Interviewed by Kristina Mascher

1) Arkady, you are widely known for your creative improvisations, your use of technology in live performance, and for your heartfelt jazz compositions. Can you tell us how you first fell in love with jazz?

In teenage years I was interested in hard rock: Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin, Uriah Heep, Grand Funk Railroad…A little later - progressive rock: YES, Emerson, Lake & Palmer, Genesis, King Crimson…Later - jazz rock: Blood, Sweat & Tears, Chicago, Tower of Power...even later - fusion/jazz/soul: Weather Report, Return to Forever, Brecker Brothers, Mahavishnu Orchestra...

 Step by step I learned new musical styles, new techniques, harmony, rhythmical and metrical structure, improvisation and “comprovisation!”

2) Would you say that your jazz compositions come more from the head, the heart, or a combination of both?

Differently! It depends on my mood, general condition, which instrument (new instrument inspires new ideas!!!) Listening to masterpieces (classic music, jazz, folk, rock, fusion and etc.)...

by Tom Varner

Hello to all IHS friends. As some of you know, I’ve been working at learning and growing as a jazz improviser on our noble instrument for about 40 years now, ever since I heard Julius Watkins solo with Thelonious Monk and realized that “it can be done.”

I am going to gather some thoughts in this piece that might differ in emphasis from what I might have thought was most important, say, 25 or 30 years ago. (Haha, in other words, now that I am an “old guy!”)

For today, I will put some serious emphasis on what I feel is most important, and what has at times been skimmed over or at least not talked about as much as other elements in a jazz improviser’s skill set—and that is having a solid TIME FEEL. That means the ability to “internalize” the time feel, and to play with rhythmic authority (no matter what the style), and with a rhythmic authority that “locks in” with the drummer or with the bassist or with the general ensemble, no matter what the instrumentation. That “locking in” then allows the player the freedom to push a little bit, pull back a little bit (or a lot), or play right in the “middle of the beat” in order to create an individual rhythmic approach that the player chooses. (Not the conductor!) But this wonderful expression tool can only happen if the overall time feel is solid and “internalized.” For experienced jazz improvisers, this kind of “goes without saying, or is at a kindergarten level” and is a very important part of musical expression (if not the MOST important part), but for classical players, smoothness of the tone, the line, and evenness of the rhythmic pattern being expressed is often the number one priority. What we need to be able to do as good jazz players often is very different from what we need to do as good classical players, mainly in the area of rhythmic attack and providing a steady stream of constant variety in articulation. A series of steady eighth notes in Beethoven, for example should (usually) be smooth and uniform. But a series of eight notes in a “straight-ahead swing” jazz solo might have a huge variety of attacks and articulations to be effective. But again, that jazz solo (even if it is just one repeated pitch!) will only be effective if it is also solid with the overall time feel or “groove.”

So—to begin, we now need an important very advanced technological device …………….. ………….a metronome. We can talk about other technology devices later, but for me, a metronome, pencil and paper, your instrument—well, that is it.

Are you ready for some absolutely beginner (or advanced, depending on how you see it) jazz improvising basic exercises? Here goes.

Por Randall Faust, Coordinador del concurso de composición

En 2014, la International HornSociety, celebró el 35 Aniversario de su Concurso deComposición. Para este año especial de Aniversario, hubo dos categorías en la competición

1. El Concurso “Categoría normal”: Obras de dificultad moderada para trompa sola o con acompañamiento de cualquier instrumento de teclado

2. El Concurso “Categoría virtuoso”, sin limitaciones de dificultad y con las siguientes categorías de instrumentación:

• Trompa sola
• Grupo de trompas (desde dos intérpretes y solo con trompas)
• Trompa y grupo de cámara, desde cuatro o más instrumentistas , solo con una trompa.
• Trompa y grupo de cámara de gran formato

Las instrumentaciones par alas categorías irán rotando en años sucesivos

El concurso de composición de 2014 recibió 59 inscripciones de 13 países, 22 en la “Categoría normal” y 37 en la “Categoría Virtuoso”

El Ganador de la “Categoría normal” fue Mountain Sketches para trompa y piano de Paul Johnston de Charleston, Illinois, USA. Los jueces también seleccionaron una mención de honor para esta categoría para la obra Miniaturespara trompa y piano deSyBrandon de Cottonwood, Arizona, USA.

El vencedor de la “Categoría Virtuoso” fue HardtoArgue (A Concertino forFiveHorns) deCatherine Likhutade Brisbane, Australia. Los jurados seleccionaron para menciones honoríficas dos obras en la “Categoría Virtuoso”, 15 LowHornEtudes para trompa sola de Ricardo Matosinhosde Ermesinde, Portugal yDancingonthe Hillpara grupo de trompas de Patrick Hughes de Austin Texas, USA.

El jurado para la Competición de 2014estaba compuesto por tres grandes compositores y trompistas: David Stanhope (vencedor de la edición del concurso  de 1979) de Australia, Andrew Boysen (ganador de la edición de 1999)de la Universidad de New Hampshire, USA, y Jeffrey Snedeker (Ex-presidente de la HIS)de la Central Washington University, USA.

Más información sobre las obras ganadoras aparece en la edición de Mayo del HornCall. Sobre las menciones honoríficas tendrá información adicional en la próxima edición del HornCall. Los planes son tocar estas obras en algún concierto del International HornSymposium en Los Ángeles en Agosto.