Should tubajoe be the aspiring tubist rolemodel?

[tofu]

Seems to me that with the minimal number of openings now and in the future in pro orchestras that aspiring make your living with the tuba folks should really take their cue from guys like tubajoe. I would venture that there are a lot more tubists making their bread in jazz, funk, rock and banda groups then there are in classical music nowadays. Do the college programs really prepare their tuba students to have the flexibility, creativity and skills to do this?

And when you look at these groups they really don't depend on the latest greatest largest shiny piece of brass. Tubajoe - old 186. Most jazz bands beat up sousaphones/helicons/recording basses. Banda groups - whatever sousie they can grab. So the starving college student / overwhelmed by the cost of college alone parent - don't need to have a kings ransom tied up in a BAT and a F etc. and the subsequent loans or money you can't spare tied up in tools that most likely will not get used in the pursuit they were intended for as a career.

Thoughts?

[Ken Herrick]

Whether or not like a Joe, should have more than one string for the bow.

Half a century ago an ole guy with a gig in chitown suggested doing every kind of playing possible. ALONG WITH things like
fixing instruments, radio announcing, music copyist work, conducting bands, etc...........

Another guy in Boston backed up that idea.

I might not have always been doing exactly what I preferred but, I have always been able to do something to survive.

Hell, if things got real bad, all I would need is a good horse, (one of my passion type interests,) a knife, and a good dog and I could get by.

It is called having options which you gain by keeping the
eyes and ears open and the cake hole shut unless you have a question!!!!!

(Postung by phone is stuffing up again so ignore anything beliw this)

[jrobba]

I have been showing some of the music he does with the band New Beard to several of my non-musician friends to show them a setting that they wouldn't typically think to hear a tuba. Most of them totally dig it, especially the crowd that has grown up on indie rock.

Personally I hope that we will start seeing more rock bands with tuba players popping up within the next decade. Listening to their studio recordings, it is pretty cool to hear Joe playing though the different effects processors and compressors.

http://youtu.be/lWwRqWque44" target="_blank

Check it out. The video cracks me up every time

[Michael Bush]

http://www.eclectictuba.com

[Toobist]

He's a role model for me! As are many of my contemporaries who have branched out to other genres and settings with gusto.

After receiving my piece of paper that, and I paraphrase, said, "Allen D. Carter hereby, according to the University of Toronto, is a professional tuba player" I feel I have had to unlearn an incredible amount actually. I'm learning how to play the tuba in different ways: going to open mics and playing Zeppelin, holding weekly (sometimes bi-weekly) jam sessions at my home, playing in soul/blues/pop bands at local dance clubs but what I'm really enjoying the most is my (albeit limited) exposure to New Orleans style Traditional Jazz.

I still enjoy my calls for orchestral work a lot. Don't get me wrong. But i haven't experienced the sort of joy and personally rewarding experience in music than playing with a few friends, sharing lead sheets and beer, making stuff up and really communicating with my band mates and the audience. There's an energy at a busy bar or dance club that is so exciting for me even compared to my biggest, most "top drawer" gigs I've done. I've done and enjoyed orchestra concerts in front of and audience of 800,000 (also televised), played with the local 'big' orchestra on occasion with some of my greatest heroes in the section, performed as soloist on occasion with orchestra and done countless quintet concerts for sold-out concert venues... but wow, i'd trade it in for a regular, sustaining gig like Joe's in a heartbeat.

Don't get me wrong, UofT is a fantastic school and has an amazing faculty. I just wish I'd had the forethought (or perhaps guidance?) when I was younger to research the plausibility of an orchestral career. The orchestral gigs I do are for pro orchestras who, for the most part, are really struggling. What that equates to are minimal rehearsal (most usually a single rehearsal) before the performance and that means, when you're paid per service, very little pay! Audiences are shrinking and, in my experience, our musical skills just are perceived by the general public to be all that important. It's frustrating to hear things like, "So what do you do for money when you're not playing the tuba?" or, "It must be so rewarding to have gotten so far with your hobby." (It's only 20 times more aggravating when I have an answer like, "I help run a music store during the day."

