day, liverpool islands · 2015-05-09 · david particularly enjoys the genre of the clarinet...

2013 Single ReedDay, Liverpool24th November- full details

Royal Albert Hallto the FalklandIslands

Also: What’s on & where to go,news, reviews and much more

Autumn 2013 Volume 38, No 3

Also: What’s on & where to go,news, reviews and much more

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Autumn 2013 Clarinet & Saxophone 3

Editor: Richard Edwards Clarinet & Saxophone, Fron, Llansadwrn, LL59 5SLTel. 01248 811285, [email protected]

Editorial Team: Philip Bee, Janet Eggleden, GrahamHoneywood, Kenneth Morris, Susan Moss, John Playfair,

Stephanie Reeve, William Upton

Membership: Andrew Smith, Tel: 08456 440187 [email protected]

Printed by WO Jones, Llangefni, Ynys Môn, LL77 7JA

Advertising: Clarinet & Saxophone, Fron, Llansadwrn, Menai Bridge, LL59 5SL Tel. 01248 811285, [email protected]

Copy Dates: January 15, April 15, July 15, October 15

© All copyrights reserved 2013 • ISSN 0260 390X Views expressed in the magazine do not necessarilyreflect those of the Editor or the Editorial Board.

IN THIS ISSUE

The Official Publication of the Clarinet & Saxophone Society of Great Britain Autumn 2013 Volume 38 Number 3

Regulars36 Reviews

36 Book38 cD42 Music

44 Diary Details of concerts, courses and playdays51 Library Form Make good use of our ever growing library!52 Readers’ Letters52 Classifieds54 The Editor’s Notes richard edwards54 Guidelines for Contributors55 New Members55 Clarinet & Saxophone Society Details55 Index of Advertisers

Features4 Clarinet & Saxophone Society Single Reed Day 2013 Liverpool Hope University, Sunday

24th november6 Clarinet & Saxophone Society Single Reed Day 2013 Who’s Who & Sponsors8 Clarinet & Saxophone Society Single Reed Day 2013 a stunning trade exhibition10 ICA ClarinetFest, Assisi reflections on this major event by nicholas cox, Susan Moss, ian

Mitchell, Sarah Watts16 Royal Albert Hall to the Falkland Islands the challenges for the principal clarinettist in the

central Band of the raf, rob Jordan18 Basil Tschaikov a lifetime in the music profession - part two, Stephanie reeve20 Trish Clowes interviewed by William Upton22 ABRSM Saxophone Grade 3 your guide to the new syllabus, Stephanie reeve26 Pen Portraits of Master Saxophonists UK conservatoire nurtures jazz saxophonist tommaso

Starace, Kenneth Morris28 The Cornerstone Festival Paola nieddu30 Michaela Stapleton the story behind new works for marimba and saxophone, William

Upton32 An International School of Clarinet Playing eric Hoeprich34 Where Can I Play? Hythe, Brecon, Perth, callender, Bath, edinburgh, thornbury, north

Whetstone53 Booking Form for Clarinet & Saxophone Society Single Reed Day 2013 Book now!56 How Was I To Know? final word, robert Parker

12 26 30

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cover image: ica clarinetfest, assisiPhoto: Andrew Taylor

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Sunday, 24th November, 10am -5pmCornerstone, Liverpool HopeUniversity, Liverpool, L6 1HP

SINGLE REED DAYNon-stop PlayingJoin the single reed choir on arrival andcontinue playing throughout the day insaxophone choirs, clarinet choirs,workshops and mini masterclasses.

Trade Exhibitiontake time out to visit the manufacturers’and retailers’ stands. try out their rangeof mouthpieces, instruments andaccessories. Browse the music from thepublishers’ stands.


the event described is based on informationavailable as the magazine went to press. thedetails may change.

in association withcornerstone festival 2013

TWO EVENTS IN ONE!

Sunday, 24th November, 10am -5pmCornerstone, Liverpool HopeUniversity, Liverpool, L6 1HP

SINGLE REED DAY

WINDSTRUMENTS

Discount for clarinet& Saxophone Societymembersfree entry for every teacherwith three or more schoolage pupilsParking is easy and close byon-site café open all dayfree entry to trade hallHotels nearby

SECURE YOURPLACE NOW!Send off the application formon page 53 or visitwww.cassgb.org

David Campbell willbe directing singlereed and clarinetchoirs

Gemma Harvey isdirecting single reedchoirs and taking a minimasterclass session

Stephanie Reeve isleading a saxophoneworkshop and directinga saxophone choir

James Rae will bedirecting single reedand saxophone choirs

on-site all day will beinstrument repairerEddie Ashton

Linda Merrick will betaking a clarinet workshop,giving mini masterclassesand working with a clarinetchoir

Rob Hughes is giving twoworkshops for singlereeders with guidance onsoloing in a variety ofmusical styles


TRADE EXHIBITORS

SPONSOR SPONSOR


DAVID CAMPBELLDavid campbell’s early careerwas spent as a clarinettist inthe field of contemporarymusic as a member of ‘thefires of London’ and theLondon Sinfonietta, but over

recent years David campbell has developedthe solo and chamber music strands of hiscareer, performing in over 40 countries withleading orchestras and ensembles.

David particularly enjoys the genre of theclarinet quintet and has commissioned manynew works, most recently from richardBlackford and roger Steptoe which he willperform at the Wigmore Hall in 2014.

David has made numerous radio andtelevision broadcasts both here and abroad,and has made many cDs as a soloist andchamber musician.

He was visiting professor at canterburychrist church University from 1989 to 2013and is currently Head of Woodwind atWestminster School. David has been artisticDirector of Musicfest Summer School inaberystwyth since 2002, and has givenmasterclasses at Dartington internationalSummer School and his masterclass atDomaine forget academy in Quebec can beviewed on www.PlaywithaPro.com.

David campbell is the UK chair of theinternational clarinet association, and waschair of the clarinet and Saxophone Societyof Great Britain until January 2013.

GEMMA HARVEYGemma Harvey studiedsaxophone and clarinet atBirmingham conservatoireand the State University ofnew york, USa. She is nowbased in London where she

works as a freelance musician and educator.Gemma has performed at UK music

festivals, given a series of recitals ofcontemporary British music and featured asa recitalist as part of the BBc ‘Spotlight’series. as a chamber musician, she hasworked with the anglo Saxophone Quartet,the Zephyr Saxophone Quartet, and ‘Spark’saxophone and percussion duo. She hasperformed internationally throughouteurope, the USa and canada, as well asperforming at top London venues includingthe Queen elizabeth Hall, Purcell room, andthe Barbican.

Gemma currently teaches saxophone andclarinet at Kingston University, London andthe Haberdashers’ aske’s Boys’ School,

Hertfordshire. She is a deputy teacher at theroyal college of Music Junior Departmentand she previously taught at the Birminghamconservatoire Junior Department, where shewas also appointed as Head of Woodwind andBrass.

a significant part of Gemma’s work hasinvolved leading workshops and bringingpeople together to create large-scaleperformance projects. these have includedco-founding the national Saxophone choir ofGreat Britain, directing saxophone choirs forevents hosted by the clarinet and SaxophoneSociety, and leading an ensemble workshopat the 2005 British Saxophone congress,which resulted in a performance involvingover 200 saxophonists.

ROB HUGHES Saxophonist, flautist,composer and fast rising starof the British jazz scene robbegan his career at the age of17 playing on a toursupporting chuck Berry. He

then moved to London to study performanceand composition at Goldsmiths. rob Hughesis an experienced live performer with anextensive list to his credit including Billyocean, Gloria Gaynor, Heather Small (M-People), all Saints, aBc, frankie Goes toHollywood, anastacia, Lulu, Howard Jones,Kid creole, Katrina and the Waves, thechristians, Beverly craven, candi Staton,tony Hadley, rick astley, nik Kershaw plusmany more.

in 2006 rob released his debut albumButterfly and a second album The LondonExperiment in 2010. His third album wasrecorded live earlier this year (2013) and isnow available on itunes under ‘rob HughesLive’. you can find out more information andfollow rob’s blog atwww.robhughesmusic.com.

as well as performing, rob has recentlylaunched a playalong book called Free toSolo published by Schott. rob is currentlywriting a beginners book specifically forSaxophone which will come with a backingcD as well as a pull out piano score. the ideabehind the book is to make simple beginnertunes exciting to play. �

Sunday, 24th November, 10am - 5pm Cornerstone, Liverpool Hope University, Shaw Street, Liverpool, L6 1HP

WHO’S WHO AT THE SINGLE REED DAYD’ADDARIOrico are excited to be part of the clarinetand Saxophone Society Single reed day innovember. come along to our exhibitionstand and find out what makes rico the

world’s most popular reed.We will be exhibiting our entire range

of clarinet and saxophone reeds aswell as ligatures, straps, and

woodwind care products. We wantto help you find the best possible

set up for your instrument toallow you to forget about the

technology and concentrateon your music.

We would also like togive you the chance

to try out the newreserve Bbclarinet

mouthpiece. this isthe world’s first 100%

machine milled vintage inspiredmouthpiece. the result of two years of

work involving top clarinet players andtechnicians which produced over 1000prototypes, rico has produced aprofessional standard mouthpiece that ismachine milled, not moulded, totolerances of .0005’’. But make nomistake, the true beauty of reserve liesbeyond its polished angles, gloriouscurves and proprietary materials tosomething far more remarkable - itssound.

Since acquiring rico in 2004, D’addario& co. has invested over $12 million in newtechnology and reed making machines onits quest to produce the finest qualityreeds possible. rico is the only reedcompany to grow 100% of its own reedsand now takes pride in producing theworld’s most consistent reeds. �

EVENT SPONSORSSociety of Great Britain


LINDA MERRICKLinda Merrick has establishedan international profile as aclarinet soloist, recording artistand clinician. Specialising incontemporary repertoire, shehas commissioned more than

40 works for her instrument by Britishcomposers, including 10 concertos, fiveclarinet quintets, and a significant number ofsmaller scale chamber works and works withelectronics.

Linda’s catalogue of over 20 solo cDrecordings includes new concertos for clarinetand concert band by Gary carpenter, nigelclarke, Martin ellerby, Kit turnbull and GuyWoolfenden (Polyphonic), Philip Sparke(anglo records) and Stephen Mcneff(campion), plus concertos for clarinet andorchestra by John Mcleod (chandos), edwinroxburgh (nMc) and Philip Spratley (toccata).Her chamber music output includes premièrerecordings of four new clarinet quintets withthe navarra Quartet (naxos), a new clarinetquintet by John Mccabe with the KreutzerQuartet (Guild), Wilfred Josephs’ clarinetQuintet (Metier), robert crawford’s clarinetQuintet (Metier) and chamber works byMalcolm arnold and John ireland (Maestro),and by Martin ellerby (classicPrint).

Linda has broadcast as a solo artist for BBcradio 3, radio france, DrS1, Switzerland,cKWr in canada and arte tV in South Korea,and performed as a concerto soloist acrossamerica, asia, australia, europe, Southamerica, the Uae, and throughout the UK. Sheis a founder member of the contemporaryensemble Sounds Positive, with whom she haspremiered over 70 works by Britishcomposers, and released three cDs.

combining her performing career with workin music education, Linda is regularly invitedto give masterclasses at conservatoires acrossthe world. She currently holds the position ofPrincipal and Professor at the royal northerncollege of Music, Manchester.

JAMES RAEJames rae is one of europe’smost published writers ofeducational wind music, havingat present over 200publications to his credit. Hismusic includes instrumental

jazz study books, tutors, five musicals,transcriptions and many volumes of duetsalong with sonatinas and chamber works forall woodwinds and saxophones. Many of hispublications are to be found on all the majorwind examination syllabuses worldwide. in

1990 he compiled the first Jazz Clarinetand Saxophone Syllabus for the GuildhallSchool of Music and Drama. recentcommissions have included the overturefor concert band Platform One for theopening of the £8m colyer-fergusson MusicBuilding at the University of Kent.

as a freelance clarinettist and saxophonist,James rae has worked professionally innearly every possible musical situation fromWest end musicals to engagements with someof the country’s major orchestras.

as well as writing and performing, Jamesrae has tutored and conducted on manycourses over the last 25 years including thehighly popular northern Saxophone course,ace foundation courses (cambridge) and JazzZone.

James rae lives in carshalton Beeches inSurrey with his wife Sue and two sons andrewand Stephen. His interests are food, drink andanything at all to do with railways!

STEPHANIE REEVEStephanie reeve graduatedfrom trinity college of Musicwinning prizes for chambermusic and woodwindperformance. as a soloist andchamber musician she has

given recitals, led workshops and providedbackground music at many venues all overthe UK. now based in cambridgeshireStephanie teaches woodwind privately and inschools. She is principal conductor of thePalace Band and this year directed the band intwo concerts in ceret, france. She regularlyworks as a coach for courses at Benslow Musictrust, Hitchin, and has led playdays andworkshops across england as well as for theclarinet and Saxophone Society Play Day inLiverpool in 2011. She has assisted onplaydays for the ace foundation at Buryfarm, Stapleford and will be leading twojunior playdays there next year. She is also acoach for Walden Winds. Stephanie playsclarinet with several local orchestras andchamber ensembles and plays baritonesaxophone in a sax quartet. Stephanie’s Mastudy compared the ways in which adults andchildren learn musical instruments and shecontinues to take an interest in the ways inwhich all ages learn musical instruments.Stephanie regularly contributes to Clarinet &Saxophone and manages the Society’s library.�


WHO’S WHO AT THE SINGLE REED DAYBARNES &MULLINS

Barnes & Mullins are pleasedto announce they will beexhibiting a wide range ofVandoren reeds, ligatures,mouthpieces and accessoriesfor clarinet and saxophone.Vandoren have introducedmany new items to theirproduct range this year

including new Masters clarinet mouthpieces(which now incorporate the Masters 13 Series)plus the new baby M30 eb clarinet mouthpieceand M/o Lite Bb clarinet ligature.

Vandoren’s new sax harness will make yoursaxophone weightless, if you don’t believe it,come and try it! Both the new optimum aL5alto sax mouthpiece and the new metal V16gold plated metal tenor sax mouthpiece willbe on display.

the new Juno clarinet and saxophone reedswhich are specially designed for the beginnerwill be available. Juno has been carefullycreated for students to get a great sound fromthe instrument straight away.

We will also have a comprehensive displayof yanagisawa saxophones, arguably theworld’s finest, along with yanagisawasaxophone necks and metal or rubbersaxophone mouthpieces. if you want to try aspecific model, please notify us before theevent so we can make sure we take what yourequire from the extensive range.

in addition there will be a selection ofantigua saxophones including the new 3000Series and Pro-one professional range to tryout. the Pro-one models aredesigned and manufactured inconjunction with renownedsaxophone maker Peter Ponzol.

expert advice will be available on allaspects of the Vandoren, Juno,yanagisawa and antigua products.Please come and take theopportunity to try any of these greatitems in the playing sessions. if youwant to check we have anythingparticular available for you to tryon the day, don’t hesitate tocontact Kerry Long at Barnes &Mullins with your requirementsbeforehand. email [email protected], tel: 07785 465963 �

EVENT SPONSORS

yanagisawaa9937 altosaxophone


ABRSM aBrSM is proudto be a part of theclarinet &SaxophoneSociety Single

reed Day this november. comealong to our exhibition stand tobrowse music from our newwoodwind syllabus, find outmore about our upcomingteacher support opportunitiesand tell us your Music Medalsstories. the syllabus comesinto effect from January 2014so make sure you’ve goteverything you need!www.abrsm.org/woodwind

ARNOLD STOELZELGMBH - UEBEL

in 1936, friedricharthur Uebel,established hisown workshop inMarkneukirchen,

Germany. after the death of his‘old master’, oskar oehler, hecarried on the tradition ofmanufacturing state of the artclarinets under the brand of f.arthur Uebel. Using thefoundation of this tradition andthe latest manufacturingtechniques, we are able toenthuse discerning clarinetplayers all over the world. Withthe introduction of the newfrench system (Boehm)clarinets in 2006, f. arthurUebel set a new standard insound, ergonomics andresponse and will be bringingto the exhibition the latestrange of clarinets. Sarah Wattsreviewed these instruments inthe last issue of Clarinet &Saxophone.

DAWKES MUSICDawkes Music(classic fM’s‘Best classicalinstrument

Shop’ 2011 & 2012) will bepresent to show the hottestproducts currently in theclarinet anD sax world. We willhave a selection of yamaha cSGclarinets which have taken theprofessional clarinet market bystorm - come by the stand andtry Bbs and as with gold orsilver keys and the lever keymodels will be present as well.(there is a testing roomavailable - Ed.)

We will also have the fullrange of Gonzalez clarinet andsaxophone reeds. if you’re tiredof the inconsistency of otherbrands and feeling the pinch ofhigh prices come by and talk toour expert who will help youfind the right strength and stylefor your mouthpiece. freesamples will be available. alsoon our stand will be someWeinberg clarinet mouthpieces,handmade in the UK andchosen by professionalsworldwide, take the ten minutetest and see if we can improvethe depth of your sound.

in our sax display we willfeature the cannonball saxes,including the new ‘Vintagereborn’ series as played by saxicon Branford Marsalis. We willalso have a selection of theJapanese aiZen mouthpieces.Since landing in the UK in 2010aiZen have establishedthemselves as a leadingmouthpiece choice for anysaxophonist who is seriousabout their sound. Handfinished in Japan by mastercraftsmen the aiZen range isimpeccably made and offerimmediate response.

Please pop by for a chatabout all things single reed orjust to have a blow. if you’d like

to get in touch beforehand torequest something inparticular please email:[email protected]

FORTON MUSICforton Musicis a wellestablishedmusic

publishing company based inthe north of england,specialising in music for windinstruments in allcombinations from solos andduets to large ensemble pieces.our transcription of the Saint-Saëns Sonata for alto sax andpiano has been included in thenew aBrSM exam syllabus, andour arrangement of Abendliedby rheinberger was recordedby the east anglian Single reedchoir on their latest cD. We’llbe bringing our entire extensiveclarinet and saxophonecatalogue along to Liverpool.Why not take a look atwww.fortonmusic.co.uk andsee if there is anything youwould be interested in! Lookingforward to seeing you all innovember.

HUMMINGBIRD MASKARADE

ted Watson and John Meadowswill be selling music from theircatalogue. With solocompositions through toclarinet and saxophone choirarrangements, there should besomething for every sizeof group, including chambermusic for mixed ensemble.their styles include classical,jazz, contemporary, klezmerand much, much more!

Do come and have a chat withus during the day so we can

answer any of your questions. ifyou would like to contact usbefore the event, thenemail [email protected] [email protected]

JOHN PACKERthe brand newJP222 bassclarinet to low ctakes centrestage this year

amongst a varied selection ofinstruments, mouthpieces,reeds, ligatures, stands, cases,slings, maintenance materialsand much more. the JP222, thelatest addition to the JPwoodwind range, has receivedgreat acclaim following praisefrom musicians including Lesliecraven (rWcMD, Welshnational opera). on hand toanswer all your woodwindqueries during the day is andyStill our woodwind specialist.With friendly advice andprofessional expertise, andyand the John Packer team arerenowned for their high level ofcustomer service. if you wantget in touch prior to the event,please [email protected]

JONATHAN MYALLJonathan MyallMusic welcomesyou to visit ourtrade standincorporating the

Publishers cooperative atLiverpool Hope this year. Wewill be displaying a wideselection of printed musicincluding the new clarinet andsaxophone ensemble repertoirefrom Wonderful Winds and alryPublications (USa). SpecialcaSS offers will be available onthe day.


A STUNNING TRADE EXHIBITION




A STUNNING TRADE EXHIBITION We will also be displaying a

wide selection of clarinets andsaxophones from the majormanufacturers both new andpre-owned. come and have abrowse - you never know whattreasures you may find!www.justflutes.com

MASQUERADE MUSIC

Masquerade Music is delightedto be in attendance at theclarinet and SaxophoneSociety’s Single reed Day.established in December 2010,they provide accessible originalsheet music for the woodwindplayer. their growing catalogueof publications will be available

SECURE YOURPLACE NOW!

Send in theapplication form on

page 53 or visitwww.cassgb.org

at the event in addition todetails of their expanding rangeof teaching and learningresources plus even a few freesamples. come and have a chatto Keri Degg (a fellow singlereeder!) and browse our range.www.masquerade-music.co.uk

PACK-A-PUNCH PUBLICATIONS

Pack a Punch Publicationsoffers a growing catalogue ofnew arrangements andoriginals skilfully scored for arange of single reedcombinations. currently wehave to admit a slight biastowards saxophone music in the

listings, however ourselection of clarinet quartetsis increasing rapidly. a quicklook at our website atwww.packapunch.co.uk willreveal the breadth of piecesavailable, from trios throughto choirs and we have adeveloping single reed choirsection which will be availablefor close inspection on theday.

We will be bringing ourentire catalogue so do comeand find us in the trade standarea for a browse and a chat!in the meantime if you spotitems on the website whichdon’t quite fit the scoring ofyour ensemble then do let usknow [email protected] andwe can look at tweaking andcustomising ready fornovember. We look forwardto seeing you there.

SELMERHenri SelmerParis will becoming overfrom france to

present to you their latestclarinets, saxophones andmouthpieces. Lots ofinstruments and mouthpieceswill be available for testing.erik claeys, Selmer’s UKpromotion manager will bepresent to assist you on trialsand answer any questions.Highlights will be onupcoming products such asour brand new mouthpiece‘concept’ for alto saxophoneand many more. Please visitus on www.selmer.fr or emailto erik [email protected] foradvance information. We lookforward meeting you inLiverpool!

SEMPRE MUSICSempre Music specialises inmusic for woodwind andmixed woodwind ensembles.over the past few years wehave continued to increasethe titles in our cataloguewith original compositionsand both jazz and classicalarrangements. We workclosely with manyeducational groups and alsoprofessional and amateurensembles. We are able to re-arrange our music forindividual ensembles at noextra cost.

over the past year we haveconsiderably extended oursales in the US market andalso in europe. at the Singlereed Day at Liverpool HopeUniversity on the 24thnovember, delegates will beable to view all of our titlesand also listen to them,recorded through Sibeliussoftware. Please visit ourwebsite,www.sempremusic.co.uk,prior to the Single reed Dayin order see our currenttitles. We look forward toseeing you at Liverpool HopeUniversity.

WOODWIND & COafter 40 plusyears in thebusiness eddieashton, thedesigner ofSuperpads,

will be on hand to explain hisunique views on themaintenance and repair ofwoodwind instruments, andto carry out free on siterepairs during the day.www.woodwindco.com

Also at the exhibition with beVINCENT BACHINTERNATIONAL with ConnSelmer saxophones. �


The evening concertsThe evening concerts are always specialoccasions and the Lyrick Theatre, although ashort bus ride out of town, was large and cooland had a pleasant acoustic. On Wednesdayevening we heard a programme of Italianmusic accompanied by the Band of ItalianState Police. They came on to the stage andsat down in their incredibly smart uniformsand I wondered how much the hats obscuredthe view of the conductor, then they tookthem off to play! The soloists were PieroVincenti, Robert DiLutis and William Blayneyand Corrado Giuffredi playing respectively,Cavallini, Ponchielli and Mangani, but thestar of the show was without doubt Calogero

Palermo who played the Fantasia on Themesfrom Rigolettowith both panache andsensitivity. He is principal clarinet at theOpera House in Rome.

On Thursday a capacity audience attendedto hear some of the most well known playersin the clarinet world. Ricardo Morales gaveus the Rossini Variations and EddyVanoosthuyse the Mercadante Concerto.Philippe Cuper gave a stunning performanceof the Baermann Concerto Op. 23. It is alwaysa pleasure to hear Cuper perform – aclarinettist who can woo an audience simplyby just standing on the stage and offering hissheer musicality straight to the heart of theaudience. The Italian bass clarinettist RoccoParisi simply oozes charisma – his smile

lights up any stage and when he plays, hispersonality goes straight through his bassclarinet and into the audience. He performedBlues by Ante Grgin in which he used all fourand a half octaves of the bass and quiteliterally danced with his instrument. Theconcert was rounded off in light-heartedmood by Finnish player Kari Kriikku whoperformed klezmer inspired solos on Cclarinet which included some tap dancing.The audience went away with smiles tomatch Rocco’s grin!

Friday night was jazz night and the eveningkicked off with Eddie Daniels playing somestandards and his own compositions andarrangements including a very up tempoversion of Albinoni’s Adagio, just so thatthere was something Italian in his set! Hisplace on stage was taken by his best friendRon Odrich but it was not long before Eddiewas back to join Ron in a duet. The last twosets featured Mauro Negri and Larry Linkin.

The final evening concert on Saturday wasthe Buffet Crampon Gala Concert withperformances by Quatuor Anches Hantées,Nuno Pinto, Paolo Ravaglia, Enrico MariaBaroni, Sergio Bosi and Sauro Berti. The onlynon-European artist was Bill Smith whoplayed his own piece Assisi Improv foramplified clarinet. Bill Smith, also known asWilliam O. Smith, is now 87 years old andwas performing his own Assisi Suite the nextday with a trio.

Clarinet choirsIt is natural that performers want to bringnew music from their homeland and wecounted over 40 world premières, some ofthem written especially for Assisi. Three ofthe clarinet choir performances wereexcellent examples of this. The BritishClarinet Ensemble played two brand newpieces written for them by Andy Scott and

When the ICA ClarinetFest comes to Europe there’s always an extra buzz ofanticipation. Simple geography means that more European artists attendand by January 2013 we learnt that Piero Vincenti, the organiser, had

received over 250 proposals for Assisi. A quick count through the 200 pageprogramme book showed that there were around 190 presentations and concerts tochoose from with as many as seven taking place simultaneously. There was almosttoo much choice and many clashes of events that one wanted to see. The Mayor ofAssisi had generously given the ICA free use of the town’s theatres and halls for theconcerts and trade exhibitions which were spread out around this beautiful but veryhilly town. So although Assisi has thousands of tourists who come to visit theBasilica, it was a common sight to see clarinettists engaging in a daily fitness routine,toiling up the hills carrying heavy instruments in 35° heat. Having made it to thePiazza del Comune, this square became the social meeting point of the festival andwas a perfect setting for a limoncello or cappuccino whilst meeting with playersfrom other countries.

