More Photos of The Blowholes at da Vinci Days

Special thanks MM for the photos!!

Blowholes at da Vinci Wrap

The Blowholes on the Shady Stage - da Vinci Days 2005! Click to see the QuickTime Movie excerpt!

John Bliss - Guitar
Andy Nelson - Tenor
Jim Guynn - Alto
The Viking - Drums
Rob Birdwell - Trumpet
Cheryl Leckie - Tuba/Bass
Mike Bevington - Trombone

It was fun to play at da Vinci Days. I especially enjoyed hearing all the other musical acts too!

Thanks to all our family and friends for being there - that means so much!

The brief QuickTime movie clip is not exactly the most flattering sound or picture quality, but at least you get to see how we all groove and move! Ha!

Preparing for da Vinci Days - Blowhole Style

Preparing...what have I forgotten? Must remember clothes pins for the stands - it will probably rain too, but I can't control the weather...or can I? Got the t-shirts, festival passes...need to get some more parking passes for everyone in the band or figure out how the loading/unloading stuff will work...borrowed a 50" x 11" piece of wood from my neighbor - it's light and somewhat sturdy - it will serve nicely as my music stand extender. (The charts are long and page turns were ill-conceived!) Going to paint it some funky shade of blue from an old can of paint I found in the basement - will duct tape it first (wouldn't want it to look unprofessional!)...it's slightly ridiculous to need such a wide stand...oh well!

I started writing lots of little musical bon-bons when I was in Sweden last summer with my family. (I was inspired to try to put together a little on-again, off-again ensemble after hearing a concert in the park by the Benny Andersson Orchestra - what a great songwriter and composer!!) Anyway, I scribbled and scratched and clawed my way through the writing process which I so much love. A little ditty by the lake in Sweden turned into "Swedish Beach Party." Further explorations in the Autumn lead me to draw from a funny confession from my mom (a true beauty) a couple years ago which inspired "Grandma Was A Go-Go Dancer." Our sweet little puppy dog (who has chewed up several cables and at least one important mute of mine!!!) inspired "That Is Not A Chew Toy" - and there are others too, all with their own story, sometimes personal, sometimes random, with many more on deck in sketch form or simply in my head - other day. Saturday we'll perform the first nine. Come listen!

Here's our set list for da Vinci Days 2005!

Rob

Peace Is Patriotic

Peace Is Patriotic words and music by Rob Birdwell

Just a little song to sing
On the fourth of July
A simple tune with simple words
So give it a try

You can play it slow
Or play it fast
But either way the sentiment
Is bound to last

'‘Cause everybody knows
Peace is patriotic
Everybody knows
Love is all we need

(Jam, Sing, dance, repeat as needed...)

Copyright (c) 2005 Rob Birdwell, BirdwellMusic.com

Download the sheet music to "Peace Is Patriotic" as a PDF.

I encourage anyone who wants to perform this song for private/non-profit events to please feel free to do so - I only ask that you contact me when and where you performed it. Additionally, I'd love to hear a recording of your live performance (nothing fancy!) so record it if you can and send me a link! This is a simple sing-along song for everyone to sing and perform, regardless of musical ability. Simple percussion, gazoos, a guitar or two, voices...even a Flugelhorn, etc. will all work fine. Thanks. Rob Birdwell

For commercial use and/or commercial licensing of this song and/or the lyrics, please contact me.

Blowhole Badge of Honor

"The Blowholes" is a Corvallis, Oregon based band (instrumentation: trumpet, alto sax, tenor sax, trombone, bass/tuba, guitar & drums). There are currently about 20 folks around town wearing these buttons. These are the pioneers - an elite and brave group! (Well, okay...they were actually given a FREE "I'm a Blowhole" button!)

But now you too can get your very own "I'm a Blowhole" button!! By wearing this button, you're saying something profound...you're making an important statement...and, well, if nothing else, you're at least creating an opportunity for some very interesting conversions...all that for only $1.35 (plus shipping)!! Wow! Order yours today!

What's In A Name - The Blowholes

Here's a little background for those of you interested in how and why I came up with the name "The Blowholes" for my all original Jazz septet:

It's all about the music...

First of all, when you play Jazz, especially in a free-form combo setting with multiple horns (jamming and/or simple lead sheet tunes) you're often arranging on the spot. As one soloist works through their choruses the other horn players listen...and sometimes background riffs are suggested (through whispers or other body language with the other players) to add interest and give the soloist and rhythm section yet another element to work with or against.

