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Brass Tacks 2

Lawrence K. Moss composer
Edward “Ted” Messerschmidt composer
Henry Wolking composer
David F. Wilborn composer
Janice Macaulay composer
Marilyn Bliss composer
Paul Paccione composer

Release Date: September 8, 2023
Catalog #: NV6556
Format: Digital
21st Century
Orchestral
Solo Instrumental
Large Ensemble
Trombone
Trumpet

It’s no secret that brass instruments can infuse any musical setting with a hair-raising surge of untamed energy and fervor. On BRASS TACKS VOL 2 from Navona Records, the brass family finds itself the spotlight, showcasing unique tones and unhindered expressiveness that’ve been carefully extracted by a variety of seasoned composers and performers.

Spanning joy rides in stylish sports cars, jazz-influenced passages, fusions with percussive instruments, and more, this release explores a wide range of emotions and compositional styles, each uncovering an inherent intensity and bravado that pushes the boundaries of brass repertoire.

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Track Listing & Credits

# Title Composer Performer
01 Echoes Lawrence K. Moss Filharmonie Brno | Pavel Šnajdr, conductor 2:31
02 Fantasia for Horn and Piano Edward “Ted” Messerschmidt Juventas New Music Ensemble | Oliver Caplan, artistic director; Anne Howarth, horn; Julia Scott Carey, piano 3:03
03 If Edward “Ted” Messerschmidt Juventas New Music Ensemble | Oliver Caplan, artistic director; Alex Avila, euphonium; Julia Scott Carey, piano 3:07
04 Just Do It for Brass Quartet Henry Wolking NdBrass | Pavel Šnajdr, music supervisor; Lukáš Soldán, 1st trumpet; Josef Zimka, 2nd trumpet; Zbyněk Pavluš, trombone; David Křížek, tuba 6:05
05 Jett Stream Blue: I. A Cool Ride! David F. Wilborn Mike Tybursky, trombone; Randall Hodgkinson, piano 1:55
06 Jett Stream Blue: II. Late Night Drive in the City David F. Wilborn Mike Tybursky, trombone; Randall Hodgkinson, piano 3:09
07 Jett Stream Blue: III. Looking Good While Driving in Jetstream Blue David F. Wilborn Mike Tybursky, trombone; Randall Hodgkinson, piano 3:03
08 Chorale, Fanfare, and Prayer Janice Macaulay NdBrass | Pavel Šnajdr, music supervisor; Jozef Zimka, 1st trumpet; Lukáš Soldán, 2nd trumpet; Antonín Kolář, french horn; Zbyněk Pavluš, trombone; David Křížek, tuba 6:16
09 Aria for tuba solo Marilyn Bliss Jobey Wilson, tuba 2:28
10 Evocations: I. Praeludium Marilyn Bliss Jobey Wilson, tuba 1:56
11 Evocations: II. Burlesque Marilyn Bliss Jobey Wilson, tuba 1:48
12 Evocations: III. Arioso Marilyn Bliss Jobey Wilson, tuba 2:13
13 Evocations: IV. Largo-Finale Marilyn Bliss Jobey Wilson, tuba 5:24
14 Radical Ears Paul Paccione NdBrass | Pavel Šnajdr, conductor; Lukáš Soldán, 1st trumpet; Jozef Zimka, 2nd trumpet; Antonín Kolář, french horn; Zbyněk Pavluš, trombone; David Křížek, tuba; Stanislav Slavíček, piano; Petr Hladík, percussion 8:24

Echoes
Recorded May 20, 2022 in Besední dům, Brno, Czech Republic
Session Producer Jan Košulič
Session Engineer Jaroslav Zouhar
Production Manager Jean Noël Attard
Editing Jan Košulič, additional editing and mixing Melanie Montgomery

Fantasia
Recorded March 9, 2023 at the Shalin Liu Performance Center in Rockport MA
Session Producer Lucas Paquette
Session Engineer Brad Michel
Production Assistant Adam Lysák
Editing & Mixing Lucas Paquette

If
Recorded December 14, 2022 at the Shalin Liu Performance Center in Rockport MA
Session Producer Lucas Paquette
Session Engineer Luke Damrosch
Editing & Mixing Lucas Paquette

Just Do It; Chorale, Fanfare, and Prayer
Recorded September 20-21, 2022 at Orlí Street Theater Recording Studio in Brno, Czech Republic
Session Producer Jan Košulič
Session Engineer Jana Jelínková
Production Manager Jean Noël Attard
Editing & Mixing Lucas Paquette

