SOUNDTRACK: CANADIAN BRASS-Tiny Desk Concert #220 (May 26, 2012).
I hadn’t realized that Canadian Brass part of the institution of Canadian Brass. They’re not only part of it, they are it. Indeed Canadian Brass
led by its avuncular tuba master (and sole original member) Chuck Daellenbach, essentially put the idea of the brass quintet on the map. Then there are the recordings — more than 100 of them, selling more than two million albums total. Daellenbach and his fresh-faced players, each with red-striped sneakers and matching outfits, strolled into the NPR Music offices, took their places behind Bob Boilen’s desk and started blowing as if they’d played this peculiar gig a hundred times.
They began with a version of J.S. Bach’s intricately woven “Little Fugue in G minor,” an impressive staple that stretches back to the band’s first recording. In those days, precious little was available for brass quintet (two trumpets, horn, trombone and tuba), so the band relied on making arrangements of existing music. Since then, Canadian Brass has transcribed and commissioned more than 200 works, including “Tuba Tiger Rag,” Luther Henderson’s lighthearted tribute to Dixieland jazz. It’s a showpiece for Daellenbach, who twirls his tuba (while playing) and lands on a final note of such subterranean depth that you feel it more than hear it.
The players closed with another favorite, Rimsky-Korsakov’s dizzying “Flight of the Bumblebee,” in an arrangement by Canadian Brass trumpeter Brandon Ridenour. Although the music buzzes past in less than two minutes, players get plenty of opportunities to shine — as in the lightning-fast runs negotiated by trombonist Achilles Liarmakopoulos, the newest member of the group.
The band consists of Christopher Coletti, trumpet; Brandon Ridenour, trumpet; Eric Reed, French horn; Achilles Liarmakopoulos, trombone and Chuck Daellenbach, tuba.
The band sounds amazing playing these familiar songs in a way that is–unexpected–but still right on.
J.S. Bach: “Little Fugue In G minor” is probably one of my favorite classical pieces. I really enjoy Bach’s fugues a lot and this one is just perfect–and the arrangement here is great–everyone gets a chance to explore the phrasing. It starts with the tuba and then the trombone and then the horn and finally the tuba.
Luther Henderson: “Tuba Tiger Rag” Introducing this piece he says that in Bach everyone is equal, but he felt they needed a tuba song. He says that while this song might be low art for other instruments it is high art for a tuba. And yes he does spin it around while playing it. He uses that instrument to make roaring sounds and incredibly deep notes. This is a medley, I think, because while the trombone and tuba play, the other three sing “hold that tiger / tuba tiger.” How on earth does he reach that super low note?
Before the final song Bob says that his tuba doesn’t look brass. And Chuck replies that there’s an old joke: “How old do you have to be to play the tuba and the answer is old enough to be able to carry it but young enough to still want to.” He still wants to so he’s been so he;s lightening the horn with carbon fiber.
For the final song Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov: “Flight Of The Bumblebee” he tells us that the two trumpets play very fast–it must be easy for them. But the trombonist Achilles didn’t know what was coming when they had him play along. Chuck says you’ll never see anyone play this song this fast on this instrument.
And it is amazing. The song flies past–a blurry of fingers. And I love that at the end, one of the trumpets sings the triumphant final high note.
You wouldn’t expect a band as old and legendary as Canadian Brass to be so funny and good-natured, but they sure are. And that makes these familiar songs even more fun.
[READ: February 7, 2016] Ava and Tacocat
Sarah brought this book home, in part because Clark’s reading group called themselves tacocat which is a palindrome. Turns out that Clark wasn’t interested in the book, so Tabby and I got to read it together, which was really fun.
The whole book is a language lovers’ dream, chock full of big spelling words and all kinds of palindromes littered throughout.
It was a few chapters into the book before we realized that this is actually the second book of a series (the first one is called Ava and Pip) and that this book references things that happened in book one without exactly explaining what happened. That’s a little annoying for us, but it certainly made us want to read the first book.
The book is set up in diary form with Ava writing in it on most days. I like that she loves palinromes so much (S-E-N-I-L-E-F-E-L-I-N-E-S) and every time she mentions one in the book, they spell it out like that. (more…)
I Just Read About That... 