27 Mar 2007
Slide Factory 2007 update
Posted by Edward Solomon.
Nico Schippers of the New Trombone Collective and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra has provided the British Trombone Society with an update on the Slide Factory ‘07 events in Rotterdam and a special offer to anyone registering before Sunday 1 April 2007.
Get your adrenalin going at a jazz concert, goose bumps from the velvety sound of Michel Becquet, cut loose at the Gala Concert, enjoy the peace and harmony of a world class baroque ensemble, play together with the Marine Band of the Royal Netherlands Navy.
Two years after the first successful edition, the New Trombone Collective has organised the trombone festival of Europe. It offers music lovers and all trombone players, amateur or professional, a unique experience. Unconventional, superior quality, crème de la crème, something of interest for everybody.
If you register before April 1st, you’ll have a special discount for the Festival Pass All-in.
Along with the listening experience we offer active trombone players of all levels unique opportunities to participate before and during the festival.
Slide Workshops
For amateur trombonists Slide Workshops will take place throughout the Netherlands. These will be given by Jos Jansen, bass trombone of the Marine Band of the Royal Netherlands Navy, and various members of the New Trombone Collective. Technical advice will be given as well as the preparation of a piece that you can perform with the Marine Band at the final concert of Slide Factory 2007.Masterclasses
From May 2-4 a limited number of conservatory students and professionals may apply for unique master classes with the famous French trombone soloist Michel Becquet (classical) and the “heavyweight” English jazz trombone player Mark Nightingale. There are still some places left for these masterclasses, so don’t delay if you’re interested in attending.Slide Factory
From the first day of the festival on 3 May, you can attend a full daily program of warming up sessions, clinics, lunch concerts, an outdoor spectacle with 100 trombone players and various major concerts. At the same time there will be an extensive festival market at the Doelen where you can try out the newest models and gadgets and meet the trombone makers.Artists and ensembles
Michel Becquet, Mark Nightingale, Wycliffe Gordon, Jiggs Whigham, Bart van Lier, Ilja Reijngoud, Jörgen van Rijen, Ben van Dijk, Jos Jansen. New Trombone Collective, Marine Band of the Royal Netherlands Navy, Rotterdam Jazz Orchestra, Les Sacqueboutiers de Toulouse, Quatuor Kimoiz.Visit the Slide Factory ‘07 website for your application and complete information about the program, the artists, accommodations, ticket sales and more…
The International Trombone Association has cited Slide Factory ‘07 as the official European edition of the International Trombone Festival 2007.
The Soloists of the Philharmonia Orchestra Brass Ensemble
Concert
Next week Fiona McLean will be performing the Arnold’s Fantasy for Trombone at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama. It comes as part of 
The Royal College of Music will host jazz trombonist Richard Edwards in a masterclass next week.
Chris welcomed the 40-or-so participants and led the Massed Blow, which included pieces as diverse as Mozart’s Ave Verum Corpus and that Tutti’s Trombones favourite, Lassus Trombones. The trombone choir, in which a wide range of ages and abilities were represented, sounded terrific and clearly made an impression on some of the youngest players in the room who then stepped up to contribute to the next item on the itinerary, Tees Valley Music Service’s Endangered Species Project. The aim of the project, as TVMS trombone teachers Steve Baxter and Stuart Gray explained, was not saving the giant panda(!) but ensuring that sufficient numbers of pupils take up the trombone to prevent the instrument from becoming extinct in schools and colleges. The two small groups of beginner and intermediate players performed a short selection of pieces, some with CD backing tracks, my particular favourite being a funky version of I Want It That Way by Backstreet Boys! The pupils’ obvious enjoyment and the level of achievement reached after only a few months of tuition were indicative of the success of the Endangered Species scheme – an encouraging sign for the trombonists of the future.
The afternoon session consisted of a performance, masterclass and improvisation workshop presented by Jiggs Whigham, backed by local rhythm section the Paul Donnelly Trio. Having flown in from the States that day, Jiggs came straight from the airport and, playing a brand new Conn-Selmer King ‘Jiggs Whigham’ model (unwrapping it from the plastic and greasing the slide as he talked), launched straight into a recital without a warm-up. The whole room was wowed by Jiggs’ simply stunning playing, and his explanation of modes used in jazz improvisation was truly enlightening. He got everyone involved – singing, dancing and playing – and eagerly encouraged questions from his attentive audience. Jiggs explained that this was an historic moment – his contribution to the day’s events marked the inauguration of TAPAS, Trombone Artists Playing for Amateurs and Students. This recently-conceived initiative aims to encourage more student and amateur players to join the ITA and BTS through performances given by leading well-established trombonists who donate their time to the cause once a year. I don’t suppose many people often have the opportunity to hear a performer of such stature in such an exclusive setting, and the two young masterclass participants, David Gerrard and Sam Sankey, both 15 years old, were clearly inspired by their chance to play for and jam with Jiggs, as were those of us watching the proceedings. Any scheme that brings world-class artists closer to audiences – particularly small events outside of big cities, where access to high-quality live music can sometimes be difficult to come by – is an extremely positive step towards widening the appeal of the instrument and securing the future of trombone playing. Long may it continue – more TAPAS please!
