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Kenny Wheeler Special – The Other Side of the Bell #155

Song For Someone: The Musical Life of Kenny Wheeler. With Nick Smart & Brian Shaw.

Welcome to the show notes for Episode #155 of The Other Side of the Bell – featuring the life of trumpet composer, performer and innovator Kenny Wheeler, a conversation with biographers Nick Smart and Brian Shaw.

Kenny Wheeler has been an inspiration to trumpet players for generations, but in typical Kenny style, we haven’t known a lot about his back story, career path and personality.
Until now.
Nick Smart and Brian Shaw, trumpet trailblazers in their own right, have collaborated on a new biography of Kenny Wheeler called Song For Someone: The Musical Life of Kenny Wheeler, which draws from interviews and archival material and research to tell a compelling and touching story.
Kenny went from small town Canada to becoming one of the most influential yet enigmatic jazz musicians in Europe. Along the way, he navigated through all kinds of obstacles, personal and professional, with quiet and understated courage, to truly become a distinct performer. Kenny’s solos, improvisation and technical abilities were so unique that he garnered unmatched praise and respect as his career evolved.
And yet, underneath it all were what we would now consider mental health struggles, lack of confidence, imposter syndrome – all things that weren’t discussed or acknowledged at the time.
Those who knew Kenny personally were full of universal acclaim for his warmth, kindness and subtle humor. Brian and Nick join John Snell on today’s special episode to share some of the stories from their book, which paints a full picture of Kenny Wheeler’s life and music.

 

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Kyla Moscovich Trumpet Interview – The Other Side of the Bell #151

Kyla Moscovich Trumpet Interview

Welcome to the show notes for Episode #151 of The Other Side of the Bell – A Trumpet Podcast. This episode features trumpet performer and recording artist Kyla Moscovich.

At a year old she had a trumpet in her hands, and she hasn’t looked back since!
Kyla Moscovich has built a burgeoning career that bridges classical, jazz and pop music, performing concerts all over the world and, more recently, developing her studio skills as well, on Grammy-nominated records.
She has studied with Vincent Penzarella, Mark Gould, Laurie Frink and Tom Smith, was mentored by Jon Faddis, and was on stage at Carnegie Hall while still in her teens.
Kyla’s father was close friends with Bob Reeves, and so her potential and trajectory was apparent around the shop from very early days. But, as we talk about today, the trumpet was not necessarily an automatic pursuit.
Kyla struggled to balance the expectations of practice and studying music with friends and normal kid activities, as any kid would, and we talk about what it was like growing up in that kind of environment, making the “jump into adulthood” earlier than most of us have.
Our conversation today is a fascinating glimpse into how to build a modern career in the music industry playing trumpet, not to mention how to pursue your own musical tastes, and forge a path that’s true to you.

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Johnny Thirkell Trumpet Interview – The Other Side of the Bell #149

Johnny Thirkell Trumpet Interview

Welcome to the show notes for Episode #149 of The Other Side of the Bell – A Trumpet Podcast. This episode features trumpet performer and recording artist Johnny Thirkell.

Johnny Thirkell is the proverbial musician whom you’d innocently walk past on the street, having no idea that he was the trumpet sound behind hundreds of distinctive hit records, everyone from Jamiroquai to George Michael, Pet Shop Boys (Go West), Katrina and the Waves (Walking on Sunshine), Natalie Imbruglia (Torn), BTS (Dynamite) and so many more. 38 number one records in fact.
Johnny’s played and/or toured with Level 42, Tina Turner, Lisa Stansfield, Kylie Minogue, Bjork, Chaka Khan, Bon Jovi, The Who, Rick Astley (at the height of his prime), and played at the Prince’s Trust multiple times.
It’s not all pop music either, Johnny’s played with the Gil Evans Orchestra, the Buddy Rich Orchestra and the BBC Radio Big Band.
So, how did he do it?
Johnny’s here to tell the story of how he went from a potential coal mining career to gracing the stage at Wembley, with along the way a regular gig on the QE2 and oh, helping discover the Spice Girls too.
And of course we talk trumpet gear and technique, including life-changing lessons from Carmine Caruso and the difference that playing a gold-plated trumpet made to a commercial jingle!

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