Bold as Brass
Thursday, November 06, 2008
For centuries, the trumpet served as a communication tool on battlefields and in courts of royalty. But at the dawn of the 20th century, trumpeters like Buddy Bolden made their instrument speak in new ways. Author Krin Gabbard joins us to talk about his new book, "Hotter than That," a cultural history that traces the trumpet's impact on music and masculinity.
Soundcheck Blog: John Schaefer on his brief career as a trumpet player
Soundcheck Blog: John Schaefer on his brief career as a trumpet player
Comments [12]
carmen, there are d&d dorks of the sports world too. that said, i don't know anything about high school orchestra, i didn't start playing music until i was in college.
i think miles davis exudes sexy manness because he's a sexy man. it has nothing to do with which instrument he chooses to play. some guitar players are hot! but lots and lots are not.
I couldn't resist commenting on French Horn players...there are two kinds: those who own one horn (as mentioned), and those who were too poor to own and had to use the rusty, dented school extras. ;)
Re: French horns...NOT TRUE! As a manager of French hornists, I know that the great ones have their instruments custom-made for them.
wen u see miles davis, leaning back... u will feel alpha male in front of u, just him pelvis trust forward playing... me as a drummer have to be shirtless doing rolls on the snare, wile keeping time on the hi hat with my foot to get that kind of feeling.
Al oof, don't you know how it is in orchestras and music schools? Trumpeters are the BRASS JOCKs... Higher, faster, louder...
wow .. you guys are killing me ... Can we talk about how throughout history, and especially before the 20th century, it's been inappropriate for women to be professional anything...Masculine expression? I don't think so.
Could it not be that the trumpet's musical range is such that it is actually symbolically a woman and could it also indicate that the man (trumpet player)to make the woman (trumpet) squeal?
i'm a little confused. i don't have much to do with jazz, but my partner went majored in jazz in college. it was always my impression that the trumpet players were kind of the d and d dorks of the jazz world.
maybe it's my punk rock bias. i guess d and d dork is a kind of masculinity, but, well, you know.
Probably the biggest young classical trumpeter right now is Alison Balsom. There's also the glamorous Norwegian trumpeter Tine Thing Helseth.
C'mon .. are you kidding me? ... EVERYTHING has a sexual innuendo ... ???
Uh, thanks for sharing mr. phalic...
It's always surprising to see a woman playing trumpet, because generally the trumpet player's role in a band is to be aggressive and dominate. It's by necessity, not choice - the trumpet's tone cuts through all other wind instruments most easily to direct a band's pulse and feeling through a song and to signal changes. I play cornet (similar to a trumpet) in the Red Hook Ramblers, a dixieland group, and the band director role fell to me almost by accident for this very reason.
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