LA Trumpet Ensemble Interview

Welcome to the show notes for Episode #112 of The Other Side of the Bell – A Trumpet Podcast. This episode features trumpeters Wayne Bergeron and Jeff Bunnell talking about their new album “Homage” by the Los Angeles Trumpet Ensemble.

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About the LA Trumpet Ensemble, Wayne Bergeron and Jeff Bunnell

“Homage” Liner Notes –

The recording scene in Los Angeles has a long history of great and highly versatile trumpet playing. For the most part, though, these trumpet players rarely get a chance to be featured. In 1957, Tutti Camarata arranged and produced a record called Tutti’s Trumpets that featured some of the top session trumpet players in Los Angeles at that time. That was over 60 years ago. Wayne Bergeron and I started talking about doing another recording that would feature some of the current session trumpet players here in Los Angeles. Wayne suggested recording a trumpet ensemble CD. I loved the idea and thought a choir of trumpets would work well. With that, the Los Angeles Trumpet Ensemble came into being.

In choosing the music I arranged for this CD, I wanted to pay tribute to some of the film composers who are part of the Los Angeles recording scene (and who write so well for the trumpet), and also pay tribute to some of the great trumpet players of the past and present.

Thanks to:

All the members of the Los Angeles Trumpet Ensemble, whose world class trumpet playing breathed life into the black dots on the pages that I gave them, and elevated the music on this CD to such a high level. Bravo!

Andrew, Abe, Chad and Chris for their stellar playing on Roof Garden.

Dan Savant for contributing his seasoned producing skills to this CD, and for all the encouragement he has given me over the years.

Michael Aarvold for his great engineering, mixing and mastering work.

Joe Meyer for his help with the CD design concepts.

A big thanks to Jerry Hey for writing the perfect closer to this CD and for lending his exceptional producing talents to that session. A huge thanks to Wayne Bergeron, whose outstanding playing, engineering and producing chops were invaluable to this project! A very special thanks to my beautiful wife Becky for her encouragement and support of this project, and for putting up with the rehearsals in our living room.

Wayne Bergeron is enjoying a career as one of the most sought-after musicians in the world. Studio sessions, film dates, international touring, jazz concerts, guest appearances, and clinics keep him busy not only in his hometown of Los Angeles but worldwide.

Born in Hartford, Connecticut in 1958, Bergeron came to California at age one. He originally started on French horn but switched to trumpet in seventh grade where he found a natural upper register ability. Bergeron credits his junior high and high school teachers, Ron Savitt and Bob Smith, for molding his talent into practical working skills.

Bergeron first caught the ear of many when he landed the lead trumpet chair with Maynard Ferguson’s band in 1986. Bergeron can be heard on Maynard’s recordings of Body and Soul, Big Bop Nouveau, Brass Attitude, and The One and Only Maynard Ferguson.  Bergeron demonstrates daily why Maynard remarked, “Wayne is the most musical lead trumpet player I’ve had on my band.”

As a sideman, Bergeron’s list of recording credits reads like a “who’s who” in contemporary jazz and pop, running the stylistic gamut from Ray Charles to Green Day. Other names include Katy Perry, Beyoncé, Barbra Streisand, Michael Buble, Indina Menzel, Leslie Oden Jr., Herb Alpert, The Jonas Brothers, Burt Bacharach, The Dirty Loops, Seth MacFarlane, Natalie Cole, Celine Dion, Seal, Diana Krall, Tito Puente, Christina Aguilera, Dianne Reeves, Michael Bolton, Earth Wind & Fire, The Pussy Cat Dolls, My Chemical Romance, The Mars Volta, Chicago, Rosemary Cloony, Diane Schuur, Barry Manilow, Lee Ann Womack, Lou Rawls, Eric Marienthal, Kenny G., and David Benoit.

Bergeron has worked on over 500 TV & motion picture soundtracks. A partial list of film credits includes Red Notice, Turning Red, Soul, Bob’s Burgers, Ford vs. Ferrari, Toy Story 4, Frozen 1 & 2, The Lion King (2019), The Secret Life of Pets, Wreck it Ralph 2, Crazy Rich Asians, Sing 1&2, Moana, Frozen 1 & 2, Get On Up, Toy Story 3, Monsters University, High School Musical 3, Get Smart, Superman Returns, The Simpson’s Movie, Dreamgirls, Hairspray, Mission Impossible 3, Ice Age 2, Spiderman 1 & 2, Team America and South Park.

Bergeron’s featured trumpet solos can be heard on the motion pictures West Side Story (2021 Steven Spielberg), La La Land, Sing, The Incredibles 1 & 2, Rocky Balboa, The Secret Life of Pets 2, Rough Night, Jazzman’s Blues, Vacation Friends, Ted 2, Minions, Minions 2:The Rise of Gru, Spies in Disguise, Jersey Boys, The Green Hornet, The Interview, Despicable Me 1, 2 & 3, Duplicity, Princess & the Frog, The Perfect Game,, Hey Arnold (the movie), The Rat Pack, Child Star, Aladdin King of Thieves and High Crimes and  many others.

Numerous TV credits include Academy Awards, Golden Globe Awards, SAG Awards, NBC, ESPN & TNT sports themes, American Idol (2001-02), Emmy Awards, Grammy Awards, Animaniacs Reboot, Family Guy, American Dad, Simpson’s, Wonderful World of Mickey Mouse, The Cleveland Show, Green Eggs and Ham,  Jeopardy, America’s Funniest Home Videos, Will and Grace, Phineas & Ferb, Emperor’s New School, Mouse Works, Have a Laugh, House of Mouse, King of the Hill, Futurama, Buzz Lightyear, Hercules, and Hey Arnold.

