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John Hutchinson Trumpet Interview – The Other Side of the Bell #67

John Hutchinson – Trumpet Interview

John Hutchinson Podcast Logo

Welcome to the show notes for Episode #67 of The Other Side of the Bell – A Trumpet Podcast. This episode features trumpeter John Hutchinson.

Listen to or download the episode below:

About John Hutchinson

John Hutchinson is a trumpeter, arranger, composer, teacher and blogger. Graduating from the Royal College of Music, London in 1999, he began his freelance career working with many of the UK’s major orchestras as well as recording and performing with major international pop acts such as Joss Stone and Bjork.

These days, John concentrates mainly on his media composition and production, brass and jazz arranging, and his trumpet teaching at some of the UK’s top schools. Having worked alongside numerous trumpet manufacturers over the years he also now engages with over 50,000 trumpeters around the world each month through his specialist trumpet website, MouthpieceOnline.com.

 

John Hutchinson Links

Podcast Credits

Hub van Laar Trumpet Interview – The Other Side of the Bell #66

Hub van Laar- Trumpet Interview

Welcome to the show notes for Episode #66 of The Other Side of the Bell – A Trumpet Podcast. This episode features trumpet and flugelhorn maker Hub van Laar.

Listen to or download the episode below:

About Hub van Laar

Hub van Laar founded his company in 1990 in Margraten, near Maastricht, on the border triangle to the Netherlands, Germany and Belgium. Beginning as a workshop for brass wind instruments, the company expanded rapidly under the direction of Hub van Laar and Heidrun Jöchner to become an enterprise of world repute.

Due to the increasing demand for their instruments Van Laar launched a new branch in Markneukirchen in 2010, in the heart of the so-called “Music Corner” (“Musikwinkel”) in Vogtland, Germany, which has a rich historical tradition in the making of musical instruments. In autumn 2016 Van Laar Trumpets GmbH relocated from Markneukirchen to larger premises in Klingenthal

Van Laar takes great pride in the fact that all the components necessary for their instruments are made completely in their own factories in the Netherlands and Germany.

Van Laar’s team of experts build brass wind instruments in a traditional way, using the most modern technologies. Hub van Laar is bound by tradition and is committed to achieving the highest standards, and every instrument undergoes rigorous testing before it leaves the workshop. As a result, musicians from the most renowned orchestras, big bands and ensembles all over the world use Van Laar instruments.

A new trumpet or flugelhorn is certainly not something one buys every day, and musicians develop a special relationship with their instrument. This is why Hub van Laar attaches great importance to individual and intensive contact with his customers. Over the years Van Laar has built up a wide range of trumpets and flugelhorns with all the technical requirements needed for all kinds of musicians and for every kind of music. These instruments were created in close cooperation with a number of musicians and have been continually improved, ensuring that the majority of customers will find “their” perfect trumpet or flugelhorn among them.

Van Laar will adapt an instrument to a customer’s individual requirements. In addition, Hub van Laar welcomes feedback and suggestions from his valued customers, since this provides inspiration for the further development of Van Laar instruments. Thanks to this, Hub van Laar Trumpets & Flugelhorns have become renowned all over the globe instruments are treasured by international artists and beginners alike.

Hub van Laar Links

Podcast Credits

Robert Karon Trumpet Interview – The Other Side of the Bell #65

Robert Karon – Trumpet Interview

Welcome to the show notes for Episode #65 of The Other Side of the Bell – A Trumpet Podcast. This episode features trumpeter Robert Karon.

Listen to or download the episode below:

About Robert Karon

A native of New Orleans, Robert Karon received his Bachelor of Arts cum laude in Music from UCLA and Master of Music degree from the Juilliard School in New York City. He was the recipient of the Longy Award for achievement in Solfege. His teachers include Robert DiVall, Irving Bush, William Vacchiano, and Arnold Jacobs. Proficient in three languages, Karon toured South America, the Far East, and Europe during his two years with the Mexico City Philharmonic and played first trumpet with the Maracaibo Symphony Orchestra in Venezuela.

