The Brian Setzer Orchestra is Back on the Road! (Plus, Some Killer Trumpet Interviews)

Hey everyone,

Here’s a brief look at what’s been happening this month. It’s a quick one covering a recent playing trouble, a small and very powerful goal accomplished on the road this year and maybe some motivation for you to move forward with your playing. If you don’t care about that stuff, you still might want to scroll to the bottom of the article. There are some links to a couple fun and inspiring trumpet interviews I recently watched on YouTube…late at night in my hotel room.

The Christmas Extravaganza Tour is Back on the Road!

Since 2012 I have been playing the first trumpet book in the Brian Setzer Orchestra and we are back on the road. This is my seventh Christmas tour with the band – usually about five and a half to seven weeks long – as well as two runs of about two weeks in Japan.

If you are not familiar with the group, it’s a full-sized big band (four trumpets, four bones, five saxes and rhythm section) fronted by guitarist/singer/songwriter Brian Setzer of “The Stray Cats” fame.

The music is a blast to play and physically demanding from a lead trumpet perspective. Luckily, the section has always been filled with strong players to help even the load, but it’s still a yearly challenge figuring out pacing and how to keep our chops straight being on the road. Which leads us to…

This Year’s Tribulating Trumpet Trial

One of the neat things about the gig is that much of the show remains from year to year. This makes it kind of a litmus test for gauging our playing from year to year – and every year feels different. Some tours I’ve been concerned I wasn’t going to make it through the show and other times I’ve practiced every night after the gig because I could and wanted to. Or it could just be an excuse to avoid socializing in large crowds of three or more people.

This year we settled into a groove pretty quickly but I got a bit unnerved because during a few shows I was getting massive headaches. Each time I put my horn down – BAM! Brain explosion.

Luckily, it’s gotten better. But as you might imagine, I was trippin’ pretty hard about it one night. There is no shortage of horror stories about cats blacking out (or worse) on the band stand. I do not know what causes this and don’t really care to stick with it and find out.  However, if there was any consolation, it’s that this is not a completely new experience – it happened all the time back in high school.

I’ve changed a lot about my playing in recent years and added a noticeable amount of what I consider good compression in breathing and embouchure muscles. That’ll increase back=pressure in and of itself. Plus, the gig is loud and we’re working for it – not to mention you don’t always prioritize sleep and healthy late night decisions with friends. But whatever the cause, it’s settled now, so thanks for letting me gripe.

And now the happy news…

Tour Goals – Accomplished!

One glaring weakness in my playing is feeling like I need more time than I probably do to set my chops. I also have an easier time on a “dryer” embouchure set. Of course, these little things are “all good” except for the fact that these preferences can lead to fear of taking the horn off my chops during the rests – Especially preceding some big high thing.

This year I have taken over the lead part to a tune that opens with a “classical” trumpet solo and is then followed by a bajillion high A’s. Or maybe it’s more like five. Anyways, the first few shows I was worried about taking the horn off my chops for the six bars after the legit stuff and leading up to the high A fest.

After deciding enough is enough I set a tour goal of taking the horn off my face during those rests. Pretty simple but hugely important in mental approach. It actually feels a lot better to take the horn off and allow a moment of peace. I don’t always plaster the lick but I have moved through fear and learned that on the other side it’s the music that’s most important. Don’t get me wrong, laser-beaming high A’s is awesome, but at the end of the day, if you handle the music and do the best you can – I personally think that’s a job well-done.

Oh yeah, my other goal was to ride one of those electronic scooters around town. I started in Ohio and crossed into Kentucky where I only got honked at twice!

Cool Online Interviews and Lessons

If you haven’t checked out Michael Davis’ YouTube channel and website, I highly recommend it. He’s a NYC trombonist/composer/everything kind of guy and he’s got a really cool segment on YouTube called “Bone2Pick” where he interviews top professional brass players. I recently watched Earl Gardner’s interview (lead trumpet with Thad Jones and Mel Lewis for nearly 30 years and a member of the Saturday Night Live horn section for more than that) and another with Alex Sipiagin (monster jazz trumpet player on the New York scene). Both are great.

Earl Gardner Interview

Hilarious stories by one of the most famous NYC lead trumpet players. Earl seems like a really cool, normal dude who has had an awesome career and shares some really funny stories about how me made his way into Thad and Mel’s band, the SNL horn section and his other nutty colleagues in New York.

Alex Sipiagin Interview

Alex is not only a total bad ass jazz player but also a straight-up extraordinary trumpet player. Coming from Russia and basically killing it on the NY jazz scene, this is one of the most humbling things you’ll feast your eyes on. BTW, Michael Davis sells lessons by the guys he interviews on his website. I paid $5 for the ability to stream a 12-minute lesson from Alex Sipiagin anytime/all the time, for one year. The lesson contains really great information on his approach to pedal tones (from the Russian Conservatory) for embouchure and sound development. Check him out – he’s a bad boy.

Be Good to Yourselves and Practice, Practice!

That’s it from me – hope you’re having a good time making and/or appreciating music and trumpet playing. Leave some comments below.