The Talent Lurking In The Back Row
Anyone who saw the documentary, Music From The Inside Out, which featured the musicians of the Philadelphia Orchestra both on and offstage, knows that while classical music may be an orchestra's stock in trade, plenty of individual musicians have skills that range far afield from Beethoven and Mahler. Some of us only dabble outside our comfort zone - back in college, I played in a jazz string quartet, a bluegrass band, and a disco orchestra (yes, really,) but I haven't really kept up most of those skills - but a few musicians stand out as deeply impressive performers across multiple genres.
I was reminded of that fact this morning, as I have been on 11 other Friday mornings this season, while I played a set of four quick-change "Kinder Konzerts" for an ever-revolving audience of preschool-age kids. (These concerts, by the way, are run by our excellent volunteer association, WAMSO, and we've got two more coming up in July, if anyone knows a youngster they'd like to bring.) Basically, the way the shows work is that a group of 8 musicians plus a WAMSO narrator take the stage, lead the kids through a few interactive musical games, play some short selections the kids might recognize, and feature one 10-minute "musical story" that the kids can follow along with while we play. In between all this, each musician takes a minute or two to introduce him/herself, explain how each instrument works, and play a quick demonstration piece that highlights something important or fun about the instrument.
Most of us in this year's ensemble tend to have one demo piece that we use at all 48 shows. (I usually rotate between two different up-tempo excerpts, depending on my mood.) But one musician can be counted on never to play the same demo twice on any given morning, and he's also the only one among us who regularly uses music he himself has written as his solo. His name is Chuck Lazarus, and if that doesn't ring an immediate bell, it's because he hardly occupies one of the most prominent chairs in the orchestra. He's our fourth trumpet, and depending on the repertoire we're playing, there's a decent chance that you won't even see him on stage a lot of weeks. But anyone who pays close attention to the goings-on at Orchestra Hall likely knows that Chuck is a player to be reckoned with. In fact, before we go any further, let's pause for a brief demo...
I'll admit, I'm not exactly sure why Chuck is being chased by street thugs there. (Is this possibly a subtle Beastie Boys shout-out? Or am I just way too hung up on my '80s pop music upbringing?) But I do know that I love listening to his music, and last summer, when Osmo decided to feature an entire evening of his jazz/world originals on a Friday evening during Sommerfest, we got some of the best audience feedback we've ever had. And the kids we play for at the Kinder Konzerts would definitely concur - Chuck is the most popular musician every single show, especially when he uses the insanely fast closing riff of his tune, "Kilauea's Fountains," as his demo piece.
Chuck's biography reads like an international tour of top trumpeting gigs, and while I won't bother going through everything he's done in his still-young career, I do have one story that I feel nicely sums up his place in our band. Back when Chuck was new in the orchestra (he started only a few months after me in 2000,) he was assigned to sit principal trumpet for a set of eight Young People's Concerts that we would be playing over the course of a week. I don't remember what the show was about, but I do remember that at one point, it called for a brief trumpet solo - just one trumpet, playing alone in some sort of jazzy fashion, for about 8 or 12 bars.
In the first show of the run, Chuck played exactly what was asked for: a few bars of straight-ahead jazz. (I have a vague memory of it being a Miles Davis tune, but I'm probably wrong.) In the second show, which was less than an hour later, he got a bit fancier, maybe adding an extra flip or leap here and there, but still stayed pretty conservative, as most of us orchestra players would when asked to play jazz.
On day two of the run, though, things started to get interesting. Each successive performance saw Chuck stretching the solo a little further, going from straight jazz to bebop, and generally causing heads to turn all over the orchestra. By the last two shows, everyone was just waiting to see what Lazarus would be dragging out next. The first show of the day was damned impressive - a full-on bebop solo that went on for at least 30 seconds, at breakneck speed. Chuck got a hefty cheer from the orchestra as he finished it.
Then, on the last show, the solo suddenly had accompanying percussion! Figuring that Chuck had gone so far as to pre-rehearse a solo with one of our drummers, I looked over my shoulder, only to see the entire percussion section standing stock still, smirking. I looked over the other shoulder, and there was Chuck, accompanying his own wildly complex solo with a foot-pedaled high-hat! Afterwards, I heard one string player murmur to his stand partner: "Well, that's gotta be the first time anyone ever earned his tenure on a kids' show!"
If you're interested, Chuck's got a great solo CD out that you can find at CD stores around town, or order on his web site. He also shows up at the Dakota now and then, either sitting in or with his own band. And I suspect it won't be long before he's in front of us for a reprise of last summer's show...
