USA Autumn 2022 (Part 4) by Aaron Akugbo
Aaron here!! I’ve been given the honour of writing about the last couple stops of our tour. After a week of exclusively driving everywhere, our next stop, Belton, Texas, meant us taking our first domestic flight of the trip from New York to Dallas/Ft Worth International. And after a very sleepy/antisocial 150-mile drive to our hotel, we arrived in Belton.
With a good night’s sleep for everyone (having had lots of early starts so far on the trip), we headed to the Sue and Frank Mayborn Performing Arts Centre at the University of Mary Hardin Baylor for a masterclass with some students. Me and Simon Minshall were exempt from this masterclass so had the rare treat of being able to do some practice, and also took the time to research the interesting history of the university.
A quick rehearsal (observed by some of the masterclass students) was followed by tucking into our dinner, provided by the university and delivered from a local restaurant to give us our first Texan food fix of the tour! The concert was attended by a large audience with a real mix of ages present, and it was great to meet so many of the enthusiastic students.
After the concert, we headed to a neighbouring town, Temple, for chicken wings, tater tots, beers, and most importantly shuffleboard which I think was one of the group’s highlights wherever we were. On this occasion, a game of trumpets vs low brass saw the trumpets get absolutely demolished… and unfortunately that was the last game of shuffleboard for the trip (you’re only as good as your last game).
The next morning, we had an early rehearsal for the group’s upcoming concerts back in the UK and Germany, which was fuelled by possibly the most hastily eaten breakfast of my life, due to the INCREDIBLY slow service that we received at the hotel. But spirits were lifted with music by Humperdinck and from the Nutcracker, to really get us in a Christmassy mood (despite starting the rehearsal at 9:30am).
To heighten morale even more, we stopped by Rudy’s Bar-B-Q on our way to Dallas airport for our obligatory Texas barbecue experience! And the food was thought to be so good that even a takeaway brisket was purchased for the remaining journey by designated eater Simon Minshall. #busbrisket
Our final destination of the tour was Florida, and landing in Orlando, we had the joy of a long delay as the car rental company had no 12-seater passenger vans available (which was strange since we had booked one). Some expert diplomacy from Pete Smith and Simon Cox resulted in not one but two vehicles: one for trumpets, one for low brass, and a definite improvement on what we’d been expecting. We drove to our accommodation in Kissimmee (via the inevitable burger/wings stop) – no shuffleboard, so table tennis had to take its place.
We were staying in two houses at the Emerald Island Resort, one generously lent to us by our trumpet-playing friends Mike Allen and Julie Ryan (thank you!), and the other just a few doors down, booked through airbnb. Being a stone’s throw away from Walt Disney World, each room in the trumpets’ house was themed on a different Disney film, and I lucked out with a childhood favourite, The Lion King. (Simon claimed to be less pleased with Minnie Mouse and unicorns, although I have my suspicions.)
The next day was finally the point of the tour which where we had a whole day off, even without any travel required. I believe the trombones were slightly more productive with their mornings than we were (except Simon’s visit to the gym), but we eventually all linked up at Universal’s Islands of Adventure , which we’d been reliably informed had the best rollercoaster rides in the area. I got a hard time for not having seen essentially any of the movies that the rides were all based on (to be fair I wasn’t born when Jurassic Park was released), but still managed to have an incredible time. Group consensus was that the Velocicoaster was the best ride of the park, with very close second going to Hagrid’s Motorbike adventure. We joined the queue for the latter with the sun still high in the sky outside, and after mazing around inside for 2.5 hours, were surprised to emerge into the dark for an brilliantly original rollercoaster experience.
The concert day in Florida started very relaxed with some time by the pool, a little food and a relatively short drive (for Septura) from Kissimmee to Indialantic, and St. Mark’s United Methodist Church (just a few minutes’ walk from the beach!)
The concert was such a nice end to the trip with another receptive and eager audience – many of them hadn’t been to a brass concert before, but left converted to the world of brass chamber music. Our last night involved some food, drink, and even dancing, but what goes on tour stays on tour…
Our last morning was again spent next to pool before a very important mini golf tournament with Minshall taking home the 1st prize, recovering in style from his spectacular 20-over-par 3rd hole the previous day. After lunch, we drove back to Orlando for our flight home. Some final souvenir shopping was done in the airport’s many Disney shops before boarding the plane for our 8-hour journey back to London. Landing in London at around 7:30am (which felt like 3:30am to us) wasn’t the most pleasant, and in our hazy, sleepy state we collected our suitcases and said our goodbyes before all heading our separate ways.