In contrast, Karon also toured nationally with Engelbert Humperdinck and Emerson, Lake, and Palmer. Upon his return to the U.S., Karon has performed as principal trumpet of the Sacramento Symphony as well as a member of the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra and other Los Angeles based freelance orchestras. His recording credits for film and television include soundtracks for Jag, Star Trek, and Hello Dolly. Bob Karon has taught at Occidental College, Pomona College, the R. D. Colburn School, and UCLA.

Bob Karon’s latest endeavor is his educational website trumpetbob.com, which features lessons, articles, and resources for trumpet players. He also offers private lessons and consultations in person and through FaceTime and Skype.

Robert Karon Links

Podcast Credits

Wim Van Hasselt Trumpet Interview – The Other Side of the Bell #64

Wim Van Hasselt – Trumpet Interview

Welcome to the show notes for Episode #64 of The Other Side of the Bell – A Trumpet Podcast. This episode features trumpeter Wim Van Hasselt.

Listen to or download the episode below:

About Wim Van Hasselt

Wim Van Hasselt Links

Podcast Credits

Peter Bond Trumpet Interview – The Other Side of the Bell #63

Peter Bond – Trumpet Interview

Welcome to the show notes for Episode #63 of The Other Side of the Bell – A Trumpet Podcast. This episode features trumpeter Peter Bond.

Listen to or download the episode below:

About Peter Bond

Peter Bond has been a member of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra since 1992. Raised in Rockford Illinois, his path to the “Met” was atypical; while his future orchestra colleagues were attending professional training programs like Interlochen and Tanglewood, Mr. Bond spent summers on the road with a drum and bugle corps and the rest of his time focused on big band jazz. This pattern continued through college at Western Illinois University, where he received a degree in Music Education. It was only in graduate school at Georgia State University that he turned his attention to orchestral trumpet, studying with John Head, Principal Trumpet of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. He has also studied on an “outpatient” basis with Vincent Cichowicz, Adolph Herseth, Arnold Jacobs, Robert Nagle, and James Pandolfi.

After graduate school (MM 1981), Mr. Bond remained in Atlanta, enjoying a busy and varied career as a freelance musician. In 1987 his first orchestra audition resulted in being named Principal Trumpet of the New Mexico Symphony Orchestra in Albuquerque. Five years later, he auditioned for the Met and was offered his current position.

Mr. Bond enjoys getting out of the opera pit now and again for solo appearances, and is increasingly in demand as a trumpet teacher and clinician. He lives in Leonia, NJ with his wife of 34 years, singer Carla Reilly-Bond.

Peter Bond Links

Podcast Credits

Tiger Okoshi Trumpet Interview – The Other Side of the Bell #62

Tiger Okoshi – Trumpet Interview

Welcome to the show notes for Episode #62 of The Other Side of the Bell – A Trumpet Podcast. This episode features trumpeter Tiger Okoshi.

Listen to or download the episode below:

About Tiger Okoshi

Toru “Tiger” Okoshi was born in the Year of the Tiger on March 21 1950, just outside of Osaka (Ashiya city, Hyogo) As a child he was, in fact, devoted to painting as he loves today. At 13, he had an enlightening experience to see Louis Armstrong Perform live in Osaka, Japan, only 6 months after he begun to play the trumpet. ”He was painting the air with his trumpet” recalls Okoshi. Today, Okoshi often describes the relationship with his horn: “When I play, I want to paint the air with my colorful tone. Choices between long or short strokes, quick or slow, high in the canvas or low, brighter color or darker, with a fat brush or a pen. Paint the air one note at a time.”

In 1972, after graduating from Kwansei Gakuin University with a bachelor of commerce, he married Akemi Usui. They flew to the US to honeymoon, speaking no English. “We took a Greyhound bus across country from Los Angeles, but when we arrived in Boston, somehow we knew that we couldn’t go back.” They decided to sell their return tickets and paid the tuition at Berklee College of Music. Tiger graduated in 1975 receiving the highest honor of summa cum laude. During his 3 years at Berklee, Tiger performed at Carnegie Hall in New York in 1974 with British composer Mike Gibbs sharing the concert with legendary Bill Evans trio. After graduation, he went on the tour with Buddy Rich orchestra.

In 1976, he formed “Tiger’s Baku” the popular Boston fusion group that received many awards: Boston Magazine’s Best Jazz Band (1988), Boston Music Awards’ Best Jazz Band and the Best Horn Player (1988, 1989 and 1990), and Boston Phoenix/WFNX Best Music Poll in 1992. Grammy Award winner guitarist Bill Frisell was an original member in Tiger’s Baku. Baku is a mythical creature that eats people’s nightmares.