So... Great topic. Thanks to the OP.

Also, thanks to Tuba Joe for raising the bar like he has for us and our AUDIENCES!


My local (Toronto) heroes in this regard:

Rob Teehan (a former classmate of mine who studied HARD to be an orchestral player and is now a trend setter in our neck of the woods)


Doug Burrell (a tubist who is a phenom when it comes to his jazz chops)


Scott Irvine (a fantastic Dixie tubist as well as the tubist of the Canadian Opera Company and True North Brass)


Terry Promane (trombonist who can wail on the tuba)


Doug Gibson (another tromboner who doubles really well- and bought me beer last night so I oughta give him a nod)


Mark Tetreault (Toronto Symphony tubist who rocks a jazz bass line as well as Bluegrass! His wife is a world class fiddler as well as orchestral violinist)




I can't wait to feel I'm on the same level as just a few of the players above when it comes to improvising bass lines (and solos!).

Jam session tonight! Looking forward to it.

[Steve Marcus]

I would venture that there are a lot more tubists making their bread in jazz, funk, rock and banda groups then there are in classical music nowadays...And when you look at these groups they really don't depend on the latest greatest largest shiny piece of brass. Tubajoe - old 186. Most jazz bands beat up sousaphones/helicons/recording basses...Thoughts?

This is why I love my 48K Grand Jumbo sousaphone and will never sell it. It isn't resting on a stand in my home just for its impressive appearance. I would hardly label myself a "collector," nor would my small quantity of horns qualify me for that label. Its 50 pounds certainly doesn't sit on my shoulder to support my chiropractor; I'll eventually have a different stand for the horn that will carry its weight while the leadpipe and valves are accessible to the player. In the meantime, I have played "strolling" gigs with it; I'm not sure how athletic I could be with that beast at gigs that call for moving around a lot (hats off to Kiltie dancing around with his Jumbo for the Seattle Sounders Band). Those may require a smaller horn such as TubaJoe's 186 or my 983 strapped to the player.

The 48K has a magnificent, organ-like sound that allows smooth attacks for imitating string bass while its forward bell and surprisingly quick response lends itself to more angular articulation with the appropriate mouthpiece. At some gigs, the proper balance has been to play the 48K unmiked while all the other players used a microphone for amplification (not for special effects).

I play that horn at every opportunity for the types of gigs that Tofu lists. Frankly, I've played the 48K more frequently at Dixieland, trad jazz, 1920's/1930's dance bands (which is actually what the Jumbo was originally built for in 1930), German/Polish polka bands, and similar gigs than for jazz, funk, rock, Balkan, and banda. The 48K and I have flirted with the last five genres that I listed, but nowhere near the frequency or facility of TubaJoe. Although my preference admittedly is to play orchestral and other "straight" or "classical" music with one of my so-called "concert" horns, I would enjoy diversifying the musical outlets via the 48K or, if not appropriate for the space/ensemble, one of my smaller horns.

I don't really "dig" taking the pure sound of the tuba and altering it electronically as is done with virtually any other instrument. But if that's what the live performance or recording session calls for, so be it.

[tubajoe]

Wow this is all quite humbling!! Thank you so much for thinking of me in this way. Not exactly sure what to say....

I feel like I should probably take this opportunity and respond -- NO that expert village guy is not me.


I will say that there is, at least, THREE to FOUR generations of tuba players who have been going outside of / moving forward beyond conventional tuba roles, creating and pushing in every direction imaginable what the tuba can do. Hundreds of great tuba players. Talking about these specific players is probably a whole different thread (maybe it’s time to start that in adjacent thread)

I’ve always felt that the tuba is one of the most versatile instruments in the universe.
The fact is that there are MORE opportunities for professional tuba performance than there has been in a long time. THE TUBA CAN FIT INTO ANY TYPE OF MUSIC.
(I’ve always found it ironic that, in general, tuba players focus primarily on older music; it’s one of the youngest and most underutilized instruments!)

A watershed moment for me was to realize that music is a celebration of life regardless of genre, and if it’s not communicating emotion on some level, well... it’s a waste of time. I have a short attention span....
Pretense and preconception are things that slow me down. To me, music is like beer: Some of it is amazing, but it’s all good. And even when it’s bad, well, it’s still pretty good.