This was my first ever trip to America and quite honestly, I don’t think I could have asked for a better way of doing it! Thanks to all you guys for inviting me to play and for putting up with me for two weeks! Looking forward to the next one ✌🏾
USA 2022 (Part 3) by Matthew Gee
The midpoint of our tour was our visit to NYC. This had much potential: we were performing in central Manhattan just down the road from Times Square, it was an early afternoon performance so we had some serious post show activities to plan, and we also had a free morning to explore or lounge about in our plush hotel.
Now about that hotel…
We pulled up at the Ramada Hotel, New Jersey to be greeted by the dopiest, most disorganised, check-in staff in a hotel that would be more fitting in a horror movie. This was the least of our issues. My room had clearly hosted an all night vigil to the weed gods, Si Minshall opened up his room to find someone already in it, and Knighty’s bathroom seemed to be locked from the inside. It was not a good start. We then headed into Manhattan for what (in my opinion) was one of the worst burgers I’ve ever eaten and served by dope-headed waiters – the legalisation of cannabis in NY appears to be at odds to their tipping culture. The only good thing that came from the meal is that James and Simon managed to secure refunds for the second night in Hotel Horror and instead book us into the Hilton Garden Inn just down from Central Park. It was game on.
Pete and I woke up bright and early to go into Manhattan and catch-up with friends, James was woken up by workmen, banging their way through the paper thin walls, but everyone else seemed to sleep fitfully. We met for a sound check in the Town Hall, a fantastic venue just down the road from Times Square and performed the Copland programme to a wonderfully full and receptive audience. Many of them hadn’t heard a brass chamber concert before, and it’s fair to say we confounded expectations with Appalachian Spring in particular, which requires all the finesse we can muster to bring to life. Spirits were high.
After checking in to our much-improved hotel, we headed up out for the obligatory visit to PJ Clarkes; an institution, a must visit every time we go to NYC (with these incredible, listed toilets). A little of the black stuff held off our pangs of hunger until our visit to Quality Meats, one of NYC’s celebrated steak restaurants. On the way we dived into a very nice cocktail bar, which required a small amount of remortgaging to experience, but the drinks were worth it; the Pisco Sour a particular highlight, this white beauty really getting us in the mood for the ensuing feast. The food at Quality Meats was exceptional, any mid-tour blues were blown away.
Games have been keenly embraced on this tour, and with that in mind we headed to Cellar Dog, NY’s famous Jazz and Games Bar. Pool, Table Tennis and Shuffleboard were all fiercely played, everyone’s competitiveness paling into insignificance as Matt Knight dictated, changed rules to suit him, and generally ruled with an obnoxious, iron fist.
The Stonewall Inn was our final stop of the night. An historic venue, the site of the 1969 riots which launched the gay rights movement. After a nightcap here it was definitely time to call it a night, and we headed off to our comfortable hotel. There was a twist in the tail however, as an early morning fire alarm roused us from our slumber. My gilet seemed to be the obvious attire in which to head down to the foyer, causing much amusement to the rest of the septet. I don’t really see what all the fuss was about.
We were flying to Texas later that day, but we still had time to enjoy Manhattan, some of the group choosing to cycle around Central Park, others heading off down to China Town for an absolutely fantastic lunch, followed by a moving visit to the 9/11 Memorial. All in all our visit to New York reminded us all how lucky we are to do this for a job, to tour and perform great music with such good friends.
So Texas was up next. Minshall was particularly excited; it was news to me that he holds a firearms licence!
USA 2022 (Part 2) by James Fountain
With this being my first time in North America with my Septura colleagues, I had been forewarned of the vast distances we would be travelling between concert venues, and you join me for this blog entry just in time for one of the longest journeys of the trip.
We commenced the 716 mile drive from Harrisonburg, VA to Montreal, Canada after a short morning rehearsal at James Madison University’s fantastic Forbes Center for the Performing Arts. With a predicted journey time of well over 10 hours you might think we had plenty of time for ‘team bonding’? Not quite the case as we all plugged in to watch our respective Netflix series (other streaming platforms are available) or settled down for some well earned kip, a clear sign of the busy tour so far. We split the journey to Montreal up, stopping overnight in Poughkeepsie, NY after the first 7-hour stint. After a tiring day of sitting down doing nothing we all went straight to bed, not often the case with brass players on tour!
Upon leaving the following morning to complete our epic trek to Montreal, spirits were high, all of us very enthusiastic about our concert that evening. Fuelled by plenty of coffee and seemingly non-stop banter, the journey flew by despite a lengthy lunch stop for our guest bass trombonist Simon Minshall to showcase his infamous eating skills.