Tiger in Italy producing a CD of a former Berklee student.

In 1977, Tiger received Outstanding Composer & Arranger awards from the Collegiate Jazz Festival at University of Nortre Dame, IN. This award helped him acquire his US Permanent Residence status. Word of his abilities spread in no time. He joined in Gary Burton quartet in ’78 and recorded “Times Square” (ECM, featuring Roy Haynes and Steve Swallow) and toured the world. Keeping Boston as his base, Tiger has been a Berklee faculty member since 1997.

Performance has performed with Tony Bennett, Dave Grusin’s LA-NY Dream band (Grammy nominee, 1982), Pat Metheny, Gunther Schuller, Lyle Mays, Bob Mintzer, George Russell’s Living Time Orchestra, Dave Liebman, Mike Stern & Dave Weckle Band, Miloslav Vitous, Bela Fleck, Jerry Bergonzi, Dave Holland, Jack Dejonnet, Joe Lovano, Delfeayo Marsalis’s Octet with Branford Marsalis. Pop and R&B performances with Michel Franks, Teddy Pendergrass, Aimee Mann’s ‘Til Tuesday, The O’Jays, The Four Tops, The Stylistics, Little Anthony and The Imperials, Frankie Avalon and Bobby Lydel, legendary rock singer Brad Delp of “Boston”.

As producer and instructor, Tiger produced the Japanese female jazz singer Mizuho’s CD in 2008. Tiger has operated since 2006 the Hokkaido Groove Camp in Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan to teach jazz to young musicians in Japan. He also operates Domaine Forget Jazz Camp in St. Irinee, Quebec, Canada.

Tiger, who loves sports, was invited to perform “The Star Spangled Banner” at the opening game of the 2007 season between Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees at Fenway Park, as well as the playoff games in 2007 and 2008. Tiger’s trumpet was surrounded by 20 trumpets, 10 trombones and 7 Japanese Taiko drummers playing his original arrangement. In 1997, Tiger recorded a CD entitled “Hustle Tigers” for Japanese major league baseball team Hanshin Tigers.

Tiger Okoshi Links

Podcast Credits

Markus Stockhausen Trumpet Interview – The Other Side of the Bell #61

Markus Stockhausen – Trumpet Interview

Welcome to the show notes for Episode #61 of The Other Side of the Bell – A Trumpet Podcast. This episode features trumpeter Markus Stockhausen.

Listen to or download the episode below:

About Markus Stockhausen

Markus Stockhausen Playing Flugelhorn

Photo: Silvia Kleemann

Markus Stockhausen was born in 1957 and began playing the piano at the age of six. In 1975 he began to study piano and trumpet at the music school in Cologne. One year before his final exams he was the 1981 winner of the Deutscher Musikwettbewerb prize. Since then he has regularly performed as a soloist, including many premieres such as the trumpet concerto “Jet Stream” composed for him by Peter Eötvös in 2002 and performed for the first time with the BBC Symphony Orchestra in London. He is also a regular guest at renowned international music festivals

Markus Stockhausen is one of the most versatile musicians of our time. He is as much at home in jazz as in contemporary and classical music. For about 25 years he collaborated closely with his father, the composer Karlheinz Stockhausen, who composed many beautiful works for him. With his brother Simon he realized several internationally acclaimed musical projects.

As soloist, improviser and composer Markus Stockhausen is in international demand. He leads or collaborates in various ensembles with musicians like Arild Andersen, Patrice Héral, Mark Nauseef, Jörg Brinkmann, Angelo Comisso, Christian Thomé, Ferenc Snétberger, Florian Weber, and plays intuitive music in the duo Moving Sounds with his wife the clarinettist Tara Bouman. His group Eternal Voyage features musicians from India, the Netherlands and Lebanon. From the year 2000 until 2010 he directed a concert series called Klangvisionen with intuitive music in the church of St. Maternus in Cologne. Rolf Zavelberg was responsible for the artistic light design.