Jett Stream Blue; Aria; Evocations
Recorded March 13-14, 2023 at the Shalin Liu Performance Center in Rockport MA
Session Producer & Engineer Brad Michel
Production Assistant Adam Lysák
Editing & Mixing Brad Michel

Radical Ears
Recorded January 30, 2023 at Orlí Street Theater Recording Studio in Brno, Czech Republic
Session Producer Jan Košulič
Session Engineer Jana Jelínková
Production Assistant Adam Lysák
Editing Jan Košulič, additional editing and mixing Melanie Montgomery

Mastering Melanie Montgomery

Executive Producer Bob Lord

A&R Director Brandon MacNeil
A&R Chris Robinson, Danielle Sullivan

VP of Production Jan Košulič
Audio Director Lucas Paquette
Production Manager Martina Watzková
Production Director Levi Brown (Tracks 1, 4, 8)

VP, Design & Marketing Brett Picknell
Art Director Ryan Harrison
Design Edward A. Fleming
Publicity Patrick Niland, Aidan Curran

Artist Information

Lawrence K. Moss

Composer

Lawrence Kenneth “Larry” Moss was born Nov. 18, 1927 in Los Angeles CA, died June 24, 2022 at his home in Silver Spring MD. Even as a small child, Moss was a gifted musician and eager student who loved listening and learning. He was torn between chemistry and music, but eventually chose music, studying first at Pomona College, receiving a B.A. from University of California, Los Angeles and a M.A. at Eastman School of Music and a Ph.d. from University of Southern California. He taught Music at Yale University and University of Maryland and received two Guggenheim Fellowships, a Fulbright Scholarship, and four grants from the National Endowment for the Arts. 

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Edward Messerschmidt

Edward Messerschmidt

Composer

Originally from the Washington DC area, Edward “Ted” Messerschmidt is a versatile musician who has been recognized in national contests in composition, conducting, and trombone performance. His original compositions, published by Cimarron Music Press and Warwick Music Publishing, have been performed in the United States, Europe, and South America by musicians and ensembles including Andy Akiho, Joseph Bello, Charley Brighton, Ruthanne Schempf, Patrick Smith, Harry Watters, the Luftwaffenmusikkorps Erfurt (forthcoming), and the United States Army Orchestra.

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Henry Wolking

Henry Wolking

Composer

Native Floridian Henry Wolking (1948) is a composer, trombonist, conductor, teacher, and author. He completed his Bachelor Degree in music education from the University of Florida, and Master of Music in Composition at the University of North Texas in 1971. At the age of 24, he began his teaching career as head of the jazz area at the University of Utah. He retired in 2011 and is a University Professor Emeritus Of Music. He is the recipient of the 2018 School of Music Camerata Award, which celebrates the contributions of musicians and patrons of the arts to the University of Utah and broader community. He maintains a busy schedule of writing and arranging for classical and jazz groups. There are currently over 75 of his jazz works in the Walrus/EJazzlines online catalog.

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David Wilborn

David F. Wilborn

Composer

David F. Wilborn has emerged as an internationally acclaimed composer, trombonist, conductor, and music educator. He is an award-winning composer whose compositions are enjoyed for their creative use of rhythmic development and innovative musical style. Occasionally, these features intersect with passages of main-stream jazz or Latin jazz, thus making his music accessible to many listeners and performers. Overall, his style may be regarded as contemporary classical while borrowing from traditional music forms.

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Janice Macaulay

Janice Macaulay

Composer

Composer, educator, and conductor Janice Macaulay received her D.M.A. in composition from Cornell University, where she studied with Karel Husa and Steven Stucky. Reviewers have said her music “creates an arresting playground of sounds and effects” (Gramophone) and features “dynamic, lyrical and playful interactions among the players” (Classical Music Review). She won the Alex Shapiro Prize from the International Alliance of Women in Music for Kaleidoscope for Wind Symphony, commissioned by the Cornell University Wind Symphony in memory of Karel Husa and recorded by the University of Maryland, Baltimore County Wind Ensemble on the Albany Records label.

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Marilyn Bliss

Composer

Iowa-born composer Marilyn Bliss has written many widely performed orchestral, chamber, and solo works. She received her B.M. degree in composition, flute, and voice at Coe College in Cedar Rapids IA, and did her graduate studies at the University of Pennsylvania and the City University of New York. Her composition teachers included such distinguished composers as George Crumb, George Rochberg, Jacob Druckman, Jerry Owen, and Harvey Sollberger. 

