Trumpet Video Wednesdays! Rafael Mendez

This week's video is from an old broadcast of Rafael Mendez effortlessly playing Flight of the Bumblebee and Mexican Hat Dance.

Notice how relaxed he is. Mendez taught that the air use needed for trumpet playing should be no more than that used in normal conversation. Watching how long he goes between breathes and the size of his sound makes me believe that this is true for him, unless he has a spare lung hidden somewhere. Now only if the rest of us mere mortals can make trumpet playing this easy. Enjoy!

2008 Academy Awards Trumpet Section

In the section last night for the 80th Oscar Awards were:

• Wayne Bergeron
• Warren Luening
• Rick Baptist
• Bob Findley

Excellent playing throughout the night, with a great trumpet solo during the end credits on the Mission Impossible Theme.

In Loving Memory - Roger Voisin (June 26, 1918 - February 13, 2008)

Just got note that trumpet legend Roger Voisin passed away this morning, apparently in his sleep. He was one of the most accomplished musicians of the 20th century.

Here is some information from Wikipedia:

Performing Career

Arguably one of the most influential trumpet performers and teachers of the twentieth century, Voisin joined the Boston Symphony Orchestra as assistant principal trumpet in 1935 at age seventeen, and became principal trumpet in 1952. He performed in the Boston Symphony for 38 years, until 1973. During this period, he was also principal trumpet with the Boston Pops Orchestra.

Voisin moved to the United States as a child when his father, René Voisin (1893-1952), was brought to the Boston Symphony as fourth trumpet by Sergei Koussevitzky in 1928. He was initially a student of his father, but he later studied with the Boston Symphony's second trumpet Marcel LaFosse (1895-1969) and principal trumpet Georges Mager (1885-1950). He also studied solfege with Boston Symphony contrabassist Gaston Dufresne.

He is credited with premiere performances of many major works for trumpet including Paul Hindemith's Sonata for Trumpet and Piano (with Hindemith at the piano), and Alan Hovhannes' Prayer of St. Gregory. He is also credited with the US premiere of Alexander Arutiunian's Trumpet Concerto, performing with the Boston Pops Orchestra in 1966. Leroy Anderson's A Trumpeter's Lullaby was written for Roger Voisin in 1949, and first recorded with Arthur Fiedler conducting Voisin and the Boston Pops Orchestra in 1950.[2] Leroy Anderson states that "(A Trumpeter's Lullaby) had its beginning backstage at Symphony Hall in Boston. In addition to composing and conducting, I was arranger for the Boston pops Orchestra for a number of years --- and after one of the concerts I was sitting talking with the conductor Arthur Fiedler and the first trumpet of the Boston pops, Roger Voisin. Suddenly Roger Voisin asked me why I didn't write a trumpet solo for him to play with the orchestra that would be different from traditional trumpet solos which are all loud, martial or triumphant. After thinking it over, it occurred to me that I had never heard a lullaby for trumpet so I set out to write one --- with a quiet melody based on bugle notes played by the trumpet and with the rest of the orchestra playing a lullaby background."

He has also been involved with many early recordings and performances of both solo and orchestral works including J. S. Bach's Brandenburg Concerto #2, Béla Bartók's Concerto for Orchestra, Aaron Copland's Quiet City, Joseph Haydn's Concerto for Trumpet in Eb, Alexander Scriabin's The Poem of Ecstasy, Georg Philipp Telemann's Concerto for Trumpet in D, and Antonio Vivaldi's Concerto for Two Trumpets in C.

Teaching Career

Roger Voisin was with the Boston Symphony at the inception of the Tanglewood Music Center in 1940, and continues to serve on the faculty there, coaching the orchestral winds and teaching solfège to the conducting class. He became chair of the New England Conservatory of Music (NEC) brass and percussion department in 1950 and was the primary trumpet teacher at NEC for nearly 30 years. In 1975 he became a full professor at Boston University, teaching trumpet and chairing the wind, percussion and harp department until his retirement in 1999. In 1989 Voisin donated much of his personal music library to Boston University, where it is housed in the Mugar Library's "Special Music Collections". He was awarded an honorary Doctorate from the New England Conservatory in 1991, along with legendary jazz trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie. He has served on the jury of the Maurice André trumpet competition since 1988.

2008 Grammy Trumpet Section Update

In a previous 2008 Grammy post it was mentioned that Dave Trigg and Harry Kim were the trumpet players for the pre-records. Video of them playing in the section with Alicia Keys and Frank Sinatra can be seen by clicking here.

For the sake of thoroughness, it should be mentioned that there was some live orchestra work on Rhapsody in Blue featuring Herbie Hancock and Lang Lang, and on Alicia Keys' No One. In the trumpet section were (from left to right) Charley Davis, Rick Baptist and Ron King.

Also in the brass section were Kurt Snyder on horn and Alan Kaplan on bass trombone. It was difficult to make out anyone else, so if you happen to know who else was in the brass section, by all means please let me know!

Hakan Hardenberger Trumpet Video

This is an excellent documentary of virtuoso trumpeter Hakan Hardenberger. His approach to playing is so logical and musical at the same time. Enjoy!

2008 Grammy Trumpet Players

This year's Grammy Awards show features the amazing talents of trumpeters Dave Trigg and Harry Kim. You may recognize this brass duo from the American Idol horn section.

Dave Trigg, Trumpet

While they will only be visible early on in the show during a Sinatra tribute, they were in the studio all week doing pre-records for the rest of the show.

Harry Kim, Trumpet

Other horn players on the the Grammy's session include Earth, Wind & Fire saxophone player Gary Bias and trombonist George Bohanon.

Trumpet Solo Transcription Resource

The Internet is full of great, free resources. One of my favorites is www.JazzTrumpetSolos.com.

They have some great solos transcribed, and the best part is you can listen to audio clips of the solo right from the web site.

Trumpet players of all styles are featured, from Clifford Brown's Sandu to Lew Soloff's solo on Spinning Wheel.

While this web site is a great learning tool, it should not be used as a replacement for your own transcribing. Transcribing solos and horn lines is an excellent ear training exercise that will do wonders for your tonal memory. It is tedious at the beginning, but will soon get easier with practice.