Jay Friedman and Ben van Dijk conducted Saturday morning warmup sessions. Each room was filled to capacity as many wanted to learn these players' daily routines.
At 9:00, everyone made a mad dash for the Concert Hall in order to catch the principal trombonist's panel discussion. "Keeping Your Cool in the Hot Seat" featured Ron Barron, Ian Bousfield, Friedman, John Kitzman, Ralph Sauer, and Jörgen van Rijen. Vern Kagarice moderated the session, although he didn't have to do much. All the members of the panel were quick to share their views on conductors, music, and fitting in with an orchestra. Video clips of this colorful event will be made available in the future.
The student competition winners were featured on a recital at 10:30. Imagine the pressure one would feel to go onstage and perform as the winner in a category filled with talented musicians. These young trombonists performed admirably for a very receptive audience.
ITF2002 provided the perfect setting for a UNT reunion. Saturday's noon concert featured a UNT alumni trombone choir, conducted by former professor Royce Lumpkin. The choir stretched well beyond the limits of the Shrader Pavilion, as more than 40 members played for the lunchtime crowd. Lumpkin arranged music for the event, which also featured Jimmy Clark as soloist on Here's That Rainy Day.
Jay Friedman's busy day continued at 12:30 with an excerpt coaching session. At the same time, former Airmen of Note lead trombonist Dave Steinmeyer was soloing with the Lackland (TX) Air Force Jazz Band. Known for his unfathomable high chops, Dave did not disappoint the crowd, performing on such tunes as Sentimental, A Time for Love, and A Dorsey Medley. The band's trombone section sounded great on Ryan Haines' trombone feature Beach Assignment.
Once again, ITF-goers were torn between clinics at 2:00. Jörgen van Rijen and Stefan Sanders each gave his audience much food for thought. At 3:00, one of the hits of the festival took the Recital Hall stage for an hour-long discussion/concert. The girls of Bones Apart talked about the group's past, present, and future. One story that amazed attendees concerned the group taking a weeklong road trip in a Mini. They ended the hour with an encore performance of Stars and Stripes Forever. The piccolo solo is a thing to behold when played on trombone – no less exciting, but far less piercing!
At the same time, the Weril Trombone Ensemble was performing in the Concert Hall. The group, first featured at the outdoor barbecue, played a combination of Brazilian and Western music. The concert featured Larsson's Concertino, a new piece by Radegundis Nuñez titled Perspectives 2002, and Estudo a Quatro, by Brazilian trombone legend Gilberto Gagliardi.
The afternoon's main event once again featured Ian Bousfield, this time in a solo recital. Ian engaged the audience with tremendous trombone playing and a wonderful sense of humor. Of note were his performances of the Salvation Army tune Walk With Me; Squire's Tarantella, Op. 23; and Blue Bells of Scotland. He and accompanist Allison Proctor played cat and mouse in the last variation of Blue Bells, as he actually stood behind her.
Later in the evening, Neil Slater and the One O'Clock Lab Band took the stage in the Murchison Performing Arts Center. They opened with Last Expedition, a piece written by trombonist Stephen Smith, and continued with the Stan Kenton trombone section feature I'm Old Fashioned.
Tom "Bones" Malone, who is an alumnus of the One O'Clock, was the first soloist of the evening. He played All the Things You Are, Goodbye Porkpie Hat, and Night in Tunisia. Bill Reichenbach followed with Donna Lee and Ellington's Just a Lucky So So. It's already been said in an earlier review, but Reichenbach's solo abilities on the bass trombone are unequaled.
After the intermission, ITA President John Drew presented the President's Award to Buchanan Printing, in recognition of years of service to the International Trombone Association. Buchanan prints the Journal and many other ITA promotional materials.
The second half got underway with Harry Watters, who had his chops in fifth gear. ‘Round Midnight and Flight of the Bumblebee showed off his musicality and shear ability to play the trombone. Jiggs Whigham seemed a little wary of following the show put on by Watters, but he went ahead anyway with an a cappella performance of J.J.'s Lament. (Earlier in the day, the ITA Board approved a new competition category in honor of J.J. Johnson.) The band joined Jiggs on Come Rain or Come Shine and Love Walked In. Tony Baker and the four soloists then traded choruses on Buckeye Blues. Everyone sounded great, but the loudest cheers were for the Festival Director.
"Late Night Jazz" featured Open Mic night. Paul Compton presided over the session with a sign-in sheet and stop watch. Performers included Michael Lucke, Bill Gibson, Ron Wilkins, Tom Brantley, Doug Elliott, Zach Giffel, Steve Smith, Michael Dease, Andy Hunter, Sean Flanigan, Michael Brumbaugh, David Winslow, Greg Smith, Tony Baker, and Tom Malone on the tuba.
One of the highlights of the evening was a performance by Them Bones, a Dallas-based bone band led by Chuck Mandernach. Chuck recently had rotator cuff surgery, so Bill Reichenbach covered his part. Other members were Dick Cole, John Osbourne, Ken George, Tom Brantley, and John Wasson.
More to come.