Markus Stockhausen Playing Trumpet

Photo: Elfi Kleiß

As a composer he has received commissions from, among others, the RIAS Chamber Choir, The London Sinfonietta, the Orchestra d‘Archi Italiana, the Winterthur Chamber Orchestra, the Cheltenham Music Festival and the 12 Cellists from the Berlin Philharmonic. In 2007 he wrote “Tanzendes Licht“ for trumpet, big band and string orchestra for the Swiss Jazz Orchestra and the Camerata Bern, as well as “Symbiosis“, a double concerto for clarinet and trumpet with string orchestra, comissioned by the Franz Liszt Chamber Orchestra. In 2009 he composed “Oliver’s Adventures“ for children’s orchestra and choir, in 2011 “Yin“ and “Yang“ for the Metropole Orchestra, premiered at the Muziekgebouw Amsterdam for the Holland Festival. Also in 2011 he wrote “GeZEITen“ for about 600 musicians, comissioned by the Niedersächsische Musiktage in Cuxhaven. In 2012: “Ein Glasperlenspiel“ for solo trumpet and accordeon orchestra, 2013: “Das Erwachende Herz“ for solo trumpet, clarinet and voice and symphony orchestra, commissioned and performed by the Hamburger Symphoniker.

Markus Stockhausen also teaches in various situations, including “Intuitive Music and More” and “Singing and Silence”. To date he has released or participated in more than 70 CDs. In 2005 he was the winner of the WDR jazz prize.

Markus Stockhausen Links

Podcast Credits

Freddie Jones Trumpet Interview – The Other Side of the Bell #60

Freddie Jones – Trumpet Interview

Welcome to the show notes for Episode #60 of The Other Side of the Bell – A Trumpet Podcast. This episode features trumpeter Freddie Jones.

Listen to or download the episode below:

About Freddie Jones

Freddie Jones is a popular jazz trumpet player and composer in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex. With an amazing musical gift, Freddie Jones kicks up the energy of a room a notch or two and thrills a jazz-lover’s soul! Audiences are in awe of the sound this Freddie Jones can coax from his horns. Freddie has taken his trumpet and his group on the road throughout the southwest, performing in hot spots from Austin’s’ The Elephant Room to Little Rock’s Riverfront Auditorium to numerous festivals in the Dallas/ Fort Worth Metroplex, Oklahoma City, and everywhere in between. He has also performed in Paris, The Hague and Rotterdam. He has several cds to his credit. His band, the Freddie Jones Jazz Group, never fails to pull in the audience and deliver an exciting sound.

Trumpets 4 Kids

Once a student receives a trumpet, they sign a contract agreeing to practice one hour a day, maintain the trumpet, as well as teach, help and perform for other kids. They are also encouraged to give the trumpet to the school if they decide to quit playing.

Students are required to practice and perform for other kids so that they may inspire each other and create a platform for dialogue about their goals and achievements. Having kids perform music, such as classical or jazz, at a skill level that shows great musicianship at an early age, can allow children to create and realize their own dreams and activities. Having quartets perform for kids who are homeless, ill, or in other at-risk situations brings a new dimension by which each child may begin to see beyond his or her present situation. Whether the child is the musician or listener, the idea is to create opportunities for each group to see other situations or to be inspired by their peer group.

 

Music is the universal language of our world. It is a part of life in every country and culture. It is also a powerful tool to help children learn and shape their lives. Music fosters the development of attention and listening skills; it assists in emotional development; and music involvement is known to enhance self-esteem and confidence. Music is also linked to improved math, memory and reading skills.

Freddie Jones Links

Podcast Credits

Phil Smith Trumpet Interview – The Other Side of the Bell #59

Phil Smith – Trumpet Interview

Welcome to the show notes for Episode #59 of The Other Side of the Bell – A Trumpet Podcast. This episode features trumpeter Philip Smith.

Listen to or download the episode below:

About Philip Smith

Philip Smith joined the New York Philharmonic as Co-Principal Trumpet in October 1978, and assumed the position of Principal Trumpet in June 1988. His father, Derek Smith, a renowned English cornet soloist, provided his early training. He is a graduate of The Juilliard School, having studied with Edward Treutel and William Vacchiano, former Principal Trumpet of the New York Philharmonic. In January 1975, while still at Juilliard, Sir Georg Solti appointed Mr. Smith to the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.

