Heavy Metal
Program Notes
a reissued album by...
The Tennessee Tech Tuba/Euphonium Ensemble
R. Winston Morris, director
Personnel
The Tennessee Tech Tuba/Euphonium Ensemble(1979-80 & 1986)
Euphoniums
- Bill Cherry
- Billy Arnold
- Teddy Breach
- Darin Cochran
- John Garr
- William Hunley
- Carroll Gotcher
- Ken Kile
- David Ledbetter
- Mack Lewis
- Scott Norton
- Louis Oliver
- Nancy Parrott
- Ann VanCleave
- Ernie Walls
- Steve Williams
Tubas
- Marcus Arnold
- Mary Barrow
- Lyn Bingham
- Vincent Bryson
- Flo Crouch
- Mike Drewry
- Mike Dunn
- Kevin Jenkins
- Jeff Kile
- Charles McAdams
- Charles Menoche
- Joe Murphy
- David Nichols
- Tim Northcut
- John Pennell
- Richard Perry
- David Porter
- Jay Pursley
- Ken Riddle
- Bob Rust
- William Smith
- Jeff Stills
- Jeff Weiler
- Barry Wilmoth
- David Wiseman
Rhythm
- Guitar: Rick Neal
- Drums: Yvonne Cobbige
- Drums: Doug Farmer
- Timpani: Phillip Hart
- Electric Bass: Billy Arnold
- Acoustic Bass: Charles McAdams
- Keyboard: Kevin McElrath
- Drums: Rob Donaldson
- Bass: Jeff Stulce
Program
- Consortium............................................... John Cheetham
Tubasonatina................................................................ Thom Ritter George - Sea Chanty
- Meditation
- Dance
- Out of the Depths.......................................................................... John Dodson
- Howdy!................................................................................... Wayne Pegram
Tuba Quartet Op. 59................................................................ Crawford Gates - Preludium
- Chorale
- Finale
- Heavy Metal...................................................................... Marvin Lamb
- Illusion......................................................................... Soichi Konagaya
- Scherzando for Tubular Octet............................................. Charles Knox
- Exigencies......................................................................... Matthew Ruth
- Tuba Magic......................................................................... Rocco DiGiovanni
- Miniature Jazz Suite......................................................................... James Garrett
- Boogie Down......................................................... Al Jarreau/arr. Murphy
Recording Notes
These pieces represent a significant body of repertoire; all original compositions for the tuba/euphonium ensemble. All of these pieces except for the Gates were composed specifically for the TTTE and their composition and recording constituted a major contribution to the advancement of the tuba in the last quarter of the 20th century. The quality of this literature and these performances holds up the standard always represented by the TTTE. Incidentally, the Konagaya, Knox, Ruth and DiGiovanni were all recorded live (by Mike Getzin), no edits here!
The two KM Educational Library LPs were produced under the supervision of the late Rodney Peppenhorst. Rodney worked out of Memphis and was a tremendous supporter of the TTTE and we sincerely appreciated all his efforts on behalf of the TTTE.
I first communicated with the late Vincent Morette during the spring of 1967 when Bill Bell and I were compiling a book on the literature and recordings for tuba (there were only 4 totally dedicated tuba LPs at that time: Bill Bell, Rex Conner, Harvey Phillips and Peter Popiel). Vince released the "Recital Music for Tuba" (MRS 28437) featuring Peter Popiel, tuba, on June 15, 1967 through his relatively new Mark Educational Recordings, Inc company out of Buffalo. That was forty years ago and a brief glimpse of the Mark Records catalog now will indicate very quickly the commitment that Vince started in the late 60s to record quality wind music continues unabated!
Ten years later I was privileged to work with Vince again on the Matteson-Phillips TUBAJAZZ CONSORT recordings which lead to our continued collaboration ten years later on the TTTE LP documented on this reissue. Another glimpse at the Mark catalog will document the continuing support the TTTE has received from Mark Recordings over the past 30 years. It was in the summer of 1985 that I was working with Vince in his studio in Clarence, New York, on the edits for our "TTTE and ALL THAT JAZZ" recording when his son, Mark, ambled in the studio and we met. He was just about as tall and as skinny then, as a kid, as he is today. Which just proves there "ain't no justice!"
