Edwards Blog

It happens every school year. We receive a flood of instrument orders once student loans start to come in. But our policy is to charge you only when your order is complete. So if you know you’re going to be receiving lots of cash and want to spend it on an Edwards, get a jump on the waiting list that is sure to form in September by ordering your instrument early. Once your loan is safely in your savings account, your horn will already be in process. It makes the waiting period that much more bearable.

Filed by Christan Griego at 10:57 am under General | Permalink

Brainkiller Trio is heading back to Mexico this week. Phoenix keyboardist Jacob Koller, Argentinian drummer Hernan Hecht and I will meet in Mexico City, where Hernan is currently based, to play several concerts of our original music. We’ll again be playing for wonderful people in some beautiful venues and enjoying the amazing food. My MySpace page has some videos and sounds from our last Mexico tour.

In the meantime, here is a duo video of Hernan Hecht and me at the Clarion at Brazosport College this past April. This particular one starts with me on the Atari and then moving the trombone for the second half.

I have also again composed several pieces, inluding two bass trombone pieces, and produced recordings of the Texas All State Jazz Audition Etudes. Check braintone.com/JazzOrderForm.pdf if you’d like to order yourself a copy of the recordings. This year, I’m offering all of them as MP3 downloads.

Filed by Brian Allen at 2:21 pm under Artists, Trombone | Permalink

Our server is not doing what it is supposed to do. Thus no email so far this week, dang.

So if you are in need of contacting us please call 1-800-562-6838. We are hoping to get this issue resolved but so far have lost a few days of contact electronically. We’ve got our people talking to their people, and their people talking to people who know people that can resolve this shortly.

Christan

Filed by Christan Griego at 9:01 am under General | Permalink

I wanted to relate a story about a conversation I had in the Edwards booth at the recent International Trombone Festival. This is not meant to sling mud at anyone, but rather illustrate a point about the nature of buying an instrument, the internet, and preconceived ideas.

A student came into the booth and was looking at the instruments we had on display. I asked him if he’d like to try one out, and he responded, “Do you have any without Thayer valves?” I told him that we do produce conventional rotors, but didn’t have any at the show. At this point, he said, “I don’t like Thayers. They need way too much maintenance.” I hear this all the time from online forums, but was caught a little off guard by the way he came out and said it the way he did. A Thayer valve requires regular oiling and cleaning like any other valve, but I didn’t think he was interested in hearing that. I did tell him to be sure to try other horns at the ITF, as there were many other exhibitors with fine horns on display.

I heard through the grapevine later that he was a bit offended by me telling him to try other instruments. I couldn’t understand why he felt this way as I thought he had already made up his mind about our instruments before he ever tried one. I learned that he did want to play an Edwards and just wanted to know about Thayer valve maintenance. I probably overreacted and offended him, but if you know me, you know that’s never my intention. Except if you’re named Josh Brown. That dude bugs me.

But this story is a good learning tool, I think. We do these trade shows in order to allow customers a chance to play our products without making a separate trip to Elkhorn. But one of the things I notice a lot are players that come into the booth with preconceived ideas about our horns — many times these opinions are formed after reading online message boards. (There is a lot of misinformation in the internet world. It’s amazing how rumors and opinions can go viral so easily. If you don’t agree, then check snopes.com for all the email hoaxes that still fool my mother. But I digress.) Once I get a chance to work with these players, they rarely leave with the same opinions they had before coming in. It’s so easy to focus on the negative opinions you’ve heard, just like it’s easy to dwell on the one missed note in your solo performance, even though the rest of the piece was performed well.

So, if you attend a trade show and visit a company’s booth to try out their horns, remember that they want you there, and they want you like their instruments. But do yourself a favor and go in with an open mind. Instead of saying, “I don’t like this valve,” try making your opinion into a question: “Is it true that Thayers can be hard to maintain?” Above all, judge for yourself after you’ve played the horn.

Filed by Christan Griego at 5:28 pm under Shows | Permalink

If you have not watched the news lately, I’ll fill you in…

Wisconsin has been hammered with rain for the past few weeks. Rivers are over their banks, roads are closed, homes are under water, and many people have had their lives disrupted in major ways.