On arrival at McGill University in Montreal, we were greeted by one of the university’s trumpet professors, Russell DeVuyst who took great care of us during our short time in Canada. Straight to rehearsal then as we eagerly rehearsed the second of our two concert programmes on the tour ‘Pictures at an Exhibition’. The clue is in the title, with a second half containing Mussorgsky’s masterpiece paired with two staples of the Septura repertoire to make up the rest of the programme. Our Prokofiev Suite and Shostakovich’s 8th String Quartet are both favourites of mine and pieces I know everyone in the group loves to perform.
We enjoyed a wonderful concert in McGill University’s Pollack Hall and afterwards took the opportunity to meet some of the students we would be working with at our chamber music workshop the following morning. It’s been a highlight of the trip for me to be able to connect with our audiences after the concert, making new friends and reconnecting with old acquaintances. It’s great to feel the support the group has on this side of the pond and hear how well the concerts have gone down with fans and promotors alike.
On a post-concert high, we enjoyed some much needed food and refreshment on recommendation of our effervescent host, Russ. Designated eater Simon Minshall again came up trumps on his food order with a magnificent hot dog, however I wasn’t completely sold on the local delicacy ‘poutine’. Chips with cheese and gravy… make it make sense please?!
The next day, we were privileged to hear the talented students of McGill University in a chamber music workshop. It was a pleasure to see their progress during the class and we also managed to dodge the frequently asked question ‘Why no French horns?’ without offending any horn players in attendance, or at least we hope so!
A quick stop at Montreal’s ‘Time Out’ food market for a bite to eat and a rebalancing of coffee levels and we were on the road again.
Onwards to Manhattan for our New York City debut at The Town Hall!
USA 2020 Part 8 (by Simon Cox)
It was hard to believe the last day of our tour had arrived – it had seemed so far away almost three weeks ago as we touched down in Atlanta. Since then we’ve zigzagged across this huge country, performed 12 concerts (with one cancellation), and encountered heavy snow, torrential rain, warm sunshine and (almost) tornadoes.
We always get told by people we meet how wonderful it must be to do something we love for a living, and that’s certainly true a lot of the time. It’s difficult to think of a much better job than one that allows you to travel to places like San Francisco, and perform great music with talented colleagues while you’re there. There are downsides though, and staying in 13 different hotels in 13 nights with a whole load of driving and flying in between isn’t quite as glamorous as it might sound. So despite having a great time, as the final day dawned we were all ready to head home.
Our venue for the day was San Francisco State University, and a matinee concert was to be preceded by classes with trumpet and trombone students, both from SFSU and San Francisco Conservatory. Alan, Huw and Gee seemed perfectly suited to this, so we sent them off bright and early to impart their wisdom while the rest of us continued to digest the sensational Nepalese curry of the night before. Who knew that buffalo wings and butter chicken were such natural bedfellows?
Soon enough we joined our harder-working colleagues for the concert. The McKenna Theatre felt slightly odd to play in at first – it’s essentially a theatre stage but with recital-hall-style seating – so we had to spend a bit of time during the soundcheck making sure we were in the optimal position to get the best out of the acoustic. A bit of local knowledge helped us to figure things out, and we were happy with the results in the end. Matt Knight and I were subsequently whisked off to take part in a pre-concert talk with our hosts Cyrus Ginwala and Brad Hogarth, with a number of interesting questions emerging from the audience, highlights including “will your work be impacted by Brexit?” (You tell us? Probably) and what our thoughts were on free jazz in chamber music contexts (I deferred to our resident expert Knighty for this one).
There was a palpable sense of anticipation at getting to the finish line, and the large and enthusiastic audience made it the perfect finish to the tour. As ever, the Clara Schumann went down especially well, and we’re delighted with this new addition to our repertoire.
Afterwards I had a particularly interesting discussion with a local musicologist who was there to review the concert, about our approach to repertoire development – she was keen to understand why we have focussed on transcriptions so far, rather than commissioning living composers which she felt should be more of a priority. As I explained to her, our opinion in Septura is that the long-term health of the brass septet as a classical medium is best served by building a large counterfactual history of repertoire, allowing us to bring our music making to the widest possible audience rather than operating solely within the relatively narrow (albeit important) field of exclusively contemporary music. We intend to build on that foundation by commissioning the great living composers of our age to pen significant works for brass septet, ensuring its long term future as a serious artistic medium. The emphasis should be on quality over quantity, and we will take our time to make sure the results are what they should be.
All packed up, it was back into tour mode for our final journey. Smooth check in, quick burger in the airport, bit of attempted sleep in the hideously outdated British Airways cabin, and before we knew it we were back, reunited with wives, girlfriends, sons, daughters, and a particularly excited maltipoo puppy. We have a couple of days to recover before it’s back to it, performing in the Wigmore Hall for the first time on Thursday, and the Chilterns Arts Festival on Friday. It’s been quite a month!
USA 2020 Part 7 (by Matthew Gee)
Basketball, Baseball and bottoms.
