Steve's Music Interests

Welcome to my Music Interests Page. This is a brief summary of my music hobbies/avocations.

I like most every kind of music but my favorite kind of music is Traditional Jazz (1915-1930). My instruments are (in order of competence): Bb Trumpet, Baritone, Trombone, Eb Trumpet. I'm also teaching myself to compose and arrange music using piano (I don't play it) and computer (GenieSoft - Score Writer 4).

I've played Bb Trumpet (mouthpiece = Bach 5C) (or Baritone or Trombone) in the following bands:
High School and Grade School, Stevensville, Montana (Trumpet)
Dance band combo, Stevensville, Montana (Trumpet)
Dixieland band, White Sulphur Springs, Montana (Trumpet)
Rhythm Rompers Dance band combo, White Sulphur Springs, Montana (Trumpet)
Montana State University - Symphonic Band, Bozeman Montana (Trumpet, Trombone)
Montana State University - Bobcat Marching Band, Bozeman Montana (Trumpet)
Montana State University - Basketball Pep Band, Bozeman Montana (Trumpet)
Montana State University - ROTC Marching Band, Bozeman Montana (Trumpet)
King Radio Dixieland Band, Olathe, Kansas (Trumpet)
Olathe Community Band, Olathe, Kansas (Trumpet)
Ballard Community Band, Huxley, Iowa (Trumpet, Baritone TC, Trombone)
High Society Big Band (40s Swing), Central Iowa (Trumpet)
Tranished Brass Quintet, Ames, Iowa
Dixie Slicks Dixieland Band, Ames, Iowa (Trumpet, Baritone TC, Trombone)
"My Fair Lady" pit orchestra, lead, Nevada, Iowa (Trumpet)
Heartland Senior Band, Ames, Iowa (Trumpet, Baritone TC Trombone)
Heartland Jazz Band, Ames, Iowa
Story City Community Band, Story City, Iowa (Trumpet)
Johnson Station Jazz Band, Johnston, Iowa
Fly Boys Polka Band, Story City, Iowa (Trumpet, Baritone TC, Trombone)
Community Jazz Center Big Band, Des Moines, Iowa
West Des Moines Community Band, West Des Moines, Iowa
Traditional Jazz Workshop, San Diego, California
Ames Euphonium Choir, Ames, Iowa (Baritone TC)

My music interests are:

Traditional Jazz - Tunes from the early days of jazz up to 1945. Players I really like are Joe Oliver (Trumpet), Louis Armstrong (Trumpet), Kid Ory (Trombone), Big Jim Robinson (Trombone), Johnny Dodds (Clarinet). Songs that I like are: It Had to be You, Ain't Misbehavin', Black and Blue, Basin Street Blues, Careless Love, Do You Know What It Means to Miss New Orleans, Five Foot Two, Frankie & Johnny, High Society, I Can't Give You Anything But Love, I'm Confessin', In a Shanty in Old Shanty Town, Just a Closer Walk, Midnight in Moscow, Muskcat Ramble, My Blue Heaven, Perdido Street Blues (Dodds), Rosetta, .... (you get the picture). I was fortunate to hear some of the Preservation Hall bands live and made three trips to New Orleans and got to the old garage they called Preservation Hall. My first exposure to early jazz was a remake album of the Origional Dixieland Jazz Band. The songs that have made the biggest impression on my are Black and Blue and Perdido Street Blues with Dodds on clarinet. I might have every album made by the Dukes of Dixieland. In recent years, I've been attending a Traditional Jazz Workshop in San Diego every January.
1950s Jazz (bebop) - I like the earlier "modern" jazz when the players were experimenting with the "new" form of music. The competition to see how many notes could be played per measure that occured later on is not of interest to me.
Dance combo (1920s-1940s) - I did a lot of playing for dances, when in high school, using the old Combo Orks series of books. We got the basic ideas for the tunes out of these books and then used them basically as lead sheets and improvised.
Big Band Swing - Any of the stuff by Miller, the Dorseys, etc. I like the original arrangements best but have learned to tolerate some of the jazz pack arrangements by the Hal Leonard Company. Remarkably, this dance music still has a modest demand among the older crowd.
Show Tunes (1920s-1960s) - Good or original arrangements are really fun to play and hear. The medly arrangements for high school bands are only tolerable.
Concert Band - Love this stuff. Good arrangements are great to play.
Brass Quintet - I really like to play this but my jazz playing and slap tongue style are hard to overcome when I need to sound like an amateur version of the Canadian Brass
Polka - Have really only started learning to play this style.
Old Country - I can play in F, C, G, D, and E but like most brass players, my comfort zone is flats! Improv is pretty easy because of the simple, repetitive structure of the cords so that is gratifying. I also like to listen to the music
Blues - When I am in the right mood, it doesn't get any better than 12-bar blues to play or listen. Made a trip to Memphis in 2008 to play on Beale Street and hear the bands. Was disappointed to learn that the old blues was very scarce there now. Played on the street with Rudy Williams (he has a star!) and heard a jazz concert by the Memphis Jazz Orchestra. Learned the history of W. C. Handy and got inspired to do some writing and arranging.
Bluegrass - Listen only. I hear some jazz influence in bluegrass that I really like.

I've recently started arranging old tunes for traditional jazz and for combo playing. The software is Score Writer 4 by GenieSoft. So far so good!

JAZZ LINKS

Red Hot Jazz - A great site for early jazz. Includes history, musicians, and playable tunes
Mississippi Rag - Well-established online news about traditional jazz and ragtime
American's Finest City Dixieland Jazz Society AFCDJS - San Diego, CA
Sacramento Traditional Jazz Society
Jazz Roots - A developing web site in June 2009
Jazz Styles - Traditional Jazz - Educational site

HISTORIC NOTE: This page was created in 1995 and never updated until now. Those were some of my first days on the internet and my career
was consuming all of my time. Below is that first entry.

Welcome to my Music Interests page. This is a brief summary of my music hobbies/avocations. For questions, comments, suggestions, contact:

Author: Steve F. Russell / sfrussel@iastate.edu
Last Updated: Sun, Apr 9, 1995

UNDER CONSTRUCTION

You have reached the end. Thanks for visiting me.