"My trumpet is some sort of wild beast. Maybe a dragon? It is persnickety and untamable, proud, powerful, chaotic, handsome yet sultry, deadly. It does what it wants and I go along to enjoy the mad ride." Every day from 9-5 (actually that's not true... I am usually late) I sit across the room from Christine Palmer. She has proven to be nothing short of a miracle in this office. Harrelson Trumpets is a labor of love... Jason and I started this company in a tiny office... and cleaned the first trumpets in our bathtub. So... we have a real personal investment for our "baby" ... after all... this has been where we put our hearts and time... for longer than either of us can remember. We nurture this business and truly care for it like we would a child... So, it follows suit that we can be quite protective of who we entrust to look after it for us. Often times over the course of this company's history... we have looked at one another with our hands up in the air and resolved that if something had to be done... we could do it better ourselves. So... we often did. Everything ourselves. Simply put... that is exhausting. Christine is not only the best employee we've ever had helping us in the office... she really loves trumpets. And has a sincerely curiosity about the way they are built. And, I think she really cares about Harrelson Trumpets. As if it were her own... which she should... because now she is part of it too. And we truly could not do this without her. I know that not a day goes by where I don't personally value her help and unwavering positive outlook and enthusiasm. So... I have had the pleasure of getting to know this awesome woman over the course of the last year. And I am thoroughly impressed. Friday night she performed at The Dakota for the late set with her band Prior Avenue. The band has a solid funk sound and an awesome energy. Christine dazzled from center stage with a beautiful sound... flanked by a solid sax player with a perma-smile and the trombonist with enough enthusiasm to fuel the room. There was a sprinkling of originals by Sean McGee, Prior Avenue's band leader and guitar player... who was on bass that night. The evening was high energy and classic funk poured off stage with such numbers as Superstition by Stevie Wonder and Unchain my Heart by Joe Cocker. Friday night featured 2 guest vocalists that revved things up and really got the crowd excited. Prior Avenue is one of those groups that you can count on to deliver... and they have so much fun! They'll be at Schueller's Apr. 26 ... if you're looking for some funky fun... don't miss it! I asked Christine to tell me a little bit more about how she got into music... and what she's up to... here's her interview: How long have you been playing trumpet? I started playing trumpet in 6th grade band like many other people – and just never quit. We were allowed to try 3 different instruments. I could make a sound on the trombone and trumpet but not the clarinet, plus my dad still had his Olds trumpet around that I was able to use. Decision made! How did you get started in music... what other instruments do you play? Both of my parents put a high value on the power of music, and the house always had tunes playing – whether Tchaikovsky or the Eagles. My mom is a musician also, and has been a music teacher for pre-K through high school students wherever we lived (we were a migrant Army family). She started me on piano early and like many others, I still envision notes in my head the way they look on a keyboard. In high school I took guitar lessons and then taught beginner guitar students as a way to earn some spending money. I’ve done some singing too, but the trumpet has always been my beast of choice. Where did you go to school? After living all over the US and abroad, I decided to go to college near my family at the College of St. Benedict in St. Joseph, MN. I was lucky enough to study trumpet with Dr. Dale White – who became a peerless mentor and close friend. I then received my Master’s degree from the University of Colorado, studying with the supremely talented Terry Sawchuk. How did you come to decide to be a music major? That is a good question, considering I thought I was going to be a math teacher at the end of high school. I think I just couldn’t NOT play trumpet, and took every opportunity I could to keep playing, eventually adding a trumpet major onto my physics major. Towards the end of undergrad I faced a conundrum that most musicians likely face at one time or another: should I try to continue (perhaps selfishly) pursuing this inspirational but cutthroat trumpet path, or should I try to get a “real” job? I was even told by multiple musicians that if I can be happy doing ANYTHING besides music, I should do that instead. I’m kind of a stubborn person though, and decided that I needed to push myself with music to see how far I could take it. I could always fall back on my physics background or get a “real” job if things didn’t work out. I'm still pushing. Would you like to make music your full time job? I have a monumental amount of respect for every musician who is making his or her way with talent, gigs, and teaching alone. That takes extreme confidence, dedication, gumption, risk-taking, failure-survival skills, and soul-searching. I happen to be one of the luckiest people in the world, who can work with these people and the instruments we love every single day, and still perform and become ever more fluent at speaking through my horn at night. There is a tangible freedom with this arrangement, where both pastimes nurture and feed off of each other, spiraling outward into something denser than either could encompass on its own. I wouldn’t choose to change that for the world. How long have you been working with Harrelson Trumpets? Jason hired me at the end of the summer of 2012 to help out in the office. I worked a little bit from a distance that next year, then started full time in May 2013 when I graduated. Tell me about how that came to be. I don’t completely know that one myself. But I’ve always been interested in the mechanical side of trumpets, completed a physics thesis about variations in trumpet intonation etc… I vaguely entertained ideas of finding a graduate program in musical acoustics, only to realize that barely any exist. Harrelson Trumpets were first introduced to me at the Minneapolis ITG in 2011 and I became extremely excited. Like many others, I pored over the detailed website and drank in the pioneering spirit of the company. Fast forward to my time in graduate school, where I was performing daily and wondering how I could ever compete in a music world so saturated with unique