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Trombone Professor Robin Eubanks Awarded
Pair of Commissions
By Jonah Berman '03
RELATED
Assistant
Professor of Jazz Trombone Robin
Eubanks is not a man with a lot of spare time on his hands. Between
teaching at Oberlin, upholding a recording career, touring the world as
leader of his own band, Mental Images, and as a sideman with the award-winning
Dave Holland Band and the Dave
Holland Quintet, it would be a vast understatement to call him busy. But
to those who know him well, and who recognize his personal drive and passion
for music, it should come as no surprise that on top of all this, Eubanks
has received two major commissions in the last eight months.
Eubanks was notified in May 2002 that he had been selected for a jazz commission from the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers and the International Association of Jazz Educators (ASCAP/IAJE). In cooperation with IAJE, ASCAP annually commissions two jazz works - one for an established and one for an emerging composer - to be premiered during the IAJE's annual conference. Eubanks won the established composer category. This year's commission honored jazz pianist Marian McPartland.
Eubanks' piece, "Full Circle," was premiered by the Jamie Begian big band during the conference's opening general session, in the Metro Toronto Convention Center's Constitution Hall, on January 9.
"The hard part about the commission was having to write it for people that I had never heard play before, and knowing that I was only going to have two rehearsals," Eubanks says. "It had to be something simple, but something that still reflected my personality." Despite the minimal rehearsal time, Eubanks was pleased with the performance of the piece. He plans to continue performing "Full Circle" and will likely record it in the future.
The second commission, from Chamber Music America (CMA), was awarded to Eubanks and his band Mental Images as part of CMA's New Works: Creation and Presentation Program. Now in its third year, the grant supports composer/performer-led ensembles in the creation and presentation of compositions in the jazz idiom.
Eubanks is putting the final touches on the piece - "sort of a jazz suite" - he is writing for the CMA grant. This time he has the luxury of composing for musicians with whom he is familiar. "Many of the rhythmic concepts I use are hard to relay to people who aren't familiar with my music; it features a lot of quirky, odd-metered stuff," he says. "But I've played with the people in my band for years." The presently untitled piece will receive its premiere at Kansas State University on February 21.
One notable component of both commissioned pieces is their use of the electric trombone. By using electronics, Eubanks can not only alter the sound of the trombone, but also record and loop musical phrases, which he can then play back through a speaker using pedals at his feet.
As far as plans for the future, Eubanks' schedule is full, and he seems to have no plans to cut back. Currently on tour with the Dave Holland Quintet, he and the ensemble performed to an enthusiastic audience in Finney Chapel on February 16.
"It's hard between touring, composing, teaching, and practicing. But I enjoy the challenges."
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