Always respect the music

By James Newcomb | July 5, 2021

Years and years ago, circa 2009, I had the chance to attend a clinic given by the Canadian Brass – one of my favorite all-time groups for many reasons – at Indiana University. I was stationed at Ft. Knox, KY at the time, so it was just a few hours drive to see them play, then do the clinic the following day.

Toward the end of the clinic, they had a little Q&A session, and I raised my hand. I had always been intrigued by Canadian Brass’ use of humor in their shows, whether it be the silly dialogue before a piece, or wearing Chuck Taylor’s with tuxes in the finest concert halls in the world. They always combine terrific playing and you always leave a show with a smile on your face.

So I wanted to know what was their philosophy on this. And Chuck, the longtime tuba player and founding member of the group said something along the lines of: Always respect the music. Anything outside of it, be it the attire, the banter between pieces, or what have you is fair game. But when the horns are to the faces and the downbeat occurs, it’s all business.

That advice has stuck with me all these years. Of course, anyone who knows the Canadian Brass knows that some of their pieces are written with the intent of getting a laugh from the audience.

But I think what Chuck was referring to is to not do anything haphazardly, or without intention, when it comes to the music.

Good advice for anyone, musician or not.

Well, I got to speak with a longtime member of said Canadian Brass a couple of weeks ago. His name is Chris Coletti, and he and I talked about all types of things, such as:

-How Chris’ worldview changed coming of age under the bright lights of Canadian Brass…02:48

-Projects Chris has undertaken since leaving Canadian Brass in 2019…10:55

-What career aspirations do music students at a liberal arts college have?…15:45

-Entrepreneurial musicians as employees: does it crush the soul?…20:30

-How to stay healthy and motivated while on the road…28:45

-A discussion on different cultures throughout the world…35:30

-What Chris would create if starting from nothing and given a blank check…38:42

Check out the episode at this link, mates: https://jamesnewcombontrumpet.com/captivate-podcast/chris-coletti/

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