Victor Barranco Joins The Brass Junkies

The latest episode of The Brass Junkies podcast features a hilarious interview with trombonist Victor Barranco of the US Army Blues.  He talks about the fascinating path he took from growing up in North Pole, Alaska to ending up in Washington, DC playing in one of the premier bands in the world.

He also speaks about how he became handy around the house (as in having his house featured on home improvement websites.)  Why is this important? It turns out he used the exact same growth mentality to teach himself how to play jazz and then just a few years later he was the lead trombone in the One O'Clock Band at UNT.  He speaks about how it is all about how you approach things.

Lance and I couldn't believe how much we laughed during this episode and how inspiring it was.  He will make you go practice and have you in stitches talking about being the only Puerto Rican family growing up in North Pole.

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Victor Barranco Joins The Brass Junkies

US Army All-Brass Big Band - A Stan Kenton Christmas: Monday YouTube Fix

Okay this is awesome.  One of the best big bands in the world, minus their saxophones and with some mellophones thrown in for good measure, playing some of the finest charts ever written.  Here is the Stan Kenton Christmas carols arranged by Hoagy Carmichael.

A note on the instrument in the front row: they are mellophones.  The leader pretty much sums them up perfectly when he said, "The mellophone is an instrument of mostly indefinite pitch."

Enjoy!

The U.S. Army All-Brass Big Band presents A Stan Kenton Christmas: an annual holiday musical tradition featuring many holiday standards arranged by and made famous by Jazz great Stan Kenton.