Everyday feels like a Monday – we have been working very hard. Travelling, early starts, concerts and masterclasses. But now we were in the unprecedented situation of having TWO WHOLE DAYS OFF! The first day would largely be spent traveling to San Francisco, but the following day we were at our leisure. Our journey to San Fransisco went like clockwork; connections made, bags arrived, ubers summoned. We made the most of it dashing straight out of our hotel to 1 Warriors Way, the home of the mighty Golden State Warriors, our newly adopted basket ball team. We were no lucky charm, the Houston Rockets thrashed us 105 – 135, but it was a great evening, despite paying $15 for a beer!
The time difference was now an additional three hours back, so a quick drink post-match and then bed…for most. A few hardy souls managed to find a late night curry/pizza, which was rumoured to be one of the culinary highlights of the tour! Personally, I have my doubts!
The next day greeted us with glorious blue skies. The morning was a relaxed affair, people taking the opportunity to do some private practice, exercise, or simply nurse themselves back to full health. Most of the group hired bikes for the day. Pete and Dan pottered around the city on Uber bikes, Simon, Alan, Matt and I hired more substantial ones, crossing the famous Golden Gate Bridge and exploring the other side of the bay, Sausalito and the famous coast redwoods of Muir Woods, before taking the ferry back to SF.
The day didn’t unfold quite as we had imagined: a large bang during a rapid downhill section rendered Alan’s bike useless forcing him to walk a mile and a half for a replacement. I swallowed a fly, some now claiming that I have clearly failed in my American vegi. challenge. Simon quickly realised that all his dumbbell training had left him ill prepared for a 55km cycle, and perhaps a more balanced approach to exercise would have prevented him from continually bringing up the rear! We also failed to properly check the ferry times. Safe in the knowledge that the last ferry was at 8pm, we had assumed there would be plenty before it. Alas no. But by just missing the previous ferry we had plenty of time to indulge in the cocktails and oysters of Sam’s Cafe, recommended to us while stationary at some traffic lights by a chap driving a Smart Car. He wasn’t wrong, they were particularly good. People chatting to us en route was quite normal. One lady loudly announcing ‘that is soooo cute’ as Matt and I rode past on our tandem.
We eventually regrouped at Evil Eye, a trendy East End style cocktail bar, where very soon just the under 40s were left standing.
Saddle-sore bottoms and tired limbs greeted us the following morning, but we felt fresh and ready to get back to work. The morning was still free, and seeing as the Six Nations was back in action, our nominally Welsh contingent Huw and Simon (with myself in tow) decided to head to a local Irish bar to watch the action. I think they would like it if I swiftly moved on, but I shan’t. It was like we were in Paris, everyone else supporting the resurgent Les Bleus as they gave the reigning champions a masterclass in counter-rucking and line speed. Seventy minutes in I decided to make myself scarce, not wanting my mood to be dragged down, and so headed out to expend some energy at a baseball cage. With a youth largely spent in cricket nets, I was excited to see how this would transfer to baseball, and I was pretty pleased to send some 75mph pitches back with interest. Matt Knight wasn’t quite so thrill seeking, and decided to do battle with the underarm pitcher instead. A little later Dan put us in our place by divulging that he can bat both left and right handed!
It was back to work in the afternoon, a short 45 minute drive to Cal State East Bay for some masterclasses and an evening recital. Simon imparted his considerable knowledge of horn playing during the masterclass, reminding everyone once again that he did in fact have a girlfriend (👏) and yes, she does play the horn. The concert went as well as we could have hoped, the audience one of the most responsive and enthusiastic we have encountered on this long tour. All that now remains is to decide our post-concert plan: should we call it a night, or should we see if this late night curry/pizza place really is as good as people say?
Until next time.
Namaste 🙏
Tour stats
Concerts: 11
Distance travelled: 13429 miles (plus 44 cycled, and 10 run by Alan)
Time on the bus: 46 hrs
Time in the air: 29 hrs
States driven through: 13
Gee’s barrels: Still only 1
USA 2020 Part 6 (by Alan Thomas)
Well rested after our Orono-Selinsgrove road trip stop off at Danbury, Connecticut we’re back on the road and heading for Susquehanna University.
In the various masterclasses we’ve given over the last fortnight we often get asked how we cope with being away from home and spending so much time on the road. Bar the odd ‘barrel’ from Mr Gee there’s been very little animosity and a real sense of unanimity and team work. The tour bus gets loaded efficiently without need of a word, the driving, navigation and blog writing shared. The back of ‘the bus’ is always a variation of slumber, laughter, clatter of laptops keys, rustle of sweet wrappers and hushed voices of FaceTiming the wives, girlfriends, kids and puppy, not to mention that unmistakable pungent aroma and rummage of the cheese ball grab. As the ‘older statesman’ of Septura I can probably appreciate the most how modern technology has made touring far easier. FaceTime, WhatsApp, free data roaming, noise cancelling headphones, in-bus WiFi as well as non-iron travel chinos (Huw’s pants are still missing btw) all make it a much easier experience and allow us to keep in touch with our ever patient and supportive families.
