CHRISTMAS TUBAS
With the
Tennessee Tech Tuba Ensemble
R. Winston Morris, Director
The internationally acclaimed Tennessee Tech Tuba Ensemble (TTTE) recently celebrated its 40 th anniversary. The ensemble was founded by its current director, R. Winston Morris in the fall of 1967. The TTU group is the most recorded ensemble of its kind in the world (this special Christmas release is the 25 th recording project by the ensemble), has toured throughout the eastern half of the United States for over 40 years, and is the only music group in the state of Tennessee to receive the Tennessee Board of Regents "TBR Academic Excellence and Quality Award." Since its inception in 1967, the TTU Tuba Ensemble has been responsible for the creation of hundreds of new compositions, has been listed on the Grammy Entry List for its recordings, and is the only tuba ensemble to have performed multiple concerts (seven) in New York 's famous Carnegie Recital Hall.
REVIEW: …from ITEA Journal , Vol. 36, No. 1, Fall 2008
Most mainstream music groups eventually seem to eventually come out with the obligatory Christmas album. Since the Tennessee Tech Tuba Ensemble is the most recorded tuba/euphonium ensemble in history, it seems only right that they put out their Christmas album, its 25th recording project to date and long overdue. The repertoire for this CD includes many Christmas favorites and a few other tunes associated with Christmas. In order of appearance they are Carol of the Bells , Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring , Hallelujah Chorus from the Messiah , Hark the Herald Angels Sing , Greensleeves , Angels We have Heard on High , God Rest You Merry Gentlemen , Deck the Halls (with Bells of Tubas ), We Wish You a Merry Christmas , Here Comes Santa Claus , Frosty the Snowman , One Horse Open Sleigh ( Jingle Bells ), Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer , Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas , It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas , It's The Most Wonderful Time of the Year , 12 Days of Housetops! , Go Tell! , Feliz Navidad , Sleigh Ride , Merry Christmas Darling , My Favorite Things , and What's This? from The Nightmare Before Christmas . There is a 24th track put in just for fun. Without giving it away, it is in a similar vein to the last track on the Symphonia Fantastique CD recording Mr. Morris helped produce.
Many of the arrangers are quite familiar to tuba and euphonium players and include William R. Brusick, Gary Buttery, James A. Canter, James Garrett, Carroll Gotcher, Angelo Kortyka, Ben McMillian, Jon Oliver, Tim Olt, Scott Ramsey, Gail Robertson, David Werden, Robert Wilkinson, Kenyon Wilson, and David Wiseman. My hat is off to all of the arrangers for the excellent arrangements on this CD recording making the traditional even more exciting and arranging the original compositions to sound like they were composed for tuba/euphonium ensemble. Special mention should also be made of the three soloists on the CD. Curtis Prichard does a fine euphonium rendition of the Merry Christmas Darling tune with plenty of presence and clarity of tone. Soloists Kyle Newland and Kenji Kabe on tubas for My Favorite Things likewise provide tasty jazz riffs and improvisations of this great Sound of Music favorite (which actually has nothing to do with Christmas!)
With so many choices on this CD, I can only mention a few of my favorites although there is not a bad tune in the bunch! From the more traditional rendition of Greensleeves arranged by former Coast Guard band tubist Gary Buttery to a very unusual but effective rendition of Carol of the Bells , most of the arrangements feature something much more than the original melodic setting. I was a little disappointed that Sleigh Ride actually had some kind of sampled horse whinny instead of what could have been a contrabass trumpet section! 12 Days of Housetops has to have the most apocalyptic beginning to a traditional carol with chords and suspense worthy of Also sprach Zarathustra . On the other hand, Go Tell! is the best jazz version of this tune I have ever heard thanks to the arranging of William R. Brusick. They are all great.
Having listened to the entire album on headset as well as on my Bose stereo system, I can honestly say this ensemble has a great mix and blend. Every player is in top form and the bottom to the top of the ensemble is balanced and rich in sonority. The 40+ year tradition of the Tennessee Tech Tuba Ensemble is more than a tradition. It is a force of nature consistently putting out quality musicians and recordings. This album is yet another testimony to R. Winston Morris and his incredible legacy as a pioneer in his field whose work has been emulated world-wide. You can bet this CD going to be played at my home during the holidays and for our traditional Christmas party. My wife's teacher colleagues are going to freak this year!
