Mad Toast Live! w/Johannes

A few years back UW-Madison hired Johannes Wallmann to head their jazz program.  He is a pianist, composer and educator and now good friend.  As way of "introducing himself" to our music community he put together a few very cool musical projects.  The one that I am featuring here is a broadcast he was featured on called "Mad Toast Live!"  It is a concert that is emceed by a couple hosts that…

Pietzsch 4

This one incorporates some triple tonguing.  For these moving triplets I used TTK.  That seems to get a better flow for me where TKT creates more rhythmic emphatic-ness.  Think of slightly crescendo-ing through the triplets.  This will keep the air flowing to give your tongue something to bounce off of. I have trumpet-player-friends who only use TKT and can flow and play "fanfare-ish" using…

Have You Met Miss Jones?

“Have You Met Miss Jones” is a tune written by Richard Rodgers for the musical comedy “I’d Rather Be Right”. Lyrics were written by Lorenz Hart. This tune has been recorded and performed by many notable jazz musicians. It’s a common jam session tune and very important to know. This tune is most commonly played in the key of F Major. The form is AABA, with the A sections being fairly…

Pietzsch 3

This one looks intimidating at first.  But after you get into it you should find that it lies pretty idiomatically.  There are lots of arpeggios, major, dominant and minor, that have a lowered half-step as the second note of the triplet.  Good luck with the pedal C at the end! http://allthingstrumpet.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Pietzsch-3.wav

All the Things You Are

All the Things You Are A very informative resource site for getting the basics for tunes is learnjazzstandards.com Once there, you can search for a tune and, as in this case, many options for blog entries come up. If you click the link above it will take you to the introductory entry for All the Things You Are. On the right side of the screen are the chord changes in the usual transpositions,…

Pietzsch 2

My summer project is to record all the Pietzsch Etudes (22).  I am using #13 for the ensemble audition requirement for the trumpets at UW-Platteville, so I thought that I would make a demo recording of it for them.  That little project was so much fun that I decided to try to record all 22.  I have recorded over half of them right now and am slowly getting them up on this site.  I would like to…

Pietzsch 1

My summer project is to record all the Pietzsch Etudes (22).  I am using #13 for the ensemble audition requirement for the trumpets at UW-Platteville, so I thought that I would make a demo recording of it for them.  That little project was so much fun that I decided to try to record all 22.  I have recorded over half of them right now and am slowly getting them up on this site.  I would like to…

Pietzsch Etude 13

My summer project is to record all the Pietzsch Etudes (22).  I am using #13 for the ensemble audition requirement for the trumpets at UW-Platteville, so I thought that I would make a demo recording of it for them.  That little project was so much fun that I decided to try to record all 22.  I have recorded over half of them right now and am slowly getting them up on this site.  I would like to…

A Tale of Three Tom Crowns

Here is an incredibly “trumpet-nerdy” post for all you trumpet-nerds, like me.  I recently bought two Tom Crown straight mutes, an all-brass Gemini, and aluminum with the brass bottom Gemini.  I have owned over a dozen straight mutes over the years and I really have never “connected” with any metal straight mute until I tried a Gemini.  (I have a favorite harmon, cup and wood straight that I love…

Carnival of Venice

One of the most enjoyable things I get to do as a musician is perform with the Isthmus Brass.  It consists of ten brass players from around Wisconsin, founded by Mike Forbes and directed by John Stevens.  (We have a CD out that can be found on the IB website.)  We recently gave a concert in Green Bay, where my parents live, and I decided to do an arrangement of "The Carnival of Venice" for my…