and talented trumpet players who are all run through essentially the same training program in schools around the world. A friend encouraged me to find the ways my trumpet playing background was different from everyone else's and sharpen that focus point. I ended up working on a research project to investigate trumpet manufacturing and find what innovation was currently happening in the world of trumpet builders. This involved sifting through a deluge of Schilke's notes on microfilm, Bach handbooks, Monette videos, more websites and books than I can remember, and I kept coming back to Harrelson. This was the one company that really explained how its trumpets were built, and what they were changing from everyone else's now-dated methods. No trumpet company responded to my requests for interviews (and why should they – a request from a random student...), but I knew I needed to find a way to get involved with Harrelson. I went to the Harrelson shop one day and picked Jason's brain about his trumpet methods, and had a job a few months later. I couldn't describe a better place to spend my days. Tell me about prior avenue. what kind of music do you guys play. Prior Avenue is all funk/soul, it's music to make you groove the whole night! We play the killer hits everyone knows: Earth, Wind, and Fire, Tower of Power, Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin, Steely Dan, the Gap Band... with a healthy dose of kickin' original funky tunes by our talented band leader Sean McGee. There are a lot of bands out there playing music like us, but we have an absolute blast doing it. Are you guys in a regular rotation to perform at the dakota? where else can we see P.A. Play? Prior Avenue will probably play at the Dakota around once a month at least through the summer. We play all around the twin cities area... We'll be back at Schueller's Apr. 26, and Hanger 45/Tasty Pizza May 3. http://prioravenueband.com/ What other groups are you in right now? I'm also in a slower soul/R&B group called Soul Accord that is just getting off the ground. We've done one show so far at the Dakota, and look for us around the twin cities soon! http://soul-accord.com/ I also love joining my friends the 4th Liners once in a while for some classic rock (https://www.facebook.com/The4thLiners?fref=ts), and it's always fun to get back to my classical roots at weddings and church services around town. If your trumpet was an animal which animal would it be?
My trumpet is some sort of wild beast. Maybe a dragon? It is persnickety and untameable, proud, powerful, chaotic, handsome yet sultry, deadly. It does what it wants and I go along to enjoy the mad ride. Who are some of your musical influences? Music influences are all over the map. I tend to become semi-obsessed with one artist or composer for long periods of time, spending months trying to dance like Michael Jackson or learning to emulate the nuances of Eminem's raps. (I have irritated many a roommate...) I am entranced by Alice in Chains. My mind is dissected and then blown apart by Between the Buried and Me. I've had long flings with Mahler and Shostakovitch. Really the only genre I can't tolerate is country music. Back within the trumpet realm, I've probably been the most enthralled with Phil Smith, Allison Balsom, Maurice Andre, of course Miles Davis... really I try to soak up every trumpet player I hear because they all have different nuances and characteristics to teach me. Where do you see yourself going musically in the coming year. Hmm... I've definitely been enjoying the commercial side of things lately, but I would like to get back into a classical brass choir or quintet again at some point. There is really nothing juicier than a perfectly in-tune brass chord where you can feel those crazy harmonics pinging around your brain. I absolutely love arranging music - it's literally one of my favorite pastimes - so I can't wait to find more genres to meld together into new arrangements. Long term, I really want to dig into symphonic rock and find ways to integrate the complexity of an orchestral symphony with the power and contrast in progressive rock... where both the lyrics and the music work together to access ideas that delve deeper into our psyche. I haven't really found anything out there yet that fits the bill and uses brass instruments, but I'm fascinated by the possibilities.
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Last night I went to see The McNasty Brass Band at The Amsterdam Bar in St. Paul. (here's a little about the show if you're interested) We have 3 clients in that band... all of them are great guys... I caught up with Hayden Fihn... who has been with McNasty since it's conception... here's what he had to say... How long have you been playing trumpet?
I started playing trumpet in 5th grade. I really wanted to play percussion but the requirement to do so was 2 years of piano lessons. I had taken one year and decided I didn’t like it. I regret that a lot now. But anyway, the band teacher had me try Alto sax and trumpet. I played 2 notes on the saxophone and put it down. So trumpet it was. The following year I really wanted to switch to tenor saxophone but my Mom wouldn’t allow it. That was probably a really good decision. Have you always wanted to be a musician? Nope. I didn’t really take music seriously, let alone trumpet until I was almost done with high school. I was really into sports and the strategy behind it and just played trumpet because it was a requirement and I was somewhat decent at it. It sort of came easy to me and I didn’t have to practice so it was good in my book. (Another regret). My senior year of high school I was playing in the local university jazz band and at that point decided to do a trumpet performance degree there the following fall. That didn’t work out but it got me started on the path I’m currently on. Where are you going to school? I’m currently in my final semester at McNally Smith College of Music in Saint Paul. I see you have your senior recital coming up…What can you tell me about that? I sure do. At McNally you do two recitals, a Junior and a Senior. This is my senior recital and it’s a requirement to pass the recital before you can graduate. It’s quite a bit of pressure but it’s been kind of fun to pick tunes and do it how I want it done. That being said, I’m actually doing a joint recital with Elliott Wachs, a saxophone player at McNally who has been in the same courses and ensembles as me since we started. As far as I know we’re one of the firsts to have a joint recital and also to do it off campus. Studio Z (Lowertown Saint Paul) Thursday April 24 8:00pm Would you like to make music