Monday YouTube Fix: Guarneri String Quartet

Beethoven is my favorite composer of all time which is a cruel joke since he passed away before my instrument was invented! I have always loved how the Guarneri String Quartet has played the Beethoven quartets. They seem to play them with a little bit of teeth to them but also with tons of nuance.  This is a wonderful performance of the first movement of Beethoven's 11th String Quartet in F Minor, Opus 95.  The 16th note runs being passed around are so even and sound so effortless.  They make the not at all easy seem like just that.

Enjoy!

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vaSAdCvzPgU]

Monday YouTube Fix: Astor Piazzolla

I personally can not name 10 musicians who have a more original sense of style and song than Astor Piazzolla. He turned the entire world of tango on its ear by breaking all the rules. His sense of phrasing is breathtaking and this is a great example.  I am really enjoying performing his Four Seasons this year with Boston Brass.  He was a true genius.

Enjoy!

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bbdakZjHTys&feature=related]

Which Kind of Musician Are You?

There are two kinds of musicians in the world: those who subdivide and count through every long note they ever play and those who rely on others around them to do it for them. Even in the professional ranks, there are fewer of the former than you might think.

Which kind are you?

Monday YouTube Fix: Frank Zappa and Steve Vai

This is a whole lot of guitar chops on one stage at one time. Many people know Frank Zappa for his off the wall lyrics and personality and don't realize he was one of the greatest electric guitar players to every strap one on. It takes some serious courage to just get on stage with Steve Vai and Frank doesn't just hold his own on this clip. Love that this is live and they only got one take. Two absolute masters enjoying what was obviously hours and hours of intentional, dedicated practicing.

Enjoy!

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TEnzdp71U78]

Monday YouTube Fix: Rebirth Brass Band

New Orleans might be my favorite city in America.  The food, the architecture, THE MUSIC! This is a video of the Rebirth Brass Band "Do Watcha Wanna" while taking a stroll through the French Quarter. Imagine stumbling upon this as you walk down the street! Happens all the time in New Orleans. It says this video was taken the day before the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival a few years ago. Every single aspiring musician in the world should drain their bank account dry in necessary to attend Jazzfest. To try to even begin to describe what it did to help shape me as a musician the 4 times I attended in both undergrad and grad school would do it a disservice. I grew up as a musician the first time I spent 4 days soaking it all in as a 20 year old visiting from Chicago.

Jazzfest is life changing for everyone but especially for musicians. Get there at all costs!

Enjoy!

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3E1VBCcA76E]

Practicing Summed Up in 6 Sentences by Doug Yeo

The following quote from Doug Yeo, former bass trombonist for the Boston Symphony Orchestra, is the most succinct summary of the benefits of practicing that I’ve ever heard.

My wife Tiffany is a band director here in Fairfax County, Virginia and it comes from a poster on her band room wall.

This sums up practicing as well as anything can.

If you practice, you get better.

If you get better, you play with better players.

If you play with better players, you play better music.

If you play better music, you have more fun.

If you have fun, you want to practice more.

If you practice more, you get better...

Do you ever get frustrated or bored in the practice room?

Learn how to get more done in less time, manage frustration and stay focused while practicing when you join the best musicians in the world Inside the Practice Room!

This series from Hitz Academy lets you join the best musicians in the world as they discuss the daily work that turned them into the players they are today.

Use offer code “YEO” to get $10 off any session today.

Monday YouTube Fix: Allison Krauss and Jerry Douglas

I've never heard an angel sing but if I ever do I expect it to sound like Allison Krauss. This is a cool take on the James Taylor classic "Carolina In My Mind" also featuring Jerry Douglas on dobro.

Enjoy!

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=83w8SkdJtPM]

Monday YouTube Fix: Louie Armstrong

Put in the most simple terms, if you are a player with even 5% of the style, conviction, and intent that Louis Armstrong brought to the table, you will make your living performing. He had it all: technique, phrasing, tone, style, desire to perform, everything. We can all learn from Louie! Amazing trumpet playing, amazing singing, amazing stage presence.

And the fact that this video has over 5 million views gives me hope for the human race.

Enjoy and have a great Labor Day!

(Talk about a burning trombone solo. Yikes!)

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wyLjbMBpGDA]

Monday YouTube Fix: Boston Brass and Imani Winds

This footage is from a concert with our dear friends the Imani Winds.  We're playing the Gil Evans/Miles Davis version of "It Ain't Necessarily So" arranged by our horn player, Chris Castellanos.  This version features our trumpet player, Jose Sibaja, doing his best Miles impersonation.  The entire original Porgy and Bess album is a master class on orchestrating.  Gershwin was a genious! I love the colors that Chris got out of this very cool instrumentation, which includes Dan Hostetler on the drums.

Enjoy!

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J4bauqWXa0I]

Monday YouTube Fix: Stravinsky Conducting Firebird

The title really says it all. It's pretty incredible that we have the ability to watch a performance like this so easily.  In this clip, Stravinsky is conducting the New Philharmonia Orchestra at the Royal Festival Hall in London. The Firebird Suite has been one of my favorite pieces of classical music since I was in high school.  The recording of David Fedderley playing with the Baltimore Symphony & David Zinman was one that I played almost on a loop as a kid.  The tone that Mr. Fedderley plays with on the last line of that recording just smothers you.  That album played a huge role in the development of my concept of sound and I still cherish it to this day.

What an invaluable resource it is for us to be able to see Stravinsky himself conducting one of his own masterworks.  I love his conducting style.  It's no nonsense and to the point. I'm especially a fan of his left hand on his hip from time to time. Priceless!

Enjoy!

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2geXJ5Oiq60&feature=youtu.be]