On such a long tour with such huge US highly calorific food portions and hours sat couped up in the hamstring shortening tour bus, many of Septura have been hitting the gym to keep the tour paunch at bay. A combination of Matt Gee’s yoga, Huw Morgan’s HIITs, the whir of Pete Smith’s seated bike and my treadmill all frequently interrupted by the yelp and dropping of Coxy’s heavy dumbbells.
We’ve made it to Selinsgrove and Susquehanna University. This was a particular venue I was looking forward to as I was to be reunited with former Royal Birmingham Conservatoire PHD conducting student Dr Eric Hinton. Eric was studying for his PHD in the Art of Wind Band conducting with the legendary Guy Woolfenden, and regularly conducting the wind orchestra and brass ensemble whilst I was studying as an undergrad fledgling trumpeter. Dr Hinton is now Director of Bands at Susquehanna and we saw many of the fruits of his 16 years hard labour in two thoroughly rewarding masterclasses.
That evening we treated a large audience to our ‘Borrowed Baroque’. Most noticeable were the resplendent uniforms of 30 boys from St Louis de Montfort Academy, who were incredibly keen and inquisitive during our interval and post concert CD signings.
Concert done, off to celebrate Matt Knight’s birthday. A couple of beers, nothing silly. A medal of commendation to designated driver, part-time vegetarian and teetotaler for the night Matt Gee.
Canton, New York. It’s been bugging me where I’ve heard of Canton before. Finally, passing Scranton on the tour bus my memory is jogged. Memorable days in the East Sussex Prepreparatory Course in Music choir singing Sammy Davis Jnr’s ever popular classic ‘Rhythm of Life.’
‘Daddy spread the gospel in Milwaukee, Took his walkie-talkie to Rocky Ridge, Blew his way to Canton, then to Scranton, Till he landed under the Manhattan’
Having braved blizzards and minus temperatures we finally arrive. Full from a lunch stop at Gangnam Style Korean Restaurant we head straight into our sound check and concert at Peterson-Kerman’s Performance Hall, St Lawrence University, Canton, New York. A gorgeous, resonant acoustic sets off the Maddalena Casalana and Lassus in our One Equal Music programme beautifully, and the audience receive the, new for this tour, Clara Schumann Piano Sonata with thrilling applause.
Tomorrow sees travel to our final destination, San Francisco. Septura Artistic Director Simon Cox will soon breathe a huge sigh of relief. He has almost single handedly organised this whole trip. All flights, van rentals, hotel bookings and liaisons have gone without a hitch, no mean feat! I’m sure I can speak for all the members of Septura, audiences, venues and universities are all truly grateful.
Blog done, pass the cheese balls!!!!!
Tour stats
Concerts: 10
Distance travelled: 10512 miles
Time on the bus: 44 hrs
States driven through: 12
Gee’s barrels: Still only 1
USA 2020 Part 5 (by Matt Knight)
In America everything is bigger: the portions are bigger, the cars are bigger, the pots of cheeseballs are bigger, and quite a few of the people are a little bit bigger. Things are also LOUDER. Fine for our Texas-educated Canadian colleague, but a strange and unfamiliar environment for six shy, weedy Europeans.
We had been forewarned that the Texas Music Educators Association (TMEA) conference was big. Estimates for attendance had varied between 25-40,000. Even so, nothing could prepare us for the total assault on the senses when we arrived at the exhibition hall. Never before have I been in a room where so many brass (and other) instruments were being played by so many enthusiastic students and amateurs so loudly. It was deafening. We couldn’t beat them, so we decided to join in – after all we simply don’t get this range of instruments, mouthpieces and mutes in London. Even the more curmudgeonly amongst our group found themselves swept away in the rip-tide of brass nerdiness, and soon we were all trying out everything we could get our hands on.
The day had not started out quite so well. We landed in San Antonio at lunchtime, but our bags did not. We had our instruments, music, and the clothes on our backs, but crucially were missing our essential sets of Denis Wick mutes. Septura aficionados will know that this group is all about sound and colour. Mutes provide brass instruments with a unique way of changing the sound completely and instantly – perhaps no other instrument but the organ has this ability. And so they have become an indispensable part of our sonic palette. Luckily a good friend of Septura was at TMEA to help us out. I made a panicked phone call to the ever-unflappable Steve Wick, and by the time we got to the enormous ballroom he had rounded up a full set of mutes for our shortened Borrowed Baroque performance.
