Roger Bobo

in that recording
User avatar
The Big Ben
6 valves
6 valves
Posts: 3169
Joined: Sat Dec 16, 2006 11:54 am
Location: Port Townsend, WA

Re: Roger Bobo

Post by The Big Ben »

Mr. Bobo sounded badass doing C of V on Carson. You gear guys will have to say what instrument he's playing.

https://youtu.be/eyJkyi0BKPk" target="_blank
User avatar
bisontuba
6 valves
6 valves
Posts: 4319
Joined: Sat Mar 20, 2004 8:55 am
Location: Bottom of Lake Erie

Re: Roger Bobo

Post by bisontuba »

The Big Ben wrote:Mr. Bobo sounded badass doing C of V on Carson. You gear guys will have to say what instrument he's playing.

https://youtu.be/eyJkyi0BKPk" target="_blank" target="_blank
B&S Symphonie F tuba....
User avatar
Alex C
pro musician
pro musician
Posts: 2225
Joined: Fri Mar 19, 2004 10:34 am
Location: Cybertexas

Re: Roger Bobo

Post by Alex C »

My favorite Bobo recording was a Rite of Spring album, don't know the conductor. The entire performance is excellent but the F to high-flat quarter notes in the "Glorification of the Chosen One," are monumental. It is the most exciting tuba playing I can remember hearing. Any description I could write would fall far short.

Add his solo albums, which were both technical and musical landmarks of the day, to his orchestral recordings, and you have an unmatched career as a tubists. Take nothing away from any other great tubists, Bobo was singular.
City Intonation Inspector - Dallas Texas
"Holding the Bordognian Fabric of the Universe together through better pitch, one note at a time."

Practicing results in increased atmospheric CO2 thus causing global warming.
User avatar
Alex C
pro musician
pro musician
Posts: 2225
Joined: Fri Mar 19, 2004 10:34 am
Location: Cybertexas

Re: Roger Bobo

Post by Alex C »

58mark wrote:He might have played a miraphone at some point, but now he's playing this, and it sounds amazing

http://news.schagerl.com/index.php?cont ... anguage=en" target="_blank" target="_blank
Bobo is playing a 3-valve bass trumpet?
City Intonation Inspector - Dallas Texas
"Holding the Bordognian Fabric of the Universe together through better pitch, one note at a time."

Practicing results in increased atmospheric CO2 thus causing global warming.
poomshanka
4 valves
4 valves
Posts: 677
Joined: Thu Mar 18, 2004 10:54 pm
Location: Parts Unknown

Re: Roger Bobo

Post by poomshanka »

If you'd dip your toe in the soundtrack pool, Roger played principal on Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. Tommy played a few dates, but it was mostly Roger. Some great stuff there.
Dave Amason
User avatar
Billy M.
4 valves
4 valves
Posts: 667
Joined: Sat Mar 20, 2004 12:23 pm
Location: Pensacola, Florida USA
Contact:

Re: Roger Bobo

Post by Billy M. »

Norm Pearson wrote:He played a Mirafone 188 prototype around 1979-80 and a production 188 in starting in 1981

Norm Pearson
What was he playing before that during his tenure in LA? I'm listening to the Mehta recording of Alpine Symphony and find his playing to be exquisite.
Romans 3:23-24

Billy Morris
Rudolf Meinl Model 45, Musikmesse Horn
Boosey & Hawkes Imperial Eb (19" Bell)
1968 Besson New Standard Eb (15" Bell)
TubaDrummer
lurker
lurker
Posts: 19
Joined: Sun Dec 17, 2017 10:00 am

Re: Roger Bobo

Post by TubaDrummer »

Billy M. wrote:
Norm Pearson wrote:He played a Mirafone 188 prototype around 1979-80 and a production 188 in starting in 1981

Norm Pearson
What was he playing before that during his tenure in LA? I'm listening to the Mehta recording of Alpine Symphony and find his playing to be exquisite.
I studied with Roger in 1980. He was on his 186 still. The 188 was just coming out at the time and after I left in '81, he played the 188 for the most part as far as his main CC. He was just getting into his B&S F tuba at the time.