your full-time job? The short answer is yes. I think the majority of music students want that as the ultimate goal. Who are some of your musical influences? I got a late start in listening to the greats and that is something I’ve had to try and overcome. I think Freddie Hubbard was the first trumpet player I really got into and I think a lot of him comes out in my playing. Clifford Brown and Lee Morgan of course. And more modern guys are Sean Jones, Fabrizio Bosso, and Christian Scott. Tell me about McNasty. How long have you been with that group? McNasty is a New Orleans style brass band that has slowly morphed into more of a funk brass band. The cool part about the band is that we are completely mobile with split percussion and a sousaphone. We’re doing something pretty cool in both the funk scene and the brass band world. I’m excited to see how the band evolves in the near future. I’ve been with the band since it’s conception in 2011. We started as a school ensemble at MSCM under the direction of Scott Agster (Jack Brass Band) and broke off from the school last spring. We took a trip to New Orleans in 2012 and that really helped us understand what we wanted to do. What’s your favorite song that McNasty does? We’re still young, so we play a lot of covers of other brass bands or of pop songs. So for those I really dig the songs we do with vocals and call and response such as You Know, You Know and Wind It Up. We’re currently writing more tunes and those are usually the ones I really enjoy playing. Do you play in any other groups? Yeah, I play regularly with Jack Brass Band, Steve Sullivan and the Factory, Improvestra, and the Blue Water Kings Band. I also do quite a bit of freelance and studio gigs. Where do you see yourself going musically in the coming year? Finally graduating will open up a lot of avenues that I just haven’t had time to pursue. I want to do a lot of writing and arranging in the next year for the groups I play in now. As well as playing a lot and maybe starting a new group. If your trumpet were an animal, which animal would it be? This was by far the hardest question. I would say maybe a tiger. Powerful, but can sneak up on you as well. I try to be able to do both, although you wouldn’t know that if you only saw me play with McNasty! Musical highlight of your year? I went to Guatemala last year with an ensemble from school. That was pretty crazy and inspiring. We played 3 packed shows during the country’s jazz fest. It was probably the biggest stage I’ve played on thus far. What do you listen to? Good question. I’m the kind of person who needs to get away from music every now and again. So when I’m not playing or at school, a lot of times I won’t have any music playing. But I do listen a lot, and lately it’s been a lot of Troy Roberts, Fabrizio Bosso, Lettuce, Youngblood Brass Band and a lot of other modern guys. One thing is certain... the boys in the McNasty Brass Band don't stand still. I took almost 200 pictures last night... and very few didn't capture the constant motion of the band. These guys are all fun all the time. I personally know a few of them pretty well and they are the kind of dudes you'd love to have at your party or sit around and have a beer with... in short... they make you smile. It's a great thing when you get to watch and hear so much of that energy pouring off stage... it's contagious. By the end of the show people were clearing the tables and chairs from the floor and the evening erupted in an all out dance party. I have a soft spot for brass bands... sometimes if you close your eyes... you can almost smell the beignets and feel the heavy air of New Orleans. If you've never seen them... please do your northern soul a favor... and spend an evening having a blast. For more information on the McNasty Brass Band... https://www.facebook.com/mcnastybrassband They'll be playing one of my favorite bars in the city on May 3rd... so why not kill two birds with one stone... and check them out at Palmers in a couple of weeks... you won't regret the venue or the music... or the dance party. These guys really don't stand still for more than a millisecond... but I guess I can't blame them...
I met Joshua Trinidad for the first time at The Oriental Theater in Denver, CO... he had invited us out for a special event to present him with his new Harrelson Summit Trumpet the night he was opening for The Bad Plus. It was an awesome night of music. I see a lot of trumpet performances... and I always find it inspiring when trumpeters put a new twist on the old tried and true sound. Josh does just that... and with style. I personally love the eerie and ethereal sounds that emanate from his horn. I also have always been fascinated by the concept of funeral music... which is why I wanted to talk to him more about his current project "Cortege". Josh takes his music very seriously but he has fun doing it. I already pre-ordered my copy of Cortege... this is one of my favorite tracks from an earlier project he did... If you're in the Denver area... I highly recommend you take in one of his shows. And... when you do, stop by and tell him I say hi. Here's what he had to say about what he's working on now... How long have you been playing the trumpet? I have been playing trumpet for about 22 years (since I was 9 years old) What made you decide to go into music / how did you start out? I owe it to my mother. I grew up with her playing a lot of really good music for me at a young age. I was exposed to a lot of country, R&B, soul, funk and traditional music from Mexico / New Mexico since I can remember. I was lucky that I had parents that valued good music. Growing up listening to good music, allowed me to be inspired to make my own and the inspiration is still going strong today. Who are some of your musical influences and why. Currently and over the past 5-8 years I have been deeply influenced by the music and trumpeters / instrumentalists in Norway, Iceland, France, and Poland. Mathias Eick, Nils Petter Molvear, Tomaz Stanko, Erik Truffaz, Jon Hassel, and Enrico Rava. I like how these artists are not “macho” trumpet players. They don’t play high, loud and fast. They are what I would call expressive players that take the time to make each note count. Is music your full time job? Kind of. I am actually an educator here in Denver and have been in education for 10 years. I found out early in my life that musicians do not make enough money to feed a family, so I got my Masters in Education from The University of Colorado at Boulder as a back up plan from starving to death and getting evicted. I am currently in a good situation where I can take more risk in my music