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Last Updated (Wednesday, 14 May 2008 08:23)
Written by Bobo, Nelson, Young
Thursday, 27 December 2007 17:17

Reviews - CD/Recording Reviews

Recently, I wrote an article about music criticism called “Tubists Critiquing Tubists.” In this article I questioned the suitability of performers of a specific instrument writing critiques on performers of the same instrument.

Using myself as an example, I pointed out that with my nearly sixty years of intense involvement with the tuba and my highly formulated tuba-related opinions, I may be too involved and opinionated to give unbiased comments. I hope that is not the case but the bias is there and I must take extreme care that I not let it be part of my written opinion. Or is it true that one's bias only makes him or her all the more qualified for writing criticism?

Just two years ago I wrote another article called “Questions on Criticism,” weighing the question of whether performance experience is an enhancement or a detriment to the music critic. The answer, of course, depends on the individual, whether or not he or she is influenced by background. Well, what good would a critic be without that background?

I also mentioned in that article that we performers should take anything a critic may say with a grain of salt; we’ve all experienced reading critiques that completely missed the mark.

Within the past two weeks I have received two critiques on my latest (and last) CD, RAINBO-BO, a reissue in CD format of recordings I made thirty years ago. To put it mildly, the critiques were superb. I couldn’t have dreamed of anything better! Now, I know I have said that we should always take what critics say with a grain of salt; but damn, it feels good when they’re great.

Thank you Mark Nelson and Jerry A. Young for the best critiques I have ever received. They mean a lot to me, especially coming from two highly respected colleagues. I hope I am worthy.

Tokyo, Japan

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Ed. note - this review was originally published in the ITEA Journal: New Materials Column, ITEA Journal, Volume 35, Number 1 (Fall 2007). Re-printed here with permission.

Rainbo-bo: The Man with the Golden Tuba CD recording featuring Roger Bobo, tuba. Crystal Records 28818 NE Hancock Road, Camas WA 98607. (360) 834-9680. This e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it . www.crystalrecords.com. CD398.UPC 00941473982-7. 46.03. 2007. $16.95.

Roger Bobo’s latest CD recording is a compilation of three different LP recordings, apparently without any additional editing or re-mixing, that he made in the years 1978–1981. The original recordings included LP numbers S126, S398, and S392, all out of print. The five compositions represented on this new recording are the Air from Suite No. 3 by Bach played by Bobo on a B-flat tenor tuba with Zita Carno, piano; Ständchen (Serenade) by Franz Schubert played on an F tuba with Zita Carno on piano; Meyer Kupferman’s Saturnalis for tuba and amplified cello featuring Daniel Rothmuller on cello; Morton Subotnik’s The First Dream of Light for tuba, piano and “ghost” score with Ralph Grierson, piano; and the Encore: Bōz by Thomas Stevens for unaccompanied tuba, all presumably played on the CC contrabass tuba.

That Roger Bobo is a remarkable tubist and musician is of course, a huge understatement. He sings with the euphonium, dances with the F tuba, and positively blows away the audience with his CC contrabass tuba playing. This is vintage Bobo at his best: confident, lyrical, possessing an amazing vibrato, and capable of almost superhuman and nearly bombastic feats of dynamic range and register. The Air is quite amazing with his emphasis on lyrical and expressive playing that is second to none in the euphonium world! As well, the Schubert Ständchen is simply a joy to listen to for the sheer genius of Schubert’s music. My favorite piece on the CD is Saturnalis, a work that deserves many more performances and available from Soundspells Productions. The amplified cello is balanced very well against the tuba and the interplays and virtuosic ensemble playing by both musicians is simply amazing. We need to explore more combinations of using tuba with string instruments as that part of our repertoire is still quite small. (Special thanks go to Sonny Ausman, recording engineer for all of these original LP recordings and to Ralph Sauer for being the Tonmeister for the Bach and Schubert pieces). The Subotnik piece is quite intriguing with the “ghost” score of a tape with recorded information that triggers electronic equipment that modifies the sound of the piano and tuba and occasional vocals. Indeed, I thought that that much of the first half was all about variations on impossible tremolos!

