I won’t go into too much detail here because you can read more about it (and it will be considerably better written) if you follow the links below. But, in short we are looking to promote the work of everybody involved in this project, composer or performer alike and at the same time build general awareness of what we can achieve working in this way.

Here are the links:

isessions.info This link takes you directly to the website for the awards & musicians offering their services.
realstrings.com This is a link to Petes blog where he explains a little more about things.

I hope you like the idea and if you are a composer just trying to start out or who wants to try using some “live” musicians for perhaps the first time I very much hope you’ll be tempted to enter.

Stately Homes and Gardens

Last month the library album Stately Homes & Gardens (JM 74) was released by Juice Music. It features classical pastiche works by Ian Livingstone, George Kallis and  Deborah Mollison amongst others with Realbrass providing the solo piccolo trumpet lines. I am very pleased with the way this has turned out and there are some lovely tracks on the album although I couldn’t possibly admit to having any favourites!

A couple of other news worthy bits on the library front:

I was doubly thrilled when I was told that my one and only foray into composition (so far anyway) has born fruit in that the track Salami Dreamers which I co-wrote with Chris Lewis and played all the trumpets on has been used on a couple of occasions by the BBC in their gameshow Winter Wipeout.

I was pleased to be able to play  recently for guitarist & fellow online session musician Dominik Johnson on one of his tracks for his upcoming library album of Arabic music. Not the obvious mix using brass on this but a short brassy interjection used wisely I think you’ll agree when you hear it!

If it appears that Realbrass has been less than productive since September then this is because I have been on tour pretty much solidly since then and so fitting in the odd job here and there when I can. I was away with the Manchester based indie band James, followed by Johnny Mathis followed in swift succession by Alfie Boe as well as shoe-horning in my freelance playing work in the West End & orchestras and a spot of teaching. So, nothing if not eclectic!

Things are a little calmer now which is enabling me to catch up a bit, hence this post. Oh yes, I have also re-vamped my studio and will post some pictures as soon as I have any worth looking at other than mobile phone snaps!

Quirky Werky

This is a collection of “cheeky ditties/fun, silly & slapstick” tunes to which I contributed the grand total of one track! This might not seem much to you but to me it is a milestone as not only did I play all the trumpet parts on the track but I co-wrote it with composer Chris Lewis. He wrote the rhythm section parts and I wrote the melody and trumpet interjections. The milestone element is that I haven’t written a note of music since my dire GCSE compositions – excluding meagre attempts at harmonising Bach chorales at the RCM. Our track is track 3, Salami Dreamers, have a listen if you like:

Should you love the track so much that you’d like to download it to buy the license for use on your latest TV soundtrack to be used every Saturday night for the next 40 years in 94 countries then why not visit the Altitude Music site for more information.

Alternative Christmas 2

This is a collection of festive tracks arranged by Jay Price of  Opium Productions on which I played the trumpets and the wonderful Jamie Talbot played the saxes for us. Check out Jamies site here. Jamie and I played on two tracks, Christmas Twist and Santa’s Stomp and I played solo flugelhorn on Christmas Memories.

No doubt the massive chain of supermarkets that you own needs Christmassing-up a bit, it is September you know and those mince pies aren’t going to sell themselves; so why not pop down to West One Music and make a purchase?

My recent thoughts have included:

As a freelance musician it is necessary these days to cover a wide range of skills in order to make ends meet, sadly it is no longer possible to make a living solely from playing your instrument. I play the trumpet first and foremost (which includes trumpet, cornet, flugelhorn piccolo trumpet all to a high level and as many styles as you can dream of – that’ll be another post for another day), teach for 2 days a week, dep regularly on at least 4 West End Shows, play principal trumpet in a chamber orchestra, freelance in many other bands & orchestras, play for chamber groups & occasionally as a solo player and now regularly play on my own sessions for Realbrass which recently has included writing and arranging.

Why am I telling you this? I’m not sure really other than to justify my web absence and to remind the world what a broad skill set is required to efficiently do what I do and therefore why we expect to be paid a reasonable wage for our efforts. We need to treat ourselves as a business. This means that you are not only the product but the managing director, finance director, accountant, marketing manager and most importantly health & safety representative…..maybe not that last one but you get the point.

I spoke with a producer the other day who said that he finds it hard to find good brass to play on his records. I was amazed, there are thousands of fantastic players in London alone. What are we doing wrong? Well, I suspect that many of us are simply stuck in the past moaning that the business isn’t what it used to be. Its true, it isn’t, and I dare say it never was. Music performance, education & recording are all and always have been in a state of flux which should mirror your playing: developing throughout your career as you learn & understand more about your art. Opportunities are all around us, we just have to recognise them which can sometimes be hard. I am certain that the online session business that I have just stumbled upon is just the tip of the iceberg in terms of a change in performance practice but it has certainly opened my eyes to viewing what I do in a completely different way and as such I would urge other players (particularly those just leaving the colleges) to do the same. Ask some simple questions: how can I stand out from the crowd? What unique skills have I got to offer? How can I let the world know all of this? etc etc etc.

When I have more time I will construct these embryonic thoughts into some thing slightly more coherent than this stream of semi-consciousness. But for now that will have to do.

Suffice it to say that I am still thrilled with the progress of Realbrass and it has made me think of what I do in a new and positive way. I was excited about the project back in March and I am even more so now, which is indeed a fantastic sign.

In the last week I have had my good friend, the fantastic trombonist Bob Price in the studio putting the lower brass onto my orchestral section arrangement demos. Have a listen: Original Arrangements These are my compositions and arrangements and i am very pleased with the results given it is just the work of two people. I think it demonstrates well what can be done these days in a small studio.

Please keep having a look at http://www.realbrass.co.uk as the idea is that I will keep it fluid so it stays fresh and interesting. It is still in its infancy……