known, yet-under-known and under-rated players

[MikeS]

One of the most unusual and skillful things I ever heard was Eshelman at a TUSAB several years ago: At the Thursday night concert, he played a wonderful tuba solo right handed, as well as accompanying himself lefthanded on piano--still can't figure how he was able to do that.

This is a great segue to another fine player, Dr. Eli Newberger. In addition to below, check out his playing with the New Black Eagle Jazz Band.

[Matthew Gaunt]

Charles Villarrubia - Rhythm & Brass

I believe also currently Prof of Tuba & Euph at Butler School of Music at the Univ of Texas.

Superb player - incredible versatility. If you haven’t listen to or seen Rhythm & Brass I highly recommend. Just a wonderful group. Awesome sound covering such great music including the Beatles and doing it better than the originals.

I have to give a shout out to Charles too!

I first heard him in the summer of 87 at the Empire Brass seminar at Tanglewood - was completely blown away. Somewhere there are some fun pics of tall Charlie and short Me playing duets - Charlie on a 5/4 Rudy and me on a piggy, then we switched horns - pretty funny looking. Over the years I learned so much from hearing him perform and practice while I was a few years behind him at Boston University. And honored to call him a friend as well. Fantastic human being, musician, teacher and tuba player.

Was thrill for me to sub for him in Rhythm and Brass a number of times. Great players and humans and just a gas musically and personally. I'll never forget the first time performing with them. Rex Richardson and I got stranded in the Atlanta airport overnight, and basically no sleep. The next day we were slated to rehearse but were limited by travel issues as well as other logistics (oh now we need to tune the piano in the hall etc.). I think we may have rehearsed most of the program but not all of it. I do remember a last minute change right before the show and adding a tune - we scratched out the chord changes on a napkin and away we went! As we walked on stage one of the guys mentioned that sometimes in the middle it would break down into a vamp and improv based in f minor, and that Alex Shuhan (fantastic on horn and piano) would give me a big nod from the piano when we would go back to the tune. I kept looking over and making lots of eye contact and Alex would look bat at me and give me a nod; took a while to realize the nod was a getting into it having kind of nod, not the back to the tune nod and wondering how I would tell the difference... Glad it went well enough to be asked back!

fun thread!