These lines might take the form of a simple "1 2 do-dot-do, 2, 3, 4 | 1, 2.do dot do..." or "do--, do-bop...2, 3 4" etc. Simple one or two note ditties that can be easily harmonized on the spot. These lines are spontaneous, stylistic, and simple and they can sound great and add interest and excitement at any given moment. Sometimes they work and sometimes they don't - that's part of the challenge of being spontaneous.

Several times over the past couple years I've suggested more simple, sustained lines instead of punchy lines that attract too much attention. Free pads. "Goose eggs" or whole notes. So it's not uncommon for me to suggest, "let's blow whole notes" (under the soloist) - this is almost always effective because some interesting harmonies can be developed at random - all by blowing whole notes....blowing wholes....blow wholes...blowholes.

So the more I considered and researched the word "blowhole" for a band name (or "The Blowholes") the more I became convinced that it was a natural fit for a horn-based ensemble:

• 5 of the 7 players are quite literally blowing (Trumpet, 2 Saxes, Trombone, and sometimes Tuba)
• The horns all have bells - or holes - that's where the sound streams forth!
• Even the guitar and bass have holes - they're called f-holes (really!)

I recently came across a beautiful sign from somewhere in Hawaii(I saw it on the web) advertising "The Blowhole Cafe" which featured an animated blue whale - it looked like a very respectable place. The sign was very annimated with a nice variety of blue color tones. If we ever have a logo, some type of "musical whale" might be cool. Whales are amazing creatures - whales have blowholes.

Blowholes are also found on coasts, the result of the sea's relentless pounding away at the rocky shore which creates, over time, tubular openings in the rocks where sea water enters at a high velocity causing periodic steam-like eruptions. These ocean/rock blowholes are dramatic and awe inspiring - they're fun to watch too. Unpredictable, powerful - no two blows are ever they same...much like the making of music.

Blowholes, be they the blowholes of whales, the blowholes of ocean/rock formations, or my musical term of "blowing wholes" to affect a mood - these are things of beauty and the foundation of my belief in what "The Blowholes" represent: musical, natural, slightly irreverent, at times majestic, at times humorous...definitely an endangered species...and hopefully something special.

So go ahead, infer some sort of crude or negative connotation from a name; go ahead and make the juvenile jokes - we've probably heard them (and have our own)...or better yet, don't.

Instead, recognize that we're musicians attempting to breathe life into abstract ideas. We're trying to produce our own waves of sound that flow from one place to another. And who knows where these "waves" go - to the heart maybe? The mind? The soul?

The true spirit of "The Blowholes" can be found within the music and especially the performers who are doing their best to create something out of thin air.

I'm a blowhole and proud of what the name means for me. After all, a rose by any other name...

Blowholes to Play Da Vinci Days 2005

Come see and hear "The Blowholes" perform at da Vinci Days, Saturday, July 16 at 5-6 PM on the Shady Stage.

The Blowholes are a 7-piece ensemble that play all original music and features Rob Birdwell (Trumpet, Flugelhorn), Jim Guynn (Alto, Flute), Andy Nelson (Tenor Sax, Clarinet), Mike Bevington (Trombone), John Bliss (Guitar), Jeff "The Viking" Morre (Drums), and Cheryl Leckie (Bass, Tuba).

Our music is a blend of many styles and the arrangements of original material strive to strike a blance between tight ensemble writing and free solo sections (everyone is featured somehow, someway) - you'll hear lots of Jazz/swing with touches of latin, rock, funk and even some 60s style go-go! da Vinci Days is a wonderful festival and we're looking forward to performing.

You can catch "The Blowholes" in action on Thursday May 26 at Bombs Away Cafe (Corvallis- we'll be the XTET from 7:30 PM and then morph into "The Blowholes" around 8:30 PM or so. (This will actually be our first public appearance!)

Formed in early February 2005 we've been in the woodshedding a bit and now it's time to share the sounds and work out the logistics of playing live! Should be fun!

Rob Birdwell

Free Satellite TV!

NPR : Dave Holland, Working Some Big-Band 'Overtime'

NPR : Dave Holland, Working Some Big-Band 'Overtime'

I had the pleasure of listening to the Dave Holland Big Band perform. Wow! What an experience! This will definitely reverberate in my own arrangements...I loved hearing the fabulous execution of some really challenging but highly accessible (whatever that means) music. Was moved by the settings Dave creates for his players to express. Background lines and supporting elements added so much - a great deal of craft on all levels. So much invention...and those meters...funny thing was I didn't think about meter much at all while listening (just had a vague sense that what I was hearing was really being played well) - was mostly mesmorized by the harmonic lines and flow...and of course the terrific soloists.

