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The Brass Junkies

The Brass Junkies, hosted by former Boston Brass tuba player Andrew Hitz and a rotating cast of characters, features interviews with the best and brightest brass players in the world. Subject matter includes everything from the serious to the ridiculous, just like the music business.
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Now displaying: April, 2019
Apr 30, 2019

TBJ110: Listener's Choice - How to Start a Brass Group, Part 2

In this Listener's Choice episode, Andrew & Lance follow up with more information on starting a brass group.

Topics include:

  • Killer squirrels
  • Rehearsal techniques
  • How will you present the art?
  • Being producers of music vs. consumers of music
  • Lindberg (not that one)
  • Collaborations with other artists like the T'Ang Quartet, Imani Winds, Enso Quartet, etc.
  • How do you find gigs?
  • Working with management
  • How to spend $20,000
  • Do the legwork

LINKS:

Want to help the show? Here are some ways:

  • Help others find the show by leaving a rating and review on iTunes.
  • Show us some love on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
  • Help us pay the bills (and get regular bonus episodes!) by becoming a Patreon patron.
  • Show some love to our sponsors: The brass program at The Mary Pappert School of Music at Duquesne University and Parker Mouthpieces (including the Andrew Hitz and Lance LaDuke models.)
  • Tell your friends!

Expertly produced by Will Houchin with love, care, and enthusiasm.

Apr 16, 2019

Richard A. White is the subject of the upcoming documentary, "R.A.W. Tuba" and is one of our most inspirational guests. He spoke with us about his life, his career, and the upcoming film.

From his website:

With over two decades of performing on the world’s classical music stages, tubist Richard White has matured into a musician known for his clear sound and stylistic flexibility. He began his tuba studies with Ed. Goldstein at age twelve at The Baltimore School for the Performing Arts, where he graduated with honors. He then went to the Peabody Conservatory of Music to study with David Fedderly (Principal Tubist, Baltimore Symphony) where he received his Bachelor’s degree. On the advice of Mr. Fedderly, Richard traveled to Indiana University to study with the legendary Professor Daniel Perantoni. He continued his studies there receiving both his Master’s and Doctoral degrees. Richard Antoine White, also known as RawTuba, is the first African American, to receive a DM in Tuba!

Dr. White held the position of Principal Tubist with the New Mexico Symphony Orchestra from 2004 until it’s untimely demise in 2011 and is currently in his seventh season as Principal Tubist of the New Mexico Philharmonic. Dr. White is also principal tubist with The Santa Fe Symphony and Chorus. Richard enjoys playing in the Duo, Diversity Matters, with pianist Pamela Viktoria Pyle, in addition to teaching at the University of New Mexico, where he is Associate Professor of tuba/euphonium, and Associate Director of the Spirit Marching Band. Dr. White has performed with the Canadian Brass Quintet, Indiana University Faculty Brass Quintet, New Mexico Symphony Brass Quintet, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Colorado Symphony Orchestra, Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, Malaysian Philharmonic, Santa Fe Opera, Sphinx Symphony, Spoleto Music Festival U.S.A., Music in the Mountains, a summer festival located in beautiful Durango, CO, and many others. Dr. White is an Adams Artist and performs exclusively on these instruments.

Prior to moving to New Mexico, Dr. White was one of the top freelance musicians in the Indianapolis area, where he recorded with such greats as movie film composer John Williams, Cincinnati Pops conductor Eric Kunzel, and the late great wind ensemble conductor Frederik Fennell. Throughout his musical and educational career development, Dr. White has had a passionate interest in motivational speaking. That dream has recently materialized itself with the launching of his website rawtuba.com. Sharing inspirational thoughts and philosophies that have motivated Dr. White has taken him to Mexico, South America, Europe, South East Asia and across the United States of America – with more engagements on the horizon.

In this fun and lively discussion, we cover:

  • How the "R.A.W. Tuba" film came about
  • Bringing love to Baltimore
  • The filming process
  • Mr. P and his stool
  • Having a literary agent
  • Richard's story
  • The water fountain
  • The emotional toll it has taken on him
  • Sam Pilafian's influence
  • Building himself a gig at UNM by teaching football players respiratory function
  • A kid named King playing a young Richard in the film
  • Breaking into the filmmaker's car (with permission)
  • Screenings always open with some sort of act
  • Short intro followed by the film, a performance, a Q&A and performance of "We Are the World"
  • Ed Goldstein and Dave Fedderly
  • Meeting his natural father in Baltimore at a screening
  • R.A.W. Tuba t-shirts
  • Working with J.D. Shaw at UNM
  • Playing in Brass Theater
  • Breathing Gym
  • His gig at UNM
  • The importance of the hang
  • Three rules for his studio: have fun, sound good, make music
  • Motivational speaking
  • Hustle and Flow
  • Diversifying his professional portfolio
  • Losing 64 lbs. and reclaiming his health
  • Doing the right thing and behaving with integrity
  • Loyalty
  • Posting the rejection letters on his walls and ceiling

LINKS:

Want to help the show? Here are some ways:

  • Help others find the show by leaving a rating and review on iTunes.
  • Show us some love on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
  • Help us pay the bills (and get regular bonus episodes!) by becoming a Patreon patron.
  • Show some love to our sponsors: The brass program at The Mary Pappert School of Music at Duquesne University and Parker Mouthpieces (including the Andrew Hitz and Lance LaDuke models.)
  • Tell your friends!