REPORT BY SUSAN MOSS, SARAH WATTS & NICHOLAS COX Photos: Carol Taylor, Andrew Taylor & Sarah Watts

CLARINETFEST 2013, 24-28 JULY, ASSISI, ITALYINTERNATIONAL CLARINET ASSOCIATION/ACCADEMIA ITALIANA DEL CLARINETTO

ASSISI CLARINETFEST

coro de clarinetes de México


Jeffery Wilson. Andy Scott’s Jumbo completesa trio of pieces he has written for the groupover the years, Paquito, Fujiko and nowJumbo, named after the water tower nearColchester, Essex. Alas, I think we aredoomed to explain this title in perpetuity.Jeffery’s piece was Three Haikus and each wasdescriptive of the poem printed at the start ofeach movement. The BCE recital finishedwith Adam Gorb’s Burlesque, first performedat the ICA ClarinetFest in Tokyo in 2005. TheCoro de Clarinetes de México had invitedRocco Parisi to be their guest conductor andevery performer gave their all in a Mexicanthemed programme featuring works by Serna,Marquez and Moncayo. The encore saw twomembers of the ensemble grab a surprisedRocco Parisi and Philippe Cuper and theaudience was treated to an impromptudisplay of quite impressive dancing. TheCapriccio Clarinet Choir from theNetherlands played a composition by theirconductor John de Beer. Entitled Only 30Minutes it was billed as the first and onlyperformance. The first two movements, ‘Setup the Band’ and ‘Introduction to Assisi’ hada funky blues feel and featured clarinet solosby John de Beer. The third movement, ‘With ALittle Help From Beethoven And Bizet’ wasmade up of excerpts of the 6th Symphony andCarmen and ‘Clear the stage “NOW”’ hadsome vocalisations “Hey you”, “Let’s play”and “Ciao Assisi”. It was a totally original andimaginative performance. Although we werenot able to hear their concert, John de Beertold us just how good the Istambul ClarinetChoir was, and now there are new friendshipsbetween Holland, Turkey and the UK – justwhat ClarinetFest is all about!

The biggest clarinet choirJust when clarinet fatigue might have beensetting in, a really off the wall idea was to getas many players together as possible in thePiazza del Comune to play together. I doubt itwas the biggest clarinet choir ever assembledbut I’m certain it was the biggest that Assisihad ever seen. They played Eine KleineNachtmusik, Scott Joplin and a medley ofpopular tunes. Amazed locals and touristsclapped and cheered for more so the Mozartwas repeated. Piero Vincenti conducted froma high platform.

Some solo concertsThe majority of performances are clarinetsolo, clarinet and piano, or small chambergroups so the following are just the tip of theiceberg. Sarah Watts, the British bassclarinettist, reprised two of the pieces sheperformed in Ghent at the 3rd EuropeanClarinet Festival, Marc Yeats’ Quarter-sounds,and her own piece Screapadal. Receiving itspremière was Patrick Nunn’s Shadowplay – acontemplative piece, mostly piano and high in

tessitura. In all three pieces multiphonicswere integral to the music. Roberta Gottardiperformed Stockhausen’s Little Harlequin onthe tiny stage of the Instabili Theatre. In 2001Roberta was awarded first prize for herinterpretation of this piece by the composerhimself.

Nicholas Cox and Harvey Davies broughttwo new pieces of British music which lookcertain to become valuable additions to theclarinet and piano repertoire. Nick’sintroduction to the music was mostinformative, the first piece being a sonata in Emajor by Arnold Bax, a student work from1901 only recently discovered. As it predatesBax’s obsession with all things Celtic, thestyle is more reminiscent of Tchaikovsky orScriabin. There are two movements andLazarus Edition will be publishing the piecelater this year. The second item on theprogramme was also a recent find, this time inthe New York Public Library. The Scottishcomposer Iain Hamilton moved to the USAafter becoming disillusioned with thereception his music was receiving in GreatBritain. His output, at the time thought verymodern, includes operas, symphonies,

REPORT BY SUSAN MOSS, SARAH WATTS & NICHOLAS COX Photos: Carol Taylor, Andrew Taylor & Sarah Watts

assisi

ASSISI CLARINETFEST Part of the ‘Biggest clarinet choir’ playing in the Piazza del comune


concertos and chamber works. The WildGarden for clarinet and piano consists of fiveshort movements, each named after a flower– Harebells, Cornflowers, Birdsfoot Trefoil,Mignonette and Daffodils. Nick and Harveygave a superb performance particularlybringing out the different characteristics inthe Hamilton flower pieces. Nicholas Coxalso found time to attend some recitals andhas written the following reviews: -

Einar Jóhannesson and Ármann Helgason amaster and pupil duo from Iceland chose avaried programme of mainly Nordic musicrounded off with Poulenc’s Sonata for twoclarinets. If the latter lacked a little in tuningand ensemble, Bernhard Henrik Crusell’sClarinet Duet No.2 in D minor certainlyconvinced us of their technical command inall registers and a generally good balance insound and stamina. More interesting were thetwo works by fellow Icelanders Áskell Másson(b.1953) and Elín Gunnlaugsdóttir (b.1965).After starting with the lively Duo for twoclarinets (1980) by theclarinettist/percussionist Másson, we heardthe première of Gunnlaugsdóttir’s Spil III. Inthis brief but effective arch-shaped workbased on letters from St. Francis’s name, onecould almost envisage his preaching to thebirds in the clarinets’ initial long notes, lowatmospheric flutterings and hopping staccati.

In his recital Jeremy Reynolds accompaniedby Heide Brende Leathwood started with the

Second Solo by the Spaniard Bartolomé Casas(1873-1976). This University of Denver duofound this decidedly 19th century piece astruggle to project in a very humid butbeautiful little InstabiliTheatre. In Pierre Gabaye’s attractiveSonatine the high point was thebeautiful Gershwinesque secondmovement in which Reynolds’long lines were moresuccessful than the bustlingand tricky opening Allegroand the third movement’sperpetuum mobile. In spite ofcommitted playingfrom Leathwood, somehow theseseemed to lack the necessary Galliccharm and rhythmic commitment.

Simone Weber’s Torun Trio presented ararity of the trio repertoire in Robert Kahn’sOp. 73 Serenade in one movement. Rarelystraying even as late as Rachmaninov in styleand originally for oboe, horn and piano, thisunashamedly Brahmsian work can be playedin about nine different versions making itmore than programmable. Weber’s vocalapproach and musical communication withcellist Anna Catharina Nimczik and SaraDerman’s fine piano playing really broughtthis Romantic piece to life. With their finelyblended softly expressive playing in the‘Andante’ and a real sense of fun in theskittish ‘Allegrissimo’ movement their

performance of Nino Rota’s characterful Triowas also most persuasive.

The Scottish Clarinet Quartet’s recital inthe Sala delle Volte’s generous undercroftacoustic featured a new version of Judith

Weir’s Sketches from a Bagpiper’sAlmanac. Originally written in 1984

for the late Kevin Corner to playon B flat, E flat and bassetclarinet with piano (but laterpublished in the version for Bflat or A) the Scottish group ofNicola Long, Becky Milne,

Frances Pybus and Alex Southhad the sense of style, tuning and

relative dynamics and most of theensemble necessary to make this

effective arrangement by Alex South asuccessful addition to the quartet repertoire.In all three movements the bagpiper’s quirkyornaments are hard enough to get together inthe clarinet and piano version and in the Bflat version the high tessitura of the curiouslynamed ‘Nocturne’ is notoriously perilous.Unfortunately even on the smallerinstrument the Scottish quartet’s E flat playersounded less than comfortable. HoweverAlex South’s take on the Lament over the Seaon bass clarinet with the accompanyingclarinets lapping at the edges reallytransported us to a tranquil Scottish loch.Many Miles Away, five quotations from Sir

Walter Scott by the Scots composer Francine

CLARINETFEST 2013, 24-28 JULY, ASSISI, ITALY

British clarinet ensemble

nicholas cox and Harvey Davies

robertaGottardiperformingStockhausen’sLittleHarlequin

Stephen Bagotfrom theBritishclarinetensemble triesout theripamonte Bbcontrabassclarinet

One couldalmost envisagehis preaching tothe birds in theclarinets’ initial

long notes



The opening evening concert was specialnot least because of the truly splendidperformance of the Band of Italian StatePolice and their outstanding conductorMaurizio Billi. They lived every note of theItalian music presented. The soloistichighlight was the magnificent clarinet playingand movingly sensitive musicality ofCalogero Palermo (principal of the RomeOpera House Orchestra) in the RigolettoFantasy, beautifully arranged for bandaccompaniment. This was a totally unifiedperformance between soloist and band thatwill stay long in the memory, as will the finalband item with no soloist to steal theirthunder: ‘The Triumphant March’ and‘Finale’ from Aida. With four then eightceremonial trumpets standing at the backand the whole band proudly presenting ‘their’music, the little hair I have left was allstanding on end. A wonderful almost end to aconcert. Their rendition of the Italiannational anthem no less also showed theband’s corporate heart as well as their finemusical and technical skills. No wonder theytake the world by storm on their tours.

The second evening concert didn’t fare sowell. Ricardo Morales, as one would expect,was superb in Rossini’s Introduction, Themeand Variations. Alas throughout the eveningthe conductor of the modest Bruno MadernaChamber Orchestra was out to lunch. He

totally ruined the end of Morales’sperformance, leaving various bits of orchestrastranded all over the place. Highlyembarrassing. I don’t think he really caught asingle pause or restart all evening. Despitethis, Philippe Cuper gave us an immaculateBaermann Concerto Op. 23, with the famous‘Wagner’ Adagio, and I will gloss over thefinal item as no doubt others elsewhere willhave a more objective view. All I will say isthat I could not leap to my feet with the restof the audience before the final note haddied. Perhaps I’m an uneducated snob whodoesn’t understand the subtle musicalessence embedded in the Michael Jackson‘moonwalk’…

Nicholas Cox gave committed, convincingperformances of two novelties. IainHamilton’s The Wild Garden, five miniatures,each with a flower name as its title waswritten in 2000 during the last weeks of thecomposer’s life, and received its firstperformance. Then a sonata by Bax written in1901, whilst he was a student at the RAM. Amajor two-movement work, it had the veryoccasional hint of things to come, butbasically looked backwards, and was nonethe worse for that. Names mentioned wereTchaikovsky, early Scriabin and Stanford.Perhaps a teacher might have suggested alittle pruning here and there, but it is majorwork that sustains interest of players and

IMPRESSIONS OF ASSISIIan Mitchell

Abeautiful medieval town built on a dramatic hill with narrow streets,alleyways, enticing steps down to even tinier streets; the occasional pseudo-pop star trying, and failing, to scatter tourists as he hopes to impress with his

Alfa Romeo; delicious pizza; St Francis mementos everywhere; permanent 35 degreeheat; lovely peaceful evenings chatting in one of several café/bars in the mainsquare. All this set the scene for a splendid ClarinetFest. There were eight venues,quite spread out, and there were often six or seven simultaneous 30 minute eventsback to back. This created a challenge as to what to hear and what to miss. Therewere over 100 events – 30 minute recitals, plus classes and lectures during the day,with lengthy evening concerts. I realise that I heard all or snatches of, about 50different kinds of event. Standards varied from truly memorable to best forgotten,with everything in between. Here’s an attempt at a personal, and I hope objective,very selective overview.

Trester (a commission for the ScottishQuartet from Creative Scotland) proved thereal find in this enterprising young group’sprogramme. Here the composer found fivedifferent sound worlds from differentcombinations of bass clarinets and B flatswhich reflected Scott’s poetic images ofScotland leading the listener from the‘Prologue’ (on the shore of a dark Scottishloch) to melting ‘Frozen’ statues of snow toanother ‘Nocturne’ to ‘Enigma’-tic Catsstealthy feline frolics and no flying fur, to apaean to Edinburgh’s steep slopes ‘piled deepand massy’ - a rousing hymn to ‘Mine OwnRomantic Town’. In this well prepared andwell crafted work full of character andpoetry, the Scottish Clarinet Quartetbrilliantly brought to life each movement intexture and detail. In Becky Milne’s ownWaulking Bass from 2004, a highland lamentcrooned over atmospheric ostinati noodlingon high bass clarinets - a fun finale never faraway from a Highland fling or reel.

Gabor Varga’s excellent recital in theMetastasio Theatre turned out to be one ofthe most memorable experiences of theClarinetFest 2013. This fine Hungarianplayer (Principal in Hungarian Radio since1997) impressed in Mihály Hajdu’s Capriccioall’Ongarese. With his rich, focused andcolourful sound Varga’s fluent technique andfine ensemble with pianist Kim Fabbri madethis Hungarian staple a real treat withtasteful vibrato where appropriate.ClarisonusNo. 2 by prize-winningclarinettist/composer Teodor Burkali (b.1976) was a real discovery. This striking workfor solo clarinet in the same tradition asOlah’s Sonata embarks on a moto perpetuoon repeated articulated and timbraltrills/changes of one note. A brilliantlyeffective slow middle section based onviable multiphonics was dispatched witharticulative ease and aplomb by Gabor Varga- a real tour de force. This approachable butmodern sounding work is a real must foranyone keen on good solo pieces for clarinet.Gabor Varga’s performance of this piece canbe seen on YouTube. Varga concluded with aRhapsody by tuba player Roland Szentpáli (b.1977) in which his exciting doodling aroundtraditional Hungarian rhythms and twiddlymodal scales contrasted with glissandowailings and a central wistful shepherd’ssong. For all his committed and impressivelyfluent playing he could not quitecompensate for an over-repetitive piano partwhich seemed stuck in a groove for rathertoo long in the edgy finale.

The 2013 ClarinetFest will hold manylasting memories for us all and will beremembered, like New Orleans in 2001, asone of the best. Thanks go to Piero Vincentiand Antonio Fraioli for all their hard workand dedication to this event, five years in theplanning.clarinetfest 2014 – Baton rouge,Louisianaclarinetfest 2015 – Madrid, Spain �


audience. After hearing some performancesthat seemed primarily concerned with notes,it was good to hear this one that focused100% on the music. Someone else who putthe music first was Alessandro Carbonare,whose rendition of Jörg Widman’s fiendishlydifficult unaccompanied Fantaisie was trulymemorable for superlative clarinet playingserving the music in a spectacular fashion.The British artist David Jean-Baptiste offeredpotentially interesting clarinet and bassclarinet items. Alas, the heat got to him, andunfortunately his circular breathing brokedown. Still one got the essence of what he wasabout.

The Buffet Crampon Gala Concert wasmemorable for me when William O. (Bill)Smith came on and stood alone barelymoving, encouraging us, therefore to listen.What a difference from some of the balleticmusic making we saw that evening. He playeda lovely reflective ten-minute improvisationwith soul. The next day he presented hislatest work for two clarinettists (both playingtwo clarinets at once at various points) anddouble bass. The encore, Bill’s Blues,wasremarkable as Bill soloed wonderfully ondouble clarinet. How does he do that? Andhow does he do all that at 87 years old?

Someone else who genuinely draws newsounds from the clarinet is Eric Mandatwhose performance of his own ChiralSymmetries for clarinet alone (a première)was immensely colourful. The six movementshad evocative titles such as Dancing on theEdge of Light. The whole 30 minutes, some ofit on the edge of audibility, was totallyengrossing, and took us on a voyage todiscover a myriad of extraordinary clarinetsounds. Back to the eighteenth century therewas some neat, undemonstrative basset hornplaying in Backofen and Salieri from NicolaBulfone, enjoyable, if musically undemandingfare. Good to hear the basset is alive andkicking.

I very much enjoyed some mixedensembles that changed the colour of theweek from a purely clarinet focus. There wasthe excellent Crescent Duo from Central

Michigan University – Joanna Cowan White,flute and Kennen White, clarinet, playingenjoyable pieces by Nicola Resanovic andRusty Banks in total unanimity. Also, theCavell Trio from the University of Alabama:Shelly Meggison, oboe; Osiris J. Molina,clarinet; Jenny Mann, bassoon, offered asplendidly characterful performance ofSchulhoff’s challenging seven-movementDivertissement that is sadly little known.

There were lots of clarinet quartets from allover the place, outstanding being the AnchesHantées Quartet from Paris, one of whosemembers was an excellent arranger. Largerclarinet ensembles came from Istanbul,Berlin, Netherlands, Tokyo, and elsewhere,and included our own British ClarinetEnsemble. Here I become less than objective,I’m afraid. They were due to start at 5pm, Idashed up the hill, leaving Karl Leister to hisMozart Quintet as I wanted to hear their AndyScott première. I arrived about one minute tofive having lost 3lbs in sweat dashing up a onein three hill only to hear about the lastminute. They decided to start early. Hmm,better move on quickly.

We had an extraordinary amount of bassclarinet music, mostly solo, and occasionallyin ensemble. Alas, much of it I missed, despite

enticing, often unknown repertoire broughtby individuals from around the world.Cornelius Boots’s funky, hard-hitting fourbass clarinet ensemble was full on andengrossing. They certainly needed noamplification! He also gave a thought-provoking talk on holistic breathing, entitledBreathe from the Heels: Tone, Alchemy andInspiration embracing Taoist and otheroriental thinking. The UK’s Andrew Robertsoffered a most valuable talk entitled Gainwithout Pain. A guide to avoiding and dealingwith injuries for the clarinet player. Essentialstuff for us all, as was Australian DianaTolmie’s talk on The Portfolio CareerClarinettist given to five of us.

The final event of the Fest was theAmerican Professors’ Clarinet Ensemble,followed by the Italian AFAM ClarinetEnsemble; then they joined together. TheItalians lived every note of their nationalrepertoire. They are proud of it and it justemerges naturally communicating directlywith each of us. They loved it; we loved it. Afitting end to ClarinetFest 2013.

A last downbeat plea: could every one of usagree to ban circular breathing from allstandard repertoire, please? Thanks. �


eddie Danielsand ron odrich -best friendsduetting

calogero PalermoperformingVerdi/Bassi

Kari Kriikku plays klezmer


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Tom is the principal clarinettist of theCentral Band of the Royal Air Force. As manyof you may know, the Central Band is theUnited Kingdom’s leading military band witha worldwide reputation for musicalexcellence. Tom’s professional musicaljourney began at the Royal Academy of Musicstudying under such luminaries as Tim Lines,Angela Malsbury and Nick Rodwell. As astudent Tom fully immersed himself in everyperformance opportunity, going on to becomea Royal Academy prize-winner. Tom recalls: “Iloved every minute of my time at theAcademy, practising and performing forseveral hours a day became routine and hasmade me the performer I am now. By the timeI graduated I felt pretty burnt out. I knew Iwanted a career as a performer but didn’t feelready to start auditioning so I applied for thejob of president of the student union.” Tomnow feels that this break from music gave himperspective. Very soon he realised that acareer as a military musician would give himboth an active lifestyle and a musical career.But which branch of the services to choose?That was easy, Tom expands: “The CentralBand of the RAF has such a brilliantreputation and I knew that they performednot only at all the country’s finest concerthalls but had toured abroad to some prettyinteresting places”. Decision made, Tomcontacted RAF Music Services and began theprocess of joining up. Audition passed andrecruiting criteria completed, he set off for hisinitial recruit training at RAF Halton. “Thebasic training was very different to life as astudent, lots of early mornings, running aboutand quite a lot of shouting!” Tom continues,“On the day of my graduation parade I feltproud as Punch, nine weeks previously I hadbeen a scruffy ex-student, now I was a fullmember of the British forces”.

So what have been Tom’s career highlights?“Being the principal clarinettist of CentralBand is a great honour. The band performs atsuch a high standard, we regularlycommission new works and have recordedwith many outstanding musicians. Last yearour album Diamonds featuring the worldrenowned euphonium player Steven Meadreceived critical acclaim by many magazines.

In May we released an album of music by theTV and film composer Nigel Hess. That wenton to become CD of the week on Classic FM,with his new arrangement of Ladies inLavender achieving ‘track of the week’. Eachyear the bands of RAF Music Services take tothe road as part of their ‘RAF in Concert’tour. Tom has special reason to enjoy thesehigh profile concerts. “The UK has somefabulous concert halls and I have been luckyenough to perform as a soloist to capacityaudiences. I was given the opportunity toperform an especially composedarrangement of the music of GeorgeGershwin. Performing it at the Royal AlbertHall, Symphony Hall Birmingham and theBridgewater Hall in Manchester was afantastic experience.” Unusually for aconcert performer Tom has enjoyed playingat many of the international military Tattoosthat the band appears at. Particularhighlights were performances in Quebec, theNetherlands and the Aussie Stadium inSydney Australia. “It’s weird to think that I

ROYAL ALBERT HALLTO THE FALKLAND ISLANDSThe Royal Air Force Sea King search and rescue helicopter came in low and fast

over the rough windswept terrain of West Falkland. Sergeant Tom Rodda gaveBara, his patrol dog, a reassuring pat, but this was all in a day’s work for this

experienced, highly trained patrol dog. The din in the back of the Sea King increasedas the pilot ‘flared’ the throttle, bringing the aircraft into a hover over the boggylandscape. Using hand signals, the winch man motioned for Tom and Bara to preparethemselves for a descent via wire onto terra firma. Hooked up to the winch and withBara firmly strapped to Tom’s chest, the rotor blades rotating just feet above theirheads, they were gently lowered to the ground. Sergeant Tom Rodda, patrol doghandler, was now primed and ready to begin a four day training exercise in one of theworld’s most inhospitable environments. With his backpack, weapon and rations,Tom and Bara set off into the unforgiving terrain of the Falkland Islands.

Rob Jordan

tom performing live on radio 3 from the Queenelizabeth Hall


ROYAL ALBERT HALLTO THE FALKLAND ISLANDS

played with the band in Australia to 30,000people a night in the same arena where theBritish Lions beat the Australians at rugby!”

So how did Tom get to be suspended froma wire beneath a helicopter in the FalklandIslands? As with all members of the BritishForces, RAF musicians (not bandsmen!) arerequired to serve on operations overseas.Music services personnel have beendeployed as convoy commanders,administrators and with air transportationsquadrons to Afghanistan, Iraq, Turkey andCyprus. Tom says of his time on operations“Most musicians only ever get oneopportunity to go on ‘Ops’ and nearly all ofthose who get deployed volunteer, this wasthe case with me. I’m very much an‘outdoors’ person, so doing a job that iscompletely out of my comfort zone was verydaunting but ultimately exciting. Virtuallyevery RAF musician who has served on

operations has enjoyed the experience, atthe end of the day we are military personnelwho have made a commitment to defend theUK’s interests.”

So what’s next for Tom? Pretty much moreof the same. In October the band will take tothe road for their tour, with appearances onBBC 1’s Festival of Remembrance and a live

broadcast on Classic FM with the NorthernSinfonia. What became of Bara the patroldog? Tom says “It was a sad day to leaveBara, we worked together for six months andduring that time we became best buddies. I’dlike to think that right now she is with hernew patrol dog handler wagging her tail andeager for action!” �

tom rodda and his patrol dog Bara

Nick’s playing was not limitedto orchestras and included a lotof light music with Mantovaniand other light music ensemblesoften on radio and television. “Irecorded with the Beatles on theSgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts ClubBand album. That was awonderful experience with awhole lot of players from thesymphony orchestras. Why theygot us there I don’t know but wejust played whatever we liked! Allat the same time! Ludicrous!”

Nick regularly played forGlyndebourne Opera House. “Inthose days the opera housesclosed in the summer and all thetop international artists used tocome to Glyndebourne. Doingthe Mozart operas there withFritz Busch was marvellous.Vittorio Goi was conducting aswell then.”

During his playing career Nickhad many opportunities as achamber musician and playedmost of the clarinet chamberrepertoire and most of theclarinet sonatas. “I began playingchamber music while I was atschool. When I was in theLondon Philharmonic Orchestrathe string players liked to dochamber music so I did theMozart and Brahms quintetswith them.”

The move into administrationcame during the 1960s whenNick was elected to the ExecutiveCommittee of the Musician’sUnion and he served aschairman of the London branchcommittee. Nick was alsochairman of the PhilharmoniaOrchestra from 1974 and finished

in both posts in 1979.“I was on the Goodman

Committee which was set up tosort out the problems of the fourLondon orchestras and so I hadquite a lot to do with LordGoodman. When the GulbenkianFoundation was established toinquire into the facilitiesavailable to prepare musiciansleaving the colleges of music forthe orchestral profession, it wasdecided to set up a committee ofenquiry into the training ofmusicians. I was chosen to be onit because I was a professor at theRoyal College of Music, chairmanof the council of management ofthe Philharmonia and on theExecutive Committee of theMusicians’ Union. Otherrepresentatives on the GoodmanCommittee were from the BBC,music colleges and the MU withJohn Vasey (later Lord Vasey) aschairman. The BBC TrainingOrchestra had been set up in1966 but by 1976 the BBC decidedit could not afford to keep it anylonger. I put forward the

idea of the National Centre forOrchestral Studies which wasestablished in 1978. I left thePhilharmonia and I wasappointed its director and Istayed for ten years.” TheNational Centre was attached toGoldsmiths College, Universityof London and Nick was able touse his influence to bring wellrespected conductors to workwith students. Many formerstudents continue to work in themusic profession. There werehopes to move the centre toBristol, but a fire at the intendedvenue prevented this and asfunding was being withdrawn itwas considered too difficult tocontinue.

Nick’s travels took him all overthe world listening toprospective students inconservatoires. After a trip to theFar East Nick’s reputation as atroubleshooter (“as well as atrouble maker” he jokes) led to

him being invited straight back toHong Kong to sort out a delicatesituation involving a disputebetween the orchestra and theconductor.

