TromboneChat

Anyone notice, Bach has renamed the A47MLR model - now A47BO? Looks like they've removed all references to design and endorsement by Mr. LaRosa - but no apparent changes in the Artisan trombones.

There was nothing wrong with the instrument; nor with how it sounded when La Rosa played it.

The problem is that the musician for which it is named became tainted.

If it works for you, by all means buy it. Regardless of what it's called.

LoL, it is now a bad design, hahaha.

They're just distancing themselves from bad press that they truly had nothing to do with. Good for Bach.

Well maybe MLR no longer collects an endorsement fee. Also good.

He was dropped as an artist a little ways back. This is good. Now I want a new valve cap...

As a musician his career is probably over. I have not read the verdict, but apparently he was guilty of charge! It's not an excuse but his punishment is very hard, because he has so much to loose. I had not heard of him before. What a great tromboneplayer. A strange person. Why? It's so very stupid!

/Tom

An enterprising entrepreneur could set up shop sandblasting the MLR valve caps and sending them back to the owners.

Also "why?" That's an interesting way of putting it. I'm sure what was on his mind at the time was "why not."

paulyg wrote: ↑Wed Dec 19, 2018 7:34 pm An enterprising entrepreneur could set up shop sandblasting the MLR valve caps and sending them back to the owners...

The darn MLR cap-thing is pitting from corrosion (presumably aggravated by neck contact while playing) and will need refinishing in a couple years anyway. Other tubing and metal on the valve (and rest of the horn) are fine; I guess the lacquer was thinly applied to the cap on my horn.

imsevimse wrote: ↑Wed Dec 19, 2018 7:29 pm As a musician his career is probably over. I have not read the verdict, but apparently he was guilty of charge! It's not an excuse but his punishment is very hard, because he has so much to loose. I had not heard of him before. What a great tromboneplayer. A strange person. Why? It's so very stupid!

/Tom

Should a person be banned for life from their chosen profession because of a few incidents? The whole "me too" movement has ruined careers and reputations from people like Harvey Weintstein, who most certainly deserved it and may end up in jail, to Al Franken, who was probably guilty only of taking a joke too far. I don't know where MLR falls on that scale. I suspect that if he goes back home to Italy, he will have no trouble finding a good gig.

Mikebmiller wrote: ↑Thu Dec 20, 2018 6:36 am

imsevimse wrote: ↑Wed Dec 19, 2018 7:29 pm As a musician his career is probably over. I have not read the verdict, but apparently he was guilty of charge! It's not an excuse but his punishment is very hard, because he has so much to loose. I had not heard of him before. What a great tromboneplayer. A strange person. Why? It's so very stupid!

/Tom

Should a person be banned for life from their chosen profession because of a few incidents? The whole "me too" movement has ruined careers and reputations from people like Harvey Weintstein, who most certainly deserved it and may end up in jail, to Al Franken, who was probably guilty only of taking a joke too far. I don't know where MLR falls on that scale. I suspect that if he goes back home to Italy, he will have no trouble finding a good gig.

Yes that is probably his best chance. In Italy they might look at it differently and he could get a job in a local orchestra, but as a world class soloist and great name he is probably banned for years to come, maybe for life.

/Tom

imsevimse wrote: ↑Thu Dec 20, 2018 7:07 am

Mikebmiller wrote: ↑Thu Dec 20, 2018 6:36 am Should a person be banned for life from their chosen profession because of a few incidents? The whole "me too" movement has ruined careers and reputations from people like Harvey Weintstein, who most certainly deserved it and may end up in jail, to Al Franken, who was probably guilty only of taking a joke too far. I don't know where MLR falls on that scale. I suspect that if he goes back home to Italy, he will have no trouble finding a good gig.

Yes that is probably his best chance. In Italy they might look at it differently and he could get a job in a local orchestra, but as a world class soloist and great name he is probably banned for years to come, maybe for life.