At this particular gig (Eugene, Oregon...April 10, 2005 at The Shedd) Dave and band took the stage - he mentioned that it had been a rough day of travel (having to plead his case to bring his bass on the plane) but that seeing everyone in the audience made it all worth it. He also mentioned before that by the end of the evening we'd know each of the players much - and boy was that spot on! After the end of the night, each and every player had had a memorable moment (or two or three...) to shine in some extended context. I'd love to honor all the players with some affectionate note or two, but a line or two on a select few will have to suffice for now:

Robin Eubanks - for his solo work and composition Mental Images. What a treat.

Duane Eubanks - a fantastic solo on Mental Images! Really loved the pacing of his playing. Shows a great deal of thought even in a fast past spontaneous moment.

"Sasha" - (more on this once I get my liner notes) - beautiful solo work. He can do it all and then some!



Chris Potter - I really enjoy his work with Dave Douglas too...Chris' ability to take a solo to a "place" (don't know how else to describe it) is amazing to witness.

Random Jazz Musings

...and so the two Jazz men exited the trailer park, horns and cheat sheets hastily packed away, and drove west, into the sunset, leaving behind what would eventually come to be known as their definitive musical legacy.

A Cowboy Called Lightning - Composer Plug

A Cowboy Called Lightning - If you're a small theatre company looking for a fun & original musical play, consider "Cowboy" - I was presented with Dorinda Clifton's script in 2002 and got lazy. Then I got busy on it...then I got lazy again. But at some point I'd realized it was done - I'd finished the 39 or so short musical cues I set out to write. It was originally a play...the musical version retains the spirit of her play with the addition and integration of several musical numbers. It's truly a musical play.

After composing was completed (sometime in 2004) I put together a very quick demo (with me doing all of the voices; not ideal but it was usually late at night or very early in the morning when I did it - had to get it done!) - but ya know, it works. I could plead for you to "suspend belief" and hear beyond the raw composer demo, but I won't! (But please, please do!)

Anyway, if you are looking to do a show and don't have a lot of dough (ha! or especially if you do)...then (punch line please...) this is the show for you. Suitable for a diverse cast of beginners or pros, "A Cowboy Called Lightning" will be an entertaining show for all audiences.

Contact me for more information on obtaining a script and a complete CD of the musical numbers.

Production materials currently include:

* Complete Script/Lyrics
* Complete Vocal/Chorus score with Piano, Bass, Drum/Percussion parts.

Additional ensemble parts (Clarinet, Flute, Violin, Cello, French Horn) can be added provided performance dates are set at least 4 months in advance.

All materials herein (c) Rob Birdwell (Music) and Dorinda Clifton (Story, Script, Lyrics)

The Blowholes - our first sounds

The Blowholes audio teaser: Frumpy (MP3 excerpt) - here's a brief sampling of our "Blowhole" sound, recorded live on April 11, 2005. Made up of talented musicians from the Corvallis, Albany, and Philomath, Oregon areas) and formed in early 2005, The Blowholes are (I think) something special. Most of us have and continue to gig together under various band names, yet the formation of The Blowholes gives us a unique outlet for original material (no fake book or head charts on our stands, thank 'e kindly) and showcases a great rhythm section as well as a "front down" horn section (rather than being relegated to relentless "backup" duties all the time).

The compositions and arrangements I've written are specifically for "The Blowholes" - these vehicles allow for a good deal of ensemble invention as well as ample opportunities for improvisation and stretching out. Naturally, I look forward to writing tunes that bring out the best in each of the players. All in good time.

We certainly look forward to performing for you in the near future.

The Blowholes are:

Rob Birdwell – Trumpet, Flugelhorn (Music Director)
Jim Guynn – Alto Sax
Andy Nelson – Tenor Sax
Mike Bevington – Trombone
Cheryl Leckie – Bass, Tuba
John Bliss – Guitar
Jeff "The Viking" Morre – Drums

For booking and/or additional information, contact:

Rob Birdwell
www.birdwellmusic.com

OSU Arranging Course Home Page

This is the initial home page for the course. I will be adding materials and notes as we progress.

Composer Tools

Composer Tools - hey, what more could a composer need? Seriously, these mini "Flash" components (a 61 key Rhoads, a metronome that, well, sort of works, and a music duration calculator) might come in handy.

I'll expand on the Rhoads functionality for sure - would like to add in a simple way to play back a chord progression. But hey, it is what is is for now!

Enjoy!

