As part of its new initiative to sponsor the work of young people, the Black Dyke Band, and its musical director Nicholas Childs, intend to form a Yorkshire Youth Brass Band with associated young composers. With the goals of inspiring and motivating young people aged 11 – 18 years, Black Dyke are investing in future players and composers.

They will hold three workshops for players who have already achieved Grade 4. Full band rehearsals and sectionals will be given by key members of the Black Dyke Band, including Richard Marshall (cornet), David Thornton (euphonium), and Brett Baker (trombone). The day’s events will include seating auditions and action planning in preparation for the inaugural concert.

* Three days of workshops: 21st May, 25th June and 16th July, 2006 at the Headlingley Campus of Leeds, Metropolitan University.
* Inaugural concert performing with the Black Dyke Band, 16th July, 2006

The cost for each gathering is £10. This reduced price has been made by the generous support of Partners Black Dyke Band, Arts and Business, Breville and Leeds Metropolitan University.
Interested players and composers should contact Alison Childs - further details at the YYBB website.

Denis Wick, ITA president and retired Principal Trombone of the London Symphony Orchestra, is sending an open letter addressed to all trombonists, inviting them to Birmingham this July.

The International Trombone Festival just keeps growing as the weeks count down - not content with ‘just’ Brazilian Trombones, Ian Bousfield, Black Dyke’s trombones, Ben van Dijk, Wycliffe Gordon, Bones Apart and many more, they have recently announced that they have booked The Rath Pack, a trio of star jazz trombonists led by Mark Nightingale!

Full letter (PDF format)

21 year old trombonist Steven Haynes from Wakefield recently competed in the final of the BBC Radio 2 Young Brass Soloist 2006 competition. Playing Ray Steadman-Allen’s Walk with me and Rodney Newton’s Dick Turpin’s Ride to York accompanied by the Black Dyke Band on 2nd April (and broadcast that week on BBC Radio 2), Haynes was praised by judges Jamie Prophet and Lynda Nicholson for excellent character and technique, although the competition in the end was won by Royal Northern College of Music tubaist Ben Thompson.

Steven’s performances of Bolivar and White Knuckle Ride won him the place in the final, but he told BTS News that the competition really pushed him to the boundaries.

Right from the semi-final the competition was really tough, standing in front of bands like Black Dyke and knowing it’s all going out on national radio - it was really intimidating, but a valuable experience all the same. The standard of the others in the final was stunning and I’m delighted for Ben.

Steven is an undergraduate at the Royal College of Music, although he has recently returned from six months of study in Vienna with lessons from Dietmar Küblböck and Ian Bousfield, supported by the Julius Isserlis Scholarship awarded by the Royal Philharmonic Society and the Maud Wright Award. Steven has played and recorded with The Grimethorpe Colliery (UK Coal) Band, The Fairey Band. On the orchestral side he’s played with the Hofmusikkapelle Orchestra and has won reserve places on the Pacific Music Festival and EUYO.

The Black Dyke Band’s Principal Trombone Brett Baker has been busy in the recording studio this April to dust off old solos for trombone and brass band which have been unjustly neglected. Baker is bringing to our attention particular solo pieces that were popular in the 1960’s and 70’s. Joint soloist on this recording is his Black Dyke Co-Principal Paul Woodward who focus on the Salvationist repertoire. Together they will cover over a century of important trombone solo repertoire in a gigantic double CD

Paired with more the more well-known Buxton Orr Trombone Concerto and Ray Steadman-Allen’s The Eternal Quest are J A Greenwood’s Mercury and forgotten trombone solos such as Sound the Battle Cry by William Broughton and The Tromboneer by W Gerard.

The solos are accompanied by the Yorkshire Imperial Urquhart Travel Band, who, like the Black Dyke Trombone Quartet, are featured artists at July’s International Trombone Festival in Birmingham, UK.

North East Scotland will once again be treated to the annual Moray Spirit of Brass festival this June. With patronage from John Wallace and support from his brass students at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama, this year the festival will feature Fine Arts Brass.

Chris Parkes, Angela Whelan, Sam Elliott, Katy Pryce, Simon Lenton

Moray Spirit of Brass
Friday 9th June - Monday 12th June 2006
Elgin, Scotland

Fine Arts Brass Ensemble
Back Beat Percussion Quartet
Whitburn Brass Band
Moray Concert Brass
RSAMD Big Band

Hot British brass quintet Onyx Brass has announced that, following the success of three CDs of contemporary music, it will now be recording for top record label Chandos. This is set to improve distribution and marketing of their recordings, making them available to a wider public. In the next eighteen months the group has planned two discs, of which the first will feature fugues by both Bach and Shostakovich.

Chandos has signed several brass groups over the years with releases ranging from Grimethorpe’s Brass from the Masters to Philip McCann’s World’s Most Beautiful Melodies via Centre City Brass’ On the Town Bernstein arrangements.