I play a 4/4 contrabass tuba all the time. I only own one tuba which I jokingly say is similar to Willie playing his one-and-only old acoustic guitar. I like the contrabass tuba a lot better than the bass tuba. I don’t like modifying the tuba sound to fit the piece or gig, I’d rather make the gig work for me. I’m not a very good chameleon, but I am pretty adaptable. Most gigs I do are *me-specific* rather than generic tuba gigs.

I do play the tuba as my full-time job; my currency is gigs and musical experience. Much of what I do is playing with other people (versus just playing solo). While I have done solo and enjoy solo work, one of the things I truly enjoy is a synergy and collaboration between musicians and the incredible versatility the tuba offers.

In addition to playing live, I adore recording. It’s a fascinating process which is almost completely different than playing live. Finding new things to do in a recording is incredibly rewarding, some of my favorite musical experiences have been in the studio.

I do teach, my studio of students varies in size depending on how much other stuff I have going on. I’ve had a large teaching studio in the past, but currently it’s small as I have limited time. I’m happy to say I’ve had some successful students. I do take on students, but like my performance approach, they have to be in the right mindset. At the moment, I’ve actually been missing teaching a bit, so I’m actually currently planning to do some teaching on the road in some upcoming travel situations.

I’m glad to speak more about what I’ve done musically or answer any questions -- feel free to ask. This is a poignant topic and is not just about me. I’m involved in a lot of different scenes in a zillion genres.
It’s not all electric, it’s not all acoustic. ...and yes, even some of it is (or resembles) orchestral excerpts...a little bit. Regardless of the music, I'm still me. Some of what I do is as a horn or solo instrument, some of what I do is in a bass role. I do plug my tuba into amplifiers on a fairly regular basis, but I don’t alter my actual tuba sound very much. What the amplifiers do is simply allow my tuba to fit into more applications and communicate even more effectively. On recordings I’ve done, often the variances in tone are done by other people and their conceptions (and mis-conceptions!) of what the tuba is or should be, often months after my contribution is finished. How I sound in real life is actually relatively homogenous from a rock gig to a classical gig, jazz, ethnic, whatever.

Let me finish this installment by saying that while I am opinionated about many things, I do also love traditional tuba applications. I’m not shunning them in any way whatsoever, I’m just saying that there is a lot of music out there in the world and WE control our own tuba destinies!!

Thanks guys!

Joe

[bigtubby]

Wow this is quite humbling. Thank you so much for thinking of me in this way.

...

Let me finish this installment by saying that while I am opinionated about many things, I do also love traditional tuba applications. I’m not shunning them in any way whatsoever, I’m just saying that there is a lot of music out there in the world and WE control our own tuba destinies!!

Thanks guys!

Joe

Thank you Joe for answering this question with a resounding Yes!. I snipped a lot of important things above but hope that people will read your words: It isn't what you play but how you approach the work

Your closing statement says it all. That sentiment shines through the work of Howard Johnson and Janos Mazura, two of my other favorite tubists as well.

P.S. If you are ever in Godforsaken, Ohio I would love to book one of your on the road coaching sessions.

[opus37]

As an observer of the music industry, my opinion is just that an opinion. The facts are that big orchestras are having a very hard time. When the Minnesota Orchestra got in it's current troubles, the musicians started traveling to other orchestras to fill in where they could find work. I think the trend is toward more regional orchestras where the players will have to travel a lot. The result is fewer players will be needed. Music is like any other entertainment. Entertainment wants of the public changes. Think of big bands going to rock bands. You have to play what people want or you will starve. That means being the absolute very best there is so you can write your own ticket or being very good at a lot of things so you have more options. I think that is what TubaJoe is doing. He is adapting.

[Palomorado]

Greetings!!!
My name is Clifton Hyde and I have a confession to make:

I make my living as a (mostly) guitarist in New York City.
(I also play Horn & Althorn...)

