TubaForum.net

Another thread tradition that's worth continuing. I'll start with two of mine- they are the most recent I have:

Bel Air Community Band Tuba Section, as of 2014:
From left: Cheryl Wald (unk make German BBb), Jim Laisure (Alexander 163 CC), me (Alexander BBb), Mark Chachich, principal (Alexander 163 CC).

We had seven tubas just before the COVID-19 lockdown, but I never got a pic..........

Bel Air Brass, Easter 2018:
From left: me (Marzan), Jim Shrake, Kristi Davis, Zora-Maya Keith, Rob Bauerle, Bob Hudson, Bill Stephens.

This is a link to The Bel Air Community Band playing March Valdres at the 2016 Association of Concert Bands Convention in Pittsburgh. The same tuba section that is in the picture above is playing on this recording.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rh5_k7Gx7fM

Best,
Mark

Mark has sent me many recordings over the years of the Bel Air band. A very fine ensemble, and an excellent tuba section.

Only bad thing is, I lived in Baltimore for almost 30 years and didn't meet Mark until after I moved away.

Low Brass of the Mississippi Symphony Orchestra
April 13, 2019
Adam Almeter, Principal (He went to Indiana and is from Chicago, and he plays the heck out of that trombone. Great guy and friend.)
James Wilson, 2nd (started with the MSO 53 years ago and still plays his butt off)
Joel Grizzelle, 3rd (Joel was our principal for a number of years. He lives in the D/FW Metroplex but still drives in for sub and extra work)
Ken Lyon, Bass Trombone/Tenor Tuba (my "stand partner" for 26 years. He started in the MSO sometime around 1989. Great musician!)

Up front is your cochino grande, the elephant. This was a photo taken for me after receiving my recognition and award for 25 years of service. (We had just finished playing Holst's "The Planets".) That is Mike's weaponized 2165 that I have been borrowing since I began rebuilding my Holton. It is a fun horn to play. Joe built it up. Note the 6th valve. Pure coolness…

Our little 25 member Jordan Valley Community Band this summer. It was the only band that played this summer where I live.

That's me with the hat and white beard. Yes, that's a lot of tuba for a small band, and, yes, we let the bass clarinet play with us on "Tiptoe Through the Tubas." She made us look better.

KorKoro

Two members of my current quintet after a great community orchestra concert last year. They needed a fourth horn for Fanfare for the Common Man, and my buddy (who plays almost everything except French Horn including Tuba, Euphonium and Bassoon among others) subbed in on his F Mellophone. Horn 1 and 2 in front of him got an earful! Although unconventional, it really lights up our quintet, especially when the horn is in the spotlight. Although they used a different design horn at the time, Mellophones were certainly good enough for the Stan Kenton Orchestra in the early 60s so for quintet, why not!

What started out as the two old guys on the ends of this line meeting to play duets, morphed into a trio and then a sextet. We meet once a week in a large room in my church to allow for social distancing, and my wife made the bell covers for us. We were asked to play for the church service this morning and finally got a picture. We played an arrangement of "It is Well with My Soul". It's just nice to play in an ensemble again.

Low brass of the Loudoun Symphonic Winds, 2015:



(Hirsbrunner, of course)

Low brass of the LSW, maybe a decade ago:



(Holton, of course)

Rick “nothing more recent” Denney

Here's me and my brass quintet - Berlin Brass! We're nothing too special, just friends having fun!

Doc wrote: ↑Sun Aug 23, 2020 8:44 pm 61B3660A-E225-4539-BBC3-3D709FBF9142.jpeg

You win!

tobysima` wrote:Here's me and my brass quintet - Berlin Brass! We're nothing too special, just friends having fun!

I wish I’d had a quintet to play in when I was that age. I could have used that exposure.

Of course, a quintet with the tuba on a plastic King sousaphone just wouldn’t have looked right.

Rick “wondering what might have been different had the internet existed back then” Denney

Rick Denney wrote: ↑Sun Aug 23, 2020 8:59 pm

tobysima` wrote:Here's me and my brass quintet - Berlin Brass! We're nothing too special, just friends having fun!

I wish I’d had a quintet to play in when I was that age. I could have used that exposure.

Of course, a quintet with the tuba on a plastic King sousaphone just wouldn’t have looked right.

Rick “wondering what’s might have been different had the internet existed back then” Denney

I started it myself. I love brass quintets and chamber ensembles, so I wanted my own! Thankfully it happened. I'm much better now, but I just put the videos out our performance on YouTube.

Massapequa Philharmonic (Long Island, NY). I’m bass trombone, and with the euphonium for The Planets.

Island Symphony Low Brass. I no longer have that Holton. I traded it (plus cash) for a vintage 911

Foden's Bass section with James Gourlay

@djwpe, vintage 911??? There’s a thread for that...

Bel Air Community Band, July 4, 2021. Only 35 people on the truck, and two tubas- Cheryl Wald (German rotary BBb, we think it's a Ziess) and me (20J, a.k.a. The Beast). We hadn't played together since March of last year, but "Americans We" and "Semper Fidelis" sounded like we had. Photo credit- Cheryl:

Mr. Lasko was my section mate today:

Tuba Section of the 2021 Maryland All-State Community Band:
From Left: Patrick FitzGerald, principal (Meinl-Weston 5450 "Thor" CC), and me (Alexander). Photo credit- The Lovely Naoko.

The concert was this afternoon, and was the first time most of us had played in any kind of non-virtual ensemble for over a year. Our chops held up, but just barely............

Guest attendance was strictly limited, and we had to wear masks and use bell covers.

The concert went well, and will be posted on YouTuba shortly- I'll link to it in the Media section when ready.

@Heavy_Metal here it is!

https://youtu.be/JIQPYeAh3M4

I need to try out next year…