Even the most successful ofperforming musicians teach andNick began teaching quite earlyon. “I had pupils from when I was18. It sounds ridiculous andmany were much older thanmyself. When I was in theLondon Philharmonic Orchestraand Royal PhilharmonicOrchestra I had quite a few pupilswho were in the dance bandworld and who came to me forlessons. I also taught at theCentral School of Dance Musicwhere I had every sort of pupilincluding an MP and his wife.There were people of every kind.Some went into the profession. Iwas a professor at the RoyalCollege of Music for over 20years.” One of Nick’s mostfamous past pupils issurprisingly not a clarinettist,but does cite Nick as a majorinfluence on his own career.While still a student at the RoyalCollege of Music Rick Wakemanhad been offered a lot of sessionwork. When the work startedgetting in the way of college workNick, his clarinet teacher at thetime advised Rick that if hedidn’t take the opportunitiesnow it might be a while beforeother doors opened. Wakemanleft the RCM and later in aprogramme of This Is Your Lifeexplained what Nick had done


BASILTSCHAIKOVIn the last issue of Clarinet & Saxophone Stephanie

Reeve looked at the early life and orchestral playingcareer of Basil Tschaikov, better known as Nick. While

Nick was hugely successful as a performer, his interests inkeeping up with the day to day workings of the orchestrashe played in, led to other projects and positions resultingin equally successful careers in teaching andadministration. Nick retired to Norwich a few years ago.

Part 2. Stephanie Reeve finds out about theman who played with major orchestras,worked with the greatest conductors, playedchamber music and in West end shows, didsessions with the Beatles and much more

BasiltschaikovwithriccardoMuti

Basiltschaikovwith JohnMccaw


for him as a student. As well asteaching, Nick has written severaltutor books, First Tunes andStudies published by Schott in1960 and Play the Clarinetpublished by Chappell & Co. in1969.

At one time Nick had theopportunity to meet BennyGoodman when he was invited toattend a rehearsal at Aldeburghwhere Benny was to perform withthe Amadeus Quartet in 1981. “Atthe end of the rehearsal I startedtalking with Goodman. One of thethings Goodman had terribletrouble with was reeds. At thattime, as a sort of side thing, I wasmaking reeds and so I got quitegood at fixing them and so I saidwould you like me to fix yourreeds for you and we spent aboutan hour ‘tootling’ together. It wasa wonderful occasion for me.”

In 1990 Nick and Dorothymoved from their home inWelbeck Street, very close thePhilharmonia’s office, toHampshire. “When I was 65 Iretired and we went down andlived in Liss where we had abeautiful cottage with an acre ofground, right in the country downa dip. It was absolutely lovely.”

“In 1987 I set up the MusicPerformance Research Centrewith Jon Tolansky, which in 2001became Music Preserved at YorkUniversity. Our aim was to recordperformances at the Royal FestivalHall and other concert halls thatcould be listened to at ourlistening sudio in the BarbicanCentre. We were able to persuadethe Musicians Union and otherauthorities as well as theorchestra and the musiciansthemselves not to charge us aslong as we guaranteed that theserecordings would not be availableto be re-recorded by anyone else.Over time we recorded a greatdeal of music of all kinds. Sometime after 2001, when MusicPreserved became part of YorkUniversity they have issued a fewof the recordings. At about thesame time I started MusicPreserved’s aural history ofmusicians in Britain. I recordedinterviews with musicians of allages, some were already veryelderly who had played insymphony orchestras, dancebands, jazz musicians, those whoplayed in light orchesras and eventhe chap who played in thestreet.”

I ask Nick if he follows anycurrent career but he smiles andsays “I’m just trying to enjoy life

really!” I explain that readers areoften interested to learn whatinstruments performers play onand it should come as no surprisethat Nick played on 1010s.“Boosey & Hawkes startedmaking 1010s which were copiedfrom a French instrument thatReginald Kell played on. Theygave a pair to Kell and my father(Anassim Tschaikov*). Then myfather was given another pairwhich I started on. I played onthose most of my life and towardsthe end they made some changesto the 1010s, updated them a bitand I had a pair of those. I neverenjoyed playing on those as muchas the old ones but the old onestended to have some intonationfaults and you had to do all sortsof comic fingerings to overcomethat especially in the topregister.”

We briefly mention Nick’syounger brother Alan who wasalso a clarinettist and played forover 40 years in the JerusalemRadio Symphony Orchestra. Sixmonths after what was anunsuccessful audition for theIsrael Philharmonic it was thenthat Alan got invited to go out tothe radio orchestra. “He went outand he stayed there until he was70. He has still gone on playing inan amateur orchestra made up ofretired professional musicians.”

Nick’s memories are vivid andhis tales are recalled as if theyhappened yesterday. I am curiousto know whether he kept a diary.Nick does have all his diaries butthey are not reflective, merelyrecords of where he played andonly occasionally including theprogramme. Nick mentions hisgood fortune many times butthroughout the interview and inchatting with him and Dorothyafterwards I realise he has thatrare skill to be able to grab at anyopportunity and look at anythingwith a positive view, somethingthat today’s musicians should beencouraged to do. Nick took theopportunity to write down manyevents within his life in thecontext of the profession and theresult is his book The Music GoesRound and Around full ofinsights. If we all strive to havemeaningful musical experiencesperhaps we can hope to lookforward to equally strongmemories in years to come. More information about MusicPreserved can be found atwww.musicpreserved.org.uk*anassim tschaikov was nick’s father,not anton as stated in part 1. anton wasanassim’s brother. �


Trish’s debut album, Tangent (2010),featured an orchestra conducted by Jules

Buckley (of the Heritage Orchestra), while

her most recent release, And In The Night-

Time She is There (2012) pairs a virtuoso

string quartet with her core ensemble of

James Maddren on drums, Chris Montague

on guitar, and Calum Gourlay on bass, with

guest artists Gwilym Simcock (piano) and

Kathleen Willison (voice). The result is

some of the most refreshing music of recent

times. The album’s unusual title comes

from a poem by Oscar Wilde, and it is a

mark of Trish’s success that an Internet

search for the line takes you to rave reviews

of her latest release rather than to the

collected works of the famous Irish

wordsmith. I spoke to Trish at the end of

2012, a year of dizzying success and critical

recognition for this remarkably modest

musician, and from what she tells me, 2013

is just as rewarding for her listeners.

The glisteningly intricate sound world of

Trish’s epic ‘Iris Nonet’, with its composerly

improvisations and expressionistic score,

belies the challenges facing anyone who

wants to incorporate strings into a jazz

setting. Fortunately for Trish, who grew up

immersed in classical music, composition

and improvisation have never been far

removed, and the fact that it can be hard to

define a role for bowed strings within the

well established context of the jazz quartet

is an opportunity rather than an

impediment. “In my latest album”, she

enthuses, “I tried to think of the string

players as individuals, rather than just a

string quartet, and to really integrate them

into the standard line up. Before I came to

jazz, I’d always been writing music, so I’ve

always had those classical textures in my

head. It’s just that jazz musicians have been

working with amplification for a long time,

so while we’re used to dealing with a group

of instruments that aren’t naturally the

same volume, for most classical musicians

that’s not normal.” Certainly, with young

virtuosi such as Louise McMonagle on cello

and Thomas Gould on violin at her disposal

one can see why Trish has gone to such

lengths to make the most of their individual

talents. The resulting compositions also

bring out the best in her standard

ensemble; guitarist Chris Montague in

particular is majestic on ‘Atlas’. Trish’s

writing arguably reaches the full extent of

its ingenuity in ‘Animator’, whose opening

quasi-Baroque string figurations give way

to a counterpoint between earthy guitar

and eerie string harmonics.

Over the last 30 years there can hardly

have been a UK jazz project not coloured by

the influence of 1980s big band Loose

Tubes. Among that group’s alumni, Iain

Ballamy holds a special place in the hearts

of many music lovers for his consummate

musicianship, wit, and apparent ability to

capture something identifiably British in

his music. Trish has been variously

compared to Wayne Shorter, Stan Getz, and

Joe Lovano, but it is arguably to Ballamy

that her musical sensibility bears its closest

resemblance, an influence she is happy to

wear on her sleeve. “I was 16 when I

decided on music as a career”, says Trish.

“People were quite shocked because it was

a sudden change; I was just going to sleep

one day when I realised I loved music too

much and I couldn’t commit to doing

medicine anymore”. Fortunately she had

already been given some recordings of

Loose Tubes, and having checked out the

individual characters in the band Ballamy

was the obvious choice when it was

suggested she needed lessons with

somebody on the scene. “Iain’s music spoke

to me straight away, so we literally just

looked his number up in the Musicians’

Union Directory. I had a few lessons with

him before going to the Royal Academy of

Music, and studied with him again in my

third year there, and he’s just been an

incredible support ever since”. Ballamy’s

influence on Trish stretches well beyond

the immediately musical; jazz remains a

male dominated world, and female role

models are few and far between. For this

reason, Ballamy was perceptive in pointing

Trish in the direction of Clarinet &

Saxophone favourite Barbara Thompson.

“Being female in the jazz world isn’t an

issue, but it’s still different than it is for a

guy”, opines Trish. “Iain suggested it might

be nice for me to meet Barbara, because

she’s such an incredible woman for lots of

different reasons. She’s got such a

personality and has always done big

projects and worked in an interesting way.

When I met her and her husband, the

drummer Jon Hiseman, I took the rough

mixes for my second album so they could

hear what kind of a player I was. Jon heard

my sound and said straight away that I

should perform a suite of arrangements of

the music of Kurt Weill that Barbara had

commissioned. They gave me a copy of

Barbara’s recording of the project (Barbara

Song) and a couple of months later I was

chatting to Christine Allen, owner of Basho

records and the curator for the St James’s

Piccadilly concerts during the 2012 London

Jazz Festival. Drums can be problematic in

that acoustic, so we thought this would be a

project that would work really well.”

Thankfully, for those who missed it, Trish

Impresario Norman Ganz (1918-2001) contributed much to many of the bestaspects of jazz, not least its role in combating racial inequality in the ‘50sand ‘60s. Among his more questionable additions to the jazz tradition,however, are the album liner notes to Charlie Parker with Strings (1949). Indescribing the addition of these quintessentially classical instruments toParker’s usual ensemble as ‘softening’ and ‘prettifying’, he set the tone forthe future of their oft maligned integration with jazz. Thankfully, musicalhorizons have broadened, and today classically influenced orchestration is amajor force behind some of the most compelling music on the British scene,from Julian Arguelles’s As Above So Below to Acoustic Triangle’s ThreeDimensions, via the music of John Surman. Among those leading the way inthis arena is saxophonist and composer Trish Clowes, who is currently a BBCRadio 3 New Generation Artist.

TRISHCLOWES

William Upton

promises that they’re planning to do again.

From the outside looking in, 2012 had

the flavour of a breakthrough year for

Trish. Certainly, the BBC New Generation

Artist award has propelled her into the

foreground of the British musical

landscape, but in an era of instant success,

when female performers are often valued

more for their looks than ability, Trish is

keen to emphasise the long-term aspect of

her career. “To me it’s been gradual. It’s

putting in a lot of hard work every day

when you have no idea what’s going to

happen, and I’ve been doing that for a long

time, so even though it has been a

breakthrough year it’s not been a lottery.”

Questions such as ‘Is what I’m doing

socially useful, and is it going anywhere?’

plague every thoughtful musician. But the

BBC award has given Trish some peace of

mind. “It’s nice when you’ve been through

thick and thin in your head and something

like this comes along and gives you that

push. It just filled me with energy; there’s

projects I know are definitely going to

happen, and I’ve never had that before”.

‘Cross-genre’ and ‘collaboration’ are

common buzzwords in the artistic

community, and are standard criteria for

funding. But few such projects live up to

their hype. Trish’s Emulsion is one that

does – ‘a cross-genre music festival’ with

the modest mission statement to ‘offer up

a few ideas’ as to ‘where the improvised

music scene is going’. Her co-protagonists

in this venture are composers Luke Styles,

Rory Simmons, and Iain Ballamy, and

recent concerts have included new works

alongside such avant-garde standards as

Helmut Lachenmann’s wonderfully

guttural Pression for solo cello. “The whole

reason Simmons, Ballamy, and Styles are

involved”, says Trish, “is because I felt we

all had a very similar vibe, we all have that

ability to blur boundaries, and people

expect the unexpected from us already.

Having all four of us in the same place is

going to draw an audience that’s happy to

be surprised and have its ears tested, and

we try to make it very clear what the

festival is about so that there aren’t people

turning up expecting swing for three sets.”

At the heart of Emulsion, and indeed

much of what Trish does, seems to be the

desire to tap into the hinterland between

contemporary classical music and jazz,

combining and expanding those genre’s

limited audiences – a practical aim at a

time of austerity. “For me that

combination’s always felt very natural, and

perhaps in the past when some musicians

have tried to force these things it hasn’t

worked out. That’s true of anything, not

just incorporating classical instruments as

such, but in general if you force things

musically it tends not to be successful”. The

same naturalness is apparent in another of

the defining features of Trish’s musical

persona; while other young musicians,

such as Marius Neset, announce their

arrival in the jazz world with their

pyrotechnical virtuosity, Trish’s technical

facility is very much in service to her

melodic voice. “This is something I think

about every day”, she admits, and the

results are apparent on tracks such as

‘Little Tune’, a heartfelt nod to the

American Songbook which closes her

second album. “There are other things to

think about other than flying around the

instrument, and I’ve chosen to think about

those. Each day as an individual you have

to decide what kind of playing suits you,

and keep a balance between what

challenges you and what sounds right.

Whatever feels natural, you should check it

out and get obsessed with it. I think being

obsessed with things is part of the process

of being a musician, and I’m actually trying

to get back to that.” The age of iTunes has

certainly changed the way we listen, and

despite her youth Trish admits to being

nostalgic for the past. “When I was a

teenager you bought a CD and that was the

only thing you listened to – you really

cherished the music you had, and I actually

think it’s a good thing to just focus on what

it is about one person’s sound that you

really love. If you’re going to do music for

your life you’ve got to get obsessed and

love things.”

This seemingly simple approach is

behind one of the most nuanced voices in

British music, and we should be grateful

that the BBC is helping to bring Trish’s

music to an ever-wider audience. Major

upcoming events for the saxophonist

include a performance with the Trish

Clowes Quartet featuring Gareth Williams

on the 26th September at the Vortex Jazz

Club in a double bill with Tom Challenger’s

Brass Mask, and with her Tangent Sextet at

the RNCM Saxophone Day on 10th

November. For details of these and other

performances visit her regularly updated

events page:

www.trishclowes.com/Site/Dates.html.twitter: @trishclowesfacebook: www.facebook.com/trish.clowes �



LIST AC.P.E. Bach March (from AnnaMagdalena’s Notebook)

time travels for Saxophone arr. Buckland andScott. eb and Bb piano accompaniments arepublished separately

in c major this march is in cut common timeand the military feel really suits the saxophone.the repeated rhythmic motif has a minim whichwill need to be sustained. Bars 15 to 18 and bars19 to 22 require some stamina to keep thequavers on the move. aim for accurateintonation on the final top c. the crescendoover the previous four bars should help this.

MacDowell To A Wild Rose

time travels for Saxophone arr. Buckland andScott. eb and Bb piano accompaniments arepublished separately

this well known gentle ‘Woodland Sketch’ givesthe melody to the saxophone throughout, soplan the breathing carefully. Keep the sound assimple as possible and sustain each phrase.Make the most of the dynamic range. top Dalternates with Bb at the climax and this shouldbe smooth and carefully executed.

Grieg ‘Morning’ from Peer Gynt

the classic experience for alto Saxophone /classic experience collection for tenorSaxophone, arr. Lanning

this popular melody is no doubt well known toeveryone and the arrangement is simple buteffective for this level. the saxophone andpiano alternate the melody as in the orchestralversion where flute alternates with oboe. Pacethe crescendo up to the climax at bar 30 anduse the bis key for the a to B flat trill. the notesat the end are long so count carefully to playthem for the correct length.

J. Strauss I Radetsky March (Eflat saxophone only)

the classic experience for alto Saxophone, arr.Lanning

another very well known tune, without the trioin this arrangement as the March gives enoughto think about at this stage. crisp articulation,

strong rhythm and a good range of dynamicsgive the piece its drive. Use the long fingeringfor the a sharp in bar 11. Good stamina isneeded as there is just one crotchet restthroughout and make sure all the repeatedquavers are played in the run up to the D.S.marking.

Mussorgsky ‘Promenade’ fromPictures at an Exhibition

first repertoire for alto Saxophone, arr Harrisand calland or Selected Solos forSoprano/tenor Saxophones Vol. 1, arr. Denley

the changing irregular time signatures of 5/4,6/4 and 3/2 should not be a distraction as thecrotchet pulse remains the same throughout.the only note values used are crotchets andquavers so rhythmically this should not be toodaunting. the interest comes from the strongopening with tenuti setting the scene and theexpectation as we enter the exhibition. Much ofthe material appears in different forms, both insaxophone and piano so linking these will helpthe piece be understood. there is much scopefor linking this with other pictures and nodoubt a composition or two in creating musicfor new pictures. the piano part is moredemanding than others at this level.

Vivaldi ‘Cantabile’ from IlCordelino

first repertoire, arr Harris and calland orSelected Solos for Soprano/tenor SaxophonesVol. 1, arr. Denley

this beautiful slow movement is from one ofVivaldi’s many flute concertos. in 12/8 therhythmic lilt of crotchet to quaver supports thesaxophone’s slightly more varied melody.cantabile is in a song-like manner and thephrases can almost be from a ballad. Both eflat and B flat versions are written in c major sotuning of top c notes in the last line should bechecked.

Rubinstein Melodie(E flat saxophone only)

Klassische Saxophone-Soli, arr. Both

originally for piano, this melody of almost allcrotchet and two quavers in a bar, is a gentleexpressive piece with phrases clearly definedand gently shaped over a syncopatedaccompaniment. as with To A Wild Rose thebreathing needs to be thought through as thereis just one rest. there are several ritenuto

markings so just enjoy holding onto thosenotes before moving on.

Philip Sparke Waltz withVariations

Skilful Solos for alto Saxophone or SkilfulSolos for tenor Saxophone, arr. Sparke

the theme of this waltz is in G major with afairly simple rhythm. the ascending arpeggioof the first two bars and the a sharp later arefeatures which appear in the two variations.the first variation introduces a dotted rhythmwhile the second variation is of continuous barsfull of quavers. if played well this one cancertainly sound skilful.

Vaughan Williams Linden Lea

time Pieces for eb Saxophone Vol. 1 or timePieces for Bb Saxophone Vol. 1, arr. Denley

this gentle folk tune is in D major and beginshalfway through the 3/4 bar. as a song thephrasing should be carefully thought out andbreaths should be taken in places where it willnot disrupt the flow. consider the use ofdynamics, particularly around the climax ofeach section. a strong forte can lead to anexpressive answer in the repeated quieterphrase. the piano takes the melody in thesecond section while the saxophone plays acounter melody that weaves around theoriginal melody. Some changes in tempo add tothe expressive feel.

Jacob A Christmas Tune (B flatsaxophone only)

time Pieces for Bb Saxophone Vol. 1, arr.Denley

originally for cello and piano this tune workswell for saxophone. it has the feel of achristmas carol with its simple vocal melodyand regular phrases. the tempo marking isAndante con moto and the con moto isparticularly important as this may have atendency to drag if not careful.

Mozart Marche funebre delSignor Maestro Contrapunto (Bflat saxophone only)

time Pieces for Bb Saxophone Vol. 1, arr.Denley

this piece is almost too sombre with its heavyminor opening and dotted quaver-semiquavermotif. after a short syncopated section the

ABRSM SAXOPHONE GRADE 3Repertoire for the ABRSM woodwind lists has been revised for 2014 and thechanges are quite substantial. The 2013 syllabus may be used in the first examsession of 2014. From this issue onwards the focus is on the new syllabus.

Stephanie Reeve Looks at


ABRSM SAXOPHONE GRADE 3music really brightens. the second section alsobegins seriously and while rhythmic material isbased on the first section it stays minor until theend. the contrast between forte tongued andpiano smooth phrases are worth spending timeon. the syncopated bars will need preparationwith the accompaniment. not everyone’s cup oftea but contains recognisable Mozartcharacteristics.

LIST BCoward My Horse had Cast a Shoe

time Pieces for eb Saxophone or time Pieces forBb Saxophone, arr. Denley

featuring a prima donna of the operatic worldwho joins the community of a remote island,Pacific 1860 was an operetta by noel coward,but was not one of his successes. this song,sung by the heroine is in two clear sections. thefirst half is humorous, typical of much ofcoward’s writing. Straightforward rhythmically,the melody features wide intervals in G majorover clashing chords in the accompaniment.the second section is much more lyrical and thestep movement midway is in f major. a lovelycontrast and a good test for thinking aboutadjusting the sound.

Paul Harris Round the Bend

first repertoire for alto Saxophone, arr. Harrisand calland

it will most likely be the rhythms in this livelynumber that will drive you round the bend! in6/8, the tied notes across the bar line confusethe beat unless you maintain a strong sense ofpulse. the accompaniment remains firmly onthe beat for the first 12 bars and final 12 barswhile the middle 12 is slightly smoother, morelyrical and less complex than the outer sections.Use the contrasts with articulation to achievethe spiritoso direction.

Joplin The Easy Winners

Up Grade! for alto Saxophone Grades 2-3, arr.Wedgwood

two sections of this popular rag are presentedhere. in G major the first section is the melodyas expected while the second section with itsshort chromatic bursts has been simplified tomake it technically more manageable. thepiano fills in the ends of phrases while thesaxophone sustains a long note. if you don’talready know the tune this should not cause anytrouble but players who do know the tune mightfind it odd at first. a good challenge with plentyof syncopated rhythms and ensemble aspects towork on.

Pam Wedgwood Eclipse

Up Grade! for alto Saxophone Grades 2-3, arr.Wedgwood

an atmospheric number in a minor but with amodal feel. Dotted crotchet followed by twosemiquavers is the featured rhythm and eachmelodic idea has to have some phrased shape tokeep the interest. the poco rit. takes place overcrotchets. Having played quaver rhythms up tothis point make sure the rit. happens effectively.

Mike Mower Still Waters

future Hits for alto or Baritone Saxophone

not yet available as we went to press - Ed.

James Rae Waltz for Emily

Blue Saxophone

a jazz waltz in a minor for alto and D minor fortenor plus a few blues notes. this should not betaken too slowly, perhaps a one in a bar feel tokeep it moving. it is in three sections with thethird being a repeat of the first. the middlesection is brighter and contains a few technicalchallenges.

Andy Scott Castanet

time travels for Saxophone, arr. Buckland andScott. eb and Bb piano accompaniments arepublished separately

a really enjoyable piece, full of Spanish spiritthrough the harmonies, rhythms and piano toforte hairpins. Some phrases start on the offbeat so rhythms may need work. the castaneteffect is achieved by tapping the bell with theright finger nails. this presents severalchallenges and early unsuccessful attemptsmay include missing the bell by hitting the keyguard, saxophone swinging away, difficultygetting the saxophone back into playing positionand even when all this is solved actually tappingrhythmically may cause some issues! the pieceends with both saxophonist and pianist tappingthe rhythm.

Philip Sparke Alladale Aria

Skilful Solos for alto Saxophone or Skilful Solosfor tenor Saxophone, arr. Sparke

over a repetitive semiquaver backing thesaxophone sings a haunting melody between Dmajor and B minor. it is mostly melody andaccompaniment throughout but there is a lovelymiddle section where the saxophone answersthe piano before joining together. the Scottishsnap and the title suggest the Scottishwilderness as alladale is in north-easternScotland. as well as saxophone and piano partsthere is a cD with piano accompaniments, veryuseful for practice at home.

Ros Stephen Roda de Choro

eb Saxophone Globetrotters or B flat SaxophoneGlobetrotters

a Roda de Choro is a circle of a group of peoplewho cry or lament and the style is an early formof Brazilian popular music. However it doeshave a light energy. Phrases in this piece starton the second quaver of the 4/4 bar so a senseof where the first beat comes is essential. thereare some lovely chromatic twists, again typicalof this style, and the top Ds are all approachedfrom an ascending arpeggio. there is much tothink about here but there are helpful exercisesand warm up suggestions in the book.

Paul Harris Showtime (B flatsaxophone only)

Selected Solos for Soprano/tenor SaxophoneGrades 1-3

this is a varied piece exploring a range ofrhythmic patterns, dynamic shape andarticulation. it needs a confident sound as mostof the piece is marked forte. all this takes placeabove a spirited accompaniment and the tempochanges might need good preparation. Watchout for the quaver rest in the penultimate bar.

Pam Wedgwood Rosie or Plaza deToros (B flat saxophone only)

Selected Solos for Soprano / tenor SaxophoneGrades 1-3

Rosie is a mournful ballad well suited to thetenor saxophone. Lyrical phrases stretch outover a ninth interval for expressive effect.tongued triplet crotchets give a sense ofmovement before the first tune returns. Keepconcentrating during the penultimate rest barso that the final bar is accurately placed. youmight need your matador outfit for Plaza deToros, as this is a fiery Spanish numbercomplete with a carmen cliché midway. thepiano introduction along with several barsbetween the main melodic phrases are in 5/4but the melody itself is in 3/4.

Pam Wedgwood Survivor (B flatsaxophone only)

after Hours for tenor Saxophone

a cool swing number. Phrases have an easy feelwith a light tonguing needed throughout andare in basic minor mode. rhythms are not toocomplicated but there are one or two bars wherethe material is not quite as expected. Dynamicrange here can really make a difference as pp, ffand everything in between is used. the book hasa cD with backing tracks featuring a small bandwhich is effective.


LIST CAlan Bullard Scaly Sax orThoughtful Sax

Sixty for Sax

two more from this popular collection. Usingscaly passages in c major Scaly Sax issurprisingly tricky. rests are as important asthe notes for placing phrases at the right time.Grace notes from B to c can be played with themiddle side key. this is a great technicalexercise. By contrast Thoughtful Sax is muchmore expressive and the hairpins and slurs arethe skills needed here to create a beautifulphrased account. this is reflective and there istime on the long notes to shape phrases.