As far as before LA? I can't say when he switched to the 186 but I know his first solo record was a 184 and bits of his 180. I am pretty sure he was on his 184 before L.A.

It was interesting to see him work on the B&S F tuba at the time in 1980. As much as he ended up playing that horn, I never felt like he fell in love with it. Seemed to be a lot of work. Lots of slide pulls. Very different non-centered pitch unlike his Miraphones. He made due with a 180 when he had to but before the B&S, he covered most all bass tuba parts with his 184, 186.

When he started playing the B&S regularly in LAP, he would have both the B&S and his 186 on stage and from the balcony, they looked the exact same size.
Mirafone 186-5U CC (1979) - Schilke Bobo Gold Mouthpiece
Yamaha Drums - Sabian Cymbals
User avatar
groth
3 valves
3 valves
Posts: 394
Joined: Sat Jun 17, 2017 11:37 am

Re: Roger Bobo

Post by groth »

Cool info TubaDrummer,I know he wasn't fond of BBb tubas or people that insisted on playing them. Never understood that.
rudysan
bugler
bugler
Posts: 123
Joined: Mon Dec 24, 2012 10:36 am

Re: Roger Bobo

Post by rudysan »

And don't forget Indiana Jones 2, where Roger is playing. The first movie is Fletcher and the third one is Johnson. Quite impressive playing on all of those !
User avatar
SirCharls
pro musician
pro musician
Posts: 92
Joined: Thu Mar 18, 2004 11:40 pm
Location: Pueblo, CO
Contact:

Re: Roger Bobo

Post by SirCharls »

Terraplane8Bob wrote:I had the pleasure of being a classmate of Roger Bobo when I attended the Eastman School of Music in 1956-1961. It was amazing to me that a Freshman in our class was the tubist with The Rochester Philharmonic, but such was the talent of this amazing guy. Technically, Roger was a student of my instructor at ESM, Donald Knaub, who was the bass trombonist of the Philharmonic at the time. Many times during our lessons, Don would make reference to Roger and to the incredible talent he was. I have a reel-to-reel tape recording of Roger's concerto performance to earn the "Performer's Certificate" from ESM. He played the Vaughan Williams tuba concerto. For years I would play that tape to other musicians asking them to identify the instrument that was playing. Almost no one was able to do so because of the incredible sound and technical mastery that he managed to pull out of the tuba. Such power, such focus, such finesse ---- seemingly all without precedent. I remember when his beloved Heissner [sp.?] tuba literally wore out from use and he became the American "rep" for Mirafone. I bought a Mirafone "Bass Trumpet" from him [a tenor horn identical to the one that the "Lonely Boy" of the Mnozil Brass uses] and enjoyed it for years. It is still in my possession although I specialize on bass trombone and rarely play it. At one point, Roger showed up with a contrabass trombone that Mirafone made up for him. I recall him sitting in a concert with the ESM Symphony Band using that contrabass trombone which programmed a Clifton Williams piece, the title of which escapes me at the moment, and covering the entire ensemble with a couple of exposed pedal notes. Truly unbelieveable ! The next I heard of his use of that instrument was in the famous Leinsdorf/Wagner album on Capitol Records. Any accolades that you may have heard about Roger Bobo are well deserved !
Any chance you could convert that reel-to-reel to digital and post it for those of us out here who would love to hear it? Hell, I know there are services that would do it, and I would pitch in for the dough!
Principal Tuba, Colorado Springs Philharmonic Orchestra
Principal Tuba, Apollo Chamber Brass
Tuba-Euphonium Instructor- Colorado State University-Pueblo
------------------------------
https://sircharlso.wixsite.com/apollochamberbrass
Ace
5 valves
5 valves
Posts: 1395
Joined: Fri Mar 19, 2004 12:46 am
Location: Berkeley, CA

Re: Roger Bobo

Post by Ace »

In 1954 at age 18, I played second trumpet in the All-California High School Honors Orchestra. I was told that the tuba guy behind us warming up on the Mozart Bassoon Concerto was 16 year old Roger Bobo. I did not personally meet him. At that time Bobo was a student of Robert Marsteller, principal trombone Los Angeles Philharmonic. I wonder what tuba he might have been playing in 1954? He had a huge sound. The big number on our concert in Santa Barbara was Tchaik 5.

