Trombone

Trombonist Brian Wendel To Release Debut Solo Album

Brian Wendel, Principal Trombone of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, will be releasing his debut solo album This Is Home on June 18, 2021, with singles being released on May 7th and May 28th. Click this link to pre-order the digital download and receive the album two days before its public release.

Photo Credit: Tyler Garnham


Press release from Brian Wendel:

“In March 2020, the entire world hit the pause button and forced musicians, along with many others, to cancel performances for an indeterminate period moving forward. We have been at home, repeating the same tasks each day, and living with the essentials: our basic needs, our loved ones, our own thought worlds, and perhaps a musical instrument or another hobby if we’re lucky. At a time when we are at home for what seems like an eternity, we can so clearly see what ‘home’ means to us (something different for everyone).

The collection of music on this album is an expression of my ‘musical home’. J.S. Bach, the grandfather of classical music so-to-say, has been the center point on which Western Classical Music is based. Crespo’s Improvisation has been a center point in my performances for many years, a piece that I feel proud to play and find new magic in each time. The passion as well as the crunch in the Russian selections is always fascinating and compelling to me and satisfies my love of being in the heart of music that’s equally bold and vulnerable at once. And last but not least, my own composition, performed by those in my ‘actual’ home and about my faith and family, was the last piece of the puzzle yet the most meaningful as well. I wrote this hymn for my unborn son, and it is sung by my amazingly gifted wife, Karen.”

Personnel:
Brian Wendel, Trombone
Carter Johnson, Piano
Karen Wendel, Vocals

Tracklist:
1. 3 Pieces, Op. 2: I. Etude in C-Sharp Minor (Arr. Trombone and Piano)
2. 12 Etudes, Op. 8: XI. Etude in B-Flat Minor (Arr. Trombone and Piano)
3. 12 Etudes, Op. 8: XII. Etude in D-Sharp Minor (Arr. Trombone and Piano)
4. Cello Suite No. 4 in Eb Major, BWV. 1010: I. Prélude
5. Cello Suite No. 4 in Eb Major, BWV. 1010: II. Allemande
6. Cello Suite No. 4 in Eb Major, BWV. 1010: III. Courante
7. Cello Suite No. 4 in Eb Major, BWV. 1010: IV. Sarabande
8. Cello Suite No. 4 in Eb Major, BWV. 1010: V. Bourrées I & II
9. Cello Suite No. 4 in Eb Major, BWV. 1010: VI. Gigue
10. Improvisation No. 1 for Solo Trombone
11. Romeo & Juliet, Op. 64: I. Act I Introduction (Arr. for Trombone and Piano)
12. Romeo & Juliet, Op. 64: II. The Street Awakens (Arr. for Trombone and Piano)
13. Romeo & Juliet, Op. 64: III. Public Merrymaking (Arr. for Trombone and Piano)
14. Romeo & Juliet, Op. 64: IV. Juliet as a Young Girl (Arr. for Trombone and Piano)
15. Romeo & Juliet, Op. 64: V. Masks (Arr. for Trombone and Piano)
16. Romeo & Juliet, Op. 64: VI. Dance of the Knights (Arr. for Trombone and Piano)
17. Romeo & Juliet, Op. 64: VII. Mercutio (Arr. for Trombone and Piano)
18. Romeo & Juliet, Op. 64: VIII. Romeo at Friar Lawrence’s (Arr. for Trombone and Piano)
19. Romeo & Juliet, Op. 64: IX. Romeo and Juliet at Parting (Arr. for Trombone and Piano)
20. Romeo & Juliet, Op. 64: X. Juliet’s Death and Funeral (Arr. for Trombone and Piano)
21. Dear Child (feat. Karen Wendel)

Click Here To Pre-Order This Album

Jeremy Smith

Jeremy E. Smith is the Founder and Editor of Last Row Music. He received music degrees from Grace College, Carnegie Mellon University, and The Ohio State University. Currently, Jeremy is the bass trombonist of the Mansfield Symphony Orchestra, the Huntington Symphony Orchestra, and performs throughout Ohio, where he lives with his wife and two sons. Smith is a member of the International Trombone Association and the Jazz Journalists Association.