Who is your favorite tubist and why?

[bort]

Two more people for whom I have a lot of respect:

David Fedderly -- both a great tuba player and a great businessman
Kevin Ladd -- a fantastic tuba player and one of the nicest people you'll meet

[ArnoldGottlieb]

Jon Sass
Plays with orchestra's and plays with Maceo. He pushes my idea's of what anyone can do with the horn. I don't know if there's anything he can't do, and if there is, I'm sure he'll figure out a way to do it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s3UkJASdrIE" target="_blank" target="_blank
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z6HGTD2Oa18" target="_blank" target="_blank
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7UgzNE77 ... =1&index=1" target="_blank" target="_blank

[swillafew]

In 1981 Warren Deck came to the School of Music in Ann Arbor. He played by himself in the same room that the bands and orchestras used, and it was unforgettable. I had the pleasure of seeing Roger Bobo and John Fletcher in similar settings, two my favorites. Mr. Deck, however, made a sound that really transcended what I ever thought i might hear.

[bearphonium]

Pat Sheridan, for the technique and the fun
Carol Jantsch for tone and for chutzpah

[Tubaguyry]

Floyd Cooley and Michael Lind top my list.

Listening to Floyd's playing on "A Schumann Fantasy" is what made me fall madly in love with the tuba. His is the sound I hear in my head when I think of solo tuba playing. The sound of so many soloists is tinny and empty to my ear, but Floyd's isn't.

Michael Lind just makes playing the tuba sound easy. His sound is so smooth and (seemingly) effortless.

[Mojo workin']

John Fletcher. Overheard by one LSO member, one LSO cellist to another - "Everybody knows that John Fletcher is the best musician in this orchestra."

Jake. For everything that is his legacy.

Bobo. For the great soloist that he was, the great recordings of solo rep., and the great entertainer that he is.

Rex Martin. Underrated. One of the best tubists there ever was. The Jake SOUND.

Roland Szentpali. He can do things on the tuba that people only dreamed of before.

[pigman]

John Fletcher.

End of story

[caseys186]

Back in 1974, I saw "Jaws" in the theater. It scared me so bad I didn't go in the water that year when my family visitied the beach for vacation ( My folks were mad!) . One of the reasons why it scared me was Tommy Johnson playing that amazing line. When I found out a little later it was Tommy in all those Hanna-Barbera cartoons, and the countless other soundtracks, he moved into a solid first-Tommy is the man. Of our modern Tubists out there, Alan Baer, Sam Pilafian are the two who come to mind first.

[Art Hovey]

I have many favorites; most of them have already been mentioned. All of them "stand on the shoulders of giants". The giant that turned my head around in 1957 was Bill Bell. Here's why:

http://www.box.net/shared/46e3ffheea

'nuff said?

[ken k]

While I agree with many of the names mentioned (Eli and Bob Stewart, especially) my current "most favorites" of tubists I have personally seen in action are Marcus Rojas and Matt Perrine - for their inventiveness, energetic performances in a wide variety of musical styles, and solos that take the instrument to places few others have ventured. Nat Mcintosh is right up there, for most of the same reasons.

(maybe you can guess I am not a super fan of "classical" or "academic" performers - maybe flashy solos of high speed "Flight of the Bumblebee" are dazzling and good in their own way, but I prefer a tubist who can work in an ensemble, creating new music every night - providing the rhythmic root, or taking the dominant musical position sometimes, depending on what the entire group is doing... )

I was going to type that, then I saw Dave's post so now I don't have to....

I also love Sam Pilafian's sound, especially on the old Empire brass recordings.
k

[tclements]

What a GREAT discussion. Thank you to all who have posted.

[oedipoes]

I have many favorites; most of them have already been mentioned. All of them "stand on the shoulders of giants". The giant that turned my head around in 1957 was Bill Bell. Here's why:

http://www.box.net/shared/46e3ffheea

'nuff said?

Art, thanks, that made my day !!

Is this available as sheet music somewhere?

W

[arpthark]

That said, I GREATLY admire the more modern soloists I've heard - Roger Bobo, Gene Porkorny, Oystein Baadsvik, Yngwie Malmsteen, Daniel Perantoni...

One of these things is not like the other! I'm an Eddie Van Halen fan, myself.

[jamsav]

left some one out of my previous post....Edie Van Halen and her magic sousaphone...

