[Trombone-l] ETW 2008

[bonemstr@america.net]

I concur with John's assessment.
This was my second ETW. True, there were fewer vendors, but there  
displays were larger and there was more room to maneuver with horn in  
hand.
Shires, Rath, Edwards and Greenhoe all w/in a kids throwing distance  
of each other...it was great. I was having some 'operator servo  
errors' on my bass. Gabe and James at the Shires booth freely gave of  
their time and helped a lot. Thanks, guys!

All of teh concerts were excellent. I really liked Conrad ew/Capitoal  
Bones. He and Matt compliment eacch other rather well, and Jeff  
Cortazo seemed to play whatever entered his low-octaved brain!

I had an opportunity to share a meal with the Viento del Sur tenor  
player who sits principal in the Argentine National Symphony. Heck of  
a nice guy, English as good/bad as my Spanish (!!) and an excellent  
player.

If you didn't go this year, haven't been in a while or have never  
been, mark it on your calendar NOW for next March!!

Bob Devine
Roswell/Atlanta, GA
An 'All Shires' family

Quoting John.McVey at frb.gov:

> I haven't seen any messages on the Trombone List about this yet, but the
> Eastern Trombone Workshop was held March 13-15th at Ft. Myer, VA.  I
> personally thought it was one of the best of the last few years. While
> there did not appear to be as many exhibitors as in past years, all the
> major manufacturers were represented and there were plenty of horns and
> mouthpieces to try out. I thought the talent lineup was superb. MSG Jerry
> Amoury did an outstanding job organizing and bringing in some fabulous
> individuals and groups.  A perennial favorite, Harry Watters and the Swamp
> Romp was put on this year in support for Habitat for the Humanities and the
> efforts toward rebuilding New Orleans.  As usual, his group was fantastic
> and very energizing, a great way to kick off the festivities on Jazz
> Friday. It was also special that Bill Watrous and Rob Stoneback were in the
> audience and went up on stage to jam a couple of tunes.
>
> Of course, the Capitol Bones were fantastic, and they had a special treat
> this year. They brought in a "Sub" for Jim McFalls, who apparently could
> not be with us this time, some "little-known hack from NY" (NOT!!), the
> great Conrad Herwig!!  As expected, he was tremendous and added a whole
> another dimension to the Capitol Bones playing.  The Army Blues followed
> from 8:00-10:00 on Friday night and the headliner Jazz artist with them was
> Bill Watrous. He was fabulous!!  It was SRO in the main auditorium with
> sill-over into the halls and in the Minor Studio where it was broadcast on
> the big screen. The concert was also broadcast via streaming video
> world-wide on the internet. It certainly was a Friday night to remember.
> Watrous came back Saturday afternoon for a 1 1/2 hour "Master Class" in
> which he simply played and told stories.
>
> For me, though, the highlight of the workshop was the Viento Sur Trombone
> Quartet from Buenos Aires, Argentina. Here is their website:
> http://www.vientosurtrombones.com/en.htm.  Conrad Herwig "warned" everyone
> Friday night that this group was not to be missed and they would redefine
> your preconceived notions of what was possible to be played on the
> trombone. I think they lived up to the hype. Their performance was
> spirited, funny, lively, and simply wonderful. They played a number of
> uniquely arranged tangos and other Latin pieces that were just
> mind-blowing.  Here's a quote from their website:  "The Viento Sur Trombone
> Quartet is an innovating group, in constant search of a powerful and
> original sound, that combines their own version of the repertoire for
> trombone quartet and the adaptation of the tangos and milongas that are
> part of the musical and cultural roots of Argentina."   My wife joined me
> for the Saturday afternoon sessions, and while she is not the "typical
> trombone junkie" who goes to these conferences, she was enchanted by this
> group, not only with their playing, but also by their personalities. They
> were obviously having a great time performing for a knowledgeable audience
> and taking advantage of a unique opportunity to showcase the music and
> culture of their homeland.
>
> Overall, it was a very successful workshop and an enjoyable experience.
> Congratulations to Jerry Amoury and all the staff at Ft. Myer who made it
> happen!
>
> I look forward to seeing and hearing how they're going to top it for next
> year!
>
> John
>
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