Philip Smith joined the Hugh Hodgson School of Music at the University of Georgia as the William F. and Pamela P. Prokasy Professor in the Arts in August 2014. In addition to teaching his trumpet studio, he is the Bandmaster of the UGA British Brass Band, member of the faculty Georgia Brass Quintet, and coach of the Bulldog Brass Society. This new position follows his retirement from the New York Philharmonic after 36 years of service as Principal Trumpet.

Mr. Smith has appeared regularly as soloist, recitalist, chamber orchestra performer, and clinician. He has been featured as a soloist with the Philharmonic performing with conductors Zubin Mehta, Kurt Masur, Erich Leinsdorf, Leonard Bernstein, Neeme Jarvi, Lorin Maazel, Alan Gilbert and Bramwell Tovey. Repertoire highlights have included the world premiere of Joseph Turrin’s Trumpet Concerto with the New York Philharmonic (1989) and its subsequent European premiere with the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra (1994). Additional New York Philharmonic performances have included the U.S. premiere of Jacques Hetu’s Trumpet Concerto (1992), the world premiere of Lowell Liebermann’s Concerto (2000), and the world premiere of Siegfried Matthus’s Double Concerto for Trumpet, Trombone, and Orchestra (2003). He has also been a guest soloist with the Mostly Mozart Festival Orchestra, and the symphonies of Edmonton, Newfoundland, South Dakota, Sioux City, Cedar Rapids (Orchestra Iowa), Columbus (Indiana), Pensacola (Florida), Hartford (Connecticut), and Beaumont (Texas). He has appeared as guest Principal Trumpet with the Orchestre de Paris, conducted by Daniel Barenboim, performing Mahler’s Symphony #5.

Mr. Smith has also appeared with many symphonic wind ensembles, including the US “President’s Own” Marine Band, the West Point Academy Band, the US Army TRADOC Band, the US Coast Guard Band, La Philharmonie des Vents des Quebec and many major university wind ensembles. He appeared at The College Band Directors National Association Convention in Austin, Texas, for the world premiere of Turrin’s Chronicles (1999) with the University of New Mexico Wind Ensemble. A subsequent recording of Chronicles was produced which included the world premiere of Stephen Gryc’s Evensong (2000) and Turrin’s Fandango (2000). Alfred Cohen’s “curls of motion” was premiered in 2008 with the Columbus State University Wind Ensemble. Aaron Kernis’ a Voice, a Messenger was premiered in 2013 with the University of Illinois Wind Ensemble.

An avid brass band enthusiast, Mr. Smith has been guest soloist with the United States Army Brass Band, and the contesting bands of Goteborg Brass (Sweden), Black Dyke Mills and Rigid Containers Band (Britain), Hannaford Street Silver Band and Intrada Brass (Canada), as well as Columbus Brass Band, Triangle Brass Band, and Imperial Brass (USA). He has soloed with all of the Salvation Army Staff Bands worldwide including the International Staff Band, New York, Chicago, Amsterdam, Melbourne, German and Japan. He appeared as featured soloist at the 1996 British Open Brass Band Championships in Manchester, England.

Mr. Smith has been on the faculty of The Juilliard School and Manhattan School of Music, and has appeared as recitalist and clinician at the Caramoor International Music Festival, Grand Teton Music Festival, Swiss Brass Week, Breman (Germany) Trumpet Days, Oslo (Norway) Trumpet Week, Harmony Ridge (Vermont) Festival, Scotia Festival of Music and numerous International Trumpet Guild conferences.

In 2005, Mr. Smith was made an Honorary Member of the Royal Academy of Music (Hon RAM). In 2006, Mr. Smith was given the International Trumpet Guild Honorary Award.As a member of the Principal Brass Quintet, Mr. Smith has toured Japan four times, as well as Brazil and Germany. He has also performed and recorded with the Canadian Brass, Empire Brass, Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, Bargemusic, and New York Virtuosi Chamber Symphony. His solo recordings include Contest Solos produced by the International Trumpet Guild; Fandango, featuring New York Philharmonic Principal Trombonist Joseph Alessi and the University of New Mexico Wind Symphony (Summit); My Song of Songs with the New York Staff Band of The Salvation Army (Triumphonic); Copland’s Quiet City (Deutsche Grammophone); New York Legends (CALA); Orchestral Excerpts for Trumpet (Summit); Ellen Taaffe Zwilich’s Concerto for Trumpet and Five Instruments (New World); Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 2 (Koch); Walton’s Facade (Arabesque); and The Trump Shall Resound and Repeat the Sounding Joy(Heritage).

