New Classical Tracks: Trombone takes center stage

James Pugh tells his students at Northern Illinois University that composing is like a muscle. If you don't use it, you'll lose it.

So Pugh dabbles as a composer, while spending most of his time touring the globe as a distinguished trombonist. That's one reason it's taken him some 35 years to finally release his first solo recording of three American trombone concertos, including one he wrote himself.

"The most memorable thing to me is that this recording happened at all. The three pieces are very much Americana," said Pugh. "To pull it off with an American orchestra, an American conductor, American composers, to keep the whole thing homegrown was a challenge."

The concept for this recording, titled, "X over Trombone," has been brewing for several years. The X-over idea refers to the fact that all three of these concertos reflect the influences of the popular music of their times.

The recording opens with Nathaniel Shilkret's concerto for trombone and orchestra. The piece was written for Tommy Dorsey in the 1940s. After its premiere, the concerto had few performances before it disappeared.

With the help of a tenacious Scottish trombonist named Bryan Free, Pugh was able to reconstruct the score and the solo part.

"Historically, from a trombonist's point of view, the fact that it was written for Tommy Dorsey, who was unquestionably the most famous trombone player, makes it important," said Pugh.

Add to that the fact that it was written by Nathaniel Shilkret, who Pugh says was the "Quincy Jones," of the 1940s, and the piece becomes even more significant.

The first movement sounds a bit like something Rachmaninoff might have written. The second movement has more of a Gershwin flavor.

Pugh said his favorite part is the third movement.

"It's sort of polytonal, boogie woogie," Pugh said. "It's the movement that most falls into what you think of as Tommy Dorseyesque."

This recording also features a trombone concerto by Jeff Tyzik, who conducts the Colorado Symphony Orchestra on this new release. This recording project actually reunited Tyzik and Pugh, who have known one another since their college days at the Eastman School of Music.

Tyzik is a composer and the music director of the Rochester Philharmonic. He wrote his trombone concerto for Mark Kellogg, their principal trombonist.

This concerto has a world music flair with interesting percussion elements and multi-meter rhythms. Pugh says the interesting scales and cross rhythms make this a fun piece to play.

"The interesting thing about both the Shilkret and Jeff's piece is he's not a trombonist, but he is a brass player," said Pugh. "He's just writing the music, not worrying about the concerns a trombonist might have. So it's up to the soloists to figure out how to make it work."

Pugh composed his own trombone concerto in 1992, when he was in his early 40s.

"If I was writing it now, I'd write it a lot easier," he said with a laugh.

Pugh is referring to the fast phrases he wrote for himself, and the long-held high F-sharp he has to play as the final note.

"I remember the second time I did it, it was with Marin Alsop and the Eugene Symphony Orchestra. When I got the parts back from the orchestra members, one of the percussionists had written on the score, 'money note.' That high F-sharp has always been a good note for me," Pugh said.

Pugh's beautiful singing tone is one reason that high note works so well for him. As a young player he emulated one of his heroes, trombonist Erbie Green. Pugh's teachers at Eastman also encouraged him to try to match the richness of the sound of a cello.

Add to that his amazing technique, and you're in for a very special listening experience.

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