Description
In 2021, Gail Yates and early student of Winston Morris commissioned me to compose a piece in honor of a deceased classmate, Billy Blankenship. It was for Winston’s final Tennessee Tech Tuba Ensemble Concert–celebrating his 55 years at Tennessee Tech. The premier concert in April 2022 was a big hit and it was recorded and filmed by Mark Records. The piece is for 6 parts (2 Euphoniums, 2 Bass Tubas, 2 Contra-Bass Tubas). It starts with a slow intro that builds into a fast odd-meter romp featuring all players. There are several sub-sections where all get good stuff to do. It really works well with multiple players. The 2nd performance was at Adam Frey’s IET Festival in Atlanta and the 3rd at the 2023 ITEC at Arizona State University and ends a special concert of ITEA Past President’s and Friends Concert. Lots of fun for the players and the audience!
Jim Self is a Los Angeles free-lance musician, a veteran of thousands of motion pictures, television shows and records, and tuba soloist on many prominent movies. He is Principal Tubist with the Pasadena and Pacific Symphonies, the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra and the Los Angeles Opera and Opera Pacific orchestras. His compositions and arrangements include works for solo tuba, brass quintet, and other brass and woodwind chamber music.
More about Jim and his recordings can be found here:
Basset Hound Music – http://www.bassethoundmusic.com
