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HISTORY
OF
MY TROMBONE-PLAYING - A BRIEF BIOGRAPHY
~ THE EARLY YEARS ~
When I was
9 years old I successfully auditioned for the Mt Gravatt (now Wishart) Primary
school's music program, which was considered one of the better elementary school
music programs in Brisbane, Queensland. Though opting for drum kit I was put
on trombone, which I embraced and realized in hindsight it was a good instrument
to learn music on, for several reasons: You have to make the sound yourself (rather
than it being in-built as in piano); you have to continuously tune using your
ear (like violin); and you learn how to participate as a member of an ensemble.
I enthusiastically took home
the school trombone for the summer before the start of my first year's lessons
and learnt how to assemble the beast by referring to my Dad's LP record of Gerry
Mulligan, with Bobby Brookmeyer photographed on the cover. (Brookmeyer
being an early inspiration and someone whom I did not cross paths with for 25
years, when in Boston finishing my Master's degree.)
My first teachers, Paddy
Fitzallen (jazz trumpet) and Stuart Fawcett
(trombone/conductor) fostered my keen interest in jazz
improvisation and classical technique. Within my first year I was learning
to improvise using play-a-long records (by Dominic Spera and Jamey Aebersold).
I was participating in concert bands
and
municipal
concert
(military-style)
bands outside of school, such as the Tuesday Night Band (lead by Peter Eastwood)
and the Brisbane Municipal Concert Band (lead by Stuart Fawcett). It was always
an inspiration to be the youngest and least experienced player in a section,
and it was this environment that fostered a will to improve and learn fast.
At primary school I began composing and arranging, and organized small groups
to jam and busk together at the local shops. Below is a sample of something I
arranged in those early formative years for trombone, flute (Rachael Bullock)
and organ
(Scott
McNulty).
~
THE HIGH SCHOOL YEARS ~
My enthusiasm
for band-leading and arranging (a trait shared by so many of my fellow trombonists)
was taken to the next level when I was 12 and began junior high school at
John Paul College, Daisy Hill. I formed a 10-piece jazz-rock band (with my
sister Julie on clarinet), and arranged lead-sheets and reduced bigband scores
for
this
ensemble. We rehearsed, played at the local shopping centres and at school,
until the music director Doug Shew became so confronted by the fact that
we excelled beyond the level of his own stage bands that he prohibited us from
performing
and
rehearsing on campus again!
In the summer leading up to the commencement of 8th grade I participated in
a Summer Jazz Camp at the Conservatorium, lead by Greg Quigley. Here I was
able to work under the direction of Bob Johnson, Warwick Alder, and alongside
such fine Conservatorium students as Jeff Usher and Craig Hannicek - all people
whom influenced my jazz playing strongly at such a formative age.
In ninth grade I was honored to join the Queensland Conservatorium of Music's
Bigband, lead by Paul Terracini and Clive Moorhead. As a 12-year-old
I was the youngest member to ever be in a tertiary-level ensemble at the
Conservatorium. As a student at the Conservatorium's music school through
my remaining 4 years of high school, I met many of the degree students whom
were to become influencial in my growth and experience as a student, and
as a young professional. I also began trombone lessons with the tertiary-level
teachers, including lecturers Arthur Middleton and Phil Davis.
The Conservatorium was crucial in showing me diversity in music - from jazz
to world to classical - and I was honored to participate in masterclasses
by such visiting artists as the trombonist Urbie Green.
My very first professional gig was with the Conservatorium's bigband
- it was a working band - for a black-tie ball at Brisbane City
Hall.
I hated
wearing the restrictive dinner suit, but playing until 1am and getting $110
cash was very cool for a 12 year old!
I also joined the Yeronga Jazz Bigband, soon to be named the Quigley Bigband
(lead by Greg Quigley) when I was 12. This was also a working band, and was
responsible for the bulk of my gigs through high school, including intra-
and inter-state tours. The band went through many transformations and names,
including the Quigley-Moorhead Bigband, Quigley Rock, etc. The band accumulated
a PA system, its own bus, and several residencies around south-east Queensland.
It was the primary reason I gave up swimming, because I couldn't deal with
the sleep deprivation from gigs clashing with early training sessions! Quigley's
bigband collaborated with many guest artists, including the trombonist bandleader
Ed Wilson, who was an Australian icon in the 1970's and 80's.
My own Jade Jazz
Quintet, modelled on the J.J. Johnson / Kai Winding combos, was formed from
members of this band, and was a platform for my own small group playing and
writing. We performed in restaurants, clubs, and for festivals and functions
around Brisbane.
