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Seminar: Arranging for Brass: Fred Mills
Friday, May 26,11:30am
Arthur A. Molitierno, Reviewer
While the audience came to hear Fred Mills conduct a seminar on arranging for brass, they were not disappointed he did not address the topic. Instead, they simply sat back and enjoyed a full concert of arrangements by Mills. He chose to dedicate the arrangements and this performance to Philip Jones, who recently passed away. Mills prefers to call himself an "adapter" rather than a composer since he arranges and adapts pieces for quintet and larger ensembles that were originally meant for orchestras or big bands. For the seminar, Mills chose to incorporate several world-class brass players of up to four French horns, four trombones, three tubas, along with an accompanying student rhythm section of piano, bass, and drums from Purchase College.
As an example of adaptation and arrangement for brass, Mills performed the Haydn Concerto. Mills also presented a big band adaptation of a stock Sammy Nestico arrangement of Fascinatin' Rhythm. There was a good round of applause and laughter when Mills indicated that he thought this adaptation was much better than the original because he had eliminated the saxophones. The number featured John Sneider, a freelance trumpeter in the New York area. Sneider's playing was smooth, flowing, lyrical, and melodic. He kept a beautiful and expressive line in the middle range of the horn so listeners could focus on his musical improvisation rather than being overwhelmed with pyrotechnics.
Mills' other ensemble arrangements included John Williams' Summon the Heroes, Georgia On My Mind, and an adaptation of a Canadian Brass arrangement of High Society. The last number caused Mills to stop the ensemble since he had misplaced his piccolo trumpet mouthpiece. The laughter from former colleague Romm and the audience was not just good humor but also good sportsmanship as Mills finally located the missing mouthpiece and played his solo without a hitch. The audience demanded an encore and they received an adaptation of Brassman's Holiday, fitting for a concert dedicated to Philip Jones and the brass ensembles he formed in making the genre a legitimate presence with concerts throughout the world. (Arthur A. Molitierno, associate professor of English, Wright State University) |