Of course, the final work, Encore: Bōz, written for Bobo by his long time friend and Principal Trumpet of the L.A. Philharmonic, Thomas Stevens, is the perfect ending, right down to the final sound of the stage door slamming shut as Bobo exits after playing the last note! What is simply stunning to me is that I listened to this CD non-stop with my Bose surround sound stereo system at home and again in my car, and I could swear I was in the room with Roger and his colleagues. The sound was that clear, which is saying something about the care Crystal Records took with the conversion to CD from the LP master tapes.

Crystal Records is to be congratulated for re-issuing more of the Roger Bobo recording library, which already includes releases such as CD125, a compilation of selections from LP S125 Roger Bobo Plays Tuba and LP S392 Botuba, and CD 396, a re-release of LP S396 Gravity is Light Today. As our solo recordings for our instruments continue to mature, it is right that steps are taken to protect our legacies with re-releases of earlier recordings onto a more stable medium that is more durable than the LP libraries of yesteryear. For a generation of tubists like myself who were privileged to have studied with Roger Bobo during the time these recordings were being made and who also listened to all of his LP recordings until they literally wore out, this new compilation is just the ticket to rediscover these wonderful works that helped define our repertoire.

~Mark Nelson, Pima Community College

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Ed. note - This review was originally published in the NACWPI Journal, Volume 56, Number 2, Winter, 2007-2008. Re-printed here with permission of the National Association of College Wind & Percussion Instructors.

Compact Disc Review by: Dr. Jerry Young, The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire

Rainbo-bo: The Man with the Golden Tuba

Several years ago the entire music world was saddened to learn that Maestro Roger Bobo was announcing that he was leaving the performance stage. His illustrious career as a soloist, orchestral tubist and chamber musician had far-reaching impact on several generations of musicians. To say that his approach to musical performance influenced only tuba players could be too limiting. Fortunately, Maestro Bobo has continued to keep an energetic schedule as a teacher, master clinician and conductor, so his influence continues to reach far and wide. Having said all that, we all thought that we had said goodbye to new recordings from this master performer, but thanks to Peter Christ and Crystal Records, there is one more in store!

Rainbo-bo consists of the only remaining recorded performances by Roger Bobo that had not until this point been re-released on compact disc. In other words, the performances on this disc aren’t “new” performances, however they are the same great performances that those of us “of a certain age” already own on LP recordings and that most listeners “of a certain (younger) age” have not had the opportunity to experience. Congratulations to Peter Christ for his continuing attention to the historical and artistic importance of these performances and for making them available to a new generation and more easily accessible to everyone.

There are five works (a total of 46 minutes of music) represented on this recording. They are J.S. Bach’s Air from Suite No. 3 (Air on the G String), Franz Schubert’s Ständchen, Meyer Kupferman’s Saturnalis, (for tuba and amplified cello), Morton Subotnick’s The First Dream of Light, and Thomas Stevens’ Encore Boz. The Bach Air gives the listener the rare opportunity to hear Bobo perform on what is classic-beautiful sound and vibrato worthy of the best euphoniumists and all-Bobo relative to a very tasteful interpretation. The Schubert (performed on F tuba) defines instrumental interpretation of vocal works with singing tone and phrasing that would be the envy of any vocal artist. The Kupferman and Subotnick works were landmark compositions at the time they were written for Mr. Bobo, and these recordings caused quite a stir when they were originally released. The obvious care and attention to detail in the preparation and recording of these works caused this reviewer (at that time a young professional) to re-evaluate his approach to preparation and performance of music using extended techniques. They are just as instructive today as they were some 30 years ago. The liner notes remind the listener that Encore: Boz was written as a parody of Utter Chaos, used to close the Gerry Mulligan Quartet’s performances. Although it’s more important to have this sonic representation of the man for who it was written playing it. In addition to Mr. Bobo’s performances, his partners on these works, Zita Carno and Ralph Grierson on piano and Daniel Rothmuller on cello, all turn in performances that match his artistry.

For the generation of the 1990’s and later, you must have this recording to complete your Bobo collection. For the rest of you, your turntable may not last forever or cartridges may become hard to find! Get your copy of this historic CD and thereby say “thank you” again to Roger Bobo for his contributions to music and to Crystal Records for their faithful and continuing work to bring quality wind solo and chamber music to us all.