Empire Brass in Tucson

MaryAnn · Post by **MaryAnn** » Mon Nov 08, 2004 9:35 am

I went to see the Pops concert with TSO and Empire Brass on Saturday. It was very good; at first I was first row balcony but the attendance was so pi$$-poor that I moved down to the 7th row or so for the 2nd half.

Especially the tbone player is spectacular....every time I hear a fabulous tbone player I want to grow longer arms and learn how to play it. The tuba was a 3+1 Eb (Willson?) As when Canadian brass was here playing a similar concert, I couldn't really hear the tuba. It was too bad because Kenneth Amis is one extraordinary player. I think that when these Brass Qtet groups play with an orchestra and are way out front on the stage, the tuba player needs to use a bell front. When he tipped the bell towards the audience, doing a "blatt joke," there was no problem hearing him. But even in the 7th row I could only just barely catch the tuba sound, and I don't think he was playing softly; it's just that the sound was going up instead of out. I couldn't hear it in the balcony, either.

On the encore march, the orchestra tubist could be heard really well, but he was back under the shell. Of course he plays a 2155 but I doubt there is THAT much difference in tubas....I think the front-of-the-stage position with the bell up just swallows the sound, and a bell-front could make a huge difference. After all, audiences are missing the tuba sound! This needs to be fixed!

MA

Jay Bertolet · Post by **Jay Bertolet** » Mon Nov 08, 2004 10:32 am

Yeah, Ken is one hell of a player. I believe he plays a Besson 981/982 Eb. It isn't the Willson. And Mark Hetzler, the trombone player with EBQ is as good as they come. I had the wonderful fortune to do a performance last season of the Bohme Sextet with both he and EBQ trumpeter Marc Reese. There was a video tape taken of that performance and it's on my "keeper" shelf. What fine musicians! Mark Hetzler just this year accepted the trombone teaching job at the University of Wisconsin. His departure from South Florida is really felt.

DonShirer · Post by **DonShirer** » Wed Nov 10, 2004 1:21 am

Having performed in dozens of musicals and listened to many TSO concerts in their civic auditorium I know it is difficult to fill it up with sound. Some places on stage are dead and others are live. The (now defunct) Southern Arizona Light Opera Company quickly gave up and miked their solo performers. However I did hear Canadian Brass give a concert there and had no trouble hearing the tuba, and D. was hopping around the stage as usual.

MaryAnn · Post by **MaryAnn** » Wed Nov 10, 2004 4:08 pm

I must have had a bad seat at the CB concert too (1st row balcony) because I was also unable to hear the tuba. S'far as I know my hearing is un-impaired.
Your Ears May Vary, apparently.
MA, who would like to hear more tuba on most everything, as long as it doesn't drown out the horns.

ThomasDodd · Post by **ThomasDodd** » Wed Nov 10, 2004 4:26 pm

MaryAnn wrote: drown out the horns.

Most horn players I've know needed to be drowned out.

Many of us wanted to drown the horns in high school....

Nice sound when played well. Hard to find somone that does that though, and a badly played horn is seams worse than other brass. Not as bad as squeaky reeds, but close.