/Tom

I don't think Italy will "look at it differently".

But what we have to realize is, not everybody is following USA's newspapers and especially not in as small a niche as the Musical world is. Audiences will absolutely know nothing about that story, neither here in europe, nor in Asia, and not even in the USA (for most of the audiences).

So this will take some time to settle, but then he will be able to find work again. Maybe somewhat easier here in europe, but I doubt many people will know that story when they hear him play at all.

Mikebmiller wrote: ↑Thu Dec 20, 2018 6:36 am Should a person be banned for life from their chosen profession because of a few incidents?

Let's rephrase this. "Should a fully grown adult sexual predator who relied on his status and celebrity in his field to prey on students he was tasked with teaching be reasonably punished both professionally, and in the court of public opinion for his actions?" If he's "banned for life", he earned it.

The whole "me too" movement has ruined careers and reputations from people like Harvey Weintstein, who most certainly deserved it and may end up in jail, to Al Franken, who was probably guilty only of taking a joke too far.

Let's be clear - the "me too" movement is not responsible for what happened to these men. These men, and the organizations they work for and represent, are solely responsible for what has happened. Individuals act, and there are consequences. The fact that there are people paying attention and applying public pressure for action is NOT, nor EVER will be part of the problem. LaRosa ruined his own career and reputation, not his victims, nor the "me too" movement.

I don't know where MLR falls on that scale. I suspect that if he goes back home to Italy, he will have no trouble finding a good gig.

Good riddance. They can keep him.

I’m glad to see that there is so much concern for Mr. LaRosa’s career.

Now let’s spend some time showing some concern for his victims. They are, after all, one of us too. Their careers and well being, not his, should be of the upmost concern to us. We as a community should be in full support of their aspirations and career goals and they deserve nothing short of full solidarity as they work through the aftermath of this sorry episode. They could very well be members of this site.
Imagine how it must feel for them to see so much concern about his career, which is in its current state through nobody else’s fault but his own, while there is apparently little time spent on what they must be going through and will have to bear for the rest of their lives.

The discussion should be about them and their futures, and what support we can offer them on the path forward; not some corporate profits from the sales of a piece of plumbing, not some orchestra that will be easily be able to find a suitable replacement with the appropriate moral turpitude, and most of all, not about the perpetrator.

cozzagiorgi wrote: ↑Thu Dec 20, 2018 7:34 am I don't think Italy will "look at it differently".

I hope Italy sees things as they are, but if you think of a guy like Berlusconi. He could get away with things. There are cultural differences in all the EU countries.

/Tom

I hope Italy sees things as they are, but if you think of a guy like Berlusconi. He could get away with things. There are cultural differences in all the EU countries.

Donald Trump and his supporters would beg to differ...

I had missed the discussion of this on an earlier thread, but what caught my attention was not Mr LaRosa, but the other man, the concert master, William Preucil. He comes from a prominent music family where we live in Iowa City, IA and they run a fine musical school that focuses on strings and piano with the family name on it. The school has been around for over 40 years. His dad was a professor of viola here at the University of Iowa and his mom was a well-known string player as were his siblings.

What is strange to me, is that this only received a small blip in the local press that has otherwise been extremely supportive of the Me Too movement, etc.

Maybe, the musical world is more insulated from the rest of society than we think.

chromebone wrote: ↑Thu Dec 20, 2018 8:39 am Donald Trump and his supporters would beg to differ...

Maybe so, but I think that assumption might be based on relative facts

If you go to Europe and visit countries from north to south and west to east you will see that it is very different and it comes from the way the countries have evolved over the centuries. There have been a lot of wars and EU was originally created to put an end to future wars and as a project to unite people, but it has not changed us much as nations, we still have our differences as folks. From another continent we may look the same and as an economy we have become united, but in soul and culture we are very different.

/Tom

What about all the MLR valve caps? Aren't those victims too?