Movies, TV shows, commercials...these are just a few of the places you might hear some really fantastic music and some fantastic tuba-playing. The Hollywood studios are where most of it is recorded.
And just who are the tuba players we hear the most?

The best guess for many years was Tommy Johnson or Jim Self. They are the two most long-serving tuba players in Hollywood; true legends. But there are other tuba players that we are hearing more of these days. Who are they? How did they get into the scene? What are they playing on?

I went right to the man who would know...Jim Self. He pointed me towards these gentlemen who are getting the most exposure and are the new generation of Hollywood studio tubists: Doug Tornquist, John Van Houten, Fred Greene and Bill Reichenbach. I had questions for them, they had answers.

Doug Tornquist 

How long have you been in Los Angeles?
I moved here in 1979 to go to college, I was in Wichita, KS from 83-87, and came back for good in 1987.  My first recording session was Edward Scissorhands, in October of 1989, I think. I believe Tommy Johnson recommended me for it.

Where's the best/most accessible place to hear you play on film? Live?
On film.  I suppose there are a few scores/soundtracks around where you might hear my playing. I do recall a small solo in Monster House, a very interesting Douglas Pipes score. I remember a lot of playing on Cinderalla III, A Twist in Time, Joel McNeely's very well-done score. I think that went direct to video, so you might check your local discount retailer . . . I remember a lot of playing on Superman 4, Meet the Robinsons, Miracle, All the Pretty Horses, Pirates of the Caribbean, and many others. So often we play some incredibly interesting, challenging and difficult things, but in the final mix you might only hear percussion, an explosion, or dialogue.

Live? I play all kinds of things here in Los Angeles. I have positions with the Santa Barbara Symphony, the Long Beach Symphony, New West Symphony, as well as subbing fairly frequently with the opera, Pacific Symphony, Pasadena Symphony, the Philharmonic and other orchestras here. I like to play with my brass quintet, Modern Brass (we are finishing up our first recording right now) and now and then I will play a solo recital.

What are the jobs you do most?
Good question. This seems to change every week. I have been doing a lot of film work lately, but this is only because there seems to be a lot of film work going on with the composers I routinely work for. This could change quite suddenly. I like to keep a balance of recording work and teaching during the days, orchestra rehearsals and concerts at night. I work for lots of different people and organizations, so I couldn't really say there is one type of thing I do the most. I

Composers I regularly work for are Danny Elfman, John Powell, Alan Sylvestri, Trevor Rabin, Marco Beltrami, John Ottman, Elmer Bernstein, John Williams, Randy Newman.

Do you teach anywhere?
Yes I do. I like to teach, and have been at it since I started working here almost 20 years ago. I keep a more active studio at some campuses, in fact, if I had students at each of the places where I am faculty, I would not be able to keep up! I find that each school attracts a different type of student, and I am challenged to do a different type of teaching at each place based on traditions, needs and emphasis. Here is the list: Occidental College, Pepperdine University, California State University, Northridge, Caliornia State University, Fullerton, California Institute of the Arts, The Colburn School, the University of Southern California (I only teach chamber music there).

What is the highest profile movie/TV show you've done to date?
Highest profile for the tuba? or highest profile show? Every movie or TV show is the highest profile ever, just ask the composer!! But honestly, I would have to say it's all pretty high. Whether you are working for John Williams and Steven Spielberg, as I was last week, or a student composer on his first film project, what you have to play is very important. I try to approach each thing I do with respect and consideration for the time and effort involved, and thankful this composer thought it was necessary to include a tuba part, prominent or not. Consider the alternative . . .

What would you say is the best/most memorable gig(s) you've ever done?
My most memorable gig I was a concert of the Wichita Brass Quintet in Topeka, KS, sometime in 1984. I was a grad student playing with the faculty brass quintet, and we played the Bozza Sonatine at an 8 am concert, as part of a recruiting tour through the Topeka high schools. After that concert, (during, even!) all I wanted to do was go back to bed. This kid, kind of rough looking, well actually, really rough looking, came up to me and told me he liked how I had played it, that I had inspired him, and that his life had been changed. He said I had inspired him to become a musician, and that he would see me again, as a professional.

I have never forgotten that. I play lots of concerts, some of which don't leave a lasting impression. It is pretty cool, I have to admit, to see movie stars as a pretty routine occurence, to work with other musicians who are legends, to play pieces that are landmarks for you, personally.

If I had to pick one experience, it might be a concert with the Los Angeles Philharmonic a couple of years ago. Norm Pearson was suddenly unavailable to play a concert on a Saturday night, and I was called about 2 hours before the performance. I said yes, and then realized I would have to play the Bruckner 8th symphony, sight reading, with Zubin Mehta conducting. I had played the piece a few years prior in Honolulu, but had not rehearsed it with the Philharmonic, nor had I really been practicing the part recently.

I was very nervous, of course. The first piece on the program was a piece by Prokoffief I had never played. The very first entrance was a note which wasn't really clear - was it a D, or was it an E? We couldn't find a score backstage, nor in the library, so the personnel manager led me to Mr. Mehta's dressing room. I will never forgot standing outside his door, my tuba under my arm, staring at the sign on his dressing room door, Zubin Mehta, all in capital letters. "You can't go in there!", a voice inside me said. Iin we went, and I asked him what note I should play. He wished me good luck.

Every entrance of the Bruckner was absolutely nerve-wracking. Not having rehearsed the piece, I just had to make my best guess, and try to remember how I had played it in Honolulu, a few years prior. The bass trombonist, Jeff Reynolds, was barking out helpful hints and instructions during the louder passages.

