TromboneChat

SO of you will have known of Fletch through the Philip jones Brass ensemble....or his work with the LSO but here he is performing Czardas from a TV broadcast...it is still incredible to think that he passed away 29 years ago aged but 46!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dK58EE5b4qc


Flight of the bumblebee

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-NVMsj6lXA

That stirred some memories!

I was privileged to attend the last of the "Philip Jones Brass Ensemble International Summer Schools" way back in 1981 and Fletch played the FoB in the PJBE introductory concert on the first night. Brilliant.

Also had the opportunity to meet some Legends! Philip Jones, James Watson, Michael Laird, Paul Archibald, John Pigneguy, Denis Wick, Ray Premru and John Fletcher. Some, alas no longer with us (thank goodness for you tube!)

Thanks for that.

Cheers

Stewbones

John was a one-off. Such a gentleman and a musical god. His tuba playing was on another level. He was always so nice to me... a student when we first met. I only played with him once on a session.... when he walked into the studio my jaw dropped... what a joy to sit next to him.

Chris Stearn

I met Fletch only once, for the 1987 LSO brass competition, which I entered (and Oren Marshall won!). He was a real inspiration. He said something really interesting about the bass instruments in the orchestra, particularly those that play in the contrabass register, along the lines of the public have an auditory "Plimsoll Line", which means that pitches below that imaginary line are unable to be sensed in the way musicians sense them. We are capable of telling one really low note from another, but the vast majority of people cannot because of this "Plimsoll Line" Fletch referred to. It was wonderful to watch him in action coaching the tubists in playing orchestral excerpts and explaining that to most people, the low notes just sound like a fart.

For my money still the finest tubiist there has ever been. I remember Andre Previn saying that if John Fletcher had played a string instrument or piano he would have been regarded as one of the finest instrumentalists and musicians in history, such was his musicianship......

This is a phenomenal tuba player. Why he died so early? Bad wife, alcohol, or debts?

Quote from: Trombocholik on Aug 07, 2016, 02:05PMThis is a phenomenal tuba player. Why he died so early? Bad wife, alcohol, or debts?

According to Wikipedia he suffered a massive cerebral haemorrhage in March 1987 and died in October the same year.

He was an expert on beer and "real ale" but that was not the cause of his demise.

Cheers

Stewbones

Quote from: Stewbones43 on Aug 08, 2016, 03:16AMAccording to Wikipedia he suffered a massive cerebral haemorrhage in March 1987 and died in October the same year.

He was an expert on beer and "real ale" but that was not the cause of his demise.

Cheers

Stewbones

He was also an expert on steam trains and model trains. My old teacher toured with him extensively and said that John Fletcher would bring model trains on tour to 'work on'....

Quote from: Stewbones43 on Aug 08, 2016, 03:16AMAccording to Wikipedia he suffered a massive cerebral haemorrhage in March 1987 and died in October the same year.

He was an expert on beer and "real ale" but that was not the cause of his demise.

Cheers

Stewbones

He was also an expert on steam trains and model trains. My old teacher toured with him extensively and said that John Fletcher would bring model trains on tour to 'work on'....