Bergeron’s greatest love is playing lead in big bands. He has recorded and played with some of Los Angeles’ most respected bands including Gordon Goodwin, Arturo Sandoval, Pat Williams, Sammy Nestico, Jack Sheldon, Chris Walden, Tom Kubis, John La Barbara, Bob Florence, Joey Sellers, Ray Anthony, Bill Watrous, Bob Curnow, and Quincy Jones.

After being behind the scene for so many years, Bergeron stepped out on his own with his first solo effort, You Call This a Living?  This debut project earned him a Grammy nomination in 2004 for Best Large Jazz Ensemble, as well as rave reviews from fans and press worldwide. Bergeron’s second CD, Plays Well With Others, released on the Concord Jazz label in 2007, was met with the same acclaim. Bergeron’s most current (and personal favorite) CD, Full Circle, was released in January of 2016.

Bergeron performs various events for the Hollywood Bowl summer season. He has done guest appearances with the L.A. Philharmonic, The New York Philharmonic, Cleveland Orchestra, Dallas Symphony, Taiwan Symphony, and Tokyo Philharmonic.

Bergeron is a National Artist for the Yamaha Corporation of America and is co-designer of the YTR-8335LA trumpet and YFH-8315G Flugelhorn. Bergeron also designed a series of trumpet mouthpieces with Gary Radtke of GR Technologies that are available through Bergeron’s website.

Bergeron was mentored by legends Uan Rasey, Bobby Shew, Warren Luening, Gary Grant, Rick Baptist, and George Graham. Bergeron hopes to inspire a new generation of young players and enjoys his work as a clinician and educator. “Nothing makes me feel more accomplished than hearing a young musician say that I inspired them or had a positive influence on their life. For me, that’s the real payday.” Bergeron is currently on faculty at California State University Northridge.

Perhaps Grammy winning composer and bandleader, Gordon Goodwin said it best, “Wayne is a once in a lifetime lead trumpet player.”

LA Trumpet Ensemble Links

• “Homage” on Bandcamp
• Wayne Bergeron Website
• Jeff Bunnell on Discogs

Other Links Mentioned in this Episode

Join us at Dillon Music, November 9-11 for valve alignments and mouthpiece consultations. Email sales@dillonmusic to schedule an appointment!

Podcast Credits

• “A Room with a View“ – composed and performed by Howie Shear
• Audio Engineer – Preston Shepard
• Cover Art – Phil Jordan
• Podcast Host – John Snell

David Washburn Trumpet Interview

Welcome to the show notes for Episode #111 of The Other Side of the Bell – A Trumpet Podcast. This episode features trumpeter David Washburn.

Listen to or download the episode below:

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

About David Washburn

David Washburn is a Yamaha Performing Artist and serves as Principal Trumpet of the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra. A much sought-after musician in Los Angeles, he also holds the position of Associate Principal Trumpet of the LA Opera Orchestra. He has served as principal trumpet and soloist with the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra.

Active in the recording studio, David has numerous motion picture soundtracks to his credit. He has played principal trumpet for Incredibles 2, Coco, A Quiet Place, Spider-Man Homecoming, War for the Planet of the Apes, xXx: Return of Xander Cage, 10 Cloverfield Lane, Independence Day – Resurgence, Godzilla, The Amazing Spider-Man, The Karate Kid, Avatar, The Legend of Zorro, Troy, A Beautiful Mind, Windtalkers, The Perfect Storm, Titanic and Deep Impact. He has also been part of the John Williams trumpet section for over 20 years and has performed on the soundtracks of Star Wars: The Force Awakens and Star Wars: The Last Jedi.

David is a member of the faculty at Biola University and Azusa Pacific University. He has held teaching positions at the University of California Irvine, Chapman University, California State University Northridge, California State University Long Beach, University of Redlands, Idyllwild Arts Academy and the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts.

David received his Master of Music, with distinction, from the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston and his Bachelor of Music from the Thornton Music School at the University of Southern California. His trumpet instructors have included Rob Roy McGregor, Robert Nagel, John Clyman and Joan LaRue.

David has been a featured soloist with many different orchestras, including the Los Angeles, St. Louis, Knox-Galesburg, Hong Kong and California Philharmonics; the Los Angeles, San Diego and South Bay Chamber Orchestras; the Berkeley, Burbank and Glendale Symphonies; and the New York String, University of California Irvine and Pasadena Pops Orchestras. He has also been featured with the New York Chamber Music Society at Lincoln Center, as well as at the Santa Fe, La Jolla and Music@Menlo Chamber Music Festivals.

In 2018, David performed the Bach Brandenburg Concerto No. 2 as well as the Telemann, Albinoni and Haydn Trumpet Concertos with the Lincoln Center Chamber Music Society, the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra and the Knox-Galesburg Symphony.

In the summer, David performs at the Orcas Island Chamber Music Festival in Orcas Island, WA; Mainly Mozart Festival in San Diego, CA; Music@Menlo Chamber Music Festival in Menlo Park, CA; and the SummerFest Chamber Music Festival in San Diego. David was also part of the inaugural Chamber Music Festival at the Green Music Center in Sonoma, CA performing Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 2 in 2015.

When David is not performing, his favorite pastime is boating with his children Timothy, Samantha, Nicholas and Julia.

David Washburn Links

• David Washburn LACO Webpage
• David Washburn Yamaha Artist Page

Podcast Credits

• “A Room with a View“ – composed and performed by Howie Shear
• Audio Engineer – Preston Shepard
• Cover Art – Phil Jordan
• Podcast Host – John Snell