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Paul Paccione

Paul Paccione

Composer

Paul Paccione was born in New York City in 1952. Paccione’s love of the popular music of the 1950's and 1960’s awakened his initial musical interests. He studied classical guitar and music theory at the Mannes College of Music (B.M. 1974). While at Mannes, he was influenced by composer Eric Richards to begin composition study.

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Filharmonie Brno

Orchestra

Since its earliest days, Filharmonie Brno has established a profile as a Janáčkian orchestra, thus making a substantial contribution to the cultural life of Brno — where Leoš Janáček composed nearly his entire oeuvre — and becoming an enthusiastic champion of his music. Since its foundation in 1956, the orchestra has regularly performed Janáček’s works in concerts at home and abroad; it has also recorded, multiple times, his complete symphonic works and cantatas.

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Pavel Šnajdr

Conductor

Pavel Šnajdr is a Czech conductor and composer. He is a graduate of the Janáček Academy of Music and Performing Arts (JAMU), Brno in composition (which he studied with Alois Piňos) and conducting (with Emil Skoták). Beyond working with symphony orchestras, he has been engaged by music theatres including the J.K. Tyl Theatre in Pilsen, the Prague State Opera and the Moravian Theatre in Olomouc, and currently conducts opera at the National Theatre in Brno.

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Juventas New Music Ensemble

Ensemble

Juventas New Music Ensemble is a contemporary chamber group with a special focus on emerging voices. Juventas shares classical music as a vibrant, living art form. They bring audiences music from a diverse array of composers that live in today’s world and respond to our time. Since its founding in 2005, Juventas has performed the music of more than 300 living composers. The ensemble has earned a reputation as a curator with a keen eye for new talent. It opens doors for composers with top-notch professional performances that present their work in the best possible light.

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NdBrass

Ensemble

NdBrass was established in 2015 by the members of the Janáček Opera of the National Theater in Brno. The members are seasoned orchestra soloists with a passion for chamber music, continuous improvement, and innovation. Their common interests led them to form a group with the ability to interpret not only standard repertoire but also to offer new and unique programs.

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Jobey Wilson

Joseph “Jobey” Wilson

tuba

Dr. Joseph “Jobey” Wilson will join the Pittsburg State University (KS) Music Department in Fall 2023 as Director of Athletic Bands & Symphonic Band, and Instructor of Tuba & Euphonium. Originally from Broken Arrow, OK, he and his family are incredibly excited to return to the region. A Boston freelancer for 24 years, Dr. Wilson is Principal Tuba of the New Bedford, Lexington, and Atlantic Symphony Orchestras, and the Portland Brass Quintet. He is a solo recording artist for PARMA Recordings and a clinician for the Eastman Music Company. He is often called to perform with groups such as the Boston Pops, Boston Ballet, Portland Symphony, Rhode Island Philharmonic, Boston Modern Orchestra Project, and many others. Dr. Wilson is Director of Athletic Bands at Bentley University and also teaches at Boston College, University of Southern Maine, and UMASS-Boston. After teaching numerous summers at Boston University’s Tanglewood Institute, the Atlantic Brass Quintet Seminar, and Boston Youth Symphony Camp, Dr. Wilson founded the Camp Jobey Summer Brass Institutes in 2012.

Notes

One of my most frequently performed works, Fantasia for Horn and Piano was premiered by Dr. Patrick Smith, horn, and Dmitri Shteinberg, piano, at Virginia Commonwealth University in April of 2010. There is no specific extra musical story or message behind Fantasia for Horn and Piano; it is simply meant to be fun to listen to and fun to play. Following a short, slow introduction, driving rhythms propel the music forward, both in angular mixed meter sections and lyrical passages alike. The horn and piano are in dialogue throughout the piece, often playing duple and triple rhythms against each other. Fantasia for Horn and Piano is available for purchase from Cimarron Music Press.

— Edward “Ted” Messerschmidt

Originally written for renowned euphonium virtuoso Charley Brighton, If explores the technical and lyrical qualities of the euphonium. After performing another one of my works, Brighton premiered If with Malcolm Stowell on piano in Slough, England. The title of the piece points to the contingent nature of life; with so much outside of one’s control, I feel that it is important to enjoy the process of working toward goals without too much investment in any particular outcome. The piece is meant to convey a sense of struggle, albeit an enjoyable one. If is available for purchase from Cimarron Music Press.

