TubeNet

Hey,
I just got this CD in the mail yesterday and HOLY CRAP. Seriously, I was thinking that this was gonna be one of those CD's that you play for your students and say, yup, that's a cimbasso and then it goes away. I was totally wrong.

The playing is really great, no snorts, rips or any other flatulent noises, just very pretty, controlled, tasteful and very musical. The arrangements are very well done and refreshing to listen to, the rep is very well chosen and it's only 8 tunes and supremely listenable. Most tuba albums have way too much crammed on there, this is just right.

The packaging is well done, the recording sounds great (I'm not surprised since he also runs Bove audio). One of the things that we suffer from as tubists, is bad mic placement, but this album sounds so good.

My favorite track is Pur Ti Miro from the Coronation of Poppea, it's a lovely duet between Andrew and Denson Paul Pollard on bass trombone, with a close second being O Sole Mio, with an accompaniment that would make Elvis himself proud.

Check it out,
http://andrewbove.com/cimbasso/" target="_blank

Bill

Bill, Thanks for the kind words! I'm really glad you're enjoying it!

I also have this CD and I was very impressed with Andy's playing, the choice of music, the arrangements, accompaniments and sound quality. I am not one who sits around listening to solo tuba CD's (or cimbasso CD's - there aren't any). I listen once or twice and sometimes use the recordings to play for students for various purposes. I am also not a fan of the sound of tuba and piano. I much prefer ensemble accompaniment.

I did look forward to listening to Andys CD as he was a student of mine back in HS when he had funny hair. This is truly a wonderful CD. I found it musically satisfying and very relaxing. It's the kind of CD you can listen to as background music or even as easy listening. I've played it several times and I had it on when some people stopped by. We drank a few beers and although they weren't musicians, none of them commented and I didn't have it on at a low volume. It was just there and very relaxing for anybody to listen to.

Great job, Andy and wonderful playing!

Bill Troiano wrote:solo tuba CD's.... I listen once or twice and sometimes use the recordings to play for students for various purposes.

You were a great teacher for me, and I had so much fun listening to the recordings you played for me back in the day! Inspiring! Glad you still do it. Thank you!!

I'm so glad to hear my tunes enhanced the beer drinking hang! That's exactly what I was going for with this album.

While obviously being interesting to low brass musicians in "study mode", I tried to make a recording that would also contain enough complexity and a complex sonic palette for chamber music fans and audiophiles to dig into, and also remaining approachable and enjoyable to "normal" people who just enjoy listening to music. It was important that this recording could be shared with just about anyone.

I'm so glad people are enjoying it- makes all the hard work worthwhile!

Cool!

In my weekly search to find cool youtube stuff, I came across this-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OCpxMLBteyE

Bob Kolada wrote:Cool!

In my weekly search to find cool youtube stuff, I came across this-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OCpxMLBteyE

Look what you found! So, when you were surfing youtube that night, did you expect to hear cimbasso on a tune like that?

Tubadork wrote:...Hey, I just got this CD in the mail yesterday and HOLY CRAP...

Thanks Bill, absolutely great stuff. This must be the first CD featuring the Cimbasso as a 'real' instrument?!

I received this CD in the mail yesterday and it really is fantastic!

Lingon wrote:

Tubadork wrote:...Hey, I just got this CD in the mail yesterday and HOLY CRAP...

Thanks Bill, absolutely great stuff. This must be the first CD featuring the Cimbasso as a 'real' instrument?!

Yes, I think so! That's why I made the CD. Everyone's music collection needs a solo cimbasso disc to be truly complete, so I figured I should make it happen.

Mark wrote:I received this CD in the mail yesterday and it really is fantastic!

Thanks Mark! Glad you've enjoyed it!!

Come hear a few of these tunes live on Saturday at Juilliard.
Info here: viewtopic.php?f=6&t=47312

I have listened to it a couple of times, and I have an observation/question:
The sound seems to be very "monochromatic" in that it is a very consistent timbre throughout every range, volume, and articulation. I was expecting the cimbasso to be a little edgier / brassier / grittier when pushed, like a bass trombone (or older 184.)
Is the tonal consistency a byproduct of the cimbasso design, or was that intentional on the part of the player?

MartyNeilan wrote:edgier / brassier / grittier

All of this music was originally composed for voice, and many of the pieces were actually intended for female voice. While preparing and recording this project, my goal was to produce a “vocal” sounding tone- expressive, with richness and character – a sound I felt would be most appropriate for this type of music.

You are definitely correct though- the sound of the cimbasso can easily be edgier, brassier, grittier, and all three at once if you're not careful! It is very easy to create an aggressive tone quality on a cimbasso, but producing a consistently beautiful tone can be a big challenge, so I'll take your observation as a compliment! Thanks!

Bove wrote:You are definitely correct though- the sound of the cimbasso can easily be edgier, brassier, grittier, and all three at once if you're not careful! It is very easy to create an aggressive tone quality on a cimbasso, but producing a consistently beautiful tone can be a big challenge, so I'll take your observation as a compliment! Thanks!

It was definitely not meant as anything derogatory, just a rather surprised observation from what I had been (perhaps erroneously) expecting. It reminds me somewhat of some of the Yeo solo bass trombone albums, which also displayed a remarkable tonal consistency.

Andrew - I bought your "Cimbasso D'Amore" CD a few weeks ago, and finally got to listen to it over Christmas. My compliments, indeed. It's another great CD that's well worth the money. The arrangements, instrumentations chosen for them, and performances were all top notch. Here's hoping this is just your first Cimbasso CD, and that there will be more to come! Now if I can just find time to build the Cimbasso I have in mind....

My compliments once again -