to spend money investing in trips, tours and albums due to my “day job” supporting my music. The moment that I can find more solid ground being a musician full time- I will do it! I am extremely intrigued by the new project "Cortege" you're working on. Can you tell me some more about that... and how did you come up with the idea? I have a good friend who recently fought cancer and won the battle! I sat down and spent some serious time listening to his music while he was sick fighting his fight. I said to myself “ wow, this music seems like the last song he will ever make, its powerful and makes such a big statement!” In a way, I saw it as, these could have been the final pieces of music that he could have ever recorded. It worried me and made me realize that life is so fragile. I later thought, it would be powerful for me to make an album as if I was dying and these were the last songs I were to make and record. I wanted to bring my music to a new level of intensity. I then thought, it would be even more powerful to make music for my own funeral. So here it is! To Donate to the Cortege project and pre-order the CD please follow this link: http://joshuatrinidad.com/ What else is in the works for you in the coming year? I am planning on pushing my new album “Cortege” really hard this year and trying to get my quartet to Europe very soon. I recently finished doing some recordings for hip hop MC Sage Francis and also laying down trumpet parts for the new Ken Burn’s documentary on the Vietnam Conflict that will be coming out in 2016. I am planning on playing in New York and possibly Toronto this summer along with hosting The Bad Plus again at The Oriental Theater here in Denver (our Third Annual show with them). I am also constantly recording and performing with lots of local groups here in Denver like, Wheelchair Sports Camp, Poets Row, JazzMixed, The Chance Trio and Rubedo. You've played with a lot of famous people... any good stories... that you can repeat. This one time I played at Dazzle here in Denver to a room of 3 people. My band took a set break and during the break, this very nice lady came up to me and said “ wow, you sound great.” I responded with “ thank, are you a musician?” and she said “yes, I sing a little bit here and there.” I wrapped up the conversation so that I could use the restroom. I later came back into the dinner room and she pulled me to the side and asked to sit in. I thought to myself, sure why not, there are only 2 people here. We all got on the band stand and I asked her, if there was something she wanted to play out of the fakebook and she said, “whatever you choose is fine.” We played Ague je de beber. The moment this lady began to sing, I realized that I was sharing the stage with Grammy award winning jazz vocalist Diane Reeves. Musical highlight of your year?
I think anytime I go to New York to play is a highlight. Last time I was out there, I played with Rudy Royston and that was a lot of fun. Currently, I am excited to possibly play some international festivals in Toronto and possibly another chance to go to England. If your trumpet were an animal which animal would it be? I would have to say that my trumpet is like a Koala Bear. It is soft and has a real fluffy sound, but there is still a small bite inside of the tone. What do you listen to... when you're not recording/performing? What's in your cd player? Right now, I have been listening to sigur rós, Radiohead, Bjork, Tune Yards, Cuddle Magic, Wu Tang Clan, Tyga, Erik Truffaz and Sage Francis.
I first met Josh Shpak last summer at the Harrelson Trumpets shop. He stopped by to try out different leadpipe and bell configurations for a Harrelson Summit. Even before hearing him play I thought he had a great presence and an even better smile. Some people seem sort of ageless... Josh is one of those people and it comes through in his music. For a musician in his early 20s... it's amazing how mature the melodies Josh produces are. I am excited to watch his musical career take shape in the coming years... I caught up with him after his performance at The National Trumpet Competition. I am sure you'll agree he is one to watch. How long have you been playing the trumpet? What made you decide to go into music / how did you start out? I have been playing the trumpet since I joined the fourth grade band at my elementary school. I was age 9, so I suppose around 12 years now. I was very lucky in that I started off right away with a fantastic teacher, my godfather Michael Miller, who is both a trumpeter and very successful composer. I enjoyed right from the start the pleasure of playing an instrument...however, the trumpet is not in any way easy. There was always the standard with Michael, as well as in myself, that if I was going to commit so much of my time to doing something, I'd have to do it well. This helped me build a higher level of discipline at an earlier age than a lot of my peers, which I think has helped me perhaps more than anything. If you weren't a trumpet player... which instrument would you play and why. I always kick myself that I asked my mom to let me stop taking piano lessons when I was 7...because now I'm doing the same major scales and beginning studies when I'm 20! Piano is just such a powerful instrument, so full of depth. To play the piano in a musical situation impacts the music in an extremely profound way...it's difficult as a horn player I feel to provide as much of a framework to the music as a pianist. That being said, I try to make my trumpet playing very guitaristic. The beauty, sound and clarity possible in each guitarist's notes is a really great thing to strive for when playing trumpet, and a lot of my favorite music is guitar-heavy. Who are some of your musical influences and why? I am really into many different types of music, so I'd say that like most musicians of this era, my influences are eclectic. I grew up listening to a lot of rock and funk music that my parents liked, bands like Earth, Wind and Fire, Blood, Sweat and Tears, AC/DC, Tower of Power (who I've now had the amazing fortune of playing with on multiple occasions). In 7th grade I first started getting into jazz, and listened to a Miles Davis (first quintet) compilation album for a year solid. From there I moved on to Clifford Brown, Clark Terry (my mentor) Sonny Rollins, Charlie Parker, all straight-ahead jazz kind of stuff. Early high school I moved into listening to a lot of big band stuff, Latin music...when I discovered Roy Hargrove's RH Factor in my Junior year of high school that totally changed my life. The jazz influence on this hip-hop/groove/funk music was just so inspiring for me. It seemed