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Preston Shepard

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Brian Swartz Trumpet Interview – The Other Side of the Bell #119

Brian Swartz Trumpet Interview

Welcome to the show notes for Episode #119 of The Other Side of the Bell – A Trumpet Podcast. This episode features  jazz trumpeter Brian Swartz. Listen to or download the episode below:

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About Brian Swartz

Trumpeter Brian Swartz is a diverse musician with a wide range of influences. He has appeared on multiple Grammy® nominated and winning recordings with artists including The (Dixie) Chicks’ Double Platinum “Taking the Long Way” which won 5 Grammy® Awards, including Album of the Year, Record of the Year, and Song of the Year in February 2007, John Beasley’s Monk’estra which has garnered 6 Grammy® Nominations for it’s 3 albums and 1 Grammy® Win for Beasley’s arrangement of “Donna Lee,” The Clayton/Hamilton Jazz Orchestra, Scott Healy’s Tentet and Kim Richmond’s Concert Jazz Orchestra. He has also performed or recorded with The Goo Goo Dolls, Michael Bublé, Kelly Clarkson, John Legend, Jennifer Nettles, Robin Thicke, Smashmouth, Patti Labelle, Natalie Cole, Dianne Reeves, Ivan Lins, Tom Harrell, Chucho Valdés, Brad Mehldau, Dave Douglas, Rickie Lee Jones, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, The O’Jays, The Temptations, The Four Tops,  Saint Motel, Azar Lawrence, Buddy Montgomery, Joe Henry, Keb’ Mo’, Jackie Greene, Josie Cotton, Lisa Loeb, The Fabulous Thunderbirds, Gerry Gibbs, Connie Han, Taylor Eigsti, Raya Yarbrough, Bob Florence, The Luckman Jazz Orchestra, Francisco Aguabella, JazzAntiqua, The Los Angeles Jazz Collective, Jose Rizo’s Jazz on the Latin Side All Stars and many more.
Since 2005, Swartz has proudly held the trumpet chair in Oingo Boingo Former Members.

 

Brian Swartz has released five jazz albums as a leader: “There’s Only Me” (Noir Records 2000), “Live at the Jazz Bakery” (Summit Records 2005), “Three” (Summit Records 2006) and “Portraiture” (Summit Records 2014), “To Be With You” (DistroKid 2020). As an arranger, Brian has written for his own big band, Ruthie Foster’s 2021 Grammy® Nominated “Live at the Paramount,” Sussan Deyhim with the Pacific Symphony, the Ron Jones Influence Orchestra and has served as staff arranger for The Luckman Jazz Orchestra, John Beasley’s Monk’estra, Oingo Boingo Former Members and the ABC TV show, “Duets.” Brian‘s film credits include the 2012 Oscar® Winning Animated Feature “Rango,” Jennifer Anniston’s “The Break-Up,” “The Cooler” starring William H. Macy and “Let Them All Talk” with Meryl Streep. In 2021, Brian appeared with John Beasley’s Quintet on the Amazon Prime TV show ‘Bosch,” Season 7, Episode 1.

Born December 16, 1967, Brian is a second generation trumpeter. His father, CMSgt Lawrence Swartz (1937-1992), was a 30 year trumpeter in the United States AirForce. Brian’s early exposure to music made a profound influence on him and he started playing trumpet at the age of ten in Bellevue, Nebraska. As a teenager, his family moved to the San Francisco Bay Area where he attended Armijo High School. He played all through his high school years and won many honors and accolades. He graduated from Armijo in 1986 and began his music education at Solano Community College. In 1988, he moved to Los Angeles to attend California State University at Northridge and the University of Southern California where he could further hone his craft.

For five years, Brian studied with trumpet guru Bobby Shew. Bobby inspired Brian‘s passion for teaching and since 1997, Brian has maintained a very busy schedule of private students in the Los Angeles area and beyond. Brian also studied with John Coppola (SFO), Bill Bing (CSUN), John Thomas (USC) and LA studio legend Uan Rasey. Brian’s dedication to mastering his craft and continually building upon his knowledge has brought him to prominence in the global jazz scene.