Paul Harris No. 22 Tango

80 Graded Studies

the syncopated rhythms of the tango give thisstudy in a minor plenty of charm. the quaverrest at the start of some bars is the most likelyplace to have to work on but keeping it flowingcould also be an issue. Dynamics arestraightforward but use the crescendos to createthe feel of sweeping across the dance floor.

Langey No. 23 Study in A minor

80 Graded Studies

taken from otto Langey’s Practical Tutor forthe Saxophone this was originally a duetwritten to explore the key of a minor and manyof the figures are made up from the commonchords within the key. the first part is reprintedin 80 Graded Studies and is good for working onrhythm in 6/8 time. it is quite energetic and acontrast between forte and mezzo-forte mightbe something to develop. there is a D.c. al fineso the first half is played again.

Mike Mower Out of Plaice

the Good tempered Saxophone

Mower suggests that pieces in this recentpublication are written as short solo concertpieces rather than studies so are particularlyentertaining while testing or developing a skill.‘out of Plaice’ reference here is the G sharp thatfirst appears in bar two. it makes no apology forinterrupting what is otherwise a fun melody soenjoy the amusement it should cause. as alively waltz i can see this one becoming quitepopular.

James Rae No. 9 Spinnaker Jig orNo. 13 Pot Luck

36 More Modern Studies

the Spinnaker tower rises above Portsmouthand this is where rae’s youngest son iscurrently studying, so the influence for the Jighas come from numerous visits. it is a heartysailor’s tune alternating between D major and DDorian. the staccatos on crotchets and quaverswithin the 6/8 time give this a clipped feel and

the tenutos, accents and slurs give thiscontrast. Dynamics are in clear blocks with theloudest note saved for the final bar. Pot Luck isa swing number in c major but with some funchromatic deviations. a good feel for thesyncopated bars is useful and againarticulation is particular so keep it light.

Soussmann Moderato

repertoire explorer for alto Saxophone orrepertoire explorer for tenor Saxophone

flautist Heinrich Soussmann wrote manystudies for flute and this pleasing Moderato in cmajor explores the full range from low c to Dabove the stave. Some agility is required for thearpeggio figures and the smooth legatos cancontrast with the light staccatos. as a classicalstudy this sits well with the other more modernpieces on this list.

Karen Street No. 6 Phish andChips or No. 13 Domain Reason

Double click!! for Solo Saxophone

at first glance Phish and Chips looks like aswung number but players are warned ‘don’t betempted to swing the quavers’. Mostly in Dmajor pentatonic the occasional B flat gives alittle colour and the whole pentatonic scale isfeatured in an ascent on the last line. DomainReason is more relaxed and in B flat major. Biskey is recommended although there is one Bnatural. Both pieces have enjoyable melodies,clear phrases and are fun to play. �

ABRSM SAXOPHONE GRADE 3


UK CONSERVATOIRENUTURES JAZZSAXOPHONIST

Picture a young man growing up in Milan, italy, in the 1980s interested in the arts, embracedby an 800 year national culture of artistic innovation (Leonardo, raphael and Michelangelo;Donatello, cellini and Bernini; Mascagni, Busoni and respighi; Brunelleschi, Palladio, nerviand Piano). one would have thought that local schools would major on stimulating any signof creativity in the national interest. in the case of one tommaso Starace (sorry folks, i’mgoing to have to help you on pronunciation, it’s “Star-aah-chay”) this turns out not to be thecase. in fact, as tommaso has since discovered in his worldwide perambulations, italian artand italians in general are much loved and respected but that the italian education system, atleast in Milan, relegates artistic subjects almost out of sight.

Kenneth Morris’s Pen Portrait of Master Saxophonists


Gar

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Tommaso, born in 1975 to an Italianfather and an Australian mother, foundhimself, aged 16, in the third year of

the Liceo Scientifico Italiano (equivalent tothe British GCSE examination year).He wasuncomfortable with a system whichprioritised humanitarian and scientificsubjects and which held artistic disciplines inlow esteem. Indeed the only subject viewed asbeing remotely artistic was ‘Disegno Tecnico’made up of two boring hours of orthographicprojections with little real artistic content andleaving him distinctly uninspired. So with nosign of exposure to any creative tuition insuch delights of music, fine art, acting orphotography such as can befound in profusion in the USand UK, Tommaso decidedin 1990 to make achange.

He was fortunate tobe accepted into the SirJames Henderson BritishSchool of Milan. Thisestablishment with itsrelatively wide subject basenaturally facilitated a rapidimprovement in Tommaso’s English languageskills and at the same time bolstered his GCSEpreparation work. Giving up acting classesmade time to explore fine arts and to take upsaxophone lessons, the latter stimulated byTommaso’s attraction to his father’s jazzrecord collection and the inspirational ClintEastwood biopic Bird dealing with the life ofsaxophonist Charlie Parker. Since his earlyteens Tommaso had been very fond of thesaxophone’s sound, it being very close to thatof the human voice, he makes it quite clearthat he would not have considered music as acareer had it not been for ‘the uniquesaxophone sound’. In addition he was muchinspired by the dedication of the Hendersonteaching staff, in particular, Dennis Cooper, avery passionate and energetic art tutor;Gregory Wright, head of the musicdepartment, who was very generous with histime in helping Tommaso with general exampreparation, GCSE music theory and A-levels,and pianist Deidre Penicaut who inspired all ofher pupils with her musicianship. Thanks toall of this support, personal hard work andpassion Tommaso managed to complete, inonly two years, his music GCSE and A-levelsplus grade eight in both theory and practical.

Tommaso made a relatively late start on amusical instrument, especially so where onehas the inclination to make it a professionalcareer. He was aware that he had to learn a lotin a very short time and certainly theHenderson teaching staff did a remarkable jobto groom the young Italian for universityentrance for which he was accepted in 1994.But firstly he had to decide where to study.Distance, costs and difficulties withdocumentation ruled out his first choice, NewYork but having prepared for and faced a fewauditions at various UK colleges, BirminghamConservatoire came through with a place. As Ihave previously reported (Clarinet andSaxophone, Summer 2011) the Conservatoire

has delivered a continuous stream ofextremely competent saxophonists from itsfour-year B.Mus (Hons)/B.Mus (Hons) jazzprogrammes – a tribute to the breadth anddepth of the tutors’ skills. Tommaso benefitedfrom tuition in both classical and jazzrepertoire with Andrew Tweed, ChrisGumbley, Nigel Wood and Jeremy Price (Headof the Jazz Department). In 1996 Tommasotook part in Jamie Abersold’s KentuckySummer Camp and enjoyed periods of studyand performance with US saxophonist DonBraden and jazz educator David Baker, whoafter audition offered him a masters place atthe prestigious Indiana University. In the endhe decided to follow on with a postgraduate

degree at the Guildhall School of Music andDrama which he completed in 2000,

studying with ex-Jazz Messengerssaxophonist Jean Toussaint and theUK sax players Stan Sulzman andMartin Hathaway.

In the same period he gainedvaluable experience performing with

small jazz combos and big bands andreceiving masterclasses from such stalwarts

as Tim Garland. Do these three episodes of UKeducation, GCSEs and A-levels, BMus and amaster’s degree end the learning process in thecase of a jazz musician? In Tommaso’s case theanswer is an emphatic “no”, followed by anequally emphatic “but it jolly well gave me asecure grounding and a strong platform fromwhich to launch my career as a jazz musician.”

Further quoting Tommaso (and a little MilesDavis) from an article he wrote for his oldschool magazine in Milan: ‘The real life of amusician starts when you leave college,personal artistic growth happens on stage byperforming next to other great artists, notduring time spent in a classroom. A degree ismore for those who want to teach, when itcomes to performance nobody in the audiencecares where or what you have studied, youhave to prove it on stage every time with whatcomes out of the horn’. Certainly in jazz thedevelopment of an individual style, sound orapproach is essential to give an artist acompetitive or an attractive edge in order tosecure bookings.

Leaving the Guildhall in 2000 Tommaso’sfirst priority was to generate a living wage andthis was achieved in two stages. Firstlydeveloping a number of private tuitionstudents and secondly joining the tutorial staffof the capital’s Morley Adult EducationCollege.

There are three distinct strands toTommaso’s master plan to succeed as aprofessional jazz musician: firstly take aproject approach to each major step forwardand commit each step to a quality recording,secondly think internationally and finallypromote constantly, all backed by a realisationthat the lingua franca of jazz is English. Whenpreparing for recordings and gigs Tommasoadmits that his playing style is influenced bysuch artists as Cannonball Adderley, StefanoDi Batista, Joshua Redman and RosarioGiuliani but the sounds I now hear are quiteindividually Tommaso’s. His compositional

work relates closely to the exploitation of clearprogramme themes, some quite novel. He isalways supported by world-class sidemen,either Italian or British.

During the years after leaving college andalongside his jazz projects he started a 2003collaboration with pianist Joan Taylor formingthe ‘Jazz meets Classical’ duo performingrepertoire from 20th century composers whoinfluenced or were influenced by the jazzidiom (Ravel, Debussy, Ibert and Piazzolla etc.)In 2004 came a partnership with Oscar winnerand composer Dario Marianelli (Pride andPrejudice, The Atonement) for the ChannelFour drama Little Life. During 2005 heproduced and recorded his second CDTommaso Starace Plays the Photos of ElliottErwitt, a tribute to the work of the USMagnum Photos Bureau photographer, whoseoutput inspired Tommaso’s compositions.This CD involved a supporting quartet of UKsidemen (Roger Beaujolais, Liam Noble, JulianBury and Jim Hart).

In Italy, where Tommaso works with adifferent quartet, his third recording entitledDon’t Forget took place 2007 with 100% localtalent (reviewed in Clarinet & Saxophone,Winter 2009). 2010 saw the production ofBlood and Champagnewith the current UKquartet (Frank Harrison, Laurence Cottle andChris Nickolls) also reviewed in Clarinet &Saxophone, Winter 2010. For all three of hisCDs Tommaso toured extensively throughoutthe UK, Italy and Switzerland and over thepast seven years has guested at some of themost prestigious clubs and festivals including:Blue Note, Milan; Pizza Express, Dean Street,London; The Purcell Room; Brecon JazzFestival; Nuoro Jazz Festival and Marsden JazzFestival. In late 2012 Tommaso made his debuton the important Em/Arcy/Universal labelwith a new thematic CD Simply Marvellous,celebrating the music of Michel Petrucciani,the late great French jazz pianist andcomposer. This recording paved the way for avisit to Santiago (Chile) to participate in theProvidencia International Jazz Festival inJanuary 2013. He also took part in the 2013London Jazz Festival and will be appearing inthe prestigious Luzern Jazz Club inSwitzerland. As a result of both enthusiasticrecord and concert reviews, frequent jazz cluband festival appearances and numerousawards stretched over at least threecontinents Tommaso has succeeded inmaking a living playing jazz saxophone, surelyhelped in no small way by the UK educationsystem. As Tommaso puts it: “I’m veryprivileged to live in London, a city I havealways adored, that constantly continues togive me stimulus and inspiration, to make mefeel free in my choices.”

tommaso’s set-ups are: alto, Selmer Super Balanced action with a US‘Jody Jazz’ Hr #7 mouthpiece and rico Jazzstrength three reedsSoprano, yamaha 62, Meyer 8* mouthpiece andstrength three Vandoren reeds.

More on tommaso’s website, including gig lists:www.tommasostarace.com �

The real life of amusician

starts whenyou leavecollege


Thursday 21 November 2013

‘How to flee fromsorrow: Corelli talks to Stradella’Capstone Theatre, £10/£8, 7.30pm

Screenwriter and novelist frank cottrell Boyce joins violinistand musicologist alberto Sanna in a sequel to the StradellaProject, presented to great acclaim in the cornerstone artsfestival 2012.

in this original musical-literary show, you will hear the voicesof two very talented composers from late seventeenth centuryitaly, arcangelo corelli and alessandro Stradella, alongsidetheir extraordinary music and fascinating life stories.

Friday 22 November 2013

St Cecilia’s DayConcert: Brittenand PurcellGreat Hall, £10/£8, 7.30pm

the centenary of Benjamin Britten will be the most widelycelebrated anniversary of a British composer ever seen. His100th birthday would have been on 22nd november 2013 andthe cornerstone arts festival with the University chamberchoir prepare to honour Britten.

the University chamber choir, joined by soloists andinstrumentalists, directed by Philip Duffy, performs Britten andPurcell’s compositions. Britten was influenced strongly by themusic of Henry Purcell, and this is reflected in the programme,which will include Purcell’s Abdelazar Suite (from which Brittentook the theme he later used in his Young Person’s Guide to theOrchestra), Britten’s Simple Symphony and Hymn to St Cecilia,and one of Purcell’s large-scale Odes.

The Clarinet & Saxophone Society of Great Britain is delighted to be part of the 2013 Cornerstone Arts Festival with the Single Reed Day on Sunday, 24th November. The Festivalreturns to the unique Creative Campus, home to the creative and performing arts subjects of Liverpool Hope University. The programme aims to present an innovativecombination of arts in high standard performances, exhibitions and participatory workshops, with an emphasis on showcasing new artists and their works alongsideestablished performers and repertoires. PAOLA NIEDDU outlines some of the highlights around our event - why not make a long weekend of it and enjoy some of the other events?

A LONG WEEKEND OF TOP PERFORMANCES

the cornerstone arts festival 2013 runs from 20 november to 14 December Contacts: tel: 0151 291 2096 • email: [email protected]/cornerstonefestival

tickets for all the events can be purchased online http://store.hope.ac.uk or alternatively atthe Cornerstone Arts Festival Box Office, Liverpool Hope University, the creative campus, 17Shaw Street, L6 1HP

Sunday 24 November 2013

JoannaMacGregor: Bach Goldberg VariationsCapstone Theatre, £10/£8, 3.00pm

Liverpool Hope’s Professor of Musical Performance, JoannaMacGregor, performs here in one of Liverpool’s newest venues,the capstone theatre. the capstone is the perfect venue for theGoldberg Variations: acoustically excellent and boasting aSteinway D grand piano.

Joanna in 2012 was the soloist in three BBc Proms, and herperformance of the Goldberg Variations was broadcast live fromthe royal albert Hall in 2013. She is thought of as one of theworld’s most innovative musicians committed to expressingmusical connections in increasingly diverse and originalprogrammes.

Saturday 14 December 2013

Cornerstone ArtsFestival – ChoralConcertGreat Hall, £10/£8, 7.30pm

an irreplaceable performance and experience for all musicstudents! it has become a wonderful tradition to celebrate thefinal day of the festival with the choral concert. Liverpool HopeUniversity choir will perform with members of the Metropolitancathedral cantata choir.

conducted by Stephen Pratt, the programme offers a Handelcelebration including the Foundling Hospital Anthem (Blessedare they that considereth the poor), Zadok the Priest and operaarias. �


The Clarinet & Saxophone Society of Great Britain is delighted to be part of the 2013 Cornerstone Arts Festival with the Single Reed Day on Sunday, 24th November. The Festivalreturns to the unique Creative Campus, home to the creative and performing arts subjects of Liverpool Hope University. The programme aims to present an innovativecombination of arts in high standard performances, exhibitions and participatory workshops, with an emphasis on showcasing new artists and their works alongsideestablished performers and repertoires. PAOLA NIEDDU outlines some of the highlights around our event - why not make a long weekend of it and enjoy some of the other events?

A LONG WEEKEND OF TOP PERFORMANCES

the cornerstone arts festival 2013 runs from 20 november to 14 December Contacts: tel: 0151 291 2096 • email: [email protected]/cornerstonefestival

tickets for all the events can be purchased online http://store.hope.ac.uk or alternatively atthe Cornerstone Arts Festival Box Office, Liverpool Hope University, the creative campus, 17Shaw Street, L6 1HP


That British saxophonists areincreasingly looking to further theirstudies in mainland Europe is a cause

for both celebration and reflection. On onehand, it shows that in the UK the classicalsaxophone is reaping the benefits of the workof musicians such as Rob Buckland, KyleHorch, and Christian Forshaw, and is beingtaken ever more seriously by performers,composers, and audiences alike. On the other,it suggests that the music scene in the UKremains as resistant as ever to the concept ofa specialist classical saxophonist, and thosemost committed to exploring the instrument’slimits are being driven abroad. “I didn’t reallyrealise this before I went to Paris”, admitsMichaela, “but the conservatoires in the UKgenuinely do prepare you for what’s coming inthe professional world. During your studies,when you’re learning to be versatile on thesaxophone, clarinet, and flute, it can be easyto think: ‘Hang on, we’re not actuallyspecialising in what we came here to do’. Butit is very realistic to how life turns out to beafter graduation.” Having paid her dues to thesystem that keeps the West End well stockedwith world-class multi-instrumentalists,however, Michaela seems very much in thrallto the rather different approach in France.

MICHAELASTAPLETON

In 2008 Michaela Stapleton was graduating from the

Royal College of Music, and could have been forgiven for

wanting to settle down to enjoy the best of what the

London music scene had to offer a freelance saxophonist.

She’d already performed at the Royal Festival Hall with

the London Philharmonic Orchestra, and as part of the

Rising Stars series at Cadogan Hall, but like a growing

number of British saxophonists she chose instead to move

to Europe, studying in Paris, the pressure cooker of the

saxophone world, with Christian Wirth at the

Conservatoire Maurice Ravel (CMR). Now she’s back in

London, and I took the opportunity to talk to her about

her studies in France, and about Cocora, her newly

formed duo with marimba player Eri Kaishima, and their

work with composer Ian Stewart.

William Upton talks to


MICHAELASTAPLETON

“When I went to Paris it was exciting becauseI was thinking: ‘OK, I’ve had this wider, morevaried education, and now I’m really going tofocus on the classical saxophone.’ In Francethey don’t have the concept of workingprofessionally alongside their studies, (in factit’s frowned upon) and they don’t do a greatdeal of ensemble playing. So I entered anenvironment at the CMR where everyone wasworking really hard, and getting incrediblygood, both musically and technically. Thisjust enabled me to develop a side to myplaying which isn’t really a focus in the UK,particularly in terms of extendedtechniques.”

Michaela’s drive to achieve a level ofsaxophonic mastery that exceeds what isexpected and asked for in the UK is unusual,particularly in a culture that increasinglyprizes knowledge only as it relates to thepursuit of financial gain. Somewhatsurprisingly however, in their quest todevelop a repertoire for Cocora’s unusualcombination of saxophone and marimba,Michaela and Eri turned to Ian Stewart, acomposer renowned for producing robust,well-crafted works with elegant melodiesrather than contemporary showpieces. AsMichaela says, “it’s hard to get audiencesinterested in contemporary music, and Ian’sworks are both contemporary andaccessible”. Unusually for a composer, Ian issceptical about the concept of ‘innovation’altogether, and his works display an almosttotal avoidance of contemporary techniques.“I think innovation is overrated”, he tells me.“But it’s overrated by funding bodies, not byartists. The analogy I use is a house: nomatter how avant-garde it is, someone’s stillgot to live in it, and in the case of music that’sperformers and listeners.” Ian’s background isin genres such as jazz, New Wave, andPsyschedelia, as much as classical, and inEarth/ Yellow/Midsummer, written forMichaela and Eri, his inspiration came fromthe playing of saxophonist Steve Grossmanwith the Miles Davis group of the 1970s and‘80s. “I’ve never heard anybody constructlong melodic lines like Grossman does”, saysIan, “and at that time Davis was using verypercussive synths. I think this comes out inmy work for Michaela and Eri, who reallybring off the interplay between those soaringsaxophone lines and the immediacy of themarimba.”

One of the stock reactions to hearing someof the incredible saxophonists coming out ofFrance is to bemoan their uniformity: it’s finethat they can do things that we can’t, butaside from the fact that they’d never scratch aliving in the UK, they all sound the same. Iasked Michaela if her experience of theFrench teaching system conformed to such astereotype. “I think it’s misleading in that it’snormal that a teacher wants to guide astudent in the same way that worked forthem, and personally I didn’t find Christian

was closed to other influences at all.” In fact,it was a French saxophonist, Jean-DenisMichat, who warned Michaela againstforgetting her British roots. “When I moved toParis I was really keen to speak French, andfor some reason I didn’t have a problem withthe accent so people would assume I wasFrench. I remember a lesson with Jean-Deniswhen he stopped me and said: ‘You knowwhat Michaela, you need to be careful,because it’s like the way you talk – you’restarting to sound like a French saxophonist’.At that point I thought that was thebiggest compliment, but thistaught me that it’s importantnot to lose touch with whatI’d done before. That’sreally stayed with me, and Itried to keep what I alreadyhad and just take the bits Iliked from the French way.”

Although Michaela went toParis to specialise, a surprisevisit from jazz saxophonist Jean-Charles Richard ensured her education wasbroader than might typically be expected of aFrench conservatoire. “Jean-Charles cameinto Christian’s class one day and said: ‘Isthere anyone here who’d like to study withme?’ So thankfully I was able to skip theaudition for the jazz course and go straight in.It was a real revelation for me, because Jean-Charles is a brilliant jazz saxophonist whooriginally studied classical music with ClaudeDelangle, and he really recognised theobstacles I was facing. Being a good classicalplayer and a perfectionist, it’s hard to feel likea beginner again, and I always thought Icouldn’t improvise; suddenly I realised it wasjust a process I had to accept.” It was alsothanks to Jean-Charles that Michaela joinedstoryteller and dramatist Muriel Bloch’smulti-media Le Soufflé des Marquises,touring venues across France and Algeria.“This was just one of those examples of theway the music industry is very much aboutwho you know”, says Michaela, modestly. Inanother example, in 2010 she was invited toplay the soprano saxophone solo in Ravel’sBolero, with the recently formed SymphonyOrchestra of India. “I was in Paris at the time,and an old friend from the RCM gave me a calland said: ‘Would you like to come to India?’ Iabsolutely love Indian culture and history, soI jumped at the chance, and being asaxophonist on an orchestral gig, there was alot of time during rehearsals to go out andexplore Mumbai on my own.”Clarinet & Saxophone readers will already

be familiar with Ian’s work, as there can befew composers to have been so active in theirsupport of the classical saxophone. His loveaffair with the instrument began in 1990,with a commission for a soprano saxophonequintet, performed by John Harle at the débutperformance of the world-famous SmithQuartet. “The journalist who reviewed the

concert didn’t like the piece”, recalls Ian. “Butthe saxophone players in the audience did,particularly Kyle Horch, who immediatelycommissioned a work for a big recital he hadcoming up. After this, the word spread that Iwrote for saxophone.” Michaela encounteredIan’s work while performing with the RCMsaxophone ensemble, directed by Horch. “Weplayed Purple Gong Orange Tam-tam (for 12alto saxophones), which is a really cool work,and great fun to play, influenced by ’60spsychadelia,” she recalls. Michaela’s partner

in Cocora, Eri Kaishima, had also workedwith Ian, performing his trio for cello,

violin, and piano, Ancient Memory ofDiffracted Surf, an arrangement ofwhich – Ancient Memory ofDiffracted Surf 2 – became thesecond major work in Cocora’srepertory. “One of the things I love

about working with Ian is that he isso attuned to his performers, and is

always interested in how it feels to playhis music,” says Michaela. “Originally he

arranged Ancient Memory… for tenorsaxophone, violin, and marimba, but it felt abit awkward. The original cello line was justbeautiful, lyrical, and easy sounding, and forme the tenor is just not! I was thinking thiswhen suddenly he said: ‘Of course! We haveto put it on alto!’” The result is certainlyimpressive, and readers will be able to hear arecording of Cocora, augmented by violinistGuillem Calvo, playing Ancient Memory… andEarth/Yellow/Midsummer on the Clarinet &Saxophone Society’s soon to be launched newwebsite. Also, keep an eye on our eventslistings for details of live performances.

Despite the effectiveness with which Ianbalances Cocora’s unusual blend of sounds,he suggests that most composers areunwilling to follow suit. “A lot of people,particularly in music clubs and societies,don’t even know what the classicalsaxophone is”, he observes. “And it’s difficultto say this without it coming across as acriticism of composers at large, because it’snot, but unfortunately many interestinginstruments with unique sounds, such aselectric guitars and basses, alto flutes, andsaxophones, still haven’t really found theirway into mainstream classical music. Is itbecause students gravitate towards thoseensembles with the biggest repertoire, orbecause people prefer homogenouscombinations?” he asks. Certainly, althoughthe saxophone still cannot access some of theavenues available to other instruments,Michaela is showing that it is possible toexplore its unique sound within the musicallandscape of the UK. As Ian’s new worksshow, Cocora’s combination of saxophoneand marimba could well be a happy huntingground for future composers willing to breakfree from standard line-ups.

www.cocora.co.ukwww.ianstewart.eu �

This was just one of thoseexamples of theway the musicindustry is verymuch about who

you know


As a contribution to the 2007 Colloquiumcelebrating the addition of Sir NicholasShackleton’s clarinets to theEdinburgh University’s Collection ofHistoric Musical Instruments alreadyimpressive holdings, I discussed the history ofdifferences in clarinet design east and west ofthe Rhine1. My main point was that already inthe eighteenth century, French clarinetstended to show design differences from theirGerman counterparts, and that thesedifferences became more pronounced duringthe course of the nineteenth century. Boresize and shape determine the resistance of theinstrument and influence the sound. Theliquid ease of playing French instruments hasled to a sound often described as light andbrilliant, qualities eschewed by players ofGerman instruments, which are moreresistant and usually described as soundingdark.

If the antecedents are recognisable and, dueto current activity in organological research,are becoming ever more carefully quantified(who did what, when and where), then adiscerning look at the state of clarinet playingtoday can be revealing, where the moststriking aspect is a tendency toward aworldwide standardisation. The vast majorityof clarinettists play on French instruments(usually Buffet-Crampon models), with astandard French mouthpiece (often aVandoren B45) and French-model reeds,strengths 3½ or 4. Not surprisingly, playerstend to sound similar.