What a wonderful treat it has been to know everyone associated with Mark Records over these many years. After Vincent's' untimely passing in 1989 the company has been jointly owned and run by Cecelia M. Morette and their son Mark, for whom the company was originally named. Since Mark became active in the business, we have worked on almost annual projects. In addition to all the TTTE (check their catalog!) recordings we have collaborated on the SYMPHONIA recordings, Brass Arts Quintet recordings, several Teen Tech special project recordings, the Euphoniums Unlimited project and a special 40th anniversary TTTE project. The TTTE has no other stronger friend and supporter on the planet than Mark and we are honored to respectively dedicate this compilation reissue to Mark J. Morette without whom the TTTE would not be the most recorded tuba ensemble in history!
The Tennessee Tech Tuba Ensemble celebrates its 40th anniversary during the 2006/2007 academic year and we take tremendous pride in being able to reissue these recordings.
As always, we cannot thank Mark Morette and everyone at Mark Records enough for their continued support. The TTTE has recorded exclusively for Mark Records since 1985. We invite the listener to check out the complete discography of the TTTE as posted on our website.
- R. Winston Morris, TTTE Director
Fall 2007 International Tuba/Euphonium Association Journal Reviews
These three recordings[All That Jazz, Heavy Metal, and Vintage] are compilations from previous recordings of the Tennessee Tech Tuba Ensemble (TTTE). This ensemble celebrated their 40 th anniversary during the 2006/2007 academic year. These recordings were reissued to celebrate this anniversary. In the spring of 1967 R. Winston Morris, the director of the TTTE, approached Vincent Morette about possibly recording the TTTE. At that time there were only 4 totally dedicated to tuba LPs: Bill Bell, Rex Conner, Harvey Phillips and Peter Popiel. It is amazing to see the difference now in regards to tuba and euphonium recordings available.
Tennessee Tech Tuba Ensemble presents… Vintage is a reissue of the first two complete LP recordings by the TTTE. These were originally under the Golden Crest label and were recorded in 1975. Tuba ensemble recordings were becoming more prominent as Connie Weldon ( University of Miami ) and Abe Torchinsky ( University of Michigan ) were also releasing recordings that year. Since the original tapes were 30 years old there is some distortion and the sound quality is not what we hear today in current recordings. The playing and the quality of the repertoire, however, hold up to today's standards. Many of the works on this recording were written for the TTTE or were arranged by Winston Morris himself. Since this initial recording, the TTTE has produced 20 recordings making it the most recorded tuba ensemble in history.
Tennessee Tech Tuba Ensemble and “All That Jazz” is a reissue of four previous recordings between 1979 and 1986. Two of the recordings were from the KM Records label and two were from the Mark College Jazz Series label. One of the recordings was a live recording from the NTSU (now University of North Texas ) tuba conference. This recording was live with no edits. One unique aspect of this recording is that several of the pieces are arrangements done by members of the ensemble. That is one of the things that Winston Morris is known for, creating new music for the tuba ensemble. Whether it was commissioning new works, arranging music himself, or having students in the ensemble write/arrange new works, there is always new music being performed. In this recording it is also easy to see the influence of the Matteson-Phillips TUBAJAZZ CONSORT on the TTTE. Morris was a member of the consort, and he believes that jazz music should be a part of the education in the tuba/euphonium studio. In this recording we see the benefits of this philosophy.
Tennessee Tech Tuba Ensemble presents… Heavy Metal is a reissue of three previous recordings between 1979 and 1986. Two of the recordings were from the KM Records label and two were from the Mark College Jazz Series label. It is mentioned in the notes that all of the works were original compositions for the tuba/euphonium ensemble. All of the pieces except for one were written specifically for the TTTE. Again, the sound quality is not what we hear in today's recordings, but it is very respectable. Much work goes into transferring a LP to a digital format. I must confess that this recording was the first I heard of a tuba ensemble. I encountered it as a high school student and the possibilities of these instruments blew me away. I especially enjoy the Crawford Gates and the Wayne Pegram compositions.
It is important to acknowledge Mark Morette in these recordings. Mark has taken his father's vision, and it has blossomed into a recording label that is recognized as a standard in the tuba/euphonium community. Without his passion for our instruments and our music, it would be difficult to imagine where we would be today.
I believe these three recordings are a significant step in the evolution of the tuba/euphonium ensemble. They were some of the earlier recordings of this type of ensemble out of which new music was created for future groups. R. Winston Morris' vision has come to fruition 40 years later, and it is great to re-visit these pioneer recordings. I would highly recommend these recordings to all enthusiasts of the tuba and euphonium.
~Kelly Thomas
University of Arizona