Concert done, we visited our various instrument sponsors in the exhibitor’s hall. Fearing for our hearing (and perhaps sanity) we limited our time there to a couple of hours, after which we thought a restorative margarita on San Antonio’s famous River Walk was required, before Steve took us out for an evening of Tex-Mex in a vibrant local haunt. It was great to meet Wick Artist and YouTube sensation Christopher Bill and online teaching guru Estela Aragon.
On tours like this it’s hard to do anything more than scratch the surface of a city, but we couldn’t resist a late-night trip to the famous Alamo. Dan had filled us in on the crucial role of this building in the Texas Revolution, and it was an impressive sight – although our Uber driver had helpfully explained that it would have seemed much more imposing in the 19th century because people were much smaller back then…
For this tour we have basically had to pack for every season, and after the relative warmth of southern Texas it was time to head at American Airlines’ very leisurely pace to Maine. None of us had ever been to Maine before, but as we drove ever further north into the state the place names – such as Dover and Portsmouth – made us feel at home. Although Simon Cox sounds like he comes from Bristol and is now a London-dwelling Swiss citizen, and Huw Morgan lives in France, works in Switzerland, and has such a strong Euro-land accent at times that he has been known to put a ‘V’ in “brass qvintet”, they are in fact both nominally Welsh. And so they were delighted that we ended up in a small town called Bangor (home to the novelist Stephen King, as our Uber driver pointed out on the brief detour past his house).
I would hate to generalise about this beautiful place from such a brief visit to the University of Maine, but this is what we deduced about the snowy state:
- Lobster. And crab. Finally a state whose delicious cuisine works for all 7 of us, even the temporary and inopportune vegetarian, Matt Gee, who has hitherto been limited to baked potatoes.
- These people seem to like brass chamber music a lot. Extra seats had to be put on stage to cater for a more-than-full house. We were reliably informed that only the Danish String Quartet has sold out the hall before, and the warmth and enthusiasm of the audience (culminating in a standing ovation) was unparalleled so far on this tour. After a week or so of playing Borrowed Baroque, we resurrected our One Equal Music programme and it was clear at the post-concert reception (and from the CD sales) that our Maine audience really got this incredible music. It’s always great to chat to brass enthusiasts at these events, who are often forthcoming with advice and ideas, and the reception proffered two particularly unique nuggets of geekery: the existence of the Bugle in G, which was suggested as a possible alternative for Simon’s part to help him with the lowest notes; and the possibility of using the angular trombone, which looks like an instrument that has suffered the worst effects of the BA baggage handlers, but in fact was designed to stop trombone players hitting the person in front of them with their slide!
- Mainers throw epic parties. Jack Burt, the trumpet professor at UMaine, is renowned for his legendary hospitality – this guy can drink the Mnozil Brass lot under the table! He certainly didn’t disappoint (although our relatively modest intake may have) when he hosted the whole septet and an enormous range of local beers at his house after the concert. Luckily the next day is a travel day…
- There are bears, possums and also skunks. And only one member’s natural odour led to him momentarily being mistaken for the latter.
As I write we’re on a travel day, speeding down the freeway towards our next stop in the North East. The politics of the battle bus are delicate – a particularly loud sneeze from your author has just irked his colleagues, and resulted in the threat of Matt Gee giving “both barrels” if the heinous crime is repeated. But tensions are eased by on-board wifi and noise-cancelling headphones, the promise of a lobster lunch, and the the exciting prospect of a night in Danbury, Connecticut, chosen by Simon because at the beginning of the 20th Century it was briefly the hat-making centre of the US. It’s almost as if he wants us to have a quiet night…
Tour stats
Concerts: 8
Distance travelled: 6623 miles
Hours on planes: 21 hrs 30 mins
Time on the bus: 34 hrs
States driven through: 10
Matt Gee’s barrels: 1 so far (sneeze-dependant)
USA 2020 Part 4 (by Huw Morgan)
“I left my pants at your hotel” is not usually the first sentence I utter on a typical Wednesday morning, but those were indeed my words as I attempted to track down a much-loved pair of navy travel chinos that I’d forgotten in Clemson the previous week. ‘Pants’ in America are of course what we Brits refer to as trousers, and I had assumed that being reunited with my garment later in the tour would be a mere formality – after all, who would want to pinch a pair of well-worn gent’s slacks? As it turned out, the allure of a tailored pair of Charles Tyrwhitt’s finest must have proved too much for one of the housekeepers, since they had mysteriously ‘disappeared’…
More than a little disconcerted by this unanticipated turn of events, the only way to bolster spirits was to head for a re-energising morning workout. As has become customary during this trip, several other members had the same idea: while Alan, Pete and I pumped iron and hit the cross-trainer, our tenor trombonists decided to do their best Wim Hof impression – braving brutally cold conditions in the outdoor pool!
