One of Venezuela's most impressive educational programs in the world is the music program from El Sistema. They are known for making exceptionally talented musicians, that are in important positions across the world. The Venezuelan Brass Ensemble drawn musicians from the Simón Bolivar Youth Orchestra and assemble this group with almost 50 brass instruments and percussion. This is an arrangement of Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition, arranged for this specific ensemble.
Next, I'd like to talk about Histoire du Soldat. This composition of Igor Stravinsky is composed for an octet and a narrator telling the story of this soldier who met the devil. Some may argue that this is not in fact a brass ensemble because it only has one trumpet (originally written for cornet) and one trombone in adition to the clarinet, bassoon, violin, bass and percussion. It is nonetheless a very interesting piece.
Hypnotic Brass Ensemble is a group made by seven Chicago brothers who moved to Brooklyn, NY. They are having a quick ascension in the world of music for the past 20 years. They have a funky, jazzy sound, full of groove and good feeling vibes. The ensemble has performed at the Carnegie Hall, at the Sydney Opera House, at Coachella and at the Lincoln Center, and is gaining great relevance in the world.
To keep sharing things I like to listen to, I'd like to keep going with the award winning jazz trombonist Marshall Gilkes. Gilkes was trained by Juilliard, and was part of the faculty of the Manhattan School of Music, of the Berklee College of Music and New England Conservatory of Music. In 2020, he composed "Cyclic Journey" to be released in 2022. The record features Marshall Gilkes on trombone/composition; Brandon Ridenour on trumpet and piccolo; Ethan Bensdorf on trumpet and flugelhorn; Tony Kadleck on trumpet and piccolo; Adam Unsworth on horn; Joseph Alessi on trombone; Demondrae Thurman on euphonium; Nick Schwartz on bass trombone; Marcus Rojas on tuba.
James Brown often used brass instruments in his albums. With one or two trumpets, a trombone and a few saxophones, the JB's made an impression that changed the course of music. With no need to more introduction, here is Doing It To Death, by James Brown and the J.B's.
The pathway that Julius Watkins, Willie Ruff and John Graas laid, opened space for more people to explore this field and expand the repertoire and possibilities of the horn. The next name that comes to mind is Vince Chancey, who played horn for Sun Ra. He has some work out there and its possible to find solo records by him.
Following the movement, Mark Taylor is another name that comes up. He also has Some solo work available and today he works as a composer/arranger.
In Europe, the horn players by the names of Giovanni Hoffer and Pau Molto have developed the French Horn Jazz Project, which teaches horn students how to play jazz. In 2021 they released a record celebrating the 100 years of birth of Julius Watkins. The album, named Julius Rides Again features two jazz horns. Its a great record, but its only available in CD and on Streaming platform, not on YouTube.
We cannot keep talking about the horn in jazz without talking about some relevant groups that featured the horn back in the day. starting with the Claude Thornhill band. You might be familiar with this name from my first post where I talk about John Graas. Claude Thornhil was a pianist, composer and arranger, who had a jazz band that featured two horns in their standard formation.
Their influence extended in many directions. Willie Ruff recorded a tune by Thornhill named Snowfall in his Smooth Side album, in an arrangement for a horn choir that is very deep, lush and soft.
A man by the name Gil Evans was playing piano and writing arrangements for the Thornhill band. Their sound was something special, and it was a color that inspired Miles Davis's Birth Of The Cool. When working together with Evans, they envisioned a smooth, soothing and lush sound but with a compact formation. They arrived in the nonet formation that featured trumpet,
Davis (trumpet), Mike Zwerin (trombone), Bill Barber (tuba), Junior
Collins (French horn), Gerry Mulligan (baritone saxophone), Lee Konitz
(alto saxophone), John Lewis (piano), Al McKibbon (bass), and Max Roach
(drums).
Still in the Willie Ruff and Miles Davis and Gil Evans and all of this chamber and orchestral jazz talk, we have to talk about Miles Ahead, Porgy and Bess and Sketches Of Spain. In Miles Ahead, Willie Ruff was participating as a side man with Jim Buffington and Tony Miranda. In Porgy and Bess, Willie Was playing next to Julius Watkins. In Sketches Of Spain there was a larger horn section for a larger ensemble, with Tony Miranda, Jim Buffington, Joe Singer, John Barrows and Earl Chapin on the French horns. All of these works were a collaboration between Miles Davis and Gil Evans, taking some ideas of the Thornhill band and taking it to another step. There are no improvised solos in any of these albums by Miles nor by Thornhill, but it is possible to notice the textural blueprint.
Another great name in jazz horn playing is Willie Ruff. He was born in Sheffield, Alabama in September 1, 1931. He played horn and bass and became famous for his life long collaboration with Dwike Mitchell in the Mithcell-Ruff Duo. Working together for over 50 years, they carved some history with some of the greatest musicians of all time, such as Duke Ellington, Billy Strayhorn, Sonny Stitt, Benny Golson, Quincy Jones, Gil Evans and Miles Davis. He was also a professor at Yale between 1971 - 2017, teaching music history, ethnomusicology and arranging.
This album, "The Smooth Side Of Willie Ruff" is one of his two solo works, and features a more easy listening blues record. It has been a while I don listen to this work and I forgot how hip this is! Ruff's sound is very smooth as the title of the record suggests, and he delivers a bluesy language that flirts with bebop at times.
Ruff was an spiritual person and recorded an album named "Gregorian Chant, Plain Chant and Spirituals (Live)". This album recorded entirely on the solo horn, has a depth of emotion that is characteristic to Willie.
Most of his discography is with the Mitchell-Ruff Duo. One of my favorite recordings is the one in which they perform the "Suite For The Duo" by Billy Strayhorn, and this piece was written by him not long after a surgery he had and shortly before his death. After a Mitchell-Ruff performance, Strayhorn came to talk to Willie about specifics of the horn and how to write for it, leaving Ruff in disbelief that the composer of "Take The A Train" would compose something for them. After weeks working with Stray, Duke Ellington and Mitchell, they put together the Suite For The Duo, a piece that translates the feelings Billy had prior to his passing.
There is not much out there about Julius Watkins. Dr. Steve Schaughency has written a series of 4 articles published on The Horn Call, and does an annotated bibliography of the whole discography in which Watkins is playing, both as a leader or as a sideman. This source allows us to locate which recordings and which track Julius plays on, as well as if he has an improvised solo or not.
There is one biographical work on Julius by Dr. Patrick Smith called "Chronicle of a Phantom". This work has compiled the discography of Julius "The Phantom" Watkins and his biography. Even with this book, it is possible to notice how much Dr. Smith went out of his way to find documents and things about Julius. Chronicle of a Phantom is an excellent source for those who want to know more about the personal life of Julius Watkins as well as his musical background.
It is also possible to find recordings under his name and his participation with other artists such as Jimmy Heath, John Coltrane, Pharoah Sanders, Miles Davis, Freddie Hubbard and many others.