After the concert Mr. Mehta gave me a solo bow, an unlikely occurence after that symphony. I was grateful for the experience, but happy not to repeat it any time soon.

Who are the other musicians you work with regularly that really impress you?
Well, the thing about working in Los Angeles, is that you never hear bad playing. The players here are so incredibly talented that you just get used to flawless artistry. Our orchestras here are filled with people who win nationwide auditions, or who have left jobs in large orchestras to pursue freelance careers. I am constantly impressed, challenged and inspired to keep up my own skills by working with such colleagues.

The obligatory equipment question....what instruments and mouthpieces do you currently use?
Oh you are asking the wrong guy. I play an old Hirsbrunner, which I like very much, a Yamaha F (I won it in a competition, and I like the sound). I use a 40 year old Meinl Weston F tuba to play the Mendelssohn Midsummer Night's Dream Overture, I use an Alexander tenor tuba to play Bydlo and various other high parts, a Rudi Mienl F cimbasso, a Bach bass trombone, a Glassel Contra Bass trombone. I play two Marcinkiewicz mouthpieces, an N5CP, and the Jim Self model. Not very exciting, I'm afraid. I am in the process of developing my own mouthpiece, which will be a combination of things I already use, with impovements.

How has the writers' strike affected your work or the work of others you know?
Thankfully it has been settled. It was, in fact, fairly busy for us during the strike. The real question is how will the settlement reached by the writers impact our (musicians') intellectual property issues. We are concerned with the deal that was struck, and this will certainly impact our own contracts, those which pertain to the internet and electronic media. It is all connected these days, and we cannot afford to lose ground or give things away. There are too many precedents being set, and most are not in our favor.

Is there anything else you want to say about your job(s) that most people may not know?
Well that is an interesting question. I spend a lot of time in my car - the traffic and commute times here can be ferocious. I don't get a lot of sleep. I don't take vacations. I like what I do. I am still amazed at the power of music. It is a miracle, what we do - the collaboration between composers and players, technology and creative artistry. We must constantly strive to keep the standards as high as possible, for ourselves and others, so that we may continue to thrive and enjoy the fruits of our labors.

Fred Greene

How long have you been in Los Angeles?
I came to L.A. in 1978; I was 17 and going to college at USC. Tommy Johnson was my first private teacher; I came from a rural area in Northern California, and played much more electric bass than tuba, since Country Western, Hard Rock, and top 40 dance tunes were the only things people wanted to hear up there. I always liked the tuba more, because I felt I was the one producing the sound rather than the equipment I was playing. To me it was a more fulfilling experience. Perhaps I just wasn't that good a bass player!

Jim Self was another teacher of mine. Some older students enrolled and Mr. Johnson's teaching load was too great, so he told me I would be taking from Jim. It was a wonderful thing for me, really, because Jim was such a great motivator. He kicked my lazy butt in a very positive way and helped me see that I needed to practice more than what I had been used to. Through the next several years I took from both (mostly Mr. Johnson in lessons and Jim coaching small ensembles I played in) and gradually was asked to sub for them here and there for rehearsals or performances they couldn't make. It's a word-of-mouth business, and little by little, if you play well, you get opportunities to have more people hear you play.

What are the jobs you do most?
The kind of work I do varies. Really, I take just about everything I get asked to do! When you ask what's the most accessible place to hear me play, it's hard to say. I have played on 100 or so movie soundtracks, and have some accounts of my own, but I work quite a bit subbing for other players when they have a conflict. There's a saying I like, "I don't want anyone to call me first, but I want everyone to call me second!" Although I wouldn't mind having more accounts of my own, it is a pain sometimes fulfilling your contractual minimum of services to keep a position in a group. Usually, contractors are happy knowing the part will be covered by someone they know whose playing they trust.

Not all jobs I play are "high profile", for lack of a better term. Although it's all union work, it's not always recording scale. I still do a good number of trust fund jobs working in quintets playing educational shows for schools. I love quintet playing and say yes to almost any playing opportunity. People call me from time to time to sit in on their quintet rehearsals for free when their regular guy is out, and I'm happy to do it if I can. I have a regular church job I'm grateful for as well.

Do you teach anywhere?
I teach at Chapman University. I am on faculty at UCI (Irvine) and CSUSB (San Bernadino) but don't have any tuba students at those two at this time. I used to teach at CSUF (Fullerton) and University of Redlands, but the time commitment got to be too great. I have my Teaching Credential and have been a part time Music teacher for the Santa Ana School District for 24 years now.

What is the highest profile movie/TV show you've done to date?
I've been lucky to have played on several popular films. A few that come to mind right now are Pearl Harbor, King Kong, the 3 Pirates of the Caribbean films, Spiderman 2 , Transformers, Beowulf.

As a freelance musician, I consider every job a gift and am grateful, but the times I have gotten to play with my teachers, Mr Johnson and Jim Self have always stood out. It's cool when you get to play with your teachers and see they can be just as silly as you are! I may have been a little nervous playing 2nd tuba with them, but they always made me feel as an equal when working together, especially Jim.

The obligatory equipment question....what instruments and mouthpieces do you currently use?
I am playing Yamaha tubas right now. I primarily use two - YCB 861 CC for large groups and YFB 621 for quintet and some close-mike recording situations. I also use the larger YFB 822 at times. I have tried a few mouthpieces but always seem to come back to my Marcinkiewicz N2 for all tubas.