Date: Wed, 23 Mar 2005 15:07:05 -0500
From: Roger Cappallo <rjc@haystack.mit.edu>
Subject: [TPIN] National
Trumpet Competition
Spending 3 days last weekend at the NTC in Fairfax, VA, was absolutely
incredible! Though Doc was the proximate cause for me to make the trip
down from Massachusetts, it turned out that the entire event was
fantastic. I heard more great trumpet playing in a few days than I had
heard in my previous 45 years as a trumpeter (I know - I should get out
more).
Broadly speaking, the events were of 3 types: the (primarily) student
competition, various lectures and clinics, and performances by the pros.
The top students were amazingly good. For example, the winner in the
Middle School division was an 8th grader named Bryce Schmidt. He played
the 2nd and 3rd movements of the Hummel (they are only allotted 8
playing minutes) on an Eb trumpet -- and did a fantastic
job...technically sharp and expressive. In the college division, the
top 3 finishers (Eric Brown, Karen Bliznik, and Douglas Reneau) were
all spectacular. The jazz competition had the 6 finalists perform with
a rhythm section, each a set piece and one of their own choosing, and
once again the judges had the unenviable job of selecting from near
equals based upon differences in style and interpretation. Afterward,
the finalists, the judges, and anyone else who wanted to blow got up on
stage for a jam session. It was a lot of fun listening to each of 15 or
so players take 32 bars and add something interesting to the tune -- or
in some cases just try to outblow everyone who had come before.
The clinics/masterclasses/lectures were interesting. Dennis Najoom
interviewed Doc in a conversational setting. Those of you that
have heard Doc know how funny he can be. One playing tip I recall is
that he felt that every now and then you should pick up your horn and
play G in the staff just as loud as you can - even if the tone breaks
up a bit, to get the feel of some real air moving through the horn.
Phil Smith spent a fascinating hour describing his approach to playing
the trumpet. He described his "inner Gabriel" that produces the
beautiful musical ideas that he has, and how one should always be
striving to make every note, every arpeggio, every scale or whatever,
just as beautiful as you can make it. He said that he stopped giving
lessons because he found it hard to perform after a day of lessons --
when his inner Gabriel had been under attack. (As a golfer, I would say
that his mind had been seeded with bad swing thoughts)
And the performances! The Atlantic Brass quintet were a real treat in
the exhibition hall one lunch time. Crispian Steele-Perkins gave an
hour long history of the trumpet performance, in which he performed on
half a dozen historical instruments with great virtuosity. In between,
he explained the progression of trumpet design from natural trumpets,
through vent holes, onto valved trumpets and the modern piccolo,
playing characteristic songs on each, and explaining how the songs took
advantage (or avoided the difficulities) of each type of instrument.
Phil Smith then performed a recital of modern trumpet music, with
Joseph Turrin accompanying him on piano. Anyone who has heard Phil play
knows how magical and gorgeous he makes our instrument sound.
On Sunday afternoon, after the awards ceremony, there was the final
performance held in the cavernous George Mason U. Performing Arts
Center. The Army Blues provided the nucleus of the concert - they are
an 18 piece Big Band, and are all dynamite players. Interestingly
enough, there was only one female -- but that was the lead trumpet
player, Liesl Whitaker!
After several smoking numbers by the band, they were joined by Vince
DiMartino for some even more sizzling trumpet pyrotechnics. Then Doc
was introduced, and he just blew the house away in "What is This Thing
Called Love" and Tommy Newsome's arrangement of Stardust.
(As a side comment, apropos the mike discussion: I was disappointed
that the hall was so large that everyone was miked, but when Doc came
out, he largely ignored the mikes - and was heard without difficulty,
such is his enormous power.)
As someone has already alluded, the real showstopper came after Phil
Smith had been called out to join Vince and Doc. Doc clowned around a
bit with him - having Phil play Mahler's 5th and Petrouchka excerpts,
with Doc supplying entertaining jazz continuations at the ends of each.
Then Phil played Amazing Grace on the flugel. Gorgeous. Doc had him
take a second verse to which Doc interspersed jazz licks. Then, in the
up-tempo section Doc, Vince, and Phil(!) jammed along, sequeing into
Saints after a while. At times, Phil didn't seem totally comfortable up
there on a stage full of jazzers, but it was obvious that Doc totally
respects the guy ("He's the #1 symphony trumpet player in the world"),
and they ended up having a lot of fun and making some great music. It
was an instance where you wish you could just bottle up that memory,
and keep it pristine to savor for the rest of your life.
Roger Cappallo
MIT Haystack Observatory