In addition, Onyx Brass has recently started a relationship with Yamaha, who are sponsoring their residency at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama and an annual tour across North America.

The legendary London Symphony Brass (LSO Brass) has played many exciting concerts in the Barbican over the years and after a hiatus of a couple of years, they are back!

Not only have they got a Barbican date in the programme for next year (18 March 2007, details TBA) but they are forming the back-bone for a series of educational concerts in their new chamber venue, LSO St. Lukes. The series starts next week with Patrick Harrild and a tuba ensemble.

LSO Discovery Fridays
Lunchtime Concerts - Summer 2006
LSO St. Lukes
FREE ENTRY - just turn up on the day

Rachel Leach returns this summer to present a series of free lunchtime concerts in the Jerwood Hall at LSO St. Luke’s. They are especially designed to offer an informal introduction to the LSO and music-making. This summer we have a great line up of concerts featuring brass instruments. Doors open at 12pm, with concerts starting at 1pm and lasting for approximately 45 minutes. Light refreshments are available before the concerts in the Crypt Café.

28 April 1pm - Discover the Tuba
with LSO Principal Patrick Harrild and a student tuba ensemble

5 May 1pm - Discover Jazz
with students from the GSMD

26 May 1pm - Discover the Brass Quintet
with students from the GSMD

2 June 1pm - Discover the 10-Piece Brass Ensemble
with members of the LSO

9 June 1pm - Discover Low Brass
with LSO Principal Trombone Dudley Bright and Principal Tuba Patrick Harrild

16 June 1pm - Discovery Family Lunchtime Concert
Rachel Leach will re-tell the children’s story Two Left Feet by Adam Stower (Bloomsbury Paperbacks) with music from an LSO brass quintet. This concert is aimed at children aged under five and their carers, but is open to all.

Please note that concerts are subject to change.

Funk trombonist Dennis ‘Badbone’ Rollins has been nominated for the 2006 BBC Jazz Awards in the Jazz Line Up Best Band category. The awards will be announced this July, but in the meantime Dennis and his band continue to be heard all across Britain - see his gig list. Next week he is playing at The Albany in Deptford, London.

Dennis demonstrates a unique and exciting approach to the under-rated trombone proving that it can be an exciting front-line instrument. His high energy, groove-based funky dance music -with jazz overtones - appeals to audiences of all ages.

British DENNIS ROLLINS’ BADBONE & CO

Friday 28 April, 8.30pm (doors 7.30pm)
Tickets £9, £6 conc, £4 under 25s (limited availability, ID Proof
required)
Box Office 020 8692 4446
www.thealbany.org.uk
The Albany, Douglas Way, London SE8
Nearest stations: Deptford, New Cross & Deptford Bridge

“Rollins is also that rarest of jazz beasts: A GENUINE STAR” The Independent On Sunday
“The most exciting British trombonist for decades” Jazzwise

Over the years Dennis has established a reputation as an artist of excellence and has lent his talents to some of this country’s and, indeed, the world’s top jazz and pop personalities such as Courtney Pine, Baba Maal, Jamiroquai, US3, Brand New Heavies and Blur.

Chris Stearn, Ben van Dijk and Bill Reichenbach are the bass trombone stars leading the workshops and concerts at the Dutch Bass Trombone Open 2006 this October. The event has attracted an amazing 50 bass trombonists from 12 countries and is completely sold-out.

Applicants will pay €249 to spend the weekend in Castle Oud Poelgeest and hear Chris, Ben and Bill lead a wide range of sessions including the likes of “Waking up with Ben!”, “Flexible bass trombone”, “Studio work/session playing” and “Contemporary bass trombone repertoire”.

The event is organised by Dutch bass trombonists Erwin Dijkstra, Marcel Schot and Bert Damsma, who seem to be real characters. Erwin describes himself as “in great demand … when a powerful bass trombone is needed” and Bert “works for a company which makes special hearing protectors”. Erwin and Marcel are also keen supporters of English-made Michael Rath trombones.

The Caecilia-Concert have just released their debut CD, on which British sackbut specialist Adam Woolf can be heard. This Netherlands-based early music group has a unique core of three wind instruments - cornett, sackbut and dulcian, with keyboard continuo, and they perform works from across 17th century Europe.

This release, entitled “Treasury of a Saint” features virtuoso solo, duo and trio music for voices and instruments, composed for different strands of the 17th century church. The composers include: Selma, Sweelinck, Buchner, Bertoli, Fontana, Nicolai, Cima, Cesare, Rosenmüller, Böddecker, Cabanilles, Bovicelli, Ferro, Rognoni, Padbrué and Hollanders.

The CD is available from the Caecilia-Concert website for €18.50 + €3.00 p&p.