TromboneChat

What kind of Christmas gigs are you all playing? and with what kind of ensemble?

I've only had 3 gigs this year, and only 2 of those paid. 2 church gigs, one with brass quintet, another with a small orchestra, and the third gig is a big band gig.  Living in a semi-rural area, very few believe in paying for music. Very different from your typical urban music scene.

Quote from: jackbird on Dec 22, 2017, 09:19AMWhat kind of Christmas gigs are you all playing? and with what kind of ensemble?

I've only had 3 gigs this year, and only 2 of those paid. 2 church gigs, one with brass quintet, another with a small orchestra, and the third gig is a big band gig.  Living in a semi-rural area, very few believe in paying for music. Very different from your typical urban music scene.

I played in a brass quartet in church with organ and choire on the first Sunday of December 3/12 and then the 12/12 with a brass band outside at "Solliden-scenen" at "Skansen" in Stockholm with Lucia, a special tradition over here. Then another Christmas concert in Råsunda Church 17/12 with the same brass band, "Solna Brass" - a very good band that won the Swedish Champion in 2016. Then my last paying gig was 16/12 with a trumpeter in a church here in "Södertälje", with choire and piano. Then I also sang a christmas concert with a choire 10/12. Only two of those concerts were paid gigs. I don't count so much on making money with my music it comes as a bonus when it happens.

I almost forgot. I had a payed Christmas concert with the Stockholm Police Windorchestra on eufonium early morning 8/12 in "Kungsholms kyrka" (church in the center of Stockholm). My first paying gig on this instrument in a windorchestra.  Have had a couple before when I played both trombone and eufonium in a brass sextet but that was more than ten years ago. It was fun to pick up the instrument again. It wasn't very difficult but I had to practice every day for a week to know the instrument.

/Tom

Had an advent service last weekend, playing solo (tenor sackbut) with organ. Also last weekend, two nights of Mendelssohn's Elijah on early romantic instruments at the Berner Münster (playing ophicleide).

Mozart Spatzenmesse KV 220 late on the 24th with a small group + choir (2 violins, bass, me on bass sackbut playing a combination of the bass trombone part and continuo, 2 trumpets and timpani - all period instruments), then KV 140 on the morning of the 25th with a larger string contingent playing modern instruments, and 3 sackbuts (again on bass). That last one is in one of the most gorgeous churches I've played in (Fridolinsmünster in Bad Säckingen, Germany) - I feel very lucky, and really looking forward!

Quote from: Le.Tromboniste on Dec 22, 2017, 09:52AMHad an advent service last weekend, playing solo (tenor sackbut) with organ. Also last weekend, two nights of Mendelssohn's Elijah on early romantic instruments at the Berner Münster (playing ophicleide).

Mozart Spatzenmesse KV 220 late on the 24th with a small group + choir (2 violins, bass, me on bass sackbut playing a combination of the bass trombone part and continuo, 2 trumpets and timpani - all period instruments), then KV 140 on the morning of the 25th with a larger string contingent playing modern instruments, and 3 sackbuts (again on bass). That last one is in one of the most gorgeous churches I've played in (Fridolinsmünster in Bad Säckingen, Germany) - I feel very lucky, and really looking forward!



I would love to be there doing that as well! You are fortunate indeed!!!
Gorgeous!

Had a Christmas show at a Baptist Church with full orchestra a couple of weeks ago & one more on Christmas eve in a Catholic church with a brass 5tet.

Also did a small bone sextet at the end of Nov.

Eric

Just my regular subscription concerts with the two orchestras I play with. No church work this year, not even cantoring. Played Slow Ride (Sleigh Ride) twice, Nutcracker selections once, some boring HS-level arrangements I could (and almost DID) do in my sleep. Time to call it a career. 

Played holiday concerts with two different orchestras (one of which was actually a paying gig), two community band concerts (would have been three, but one was cancelled due to high winds), and one concert with Bones West - plus four TubaChristmases and one Trombone Christmas.

For the TubaChristmas in Riverside, we do a thing called "ImprompTuba". One of the guys brings in some of his own arrangements (often just finished) and a few of us put them together while the main ensemble is having their rehearsal. It can get a little hairy.

I played a golf club dinner on Wednesday with a 4 piece, alto and tbn out front. Today a regular monthly loose 'Old folks" home charity event, myself and a keyboard (ist). NYE will be with a 3 piece band, no bass. And a new years day buffet lunch with a four piece + vocals.

Last Sunday I did the regular gig with the new band I have joined, the "Swing Time Club Band", at the Swing Time Binary Music Club in Cleveland (Queensland, Australia). The afternoon of course featured Christmas tunes.

The line up was Tenor Sax, Trombone, 2 Pianos, bass, banjo and drums.

The Christmas tunes we played were:

Blue Christmas
Frosty The Snowman
Jingle Bell Rock
Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer
Santa Clause Is Comin' To Town
White Christmas

And for my solos, I did:

Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!
Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas

There were several other guest performers doing a variety of mostly Christmas tunes.

Very enjoyable, particularly for me to be playing again after trying to get my lip back. It was also the birthday of one of our pianists, John Ellis. He was 90 years old and they baked him a cake and the whole lot.

Merry Christmas everyone. Have a good one!

I'm home this year.