Fortunately, it’s been business as usual for Edwards, but we’re feeling the trickle down effects, as well. UPS, our shipping company, has informed us that they can not guarantee their normal delivery times. Please understand that, although we’re doing our best to get our products out to you, there may be delays until we get a little heat and sun.

Filed by Christan Griego at 12:24 pm under General | Permalink

Occasionally we come across something that is just plain nice to read. Paul Compton has been doing some incredible teaching at Oklahoma State University and his work is getting noticed.

Paul’s trombone octet performed as the Remington Choir at the International Trombone Festival in Utah this past month. The ITF was well-organized and well-attended, and Edwards is proud to support this organization by sponsoring ITF artists and the Carl Fontana Jazz Trombone Competition. This year’s artists included Marshall Gilkes, Darren Kramer, Jim Markey, and Trombones de Costa Rica. They all performed exceptionally well and we’re thrilled they’ve chosen to play Edwards.

If you are not a member of the International Trombone Association (ITA), please join today. It’s through membership that this organization succeeds. It is up to trombone players to support the trombone and live music.

Filed by Christan Griego at 8:46 am under Shows, Artists, Trombone | Permalink

Edwards artist Don Immel recently released Long Way Home, a recording featuring “cool, melodic, contemporary jazz, with strong classical and chill music influences.”

According to Sandy Shore at SmoothLounge.com…

“Quite honestly, I’ve never been more impressed with a recording where trombone is the lead and in fact, let me just say that LONG WAY HOME is one of the most impressive works I’ve heard in 2008 thus far. Immel’s style is rich and sophisticated… as well as uber hip to the point where his trombone sounds more like a robust flugelhorn if you will, offering a creative texture to the artist’s inspired ideas and melodies.”

Read more of Sandy’s review at www.smoothlounge.com/loft. Scroll down for Don’s album.

You can purchase the album from CD Baby.

Filed by Administrator at 12:02 am under Artists, Trombone | Permalink

I have been fortunate to attend most all of the Trombones de Costa Rica Music Festivals and have learned and enjoyed every one of them. The country is beautiful, the people are wonderful and the love of music is infectious. Travel to San Jose Costa Rica can be very cost effective to this region if you book far enough in advance. The primary language spoken is Spanish so some basics can help you get around.

Once at the Hotel you are essentially in a camp like environment where the musicians are the only ones in attendance. It is an enjoyable time and since the Artist in Residence will be Paul Compton his instruction will be in English with translation to Spanish. I talked with Ivan today and the event looks to be well organized and should be great. If you are interested please contact Ivan either by phone or email (listed below). Ivan sent me an invitation letter which I translated via an internet translation service. So please excuse any grammatical errors.

Christan Griego

The Trombones de Costa Rica would like to offer an official invitation to participate in our VII International Festival Trombones of Costa Rica. The event will be carried out from October 10 to October 14, 2008 and is for trombone players, baritone and tubists of all the levels.
The Faculty this year will be Alejandro Gutiérrez, Martin Bonilla, Leonel Rodriguez and Iván Chinchilla, all members of the Trombones de Costa Rica and Paul Compton, professor of jazz and classic of the State University of Oklahoma in the United States. This year the activity will be carry out in the Quality Mount Bell, a Hotel of Mountain in the province of Heredia in Costa Rica. The cost is of $280 per person (two hundred eighty dollars) and includes; - Transportation San José? Heredia? San José. - Lodging in rooms of multiple occupation. - Three main meals a day. - All the activities
that offers the Festival.* (except chamber music) + - Undershirt and certificate

* The Festival offers classes with teachers, collective master classes, recitals of the Faculty and a final recital with all of the participants. This year, due to the requests of the participants of several editions, we will offer again individual classes for the participants with the members of Trombones of Costa Rica.

For groups of chamber music established we offer special classes by an additional payment of $30 (thirty dollars) by member. They should bring repertoire prepared to work with the professor.
Reserve your space by sending an advancement of $100 per person (one hundred non refundable dollars) before the 1 of September, in check, to name of TROMBONES DE COSTA RICA INC. and to this direction;

TROMBONES OF COSTA RICA Apdo.
Postcard 2212 - 2100
Guadalupe, San José COSTA RICA

MM Iván Chinchilla Meza

Director
Festival Internacional Trombones de Costa Rica
ivan@trombonesdecostarica.com
Tel: (506) 8385-4870

Filed by Christan Griego at 1:22 pm under Shows, Artists, General | Permalink

Posaune Decouple is an ensemble of predominantly trombonists from the Curtis Institutes Alumni and teaching ranks. This ensemble will perform a concert in honor of Glenn Dodson (1931-2007) on May 11, 2008 at 3:00 p.m.