like something my non-musician friends would also be down with, which was very cool to me. From there I got into hip-hop, Neo-Soul, stuff like D'Angelo, Tribe Called Quest, J-Dilla...then Flying Lotus and electronic artists. Berklee, where I am currently, is an amazing, amazing place for someone who likes so many different types of music. I currently listen to everything; from Thundercat to Joni Mitchell to Wayne Shorter to a Howard Shore film score...Diversity is key! What are your plans after granduation? I'm still figuring that out! My plan is to be moving to either New York or LA, perhaps enroll in a master's program. Tell me about NTC. Was this the first time you participated? What did you perform? Yes, this was my first time at NTC. I performed an all-Wayne Shorter set in the semifinals (Infant Eyes and Speak No Evil), and an original of mine, Infant Eyes again and an arrangement of Invitation in the finals. I was looking over your bio... you've placed in a lot of competitions... tell me a little about that... are you a finalist in anything else at the moment? Yes, I have done a few competitions in the past. I definitely find it's a great way to meet awesome musicians (I met some people at NTC that I know will be friends for years), as well as a way to get your name out there. Do you ever write music? I write a LOT, and I love it. It's extremely important to me, as I hope that most people will listen to me for my music, not just my trumpet playing!!! One of my majors at Berklee is in film scoring, so I am pretty much writing daily for school as well. On a side note... I learned that Josh actually won the 2014 ASCAP Herb Alpert Young Jazz Composers Award for his piece, "LET GO", which he performed at a concert he put on last October at Berklee with John Daversa as his guest artist. Tell me about RIPE. What kind of music do you play? Ripe is an awesome Funk/Rock/Pop band I'm in...actually I find the best way to describe us is as a party band. If you're going to come to one of our shows, you will be dancing, and you will be having a great time. I joined the band in 2011, which formed at Berklee, and we have been steadily been gaining a following. It's a lot of fun being in a real band, which is not that common anymore. We rehearse 2-3 times a week, and have some touring coming up. We've been playing a lot of universities lately, which is always a blast. What other performing are you doing right now? This next month is going to be pretty crazy for me. I'm doing tons of performing around Berklee and the Boston area right now, everything from jazz recitals to General Business corporate gigs. Ripe is playing at Brighton Music Hall on the 10th which is one of the biggest Boston venues. We're also playing some college shows this month spread all across the East Coast, from Massachusetts to North Carolina. I'm going to be Brooklyn, New York at Shapeshifter Labs playing with this great instrumental-funk group called Ninjabeat. Lots of stuff. Any plans for recording? The group I just mentioned, Ninjabeat, is recording on May 4th I believe, so we're doing a bunch of rehearsing right now. I'm always doing sideman recording around Berklee. That's fun because you get to do a whole range of different stuff...for example, I recorded trumpet parts for a metal band a couple weeks ago. What?? Every day is an adventure. As for my own stuff, I've been playing a bit with a couple different quartets recently and I'm trying to get those off the ground. One of them is in a more modern jazz sensibility, the other very rock/groove oriented. So, we've been doing some low-key recording, just to get some demo's. We'll see what happens! What else is in the works for you in the coming year? What's your current gig schedule like? Where can we see you play? This summer is shaping up to be pretty exciting. My May is pretty full already with gigs around Boston and New England, some little tours with Ripe as well. Then, in June I'm going to Colombia with a group from Berklee for two weeks. We'll be doing some teaching and playing in various cities and schools. This'll be my first time in the country so I'm very excited. After that, I'm flying straight to New York, we're on playing some shows and doing some video shoots with the Mario Castro Quintet. We recorded his latest album (which was incredible) in December and it's being released June 22nd. I'll be in Europe later June/July, back in the states mid-July. Hoping for some my Ripe touring on August, as well as maybe a West Coast stint with Mario to promote his album. Musical highlight of your year? Of my year...hmm, tough. I sat in with Tower of Power in January, which is always an awe-inspiring event. Ripe also had it's biggest show ever in March (we headlined a major Boston club called the Middle East Downstairs), which was incredible. Totally different experiences of course, but there's something special about working with a band for years rather than sitting in with someone. However, I'm supremely lucky that I get to play with amazing musicians daily here at Berklee. I think that I take that for granted sometimes, but it's really a special place to be. If your trumpet were an animal which animal would it be? Wow, good question. I always think of my trumpet as an arrow or something that is shooting out...but maybe a shark? What do you listen to... when you're not practicing or performing? What's in your cd player? I'm always listening to totally different stuff, but I've been really interested in this guy Son Lux recently. He's a producer/songwriter and his style has been called "orchestral pop", which I think sums it up nicely. That style of producing/songwriting is really one of my favorites. Son Lux, James Blake, Thundercat...that's all seriously inspiring stuff for me. In terms of instrumental music, Nicholas Payton and Rafiq Bhatia are two that stand out currently. Very different, but both just so cool. Where do you hope your music will take you? Making music has been an extremely inspiring and exciting path for me. I've made some of the most amazing connections with people of all ages from different backgrounds, heritage's and lifestyles. I hope that the journey will continue to be as inspiring as it has been to this point. I know that as time passes, this will include change, adaptation and much, much learning. But how amazing is it to make music throughout all of that? In total, I hope to make my living as a musician in whatever capacity I can, whether it be through playing, writing, producing, teaching... whatever. And, I hope to do it surrounded by the people that most inspire me! Words to live by in my opinion... Thanks again Josh, for