Workout done, we replenished our calories by following official Texan protocol and heading to a BBQ joint. Dan navigated to his old haunt in Denton – Rudy’s – which served us so spectacularly well on our first visit to the Lone Star State two years ago. While the rest of us tucked into moist brisket, ribs, and turkey, Matt Gee stuck fastidiously to his vegetarian diet. I honestly tried my best, dear reader, to make his baked potato, corn-on-the-cob, and three-bean salad sound remotely appetising – but alas no such adjectives exist in the English language…
With Alan at the wheel of our trusty Ford saloon (this post will scrupulously ignore those who journeyed ‘first class’ in the Chevy!) we hit the highway for the trip to Oklahoma City University, accompanied by a selection of Radio 4 podcasts. This included a rather depressing episode about mortality, so we were rather relieved to arrive at our lodgings for the evening, a chic 21C Museum hotel which doubles as a contemporary art gallery.
After a swift check-in it was off to the Wanda L. Bass School of Music, where we met our gregarious host, Michael Anderson. An appreciative audience greeted our performance of ‘Borrowed Baroque’, and it was especially pleasing to meet many students who had travelled from all over the state to attend our performance.
The following morning we returned to the OKCU campus for two chamber music classes. Dan and I teamed up in one venue, where we were treated to Ewazen and Bach, while the artistic directors coached brass quintets in the main hall. We were unanimously impressed by the quality of the performances, and the responsiveness of the students to our ideas.
No sooner had we finished our sessions we were straight on the road to the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville. The question of where to eat lunch en route is always of paramount importance, and occasionally we encounter diners or restaurants of variable quality. This time, however, Michael Anderson (a knowledgeable gastronome) had recommended Burn Co., a(nother!) BBQ joint located just off Route 66 in Tulsa. This proved to be a culinary highlight of the tour, so much so that I even bought an overpriced cap as a souvenir!
As the designated front-seat DJ, I was responsible for coordinating the soundtrack to our ride along Route 412.
After an array of somewhat cheesy 80s hits and dubious Country music, Dan (a man of impeccably trendy musical tastes), suggested we delve into the intriguing oeuvre of Vulfpeck, The War on Drugs, and Cory Wong… Having little interest in contemporary popular culture, Matt Knight elected to choose his own music, donning noise-cancelling headphones in the luxurious splendour of the ‘hole’ (for the uninitiated, that’s the rear offside seat). As he dozed, speculation mounted as to his choice of soothing lullaby: was it Hubert Parry or Maddalena Casulana?!
It often seems like our journeys across the Bible Belt are an endless succession of wide open prairies, roadside cafés and billboards, occasionally punctuated by an American flag fluttering in the breeze. But as we crossed the border from Oklahoma to Arkansas, the scenery gradually morphed into something altogether more beautiful: the Ozark National Forest. Having wound our way through the woodland we approached Fayetteville, where one gargantuan building dominated the horizon: Donald W. Reynolds Stadium, the 76,000-capacity home of the university’s football team, the Razorbacks.
Richard Rulli, the trumpet professor at the UofA, has been a tremendous supporter or the group for many years, so it was a real pleasure to reconnect with him and his talented students on this visit. Alan, Pete, and Matt Gee each led studio masterclasses before our evening performance in the Faulkner Performing Arts Center, a purpose-built venue with acoustics that truly allow the sound of the brass septet to blossom.
Programmes signed, CDs sold, and photographs taken, we headed to the post-concert debrief in a nearby hostelry. After one or two local IPAs we drifted home, mindful of a 6am start the following morning and a trip to San Antonio, where we’ll appear at the 100th anniversary conference of the Texas Music Educator’s Association.
Tour stats:
Concerts: 7
Distance travelled: 6623 miles
Time on the bus: 23 hrs 0 mins
States driven through: 7
USA 2020 Part 3 (by Dan West)
After a vintage Septura schlep (my alarm was set for 5am in Baltimore) we arrived in Huntsville 10 hours later (via 2 flights & a solid 2-hour drive) for the start of the Texas leg of the tour. Considering our indulgences at the reception in Baltimore the previous evening (thanks again to the Rosenbergs for their soup-er hospitality) it could be claimed that group morale was not at its peak through our journey. Luckily we had a couple of hours downtime on arrival to soak in the scenery of a rainy Huntsville, Texas.
Huntsville is a small town 70 miles north of Houston which is famed for being the home to one of the most celebrated heroes of Texan history: Major General, President of the Republic of Texas and US Senator Sam Houston. As we pulled in from Interstate 45 it was hard to miss the 70-foot statue of the famous general and politician, who played a key role in securing the enormous state’s independence from Mexico and subsequent annexation by the United States. Our venue for the tour’s first proper outing of the Borrowed Baroque programme was located on campus at Sam Houston State University.
