Interview With A Bass Trombonist: Alastair Sinclair

This is the first in a series of interviews with musicians of all stripes. They say that one should write about what one knows best, so I begin this series with a species near and dear to me- the bass trombonist. My aim here is to take a peek into the minds and lives of bass trombone players around the globe through a series of a dozen (or so) basic questions. I have contacted many players already, running the gamut; high school students, jazz/commercial players, high school and college teachers and orchestral professionals to name just a few. I was inspired by Gabe Langfur who put me on the hot seat for an interview on the S.E. Shires website, which you can find here.

If you are interested in being interviewed for this series, please contact me.

Our first interview takes us to Scotland. My ancestry is Scottish and I feel that I may have some past life experience there as well. I was married in my kilt (Clan Matheson) and I am yet to meet a single-malt whiskey that does not appeal to me. To me, the combination of playing bass trombone and living in Scotland must be the closest thing to Nirvana that I can conjure up. I had to find out.

Alastair Sinclair is bass trombonist with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, and we have been in contact over the past month or so regarding this interview and another project still in the works. If you have been lucky enough to hear him live or through RSNO recordings, you already know that he is a monster player. I love his sense of humor and I think that you will find this interview a very enjoyable read. Many thanks to Alastair for taking the time to contribute so willingly to this project.

BIO:
Alastair Sinclair, RSNO Bass Trombone Biography.Born in Wallasey,near Liverpool. I studied at the Royal Academy of Music in London from 1979 to 1983 underHarold Nash (principal trombone Royal Opera) and Alan Hutt. After leaving the RAM I was awarded a Philharmonia-Martin Scholarship to study with Ray Premru. I freelanced in London for seven years playing mainly in West End shows, touring and depping (subbing) in orchestras. I spent three months depping with the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra beforejoining the RSNO in 1990. I am married to Nicola, who plays the viola in the RSNO and we have three children aged 8,7 and 3 (two boys and a girl).

The Interview:
Matthew Guilford: Why do you play the bass trombone?
Alastair Sinclair: When I was 11 I wanted to play the trumpet but all that was available at my school was a trombone. Two of us were to share it for a week on a trial basis to see who was most suited. On the second day I managed to get the slide bent around a desk and when it came back from being repaired, six months later, I was the only one still interested. The area that I lived in had a strong brass band tradition and you either learned to read bass clef or, more commonly, brass band treble clef (in B flat ). By chance I was taught in bass clef which meant that when I started playing in brass bands I was the only one of my age who could read the bass trombone parts. Later I played 1st trombone in youth orchestra and big band but by then I preferred the bass trombone parts. I played on a medium bore B flat and F until I went to music college and it was only at my audition for the Royal Academy of Music that I finally had to choose between tenor and bass. I bought my first bass trombone (Conn 71H) a few weeks before I started college.

M.G.: When did you decide your make music your career?
A.S.: I only decided to apply for music college when I was 18 after spending a year at a college in Liverpool that had a heavy emphasis on the arts. Until then music had just been something that I did for fun.

M.G.: Were your parents supportive of your career choice?
A.S.: Yes, I think that they would have supported me in any choice that I made.

M.G.: What were the factors involved in choosing a college?
A.S.: At that time I knew nothing about music colleges or who taught at them, so I just applied to the three that I had heard of. In the end there was no choice to be made because only one accepted me (one practically told me to give up!).

M.G.: What/who were your biggest musical influences early on? What about now?
A.S.: When I was a student the player who I most wanted to emulate was Ray Premru. I had all the Philip Jones Brass Ensemble recordings and would also listen to Ray playing with the Philharmonia Orchestra. I was smitten by his sound which was so clean, vibrant, colourful and on occasion very loud. When Iwas lucky enough to be taught by him after leaving the Academy I was amazed that he sounded exactly the same standing two feet away as he did from theback of a concert hall. Just a few minutes of listening to him play in a lesson was worth an hour of talking. He was also a really nice person who encouraged me hugely and helped me to become a musician rather than a “bass trombonist” (some of my colleagues may disagree about the last bit!). My other major bass trombone influence at the time was of course George Roberts. Again, he has a sound you would give your right arm for combined with the ability to carry a tune in such a simple way. I don’t think that he has ever been bettered. When I listen to all the best contemporary players I am extremely impressed by the virtuosity but, apart from wanting to either go and practice harder or give up altogether, I don’t think that they move me in the same way. This is more to do with my age than any criticism of modern trombone playing.

M.G.: Did you consider any career(s) other than music?
A.S.: Until my teens I wanted to go to sea like my dad, then be a pilot, then an archaeologist- you can see that I basically had no idea. In the end I chose music because I couldn’t think of anything else that I would rather do.

M.G.: What do you like to do completely outside of music?
A.S.: I am a keen runner in my spare time and even managed to fit a half marathonin when we were on tour in Vienna last year. It keeps my head and lungs clear and allows me to eat and drink more than would normally be good for me. We also holiday in France three times a year and I have been trying to learn French for the last four years (while I’m running some of the time)with limited success. I have a 1956 MGA which was my pride and joy, but now that we have three young children it only sees the light of day a few times a year.

M.G.: What is your pet-peeve with your students?
A.S.: What really annoys me is that most of my students are much better than I was at their age!

M.G.: What is the best piece of advice you can give to an aspiring young bass trombonist?
A.S.: Work as hard as you can, enjoy what you do and have a plan B.

M.G.: What has been the highlight of your career thus far?
A.S.: Getting a job.

M.G.: What is the strangest thing to have happened during your musical career?
A.S.: Getting a job was pretty weird at the time.

M.G.: What characteristic(s) do you admire in others that you do not see inyourself (or would like to see more of in yourself)?
A.S.: Confidence.

M.G.: What is the last book (or books) you have read?
A.S.: The Wall Jumper by Peter Schneider and A History of Europe by J. M. Roberts

M.G.: What music do you listen to besides classical?
A.S.: I’ll listen to anything, but I am a big fan of 1950,s big bands, especially Stan Kenton. I also have quite a few recordings of Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole, Ella Fitzgerald from the same era. In my youth I was into the Beatles (when they were no longer fashionable) although I have never been a pop fan.

M.G.: Alastair, thanks so much for sharing your thoughts with us. I hope to catch up with you soon in Scotland. Slainte!