taking the time to tell me a little bit more about all of your exciting projects and the source of your inspiration. I am looking forward to checking back in with you soon. Josh Shpak “I love connecting with people,” says young trumpeter, Josh Shpak. “Whether they be teenagers or your grandma, if I can see that they’re feeling the music, I’m happy.” This breaking of generational gaps has become somewhat of a habit for the 20-year-old Berklee College of Music student. With a rich style evident of influences from classic jazz toelectronica, Shpak has made himself a wanted commodity in the music world. This cross-generational quality has launched a career playing with jazz heavy-weights, such as Cedar Walton and Jimmy Heath, soul legends Tower of Power, and young cross-over innovators like Esperanza Spalding, Christian Scott and John Daversa. A protégé of jazz icon Clark Terry, Josh Shpak is dually driven by a great respect for the past, and a drive to put his own mark on the future. “Every great musician in history has been completely present in his or her own time period, while using their knowledge of the tradition to drive their creative forces.” Among his numerous awards and accolades are being named 1 of the 4 trumpet finalists for the 2014-16 Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz, being chosen as a recipient of the 2014 ASCAP Herb Alpert Young Jazz Composer Award, being selected as a jazz finalist for the 2014 National Trumpet Competition, receiving a 2013 Downbeat Undergraduate Outstanding Jazz Trumpet Soloist award, being chosen as a resident of the Kennedy Center’s 2013 Betty Carter Jazz Ahead Program and the 2013 Banff International Workshop in Jazz & Creative Music, being commissioned to compose music for the 2013 French documentary film, “California Dream 3D”, as well as being named the 2012 Yamaha Young Performing Artists jazz trumpeter, and the 2012 National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts “YoungArts” jazz trumpet winner. Here Josh is performing his NTC Audition Piece on his Harrelson Summit: Master your instrument... How long have you been playing the trumpet? As far as I remember I started trumpet age 6 or 7. I was fortunate enough to come from a very musical family. My great uncle played with quite a few big names throughout his career and was pretty successful on both Sax & Trumpet. My Grandfather, great-great uncle were all musicians! How did you get started in music? In the UK (as I’m sure is similar in the US) we have testing within primary/elementary school to test which children are ‘musical’ and thus should be given an instrument and tuition. Although coming from a music family and having already been playing piano I was told I wasn’t musical and shouldn’t get an instrument. It took my mother complaining to the school for me to be finally given an instrument. Years later, I can’t recall any of my classmates also devoting their lives to become full-time musicians! Who are some of your musical influences and why? I’m always stomped when I’m asked about my influences. Of course all the expected trumpet influences apply, Louis Armstrong, Dizzy Gillespie, Clifford Brown, Arturo Sandoval, Roy Hargrove… In terms of style I would owe a lot to Arturo who has always been a huge inspiration on my music! With this said, and as cliché as it may sound, I try not to let myself get too influenced by the style and personal attributions of others. Although I accept their value I’m opposed to the concept of working extensively from transcriptions. Aside from my instrumental influences I appreciate all kinds of music with the exception of Country. I’ve played with genres from Opera to Thrash Metal and I would like to say that it has all influenced me one way or another! Tell me about your current gigs. Which is your favorite and why? Currently I’m fortunate enough to have a good list of weekly residencies that cover multiple styles. Thursday I work with a DJ focusing on Jazz & Funk remixes and tracks. Friday is more focused on Nu-Disco with some slower grooved lounge-house. Saturday changes often but can range from a Jazz Quartet to current progressive House & Dance music! Sunday has two residencies; The Rick Swann Trio Live @ The Albany, Belfast alongside two of my favourite musicians in Northern Ireland. Sunday evening is another show alongside a DJ and percussionist. It is pretty progressive and a long blow, (from 9pm-2am) but it’s A LOT of fun! In terms of a favorite I really couldn’t answer that! I’m often asked which DJ I prefer to work with, or which line-up in a Jazz setting I prefer. Again, as cliché as it may sound I enjoy working with all of them, each DJ and musician has their own unique approach to what they do and how they do it! This means that I’m constantly being pushed to work with tracks I’ve never played/heard and growing in terms of musical empathy. It would be easier to have favourite tracks yet that is constantly changing as I’m performing new tracks, most of which I’ve never heard, without charts on a nightly basis! Is music your day job? Yes, I’ve been fortunate enough to be able to give my life to music! How long have you been doing music full time? My first (paid) performance with a line-up of full-tme musicians was at age 12 featuring alongside John Scott Trotter, a trombonist who having work extensively with my great-uncle had taken me ‘under his wing’ and taken me through my earliest exposure to Jazz. Tell me about your recording project. Where do you want your music to take you in the coming years. If you could play anywhere... with anyone... who and where would that be. I have been in the studio numerous times in recent years working on a debut album. Each of which I have scrapped! Having such high personal standards can be both a blessing and a curse. Much of the recorded tracks have been unofficially released for free yet as I still haven’t found the ‘depth of sound’ I feel inside I refuse to officially release the album until I feel enough ‘power’ in the tracks. I am now working with a new producer and will again shortly be in the studio for what I expect will be THE take! I have also lined up some phenomenal collaborations for the Album however these will be announced in due course! Musical highlight of your year? I’ve worked with some amazing individuals within the last year each in very different settings! In fact this time last year I was planning to move to Barcelona! Whilst working on my last cruise ship gig I started working on a list of all the Jazz festivals in Europe! Whilst Ireland was in single figures, France and Spain both hovered around the 300 marker! I wasn’t working too much and