Game changers...

[Sam Gnagey]

William Bell who made perhaps the earliest solo tuba recording, arranged solo works for the instrument and taught many players during his career at the NY Philharmonic and Indiana U.

Arnold Jacobs who set the example for orchestral sound production and established a school of playing based on singing and air flow.

[bort]

Chuck Dallenbach -- THE quintet tuba player. Smooth, easy, and flawless.

[Rick F]

As a eupher, my game changers were/are (in alphabetical order):

David Childs
Fred Dart
Steven Mead
Demondrae Thurman
David Werden

BTW, I had to google TDWR (Talent Deserving Wider Recognition). To me TDWR stood for Terminal Doppler Weather Radar

[Bob Kolada]

Rich Matteson

[tbn.al]

Rich Matteson

You old Jazzer, you!

You just reminded me of his "Georgia" so I went to YouTube and got my lift for the day. Thanks.

[Tom Mason]

Maybe not in the areas of inventing a new style or concept, but in the area of showing that the tuba can be a gender neutral instrument I would place Carol Jantsch and Velvet Brown. I have been able to steer a number of female students toward tuba after introducing them to these women by youtube.

As of today, I have 2 tuba players in my little band of 25 at my high school. The senior is about 6'2" and about 300 lbs male. The better player is a 7th grade 5'4" maybe 120 lbs girl who can put some air through my older king 2341. Definitely a work in progress, since she likes tuba.

[tubari]

Winston Morris

Good Luck to the Tennessee Tech Tuba Ensemble as they perform at Carnegie on March 13th, for the 8th time!!!

[PMeuph]

ref: a previous comment...

Art Lehman is credited with introducing/popularizing the English-style large-bore compensating euphonium to America.

Actually, Lehman himself credited Harold Brasch with that.

What I can say, however, is that Harold played that horn for several years and eventually bought, or was loaned a brand new Besson by the Boosey & Hawkes company. He was soon the leading exponent of the use of the B&H or Besson euphoniums in the USA. From time to time I would see him with this or that B&H or Besson euphonium

http://www.dwerden.com/eu-articles-lehman-Brasch6.cfm" target="_blank

___

So to add to the topic: Harold Brasch.

[MacedoniaTuba]

Jim Self(with the magic class he gave me), Arnold Jacobs(the Song And Wind), Chris Olka(the "Drill of the Week" videos) Tashko Todorov(for advising me to change from trombon to tuba and teaching me how to make music), Alan Bear,Gene Pokorny,Norm Pearson and all the great tuba players that inspire with their playing:)))

[Rick F]

ref: a previous comment...

Art Lehman is credited with introducing/popularizing the English-style large-bore compensating euphonium to America.

Although Arthur Lehman helped popularize the English-style large bore euphonium, it was Harold Brasch who brought over the English-style 4v auto-compensating horn from England. Arthur Lehman himself wrote,

"You see, Harold Brasch, single handedly, influenced the entire country to adopt the four valve English type euphonium with compensating pistons and forsake all other types of euphoniums."

http://www.dwerden.com/eu-articles-lehm ... ch2008.cfm

[sweaty]

Perhaps it's time for a definition of "game changer". Merriam-Webster defines it as an event or person who "changes an existing situation or activity in a significant way". I don't believe the phrase merely refers to one who does a really good job.

As for tuba and euphonium players, I think the original post asks who did new things with these instruments and influenced those who followed.

[joh_tuba]

The list thus far is pretty USA-centric.

We as a group have virtually no knowledge of the great pedagogues and performers of Europe.

Michael Lind, Baadsvick, and Jens Bjorn Larsen could all arguably be game changers in their own right BUT if I'm not mistaken, all three of them are from the same general area. Who did all three study with and why isn't that person on a list?

Szentpali is also carving a whole new path for tuba. Combining historic instruments, jazz, virtuoso technique AND composition. Who has done ALL that before him?

[Jay Bertolet]

I echo the inclusion of Oscar LaGasse. He definitely changed my game.

Two that haven't been mentioned yet are Tommy Johnson and Leonard Falcone. Both total pioneers in their fields. Don't forget Connie Weldon when discussing the women. She did it before just about anyone else and she was doing at the same time in Miami what Winston Morris was doing at TTU. I think we also need to tip our hats to all the brass manufacturers that have improved the quality of our instruments over the years, helping to make our own progress possible.

[chipster55]

Jim Self

Dave Bargeron

Don Little

[joshwirt]

Obviously those who have been previously listed...but from my personal experience...these are my big 3:

Roger Bobo:

The first time I heard him playing a tuba changed EVERYTHING for me. The first time I heard him live changed EVERYTHING again. I had heard his LP's when I was in middle school and eventually was able to study with him on several occasions. His solo recordings obviously speak for themselves, but his LAPO recordings are also equally awe-inspiring to me.

Gene Pokorny:

I have had the great pleasure of listening to him with the CSO nearly 100 times over the past few years and several lessons downtown. There is a reason why he plays in the best brass section in the world. Period.

Floyd Cooley:

His 'Romantic Tuba' and 'Schumann Fantasy' solo cd's are the gold standard for me when it comes to phrasing and pure beauty of sound on the tuba. And I can't count the number of times I've listened to the Blomstedt/SFSO Hindemith cd's...there's nothing else that's ever been recorded that comes close to the Alleluia chorale.


All three are undeniable giants on our instrument, but having studied with each (some quite extensively), they have certainly been THE game changers in my own playing and approach to music.

-Joshua Wirt

[Rivercity Tuba]

Chester Schmitz
Warren Deck
End of story.

[Tubadude999]

As a student, I would just like to throw a shoutout to anybody and everybody who teaches tuba and euphonium on the middle/high school level. Yeah, the big boys are the big boys, but if it weren't for our high school lesson teachers, there would be nobody to help us become the next generation of big boys. Forever grateful to my teacher Kevin Brown and also to Bernard Flythe, whom I have only know a little while but has helped me more than he will ever know.

[TexTuba]

Tubby The Tuba

[David Richoux]

Kirk Joseph - when the first Dirty Dozen album came out, he was driving every song! NOLA brass bands were changed forever.
Marcus Rojas - one of the first "outside jazz" tubists to be featured in a wide variety of styles on record.

(In my opinion )

[tylerferris1213]

He was mentioned in passing by one person already, but I'll go into more detail and say Øystein Baadsvik. I was in middle school when I first discovered him on Youtube. At the time, I had only been playing the tuba for a year or two, and I treated band as a joke. When I heard him play, I knew I wanted to be a better player.

Baadsvik himself is (in my opinion) one of the best tuba soloists in the world. I finally had the chance a couple years back to hear him with the Brass Band of Columbus (in Ohio). I've never heard such good playing in a live setting. If you haven't heard him play Vivaldi's "Winter," you are missing out. The articulation alone would be tough enough for any professional tubist.

That's my 2 cents.