I was reminded of that fact this morning, as I have been on 11 other Friday mornings this season, while I played a set of four quick-change "Kinder Konzerts" for an ever-revolving audience of preschool-age kids. (These concerts, by the way, are run by our excellent volunteer association, WAMSO, and we've got two more coming up in July, if anyone knows a youngster they'd like to bring.) Basically, the way the shows work is that a group of 8 musicians plus a WAMSO narrator take the stage, lead the kids through a few interactive musical games, play some short selections the kids might recognize, and feature one 10-minute "musical story" that the kids can follow along with while we play. In between all this, each musician takes a minute or two to introduce him/herself, explain how each instrument works, and play a quick demonstration piece that highlights something important or fun about the instrument.
Most of us in this year's ensemble tend to have one demo piece that we use at all 48 shows. (I usually rotate between two different up-tempo excerpts, depending on my mood.) But one musician can be counted on never to play the same demo twice on any given morning, and he's also the only one among us who regularly uses music he himself has written as his solo. His name is Chuck Lazarus, and if that doesn't ring an immediate bell, it's because he hardly occupies one of the most prominent chairs in the orchestra. He's our fourth trumpet, and depending on the repertoire we're playing, there's a decent chance that you won't even see him on stage a lot of weeks. But anyone who pays close attention to the goings-on at Orchestra Hall likely knows that Chuck is a player to be reckoned with. In fact, before we go any further, let's pause for a brief demo...
I'll admit, I'm not exactly sure why Chuck is being chased by street thugs there. (Is this possibly a subtle Beastie Boys shout-out? Or am I just way too hung up on my '80s pop music upbringing?) But I do know that I love listening to his music, and last summer, when Osmo decided to feature an entire evening of his jazz/world originals on a Friday evening during Sommerfest, we got some of the best audience feedback we've ever had. And the kids we play for at the Kinder Konzerts would definitely concur - Chuck is the most popular musician every single show, especially when he uses the insanely fast closing riff of his tune, "Kilauea's Fountains," as his demo piece.
Chuck's biography reads like an international tour of top trumpeting gigs, and while I won't bother going through everything he's done in his still-young career, I do have one story that I feel nicely sums up his place in our band. Back when Chuck was new in the orchestra (he started only a few months after me in 2000,) he was assigned to sit principal trumpet for a set of eight Young People's Concerts that we would be playing over the course of a week. I don't remember what the show was about, but I do remember that at one point, it called for a brief trumpet solo - just one trumpet, playing alone in some sort of jazzy fashion, for about 8 or 12 bars.
In the first show of the run, Chuck played exactly what was asked for: a few bars of straight-ahead jazz. (I have a vague memory of it being a Miles Davis tune, but I'm probably wrong.) In the second show, which was less than an hour later, he got a bit fancier, maybe adding an extra flip or leap here and there, but still stayed pretty conservative, as most of us orchestra players would when asked to play jazz.
On day two of the run, though, things started to get interesting. Each successive performance saw Chuck stretching the solo a little further, going from straight jazz to bebop, and generally causing heads to turn all over the orchestra. By the last two shows, everyone was just waiting to see what Lazarus would be dragging out next. The first show of the day was damned impressive - a full-on bebop solo that went on for at least 30 seconds, at breakneck speed. Chuck got a hefty cheer from the orchestra as he finished it.
Then, on the last show, the solo suddenly had accompanying percussion! Figuring that Chuck had gone so far as to pre-rehearse a solo with one of our drummers, I looked over my shoulder, only to see the entire percussion section standing stock still, smirking. I looked over the other shoulder, and there was Chuck, accompanying his own wildly complex solo with a foot-pedaled high-hat! Afterwards, I heard one string player murmur to his stand partner: "Well, that's gotta be the first time anyone ever earned his tenure on a kids' show!"
If you're interested, Chuck's got a great solo CD out that you can find at CD stores around town, or order on his web site. He also shows up at the Dakota now and then, either sitting in or with his own band. And I suspect it won't be long before he's in front of us for a reprise of last summer's show...
Labels: inside the orchestra
posted by Sam at
6:04 PM
2 Comments:
As a Kinder Konzert volunteer, I thought you were all marvelous; a hearty "Bravo" for your efforts. And Sam, many of the kids who came to the Sound Factory after seeing the stage presentation did their best to replicate your "freight train" on the violin. They were mightily impressed.
Thanks, Nicki! The freight train is actually the 4th movement of Hindemith's Viola Sonata, Opus 25, No. 1. (Or a bit of it, anyway - the full movement is 90 seconds, and I used a 30-second chunk from the end...)
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