was going to take the plunge into the Spanish scene! Everything was organized with the exception of flights when I got a call that changed everything! Within a month I had a minimum of 5 shows per week! That has freed me up to work on many other projects and focus on which direction I want to go! That in itself would be the ‘highlight’ that helped facilitate all others! What is bebopwithbeats? Bebopwithbeats is the banner under which a lot of the production I do with many DJ’s is labeled. Soon after my introduction to club playing I found that their was a high demand and interest in Jazz fused with House. With this understanding I have collaborated on recordings with certain DJ’s and started implementing ‘bebopesque’ heads and chord changes alongside the music creating a dynamic fusion and keeping the music of Bird, Diz & Coltrane very much alive and progressive! What should we watch for with you? Aside from the Album and a bebopwithbeats EP on the way I am currently organizing some very exciting Orchestral dates, international appearances and collaboration with some great current names in Jazz! You post a ton of amazing photos online... who's your photographer! I’m lucky enough to get some great coverage from photographers! In fact I find myself at the end of many photographers lenses on a weekly basis! Some names include: Joshua McMichael, Lewis McClay, Youcef Boubetnikh & Conor Curran. Photo shoots are always fun and a great avenue of creativity and I’m looking forward to getting more organized in the near future! If your trumpet were an animal... which animal would it be? Swan?! No but seriously, it would have to be a lioness! Harrelson trumpets have always looked great. Easy to play at speed and in the upper register with great efficiently. Powerful yet can be ‘cute’ and ‘smooth’ when needed. Since music is your job... do you feel like you need a lot of silence when you're at home... or in the car... or... more importantly... What's in your cd player right now. You are right! Silence is a beautiful thing and I often find myself driving home for 2 hours after a gig in complete silence! It’s within silence than one can explore the inner realms in which the most creative and soulful music is birthed However I go from one extreme to another! When I am listening I love to crank up the music whether it’s Michel Camillo Brahms, Hans Zimmer, Amy Winehouse, And So I Watch You From Afar, Arturo Sandoval or Pavarotti! The album I’ve been soaking up for the past few days however is ‘Earfood’, The Roy Hargrove Quintet! On a personal note... I will be traveling to Europe this summer and have a chance to meet with a few Harrelson Clients... Rick is one of the those I will have the pleasure of meeting up with. I am very excited to see him live.
For more information on Rick Swann and his music... check out his website: http://www.rickswann.co.uk/ Last night many of our favorite trumpet players from around the twin cities came out for a very special night of music. Jazz Central Studios in Minneapolis partnered with us for the first ever Harrelson DUETS... a night of Trumpet Music featuring Harrelson Clients. I love Jazz Central for the cozy vibe... it feels like you're hanging out in your friends basement... Mark Bobnick, Leighton Tuenge, Greg Zent, Toddd Tanji and Harrelson Trumpets very own Christine Palmer and Jason Harrelson... took turns teaming up on some truly awesome duets! I always look forward to hearing Mark Bobnick's awesome solos... and Todd Tanji's original tunes. But perhaps my favorite this time around was seeing Christine Palmer's performance... I have worked with her for over a year... and we sit across from each other for 8 hours a day... but this was the first time I saw her play live... She's awesome! Everyone did a great job... and, as Jason mentioned at the very end of the gig... none of them had practiced playing the duets together ahead of time... it was impromptu and fun! We recorded a fair number of videos from last night too... I've posted a couple of those here but you can find more on our youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/harrelsontrumpets/videos?view=0&shelf_id=1&sort=dd We look forward to more events like this in the near future at Jazz Central... So stay tuned if you'd like to attend. And be sure to check out their website for their full calender... they have a lot of great music going through on a regular basis... http://jazzcentralstudios.org/ I have a few more T-Shirts left from the event... if you'd like one please email me: harrelsontrumpets@gmail.com
Thanks again to everyone that participated... both on and off the stage. I just wanted take a moment to talk about a little known spot on our website... as you may or may not know... we offer a very healthy trade in option on our new instrument builds. Meaning... we will give you top dollar for your old Bach, Yamaha, Monette, Olds... even Harrelson... I personally love it when we get one of our older models in... as a trade toward a newer Harrelson Trumpet. We've made so many advancements in technology over the last 5 years... I could see wanting to upgrade... although I often times meet people... like the fella that came out for the Detroit Lectures with his Bravura... that swear they will never part with their older Harrelson Horn... Anyway... right now we have quite a variety of instruments in our trades section on our website here: http://www.harrelsontrumpets.com/category_s/105.htm My personal favorite of which is a Harrelson Bravura C w/ cool sculpted accents and trim... I've put a few photos of it up here... I think you'll agree it's a gem... There were very few made with all this sculpting... In fact... I don't think there is another C out there with this sculpting... it's gorgeous. Even the brass has that patina that only comes with time. Very nice... We also have a Bach 37 in Silver and a Getzen 3050 in stock right now... as well as Jason's personal Summit Midnight horn... This section of our website is ever changing... we used to sell a lot of this stock on Ebay... but we're trying to start getting away from that and build more of a used trumpet shop here online on our website... we add new stock just about every week or so... We have a new one coming in next week... so check back often if you're on the market for a used horn... and here's a little inside information... we ALWAYS list our Harrelson Trumpets for LESS on our website than we do on Ebay... if we list them on both... so it's really best to buy them directly through us.... call 651-330-7774 or email us @ harrelsontrumpets@gmail.com for more information on our trade in program or any of our used instruments.
