Musical Context

Jazz and the Horn Series • Part 8

Dale Clevenger

Principal horn of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Dale Clevenger spent his Tuesday evenings playing jazz, discovering a freedom that classical training alone could not provide.

By Jeffrey Agrell

Part 1

From musical wallpaper to the twelve-note row

The trombone in the chamber ensemble at the beginning of modern music (1913-1934)

Between 1913 and 1934, the trombone gained an unexpected place in chamber music as Satie, Milhaud and Stravinsky challenged orchestral traditions with jazz and new sounds.

By Michael Struck-Schloen

Jazz and the Horn Series • Part 6

Peter Gordon

Classically trained but drawn elsewhere, Peter Gordon made the horn at home in jazz, studios and popular music without abandoning its orchestral foundations.

By Jeffrey Agrell

Narbonne 1986

1st International Brass Quintet Competition

In 1986, Narbonne became a meeting place for the brass world, where an ambitious international competition brought emerging quintets alongside established masters.

By Jean-Pierre Mathez

Jazz and the Horn Series • Part 5

Tom Varner

Choosing jazz over the orchestral path, Tom Varner confronts the horn’s stiffness, projection and unlikely place as a front-line improvising voice.

By Jeffrey Agrell

Jazz and the Horn Series • Part 7

John Clark

John Clark made the horn a jazz voice on its own terms, balancing improvisation, studio realities and an instrument still fighting to escape classical expectations.

By Jeffrey Agrell

George Swift, You see who I mean?

In the 1930s, George Swift brought cornet virtuosity and jazz influences to the concert trumpet, building a remarkable reputation through just a handful of recordings.

By Michel Laplace

Anonymous Brass Quintet Budapest

1st prize at the Narbonne International Brass Quintet Competition 1986

Founded by Budapest music students in 1981, the Anonymous Brass Quintet emerged as a distinctive Hungarian ensemble, combining individual artistry with remarkable unity.

By Jean-Pierre Mathez

Jazz and the Horn Series • Part 4

Thomas Bacon

Classical discipline meets jazz-rock freedom as Thomas Bacon confronts improvisation, stylistic crossover and the physical demands placed on the horn.

By Jeffrey Agrell

Jazz and the Horn Series • Part 2

Julius Watkins

A pioneering career, landmark recordings and collaborations with jazz legends gave the French horn a place it had never occupied before.

By Jeffrey Agrell

Brass Players in Rome

Behind Rome’s musical prestige, RAI brass players describe shrinking salaries, insecure orchestral careers and the compromises required simply to remain musicians.

By Jean-Pierre Mathez

Part 2

Music in an American Frontier Communal Society

Aurora Colony

Music shaped daily life in Aurora’s communal colony, from civic ceremonies and political events to touring brass bands that carried its identity across the American West.

By Deborah M. Olsen

The Oldest Concert Band in Japan

Founded in 1895 by a local banker, Ichinomiya’s municipal band survived war and changing musical traditions, preserving a remarkable chapter of Japan’s musical history.

By Michio Sugihara

Part 4

The Trumpet and the Cornet in Jazz and Popular Music

The instrument for jazz

Jazz trumpet playing balances equipment, embouchure and articulation, as changing sound ideals reshape mouthpieces, technique and the physical approach to playing.

By Michel Laplace

Aimé Barelli

Trumpet crooner

French jazz, wartime Paris and changing styles shaped a trumpeter whose playing balanced virtuosity, melody and expression across several musical worlds.

By Michel Laplace

Contemporary systems and trends for the tuba

New music, new rules: Daniel Perantoni explores extended techniques, graphic notation and the evolving language of the tuba.

By Daniel Perantoni

Part 1

Music in an American Frontier Communal Society

Aurora Colony

In a German communal settlement on the Oregon frontier, bands, choirs and original compositions shaped daily life as strongly as faith, work and education.

By Deborah M. Olsen

Part 5

The Trumpet and the Cornet in Jazz and in Popular Music

Breathing

Breathing, Valsalva, mouthpiece position and daily practice collide with received wisdom as trumpet technique is reconsidered from the body outward.

By Michel Laplace

Editorial

As concert life shifts away from brass, the future of the instrument depends on artistic standards, thoughtful programming and the commitment of every performer.

By Jean-Pierre Mathez

Snapshot: the American Brass Quintet in Europe

Report on the American Brass Quintet’s tour in Europe, highlighting performances, reception and the ensemble’s role in chamber brass music.

By Jean-Pierre Mathez

Part 1

The trombone in Jazz and Popular Music

Jazz did not invent the modern trombone: early virtuosos, New Orleans players and changing techniques reveal a more complex path toward flexibility and legato.

By Michel Laplace

Part 2

Does Jazz still have a soul?

By Michel Laplace

To be «Lead Trumpet» in a Jazz Orchestra

Glenn Stuart explores the demanding role of the lead trumpet in a jazz orchestra, combining leadership, endurance and musical vision to shape the sound of the entire band.

By Glenn Stuart

Transcription fundamentals

Between Bach fugues and Mozart concertos, Ralph Sauer questions where brass transcription renews a work — and where it merely imitates.

By Ralf Sauer