Like all good geeks, I'm getting sweaty palms at the mention of anything Kong these days. The Kong is King website posted links to a nice site featuring music from the upcoming game score:
The 50-piece string section was first and they were fabulous. Most composers hire third-party conductors to conduct their scores. I like to do my own conducting. Conducting the strings of the Northwest Sinfonia was like a woman tasting chocolate. Pure bliss followed by a rush of energy. The musicians were so very attentive, fast, responsive, accurate, expressive... just name any positive adjective and it fits. The sheet music had been flawlessly prepared by Paul Taylor Co. and the sessions just flew. With things going so well we decided to record two passes of strings on every cue thus approximating the sound of 100 musicians. We still managed to finish ahead of schedule.
The brass also turned out well, but less blissfully so. The musicians came to the sessions sporting a schizophrenic three-sided personality. The low brass were cool, down-to-earth guys who, in spite of being the most talented of the lot, were also the most eager to work hard and get it right. The trumpets were a bit like red sports car drivers with half a chip on their shoulder. They were repeatedly surprised when I asked them to do another take, like a star NBA player getting called for a foul. The horns were aloof but very professional. All three personalities seemed to join at the lips, and we came away with some great sounding brass tracks.
After getting in some nice digs, at least he had the common courtesy to mention it all came together in the end. Brought to mind shades of "Les Brass" and its commentary on the nature of different types of brass players. Given a forum for expressing their views, I wonder what some of the musicians would've had to say about working with this jackass.
... The low brass were cool, down-to-earth guys who, in spite of being the most talented of the lot, were also the most eager to work hard and get it right.
Sounds like most (more likely all) of the low brass folks I know!
"Don't take life so serious, son. It ain't nohow permanent." -- Pogo (via Walt Kelly)
bloke wrote:One of them, a person who is considered among the very top of his instrumental genre, has just passed the bar...
A musician passing a bar??????????????
Seriously, I can completely understand, after struggling to support my family on the salary of a private school music teacher (less pay, less benefits, more hours, more responsibility, and a lot more nonsense).
must be a beer joke instead...