[Dixielandjazz] For the Trombonists

[dhs at ev1.net]

Dear Listers:

If you would like to hear some top-shelf trombone playing, both legit and jazz, try the Eastern Trombone Workshop at Fort Myer, Virginia in March.  The Workshop is sponsored by the U.S. Army Band, and features top professional, college and military players, plus the U.S. Army Band.   

Professional trombone technique is awesome stuff.  You will hear some of the very best soloists, trombone quartets, trombone choirs, and lecturer-clinicians at the Workshop.  Best of all, it's free.  All you have to do is brave base security and you can hear up to three days of some of the best trombone players in the world.

Musicians who live in the Middle Atlantic states owe it to themselves to hear their instruments being played at a premium level.  The U.S. Army Band sponsors the Tuba-Euphonium Conference (in January) and the Eastern Trombone Workshop.  George Mason University and the U.S. Navy Band sponsor the Saxophone Symposium in Fairfax, VA.  The Trumpet Guild has a confab in the Washington area every year.

There are similar events around the country.  The International Tuba-Euphonium Association holds international conferences in even-numbered years and regional conferences in odd-numbered years.  I have been fortunate to attend one Eastern Trombone Workshop and three Tuba-Euphonium Conferences at Fort Myer, one Saxophone Symposium at George Mason, and one ITEA Southwest Regional Tuba-Euphonium Conference at Texas Christian University.  I couldn't stay for it, but the Trumpet Guild followed ITEA into TCU in 2003 for one of their conferences.  

It is very worthwhile to listen to top players, even when they are playing instruments I don't, which was the case at the Saxophone Symposium.    I got to hear some wonderful playing, and attended a clinic given by Jamey Aebersold, a leading jazz educator.

You even get to hear OKOM occasionally.  The U.S. Army Band Tuba-Euphonium Conferences I attended had a workshop on dixieland tuba playing taught by Tom Holtz, a stellar performance by Steve DiBonaventura on banjo and Gil Corella on tuba, the Tuba4s (a jazz-oriented tuba-euphonium quartet), the Modern Tuba Jazz Project, and the Shirim Klesmer Orchestra.  The end-of-conference parties were all dixieland.  At Fort Worth, there was an after-hours jam session several nights.  

I am very happy to have had such conferences to attend.  They have been well worth my time.

Regards,
Dave Stoddard
Round Rock, TX