Richard and Chris found a nice place outside to soak up the warm (23 degree C) sun, so we went out and sat for a group picture. Finally our gear arrived and we were in the church van with Rhonda, heading an hour north to St. Simons Island. We headed off the main highway heading east over a lovely suspended bridge to get the island. This is a very marshy area, with fishing boats as well as large ships which were unloading vehicles. We finally arrived at our Best Western, checked in then quickly left for a very nice Mexican dinner with Suzanne, our other helper who leads the church bell choir. After eating too much we headed to the church for a rehearsal, to scope out the set-up and acoustics. Every venue is different so it’s important to play a bit to be sure everyone in the group can hear each other. It’s been a long travel day, so off to bed.

The next day we had decided to meet at 3pm to get the van to go to our student masterclass, so after breakfast we each did our own thing. I decided to walk to the beach (I was told by the hotel that it’s probably 30 minutes -it actually took twice that!). On the way I stopped at an outdoor fruit stand and bought some very fresh local oranges and a bag of hot boiled peanuts, a local favourite. It’s actually pronounced “balled pay-nuts” I think!

I went into the Bloody Marsh battle monument area where the Scottish and English troops fought and drove out the occupying Cuban and Spanish armies. Aside from some nice birds and swamp there’s not much to see. As a child in Scotland I used to spend all my summers at the seaside, so seeing the St. Simons beach and smelling that salt water made me smile! Shoes off, I paddle a bit in the cool Atlantic waters (no swimming today!) and walk up and down the beach. My picnic (peanut) lunch was still hot so I sat in the sand, ate, and enjoyed the warm sun. After a few hours (getting a bit of a sunburn I was to discover a few hours later that evening) I had to head back to the hotel to get ready.

We met at three, drove to the church and warmed up. By four o’clock there were around 12 eager students from the local school at the church. TNB played some tunes, got them to perform some scales and brass techniques, and talked about the passion needed to be the best on their instrument. The students were invited up to the stage to sit around us as we performed as this is an excellent lesson to let them hear and feel the amount of energy and sound that we are producing up there. The hour together went by very quickly, and as some left for the school van, others stayed for some last minute lessons. It’s great to see young musicians inquisitive and excited about learning new techniques!

We had a nice dinner and conversation with Rhonda and her very funny husband, architect, photographer, and author Harlan Hambright, then it was back to the church for the recital. This was a more difficult concert endurance-wise since there was no intermission, but we made it to the end no problem, and the very enthusiastic full house gave us a rousing ovation. We met and talked to many of the locals after at the reception, including a few couples from Guelph and Toronto! It was great to be part of this very successful concert series and Rhonda and the church should be congratulated for a job well done. The end of the evening called for a few drinks at a local bar with Suzanne and her husband, Rhonda and Harlan, and then back to the hotel. Our flights home went smoothly, and we were back in Toronto by 6pm. Looking forward to our next gig in a few weeks!

Al Kay.

More TNB pictures at <alkayphotos.com>

Where does this “essence” come from? Well, it developed out of the membership and their individual personalities and passions. We were all Canadians and even though we came from very different locales, we connected in our approach to life; lots of humour, lots of hard work, a commitment to the group rather than individual gain and a love of just “playing” together. It really did feel like we were kids in a sandbox having a great time playing and making up stuff. The “stuff” was Scott and Al coming in with amazing charts and all of us working on making those charts really work stylistically, ensemble perfection and colours (ideas came out to use harmonica, drums, loon whistles, etc., as well as flugal, natural horn, and mutes of all sorts). The players in the original True North Brass included Stuart Laughton who not only played soloistic and lavish trumpet, but he was also a true expert on birds. When he was little, he begged his mother to take him to Pt. Pellee and camp out to see the bird migration that happens each year. When we toured, Stuart always had his eyes to the sky informing us of each bird in the area. He knew their mating patterns, number of eggs, eating habits, colourings, life span, migration routes, etc… It is not a surprise he ended up running “The Forest Festival”. Another original member, Al Kay, owns a great cottage on a northern Ontario lake and is highly knowledgeable about the outdoors of that area. He is known to go out with his trombone and play Auld Lang Sang on New Year’s Eve across the frozen lake. Ray Tizzard grew up in a small town outside of Toronto and camped every year with his family as they crossed the country east and west. I grew up in northern Manitoba in a small town. We spent weekends in the Waterhen ( between Lake Manitoba and Lake Winnipegosis) sleeping in a converted caboose. The cabin had no running water, no phone, no radio, no toilet, etc. You don’t know quiet until you stay there. We have one “city boy” in Scott Irvine , who has not left Toronto for more than a few days at a time. But, we need his city smarts to balance out the country bumpkins – after all Canada has cities too and we all know that Toronto is the centre of the Universe (as opposed to NYC which is the center of the Universe).

So the wolf logo fit us for well over a decade. Recently we decided to change the approach of True North Brass, Inc. to be more of a collection of brass players. Our five year plan is to have enough True North Brass-ers to have the full brass section of a concert band. We’d love to put a band together once a year in Toronto and play a concert. We all grew up loving the band repertoire and want to play it again. Out of this collective, we can form all types of brass ensembles and help endorse other players with concerts, PR, recording, arranging/composing, connections into the music field, grant applications and friendship.