— Edward “Ted” Messerschmidt

Just Do It for Brass Quartet is in three sections, with each part named after the title of the work.

“Just” is lithe, buoyant, and lively. ”Do” is slow, relaxed, and lyrical. ”It” is fast, confident, and striding. Instrumentation is for 2 Trumpets in B-flat, Trombone, and Tuba.

This work, written in the pandemic year 2021, came about as an attempt to compose something to lighten my mood. I wanted to write something cheerful, and my inner voice kept telling me to just do it. I always hear Just on a long upbeat and Do It on the following sub-divided downbeat, hence the rhythmic syntax in the first phrase and throughout the work in general. I continue to be drawn to the sounds of brass, not too surprising considering that I’m a lifelong trombone player (though not active in recent years), and will continue pursuing my musical exchange with these instruments.

— Henry Wolking

Jett Stream Blue is a commissioned work written for trombonist Jett Walker. The music was inspired by driving scenes of sports cars painted in a shade of metallic blue paint known as jetstream blue. At one time, this color of blue was especially popular with the Chevrolet Corvette. Capturing these scenes was achieved with two sections of the music utilizing jazz styles but separated with a slow lyrical passage.

The opening section, “I. A Cool Ride!,” is in the style of a bebop. There are many moments of interplay between the trombone solo and the piano. The rhythmic interjections and the walking bass line in the piano capture scenes of hippness, as attractive jetstream blue colored sports cars are cruising down the roads in the heart of the city. The following section, “II. Late Night Drive in the City,” is a slow contrast as it portrays a somber setting of sports cars quietly driving in a leisurely pace. The final section, “III. Looking Good While Driving in Jetstream Blue!,” is upbeat with its light jazz style which is alternated by a samba dance. A brief middle passage captures rowdy sounds of sports cars revving their engines. The music ends strong with a return of the two opening themes and finishing with a big samba finale.

Although the name Jett Stream Blue is inspired by an attractive blue paint color, the title also references the name of the trombonist who commissioned the work – Jett Walker!

— David Wilborn

Sometimes creative work can produce unexpected outcomes. I set out to provide a new finale for an earlier brass quintet, intending to write something dynamic and fiery. But as soon as I began to compose, it seemed as if the dissonant melodies and harmonies that characterized the earlier quintet were taking a different direction, transforming into something much more consonant and euphonious. I decided to allow the piece to take on a life of its own as an independent composition.

While working on the new piece, a continuous “amen” kept repeating in my mind, along with images of something floating upward into the ether in a spirit of calm acceptance and tranquility. It wasn’t until after it was performed that I realized that this piece was actually a delayed response to the loss of my parents a year earlier.

The piece is in three main sections, opening with a chorale, giving way gradually to fanfare-like flourishes exchanged among the five instruments, and concluding with a quiet, meditative coda.

— Janice Macaulay

Aria for solo tuba is a brief, lyrical exploration of the tuba’s full range. It gives the tuba player a chance to highlight the tonal beauty of the instrument, too often neglected in the literature, and can additionally be used as an etude for dynamic and breath control.

— Marilyn Bliss

Evocations for solo tuba was written in 1982 and is dedicated to my husband, the exemplary tuba player Albert Dlugasch. The four movements explore the broad range of sound, timbre, register, and emotions obtainable on this too-often misunderstood and neglected instrument. The first movement, “Praeludium,” opens with brassy, fanfare-like material, contrasting with a second theme of mellow lyricism. It is followed by the black humor of “Burlesque,” and the sweet melancholy of “Arioso.” The final movement, “Largo-Finale,” begins slowly in the tuba’s lowest register, then adds a second line in contrary motion as the performer hums into the instrument. The mood is interrupted by a triplet figure introducing the finale, an intricate, whirlwind movement of virtuosic difficulty.

— Marilyn Bliss

In Radical Ears (2021), sustained pitches in the brass instruments fuse together with widely spaced piano chords and percussion rolls to form one overall composite timbre. As a whole, the piece consists of a procession of wavelike blocks of sound that gradually unfold in time. The title comes from an observation made by a friend and poet Jan Austin Hicken (to whom the piece is dedicated) with regard to the innate capacity some listeners have for the sometimes more challenging sounds of contemporary music.

— Paul Paccione

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Brass Tacks