It was on a tour to Sydney with
Quigley's
bigband that the following quote was made:
"At
age 14 (Jonathan) sounds like Bill Harris did all those years ago." (Kevin Casey,
8/4/1986)
During junior
high school I was sent on my first trip to Melbourne, Victoria, where I appeared
on the Johnny Young Talent Time television showcase for young singers, dancers
and musicians. I played "Summertime" on trombone, and begrudgingly
agreed to mime my solo for the cameras when the live audience came in that
evening.
By the end of high school I was very interested in ECM recordings and especially
Dave Holland's quintet, so I replaced Jade with a new outfit modeled on
the chordless quintet, and called it Contemporary Focus. Its members were
extremely talented individuals and we forged our own sound and a vast original
repertoire. (John Babbage / Elliott Dalgleish - saxes, Warren Trout / Ken
Edie - drums, Gavin
Pearce / Hugh Fraser - electric bass, Andrew McNaughton - trumpet, and
myself on trombone.)
From 12th grade I participated in three annual Australian National music camps,
the first in Sydney (to which I was sponsored by Rotary International), and then
two in Victoria. It was at these camps that I got to work under Tommy Tycho,
Simone
DeHaan,
and Cliff Crego, performing in wind symphonies and contemporary music ensembles.
I gained my first ensemble performance experience of such 20th Century contemporary
composers Xenakis, Varese and Crego.
~
THE BACHELOR YEARS ~
Contemporary Focus was my chief creative outlet while studying for my Bachelor
degree in classical trombone performance at the Conservatorium. However
another ensemble, formed by my first saxophonist Elliott Dalgleish, became
equally
important during my 3rd and 4th years of study. It was called Artisans
Workshop, and featured Ken
Edie, John Rodgers - violin, and a host of guests (Roger Dean, Roger
Frampton, Mike Nock, Paul Grabowsky, Adrian Sherriff, etc). In this
innovative
ensemble I played electric bass mostly, and we toured interstate and
recorded. Dalgleish's 'Music Arts Club' created a brilliant (though
short-lived) venue called "Cafe Alto" which
was one of
many creative venues which attracted an audience in Brisbane, and musicians
from around Queensland and interstate.
I was the trombonist in Jeff Usher's Jazz Unit ('JuJu'), which performed
at jazz events in Queensland. We recorded and toured, and some of our recordings
appear on my recordings page.
I was also a member of Tony Hobbs' "Big Band Theory", which rehearsed and
performed the music of Hobbs, Thad Jones, Mel Lewis, and other contemporary
jazz orchestra writers.
On the classical front, I was active in wind symphony and symphony orchestra
during my Bachelor degree years, performing with the Queensland Youth Orchestra
(conducted by John Curro) and the Queensland Pops Orchestra (conducted by
Colin Harper). I also won a number of awards in brass competitions, as listed
in my main biography.
~
THE GRADUATE YEARS ~
I resurrected Contemporary Focus in Boston while studying at New England
Conservatory from 1993-1995. This time I was playing bass, however,
and used tenor sax instead of a trombone. (A photo of this ensemble
is in
my photo
gallery.)
I have a long history of performing on trombone in the theatre for
shows, having spent much of my undergraduate years as resident trombonist
at
the Terranora Lakes Country Club and freelancing at other clubs such
as Twin
Towns and Seagulls, also in New South Wales. These regular performances
put me behind a diverse spectrum of performing artists, from R&B singers
to jazz singers, Elvis impersonators and jugglers! I performed my first
commercial musical production ("Bats") when I was about 15.
MY
TROMBONES
I
prefer large-bore instruments for their superior tone quality, dynamics and timbral
range. I own two Bach
42 tenor trombones - one straight and one sterling silver with an F attachment.
Below is a photo
from Los Angeles in 2004.
PERFORMANCES
I have been fortunate to appear on trombone on-stage with such diverse and
renowned artists as John Denver, Urbie Green, Virgil Donati and George Russell.
I have performed on trombone at such venues as the Sydney Opera House, Queensland
Performing Arts Centre, Jordan Hall (Boston), The Rocco (Los Angeles) and
the
Brisbane
Powerhouse.
Since 1995 the trombone has been a less prominent part of my teaching and performing,
overtaken by the bass and tabla.
Refer to my news page for upcoming public
performances.
LINKS
There are
plenty of links on this web
site. Go surf - but don't forget to practice!