The new logo reflects this new phase in our company. The process took a long time as we searched for images and ideas that reflected where we had gotten to as a group. Membership had changed, new players brought new strengths, not everyone was a Canadian by birth. There is no boy –scout quiz to get into True North Brass so we have more city slickers now…sounds a lot like the evolution of the entire country! After some ado, we went to www.thelogocompany.com. They got the highest rating on the internet. They looked at our profile at the time and then had five designers create a concept. We had to choose ONE and then work through unlimited changes until we were happy. I thought this was a great value. To be honest, the original five concepts were very difficult to choose from. They were all unique, creative and within the bounds of what we were aiming at. The final version you see on the site now took quite a few revisions and we had to live with each revision. Each design had to sink into the group psyche and allow us to try on the longevity that would represent us. Plus, it was very hard to let go of the old image of the wolf and the great Northern outdoors.

We’d love to hear what you think of the new logo. Our goal was to have it represent a collection of players, be truly Canadian in look and colour, let everyone know we are a brass group and have a flow that would look great anywhere: stationary, business cards, website, advertising and merchandise. That is a big order to fill and The Logo Company made it happen with multiple discussions on the TNB side.

Let us know your impressions. This is a creative act. We came up with an idea, we went down a path to create it, we ended up with a result and then we compared the result with our original idea. That is where we found SATISFACTION in what we created. I’d say we have 100% satisfaction, so we can celebrate! We hope you like our new logo and will celebrate with us. Enjoy and celebrate your own creations, little and big!

Yes, it’s true!  This Spring (2011), True North Brass was back in the recording studio (or, in this case, All Saints’ Kingsway Anglican Church in west-end Toronto) to record what will become our fifth CD.  Joining Joan, Al and Scott and their Yamaha instruments on this recording were trumpet players,  Bart Woomert and Shawn Spicer.  Also joining TNB was the renowned virtuoso organist, friend and colleague, Eric Robertson.  The organ was a beautiful, new three manual instrument built by the legendary Canadian company, CASAVANT FRERES.  Watch for details of its imminent release in online download and audio CD formats!

Posted by Scott Irvine

Bull kelp is one of the largest brown algae. It grows attached to the sea floor by a specialized root-like structure called a holdfast. From this, a long stem-like stipe extends to the surface of the sea, terminating in an enlarged, spherical, hollow float from which the linear leafy blades emanate. It occurs on rocks in the upper sub-tidal zone to a depth of several fathoms throughout coastal British Columbia.

Never a group to miss a performing opportunity, True North Brass took the kelp challenge in beautiful Bamfield, BC during our residency there in the Summer of 2009.  Trombonist Al Kay went out early one morning with local kelp harvesters and brought back a number of “instruments” for our concert.

For more photos, check out alkayphotos.com

But best of all, you can actually hear and see the performance if you like, “kelpaphonics” at musicbythesea.ca.  Unfortunately, most of the camera time is focused on the portly tuba player (and writer of this blog entry)!  Note that hornist Joan is playing a “double kelp”!   After selecting particularly good sounding horns, we experimented in finding some common notes and chords. We then worked out the form for the piece, and that was about it.  It’s basically a TNB group improvisation.  Not bad, eh?

Shawn Spicer is principal trumpet of Orchestra London Canada and teaches trumpet at the University of Western Ontario. He has performed with True North Brass on a number of occasions, most recently our performances in Toronto, Penticton and Haliburton.

Start slow. One of the hardest things about not being in shape is that you want to be in shape right away.  It may feel pretty good for the first few days of playing regularly but the crash is sure to come.  Keep at it.  You may want to adjust your routine so that it is shorter; the idea is to keep from getting frustrated while still focusing on everything you need to get back in shape.
Stick to a routine. To ensure the fastest way back to top form the consistency of a routine is extremely important.  It should include 1) breathing, 2) long tones, 3) lip slurs and 4) scales and Clarke studies incorporating articulations including double tonguing and triple tonguing.  Spending about 5 minutes on each part of this routine will make a nice 30 minute warm-up if you rest a little between parts.
Rest. This is not always easy to incorporate into a busy schedule but practicing in 20-30 minute chunks is the best way to build strength, especially after some time off the horn.
Long-Tones. These are an excellent way to build strength.  The best long-tone aid I have come across is Walter White’s “Long-tone Accompaniment” (which you can buy here http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/walterwhite2 ).  Listening to the cd while playing long-tones keeps you focused and relaxed and playing as suggested in the cd explanation builds in rest and helps develop breath control.  This is an excellent tool.
5. Focus on basics. Do not try to take on the Tomasi Trumpet Concerto in you first lesson.  Go back to basics with your teacher.  Revisit your routine and talk about how to build one that will better suit your needs as a player.  Go back to breathing and relaxation.  Use some simple etude books to give you playing time where you can really focus on these basic elements.  Getchell/Hovel “Practical Etudes” is an excellent start.
6. Seize the opportunity. Use this state of being to become the player you always wanted to be.  Start from scratch; leave those old habits behind.

Keep it up, be patient and make sure to rest.  It will take time but taking it slow is well worth it.

Shawn Spicer is principal trumpet of Orchestra London Canada and teaches trumpet at the University of Western Ontario. He has performed with True North Brass on a number of occasions, most recently our performances in Toronto, Penticton and Haliburton.