For example, at last year’s ARD competitionin Munich, the prize winners were fromBelgium, Russia and Serbia. They performedon French instruments, with sounds that werewarm, flexible, and also strikingly similar. Inthe phases of the competition leading up tothe final, players had come from every cornerof the globe. Given that the competition wasin Germany, it was somewhat disappointingthat only four of the 32 first-roundcontestants played on German/Austrianinstruments, and it is true to say that althoughthis was noticeable, it was perhaps not quiteas pronounced as one might expect. They tooproduced a warm, flexible tone, and in the‘new music’ selections showed a facility thatmight have been thought impossible on aGerman instrument. Curiously, a factor by

which any contestant has to be judged,intonation, proved to be one of the moredecisive factors. The organisers had wiselychosen the ‘average’ pitch of a=442 Hz,placing a similar number of players at asimilar disadvantage. In spite of the pitchbeing known well before the competition, toomany players seemed unprepared, generallyplaying not just slightly sharp, but very sharpto the piano. (To be fair, it did appear thatplayers accustomed to 442 played more intune.) Aside from occasional issues ofintonation, all these clarinet playerswere excellent by any standard.

Listening to young clarinetplayers elsewhere in the westernhemisphere has yielded the sameexperience. There is a thrivingclarinet culture in the US withbasically the same sound ideal,again best described as warm andflexible. Little of the transparency orquick-footed lightness which one mightconsider typical of French instruments is inevidence. But by European standards, theAmericans sound slightly more like thetraditional French players, featuring morebrilliance and effortless projection.Americans tend also to experiment with moremodels of clarinets than Europeans. It is notunusual to see top players with clarinets byFrench makers other than Buffet-Crampon,and for example by Luis Rossi of Chile orJochen Seggelke of Germany.

It’s almost off-putting how much clarinetstudents at the Paris Conservatoire nationalsupérieur de musique (CNSM) resemble a styleof playing traditionally heard outside theirnative country. Occasionally a few first-yearstudents retain the more brilliant, livelysound produced with softer reeds and lessresistance in their set-up, but they soon fall inline. While there is no denying that thiswarmer sound is objectively more beautiful, Imiss the lovely transparency and lightness ofyears past. And while most music schools inGermany currently have a proportion ofstudents playing French clarinets, thetraditional Oehler-system clarinet is for themoment still dominant. Heard one after thenext, the difference in timbre, especially oncertain notes is fairly obvious and interesting– more like a singer with a pronounced

difference between ‘head’, ‘middle’ and ‘chest’voice – which might be easier to achieve on anOehler instrument. They also strike me asslightly more powerful, although possibly atouch more cumbersome.

It is worth noting that more and morestudents go abroad for their tertiaryeducation. The motivation is usually as simpleas the desire to study with a particularteacher, or an opportunity made possible bygrant money. The presence of foreign studentsamong the locals is enriching for everyone.This however may not be reflected in whogets the prime spots in an orchestra or on aconservatoire faculty, employment thatgenerally still tends to go to locals. Whichleads to another phenomenon - a new,international breed of top-quality orchestrasworking on a project basis. The ChamberOrchestra of Europe is a good example, withrepresentatives from practically everyEuropean country and a wind section that has

varied over the years includingclarinettists from England,

Germany and France. Thismodel of a non-residentorchestra has been taken upin many places, with playerscoming in for individualprojects rather than being in

residence throughout aconventional season. No special mention of reeds

has yet been made, that fickle andall-important element of clarinet sound. Forthe most part players stick to the usualmethod of using their preferred brand ofconventional reeds. There is definitely a trendtowards playing harder reeds, recentlyexacerbated by reed makers. Most playerswould agree that a number three today isstiffer than a number three of ten years ago.Beginning with Légère in Canada (founded1998), there is also a growing production ofsynthetic reeds. Now there are several brandsto choose from; these reeds are used byplayers in a variety of top orchestras.Although the sound lacks the warmth anddepth of reeds made from cane, they haveobvious day-to-day advantages, lasting forweeks, if not months.

Another noticeable trend is the growinginterest in playing on historical or ‘period’clarinets. Perhaps we now have a swing backto a new ‘drop the needle’ test, where a guessrelating to a random Beethoven symphonyhas more to do with ‘modern’ versus ‘period’instruments than with national style. Giventhat the rise in an international school ofclarinet playing is here to stay, one way ofkeeping the vital link between various typesof repertoire and the appropriate clarinets isthrough the choice in instruments. It is asomewhat vast place to find oneself given thesheer number of instruments required to

AN INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL OF CLARINET PLAYING?Eric Hoeprich

The twentieth century saw an entrenchment of woodwind playing styles,basically along national lines and reflected especially in the soundproduction of clarinettists in the world’s major symphony orchestras, who

were often also prominent soloists. A proliferation of recordings helped a discerningpublic learn to recognise these differences, and it became enjoyable to try to identifyan orchestra in a sort of ‘drop the needle’ test when, for example, turning on theradio and hearing an orchestra in the midst of a symphony by Beethoven. Anessential clue was nearly always the sound of the wind section, at least for windplayers. Is this still possible? If it is, can we still regard the differences in sound andexpression as ‘entrenched’ as they were in the mid-twentieth century?

It is worthnoting that more

and morestudents go

abroad for theirtertiary

education


AN INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL OF CLARINET PLAYING?function in the period instrument world. Withrepertoire stretching from Vivaldi to Brahms,and oddities like chalumeau and basset hornin between, a considerable arsenal ofinstruments is needed. Add to this, thesharply defined differences between theGerman clarinets Mendelssohn knew andexpected to hear compared with the Parisianclarinets that Berlioz appreciated, making twosets of three instruments, just for the first halfof the nineteenth century. Add to this a set ofclassical clarinets (plus a basset clarinet andbasset horn), and we can see where this isheading – to a massive compromise thatundermines the basis for the Early Musicmovement. For instance, programmesfeaturing symphonies by both Mozart andSchubert, which are not unusual, alsorepresent different generations in instrumentdesign, and yet for practical reasons no onewould consider changing instruments duringsuch a programme. The slightly rougher,wholesome sound of early Haydn and Mozartcontrasts sharply with the more refinedwoodwinds being built in Vienna in the 1820sby makers such as Koch, Ziegler andUhlmann.

Back in the ‘modern’ world, there might alsobe a link between period instruments and the

more frequent use of the C clarinet, aninstrument prized for its colour, and usedeffectively by a variety of composers, fromBeethoven to Brahms. Berlioz already railedagainst transposing C clarinet parts to the Bbclarinet, as did many others including Wagnerand Richard Strauss. Fortunately, today mostof the better instrument makers are alsofinally producing good-quality C instruments.In some cases (e.g. Chicago Symphony) thishas also led to using sets of Oehler-systemclarinets in Classical era repertoire, judgingthe sound to work more convincingly for thismusic than French instruments.

In conclusion, it is clear that today’s clarinetlandscape differs markedly from that of theprevious century and that greater uniformityin clarinet sound appears to be here to stay.Slight compensation can be found in thatplayers of any clarinet, French or German, canfind employment in places where they hadpreviously been unwelcome. A greatercompensation can be found in the variety ofclarinets being played around the world, and agrowing interest in seeking clarinets that fitspecific repertoire. Given that a fair amount ofexperimentation is ongoing, we can assumefor the moment that the scene is healthy androbust.

Eric Hoeprich has for the past 30 yearsspecialised in performing on historicalclarinets, ranging from music of the Baroqueto the late Romantic. A founding member ofFrans Brüggen’s Orchestra of the 18th Century,Hoeprich also plays regularly with a variety ofearly music ensembles, often as a soloist. Hehas founded two wind ensembles, the StadlerTrio and Nachtmusique, the latter performedin this year’s Edinburgh Festival. His dozens ofrecordings are available on a number of labels,and an interest in historical clarinets has ledto the publication of a book, The Clarinet (YaleUniversity Press, 2008) and articles dealingwith aspects of performance and organology,including the New Grove Dictionary. Educatedat Harvard University and at the RoyalConservatory of Music in The Hague, he iscurrently a faculty member at the latter, andalso at the CNSM in Paris and IndianaUniversity, Bloomington. Hoeprich hasamassed a collection of over a hundredantique clarinets and built replicas of periodoriginals, maintaining a workshop inBedfordshire, where he lives with his wife, theviolinist Catherine Manson.

1 Published last year as Proceedings of the Clarinet andWoodwind Colloquium 2007, ed. arnold Myers, published byedinburgh University collection of Historic Musical instruments,2012. �

for cLarinet

Superpadsonly from www.woodwindco.com eddieashton@ woodwindco.com


HYTHE TOWN CONCERT BANDand HYTHE TOWN CONCERT TRAINING BAND Rehearse: (Senior Band) tuesdays from7.30 - 9:30pm in term times(training Band) tuesday from 6.15 to7.15pm in term times.Location: Saltwood Primary School,Grange road, Saltwood, Hythe, Kent, ct214QSStandard: (Senior Band) grade five,(training Band) grade oneContact: Deryck euden, 01303 812381,07790 430677, [email protected] HtcB is a community band with ahistory stretching back to the 1880s. Weplay a wide range of music from theestablished concert band repertoire tomore contemporary pieces and will alwaysoffer a friendly welcome to any newwoodwind, brass and percussion players ofany age. Whether you would be interestedin the senior or training section why notcome along and meet us? all enquirieswelcome.

BRECON TOWN BANDRehearse: Mondays 7-9pmLocation: theatr Brychieniog, Breconcanal Wharf, Brecon, Powys, LD3 7eWStandard: no entry requirement apartfrom the ability to read basic musicContact: David Jones [email protected] friendly, happy community concert bandwho play a mixture of music - easy-listening/film music (which we perform atlocal agricultural shows/foodfestivals/Victorian festival), christmasmusic which is played in Brecon andclassical music appropriate to our hugelysuccessful Last night of the Proms biennialconcerts.Both young and older players are welcome- the band has a wide age range. Weparticularly need clarinet players. thereare some student and professional levelinstruments available for the use ofmembers if required. Membership costs£35 per year payable after three visits.

BLOW & BLASTRehearse: one-off woodwind ensembleworkshops – various dates/timesLocations: Birnam arts, PH8 0DS; Perthconcert Hall, PH1 5HZ; St andrew’schurch, callander, fK17 8aL.Standard: adults from beginner –intermediate level.Contact: tricia or trona 01764 [email protected] and Blast run ensemble workshops

specifically for adult learners andreturners at several venues in centralScotland. activities include easy andintermediate woodwind ensembles (flute,oboe, clarinet and bassoon), a moderatelyeasy saxophone and brass group, a play-along band with occasional taster eventsfor complete beginners. the workshopsare one-off events which recognise thatmany adults have commitments whichprevent them from attending bands ororchestras on a regular basis.Most of the Blow & Blast music is speciallyarranged to suit the capabilities of theindividual participants so the sessions arealways pleasurable and rewarding. newplayers can be sure of a warm welcome but,as the groups are kept small to ensureplenty of individual attention, advancebooking is advisable.

ICC SAXOPHONE ENSEMBLERehearse: Sunday afternoons, once amonth, most of the year.Location: inch community centre,edinburgh, eH16 5UfContacts: Bill [email protected] 0131 554 6183and Jim Glancy on 0131 664 [email protected] Saxophone ensemble - new playersalways welcome.the icc has been expanding the number ofits players recently, but there is still plentyroom for more. Players come from withinedinburgh, and also the surrounding areas,to regular monthly rehearsals. as acommunity venture, we don’t ask forauditions, but aspiring players should bemusic literate to enjoy participation. therehas been an annual concert early eachyear, which we hope to continue, but otheropportunities to perform have beenopening up, raising the ensemble’s profileboth in the city and outside. if you feel youwould like to try us out, do please makecontact with Bill or Jim for moreinformation.

THORNBURY CLARINET CHOIRRehearse: 2nd Saturday of the month, 2 -4pmLocation: thornbury United reformedchurch, thornbury, South Gloucestershire,BS35 2BaStandard: adults, grade six plusContact:[email protected] thornbury clarinet choir has been setup to cater for adult clarinettists of gradesix plus standard. there are a few placesleft for Bb and bass clarinettists and wewould particularly love to hear fromplayers of eb, alto, contra-alto and contra-bass clarinets.www.thornburyclarinetcho.wix.com/thornbury-ccwww.facebook.com/thornburyclarinetchoir

IONIAN CLARINET CHOIRRehearse: fortnightly on friday eveningsLocation: christ church Hall, 75 oakleighPark, north Whetstone, London n20 9arStandard: Grade six or equivalentContact: www.ionianclarinetchoir.co.ukWe are looking to recruit some newclarinettists this autumn! if you live innorth London, or South Hertfordshire, whynot come along to the ionian clarinetchoir. for more information and contactdetails see our website.

NorthWhetstone

Hythe

Summer 2013 Clarinet & Saxophone 34

Perth

Edinburgh

WHERE CAN I PLAY?

Bath

Brecon


ZEPHYRIAN WOODWINDORCHESTRARehearse: thursday evenings (8pm) andSunday afternoons (3pm) alternatingfortnights.Location: St Marks community centre,Bath, Ba2 4PaStandard: Grade five, all agesContact: richard 01225 313531or [email protected] was founded in 1994, evolving from aclarinet choir run for his pupils by director,richard carder. the clarinet choirrehearses on thursday evenings and thefull band on Sunday afternoons.current strength is 16 players, but we arecurrently short of saxes (especially tenorand baritone) and clarinets (Bb and bass),and want to get back to over 20 members.the line up is flutes, oboes, clarinets,bassoons and saxophones.ZWo has played in the Bath festival mostyears since 2000; also in the cheltenhamfestival in 1996 (where we premiered eddieMcGuire’s West Wind, and in severalnational concert Band festivals, where wewon the Gold award in 1998. We normallyplay at least three concerts per year,raising money for local charities.

We commissioned new music from JudithBailey (Mor Gwyns) for clarinet choir in1995; from Michael Short (Water Music) in2009 and recorded a cD for Dunelm in2002, Wassail Rhapsody. �

Zephyrian Woodwind Orchestra


BOOK review ROAD RAT’S TIPS

The musician’s guide tokeeping comfortable,safe, sane andemployed on the roadPete CookGigster Publishingwww.gigsterpublishing.com £9.99Pete cook is a highly

respected saxophonist who has been Headof Jazz at the London college of Music forthe last ten years and was previously amusic lecturer at Brunel University. When ifirst heard about his book i thought itwould probably be a collection ofhumorous anecdotes about the jazzbusiness. i was wrong; it is a very seriousbook indeed. it does contain somehumorous anecdotes, but they arehighlighted in shaded boxes to separatethem from the basic serious information.this is typical of the well organised layoutof the book, which is presented veryclearly, with bullet points at the end ofeach section, which are all repeated in acoda for quick reference. at first i hadreservations about the title; why should adistinguished musician like Pete refer tohimself as a ‘road rat’? as i read the bookthe answer dawned on me; rats do not havea cuddly image, but they are among thegreatest survivors on the planet. However,i think i might have called it ‘road rat’srules’. these are more than mere tips; theyare rules for survival in any form ofitinerant professional music making, be itgigs, pop tours, symphony orchestra tours,jazz festivals, opera tours, whatever. Peteis a great one for mantras i.e. oft repeatedrules. His favourite is: ‘Giving your bestpossible performance must takeprecedence over everything’. i particularlylike: ‘you can’t be too early, but being lateisn’t an option’. on the whole, i think imeasure up to Pete’s standards pretty wellafter my 64 years in the business, butwhere i could learn a lot from him, were istill gigging around, would be in his cleveruse of modern technology, such as satnavs, smartphone apps and the internet. ilove the illustrations by Sue Lee; she hascreated a persona for road rat, who alwayswears a beret and carries a sax case. iwould like to see a comic strip about him,getting into impossible predicaments ontour, or even an animated movie, vocalisedby some aging jazzman with a quasiSatchmo voice.

this book should be required reading forall music students and young professionalsin every branch of the music professionwithout exception. i foresee, in the not toodistant future, the London college of Musicoffering a new diploma - fQrr (fullyQualified road rat).Paul Harvey

PLAYING THE SAXOPHONERob BucklandAstute Musicwww.astute-music.com£25it’s quite important toquote the author’s sub-title for his 136-pagemagnum opus, ‘a multi-dimensional approach

using technical understanding to enablecreative and artistic freedom’. it is not forbeginners, ‘it is for students of the saxophonewho have reached the point where they wantto start taking their playing to the next level’.for example: grade five/six level playerswanting to secure a path to grade eight,first/second year under-graduates aiming atan impressive third year performance recitaland even for professionals preparing for anaudition. oh, and for long-standing amateurs(like me), not too tired for a challenge.

So, how to review such a book? Should iwork through it chapter by chapter andcheck on how i improve? no chance! theeditor would be forever awaiting the review.Should i read it thoroughly and look at thesix (to date) superb mini-tutorials related tobook chapters and delivered by rob asvideo clips on youtube? Should i just sitback and think of the many scores ofrecords, recitals, workshops and events ihave experienced with either rob or hisstudents performing at the top of theirgame? of course i did both.

When it comes to saxophone sound(classical, jazz or pop) Buckland is thebusiness. Just watch the youtube clipVibrato - awesome. (the five others are:Harmonics, embouchure, air focusing, Jazzinflection and articulation and extendedtechniques.) What he teaches in this bookdefinitely works. on more than one solosaxophone record reviewed in Clarinet &Saxophone i have mistaken the actualartistes, ex-rncM alumni, to be rob. Butdon’t expect instant success, we are talkinghere of a one to two year period ofpractising the 20-odd modules set out inPlaying the Saxophone. typical teachingpoints cover: posture/sling/crook angle,finger positioning, air (a lot about air!),embouchure, starting/stopping a note,sound focusing, long note practice,intervals, intonation, alternative fingering,vibrato, harmonics, dynamics, articulationand much more.

one tiny point of criticism: withincreasing need for saxophonists to morethan double across the range of sizes –typically soprano and sopranino or baritoneand bass a module on the impact ofdoubling on embouchure/intonation wouldbe useful. overall (taking both the book andvideo content) this publication is veryhighly recommended indeed. Kenneth Morris

IMPROVISE FOR REALDavid Reed Self published butavailable from Amazonat £22.08 paperback or£16.43 e-book.www.ImproviseForReal.com this 254 page manual isin several ways quite

remarkable. firstly it covers a slightlybroader area than the accepted definitionof improvisation (extemporisation onsomeone else’s composition or chordsequence) by including composition andsecondly by eschewing the majority ofmusical conventions including notation,key signatures and (most) chord symbols.“a bit brave” i hear you say; well it certainlymade for difficult reviewing by someonewith nearly 65 years of semi-pro jammingin public on the back of BennyGoodman/artie Shaw/Stan Getz ‘hot licks’books and tutors with transcribed solos.

four purchasers of the book in text fromamazon UK rate it with an average of 4.2stars (out of 5), many more, internationallybased, proffering testimonials on thewebsite, rate it ‘as the best method theyhave ever come across’. reed’s methodbreaks down into five lessons, advising thatthe first two are the most important andthat for deep assimilation some months ofeffort are required for each of them. Lessonone, ‘Landscape’, involves exploring all thenotes on your instrument in half-tone stepswith each treated as equals and goes on touse various movements on the chromaticscale to become familiar with whateverrange you can comfortably produce. itcarries on with meditation on any randomnote, improvisation on 4/5 note runs andmovement into whole tone steps over anoctave. Lesson two explores (random)major scales and moves into suggestingthat the student starts to sing ‘away fromyour instrument’. it is at this point iregistered where reed’s method isgrounded – it’s in ear training (for thosewithout that enviable gift of a ‘musical ear’)unencumbered by having to learn thebasics of musical theory.

Lessons three, four and five cover ‘PureHarmony’, ‘Mixed Harmony’ and ‘freeHarmony’ respectively. So, in summary, forthose willing to devote perhaps six monthsto a year or more to practising his methodit is quite possible that (given the rightinstrumental fluency) they will be able toplay any tune in any key from memory andmake a reasonable fist of improvising on it.and, the author claims, his method can beinterspersed with conventional musicalstudy with impunity.Kenneth Morris �

SaXoPHone THE COMPLETE CHARLIE PARKER

Volume 6 PassportCharlie Parker(alto sax) withvarious groupsFrémeaux etAssociés FA 1336www.fremeaux.com

Volume Six covers charlie’s recordedactivity in the first half of 1949, not quitefollowing on from our previous review ofVolume four which took us to the end of1947 (published in Clarinet & SaxophoneVolume 37, no 2, Summer 2012). Hopefully,in due course, the appearance of a Volumefive will fill the 1948 gap. as usualfrémeaux supply a superb detailed bookletalong with their three cD 3.5 hour setcarrying 45 music tracks. the cDs actuallytotal 75 tracks as the producers have‘labelled’ the radio announcer’scommentary, often puerile, as broadcastfrom the new york royal roost jazz club.

firstly the downsides of this volume.there is much repetition of tunes e.g. fiveScrapple From The Apple, four SaltPeanuts, three Bebop, three Grooving Highetc., a little too many outrageous orrepetitive interpolated quotes and on onetrack (Grooving High, 29th Jan) a total‘collapse’ of charlie’s performance à laLover Man back in his california days. But,as for any genius, upsides remain withunbelievable speed of improvisationcombined with enormous spurts ofcreativity, as the tV advert says, “oftencopied but never equalled”.

80% of cD 1 features the charlie Parkerall-Stars made up of charlie, KennyDorham (trumpet), al Haig (piano), tommyPotter (bass) and either Joe Harris or Maxroach on drums. the balance comprisesone short unmemorable track with charlieand Machito’s afro-cuban orchestra plustwo excellent 11 minute carnegie Hall Jazzat the Philharmonic numbers, Leap Hereand Indiana. the latter feature normanGrantz’s better soloists of the day, fatsnavarro, flip Phillips, tommy turk, Sonnycriss, Hank Jones and, of course, charlie –to set that lot alight.

cD 2 opens with an initially poorlyrecorded Lover Come Back to Me by thecrew from the end of cD 1. However, thereare 15 minutes of top quality soloing fromall involved, although close inspection ofcharlie’s input indicates quite unusualphrase repetition. the rest of the discreverts either to cD 1’s all-Stars or anaugmented quintet adding Milt Jackson onvibes and/or Lucky thompson on tenorplus some pretty appalling ‘scat’ singing

from two guys (Dave Lambert and BuddyStewart) who unfortunately infest the endof this and the first three tracks of the nextcD.

the final cD, number three (apart fromthe first three tracks) delivers someattractive material from the quintet plusturk on trombone, Jackson on vibes forCheryl, On a Slow Boat to China, andChasin’ the Bird all roost radiotranscriptions. We then move into therecording studios with the basic quintet fortwo versions each of Segment andPassport. from a Parisian public concert bythe quintet we are treated to Moose theMooche, Hot House, Allen’s Alley, 52ndStreet Theme and Salt Peanuts.

the set finishes with a somewhatramshackle jam session from the sameSalle Pleyel event.Kenneth Morris

EAST COAST JAZZ WORKSHOPSNew York 1954-1961MiscellaneousgroupsFrémeaux etAssociés 2-CD setFA 5392www.fremeaux.com £25

this absolutely splendid set of modern jazzseptet to dectet groups, lasting well overtwo hours, contains a fascinating variety ofBirth of the cool (the famous Miles Davisnonet disc scored by Gil evans andrecorded in 1949-50) inspiredarrangements with nearly every trackcarrying one or more solos by a top ranksingle reed player. it takes a 32-pagebooklet to explain and document thecontent/personnel involved over 39 tracks,with 33 different groups employing 26different arrangers!

in the space permitted for reviews thereis no hope of covering everyone concernedbut a summary of highlights shouldunderline the importance of this set. cDone opens with al cohn as a tenorist andarranger moving on to Manny albam andBrookmeyer writing for Phil Woods, cohnand Sol Schlinger. ernie Wilkins, Bill Potts,Quincy Jones and Gigi Gryce then produceexcellent charts – especially tracks 18 and19 featuring solos on alto by Gigi.

the second cD has a more modern cumexperimental feel. Writers include Gilevans, George russell, andre Hodeir, teoMacero, charles Mingus, Gil Melle, BillyByers, Hal Schaefer, George Handy, MichelLegrand, Bill russo and John carisi. reedsoloists include Hal McKusick, GerryMulligan, Phil Woods and Gene Quill.

alain tercinet, the frémeaux Producerwho assembled the material and wrote theaccompanying booklet, deserves a medalfor his efforts which bring considerable

illumination to the early work of importantarrangers, many of whom have gone on toinfluence the course of later jazz and evenpop music. an invaluable piece of jazzhistory.Kenneth Morris

PURE GOLD 1 (The Early Years)The NorthernDance OrchestraThe NDO ProjectCDs 103/4www.northerndanceorchestra.org.uk readers of Clarinet

& Saxophone Vol. 37 no. 1 (Spring 2012)might remember a review of the nDo’sDiamonds double cD numbered corrian cD101/2 which covered rescued archivalrecordings of the BBc’s northern Danceorchestra from a slightly later period thanthis particular offering.

the reviewer makes no apology forrepeating his opinions about the masterfulwork of this 1950s to the late ‘80s danceband which combined the skills of greatarrangers with superb section players,talented soloists and focused musicaldirection. indeed the work of thisaggregation sets a gold standard inprecision performance and rightly earns itstitle. as before not all 54 tracks, lastingover two hours, will be of interest to saxplayers/fans (our readership) as there is asprinkling of vocals and tracks employingadditional instrumentation from thenorthern Variety orchestra, but this takesnothing away from the staggeringcompetences of the sax section. theydouble/solo/deliver amazingly unifiedphrasing and matched vibratos whereverand whenever they blow.

My ex-professional friends from thesame era as the nDo tell me that the secretof their performance standards was rathersimple, but today perhaps much moredifficult to achieve, the sections playedtogether every day (and often twice!). oh,and the Musical Director insisted, “nopassengers!”Pure Gold contains some dated

arrangements, some best forgotten hits ofthe day, but don’t let this distract you fromlistening to Johnny roadhouse, rogerfleetwood, Gary cox et al. strutting theirstuff on hardy standards and pure dancetunes with arrangements from alynainsworth, Pat nash and ralph Dollimore.if there is one (minor) criticism it is that,with so much formerly long lost material,full personnel/arranger data and recordingdates are not available. a wonderful tripdown memory lane. recommended; butthen i suppose i’m an old fogey.Kenneth Morris


CD reviews


WHAT IF RUPERT MURDOCH LIKED JAZZ?

