Volume 26 Issue 2 - October 2020

JACK MACQUARRIE
A carefully spaced backyard audience enjoys The Encore Take Five Quintet.
others, donations are collected.
I had the privilege of attending a few such events. The first of
my visits was to a back porch performance. A wind quintet was
performing to assist a musical duo who also performed (Christopher
Lee on flute and his partner James Brown on guitar). The photograph
shows the well-spaced, backyard audience sitting under giant
oak trees listening to the Encore Take Five Quintet (donating their
time were quintet members Len Graf, flute; Helen Graham, oboe; Bill
Krangle, clarinet; Tom Fleming, horn; and Dorothy Ward, bassoon).
In another concert, at the same location, we were treated to a
performance by Kelly Zimba, principal flute of the TSO and Clare
Semes, a TSO violinist. This duo, with the very clever name, the
Sonority Sisters, entertained the backyard audience with a wide range
of music from pop to classical. Two Mozart selections, which I enjoyed
most, reminded me of silly jazz versions which I had in my record
collection years ago.
In my jazz collection, the first of these, the “updated” Eine Kleine
Nachtmusik, had the name Annie Kleine’s Night Music. The second
was a version of Rondo Alla Turca with the title Moe Zart’s Turkey
Trot. Now I feel compelled to dig these out and listen to them again.
In a departure from normal concert routine, during a break in the
program, members of the audience were invited to ask questions.
While there was a wide variety of questions, the one which received
most attention, was addressed to Kelly Zimba. She was asked if she
used circular breathing while playing the flute. Her answer was no.
She said that she had tried, but not been able to accomplish that yet.
As for her Sonority “sister” Clare, she is not likely to derive any benefit
from circular breathing while playing her violin. Maybe Zimba hasn’t
learned how to circular breathe yet, but she and her partner Clare
Semes certainly convinced the audience that the Sonority Sisters
could be a highlight on the Toronto music scene.
Circular Breathing
Having heard all of this between Kelly and the audience about circular
breathing, I thought that the technique might be worth exploring.
For those not familiar with this, circular breathing is defined as a
technique used by players of some wind instruments to produce a
continuous tone without interruption. It is accomplished by breathing
in through the nose while simultaneously pushing air out through
the mouth using air stored in the cheeks. I personally have attempted
to master circular breathing, but have never come close to success. In
attempts to research how to develop this skill, I have consulted various
websites, without success.
Brass players in particular, find that the ability to employ circular
breathing to play long passages without taking a breath is almost
essential. The tuba parts for many of Wagner’s works are notorious
for this requirement. The most amazing example of a performer
employing this technique was Arnold Jacobs, an American tubist who
spent 44 years with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. In recognition
of his outstanding career, in 2001, three years after his retirement in
1998, the Chicago Symphony tuba chair was dedicated as the Arnold
Jacobs Principal Tuba.
Closer to home, we have just learned of a young tuba player who
has already developed such a skill. A Grade 11 student (Matt Marzano)
at Twin Lakes Secondary School in Orillia, Ontario, has developed
the rare ability to sustain a single note for five minutes without a
break in sound.
So! Circular breathing seems to be here to stay. How does one
develop the skill? So far I haven’t been able to find a source. The technique
seems to have originated in the dim and distant past. Some
people have suggested that circular breathing developed with the
didgeridoo (the origin of which is itself the subject of much speculation).
Most agree that this instrument was developed by Aboriginal
peoples of Northern Australia. It is sometimes referred to as a “wooden
brass instrument.” Many researchers suggest that it may be the world’s
oldest musical instrument, over 40,000 years old. In other words,
stay tuned.
Incidents at the Bandstand
Over the years I have observed many incidents at bandstands during
concerts. In some cases the incidents were disruptive, some were of
no consequence and others were humorous. Since there are a number
of such incidents stored in the back of my mind, I have decided to add
this section to the column, and recount one such item in each column.
The incident for this month refers to a silly event during a concert
in the park. For some 15 years I acted as MC for concerts in Toronto
parks sponsored by the city’s Department of Parks and Recreation. At
an afternoon concert in St. James Park in downtown Toronto, there
was a small jazz ensemble performing. Suddenly, in the middle of a
number, the clarinet player jumped up, left the bandstand and ran
off. At the end of the number I asked the leader of the group why this
had happened.
He told me not to worry. The player lived near by, had run home,
and would be back soon. The reason? The player wore dentures,
and after his lunch he forgot to change teeth. He had arrived at the
park with his “eating teeth” and had to go home for his “clarinetplaying
teeth.”
Jack MacQuarrie plays several brass instruments and
has performed in many community ensembles. He can
be contacted at bandstand@thewholenote.com.
32 | October 2020 thewholenote.com