Last weekend Jason and I spent a few days in Detroit. We were greeted with a blizzard... turned ice storm. But that was the only part of the trip that wasn't warm and welcoming. Gary Greenfelder organized an event featuring The Gary Greenfelder Orchestra and Jason Harrelson with solos by amazing Harrelson Trumpets artists... Gary Greenfelder, Otto Alcon, Jimmy Smith, Mark Byerly, Ryan Dolan and friends! It was a truly awesome night! The energy of real big band filled the room... and as I commented to Gary... it really was more like a theater than a bar... as people sat attentively watching each and every song. The only sour note of the night? No one asked me to dance :) Friday found us making our way to Ypsilanti High School where Jason lectured on "Deconstructing the Trumpet" ... this is a portion of that lecture for those that have requested it. This was a science heavy hour but everyone in attendance ate up all of the physics behind Harrelson Trumpets. Thanks to everyone that made it out on a cold and blustery Friday afternoon. Friday Night ... Gary showed us a fun night on the town ... we had front row seats at The Dirty Dog Jazz Club... to see Detroit Trumpet Legend Johnny Trudell... it was a cool little club... great food... I had a little crush on the Bass Player in the band... (he's in his 80s I think)... and Walter White sat in for a few songs! What a treat!!! Onward to Saturday! 2 more lectures at The Detroit Wayne Music Studio. A cool little Detroit secret. Lots of awesome high end Saxophones and a cool music library! Everyone that came out for the lectures had a great time and lots of questions. Thanks again to The Detroit Wayne Music Studio for hosting us! And for the delicious lunch at the Italian place next door. Thanks also to Mark Byerly for coming down to speak as well. It is always so much fun to see the players out there take a real sincere interest in what we're doing here every day. After all... you're the reason we do what we do. I love making friends around the country... through music. It's nice to think of them while I am sitting here in the office... and know they're out there playing and practicing with something we've put all of our time and energy into. What a great job! One of our clients that lives in Toledo drove all the way out just to meet us in person. He walked up to me and said... Jen... are you "the Jen"... ha... I said, yes... that would be me... he said Hi... I'm John... I've talked to you on the phone... he brought his Bravura... which I had fun checking out. It's so cool to see older models come back to us. We literally usually only have an instrument in the shop for a day or less after it's completed... so you can imagine... it's kinda nice to see them down the road. Again... what a cool job! Ok... I will leave you with the last photos from the weekend... I have another event to finish planning for this weekend... and arrangements to make for our trip to The National Trumpet Competition in just a couple short weeks. Thanks again Gary Greenfelder and everyone in Detroit for making our trip such a joy... and thanks to all of you out there... that love music... it's what makes me smile when I come in to work in the morning. And, as per usual... my personal artistic shots from the trip: Thanks Detroit. I can't wait to come back. All of us here at Harrelson Trumpets like to think of ourselves as innovators and forward thinkers... in the next 6 months we won't just be thinking forward... we'll be moving forward too... we have events planned all over the country every month from now until July... We'd love to meet you out there on the open road... Email us if you'd like more information on any of these events... or if you'd like to meet up to talk trumpets, have dinner or just swap music stories...
January 31st: Live YOUTUBE Question & Answer Session w/ Jason 1pm CST http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xwDs4mf2SJk February 20th: Jason Harrelson performs w/ the GGO in Sterling Heights, MI https://www.facebook.com/events/274820476002588/ 21st: Jason Harrelson FREE Lecture at Yipsilanti High School, Yipsilanti, MI https://www.facebook.com/events/452081178250783/ 22nd: Jason Harrelson FREE Lectures at The Detroit Wayne Music Center https://www.facebook.com/events/634525819940223/ March 7th: Harrelson Trumpets Summit @ Jazz Central Studios in Minneapolis 8th: Open House at Harrelson Trumpets, New Brighton MN https://www.facebook.com/events/1455582998003610/ 20th-23rd: Harrelson Trumpets at The National Trumpet Competition, Mechanicsburg, PA https://www.facebook.com/events/556196801139827/ April 5th: Harrelson Trumpets Exhibit at The University of Minnesota Brass Symposium https://www.facebook.com/events/597724450281897/ 11th-13th: Jason Harrelson presents "Building Satchmo" French Quarter Festivals, New Orleans http://www.fqfi.org/ May 20th-25th: Harrelson Trumpets exhibit at the International Trumpet Guild Conference https://www.facebook.com/events/1400822440161058/ |
Jennifer SandquistI am the PR, Advertising, Marketing, Web and Social mind at Harrelson Trumpets. When I am not at work- I paint: Archives
February 2018
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