The DanForshaw/ChrisSmith GroupDan ForshawSoprano/tenorsaxes/bassclarinet, Chris

Smith trumpet/trombonewww.danforshaw.com £10

in many respects this is indeed a strangecollection of nine tracks lasting 54minutes. it is my profound belief that itscontent must surely answer the questionposed by the title: “He would definitely notbuy this cD”.

take track one, I Have No Recollection. itstarts with a miscellany of telephonedialling/modem sounds and proceeds witha variety of unrelated snatches of veryshort stanzas played on a mixture of saxes,but there is no shape, sense or musicalityto the piece. Someone advised me once“that you never get a second chance tomake a first impression” - obviously theproducers of this disc had missed out onthe same homily or else they would haveopened up with perhaps the second or thirdtracks which are modest jazz-rocknumbers.

elsewhere the cD staggers through anunaccompanied tenor sax extemporisingbehind a young lady reading from a MartinLuther King speech; snatches of bassclarinet/soprano sax – the latter verypoorly articulated and an extended up-tempo tenor sax improvisation on a banaltheme Northern Line wherein, again, thearticulation is suspect.

the forshaw/Smith Group comprisesforshaw (saxes/bass clarinet), Smith(trumpet/trombone/programming) plus akeyboard player, string or electric bass,guitar and drums and employs multi-tracking effects to deliver a quite ‘fat’sound. it’s a great pity that the materialchosen for this cD does not do justice toeither pure jazz, jazz-rock or even ‘poppishjazz’.Kenneth Morris

MRS MALCOLMScottishSaxophoneEnsembleRichard Ingham(soprano), SueMcKenzie(alto/soprano),Tim Watson (tenor

soprano), Mike Brogan (baritone)Largo Music LARGO007www.largo-music.co.uk £10What a delight! a magnificent collection ofquartet pieces, beautifully played, expertlyrecorded and sporting a well balancedbright sound from each saxophonist. Witha wonderful variety of material clearlywritten and arranged by those whounderstand our instrument this must rateas one of the best quartet recordings ofrecent years.

Seven works lasting a total of 56 minutesprovide a captivating programme for eitherplayers or listeners starting with MrsMalcolm, Her Reel. this clearlynationalistic piece contains a splendid bitof soprano sax improvisation from thecomposer (richard) in a boppish style –wonderful!

roberto Di Marino’s Quartetto II, a threemovement work made up of a wellconstructed tango, a tuneful Milongaballad and a tanguillo with cleverinterweaving lines provides a solid bridgeto ian Watson’s So Softly a modern, butaccessible, piece involving very closeharmony and, i suspect, devilishembouchure control.New York Suite (by Paquito D’rivera) is a

four movement piece of seriousentertainment for player and audiencealike. first up ‘Sofia’ is jig-cum-carillon-cum-canon. ‘Waltz’ has a dark sultryambience with quite modern harmonieswhilst ‘Monk-tuno’ has a light, playfulalmost Latin-american feel. ‘escape toDreamland’, modern, attractive andtechnically demanding, completes thesuite.

of the final three tracks, Sederunt (fromPerotin) is arranged by richard whilstThrough a Landscape and Walking theCowgate are both composed and arrangedby him. the former is a chant-like piecewhilst the two latter works are quitemodern, contain either tenor sax orsoprano sax improvisation or both. andthey also feature virtuosic playing with astrong jazz influence. in summary, a cD tobe enjoyed by all. Very stronglyrecommended.Kenneth Morris

cLarinet FRENCH MELODIES

Les HaricotsRougesFrémeauxAssociés FA 586www.fremeaux.com not at all the

normal ‘fare’ of a magazine devoted tosingle-reed matters this delightful disccaptures both the spirit of france and ofnew orleans by having a group ofmusicians with contemporary techniquedeliver Gallic tunes/songs in the style ofthe original Dixieland Band. as most ofour jazz oriented readership will know,clarinet playing by the architects of earlyjazz could be described as coarse or naïvewith a tone and vibrato ranging from roughto excruciating. no such diversions here.clarinettist alain Meaume and hiscompatriots on trumpet, trombone, banjo,piano, bass and drums produce a splendid‘jazz in the drawing room’ sound akin to themodern jazz quartet’s laid back approachback in the ‘60s.

if any of our clarinet playing readers arepart of a Dixieland group they are welladvised to listen to Les Haricots rougeswho, understandably secure enormousaudience support for their wordwideappearances as concert openers for majorjazz and pop stars. they are melodic,relaxed, they swing and are extremelyaccessible. on the downside (for thisreviewer) there are only a couple ofclarinet solos and too many of the 17 trackshave a vocal content. nevertheless a veryenjoyable 58 minutes of entertaining, foot-tapping music. any band who copies thisgang will never go short of gigs.Kenneth Morris

EINAR JÓHANNESSONClarinetConcertosMozart K 622;Weber No 2;Debussy PremièreRhapsodie; JonNordal Haustvisa.Iceland Symphony

Orchestra, conductors Hermann Bäumer;David Searle; Petri Sakari.Smekkleysa ISO2 £13.25iceland’s leading clarinettist and principalof the symphony orchestra since 1980 hasassembled a personal collection featuringthree highlights of the standard repertoireplus an original work by iceland’s seniorcomposer. this would be a very suitable cDfor someone wanting a single-discoverview of the clarinet’s history as a soloconcerto instrument. a few points ofinterest: for the Mozart Jóhannesson uses

forcLarinet Superpads

only from www.woodwindco.com [email protected]

the ‘short’ clarinet despite a mention in theprogramme notes of the basset clarinet.How quickly the traditional version hasstarted to sound a bit old-fashioned! He issuitably operatic in the Weber, particularlythe imaginative and dramatic secondmovement. the nordal is not so much aconcerto as a rhapsody, somewhat inDelius style, (Haustvisa means autumnpoem) but with a brief orchestral outburstnear the end, somewhat recalling thenielsen concerto. if only there had beenroom to include this too! Jóhannesson’ssound is big, broad and expressive with ahint of vibrato, a little reminiscent atmoments of reginald Kell and particularlysuited to the Debussy, in which i think hegets closer to what the composer probablyexpected to hear than many other playerstoday manage, though as always i missedany real touch of doux et pénétrant, aneffect that has virtually disappeared frommodern playing. you can read more aboutthis interesting musician in PamelaWeston’s Clarinet Virtuosi of Today.John Playfair

JEAN FRANCAIX 1912 - 1997Le Gai ParisIndesens 045 £13the music of Jeanfrançaix is verymuch in thelimelight at themoment following

the centenary of his birth last year. as faras french wind music writing goes françaixoffers players and audiences everything -

excitement, melodies, humour and vitalitybeing just a few examples. this cD does notdisappoint. the playing is exemplary andthe repertoire is a fine selection of some ofthe best of françaix’s music featuring windinstruments. the highlight of the cD is theclarinet concerto, performed by Philippecuper and the orchestre de Bretagne.cuper delights in this recording - he makesthe concerto sound effortless and hisplaying full of life and character.

the repertoire also includes the Themeand Variations for clarinet and piano whichagain is extremely well played. i was a littlesurprised by some of the tempos set, butthat is personal and did not distract frommy enjoyment in any way. nicolas Prost’sdulcet tones gave the Cinq DansesExotiques for saxophone and piano amagical quality and the Divertimento forbassoon (performed by Lola Descours) andwind quintet is delightfully performed. iwould recommend this cD to anybody -good repertoire and virtuosic playing,thoroughly enjoyable.Sarah Watts

RAINBOW SUNDAEWestwood WindQuintetTrios, Quartetsand QuintetCrystal RecordsCD759 £17.99i was excited toreview this cD. it

offers a selection of wind trios, quartets

and quintets. However, i was leftdisappointed by the cD as a whole.

Wind music is always a hard sell be it toconcert promoters or as a recording. asperformers selling core wind chambermusic, we should strive to offer the best ofour repertoire to audiences. this cDfeatures works by russian composernikolai tschemberdschi, Braziliancomposer Joao Guilherme ripper andamerican offerings from arthur Berger,Walter Piston, Walter Hartley and MartinScot Kosins. the music presented is all niceand easy listening, however as a completecD i was left wanting more from the music.the cD seems to throw these moreunknown works together and lacks some ofthe fantastic more substantial and wellknown wind works that would have addedneeded musical weight to this recording.the playing was also a disappointment. fora wind quintet that have been playingtogether since 1959 and have a catalogueof many cDs and impressive press quotes,there were too many intonation andbalance issues within the recording itself.at times the ensemble was not together. alittle more general attention to detailwould have made a big difference to thisrecording.Sarah Watts �


for cLarinet Superpadsonly from www.woodwindco.com [email protected]

Steve CrowSaxophone Specialist

0113 440 09870789 900 1099

[email protected]

CD reviews

“e horn that I have been waiting for the last 30 years”

Courtney Pine and now Nathaniel Facey joins

as the new endorser of the Conn-Selmer saxophones

Vincent Bach International LtdUnit 71 Capitol Park Industrial Estate, Capitol Way, London, NW9 0EW

Tel: 020 8358 8800Autumn 2013 Clarinet & Saxophone 41

SaXoPHone DOUBLE CLICK

30 byte-sizedpieces for solosaxophoneChris Gumbley,Karen Street andJames RaeGumblesPublicationsGP203, £8.50this is a set of 30

pieces for unaccompanied saxophone.they are generally arranged in aprogressive level of difficulty ranging fromgrade one to grade five standard. i havebeen a fan of chris Gumbley’s otherpublications for saxophone, Cool School,and the more recent Tongue and Groovewith their contemporary feel. Both of thosebooks came with accompanying cD. thismore recent collection has noaccompaniment (either piano or cDbacking), however there are more pieces onoffer. in line with the book’s title the piecesare all named in a witty way to be computerrelated for example Reed Only File. it’s afine collection of pieces and is featured inthe new aBrSM woodwind syllabus fromgrades one to five as well as selectedgrades in the trinity college London gradeexam syllabus.Andrew Smith

15 MORE CRAZY JAZZ STUDIESChris GumbleySolo SaxophoneGumblesPublicationsGP101, £10the original 15Crazy Jazz Studieswas published bySaxtetpublications and

was aimed at the intermediate saxophoneplayer. this new volume is essentially moreof the same, and in many ways can beconsidered to follow on from the recentDouble Click collection of studies alsopublished by Gumbles Publications. thereis no progression of difficulty level in thisbook and the pieces are mostly around thegrade six to seven standard. two of thepieces are actually included in the newaBrSM syllabus at those grades. as withthe original Crazy Jazz Studies collection,different studies are aimed at variousaspects of technique, for example legatoplaying and rhythmic awareness, as well astouching on different monophonicfingerings to change sound colour.Andrew Smith

cLarinetPREMIÈRE RHAPSODIE Claude DebussyClarinet and piano Gérard Billaudot GB9128, £11.95

this is now thefifth edition whichhas becomeavailable of theDebussy PremièreRhapsodie.Billaudot thefrench publishingcompany haveproduced a newvery attractive

volume of this classic of the clarinetrepertoire, famously written in 1910 as atest piece for the Paris conservatoire. GuyDangain is the editor and has produced thisedition based on the two existingmanuscripts kept at the Bibliothèquenationale. there are differences betweenthe two manuscripts which Dangain sayscan be explained by Debussy and the work’sdedicatee Prosper Mimart workingtogether on specific technical problems,and also by Debussy’s own corrections.Where there are differences in themanuscripts these have been published asossia lines alongside the ‘normal’ clarinetpart. the differences are few but startling.if you are familiar with the work you wouldcertainly sit up and take notice on listeningto the piece played with the alternativeversions. as with all of Billaudot’spublications, the music is well laid out withmore generous spacing than in the originalDurand edition.Andrew Smith

CLARINET SONATALeonard BernsteinClarinet and piano Boosey & Hawkes BHI10747, £14.99

for many years theonly edition of thisearly work byLeonard Bernsteinhas been theWarner Brotherspublication. theclarinet Sonatawas written in1941-1942 and wasin fact Bernstein’s

first published composition. this newedition by Boosey and Hawkes does notcontain any startling revelations althoughit is more generously laid out on the printedpage. Sources for the new edition wereBernstein’s pencil manuscripts of theoriginal score. there are places where thearticulation differs from the first publishededition, and there are occasional changed

enharmonic note spellings. the newBoosey and Hawkes edition includesaccompanying biographical detail as wellas an essay entitled ‘thoughts on Playingthe Sonata’. the Bernstein Sonata hasfeatured as part of the aBrSM grade eightsyllabus until recently, however the piecehas not been included in the revisedsyllabus. Whilst not a mature piece and notparticularly indicative of Bernstein’sgenerally more popular style, the sonata isa piece worthy of study by clarinettists andit remains a significant work in the 20thcentury clarinet repertoire.Andrew Smith

CINEMA CLASSICS12 Blockbuster Movie Play-alongsVahid Matejko Clarinet & mp3 CD Alfred Music, £12.50

this is anothercollection of play-along pieces withcD. there are 12movie themes onoffer in the bookincluding popularfavourites likeHedwig’s Theme,Star Wars, PinkPanther. Like so

many books of this type they are aimed atwidening their target audience byproducing several versions of the book fordifferent instruments. this particularseries is available for six differentinstruments, all of which use the samebacking cD. this one size fits all approachrarely works for all instruments, and this isindeed the case with this collection. theclarinet version is essentially the same asthe tenor saxophone version and does notgo lower than D. this means that it hoversaround the break too much for comfort forthe younger players. these kinds of booksdo serve a purpose when players arelearning their instrument and want to playsomething that they know, however i wouldadvise you to look before you buy, to makesure that the book is suited to the player’sability.Andrew Smith

BASSOON CONCERTOTranscription for bass clarinet and pianoWolfgang Amadeus Mozart Gérard Billaudot, £18.75

as many of youwill know i am notat all againstarranging musicfor otherinstruments forbass clarinet. a lotof musictranscribesextremely welland is even


Music reviews


considered to be important repertoire forthe bass clarinet. However, i have to drawthe line at the wonderful bassoon concertoby Mozart. it is simply a step too far - thebass clarinet can get away with ‘borrowing’the Weber bassoon works, but the modernbass clarinet just doesn’t adapt well toMozart. this transcription is overly edited.the few bassoon players i have shown it tohave simply shuddered and offered metwo-word responses! it is worth noting thatMozart didn’t offer much advice in the wayof dynamics or articulations, so if anarrangement of such a work is to be donefor bass clarinet, then maybe a better wayto offer it would have been to do an Urtext-style transcription and leave it to theplayer to develop their own markings for it.for me however, and to the relief of all ofmy bassoon colleagues i won’t be learningor performing it. We have a huge amount ofrepertoire in all styles and some excellenttranscriptions that work well - i will stickto these. Sarah Watts

TIDESTides Faye-Ellen SilvermanClarinet and piano Seesaw Music, £25

american composerfaye-ellenSilverman hasalready had manycompositionspublished but thiswas the first time ihad come across herwork. composedbetween autumn2011 and spring 2013

Tides is a five movement work, approx -imately 15 minutes in length for clarinet andpiano. Orchestral Tides is the same work forclarinet and chamber orchestra. the‘Prologue’ opens darkly with piano octaves.it is loosely centred around a minor anduses takemitsu’s sea motif of concert e flat(or es), e and a which spells Sea.

the opening theme develops andexplores a range of dynamics before endingvery quietly with low octave as in the pianoleft hand. the octave as begin the secondmovement ‘calm Seas’ this time in the righthand. the quaver movement firstly withinthe accompaniment then with the clarinetgives this much more of a lift and whenduplet and triplet quavers mix this givesthe impression of the light flickering. themotif here is from Mendelssohn’s Calm Seaand Prosperous Voyage and this continuesin the oddly named ‘Drowned at Sea’ whichleft me a little curious. it is dramatic withits forte trills and cadenza-like descendingpassages but rather than ending in despairthe opening of ‘Shared Waters’ is verystrong and the Klezmer influence gives thepiece much more life and is very enjoyableto play. all f to G sharps at the top of the

stave are smeared and some high notesneed smearing. themes used here are fromisraeli folk tunes, the first Oh Beautiful andthe second Water, Water. the epilogue usesearlier material and we finish on octave as.thematic ideas link through themovements and this is a very interestingwork with lots to analyse and look for, nottoo difficult but not easy. the rangeextends to a and a flat an octave above thestave. i found the clarinet and pianoversion a little heavy going but theorchestral accompaniment makes the piecemuch more exciting and creates anambience reminiscent of a film full ofnautical adventure and mystery. Stephanie Reeve

ABC FOR CLARINET Adam Brzozowski A clarinet playing handbook PWM, £19.95

this new tutorbook is aimedspecifically atpupils aged six toseven years.notes, fingeringsand basicinformation areclearly laid outand distributedevenly throughout

the book. Material is a mixture of folksongs, many from Poland, and originaltunes by Brzozowski which are nicelywritten and suitable for children, catchybut not too challenging for the player’scurrent standard. there are no pianoaccompaniments but duet parts for pupiland teacher are written out for c or B flatinstrument. the art work is pleasant tolook at. there is a lot of introductoryinformation presented at the beginning andthe music doesn’t get going until page 20.Given the age aimed at much of this isprobably not necessary. note rangeintroduced is from bottom e up to throat Bflat with f sharp, B flat and e flat the onlynon-natural notes introduced. note valuesgo as far as quavers and dotted crotchetsand other basic symbols graduallyintroduced include pauses, articulation,scales and triads. Dynamics come intowards the end. fingering charts are forBoehm and German system clarinets. With91 pages in total it is quite a big book and alittle force was needed on the spine to makethe volume sit properly on the music stand.all writing is in Polish, english and Germanalthough this does not take up more paperthan otherwise needed. it is moreexpensive than other tutor books on themarket, just shy of £20 but there is a lot ofmaterial. With only a few weeks to submit areview i have not had time to work throughit in detail with a younger pupil but do feelthat it would be worth the effort at least totry it out. Stephanie Reeve

THREE BRAHMS SONGS Brahms arr. Rachel Broadbent Clarinet and piano Emerson Edition, £7.50

Brahms composedjust under 200lieder and thethree songs in thiscollection all havea connection tonature, a subjectthat Brahms wasdrawn to. they areIn Summer Fields(Feldeinsamkeit),

To The Nightingale (An die Nachtigall) andIn Woodland Solitude (InWaldeseinsamkeit). all are beautifullyvocal and suit the clarinet well. Piano partshave been kept closely to the original andphrasing has been added to the clarinetline. Brahms’ original indications ofLangsam or Ziemlich langsam are nowmetronome marks and Moderato for InWoodland Solitude. range is all within thefive lines of the stave and just one ledgerline is used. a few chromatic notes addcolour and these are excellent repertoirebuilding works for grade four to fivestandard. as with any song a knowledge ofthe words and general backgroundinformation should be researched to getthe most out of the lovely pieces. thisedition is for oboe, cor anglais or clarinetso check the double reed section of yourmusic shop if you can’t find it within theclarinet repertoire. Stephanie Reeve

RONDO David HendersonFlute, clarinet and piano Emerson Edition, £6

British borncomposer DavidHenderson studiedand continues tolive in australia.Dedicated to hiscurrentcompositionteacher anatolyDokumentov thisis a quirky little

number only just over two minutes inlength and feels like it should be the finalmovement in a longer work! it is fun to playand energetic throughout. flute, clarinetand piano are equal with lines shared out.flute and clarinet sometimes play inunison, as echo or with different lines sothe ensemble varies. other parts are cuedonto the instrumental parts and the pianohas the full score. Stephanie Reeve �


DIARYconcertSOCTOBER

2 christ church, the Broadway,Bexleyheath, Kent, Da6 7Bt, 1.05pmSouth London Saxophone Quartetnoelle Sasportas (soprano), BobLowdell (alto), Dave eastham(tenor), ian noonan (baritone)Lunchtime recital - free [email protected]

4 St Brides church, fleet Street,London, ec4y 8aU, 1.15pmLuca Luciano (clarinet)Programme to include compositionsby Luciano from the albumPartenope, and music by Messiaen,Berio and Stravinsky.admission free0207 427 0133

5 new Mark Hall, royal MasonicSchool for Girls, rickmansworth,Hertfordshire, WD3 4Hf, 7.30pmEquinox Saxophone Ensembletickets £12/£6www.hertschambermusic.org.uk

5 Hot House, Derby, eveningAndy Scott with Hot House DerbySaxophone Ensembleandy Scott will appear as guestartist with the Hot House saxophoneensemble. www.andyscott.org.uk

6 Kings Place, 90 york Way, London,n1 9aG, 4pmTimothy Orpen (clarinet) andEnsemble AmorphaLuke Styles clarinet Quintetpremière, commissioned withsupport from the Britten Pearsfoundation and the rVW trust.www.kingsplace.co.uk

8 St ives Jazz club, WesternHotel, tr26 2nD, 9pmSTREETWORKS andy tweed (saxophone), KarenStreet (accordion), Mike outram(guitar), Will Harris (bass)accordionist Karen Street’s latestproject - the music is melodic,influenced not only by jazz but withstrong leanings to both centraleuropean and South americanstyles.admission: £12/£8

8 recital Hall, Bedford School,Bedford, MK40 2tU, 7.30pmMalcolm Green (clarinet) andCharles Martin (piano)Programme includes music byWeber, Poulenc, Glick andSchumann. tickets: £5www.bedfordschool.org.uk

9 Ulster Hall, 34 Bedford St, Belfast,Bt2 7ff, 1pmGerard McChrystalUlster orchestra BelfastGlazunov, concertowww.belfastcity.gov.uk/ulsterhall/index.aspx

11 Marden House, new rd, calne,Wiltshire, Sn11 0JJ, 7.30pmCalne Music and Arts Festival -From VenusHayley Lambert (saxophone) andPaul turner (piano)Music by women composersincluding fernande Decruck, Hilarytann and ida Gotkovsky.www.calnemusicandartsfestival.co.uk

11 St. Saviour’s church, Warwickave, London, W9, 7.30pmDavid Campbell (clarinet) and TheSolstice String Quartetformer clarinet & SaxophoneSociety chairman will perform withthis ensemble initiating the eleventhedition of the Little Venice Musicfestival. Programme to beannounced soon (see website)0207 289 1728 www.littlevenice-mf.com

12 the Space, isle of Dogs, London,e14 3rS, 7.30pmEast London Clarinet Choira programme of film music forclarinet choir ‘Gone with the Wind’tickets: £10/£8

12 Bosbury concert Series, Bosburychurch, Herefordshire, 7.30pmThe Worcestershire SaxophoneEnsembles Saxophone QuartetLouisa Davidson (soprano), JackieHarris (alto), Kate Moroni (tenor),Sue Sneath (baritone)a recital of saxophone quartet piecesfrom Baroque to contemporary.www.worcestershiresaxophone.blogspot.com

13 St andrew’s church,chelmondiston, iP9 1Hy, 3pmEast Anglian Single Reed Choira programme of light classicalmusic conducted by anthony Bailey.tickets available on the doorwww.singlereeds.co.uk

13 the United church, Jewry Street,Winchester, So23 8rZ, 7pmForty Fingers Saxophone QuartetJo Paterson-neild (soprano), KathyLaughton (alto), ian James (tenor),Sarah Moore (baritone)around the World with forty fingers07963 912588

15 farnham United reformedchurch, South Street, farnham,Surrey, GU9 7QU, 1.10 – 1.50pmRiver City Saxeschris Hooker (soprano), Sally Blouet(alto), Martyn thomas (tenor), GeoffWilliams (baritone)Lunchtime concert - retiringcollectionwww.rivercitysaxes.com

16 Swing Unlimited Jazz club,centerstage, 14 Queens road,Bournemouth, BH2 6Be, 8.30 – 11pmSarah Bolter and ‘Not Just Sax’ Sarah Bolter (saxophone), ray Shea(piano), Pete Maxfield (bass), Johnnyeyden (drums)tickets: catherine 07771267445 oravailable to purchase on the door.www.sarahbolter.co.uk

16 the cornerstone, Liverpool HopeUniversity, 17 Shaw St, Liverpool, L61HP, 7.30pmEnsemble 10/10 conducted byClark RundellPremière of Thea Dances by ianStephens, commissioned in memoryof thea King and frederick thurston,for clarinet, bassoon, horn andstring quintet (the same instrumentsas Schubert’s octet). Programme toinclude music by Gait, Gaunt, Gilbert,Pratt and roxburgh.www.ianstephens.netwww.liverpoolphil.com

17 eltham conservative club, theWoodcroft, 254 eltham High Street,Se9 1aa Frank Griffith with the HughOckendon Trioadmission: £100208 850 8659

17 University of Huddersfield,Queensgate, Huddersfield, Westyorkshire, HD1 3DH, 1pmAndy Scott and Dave Hassell Duoandy Scott and Dave Hassell willgive a public lunchtime concert oforiginal music for saxophone andpercussion at the University ofHuddersfield, followed by anafternoon workshop for students. www.andyscott.org.uk

18 Machynlleth Music club, ytabernacl, Heol Penrallt,Machynlleth, Powys, Sy20 8aJ,7.30pmTimothy Orpen (clarinet)Victoria Simonsen (cello) and Danieltong (piano)

18 St Giles in the fields, 60 St GilesHigh Street, London, Wc2H 8LG,1.10pmLuca Luciano (clarinet)Programme to include compositionsby Luciano from the albumPartenope, and music by Messiaen,Berio and Stravinsky. admission free0207 240 2532

18 Highfields School, Lumsdale,Matlock, De4 5na, 7.30pmMatlock Music Societyanthony Brown (saxophone) and Leonicholson (piano)Programme to include music by

turnage, Gershwin and Debussy.tickets: £10/£5 under 18 freewww.matlockmusic.org.ukwww.anthonybrownsaxophone.com

