Recent Recordings

[WilliamLang]

Hi all!

I've been continuing my journey of trying to explore as many different genres within the classical and improvised world as possible these days, and I wanted to share a few recent recordings that cover a large range of material.

First, there's a pairing of a Schubert Lieder with a responsorial piece from Golnaz Shariatzadeh, from the Iranian Female Composers Alliance. Golnaz's piece really turns the classical instrument + piano formula on its head, with the trombone being the accompaniment for long stretches of the work, creating an amazing atmosphere of timbre.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGNe7m7PAX8

We also have a piece from the Trobairitz Beatriz de Dia, which is an exploration of historically informed performance practice on a modern horn, inspired by works I've heard from our own Maxmillian Brisson as well as Patrick Wibart. I believe I may have shared this here, but I wanted to highlight it in this varying context.

https://youtu.be/XPl5875ZonE

I also recently uploaded an older video (for me) of Bitsch Etude No. 1, which is a look at one of the more difficult etude books from the French Conservatory. It's inspiring to me to see how virtuosically they realized the trombone could play, and how mature the approach to the form was from classic French Etude books by Pichaureau, Bozza, Boutry, and Bitsch.

https://youtu.be/gnRVlg6ydSI

We also have a "weird" one, a guided improvisation of my own making exploring possibilities of timbre within a set of constraints. Here I used one slide position and three specific notes, and challenged myself to make something compelling from experimental techniques on the spot.

https://youtu.be/vv-cUzwGbMQ

And finally one more - Camille Saint-Saens' the Swan, where I challenged myself listen in depth to Yo-Yo Ma's phrasing and attempt to create something even a fraction as beautiful. This was an exploration of Romantic style, as well as attempting to learn as much about how the bow arm of the cello and the breath of the trombone player can be analogs of each other.

https://youtu.be/dV92ycEs9kw

At the end of the day, I just love playing the trombone, and am endlessly fascinated by what can be achieved with such a tool. I hope you all enjoy at least something from these as well!

[tbdana]

Just dropping in to say beautiful playing! A couple of those pieces were not exactly in my listening rotation, but the tromboning is gorgeous and so very musical. VERY nice!

[mgladdish]

These are all wonderful, and corners of the trombone world I have next to no exposure to. I'm working my way through your YouTube back catalogue now.

That top D in The Swan is just majestic.

[WilliamLang]

Thank you Dana and mgladdish!

I've been on a little kick lately - just trying to get material out into the world instead of sitting on it forever and fretting. So I have two more videos for now!

1) Jen Baker's Akureyi - a new piece for trombone and piano exploring whale sounds and the composers trips to Iceland through extended techniques. Jen is an amazing improvising trombonist, and also the author of the first book dedicated solely to multiphonics, Hooked on Multiphonics (love that name!)



2) So, where to start with this one? This is 16 recordings of trombone, focusing only on split tones, resulting in a drone structure that is accompanied by footage of the Q Train Subway taking its journey from Coney Island to 96th Street. Fair warning, it's 57 minutes of split tone drones, so! hopefully the video helps it along. This all came from some experimental recording I did in 2018. It basically took until now to be ok with it myself as an art object, and to have enough distance from its creation to reflect on just what it is.

Soon there will be another video connected to this audio sharing footage from Jen Baker's family farm in Michigan, and the audio and both recordings will be released as a bandcamp album for those who like to own their media. But it will also live in its free version on Soundcloud and YouTube for those that wish to listen and watch.

[Cmillar]

Great stuff...and thanks for posting!

Especially glad to see that you're getting the music out to students so they can be exposed to some 'out of the box' music and keeping the Dave Taylor tradition alive and well. We need so much more of that, and need more musicians and trombone players following your footsteps. Great that you're teaching!!!

[WilliamLang]

Dave Taylor is really one of my musical heros. His article on Risk in a random ITF issue really set me down the path I'm on.

[bus2]

Dave Taylor is really one of my musical heros. His article on Risk in a random ITF issue really set me down the path I'm on.

Hear, hear! Taylor is an artist. Sometimes even frightening!

Listening to him gave me the idea that every solo performance on the same piece of music should be different. I love the idea of risk taking and spontaneous musical decisions. Most often this approach is at odds with the cookie-cutter approach to orchestral study.

If more people played like Dave Taylor, maybe we wouldn't default to "successful employment out of school" as meaning "employed in a full-time orchestra."

On top of his great solo playing (Schnyder Concerto, wow!), his work with the Bob Mintzer Big Band is the gold standard!

[Cmillar]

Dave Taylor is really one of my musical heros. His article on Risk in a random ITF issue really set me down the path I'm on.

Hear, hear! Taylor is an artist. Sometimes even frightening!

Listening to him gave me the idea that every solo performance on the same piece of music should be different. I love the idea of risk taking and spontaneous musical decisions. Most often this approach is at odds with the cookie-cutter approach to orchestral study.

If more people played like Dave Taylor, maybe we wouldn't default to "successful employment out of school" as meaning "employed in a full-time orchestra."

On top of his great solo playing (Schnyder Concerto, wow!), his work with the Bob Mintzer Big Band is the gold standard!

Totally.

People who studied for a few years with him are very fortunate...as, I believe, students of William Langs' will be with him.