This concert will be inside the Glencairn Museum located in Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania.

The program will feature a premiere by composer Eric Ewazen led by Edwards’ artist Joseph Alessi (New York Philharmonic).

The concert will also include the following artists:
Mark H. Lawrence (Edwards Artist, formerly of San Francisco Symphony)
Carl Lenthe (Edwards Artist, formely of Bamberg Symphony- Germany)
Nitzan Haroz (Edwards Artist, Philadelphia Orchestra)
Matthew Vaughn (Philadelphia Orchestra)
Eric Carlson (Edwards Artist, Philadelphia Orchestra)
Christopher Dudley (Baltimore Symphony Orchestra)
Richard Stout (The Cleveland Orchestra)
Jim Nova (Utah Symphony Orchestra)
M. Dee Stewart (Indiana University)
Blair Bollinger (Edwards Artist, Philadelphia Orchestra)
Darrin C. Milling (Edwards Artist, São Paulo State Symphony Orchestra- Brazil).

Filed by Christan Griego at 9:44 am under Artists, Trombone | Permalink

While not as immediately exotic as Siberia or Thailand, Lake Jackson Texas really could be considered another country as Mr. Wilkins could verify. This coming weekend, I’ll be playing some duos here with the great Argentinian drummer Hernan Hecht.

Brian Allen || Hernan Hecht Duo April 2008 Tourette

• Sunday, April 20 - The Clarion at Brazosport College, Lake Jackson 4pm. Admission is free
• Monday, April 21 - Klein Oak HS in Houston, 3pm
• Tuesday, April 22 - Hecht Drum Clinic at Brazoswood HS, Lake Jackson 8:30am
• Tuesday, April 22 - Allen + Hecht Masterclass at Lake Jackson Intermediate School, 4pm $5 suggested donation

Brian Allen - trombone, Atari 2600, melodica, Kaoss Pad and other toys and electronics
Hernan Hecht - drums, electronics, percussion, toys (www.hernanhecht.com)

The Clarion is a beautiful performance hall with amazing acoustics. It is 50 miles south of Houston and one of the nicest places I’ve ever played. I have had the honor of teaching at Brazosport College since 2002.

Mexico City-based Hernan Hecht and I met in Merida in the Yucatan Peninsula, January 2007 when I got a grant from the organization Meet the Composer to rehearse and perform my music with a new band composed of Mexico-based musicians. Last September, Hernan and I did a very intense duo southwestern U.S. tour, with over 11 concerts in 10 days, playing all over Texas, New Mexico and Oklahoma. We will have a duo CD coming out shortly.

Check out some of our videos at YouTube.

Now Hernan has joined Brainkiller, my duo with Phoenix pianist Jacob Koller, and we’re really excited about our recently recorded CD after a rocking fall Mexico tour. In March, the trio played several concerts in Phoenix, including a show at the eternally cool and supportive Modified Arts Space, opening for Carla Bozulich. I also did an Edwards-sponsored clinic at Peoria HS in Phoenix.

Watch www.myspace.com/brainkillermusic for upcoming news/events. And check out some more YouTube videos.

Reviews for “Synapse” my trio CD with Tony Malaby and Tom Rainey, are still coming in with the latest being in the Greek Jazz Magazine “Jazz and Tazz.” If you can translate, please have a look here or here (and scroll down).

You can still buy this CD at many fine vendors, including iTunes, Amazon, CDBaby, Downtown Music Gallery and through my website.

Jazz Trombone Ensemble fans might be interested in this clip from the 2005 Texas Tech University Jazz Bone Band, the year we won the ETW Jazz Trombone Ensemble Competition and performed at ETW with the generous support of Edwards Instruments! This performance was at TMEA from that year, playing my tune “Knockoff.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GSNdghF5ORo

As always, please see my YouTube channel www.youtube.com/gatotemus for all the above videos and much more.

Thanks for your support!
Brian
www.braintone.com

Filed by Brian Allen at 10:46 pm under Artists, Trombone | Permalink