19 Hawick Music club, tower Milltheatre, Hawick, tD9 0ae, 7pmCameo Clarinet Quartetwww.cameoclarinetquartet.co.ukwww.hawickonline.com/community_groups/arts/music_club

19 city Hall, Malthouse Lane,Salisbury, Wiltshire, 7.30pmTimothy Orpen (clarinet)Bournemouth Symphony orchestraMozart clarinet concerto in a major,K. 622www.bsolive.com

22 Wesley’s chapel, 49 city road,London, ec1y 1aU, 1.05 – 1.50pmRiver City Saxeschris Hooker (soprano), Sally Blouet(alto), Martyn thomas (tenor), GeoffWilliams (baritone)Lunchtime concert – free admissionwww.rivercitysaxes.com

22 the Studio, St James theatre, 12Palace Street, London, 8pmVisual Musicterry trickett (clarinet) and friends.terry’s renderings of compositionsfor solo clarinet will be matched bythe simultaneous projection of hisvisual interpretations of the pieces.the concert will also include carlnielsen’s wind quintet.Box office: 0844 264 [email protected]

23 church of St Mary Magdalene,chulmleigh, eX18 7Br, 1.30pmTimothy Orpen (clarinet) and theCarducci Quartet Mozart clarinet Quintet in a major,K. 581www.thetwomoorsfestival.com

23 exeter cathedral, 1 the cloisters,exeter, eX1 1HS, 7pmTimothy Orpen (clarinet)www.thetwomoorsfestival.com

25 the Spice of Life, 6 Moor Street,cambridge circus, London, W1, 12.30– 3pmFrank Griffith with Martin Nicklessadmission: £10www.spicejazz.co.uk

26 Bournemouth Pavilion, Westoverroad, Bournemouth, Dorset, 7pmTimothy Orpen (clarinet)Mozart clarinet concerto in a major,K. 622Bournemouth Symphony orchestrawww.bsolive.com

28 the Gallery at foyles, 113-119charing cross road, London, Wc2H0eB, 6.30 – 8.30pm‘Duo Sax’ Michael Duke and SarahMarkham UK Tour, with Paul Turner(piano)concert and masterclass, sponsoredby yamaha and Vandoren, hostedby sax.co.uk.free admission www.sax.co.uk

29th october,SarahMarkhamstarts her UKtour


29 trinity Laban conservatoire ofMusic and Dance, old royal navalcollege, Se10 9Jf, 1 – 2pm‘Duo Sax’ Michael Duke and SarahMarkham UK Tour, with Paul Turner(piano)concert in the old royal navalcollege chapel, sponsored byyamaha and Vandorenwww.trinitylaban.ac.uk

30 Leeds college of Music, 3 QuarryHill, Leeds, LS2 7PD, 7.30pm‘Duo Sax’ Michael Duke and SarahMarkham UK Tour, with Paul Turner(piano)Masterclass in the Venue, 2 – 5pmfollowed by a concert. Sponsored byyamaha and Vandoren.www.lcm.ac.uk

30 Key theatre, embankment rd,Peterborough, cambridgeshire, Pe11efAcker Bilk and his Paramount JazzBand01733 207239

31 Birmingham conservatoire,Paradise Place, Birmingham, B33HG, 7.30pm‘Duo Sax’ Michael Duke and SarahMarkham UK Tour, with Paul Turner(piano)Masterclass in the recital Hall, 4.30– 6.30pm followed by a concert.Sponsored by yamaha andVandoren.www.bcu.ac.uk

31 royal northern college of Music,124 oxford rd, Manchester, M139rD, 7.30pmEnsemble 10/10 conducted byClark Rundellthe Manchester première of TheaDances by ian Stephens,commissioned in memory of theaKing and frederick thurston, forclarinet, bassoon, horn and stringquintet (the same instruments asSchubert’s octet). Programmeincludes music by Gait, Gaunt,Gilbert, Pratt and roxburgh.www.ianstephens.netwww.liverpoolphil.com

NOVEMBER1 royal Welsh college of Music andDrama, cathays Park, cardiff, cf103er, 1.15pm‘Duo Sax’ Michael Duke and SarahMarkham UK Tour, with Paul Turner(piano)Masterclass 2 – 5pm following theconcert. Sponsored by yamaha andVandoren.www.rwcmd.ac.uk

1 the Venue, Leeds college of Music,3 Quarry Hill, Leeds, LS2 7PD,7.30pmJanet Hilton (clarinet) and JacobFichert (piano)andré tchaikowsky, Sonata forclarinet and piano; Arioso e Fuga perclarinetto solo as part of a recital oftchaikowsky’s music.www.lcm.ac.uk/whats-on

1 the Lemon tree, 5 W north St,aberdeen, aberdeen city, aB24 5at,9pmApollo Saxophone Quartet at theSound Festivalthe apollo Saxophone Quartet willperform a selection of their workswith silent film at the Soundfestival, north east Scotland’sfestival of new music. www.apollosaxophonequartet.com

2 tockwith church, Vale of york,yo26 7Py, 7.30pmYorkshire Saxophone Choiran entertaining concert of originalmusic for 12 saxophones, part of theWetherby festival.

2 the radcliffe centre, churchStreet, Buckingham, MK18 1eG,7.30pmEquinox Saxophone Ensemblepresents ‘The Equinox Collection’tickets: £10/£8 incl. refreshments01280 848770www.equinoxsax.org.uk

3 the forge, 3-7 Delancey St,camden town, London, nW1 7nL,7.30pm From the Highlands and Islands a Scottish themed concert given bycuillin Sound wind trio. traditionalShetland melodies, music by edwardMcGuire, and a special showing ofclassic films documenting life in theHebrides in the early 20th century,with original live music usingtraditional melodies from thoseplaces featured in the film. anafternoon workshop for woodwindand horn players between 2.30 –5.30pm.on-line tickets:www.forgevenue.org/events

6 Grantham Music club, Prioryruskin academy, rushcliffe road,Grantham, nG31 8eD, 7.30pmEquinox Saxophone Ensemble01400 250372www.equinoxsax.org.uk

6 Bideford Music club, Methodistchurch Hall, High Street, Bideford,7.30pmAnthony Brown (saxophone) andLeo Nicholson (piano)Programme to include music byibert, Boutry and Gershwin.tickets: £12/freewww.eduncan.bizwww.anthonybrownsaxophone.com

8 Birmingham Jazz, the red Lion,Hockley, B18 6nG, 7.30pmSTREETWORKS andy tweed (saxophone), KarenStreet (accordion), Mike outram(guitar), Will Harris (bass).accordionist Karen Street’s latestproject - melodic music, influencednot only by jazz but with strongleanings to both central europeanand South american styles.admission: £10/£8

9 Wigmore Hall, 36 Wigmore Street,London, W1U 2BP, 7.30pmNash Ensemble Series Concertrichard Hosford (clarinet)Programme to include Bartók,Contrasts for clarinet, violin andpiano.0207 935 2141www.wigmore-hall.org.uk

15 the apex, charter Square, BurySt edmunds, iP33 3fD, 7.30pmTimothy Orpen (clarinet)Programme to include John adamsGnarly Buttonswww.theapex.co.uk/whats-on/2011/5

16 teignmouth Jazz festival, Unitedreformed church, 29 the Strand,Dawlish, eX7 9Pt, 2pmLuca Luciano (clarinet) Paolo Losi(piano)Programme to include originalmaterial from the album Neapolis,and re-arrangements for music byGershwin, Parker, corea andcoltrane.admission: £100207 240 2532

19 royal concert Hall, theatreSquare, nottingham, nG1 5nD,7.30pmAcker Bilk and his Paramount JazzBand, with Chris Barber0115 989 5555

20 Sheffield Jazz, Millennium Hall,Sheffield, S11 8PySTREETWORKS andy tweed (saxophone), KarenStreet (accordion), Mike outram(guitar), Will Harris (bass).accordionist Karen Street’s latestproject - melodic music, influencednot only by jazz but with strongleanings to both central europeanand South american styles.

20 Swing Unlimited Jazz club,centerstage, 14 Queens road,Bournemouth, BH2 6Be, 8.30 – 11pmSarah Bolter and ‘Not Just Sax’with special guest singer Tina May Sarah Bolter (saxophone), ray Shea(piano), Pete Maxfield (bass), Johnnyeyden (drums)tickets: catherine 07771267445 oravailable to purchase on the doorwww.sarahbolter.co.uk

21 the arts Depot, 5 nether St,north finchley, London, n12 0Ga,8pmFrank Griffith Part of the Jazz at café Society Showwith alexander Stewart, GwynethHerbert and china Moses.admission: £15www.serious.org.uk

22 chelmsford cathedral, 53 newStreet, chelmsford, cM1 1ty,12.30pmLuca Luciano (clarinet) Paolo Losi(piano)Programme to include originalmaterial from the album Neapolis,and re-arrangements of music byPuccini, Vivaldi, Gershwin andchurchill.free admission01245 294492

22 old church at rannoch, Kinlochrannoch, Perth and Kinross, PH165Qa, 7.30pmCameo Clarinet Quartetwww.cameoclarinetquartet.co.uk

22 St. Katharine cree church,Leadenhall Street, city of London,(nearest tube aldgate), 7.30pmCity Wind Orchestraconcert of Spanish works for windorchestra.

23 isle of arran Music Society,Brodick Hall, Brodick, isle of arran,7.30pmFell Clarinet QuartetProgramme to feature originalworks, classical arrangements, jazzand klezmer.

23 the Barn, Bristol road, nailsea,Somerset, BS48 1BU, 7.30pmChris Gumbley‘another Story’ with Karen Street,fred Baker and Sara colmanwww.gumblespublications.co.uk/news

23 Haxby Methodist church, Haxby,york, 7.30pmThe Yorkshire Saxophone Choirand Dynamicsa light programme of musicincluding some popular and well-known tunes.tickets available on the door £5contact Debbie Scherer or SarahJobson 04123 538473

24 Wigmore Hall, 36 WigmoreStreet, London, W1U 2BP, 11.30amNash Ensemble Series Concertrichard Hosford (clarinet)Programme to include Stravinsky,‘Suite’ from The Soldier’s Tale0207 935 2141www.wigmore-hall.org.uk

1st november, apolloSaxophone QuartetPhoto: Azadour Guzelian


25 the national concert Hall,earlsfort terrace, Dublin 2, irelandAcker Bilk and his Paramount JazzBand, with Chris Barber00 353 1417 0000

26 2 Lanyon Pl, Belfast, Bt1 3WHAcker Bilk and his Paramount JazzBand, with Chris Barber0289 033 4455

28 faversham Music club, Lynsted,Kent, Me9 9Qy, 7.30pmAnthony Brown (saxophone) andLeo Nicholson (piano)Programme to include music byPiazzolla, ibert and Debussy.tickets: £12/£6www.favershammusicclub.co.uk

29 St. Georges, Bloomsbury, London,Wc1a 2Hr, 7.30pmBloomsbury Woodwind Ensemble‘in Praise of Woman’the programme of music telling thestory of the struggle women havehad as composers, performers andconductors. the programme willinclude music from the 10th centuryto the present day.tickets: £10/£8

DECEMBER2 christ church, Jubilee Square,Woking, GU21 6yG, 12.40 – 1.20pmRiver City Saxeschris Hooker (soprano), Bob Lowdell(alto), Martyn thomas (tenor), GeoffWilliams (baritone)Lunchtime concert - retiring collectionwww.rivercitysaxes.com

7 Wigmore Hall, 36 Wigmore Street,London, W1U 2BP, 7pmNash Ensemble Series Concertrichard Hosford (clarinet)Programme to include music bycopland, ravel and Gershwin.0207 935 2141www.wigmore-hall.org.uk

8 Palm House, Sefton Park,Liverpool, L17 1aP, 2 – 3.45pmMaghull Wind Orchestraa varied programme of music to suitall tastes.0151 531 9562.www.maghullwindorchestra.co.uk

11the Great Drawing room,rothamsted Manor, rothamsted,Harpenden, aL5 2JQ, 8pmTimothy Orpen (clarinet), VictoriaSimonsen (cello) and Daniel Tong(piano)Programme to include music byfrühling, Poulenc, ravel, cassadóand Brahms.www.rothamsted.ac.uk/eventDetails.php?PubSci=Manorrecital

13 St Luke’s church, norfolk road,Maidenhead, SL6 7aX, 1.05 – 1.50pmRiver City Saxeschris Hooker (soprano), Bob Lowdell(alto), Martyn thomas (tenor), GeoffWilliams (baritone)concert for the start of christmastree festivalwww.rivercitysaxes.com

JANUARY 20149 Park Lane Group young artist newyear Series, Southbank centre,London, Se1 8XX, 7.45pmAnthony Brown (saxophone) andLeo Nicholson (piano)this shared concert will includeBench by Ben foskett, a new work byGraham ross commissioned by PLG,and richard rodney Bennett, Sonatafor soprano saxophone.tickets: £12/£9.50/£7www.parklanegroup.co.uk

12 the Shakespeare institute, churchStreet, Stratford-upon-avon,Warwickshire, cV37 6HP, 3pmAnthony Brown (saxophone) LeoNicholson (piano)Stratford chamber Music Society Programme to include music byravel, Piazzolla and Maurice.tickets: £16/£5www.stratfordchambermusic.co.uk

17 overton church, ritchie Street,West Kilbride, Ka23 9aL, 7.30pmScottish Wind EnsembleGounod, Petite Symphonie in Bb;Schubert, Trois Marches Militaires,op.51; enescu, Dixtuor, op.14;françaix, Nine Characteristic Pieces.www.scottishwindensemble.co.uk

17 University of Derby, Kedlestonroad, Derby, De22 1GB, 7.30pmAnthony Brown (saxophone) andLeo Nicholson (piano)Programme to include music byMaurice, Debussy and Dubois.tickets: £13/£12/£7www.derbychambermusic.org

19 the Masonic Hall, Harrogate, HG15ne, 2.30pmCharity ConcertPupils of Debbie Scherer and SarahJobson will again be performingtheir annual concert with allproceeds going to local charities.Performances will includeaccompanied solos as well asensembles.free admission with donationsDragon Music 01423 538473

25 Music at St. Peters, St Peter’sStreet, canterbury, Kent, ct1 2Be,7.45pmTimothy Orpen (clarinet) andDaniel Tong (piano)Programme to include music bySchumann, Poulenc, Brahms andMilhaud.www.musicatstpeters.org.uk

26 Marden House, the Wharf, newroad, calne, Wiltshire, Sn11 0JJ, 3pmTimothy Orpen (clarinet) andDaniel Tong (piano)Programme to include music bySchumann, Poulenc, Brahms andMilhaud.www.mardenhouseconcerts.co.uk

FEBRUARY 20143 Library theatre, central Library,St. George’s Square, Luton, LU1 2nG,7.45pmTimothy Orpen (clarinet) and JohnReid (piano)Programme to include music byfinzi, Stravinsky, Brahms, Schumannand Giampieri.www.lutonmusic.org.uk/current_Season/current_season.html

8 the Little theatre, 20 HoghtonSt, town centre, Southport, Pr9 0Pa,7.30 – 10pmMaghull Wind Orchestracharity concert on behalf of Queenscourt Hospice, Southport. 0151 531 9562www.maghullwindorchestra.co.uk

10 St Michael at the north Gate,cornmarket, oxford, oX1 3ey, 1pmLuca Luciano (clarinet)Programme to include compositionsby Luciano from the albumPartenope, and music by Messiaen,Berio and Stravinsky.admission free01865 240940

15 Wigmore Hall, 36 Wigmore Street,London, W1U 2BP, 6pmNash Ensemble Series Concertrichard Hosford (clarinet)Programme to include music bySteiner, Waxman and Herrman.0207 935 2141www.wigmore-hall.org.uk

15 all Saints’, Lovelace road, WestDulwich, Se21 8Jy, 7.30pmAnthony Brown (saxophone)Lambeth orchestra, conductorchristopher fifieldclaude Debussy, Rapsodie; andPaule Maurice, Tableaux deProvence.tickets: £12/£10/£1www.lambeth-orchestra.org.uk

20 St Mary’s church Hall, MainStreet, Sprotbrough, Dn5 7rH,7.30pmTimothy Orpen (clarinet), FionaWinning (viola) and John Reid(piano)Programme to include music byMozart, clarke, Poulenc, Schumannand françaix.Promoted by Sprotbrough MusicSocietywww.sprotbrough-music-society.agilityhoster.com/links.php

coUrSeS OCTOBER

11 - 13 Benslow Music, Benslow Lane,Hitchin, Hertfordshire, SG4 9rBStephanie Reeve’s Woodwind Bandtutor: Stephanie reevethe Woodwind Band givesintermediate players the opportunityto develop ensemble and sight-reading skills as well as providingassistance with basic technical skillssuch as breathing, posture andmusicianship. the main focus is thelarge ensemble, which works onfour-part arrangements and originalworks. the varied repertoire coverseverything from renaissance to thepresent day. Players of flute, oboe,clarinet, bassoon, bass clarinet andany saxophone are welcome. thereare also parts for french horn. therewill be some opportunity forchamber music playing so playersare encouraged to bring their ownmusic.fees: residential £245, nonresidential £195 01462 459446 www.benslowmusic.org

15 - 17 Benslow Music, Benslow Lane,Hitchin, Hertfordshire, SG4 9rBSarah Francis’s Piano and WindCoursetutors: Sarah francis, robert codd(bassoon) and Stephen Gutman(piano)to explore a wide range of repertoire,including works like Poulenc’sSextet, Saint-Saëns’s Caprice forflute, oboe, clarinet and piano andpiano and wind quintets by Mozartand Beethoven. Pre-formed groups,with or without pianists, areencouraged to apply to this course,as are individual pianists andharpsichordists – but please notethat there will be mixing andmatching for everyone. Pianistsshould be capable of playing workssuch as Beethoven’s Piano Quintetwith facility and everyone whocomes should be a good sight-reader. Woodwind players who applyindividually will be carefullymatched and incorporated. Gradeeight standard is required for thisselective course, and in order toensure a good balance.fees: residential £245, nonresidential £195 01462 459446 [email protected] www.benslowmusic.org

20 Bury farm, Stapleford,cambridge, cB22 5BPClarinet Repair Courseone day workshop led by DanielBangham in association with theclarinet and Saxophone Society ofGreat Britain.fee: £65 (£45 to caSS members)www.cassgb.org

26 – 27 Birnam, Perthshire, ScotlandThe Birnam Experiencetutored by bassoonist Laurence

DIARY

3rd february2014, timothyorpenPhoto: Benjamin Harte


Perkins with flautist Lynda coffinand with a focus on specific piecesand ensembles so places will belimited to the requirements of thoseworks (all pieces will be one playerto a part). Bookings are on a first-come first-served basis.course fee £120 includes all tutoredsessions, but not meals oraccommodation.www.windserenades.co.uk

27 Bury farm, Stapleford,cambridge, cB22 5BPSaxophone Repair Courseone day workshop led by DanielBangham in association with theclarinet and Saxophone Society ofGreat Britain.fee: £65 (£45 to caSS members)www.cassgb.org

27 – 1 November Knuston Hall,irchester, Wellingborough,northants, nn29 7eUA Celebration of Single Reedstutors: Sarah Jobson, DebbieScherer and Jeffery Wilsonthis course is offered to those whoplay clarinet and saxophone. youmust be able to play both but notnecessarily with the same degree ofconfidence or ability. there is theopportunity to experience a varietyof ensemble playing from classicalthrough to jazz benefiting not onlyfrom the tutors’ enthusiasm andexpertise but also from being able toaccess an enormous library ofspecialist music.fees: £556 (resident single room),£492 (resident shared room), £377(non resident including lunch anddinner)01933 [email protected]

NOVEMBER15 – 17 Benslow Music, BenslowLane, Hitchin, Hertfordshire, SG49rBThe Benslow Symphonic Bandtutors: John edney and Les Lakea weekend of genuine band music,exploring repertoire old and newand getting to grips with issues likebalance and dynamics. We welcomewoodwind, saxophone, brass andpercussionists. there might be somesectional work, but there willcertainly be a celebratory playthrough of what we’ve learned onthe final day. you must be able tosight-read reasonably well and to bea fluent player, able to hold yourown line confidently.fees: residential £245, nonresidential £195 01462 459446 [email protected] www.benslowmusic.org

22 - 24 Knuston Hall, irchester,Wellingborough, northants, nn297eUWind Band Weekendtutors: Paul egan, Philip Burditt andJohn GreavesWe tackle a wide range of music ofall ages and styles. a highproportion of the sessions are for

full band and the experienced tutorsmake sure players of all abilities canmake a full contribution. Sessionsfor smaller groups add to the varietyand ad hoc ensembles flourish infree periods. Help and advice ontechnique, instrument maintenanceand repertoire selection available. fees: £260 (resident single room),£228 (resident shared room), £175(non resident including lunch anddinner)01933 [email protected]

29 – 1 December Benslow Music,Benslow Lane, Hitchin,Hertfordshire, SG4 9rBWinter Saxestutors: neil crossley and GerardMcchrystal opportunities to play in ensemblesranging from quartets to a wholesaxophone choir, and there will alsobe masterclasses and techniqueclinics. although pre-formedquartets are very welcome, noprevious experience of ensembleplaying is necessary.fees: residential £245, nonresidential £195 01462 459446 [email protected] www.benslowmusic.org

DECEMBER9 - 12 Benslow Music, Benslow Lane,Hitchin, Hertfordshire, SG4 9rBQuintessential Clarinetstutors: Shea Lolin and cliftonHughesShea Lolin’s course aims to developyour solo and ensemble playingboth by working through the piecesyou bring along and by presentingyou with fresh challenges. you willhave the chance to work with thecourse pianist individually on piecesyou have previously prepared, andshould you want to share yourperformance with the group thenyou can, in a supportive, informalambience. all areas of performance,including stagecraft and coping withnerves, will be addressed, alongwith practice, rehearsal and sightreading techniques, issues commonat all levels of playing.fees: residential £345, nonresidential £270 01462 459446 [email protected] www.benslowmusic.org

JANUARY 20142 - 5 alston Hall, alston Lane,Longridge, Preston, Pr3 3BPExtended Saxophone Weekendtutors: Sarah Jobson and DebbieScherera course providing ensembleexperience for saxophonists with atleast 18 months playing experience.Group sizes and music will bealtered each session to provide newlearning opportunities throughoutthe course. a vast and diverselibrary will be available for use.01772 784661www.alstonhall.com

3 - 5 Benslow Music, Benslow Lane,Hitchin, Hertfordshire, SG4 9rBClarinetfesttutors: Shea Lolin, Paul Harris andanthony Baileythis year Paul Harris, joins ourclarinetfest team along with SheaLolin and anthony Bailey. togetherthey offer clarinet players of allabilities the opportunity to play inworkshops, classes and choirs at therelevant level and to join at the endof the course in one joyful,celebratory ensemble. With musicfrom the renaissance to thecontemporary, the weekend focuseson repertoire building but alsoincludes sessions which focus ontechnique and musicianship. fees: residential £255, nonresidential £205 01462 459446 [email protected] www.benslowmusic.org

10 - 12 Benslow Music, BenslowLane, Hitchin, Hertfordshire, SG49rBJohn White’s Wind Chamber Musictutors: John White and ShaneMoroneyoboist John White, formerlyprincipal at english national opera,leads the year’s first wind chambermusic course, intended forindividual applicants. together witha colleague he’ll help wind playersimprove their chamber music skills.Plenty of music, some for unusualcombinations, will be provided, butyou can also bring works you areespecially fond of or are simplyinterested to explore.fees: residential £255, nonresidential £205 01462 459446 [email protected] www.benslowmusic.org

31 – 2 Feb Benslow Music, BenslowLane, Hitchin, Hertfordshire, SG49rBWind Ensembles with the LondonMyriadstutors: Members of the LondonMyriad ensembleanother weekend with the popularLondon Myriad ensemble designedexclusively for pre-formed windensembles. applications from anyconfiguration of wind or wind andpiano ensemble within reason, fromtrios to dectets are welcome. Pleasebring along your preparedrepertoire. new booking conditionsmean that one person is required tobook for the whole group and pay alldeposits. if you haven’t yet recruiteda player, as long as the relevantdeposit is paid we’ll keep their placefree until you do. or you can book,as a wind quartet and expand into awind quintet later but only shouldspace still be available.fees: residential £255, nonresidential £205 01462 459446 [email protected] www.benslowmusic.org

FEBRUARY 201414 - 16 Knuston Hall, irchester,Wellingborough, northants, nn29 7eUBeginning To Read and Play Musictutor: Sarah Jobsona course for those who have alwayswanted to be able to read music butnever had the time or courage totry. Using a cheap and easy to learninstrument, the recorder, this coursewill open doors to the world ofplaying and understanding music.01933 [email protected]

16 - 21 Knuston Hall, irchester,Wellingborough, northants, nn29 7eUSaxophone Weektutors: Sarah Jobson, DebbieScherer and Sarah Markhamthis course is offered tosaxophonists with at least 18months experience. the course willcover a wide variety of playingopportunities through ensemblecoaching and workshops.Participants can expect to play ingroups ranging from duos to fullchoirs. an extensive library will beavailable throughout.01933 [email protected]

22 – 23 the Hayes conferencecentre, Swanwick, Derbyshire, De551aUNottingham Saxophone Weekendcourse director: alistair Parnell.tutors: Sarah Markham, Julia Mills,naomi Sullivan, nicola Pennill andchris Jollytwo days of saxophonemasterclasses, ensembles andworkshops for the intermediate toadvanced (grade five - diploma)player. fees: £[email protected] www.saxday.co.uk

24 - 27 Benslow Music, BenslowLane, Hitchin, Hertfordshire, SG49rBQuintessential Clarinets(Elementary)tutors: Shea Lolin and cliftonHughes (piano)this version of Shea Lolin’s course isaimed at less advanced players, butlike its sister course aims to developyour solo and ensemble playing byworking through pieces you bringand presenting you with newrepertoire. you will have the chanceto spend time with the course pianistto work on your performances.Should you want to share the fruitsof your labours with the rest of thegroup then you can, in BenslowMusic’s uniquely informal andsupportive ambience. Shea willaddress all areas of performance,including stagecraft, how to copewith nerves, practice regimes andsight-reading techniques.fees: residential £365, nonresidential £290 01462 459446 [email protected] www.benslowmusic.org


