Remote Recaps from ITF 2022 Day 4: New Orleans, LEV, and Brian Hecht

There was so much energy today (through my computer) on Saturday, July 16 – the final day of the 51st International Trombone Festival. The weather was perfect for this situation. Rainy in Central Ohio so I didn’t have to do any yard work…

Today on Twitter, I started having 1-2 trombonists/other people ‘like’ my tweets! While I was glad to see that I did not lose any followers this week, I am curious as to what I should tweet about next week (any ideas?). All that being said, here’s a rundown of what I observed (remotely) on the Final Day of the Festival:

Indefatigable, New Music for Trombone

• Ben McIlwain, from the University of Southern Mississippi, presented a fascinating program of new music that he has commissioned for the trombone.
• I was fortunate to jump in right when he began to perform a work by one of his former students Joshua Mize, who ironically, was also a former student of my dad during our days in Northwest Florida. Full Circle Coolness.

ITA Solo Competitions Winner’s Showcase

• While I didn’t catch the beginning, it is remarkable how amazing these students of the instrument can play the trombone. The instrument is in good hands by students on an international level.
• A future post will be listed for all the winners.

Charlie Halloran

• Charlie was one of the very few trombonists whose name I did not recognize prior to ITF. As I stated in a tweet, “Shame on me.”
• His feel for the New Orleans style was so genuine (he lives there) that his music brought the riverboat to the stage in Conway.
• I will post a few of his albums in the future as well.
• Please check out Charlie Halloran.

Paving the Way, African American Voices in Trombone Higher Education

• Thank you to the ITF for creating this space for me and others who watched/attended.

The University of North Texas U-Tubes

• The University of North Texas had a strong showing at this year’s festival with professors Tony Baker, Natalie Mannix, and Nick Finzer performing PLUS both the UNT Trombone Consortium and U-Tubes giving full-length performances.
• The U-Tubes are a solid group that keeps getting more tight-knit in their sound each time I hear them. It helps when the group plays arrangements or original music that comes from members within the ensemble.
• Their latest album, The Plot Thickens, was recently released and will be added to the LRM Database soon.

Delfeayo Marsalis

• This was a truly special treat to have him performing at ITF. Only a few weeks ago was he scheduled to join the festivities, and catching his performance was at the very top of my list.
• Delfeayo did not disappoint. The charisma on stage and the genuine party-in-New-Orleans style in his sound is such a delight to hear (even if it was coming through my semi-decent speakers).
• Whether it be the Blues, Bird, or a Ballad, his sound and playing would bring anybody to their feet with clapping hands.

Lift Every Voice Trombone Choir

• Another concert high on my watchlist, the Lift Every Voice (LEV) Trombone Choir was founded by Tony Baker and Javier Stuppard and called on many African American trombonists for the inaugural concert. To see composers such as David Wilborn onstage performing their own music was truly special and brought tears during his masterful piece ‘Reflection and Celebration.’
• In addition, hearing world premieres by Michael Dease, Wycliffe Gordon, and Kevin Day made this a memorable event, that I really, really! hope this is not the last time we hear from these trombonists in this setting.

Brian Hecht

• I will say it. Brian Hecht is one of the top bass trombonists in the world today. Period.
• Part of that is he speaks so eloquently in words about the ideas he is wanting to come through the instrument and you can tell he puts a lot of practice into achieving that ideas-to-sound concept. Think of it as farm-to-table but for bass trombone.
• The Raum, Brahms, and Mollá were gorgeous sounding, but for me, I was curious about what I would hear in the Ewazen Bass Trombone Concerto. It is such a standard work that many ideas have already been heard. The creativity of performance is… there is always room for another idea.
• I’ve never thought of seeing music like this, but read this tweet below…
  • “An innovative idea [from Brian] on performing pieces with bland titles (ie., just the tempo [marking]). Title them yourself for what your want to portray. For Ewazen’s bass bone concerto:
    • 1. Being outside on planet earth / Rockies and Great Plains
    • 2. Floating in space
    • 3. Mountains / Mount Everest
• I’ll let you read my tweet on how I view the second movement in particular, but this is the excitement of music. Shedding new light on a familiar work that puts the entire piece in a whole new world (‘don’t you dare close your eyes’).
• This was my final tweet after his recital:
  • “Brian, thank you for this recital. It is always a joy to hear you play solo literature. Truly. PLEASE put out a solo album. Thankful for bass trombone.”

Boston Brass

• Have you ever said “Yea I know them” but realized you’ve never actually HEARD them? That was me with Boston Brass. I knew of them, maybe even heard them on a recording or two. But I never HEARD them. Again, shame on me.
• Party was the goal and getting Javier Stuppard to hype up the crowd was the right idea with his positive energy.
• The whole night was explosive in sound and brought the right atmosphere to close out the Festival.
• PLUS, how many of us have heard Christian Lindberg play non-classical music? His on-point renditions of various Dorsey/Miller-like tunes raised the musical level of his already-top-tiered musicianship.

I could easily type out my total thoughts on this Festival in this same post, but it would be better to remember the sounds I heard and the words that were spoken before I reflect on watching a Festival (remotely) hosted in Conway, Arkansas.

Check back soon!