Now that that unpleasantness is out of the way I'd like to say that I have had the privilege AND pleasure of performing with Tuba Joe for the last seven years. His innate musicality, commitment to music, chops, musical ideas, and curiosity have all been truly inspiring for me and all of the other crazy folks in our scene.

Fortunately I get to perform with amazing musicians from all genres, approaches, and instrumental families and they all have their place and I hire them for certain things (the Orchestral bone player, the new music trumpeter, etc). However, I have only met two musicians that I can put into ANY MUSICAL SITUATION and I know that they will be perfect for it (the other is an amazing percussionist...a much easier instrument to "fit in" for most ensembles). Joe will approach the tuba from a traditional role just as quickly as doubling an Iron Maiden type guitar line with me to busting out Bootsy Collins bass lines...Then we grab a bear and talk about how badass Jacobs, Bud, & Dale were playing Mahler...

Off the top of my head he and I have together played:

-Salsa meets Loonie Tunes meets Slayer meets Dancefloor Big Band all over Europe
-Avant Garde Jazz with Joe McPhee
-Mozart & Haydn at Carnegie Hall (I was on Horn)
-Underground Burlesque Smokey Jazz shows
-"In C" for Terry Riley
-Sea Shanties with Lou Reed and Bryan Ferry
-Crazy Mexican Banda music at Bordeaux Wine Chateau (wearing Luchador masks...hard to get the mouthpiece placement!)
-Dixieland Jazz
-Blues Brothers/Stax era Blues and Soul (Didn't need a Bone...Tuba Joe just rocked it up the octave!)
-Hip-Hop with huge amplifiers and tons of effects
-Williamsburg Indie Rock
-Moody Cuban Ballads with Tuba and Bass Sax as the front line
-Parading 100+ Drunk Italians through the streets of Venice at 3am to an impromptu dance party in the middle of Piazza San Marco
-Rocking with UBER-Math-Metal Heads "Dillenger Escape Plan"
-Playing a show stealing Romantic Torch Ballad with Tuba as the lead melody (with a 2minute solo cadenza) on French National TV in front of tens of thousands of Frenchmen...

I could go on and on...

Either way; Tuba Joe has been one of my favorite musical collaborators and is a role model for many, many musicians here in NYC and I'm glad to see that the Tuba community is starting to hear about him!

Just be warned:

For us non-tuba playing masses here in NYC Tuba Joe has defined for us what we expect from a Tuba player. He has turned SO many people onto this instrument that would have never given it the time of day until they heard his unique approach to the instrument.

So from my limited knowledge of the tuba my answer to the topic "Should TubaJoe be the Aspiring Tubist Role Model?" I personally only want to work with tuba players (all musicians actually) that approach music in the way Tuba Joe does.


-c l i f t o n

[tofu]

Another guy who certainly is someone who aspiring tuba players should listen to is Charles Villarrubia. He straddles both the classical world and jazz world with Rhythm and Brass. You can feel that virtuosity and skill you expect of a classical tubist with just extraordinary jazz chops. I find his playing with Rhythm and Brass to be simply superb. Unlike a lot of groups that have a tuba player you forget he is playing the tuba and is just an equal musician on stage. He just for lack of a better word has such an amazing touch. The quote below is from the RandB website and I would absolutely concur. Find their music and be prepared to be delighted. If you have a chance to see them live - go! They put on a great show.

About Rhythm & Brass…

"Beyond Category" was a term the great Duke Ellington used as the highest form of praise for those artists who transcended normal boundaries. Since their inaugural season in 1993, Rhythm & Brass has lived up to the ideal of a musical presentation that is not bound by time, geography or culture. With the unique ability to incorporate influences as divergent as Josquin Des Prez, Pink Floyd, John Coltrane, Johann Sebastian Bach, and, of course, Duke Ellington, Rhythm & Brass searches for the commonality in these influences and fearlessly weaves them all into a single concert experience.

http://www.rhythmandbrass.com/Rhythm_%2 ... Brass.html

[tuneitup]

Both Charlie and TubaJoe are awesome!

Charlie has been appointed as the Associate Professor of Tuba and Euphonium at The University of Texas at Austin. From what I heard, he will be teaching lessons now, not just coaching chamber music...