PLayDaySOCTOBER

6 Great Kingshill Village Hall, Bucks,HP15 6Dr, 10am – 4pmKingshill Clarinet Choir Play Daytutor: Shea Lolinopen to all grade five plus musicianscontact: rosalind [email protected]

13 creative arts centre, King’s HighSchool, chapel row, Warwick, cV344HJ, 10am – 4.30pm Warwickshire Saxophone &Clarinet Daythe event will be held in thepurpose-built creative arts centre atKing’s High School, Warwick and willincorporate mass single reed choirs,jazz workshop, small ensembles,talks and a finale concert. courseDirector: Danielle Mason(saxophone)tutors: Keith allen (clarinet) andMike Hall (jazz) the day is open to all saxophone &clarinet players grade two upwards(larger instruments particularlywelcome).trade stands and light refreshmentsincluded. Supported by SaxtetPublications.the closing date for this course is 29September 2013.fee: £30 (£25 for caSS members) for more information and bookingdetails contact: [email protected]

26 Wells cathedral School, 15 theLiberty, Wells, Somerset, Ba5 2StSouthwest Clarinet Daytutors: Victoria Soames Samek, PaulHarris and Kevin Murphythis event is open to all clarinettistsof about grade five standard andabove. the emphasis will be onpositive performance techniques,coping with nerves for exams andauditions and ensemble playing plusmasterclass sessions and aperformance by the guest tutors.trade stands will be on hand with anarray of instruments, accessories,music and recordings. contact: DominiqueSwain [email protected] 01749 834487www.wellsmusicacademy.org

26 Boys High School, nottingham,nG7 4eD, 2 – 5pmBass Clarinet Choir PlaydayPlayday followed by a recital (6 –8pm) by ScaW Sarah Watts (bassclarinet) and antony clare (piano) inwhich the choir will also perform.all standards welcome.fees: £35 adults and £15 studentsBooking: [email protected]

NOVEMBER3 the forge, 3-7 Delancey St,camden town, London, nW1 7nL,2.30 – 5.30pm Cuillin Soundan afternoon workshop for amateur

woodwind and horn playersincluding a Mozart Divertimento andtchaikovsky 1812 finale. followed bya performance from cuillin Sound at7.30pmDetails and online application format www.windserenades.co.uk

10 royal northern college of Music,124 oxford rd, Manchester, M13 9rDRNCM Saxophone Daythe rncM Saxophone Day is thelargest event of its kind in the UK.Join rob Buckland and andy Scottfor a packed programme ofsaxophone workshops and concerts,plus trade stands with instruments,accessories and sheet music. Specialguests include arno Bornkamp, iainBallamy, trish clowes Quintet andMatt Styles. Please see the rncMwebsite for further information:www.rncm.ac.uk

24 Liverpool Hope University,Liverpool, 10am – 5pmClarinet and Saxophone Society ofGreat Britain Single Reed Day andTrade Exhibitionwww.cassgb.org

JANUARY 201411 21 Stone road, Bromley, Kent, Br29aX, 1.30pmClarinet Workshop and Concerttutors: Margaret archibald (clarinet)and John flinders (piano) John and Margaret will also performan item at the 6pm concert for familyand friends.free choice of repertoire that playerswould like to rehearse and perform,although made in discussion withMargaret and John in advance.fees: £42 (performers)contact: Margaret archibald [email protected]

25 regent Hall, 275 oxford Street,London, W1c 2DJ, (nearest station:oxford circus) 10am - 5pmWoodwind Orchestra Play Day

artistic Director: Shea Lolin. tutors:chris allen, richard caradon, ianMitchell and David Smith. the east London clarinet choirpresent a play day for woodwindorchestra. trade stands includeWood, Wind & reed, Vandoren andSempre Music. See insert withmagazine for details. fees: £40 (£35 concessions). 020 8553 4973www.elclarinetchoir.co.uk/playday.htm

FEBRUARY 20141 the Venue, Leeds college of Music,3 Quarry Hill, Leeds, LS2 7PD, 10am-5pmWoodwind Orchestra Play Dayartistic Director: Shea Lolin. tutors:Keiron anderson, Paul Harris,anthony Houghton and MichaelShelton.the east London clarinet choirpresent a play day for woodwindorchestra. trade stands includeWindstruments, Vandoren andSempre Music. See insert withmagazine for details. fees: £40 (£35 concessions).0208 553 4973www.elclarinetchoir.co.uk/playday.htm

23 Wells cathedral School, SomersetSouth West Jazz Saxophone DayWells Music academy is hostinganother jazz improvisationworkshop day for players aged 18and younger in the beautiful settingof Wells cathedral School.tutors will include andy tweed andedward Leaker as well as a veryspecial guest to be announcednearer the date. there will beworkshops on improvisation skillsfor all levels, making a jazz sound,jazz stylisation and trade stands willbe on hand so you can check out thelatest gear. the day will also featurea performance from the guest tutorwith a professional rhythm section.the team behind the event has put

on the previous South WestSaxophone and clarinet Days thathave proved so popular. this eventwill also give you some insight intothe inspirational programme ofteaching available at Wellscathedral School, in particular thenew Jazz Saxophone Pathway.We recommend that children shouldbe at least grade three standard toget the most out of the event.tel: Dominique Swain on 01749834487wellsmusicacademy@wells-cathedral-school.comwww.wellsmusicacademy.com

ON THE HORIZON6 March 2014 St. Paul’s Hall,University of Huddersfield,Queensgate, Huddersfield HD 1 3DHSaxophone DaySpecial guests Jerome Laran(france) and equinox Saxophoneensemble. Sponsored by Vandoren.www.hud.ac.uk/concerts

7 - 11 April 2014The Isle of Raasay solo bassclarinet and bassoon coursesSarah Watts (bass clarinet),Laurence Perkins (bassoon) andantony clare (piano) host twospecial courses on one unique andbeautiful Hebridean island, situatedjust off the West coast of Scotland.all standards welcome.for further information:[email protected]

11 - 13 December 2014European Clarinet AssociationCongressKatowice, Polandorganised by the Polish clarinettistarek adamsky. the event willinclude gala concerts, recitals,masterclasses, exhibitions and aninternational clarinet competition. www.clarinet.com.pl �

DIARYMargaret archibaldleads a clarinetworkshop on January11th


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The French Collection includingsonatas by Saint-Saëns and Poulenc,also works by Debussy, Fauré,Messager, Milhaud and Ravel.

The English Collection with KeithPuddy (clarinet) and MalcolmMartineau (piano). Works by Bax,Bennett, Finzi, Hinson, Stanford andMcCabe.

Morceaux for Clarinet Works byCahuzac, Debussy, John Hall, JosephHorovitz, Milhaud (Scaramouche),Penderecki and Templeton.

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Members’ Borrowing Application Formfour works may be borrowed at a time for a period of four weeks. charges are £1.50 per item, plus postage (variable depending on weight of parcel) andmust be paid by cheque made payable to caSS GB on return of the items. overseas members are required to pay by either ViSa or Mastercard or by visitingour website www.cassgb.org and using the PayPal facility. Please photocopy this form if you wish.

Send requests to: Stephanie reeve, 9 Hamden Way, Papworth everard, cambridge cB23 3UG or by email to [email protected]

name:

address:

Postcode:

telephone no. Membership no:

Works to be borrowed:

1. Composer: 2. Composer:

title: title:

arranged for: arranged for:

3. Composer: 4. Composer:

title: title:

arranged for: arranged for:

Terms and conditions: the borrower agrees that he/she will not make any copies of the materials supplied, for any purpose whatsoever.if the materials supplied are used in any concert performance, it is the responsibility of the hirer to notify the Performing right Society of all the details of the performance. theborrower understands that if the declaration is false in a material particular the borrower may be liable for an infringement of copyright. Lost pieces or parts will be charged atthe current cost of replacement plus 20% to cover costs. the period of loan is for one month from despatch of the items. the loan period may be extended provided that itemshave not been requested by another member. a further charge of £1.50 per item per month will apply for loan extension.

i agree to the terms of borrowing and agree to pay the standard charges current at the time of my application.

Signed: Date:

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Dear Sir,

‘Take it Away’ - Arts Council England InitiativeThe news item by Carie Barkhuizen (A Third of Parents Can’t Afford Instruments), in thesummer 2013 edition of Clarinet & Saxophone conveyed the good news of interest freeloans to assist parents to buy instruments for their children.

Excellent though this scheme is, I fear that it does not touch the most needy children.My sad experience, both as a Leeds city councillor and as a local MP, was that too manychildren who played in bands and orchestras whilst at school or in a music centre weresuddenly unable to continue the day they left the education system when the loan of aschool instrument ended.

In many, if not most cases even an interest free loan would have been beyond themeans of their families. What is needed is a scheme whereby local authorities have a‘library’ of instruments available on loan to those who have already been playing for sometime. It would initially be expensive but thereafter the annual cost would not beexcessive.

Musical ability and enthusiasm is not the preserve of the better off, as the VenezuelanEl Systema shows so vividly. The availability of instruments on loan would bring a greatdeal of benefit and pleasure.Michael Meadowcroft

Dear Sir,

Guide to ABRSM Grade 3 Clarinet There were very interesting descriptions of the ABRSM grade three clarinet pieces in thesummer issue of Clarinet & Saxophone. The Schumann *** (Op. 68 No. 21) is apparently inmemory of Mendelssohn, one star for each syllable. Schumann had a liking for codes. Healso had two sides to his personality and even named them as Florestan and Eusebius,one quite dark and introverted and the other extrovert and full of life. This little piece tome is beautiful and shows what a genius can do with a morsel of material.Ian McKay

Dear Richard,

Bring Back the Alto (Clarinet)One would not travel far to listen to a string quartet consisting of four violins, or eventhree violins and a cello. Yet the majority of published clarinet quartets are for the exactequivalent: four Bbs or three Bbs and bass.

For classical string quartet transcriptions a middle (viola) voice is sorely needed andnot just to reach viola’s bottom string C. On the Bb, so many big viola tunes lie around thebreak, and the overall sound simply doesn’t stand out the way a real viola does. Obviouslysomething is wanted between Bb and bass, which means Eb alto or basset-horn. At themoment basset horns are more in vogue than altos, mainly because of Mozart (RichardStrauss, in my opinion, could just as well have used alto clarinets in most of his scores)and the more I hear and play them, the more I feel that the basset horn really belongs withtwo other basset horns and not in a massive ensemble. Another factor is that many altoclarinets are quite cheaply made, for military and high-school purposes, and very hard toget in tune. But the best from Selmer, Buffet, Leblanc etc are a joy to play.

Interestingly the basset horn, traditionally a small-bore instrument (c. 16mm) seems tobe creeping up towards alto bore (c.18mm), with an alto rather than a Bb mouthpiece to gowith it, in which case it probably matters less which one uses in the quartet. But it woulddo no harm for publishers to include a part for both and let the players and their matesdecide and for manufacturers to go on making top quality altos.John Playfair

Dear Richard,

Impaired HearingI found the article in the summer issue of Clarinet & Saxophone by Don Ashtoninteresting and in some ways similar to my experience. After a childhood mastoidoperation I was left with no hearing whatsoever in my right ear.

During the past 60 odd years of playing I have always endeavoured to play on the ‘rightwing’. Similarly in group conversational situations I have tended to shut down when I canonly hear half the discussion. However, earlier this year after being referred to an ENTconsultant I was fitted with a ‘cross over’ hearing aid. This consists of a smallreceiver/transmitter fitted behind my right ear and a hearing aid/receiver behind my leftear. This enables me to hear sounds from my right ear in my left ear. This has proved aboon in conversational situations but alas from a musical point of view it is not successfulbecause of the millisecond delay of the right signal reaching the left, the sound I hear ismost uncomfortably distorted. Consequently I have to remove the hearing aid whenplaying which defeats the object of the exercise. It would be good to know if anyone elsehas had this problem.Gerry Nugent �

CLASSIFIEDSYamaha 475 soprano saxophone. excellentcondition including mouthpiece and hard case.£700 ono. tel: Sue 01604 765172

Buffet R13 A Clarinet. in perfect condition,rarely used, three years old approx. thisinstrument was personally selected from theBuffet france by eric Baret. £1500. freecarriage within UK.tel: 07980 779 791

Used clarinet sheet music for sale. i haveinherited a selection of clarinet sheet music,which includes pieces by crusell, Brahms,finzi, Goodman, Horovitz, Hurlstone, Poulenc,Saint-Saens, Schubert, Schumann, Spohr,Stanford, tartini and Weber.a detailed list is available [email protected] tel: 01243 771768

Buffet R13 Eb clarinet s/n 523750 £1500.Buffet E13 A clarinet s/n K120948 in Protecdouble case. £1000. cases and instruments inexcellent condition. tel: 01245 257534

WANTED. Leblanc basset horn. any condition.tel: 0208 995 [email protected]

Buffet Prestige bass clarinet to low c. Supercondition, plays beautifully, usedprofessionally, bought new in 1995. recentlyregulated and serviced. £4350 ono. contact: Stuart eminson 07958 178569 [email protected]

Yanagisawa S9930 Solid sterling silversoprano saxophone, low B flat to high G, handengraved with interchangeable straight andcurved solid sterling silver crooks. With case,mouthpiece and ligature. immaculate condition £4380. YanagisawaA9932Z limited edition (Peter King Model) altosaxophone, solid silver neck and bell, bronzebody and bow. it has extra engraving on theneck and gold plate and engraving inside thebell. With case, mouthpiece and ligature.£4850 really good condition. Yanigasawa 92,engraved pink gold plated bronze altosaxophone neck with underslung octavemechanism in original box. £460 excellentcondition. tel: 01842 812274

Saxophones: Yanagisawa 901 baritone £2250,Yamaha 62 alto £600, these are in goodplaying condition. Saxpac baritone stand.interesting reconditioned clarinet c.1910 byClinton/Boosey, offers invited. Edgware Bbclarinet, wooden, £325. also a quantity ofmusic and arrangements for clarinet includingsolos, duets and trios etc. tel: 01508 528218(norfolk)

Selmer Super balanced Action alto saxophonec.1949, original lacquer in good playing order.£3600. Selmer MkVI tenor saxophone c. 1973,probably one of the last before the MkVii wasintroduced, near mint condition, originallacquer, £5500. tel: rita 0779 200 4729

Alto saxophone, silver, decoratively engravedand signed Jacques albert. an interestingquality instrument in wonderful condition.new Liteflite case included. offers please. tel:01489 578373 �

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• It may be that the reviewer will not like thework, hence a positive review is notguaranteed.

• Music received by email in PDF or similarformat will not be accepted

NEWS & DIARY/LISTING• News of forthcoming events or listings isvery welcome. Please send your informationto the Editor. You can request to be notifiedby email as each listing/news is beingcompiled as a reminder of the opportunity tosubmit information.

• There is no charge for listings! • Although great care is taken to ensureaccuracy in the listings, the Clarinet &Saxophone Society of Great Britain cannotaccept responsibility for any errors. Readersare advised to check details before makinglong journeys to an event as the listing isprepared some considerable time inadvance.

Deadline Period Covered

January 24 April 1 - Aug 31

April 24 July 1 - Nov 30

July 24 Oct 1 - Feb 28/29

Oct 24 Jan 1 - May 31

GUIDELINES FOR CONTRIBUTORS


Writing this in late July I’mdelighted to be told that our newventure of courses for repair and

maintenance of clarinet and saxophone hasbeen very successful in the number ofapplications received and is now full.

Bookings are coming in for the SingleReed Day at Liverpool Hope University, seefull details on page four. I’m looking forwardto this day and have organised a coach fromNorth West Wales to convey my students toit. In addition to playing in the ensembleswith excellent conductors, the clarinettistswill be encouraged to attend LindaMerrick’s clarinet workshop. Those whowent two years ago have already told methat they will definitely be in attendance!Linda never fails to inspire, creating a verypositive learning experience in a completelynon-intimidating way. It is revealingafterwards to have one’s students explainnew perspectives on playing and to seethem ‘buzzing’ from the experience. For thesaxophonists, Rob Hughes is giving twoworkshops covering tone, practice,articulation (bends, grace notes, staccatowithin a slur) and opportunities to work onsolo technique (i.e. how to structure a solo,which scale or notes you can use to solowith and how to have an awareness ofwhere you are in the piece). Everyone gets

to play so you need your instrument and amusic stand and you do not have to solo!Perfect for my students when there neverseems to be enough time to covereverything one would wish to. Take a lookat Rob’s YouTube videowww.youtube.com/watch?v=wXP1azGQwHc to see what to expect.

I’m looking forward in particular to thetrade exhibition, not least to the manymusic publishers attending. Living inAnglesey there is no opportunity to browsea wide range of music, the Internet is nosubstitute for me and so this is my chance toseek fresh material.

I felt concerned when I noticed a lowernumber of new members listed in themembership section on page 55. However,our membership secretary, Andrew Smith,allayed my fears explaining that increasinglyhe is not receiving back the form granting uspermission to publish contact details ofmembers. It is evidence of the caution somefeel they have to exercise in sharingpersonal details, but a pity as it negatesfacilitation of networking amongstmembers.

Now an apology - unfortunately theVariations on a Celtic Theme (from 40Graded Clarinet Duets) submitted forpublication in the last issue of Clarinet &

Saxophonewas apparently not the finaledited version. There was a key changemissing at the start of bar 17 and it was notin its decided final key! However, thefeatured duet has now been added to KeriDegg’s free ‘Music and WoodwindResources’ page, www.masquerade-music.co.uk/ freemusic.html, so do access the page to print off copies as required and they are free to share with students andfriends.

I hope you enjoy this issue of themagazine and look forward to seeing manyof you in Liverpool in November.Richard Edwards �

EDITOR’S NOTES

DRINKWATER, Mr Ty89 Low catton road, StamfordBridge, york, yo41 1DZ01759 [email protected] J

ELLIOTT, Mr David8 oval Gardens, alverstoke,Gosport, Hampshire, Po12 2ra02392 [email protected] cM

ENTWISLE, Mrs Jane212 London road, Balderton,newark, nottinghamshire, [email protected] S f

GRANT, Miss Charlotte2a anglefield road, Berkhamsted,Hertfordshire, HP4 3Ja01442 [email protected]

KITAHARA, Mr Yuma34 crystal Palace Park road,London, Se26 6UG020 3659 [email protected]

LOWERY, Mr Christopherfont House, 113 Westgate,Guisborough, cleveland, tS146aH01287 [email protected]

LYNCH, Ms ClareLower Bosulval Barn, newmill,Penzance, cornwall, tr20 8Xa01736 [email protected] S P

MURDOCH, Mrs Martine6 Main road, ipswich, Suffolk, [email protected]

OVERLAND, Mrs SiriVesteveien 46, Haugesund,norway, 5515, [email protected] P clM J

SHEPPARD-VINE, Miss Charlie141 churchfields Drive, Boveytracey, newton abbot, Devon,tQ13 [email protected] S

CHANGE OF ADDRESS

BELL, Mrs Janetresanton, old Brackenlands,Wigton, cumbria, ca7 9LB016973 [email protected]

CULLEN, Mr Joseph1 renmore avenue, Portadown,county armagh, Bt62 3DH,northern ireland02838 [email protected]

FOSTER, Ms Karen100 Hawthorn road, reepham,Lincoln, Ln3 [email protected]

PAY, Mr Antony14 Walton crescent, oxford, oX12JG01865 [email protected]

RAYNER, Miss Anne37 Withybrook road, Shirley,Solihull, West Midlands, B90 [email protected]

WHEELER, Miss Janet4 covent Gardens, colwall,Malvern, Worcestershire, Wr136fa01684 [email protected]

WILSON, Miss Emily44 alma road, Southampton,Hampshire, So14 [email protected]

It is with regret we report thedeath of:

Mr Michael Lloyd, Hove, eastSussex �

NEW MEMBERS We offer a warm welcome to the following members who havejoined the Society since the last issue of Clarinet & Saxophone. Please check page twoof the Membership Directory for an explanation of the abbreviations.

CLARINET&SAXOPHONE SOCIETY OF GREAT BRITAIN

The Clarinet & Saxophone Society ofGreat Britain was founded in 1976 forthe benefit of everyone who has aninterest in the clarinet or saxophoneand their repertoire: teachers,students, professional or amateurplayers, manufacturers andcomposers. the Society has membersin over 35 countries. the Society is acompany limited by guarantee:registered in england no. 3010228,whose registered office is at 15Springwell, ingleton, Darlington, DL23JJ

Presidents: richard ingham andJanet Hilton

Past Presidents: Lt. col. trevor Le M.Sharpe MVo oBe, Jack Brymer oBe,Dame thea King, Sir John DankworthcBe

Vice-Presidents:Paul Harvey, charles Hine

Honorary Members: Paul Harvey,alan Lucas, Susan Moss, KevinMurphy

Executive Committee: Davidcampbell (Past-chairman), Janeteggleden, Gemma Harvey, GrahamHoneywood, Stephanie reeve, plusthose indicated *

*Chairman:Michael tylerShelton 44 Headland Way,Haconby, Bourne,Lincolnshire, Pe10 0UWtel: 0759 092 8969

chairman@ cassgb.org

*Secretary: William Upton, 25 albert road, new Milton, BH256SPtel: 0758 824 [email protected]

*Treasurer: John MacKenzie, 15 Springwell, ingleton, Darlington,DL2 3JJtel: 01325 730280 [email protected]

*Editor: richard edwards,fron, Llansadwrn, Menai Bridge, LL59 5SL tel: 01248 811285 [email protected]

*Membership Secretary: andrewSmith, 23 Hanbury close, inglebyBarwick, Stockton-on-tees, tS17 0UQtel. 08456 440 [email protected]

• Back numbers of the magazineare available to members fromthe Membership Secretary price £4.95. �

Index of AdvertisersaBrSM 24

allianz Musical insurance 35

Barnes & Mullins - Juno 15

Barnes & Mullins - yanagisawa

outside back cover

clarinet & Saxophone Society of GB 2

D’addario - rico 1

George Gladstone 15

Howarth of London inside front cover

John Packer 19

Jonathan Myall 53

nigel Hinson 50

raf 17

reeds Direct 33

Sax.co.uk 49

Sempre 40

Southwest clarinet Day 49

Steve crow 40

trinity college London inside back cover

Vandoren 25

VBi - conn Selmer 41

Windband 50

Wood, Wind & reed 50

Woodwind & co. 33, 40, 50

yamaha 37



“I hate playing!”

The words clattered around in my headas I tried to make sense of it. I hadbeen a full time instrumental teacher

(on teachers’ pay and conditions, a raritynowadays I fear) for over a year, starting in1980 with an array of degrees, diplomas andteaching certificates. In those days it wasreasonably safe in the instrumental musicteaching world to assume that pupils wouldwant to play their chosen instrument. Thelessons were free, and those who showed themost interest and aptitude were selected inthe first instance. Elitist? Possibly, but itworked, as the music centres were thriving onSaturday mornings, achieving a highstandard, and the county orchestra and bandwere excellent. However, if the student didnot put in the effort, their free place wastaken away and given to someone else.

This was the set-up I joined, and one of mypupils, by then in the fifth form (year 11), hadbeen a chorister in the cathedral choir atSouthwell Minster until the age of about 13,also attending the Minster School, which atthe time was almost unique in being a statecomprehensive including a choir schoolcomplete with boarding! He had alreadypassed grade five on the trumpet, alwayscame to his lessons, the school brass groupand orchestra, and significantly, the Saturdaymorning music school in nearby Newark.

My trumpeter made steady progress, andwhile he did not choose to take music at A-level in the sixth form, he kept coming to allthe ensembles, Saturday mornings included.He began work on the grade six syllabus, witha view to taking the exam at Easter. In his lastlesson before Christmas I encouraged him tokeep practising over the holidays, so that inJanuary we could decide whether or not totake the exam.

The first lesson of the spring term dulyarrived (there is no ‘winter’ in the world ofeducation!) but my student didn’t. As hisattendance had always been good, when Ihappened to see the Head of Sixth Form inthe staff room at break time, I asked if mystudent was in school that day. In hindsighthis forceful response should have rung alarmbells: “Don’t worry, I’ll sort him out”, or wordsto that effect. I thought no more of it andwent back to my room for the start of the nextlesson. Then, there was a knock on the door.It was my putative grade six pupil, and the

words he uttered still haunt me over 30 yearslater.

Without preamble he said: “Don’t you everdo that to me again”.

I was completely taken aback. Until then hehad been always polite and well mannered, sothis outburst was completely out of character.“What do you mean” I asked. He replied: “MrP…… has just come to the physics lab and toldme to go to my trumpet lesson”, and Iresponded: “Yes, I saw him in the staff roomand I wondered if you were in school today. Ijust need to know if you want to take theexam this term, because the closing date isthis week”. Then came the phrase which gaveme more cause to reflect on the art ofteaching than a thousand hours of studyingthe theory of education, either throughattending lectures or reading books, couldever have done: “I hate playing the trumpet”he said, between clenched teeth.

I collected my thoughts, and managed to

form a logical response: “But you always cometo your lessons, and you rarely missensembles at school or on Saturday morning”.His reply floored me: “I only do it because if Idon’t my father won’t let me have any pocketmoney”.

I subsequently learnt that as a boarder hehad been subject to the ‘firm but fair’discipline of the Head of Sixth form, who hadbeen in charge of the boarding housethroughout his time as a chorister. Mr P……must have put the fear of God into hischarges, so when his head appeared at thedoor of the physics lab and called my pupilout of the lesson, clearly this six-foot-plusteenager reverted to being eight years oldagain!

Needless to say, my student didn’t take theexam. To his credit, he did keep playing, butthat incident taught me two importantlessons as a teacher: 1) never assumeanything; 2) life is full of surprises… �

ROBERTPARKER

HOW WAS I TO KNOW?

day, liverpool islands · 2015-05-09 · david particularly enjoys the genre of the clarinet...

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