Review

Jason Beghtol
Fire & Ice: an original musical superhero adventure

Arranged by Percussion by Bryan Mitchell

Three trombones: trombone trio: 2 tenor, one bass trombone, percussion: tom-toms, bass drum, claves, shekere, suspended cymbal, temple blocks, tambourine, congas, anvil and hammer, snare drum

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Publisher: Cherry Classics Music
Date of Publication: 2009
URL: http://www.cherryclassics.com

Score and parts.

Primary Genre: Chamber Music
Secondary Genre: Trombone Ensembles - 3 trombones

According to his website, Jason Beghtol is currently teaching at Northeast Mississippi Community College where he is the assistant band director, jazz band director, and professor of brass. He also is the bass trombonist in the North Mississippi Symphony Orchestra of which he has been a member since 2005. 

The review copy I received is self published, although it is now available from Cherry Classics Music. It has two movements, Chapter I: “The Beginning, and Chapter II: “On the Run.” There apparently is another volume to this saga containing additional movements. I was able to locate performance recordings on Youtube. 

The creative inspiration for this piece includes a storyline for each movement and has cartoon art preceding each movement’s score. Our hero, a man frozen cryogenically for 80 years has awoken to find that, in addition to the previous bionic combat enhancements to his legs giving him the powers of speed and flight, his body has now changed into a nearly indestructible block of ice which he can manipulate. As you might imagine, the military wants to recapture him after he escapes from the Laboratory for Advanced Research. 

The trombone trio is composed of two tenors and bass. The tenor parts are quite limited in range although, at the end of the second movement, the first part ascends to a sustained b¹. The second part remains consistently below the first, spending a lot of time in or just above the staff. All parts stick to bass clef. In both movements, the bass trombonist gets to have most of the fun. laying down melodic passages and rhythmic grooves joined at times by the second trombonist. Both the first and second trombone parts contain brief straight mute passages and Harmon mute is specified in the second trombone part at one point. The bass trombone part requires no mutes and, with the exception of an ossia pedal GG, does not venture below C. There are glisses here and there but no extended techniques beyond that. 

Bryan Mitchell is credited with the percussion writing. In these two movements, the percussion requirements include tom toms, bass drum, claves, shekere, suspended cymbal, temple blocks, tambourine, hammer and anvil (or brake drum), and snare drum. 

Rhythmically, nothing is too challenging although there are meter changes in the second movement. The parts align in apparent ways so putting the piece together shouldn’t take more than one or two rehearsals. This is a fun piece for high school or younger level college students to perform. The added artwork (not credited) is a nice touch. It might be nice for these cartoons to be projected on a screen during a performance.