Mr. Smith has collaborated on a series of projects with Curnow Music Press (Hal Leonard), publishing music arrangements with demonstration CDs. These include Great Hymns, More Great Hymns, and Great Christmas Carols for Trumpet and Piano. Two trumpet study books with demo CD have also been produced, Concert Studies and Advanced Concert Studies. In a similar project published by Michael Davis and Hip-Bone Music, Mr. Smith has recorded the 20 minute WARM UP ROUTINE and a soon to be released etude book. Also in this series is Total Trumpet, featuring a variety of trumpet studies demonstrated by Randy Brecker, Jim Hynes and Philip Smith.

Mr. Smith’s film soundtrack credits include: Cobb (1994) music by Elliot Goldenthal; The Hudsucker Proxy (1994) music by Carter Burwell; A Time To Kill (1996) music by Elliot Goldenthal; Punchline (1998) music by Gary Anderson and Charles Gross; Sphere (1998) music by Elliot Goldenthal; The Rookie (2002) music by Carter Burwell; The Ladykillers(2004) music by Carter Burwell; Manchurian Candidate (2004) music by Rachel Portman; Hitch (2005) music by George Fenton and Alan Elliot. His commercial soundtrack credits include: “NBC Sunday Night Football Theme 2006” music by John Williams; “NBC Super Bowl XVIII Theme 2008” music by John Williams and Joel Beckerman (currently heard); “NBC and Golf Channel Tournament Theme 2013” music by Joel Beckerman.

Philip Smith Links

Podcast Credits

Jennifer Marotta Trumpet Interview – The Other Side of the Bell #58

Jennifer Marotta – Trumpet Interview

Welcome to the show notes for Episode #58 of The Other Side of the Bell – A Trumpet Podcast. This episode features trumpeter Jennifer Marotta.

Listen to or download the episode below:

About Jennifer Marotta

Jennifer Marotta is an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Trumpet at the University of Southern California Thornton School of Music. An active freelance musician based in Los Angeles, she regularly performs with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, San Francisco Symphony, San Diego Symphony, Los Angeles Opera, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, Los Angeles Master Chorale, and the St. Louis Symphony.

Marotta is currently a member of the Grand Teton Music Festival and the Music of the Baroque in Chicago. She was a member of “The President’s Own” United States Marine Band from 2001 to 2005.

Originally from Naperville, Illinois, she earned her Bachelor of Music degree from Northwestern University and her Master of Music degree from DePaul University.

Marotta was a visiting trumpet professor at UCLA in 2016 and was Assistant Professor of Trumpet at Kennesaw State University from 2006 to 2012. She was also a visiting professor at Illinois State University in 2006 and was an artist-in-residence at Emory University from 2006 to 2010.

Jennifer, along with her husband Thomas Hooten, is the most recent editor for Arban’s Complete Conservatory Method for Trumpet, published by Carl Fischer. She serves on the board for the International Women’s Brass Conference and is the editor for their bi-annual newsletter.

Jennifer Marotta Links

Podcast Credits

Peter Olstad Trumpet Interview – The Other Side of the Bell #52

Peter Olstad – Trumpet Interview

Welcome to the show notes for Episode #52 of The Other Side of the Bell – A Trumpet Podcast. This episode features trumpeter Peter Olstad.

Listen to or download the episode below:

About Peter Olstad

Pete Olstad has toured and performed with Maynard Ferguson, Buddy Rich, Woody Herman, Blood, Sweat and Tears; Mel Torme, Brian Setzer, Tom Jones and Latin pop star Luis Miguel.

Born in Burbank, Calif., Olstad later moved to Evergreen, Colo. He attended Berklee College of Music in Boston, Mass., and the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley. While in college, he received Downbeat Magazine’s “Best Jazz Soloist Award” three years in a row in the college division and, later, was one of five finalists in the Thelonious Monk Institute’s Louis Armstrong Jazz Trumpet Competition in Washington, D.C.