I used to have a regular gig at a local Roman Catholic church (they pay well).  We were a quartet in the choir loft with the choir.  One year at Midnight Mass the priest went overboard with the incense.  A thick choking cloud was headed in our direction.  I whipped out my sprayer and attacked it.  Stopped it in its tracks.  The choir thanked me profusely

That church went belly-up because the neighborhood got poor and attendance went down.  A few years after I lost the gig the whole thing closed down.  The building was sold to a Hispanic religious organization.  Haven't been in there since.

Brass quintet - two holiday gigs at assisted living centers.  Sat in with a community band (story is in another thread) at a Catholic assisted living/retirement home.  My pay?  Punch and cookies. 

One good-paying gig at a Baptist semi mega-church that has more money than they know what to do with. 1 Community band concert that went really well and was well-attended. 1 quintet concert at another church that also went very well, although it was a freebie. But one I was really looking forward to got snowed out. Our big band had practiced really hard to work up the Ellington Nutcracker Suite. On the day of the concert, we got just enough snow to shut everything down. This being SC, that doesn't take much. We have rescheduled it for the 1st week of January, but I don't anticipate that we will get much for attendance, as people are pretty tired of Christmas music by then.

We had our final outing for 2017 yesterday. We started with the Ulverstone Xmas Parade, I'm the short one, second from the right!
This was a very long march through the main street of Ulverstone, 2.5kms in total!






We have only a short break, back on the 2nd of January to start preparing for our National Band Championships at Easter time.

Merry Xmas everyone!

My agent keeps me booked up pretty tightly, to include two area churches. I'll have two church performances tomorrow; one at 2:30 and one at 6:30. Each will last about 45 minutes or so.

For compensation, the one church renews a late-model Lexus lease every year for each brass ensemble member. The other church books us on a one-week European river cruise every summer.

What I especially like about the 2nd church is that they make me sound good - and that ain't easy!

...Geezer

I need to sign up with your agent.

The one-week European cruise people are pikers.  You need to hold out for two weeks minimum.

I think my agent is ripping me off.

But before you sign with him anyway, you will need a "head shot" for promos. Here's mine:



OBTW: those compensations create a tax nightmare for me, so you will also need a tax lawyer and a business manager. Everyone will want a piece of you!

Have a terrific holiday gig! I have two today.

...Geezer

For the first time since the age of  7. I have not had a Christmas gig!

Quote from: Geezerhorn on Dec 24, 2017, 05:27AMI think my agent is ripping me off.

But before you sign with him anyway, you will need a "head shot" for promos. Here's mine:



OBTW: those compensations create a tax nightmare for me, so you will also need a tax lawyer and a business manager. Everyone will want a piece of you!

Have a terrific holiday gig! I have two today.

...Geezer

 Nice picture  next time when some gig turns up I will see to get payed in Lexus instead of SKR.

Quote from: vegasbound on Dec 24, 2017, 06:04AMFor the first time since the age of  7. I have not had a Christmas gig!

I hope to get more christmas gigs next year when the word has spread that I acccept Lexus instead of SKR.

/Tom

I played alto recorder this morning, to accompany a child singing Away in the Manger for the Christmas pageant.

I don't play much recorder but usually pull out the sopranino around Christmas and do some background carol tune as shepherds and angels find new places.  This time a child was going to sing along. 

For a child this small with a high pitched voice I guessed that middle C to the C above would be a good range, and I wrote a simple handbell accompaniment.  At the rehearsal Saturday she said she liked the alto better, it was easier to hear her pitch. 

At 1020 this morning (for a 1030 service!) she and her brother asked to speak with me privately.  Can I please make the pitch lower?  Yes of course, thanks for giving me plenty of warning.  it worked in Bb, a fifth lower, which is not a horrible key for recorder in F.  Except that I hadn't practiced it and had no time to rewrite the bell parts.  I made some quick adjustments to the bell players and played it in Bb by ear, wishing I hadn't drunk quite so much coffee. 

Quote from: MikeBMiller on Dec 23, 2017, 10:57AMBut one I was really looking forward to got snowed out. Our big band had practiced really hard to work up the Ellington Nutcracker Suite. On the day of the concert, we got just enough snow to shut everything down. This being SC, that doesn't take much. We have rescheduled it for the 1st week of January, but I don't anticipate that we will get much for attendance, as people are pretty tired of Christmas music by then.

To my great shock and surprise, we had close to 200 people come out for out make up Christmas concert on Jan. 4th. The Nutcracker Suite went well, except for the brass missing an entrance and staying lost for about 32 bars in Peanut Brittle Brigade. That is incredibly fun music to play.

Hi! Had another one yesterday, a late christmas concert with the local community symphony orchestra in my town Södertälje a bit south of Stockholm. Rehearsed all day from 11 AM to 4 PM and after dinner a one and a half hour concert in the towns concert house. Was home at seven. There was everything at this concert, christmas songs and New-Years-Eave-Strauss-Walzes as well as other lighter music including three jazz songs, one of them with a trombone solo. A very heavy day because we had few rests 

/Tom

I didn't have a Christmas gig this year, but I did end up play a wedding reception on New Year's Eve in the Henry Ford museum. Pretty cool.

I didn't have a Christmas gig this year, but I did end up play a wedding reception on New Year's Eve in the Henry Ford museum. Pretty cool.