Dear Ensemble Signal blog readers!
It is indeed an honor for me, a humble trombonist, to pen a little post for Ensemble Signal. Let me tell you a story!
It was the summer of 2012, in the sleepy, All-America city of Buffalo, New York...
Every June, for over twenty-five years, students, composers, performers, and guest artists assemble for "an intensive schedule of seminars, lectures, workshops, professional presentations, participant forums and open rehearsals as well as afternoon and evening concerts open to the general public and critics." Under the direction of David Felder, Ensemble Signal has been a guest at June in Buffalo for the past few years and I have been so very fortunate to have participated in the past two Junes in Buffalo.
I first met Maestro Brad Lubman when I was a student at the Eastman School of Music, probably about 12 years ago(!). I was a "jazzer" (as they called us back then). Times, they were tough. Believe it or not, contemporary music was not always appreciated by Eastman's vast stable of trombonists, so, probably out of sheer desperation, a "jazzer" was invited to play with Eastman's contemporary ensemble, Musica Nova. It's still not even clear to me how I became a “new-music trombonist,” but I think I sensed that there was a void I could fill. Contemporary classical music needs players who can adapt, work outside their comfort zone, improvise—make stuff up! So while most classical trombonists were practicing the William Tell Overture, I found a home in Musica Nova, playing music by Caleb Burhans and Morgan Staples. From there, I began playing with Eastman's student-run new-music ensemble, Ossia, and later I played with Alarm Will Sound. Currently, my main group is a jazz sextet called The Respect Sextet and, like Signal, it is full of former Eastman students. In 2007, Respect was very lucky to have Brad Lubman write a piece for us that also featured Lauren Radnofsky (cello), Olivia De Prato (violin), and Paul Coleman (electronics).
Working with Brad has always been a privilege. The respect that he commands from his ensemble translates into polished performances and precision from each player. But "command" is really the wrong word. It's Brad's palpable respect for the art of making music that inspires each ensembles he leads. Brad knows each individual part in the score as well as (if not better than) each player does. It is always a comforting sign to look up and see Brad cuing your entrance as if it was the most important moment of the piece. It is significantly less comforting when you happen to be off by a bar and see Brad singing your part to you as it flies by!
Well—as I was saying—it was the summer of 2012, June in Buffalo, and Signal was busy preparing works by Louis Andreissen and Julia Wolfe. These were long days! Meanwhile, The Respect Sextet was deep in the throes of producing a Christmas album called Respect In Yule (expected release in November 2012!).
I don't know whose idea it was—no one will take credit because it was such a stupid idea!—but somehow we got it in our heads that Ensemble Signal and Respect should unite on a track or two for the Christmas record. After a long day of Signal rehearsals, we basically begged the fatigued string section and percussionists to record Respect’s pianist Red Wierenga's arrangement of Herbert Howells' "A Spotless Rose." So it went like this: "Hey guys, I know you've been rehearsing for 8 hours today and for 3 days straight... um… do you want to stay late and do a recording session tonight for the Respect Sextet Christmas album?" And—would you believe it?—they all said 'yes.'
It speaks to something about the membership of Signal. A shared respect; a knowledge that we would do the same for them. It's also about a friendship that goes back over 10 years.
The cherry-on-the-top of this contemporary-cum-Christmas sundae was that Brad is formerly—and sometimes currently—a percussionist. There were some moments on the Christmas record where we absolutely had to have a timpani. Who better than Brad Lubman—a man who has worked with some of the most important European and American ensembles for contemporary music, including Ensemble Modern, London Sinfonietta, Musik Fabrik, ASKO Ensemble, Ensemble Resonanz, Los Angeles Philharmonic New Music Group, among many others—to accompany Respect on a deep and spiritual musical journey we (and others) call: “I Have a Little Dreidel.”
Well, he killed it and we have video proof. Come November, you can hear the full track on Respect's "Respect In Yule," to be released on Mode Records.
theartofmadeline
izzy806
yousharknotpass
2087
snowghoul
germansingergirl
andulkaphoto
romaincrisis
janainaart