[Michael Bush]

You don't have to be very clever to say Gene Pokorny, but that's the answer for me. He achieves a clarity and accuracy of tone that I think is ideal. The "sound I hear in my head" is pretty much his. I could listen to him all day every day for many days in a row. Sometimes I do.

[tubafatness]

Just because he hasn't been mentioned yet.

Zdzisław Piernik



He's been championing new music, (as well as the tuba itself,) for many years, but it still doesn't seem like he's that well known. As far as I know, he's still playing all kinds of music over in Warsaw, and I think that is just great.

From what I understand, the Penderecki Capriccio was written for him, and he definitely has the first recording of the piece.

Here's two different links to his albums, both of which are out of print. On both pages, you can read the album liner notes. Both albums have some great music, including the aforementioned Capriccio recording
http://www.analogartsensemble.net/2009/ ... plays.html
http://www.analogartsensemble.net/2009/ ... -tuba.html

For those of you who understand Polish, here's a video. I really hope someone out there can translate this, I'm dying to know what he's talking about, (even if he is just talking about stone chairs!)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_GL9nqX1oN8

Here are some other various videos.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zm2lGf8noGw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u7EEamnvbb4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=veiQb4tZuGw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n1Pyrl_bNFA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D5dKw6qSf-o
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=84LzR48pFSM

And to top it off, here's a great article on Piernik written by the late John Griffiths.
http://www.windsongpress.com/brass%20pl ... iernik.htm

[tubamarc8891]

I'm so happy with how this thread turned out. I'm glad I posted the question! Thanks everyone for your responses!

[swillafew]

I got my education this morning from a youtube suggestion

https://youtu.be/PsLacK0ecKc" target="_blank

(I learned I might have a new favorite player, I love this )

[The Big Ben]

That said, I GREATLY admire the more modern soloists I've heard - Roger Bobo, Gene Porkorny, Oystein Baadsvik, Yngwie Malmsteen, Daniel Perantoni...

One of these things is not like the other! I'm an Eddie Van Halen fan, myself.

Yeah. Young guitar players seem to judge their progress by the quality in which they can play EVH's solo from "Eruption". Brass players use "Carnival of Venice" for much the same purpose. One reason why the band cheered Roger is that they all (both brass and winds) could play that solo and do a mighty fine job of it but recognize the over-the-top nature of Roger's performance.

[PaulMaybery]

Probably Fletcher. He had a huge amount of natural talent, particularly his ears. He could mimic anything on a first hearing, from the range of Texas's accents to the phrasing anomalies of his woodwind colleagues in the LSO. But those chops, egad, he had a range that most euphonium players would covet and a sound that could be just as sweet. Yet, in his own words, he could get a real "nasty" sound too. He played on equipment that by today's standards is not particularly state of the art, an old Besson EEb, A Holton BAT CC and a 5/4 Rudi (with quirks). Mouthpieces were simply a Conn 2, Bach 24AW, and one of Jake's "magic" Hellebergs. But it was what he said musically in his phrases that I believe set him apart.
He worked hard. I remember a conversation back in 1975 when the LSO was in Philly. Fletcher, Krzwicki and I were discussing the earning situation between musicians in London compared to the US. John mentioned that he needed to work 3 times as many hours to pull the same wages as an American freelancer in the studio. But what I remember most about him was his humility. We were friends for about 15 years. He was very concerned about being in his late 30s and being thought of in London as the "old man" He felt the nastiness of many young generation players who hoped they could unseat him from the LSO or PBJE since so many of them thought they could play as well and should have those gigs. (Sound familiar?) But what John brought to a gig was so much more than notes, it was the ultimate of music and art. On one of our friendly hang times, the LSO was in Vienna, and I spent the week with John and the LSO during Vienna Fest Woche. Abbado was conducing pictures and John did Bydlo on the euphonium. I was at rehearsal and recall Claudio stopping the orchestra. He looked at Fletcher and smiled, while saying to the orchestra "well that my friends is what I call phrasing" I've never to this day heard a Bydlo that was that magical. Unfortunately, John is no longer with us, and pretty much rests in that pantheon of great players. Today there are so many wonderful players who have risen to new levels of tuba artistry. Levels that were set by guys like John, who had the talent and the passion, and most of all, that certain uniqueness, to carve their niche in the music world.