Rob Birdwell

ASCII Generator

ASCII Generator

 _ _                  ___            _ 

| | | ___  _ _  _ _  |  _> ___  ___ | |

| ' |/ ._>| '_>| | | | <__/ . \/ . \| |

|__/ \___.|_|  `_. | `___/\___/\___/|_|

               <___'                   

sequencer - zefrank.com

sequencer - zefrank.com - a cool flash sequencer. A simple but elegant little compositional device. Not it won't replace SONAR, but if you're in the mood for a fun little scratch pad to lay down a groove, try this out.

VSTi Sampling Made Easy with the SFZ format and engine

rgc:audio software :: The sfz format - this is something I've been reading up on and have spent some time dabbling with. The concept is very simple and it really seems to work well. Here's how I'm using it in my "lab":

* Author your various .WAV audio samples (Trumpet, Flugelhorn, weird sounds, etc.) - anything you want!
* Create a simple "sfz" file using your editor to specify the note, key assignments, and lots of other parameter data.
* The sfz format has LOTS of stuff in it, but it can be simple too.
* Download the free sfz player
* Access your or other sfz audio samples via MIDI using any VSTi enabled software tool (SONAR, Cuebase, et al.)
* Enjoy!

On the commercial front, BirdwellMusic.com (me) is looking into ways of providing our customers, students, producers, composers, arrangers, et.al., with empowering tools. Many have been asking for a way to combine the best of Real Trumpet with Virtual Trumpet. Guess what folks - this is it! Obviously, Real Trumpet and Virtual Trumpet are their own things and can't be "replaced" of course! But an easy-to-use audio sample format that enables flexible MIDI access - we'll, that's very cool. And the audio quality and flexibility of the sfx format is extremely powerful.

There are still some nagging questions about sample intellectual property (namely, how do content authors distribute their audio sample libraries to customers while still being able to reasonably protect their intellectual property from being duplicated, replicated, stollen, etc.) - and maybe that's not the point or even an issue for some, but it's certainly a consideration many, including myself, are probably mulling over.

Anyway, I did some preliminary tests with my own Flugelhorn sfz enabled/empowered audio library and used it as a VSTi from within SONAR and the results were fabulous! It will take some work to get it ready for primetime (like I've already done with Real Trumpet), but I've heard the future - and it sounds great!

NPR : Computer Music Program Matches Human's Riffs

NPR : Computer Music Program Matches Human's Riffs - fascinating audio interview about research and a brief history of integrating computers into the compositional and/or performance process.

This is, of course, not exactly news to those who regularly compose and dabble in technology (and what musician today doesn't?). Still, it's still comforting to know that some of the funky far out dreams we have (interactively jamming and collaborating with other musicians, tools that intuitively help us realize our musical musings) are shared by lots and lots of other folks doing research and implementing wild and crazy stuff...neat!

On Our Way

This composition was written especially for the Early Bird Jazz Band students at Linus Pauling Middle School - these guys get up extra early just for the fun of making music. They are truly on their way! They sound great too!

Here's an MP3 recording of On Our Way (by Rob Birdwell) ~5 minutes long. I did a quick overdub of the Trumpet parts but the rest is all MIDI stuff...so it sounds, er...well, sort of how it should sound...but everyone knows you REAL players will sound MUCH better! With a bit of luck and hard work we'll be ready to perform this as a combined group with the Corvallis High School Jazz Band(s) at our concert, Wednesday, January 26 2005 at 7 PM, at CHS.

Note to players: Get to know the form of the chart (where sections repeat, where to break, where the D.S. goes back to, where the coda is, etc.). There's a LOT of harmony and accidentals in this arrangement! (Welcome to the world of Jazz!) Trust the part - most of the notes are actually right! Practice those challenging parts slowly - you might not be able to play with the recording right away, but DO listen to the recording and do work through it so you can play along. Once you've worked through your part of few times and begin to feel confident, crank up that stereo and play along. Remember, every practice session should be like a performance.

Have fun!

Attention Middle School and High School Jazz Ensemble/Band directors: the full score and parts to On Our Way are available from BirdwellMusic.com - contact me for the details.

On Our Way - MP3 rendition of the Full Score ~5 minutes
On Our Way - PDF Director Score

Difficulty: 2.5 - 3

Instrumentation:

• Saxs (Alto 1, Alto 2, Tenor 1, Tenor 2, Baritone Sax)
• Trumpets 1, 2, & 3
• Trombones 1 & 2
• Bass
• Drums
• Percussion 1 & 2
• Guitar 1 (Jazz)
• Guitar 2 (Overdrive)
• Piano
• Organ
• Synth

SNL - I Need More Cowbell

One of the great musical skits of our time - can we ever get enough cowbell?