Brian Swartz Links

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In podcast

Anthony Plog Trumpet Interview – The Other Side of the Bell #117

Anthony Plog Trumpet Interview

Welcome to the show notes for Episode #117 of The Other Side of the Bell – A Trumpet Podcast. This episode features  trumpeter and composer Anthony Plog. Listen to or download the episode below:

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In Trombone Corner

Third Coast Trombone Retreat Podcast Interview – Trombone Corner #27

Third Coast Trombone Retreat Podcast Interview

Welcome to the show notes for Episode #27 of the Trombone Corner podcast. This episode features trombonists John Sebastian Vera and Nick Schwartz from the Third Coast Trombone Retreat Podcast. This is a special 2-part episode, so head on over to the Third Coast Trombone Retreat Podcast feed to catch the 2nd half of the interview

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In podcast

Marc Caparone Trumpet Interview – The Other Side of the Bell #115

Marc Caparone Trumpet Interview

Welcome to the show notes for Episode #115 of The Other Side of the Bell – A Trumpet Podcast. This episode features jazz trumpeter/cornetist, Marc Caparone. Listen to or download the episode below:

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In Trombone Corner

Dr. Brett Baker Trombone Interview – Trombone Corner #24

Dr. Brett Baker Trombone Interview

Welcome to the show notes for Episode #24 of the Trombone Corner podcast. This episode features trombonist, Dr. Brett Baker. Listen to or download the episode below:

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About Brett Baker

Brett Baker is viewed internationally as a leading brass performer and educator. He is passionate about encouraging composers to write pioneering new repertoire, having commissioned over 100 trombone solos and is one of the most recorded brass soloists. Brett was Programme Leader for Musical Arts (previously band musicianship) at the University of Salford for seven years. He continues to be an Artist for Michael Rath Brass Instruments and is long serving Principal Trombone of the Black Dyke Band. Recently he became Marketing Lead & Global Artist Liaison for Denis Wick Products and Vice Chair of the Association of Brass Band Adjudicators.

As well as a performance schedule of 40 concerts a year, Brett enjoys presenting workshops, specialising in solo performance and band training. Brett has performed on over 30 solo albums, 8 under his own label of White River Evocations, which produces and distributes CDs. He has performed as guest soloist on a further 40 CDs. He regularly tours in the USA, Europe, Australia and New Zealand as a soloist, teacher, conductor and adjudicator. As a consultant, Brett, has worked with Michael Rath Musical Instruments for over 18 years on instrument design and has assisted in production of a signature mouthpiece. He was taught by Robert Morgan, Lyndon Baglin, Steve Walkley, Christopher Houlding, Kevin Price and Denis Wick.

As a conductor, Brett has many associations with bands in the North of England, and has achieved contest successes with Northop, Ratby and Longridge bands. He has been guest conductor of the University of Salford Brass Band, the brass band at the Royal Northern College of Music, thew National Youth band of Scotland, the European Youth Brass Band, Thoresby Colliery, Carlton Main Frickley Colliery and the Leyland Band.

In 2014 Brett conducted Tongwynlais Temperance at the National Finals of Great Britain in the Royal Albert Hall, London. Brett was conductor of the University of Salford Symphonic Wind Band from 2014-2019. He is currently Musical Director and tutor of both the Yorkshire Youth Brass Band and the North-East Midlands Youth Brass Band and has conducted the massed ensemble at Trombonanza in Argentina. For over 20 years, Brett Baker has been keen to promote new music for the trombone, commissioning over one hundred works from composers and arrangers. 

As an adjudicator, Brett, has judged regularly, the International Trombone Association in the USA, the National Solo Championships in Switzerland, many Association contests, the Scottish Open, Butlins Mineworkers Festival, the National Finals in the Netherlands, Lithuania, New Zealand and Australia. He has judged all the regional area qualifiers for the National Championships of Great Britain and many solo contests worldwide.

He has been trombone tutor of the National Youth Brass Band of Scotland, the National Youth Band of Wales, National Youth and Children’s Brass Band of Great Britain, the European Youth Brass Band, the International Brass Band Summer School in Swansea as well as low brass tutor of the International Summer School in Dartington, Devon.

In 2020 Brett won the ITA Presidents Award for Solo Performance and services to the International Trombone Association where he has been featured regularly as a soloist including in Salt Lake City, Utah in 2023.

Brett Baker Links

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