Ace
poomshanka
4 valves
4 valves
Posts: 677
Joined: Thu Mar 18, 2004 10:54 pm
Location: Parts Unknown

Re: Roger Bobo

Post by poomshanka »

Dave Amason
User avatar
Big Toot
bugler
bugler
Posts: 116
Joined: Thu Apr 25, 2019 10:36 am
Location: Dayton, OH, USA

Re: Roger Bobo

Post by Big Toot »

As a recent convert to tuba-as-serious-instrument-for-me, this entire thread has been a real ear-opener. Geez, can he play. Now I just want to practice harder.
New tubist. Ex-euphoniumistststst...
No, wait. Euphoniumist once again... Damn, it's hard to keep up.
MACK Brass EU1150S
Amati ABB-221
Musikwissenschaft.
Composer for all instruments and ensembles.
Eaton Community Band.
Richmond Jazz Orchestra.
mbeastep
pro musician
pro musician
Posts: 147
Joined: Tue Feb 01, 2005 3:39 pm
Location: Calgary

Re: Roger Bobo

Post by mbeastep »

Highlights for me are a Zubin Mehta recording of Pictures and a Previn recording of Prokofiev 6th. Both are exemplary.
User avatar
SirCharls
pro musician
pro musician
Posts: 92
Joined: Thu Mar 18, 2004 11:40 pm
Location: Pueblo, CO
Contact:

Re: Roger Bobo

Post by SirCharls »

Thanks, I will look for those!
Principal Tuba, Colorado Springs Philharmonic Orchestra
Principal Tuba, Apollo Chamber Brass
Tuba-Euphonium Instructor- Colorado State University-Pueblo
------------------------------
https://sircharlso.wixsite.com/apollochamberbrass
User avatar
Matt G
5 valves
5 valves
Posts: 1196
Joined: Fri Mar 19, 2004 9:24 am
Location: Quahog, RI

Re: Roger Bobo

Post by Matt G »

bloke wrote:
doublebuzzing wrote:Here is Roger playing probably that B&S F and sounding like only he does: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QC4DMdULlcc
I'm one of his greatest admirers, but - in particular - I find that Dies Irae rendition to be disturbing. I hope the music director told him to do that, and that it wasn't his own idea.
It’s like someone asked the brass section to put a ton of front on their sound and then the recording engineer dialed it back. So many recordings need to be discounted due to overzealous engineering and mixing.
Dillon/Walters CC
Meinl Weston 2165
Ken Herrick
5 valves
5 valves
Posts: 1238
Joined: Sun Oct 25, 2009 5:03 pm
Location: The Darling Desert in The Land of Oz

Re: Roger Bobo

Post by Ken Herrick »

It is often said that if you can't say something nice.................................. I wouldn't spend good money for this recording is about as nice as I can think of.
Free to tuba: good home
toobagrowl
5 valves
5 valves
Posts: 1525
Joined: Mon Aug 02, 2010 3:12 pm
Location: USA

Re: Roger Bobo

Post by toobagrowl »

bloke wrote:It was wild.
One of the pitches was even split (2nd tuba, or Mr. Bobo?)
Just listened to it. I only hear one tuba, playing the 1st part. Typical tight/bright Bobo sound.
Bobo always sounded like he wanted to play louder than the tuba/mpc would let him play...
That said, sounds like a bootleg recording of the live perfomance.
EdFirth
4 valves
4 valves
Posts: 583
Joined: Sun Mar 21, 2004 7:03 am

Re: Roger Bobo

Post by EdFirth »

I have a recording of LA, on London, playing all Liszt.Battle of the Huns, Orpheus, and Mazeppa with Mehta. The playing on Battle of the Huns is just like that Fantastique recording. You can probably find it on YouTube. Ed
The Singing Whale
Post Reply