With our metaphorical batteries charged we took to the stage to polish up some corners in Stravinsky’s Pulcinella and bathed in the sonic warmth of another luxurious acoustic. As I’ve mentioned before, the wealth of stunning concert halls everywhere in the United States puts Britain to shame. The Stravinsky is by and large the most technically challenging piece we’ve brought with us on tour and I for one was looking forward to getting a performance under our belts in Texas.
As we stepped on stage for the concert I noticed a familiar face amongst the appreciative audience, in the form of a friend and colleague from my days at the University of North Texas: Aric Schneller. Aric was a doctoral trombone candidate at UNT while I belatedly finished my undergraduate studies in 2005 and is now the head of jazz studies at SMHU. Though we only crossed paths for a year or so at university, seeing him gave me a much needed boost of enthusiasm, which had flagged slightly after the rigours of the day’s travel. Despite our drained reserves of energy the whole group played a blinder and I think we set the bar pretty high for upcoming performances of the Baroque programme. The soloists in the Handel (suite from Rinaldo) were particular stars, and the Matts took showboating in the Prokofiev piano suite to new levels – they certainly kept me entertained. When it came to the Stravinsky I imagine the audience would never have guessed that it was Pete Smith’s first performance of the piece, and despite the difficulty of the arrangement it went remarkably well. The arrangement works really well and plays to the group’s strengths. I hope we get a chance to record it in the not-too-distant future.
After the show we caught up with a few audience members, signed some CDs and then Aric showed us the infamous maximum security penitentiary which sits on the border of the SHSU campus and houses the execution facilities for the State of Texas. I’d personally be a bit unnerved doing my studies with a building full of convicted Death Row murderers only a few hundred yards from the university library, but the prison walls are reassuringly tall and perimeter patrol cars thoroughly scout the area for would-be prison breakers. That being said there have been the occasional escapee, one of whom pedalled his way onto the nearby Interstate on a stolen BMX before being returned to his cell. As there weren’t any sidewalks (pavements), the sight of 6 British musicians and 1 Canadian/British bass trombone operator must have looked pretty suspicious to the patrolmen and I thought I noticed them take an interest in us as we walked under the walls. Luckily it wasn’t a long walk to the town square which, in its heyday would have made a fairly typical backdrop for a spaghetti western shootout. We slid into a saloon and sampled some fine local craft beer before retiring to our beds back on campus, just over the road from Death Row.
The following morning we cruised up the Interstate towards Fort Worth in our behemoth Chevy Suburban. I used to turn my nose up at people who drove these tank-sized comfort cruisers, hogging multiple lanes at any given time, but now I can see the appeal – especially in contrast to the latest Battle Bus we had in the Carolinas, a vehicle which lacked any charm (or suspension to speak of). A few of the lads drove a small Ford Hybrid while Pete, Coxy and I floated northwards on a 4-wheel-drive cushion of luxurious carbon emissions.
As we entered Fort Worth our grumbling tummies (possibly stretched already by a week of American indulgence) navigated us towards a well-reviewed Tex-Mex restaurant for lunch before the group was due at Texas Wesleyan University for a Q & A with the students and faculty there. The students had some great questions for us and members of Septura provided some insights into the working mind of a British orchestral (or in my case ‘orchestral-ish’) brass player. We were asked to outline our philosophy towards individual practice, so I obviously deferred and allowed the group’s more committed practicers to respond.
The second outing of Borrowed Baroque went well enough that we thought we deserved a couple of celebratory beverages, so we ventured into beautiful downtown Fort Worth to the Flying Saucer, which I have waxed lyrically about in a previous edition of this blog. There had been rumours that a legendary trumpet player (and fellow Canadian), Jens Lindemann, could be joining us for a drink since he was performing down the road at Texas Christian University the same night. Jens has been a hero of mine since he performed with my junior high school band in Calgary when I was just starting to learn the trombone. Soon after hearing him for the first time he became a member of Canadian Brass where his accomplishments there are widely acknowledged as some of the finest trumpet playing recorded to CD (in my humble opinion). Jens himself is a hurricane of energy & charisma, and he made a dramatic entrance by treating us to his best Game of Thrones-esque Northern accent whilst greeting his great friend Huw Morgan. Jens chatted with us about the direction of the group and what plans were currently in the pipeline. He even coached Knighty on the correct (North American) pronunciation of the term ‘baroque’ (bah-roake) which will come in handy as we continue on up the road to Oklahoma, Arkansas and then our return to Texas for the TMEA conference on Valentines Day.