Olstad spent 15 years as a freelance trumpet player in Los Angeles, Calif., and later relocated to New York City for another 10 years, before settling back in Denver, Colorado. Most recently, Pete has made his home in Los Angeles, California and is working on his own album.

Peter Olstad Links

Podcast Credits

The History of the Trumpet Mouthpiece Gap

The Early Years

Carroll Purviance, the custom mouthpiece maker that Bob Reeves apprenticed with in Hollywood, CA.

The first time I learned about the gap was on a visit to Elden Benge’s Burbank shop. He explained to me how he made his trumpet play better in combination with Bach mouthpieces, which were popular at the time. He moved the receiver on the horn back until it played the way he liked it. Benge’s goal was to find the gap that worked best, not find out what the gap was “supposed to be.” When I went to work for Carroll Purviance in 1961 he had two shank sizes for his mouthpieces, his standard, and a smaller B shank. Purviance discovered that for some setups, one shank would play better than the other. During that same period I was studying trumpet with John Clyman, who had his own theories about the gap. He believed that there should be at least some gap between the mouthpiece and leadpipe. This was contrary to another theory that suggested that very little, or no gap was best. Clyman would push me to work on mouthpiece projects for him in exchange for the lessons he gave me. He then bought my first lathe (which I still use today) and I opened  up my own shop in the back of my Mother’s house. Opening Up Shop In April of 1968 I opened my shop in Hollywood, California and was fortunate to attract the top brass players in the world. My shop was a sandbox where we would try all the ideas we had on our minds. Some turned out good, some bad, but it was fun and a unique learning experience. My experiences with Benge, Purviance, and Clyman, along with my day-to-day observations of players made me realize how crucial the gap really is.  Discovering the proper gap was a time consuming process, requiring a lot of salvage work on customers’ mouthpieces. I would think that the gap should be increased so I soldered a new shank on the mouthpiece, only to find out that it should be smaller and had to file down the shank, or vice-versa. The Bob Reeves Sleeve System It only took a few times of going through this painstaking process to figure out that there must be a better way. This planted the seed that grew into my adjustable sleeve system. Thanks to my friends Bill Cardwell and Don Macintosh,  in 1974 I was granted my first patent for the sleeve system.

The Experimenting Continued

Originally, I made six different sleeve sizes that allowed a player to adjust the gap within 1/16″. It quickly became obvious that players required further fine-tuning, so I divided the sizes into 1/2 and 1/4 sizes, allowing players to adjust the gap within 1/64″. Due to the limitations of the manual lathe I was using, I could not reliably adjust the gap in smaller increments. Frustrated by this limitation and wanting to make even smaller adjustments to the gap, I turned my attention from the mouthpiece to the trumpet receiver.

Adjustable Gap Receiver

I

Ad for the B.R.A.S.S. adjustable-gap receiver designed by Bob Reeves – the first of its kind.

n 1979, I invented the first adjustable gap receiver for the trumpet. The gap could be adjusted within .001” by using a precision threaded bit.  Over the next few years, I tested the gap extensively compiling several journals full of notes, observations, and most importantly, players’ perceptions. I was surprised to discover that trumpet players can perceive a change in the gap as little as .006”! I also confirmed my belief that two different players playing on the same mouthpiece and same trumpet often will required a different gap. I converted many trumpets with my adjustable gap receiver (The B.R.A.S.S., which stands for Bob Reeves Adjustable Sleeves System), but there were practicality issues with this system that made me reevaluate making gap adjustments using the mouthpiece. Thanks to advances in machining technology, adjusting the gap by using a converted mouthpiece and removable sleeves became feasible.

The Bob Reeves Sleeve System

The system as it exists today requires a mouthpiece to be converted for sleeves, which is much easier and more economical than replacing the receiver on a trumpet. We can convert any trumpet mouthpiece to accept our sleeves, the process of which does not alter any other part of the mouthpiece — the backbore and overall length of the mouthpiece remain the same. Our removable sleeves come in half sizes, ranging from #1 to #7. We also have quarter sizes available from time to time. The #1 sleeve has the largest shank size, which will produce the largest gap, while the #7 sleeve has the smallest shank size, producing the smallest gap. Learn how to experiment adjusting your gap.