--Mark Nelson, Pima Community College
PROGRAM
CAROL OF THE BELLS Leontovich arr David Werden
JESU, JOY OF MAN'S DESIRING J.S. Bach/arr. David Werden
HALLELUJAH CHORUS ( From The Messiah) G.F. Handel/arr. Robert Wilkinson
HARK THE HERALD ANGELS SING Felix Mendelssohn/arr. Angelo Kortyka
GREENSLEEVES Lautenbuch des William Ballet/arr. Gary Buttery
ANGELS WE HAVE HEARD ON HIGH Traditional/arr. Carroll Gotcher
GOD REST YE MERRY, GENTLEMEN Traditional/arr. Carroll Gotcher
DECK THE HALLS (with Bells of Tubas) Traditional/arr. David Wiseman
WE WISH YOU A MERRY CHRISTMAS. Traditional/arr. James Garrett
HERE COMES SANTA CLAUS Gene Autry/Oakley Haldeman
FROSTY THE SNOWMAN Walter Jack Rollins/Steve Nelson
ONE HORSE OPEN SLEIGH (Jingle Bells) James Lord Pierpont/arr. David Wiseman
RUDOLPH THE RED-NOSED REINDEER Johnny Marks
HAVE YOURSELF A MERRY LITTLE CHRISTMAS Hugh Martin/Ralph Lane
IT'S BEGINNING TO LOOK A LOT LIKE CHRISTMAS Meredith Wilson
IT'S THE MOST WONDERFUL TIME OF THE YEAR Eddie Pola/George Wyle
12 DAYS OF HOUSETOPS! Arr. James A. Canter
GO TELL! Traditional/Arr. William R. Brusick
MERRY CHRISTMAS DARLING Richard Carpenter/Frank Pooler
Curtis Prichard, solo euphonium
MY FAVORITE THINGS Rodgers/Hammerstein/arr. Holmes
Kyle Newland, solo tuba
Kenji Kabe, solo tuba
WHAT'S THIS? (from The Nightmare Before Christmas) Danny Elfman
Euphoniums:
Michael Altom
Ben McMillan
Adam Goad
Alex Pilote
Keith Kile
Curtis Prichard
Charles Long
Alex Sears
Tubas:
Martin McFarlane
Jared Box
Matt McMillan
Kyle Newland
Patrick Curry
Daniel Smith
Kenji Kabe
Tom Stratton
Tracy Luna
Kevin Tupper
Jayna Yates
DEDICATION
This recording is respectfully dedicated to three families, without whom this project would not have transpired. First is the family of Dr. Robert R. Bell, President of Tennessee Technological University in Cookeville , Tennessee , and his wife, Gloria. It was their kind invitation to have the Tuba Ensemble pose in their home (see cover!) for the official 2007 Tennessee Tech Season's Greetings card that was sent out to all TTU graduates and their families. The reaction from everyone who saw this card precipitated the notion that it was past time for the Tennessee Tech Tuba Ensemble to produce a “Christmas” recording.
Second, the correlation of “Tubas” and “Christmas” has no stronger connection than that of the TUBACHRISTMAS productions of the Harvey Phillips Foundation. The support and friendship of Harvey Phillips and his family, wife Carol, son Thomas, and other members of his family, for all of the activities of the Tennessee Tech Tuba Ensemble over the years has had a profound impact on everything the TTTE has ever done and the entire concept of this recording would not have been possible without that influence.
The third family whose continued support over the years has been incalculable and indispensable is the Morette family. Our first communications with the late Vincent Morette in the mid-1960s was about the time he and his wife, Cecelia, formed the Mark Recording Company named after son, Mark J. Morette. Cel and Mark, joined by Mark's wife Jennie, continue to head up a recording company that is recognized throughout the recording industry as one of the finest companies of its kind in the world.
For additional information on Tennessee Technological University and the Department of Music & Art and the Tuba/Euphonium program:
on the internet, please access:
Tenn Tech University : http://www.tntech.edu/
Dept. of Music & Art: http://www.tntech.edu/musicandart/
Tenn Tech Tuba Web Page: http://orgs.tntech.edu/tuba/default.asp?page=home
Credits and Acknowledgments:
(recorded April 27/28, 2008, in Derryberry Hall Auditorium on the
Tennessee Technological University campus in Cookeville, Tennessee )
Executive Producers: R. Winston Morris and Mark J. Morette
Producers: Mark J. Morette, Joshua Hauser, Jose Rose
Recording Engineer: Mark J. Morette
Tonemeisters: Joshua Hauser, Josh Rose
Editing and Mastering: Mark J. Morette
Edits: R. Winston Morris
Program Notes: R. Winston Morris
Ensemble Photograph: TTU Photographic Services, Dean Carothers and John Lucas
Graphics: MarkArt
Arrangers: William R. Brusick, Gary Buttery, James A. Canter, James Garrett, Carroll Gotcher, Angelo Kortyka, Ben McMillan, Jon Oliver, Tim Olt, Scott Ramsey, Gail Robertson, David Werden, Robert Wilkinson, Kenyon Wilson, and David Wiseman
