas Releases Second
CD
Don
Lucas, professor of trombone at Texas Tech University,
has released his second solo CD. Cantabile is a showcase
for Don's singing style and is sure to become a staple of the
trombonist's library.
Don has been an Edwards artist since 1990. He has played
our trombones exclusively for 14 years as he's traveled the
world performing and educating. Cantabile may be purchased
from Griego
Mouthpieces. Sound clips have been added to the product
page.
Updated June 7, 2004
Leonard Candelaria Visits
the UK
Edwards Trumpet Artist Leonard
Candalaria recently visited the UK. Invited by James Watson,
Head of Brass at the Royal Academy of Music, and Edwards UK,
Leonard spent his time playing recitals and sharing his wealth
of knowledge with trumpet students in London. More...
James Watson and Leonard Candelaria
Posted May 20, 2004
ITF, ITG Exhibitors Set
The upcoming summer brass conferences pose a challenge for
the Edwards Team. The ITF and
the ITG
Conference occur at the same time in mid-June. As a result,
Christan will only be attending the Trumpet Guild Conference
this year. He will be joined in Boulder by Leonard
Candelaria, William
Takacs and Ray
Vasquez.
The ITF tables will be manned by William Gibson (small bores),
Chris Branagan (tenors), and Joshua Brown (basses).
Posted May 18, 2004
Whitaker Accepts Position
Edwards
Trombone Artist Jonathan
Whitaker has accepted the Assistant Professor of Low Brass
position at Henderson State University in Arkadelphia, Arkansas.
Whitaker just completed coursework for a doctorate in brass
pedagogy from Indiana University. He also holds a Master's
degree from the University of Minnesota and a Bachelor's degree
from Murray State University.
Whitaker's primary teachers include Ray Conklin, Tom Ashworth,
M. Dee Stewart, Peter Ellefson and Joseph Alessi.
Posted May 11, 2004
© International Trombone
Association
Reprinted by permission
Generation III Trumpets Available
The
Edwards Team is proud to announce the arrival of the latest
Edwards masterpiece - the Generation
III Trumpet. These Bb and C Trumpets have been taking the
brass world by storm at recent trade shows.
We are currently in our first build stages after six months
of field-testing. Leonard
Candelaria contributed his time and expertise in finding
ideal bell/leadpipe combinations to fit working trumpeters'
needs. In addition, local Wisconsin university professors and
students tested several of the prototypes. The input of these
players was vital in the development of the Generation III
line.
Posted April 21, 2004
Mark Lawrence Visits Pro Stop
San Francisco Symphony Principal Trombonist Mark Lawrence visited
the Pro Stop last week to play test bell and slide combinations.
After two days of auditioning equipment, he was thrilled
to leave with his new Edge-braced T350, 333CF bell, and standard
nickel slide.
As Mark spent many hours changing out components, he commented
on how well the various pieces fit together. He said that it
was the best he's experienced with a modular trombone. He went
on to praise the consistency of the sound of our bells as he
compared numerous sets of identical bells. We are proud to
have Mark on board as an Edwards Artist. You may read more
about him on his artist
page.
Posted April 21, 2004
Against the Grain at ETW
The great new jazz trombone group, Against the Grain, formed
at the Berklee College of Music, performed beautifully at
the Eastern Trombone Workshop this March, featuring a menu
of selections from Mike Davis' arrangement of "Sentimental
Over You" to Chris Gagne's adventuresome composition, "Ma-Shish-Ka-Pu." Lead
trombonist, Chris Dempsey, winner of the 2003 ETW Jazz Competition,
demonstrated his maturing virtuosity, playing magnificently
at both performances. The 2003 ITA Frank Rosolino competition
runner up, Chris Gagne, performed with equal skill. Chris
Sear's soloing provided a wonderful contrast of styles to
Dempsey and Gagne while Robynn M. Amy displayed why she is
becoming the first call bass trombonist in the city of Boston.
The rhythm section, supported by a great young drummer, Nick
Falk, and grounded by the young bassist, Brian Ladd, was strong
and sensitive to the needs of the group, while pianist, Chris
Enright, and guitarist, Adam Agatti, provided meaningful color
variations. These serious young musicians have also been invited
to perform at the 2004 North Sea Jazz Festival this summer.
Their dedication, enthusiasm, and overall musicality make this
a group not to be missed. Against the Grain breathes new life
into the evolution of the jazz trombone.
Phil
Wilson
Berklee College of Music
Posted April 16, 2004
Edwards Gets a Facelift
As you can probably tell, the Edwards website has been completely
redesigned. New product pages have been added, existing product
pages have been updated, and stunning new pictures allow
users to see the quality of our instruments.
In addition, Edwards now loads faster as we used the latest
web design technologies when building the site. Older browsers
will display all content; however, this site is best viewed
in those browsers that support W3C standards. For more information,
please visit site tools.
Behind the Scenes at the Alessi
Seminar III
The Alessi Seminar is now in its third year in the US. I had
the pleasure of sitting down with Joe Alessi to discuss his
motivations for doing a festival of this kind, and to gain
a little insight into what goes into a workshop of this size
and scope. My first question was what was the inspiration for
the Alessi Seminar?
"Well, first of all, I love to teach. I haven't been
to too many events like this, I was a student in Snowbird,
Utah, years ago and I've been to the ITA Festival."
Edwards Launches UK Site
The Edwards Instrument Co. has recently launched Edwards
UK, a site dedicated to providing a resource for brass
players throughout the world. The brass packages on Edwards
UK better reflect the needs of the European brass musician.
The new website was built with input from Christan Griego and
Joshua Brown of Edwards and David Holt, John Hutchinson and
Chris Fower of theValve.
Steve Wiest Joins the Team
The Edwards Team grew this past spring with the addition of
Steve Wiest. Steve is professor of trombone and jazz at the
University of Wisconsin at Whitewater, a position he has
held since 1990. A gifted musician and genuinely nice person,
we're thrilled to have Steve join the Edwards family.
Christan and Steve recently discussed a number of trombone-related
topics, including Steve's short-term and long-term plans, picking
out the ideal horn, and teaching philosophies.
Inclusion with Slide Hampton
On May 4-6, 2003, a residency with jazz trombone great Slide
Hampton took place at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater.
Sponsored in part by a grant from the UW-Whitewater Administration
and Edwards Instruments, the workshop was held in honor of
Slide's contribution as a trombonist, composer/arranger,
and mentor. As part of the event, five talented university
jazz trombonists: Chris Dempsey and Chris Gagne from the
Berklee School of Music, Clarence Hines and Mike Williams
from The Eastman School of Music, and David Winslow from
The University of North Texas were chosen from around the
country to work with Slide and to perform in the final concert.
Two of the invited participants were winners of the Eastern
Trombone Workshop National Jazz Trombone Competition [David
Winslow in 2001 and Chris Dempsey in 2003].
