Every year, one of the many highlights for ITF attendees is the chance to perform with trombone choirs in area churches. There were numerous participants this year, and many of them chose to warm up with Irv Wagner early Sunday morning. Instead of the usual long tones, lip slurs, and scales, Irv used hymns to get this group in playing shape.
At 9:00, a rather unique event took place in the concert hall. Led by statistician Michael Stroeher, the purpose of the "Trombone Consumer Test" was to obtain unbiased opinions on six different trombone brands. Three trombonists took part in the test – Simon Hogg, John Marcellus, and Jay Friedman. Each participant wore a blindfold and gloves and was screened from the audience, which also took part in the test. After playing each horn, the performer and audience rated the instrument in a number of categories. Results of this presentation will be made available in an upcoming ITA Journal. Also at 9, the Xalapa (Mexico) Symphony Low Brass played a concert in the recital hall. This group played some wonderful music for low brass ensemble.
Have you ever dented your slide on the band stand? Then 10:30 had two clinics that are right up your alley. John Upchurch, a.k.a. the Slide Doctor, presented a clinic in Kenton Hall covering trombone slide maintenance. After discussing some staples of basic care, a competition was held to discover who in the room had the worst slide. The winning slide didn’t move past second position when Upchurch held it by the top crossbar. By the end of the hour, a fully-recovered patient was ready to be released from the Doctor’s care.
Opposite Upchurch was "Getting a Gig and Keeping It." This panel discussion was aimed at the majority of professional trombonists – freelancers. The panel consisted of Letterman trombonist Tom Malone, Dallas freelancer Chuck Mandernach, LA freelancer Bill Reichenbach, and recently retired trombone professor John Swallow. David Bruenger moderated. This group had many stories to tell about their days in the freelance world. "Keep your ears open and your mouth shut" seemed to be the theme of the hour.
Lunch at the Shrader Pavilion featured two trombone choirs. The first was the Humfeld Alumni Choir. This group was conducted by Jimmy Clark, Neill Humfeld’s successor at East Texas State University (now Texas A&M Commerce). Slide Show, led by Jon Bohls, played immediately after the Humfeld Choir. Slide Show is made up of freelancers, students, and weekend warriors from the Dallas/Ft. Worth Metroplex.
Spiritual to the Bone is one of the most popular musical groups in the history of the Salvation Army. At 2:00, they showed us why. Featuring fantastic arrangements by Stephen Bulla and Eric Alexander, top-notch soloists (Alexander, Herb Bruce, and Thomas Hultén), and solid section playing (including fat bass trombone sounds), this group amazed the audience for the entire hour. Spiritual to the Bone has recorded five CDs and published many of their charts. Also at 2:00, Ian Bousfield presented an excerpt coaching session. Ian's style of mixing insight and humor hit home with the audience.
At 3:30, the William Cramer Choir presented a highly musical concert. Jay Friedman conducted this group of college trombone professors, and his style was evident in their performance. The choir played the entire spectrum of the musical palette. Ben van Dijk joined the group on Wotan’s Farewell and Magic Fire Music as bass trombone soloist. Ben’s performance was a tremendous finale to his week at the Festival.
The Trombones de Costa Rica gave a masterclass at 4:30. They talked about the highs and lows they have experienced over the years, and mixed in a few tunes, as well. At the same time, Andrew Glendening presented "Studying Slide Movement: Using a Magnetorestrictive Sensor to Assess Speed and Accuracy." This clinic dissected the trombone slide and our ability to move it from point A to point B.
The ITA Annual General Meeting began at 5:30 in the Concert Hall. Outgoing president John Drew passed the baton to incoming president Nathaniel Brickens. In addition, recently elected officers were sworn in. This meeting was open to all who wished to attend.
Trombone Unit 2000 certainly broke the typical concert mold on Sunday evening. By combining music and theatre, TU2000 entertained the audience the entire night. One of the absolute highlights of the concert was the Carmen Suite, featuring Jessica Gustavsson on alto trombone. The chemistry between Jessica’s Carmen and Christian Lindberg’s Don José was electric; furthermore, Jessica’s alto playing was simply tremendous.
After intermission, the Neill Humfeld Award was presented to former Michigan State professor Curtis Olson. Irene and Nancy Jo Humfeld, Humfeld's widow and daughter, made the presentation with new ITA President Nathaniel Brickens. This award recognizes outstanding trombone teaching and honors the teaching excellence of the late Neill Humfeld in a perpetual manner.
Trombone Unit 2000 returned to the stage and performed four pieces written by Lindberg. Doctor Decker's Daydream actually featured a dentist chair and power drill. The concert ended with Play ‘em High, a trombone western by Fredrik Högberg, the concert's narrator. Subtitled "a tragedy in six parts for actors, boneplayers, and others," this work stunned the audience in more ways than one. Lindberg, the villain, was pitted against the town’s sheriff, played by Jonas Bylund. The two lobbed numerous glissando salvos at each other while the rest of the ensemble sang in a barber shop quartet. Later in the evening, a motion picture version of the concert's finale was shown at the UMI Reception at the Radisson.
The last Late Night Jazz performance featured some return guests from the previous night. Festival Director Tony Baker, William Gibson, and Ron Wilkins each performed a few tunes for a great crowd. They were joined by newcomer Thomas Hultén, a Houston, Texas freelancer and a member of Spiritual to the Bone.