Expertly produced by Will Houchin with love, care, and enthusiasm.

Apr 2, 2019

TBJ108: Jim "Don't call me BB" Nova on writing, driving and April Fooling. 

Pittsburgh Symphony trombonist Jim Nova puts up with more abuse from Andrew & Lance for no good reason. 

From his website:

My love for all musical things Star Wars began a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away… As a six-year-old child, my father took my brother and me to see The Empire Strikes Back. Even at that age, I was overwhelmed with how important the music was to the storytelling, and thus began my lifelong love of the incredible scores of John Williams.

A few years later, at age nine, I began playing the trombone in my home state of Connecticut. As a child, I received my early musical exposure and training from my father, Anesti Nova. During high school, I studied with my first private trombone teacher, Assistant Principal/Second Trombonist of the Hartford Symphony, George Sanders.

After graduating high school I attended the prestigious Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia where I received my bachelor’s degree studying with Glenn Dodson, who was Philadelphia Orchestra’s Principal Trombonist at the time. This is where the seed of this album A Fall from Light to Dark first began to grow. When I was a student at Curtis, Mr. Dodson would hold epic trombone get-togethers called, “Bone Bashes” where the Curtis trombone students and the Philadelphia Orchestra trombone section would play through incredible arrangements and transcriptions of all kinds of pieces. This where I first started to create my own trombone ensemble arrangements and transcriptions. Mr. Dodson’s Han Solo-like swagger was contagious as we would tackle these pieces.

I then moved to Boston to pursue a Master’s Degree on a full scholarship at the New England Conservatory of Music, studying with Norman Bolter who was Second Trombonist of the Boston Symphony Orchestra and Principal Trombone of the Boston Pops Orchestra at the time. It was during this time that Mr. Bolter fostered my “Start with what you can do” attitude that I still use today, in both my own artistic development as well as with my students. He truly was and still is, my master Yoda in so many ways.

After finishing my master’s degree, I freelanced in Boston for several years, substituting on a regular basis with the Boston Symphony Orchestra and the Boston Pops Orchestra, making several recordings and television broadcasts with both groups as both principal and second trombone. It was here in Boston that my musical path first crossed with John Williams! I had the opportunity to perform with him on countless Boston Pops concerts and even performed on the world concert premiere of the concert suite from Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace.

In this fun and lively discussion, we cover:

  • The Bubble Butt Strikes Back
  • The joke is on...?
  • Parker soprano trombone mouthpiece
  • Juilliard gig with Joe Alessi
  • 40th "Trombone at the Movies" gig, featuring film music trombone choir arrangements at colleges and universities
  • Soundcloud page has passed 750,000 listens
  • ITF closing concert in summer of 2019 with full concert versions of the same music
  • A "Who's Who" of amazing players on the ITF
  • Christopher Bill crashing in his basement and an upcoming collaboration debuting May the Fourth
  • Context is everything
  • His evolving relationship with Joe Alessi
  • Boston Brass Fanfare Project
  • Mary Pappert School of Music at Duquesne University, with a real-live Pappert Person
  • Cathy Heller's podcast, "Don't Keep Your Day Job"
  • Jim's cat is a coffee model
  • Jim's lead foot
  • Less horsepower than a horse
  • Play in a big orchestra, drive a fast car
  • He took off like a stabbed rat
  • Paying for a ticket with a ticket
  • Exhibition of speed
  • Driving at race tracks and in driving schools
  • Becoming a performance driving teacher
  • Taking possession of his BMW while on tour with the PSO
  • The Green Death
  • Parallels between learning driving and learning trombone
  • Jimmy James

LINKS:

Want to help the show? Here are some ways:

  • Help others find the show by leaving a rating and review on iTunes.
  • Show us some love on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
  • Help us pay the bills (and get regular bonus episodes!) by becoming a Patreon patron.
  • Show some love to our sponsors: The brass program at The Mary Pappert School of Music at Duquesne University and Parker Mouthpieces (including the Andrew Hitz and Lance LaDuke models.)
  • Tell your friends!

Expertly produced by Will Houchin with love, care, and enthusiasm.

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