Often trumpet players are asked to name the greatest trumpet player of all time and even though this would be impossible to establish, it does make one reflect back to past champions for our cause. Today I decided to muse over a great musician who I had the opportunity to visit with many years ago while teaching at the University of Northern Iowa. When listing the great trumpet players, the name Austin Dean “Bud” Brisbois (April 11, 1937 – June 1978) certainly rates high on the list. His accomplishments on vinyl as well as on stage can only be described…

Sometimes we feel as if all the hours of practice is to no avail. The late rehearsals and endless scales seem to be falling on deaf ears. Then, something like this happens and we realize that we are involved with one of the most powerful movements on earth…… “music”, and it is all worth the blood, sweat and tears we have shed. I think it is time that we begin to reevaluate our place in the world as each newscast depicts killings, murders and endless atrocities around the world. We have entrusted the worlds safety to politicians of all parties,…

Thanks to all who participated in this thought provoking exercise. At last count, we had approximately fifty entries, and over 2,000 downloads concerning this question. Some of your answers were very close and some were way off. I have listed two who will be receiving “free” arrangements of their choice as well as one contributor who submitted an interesting question which may be addressed at a later date. We had one reader “nail” the correct answer and one who was so far above me, I wasn’t sure if he was correct or not, so we are giving one arrangement of…

Submit the best reason for this to happen and win a Free Trumpet Ensemble Arrangement Of Your Choice! Selection of best reason will be made on June 1, 2014.

These are quotes from students in a college jazz history class. They are extracted from the essay topic, “What I learned over this semester in jazz history.” These are all genuine responses, completely unaltered. They are all 18+ year old students; not high school or middle school age kids. None of them are music students; they all took this class as a gen. ed. credit and a hopeful “easy A”. “Free Jazz is an era that I wished I had never learned about.? “Free Jazz. Wow; what a sound it makes. An awful, horrible sound. I don’t see how that…

The hottest new trend is something from our trumpet past. Rotary valves are making a strong comeback. For that reason I searched for the most interesting description of this option which many trumpet players are switching to- rotary valve trumpets. I found this video very interesting and well done, “so on with the show”! For additional information on rotary trumpets, you may find this post interesting… Rotary Valve Trumpets