With Alison Limerick
Virgil Reality (Trumpet) with Alison Limerick, Carl Cox and Eric Powell. Riva St Kilda.
Long Way to the Top with Trumpet Bagpipes
Recently I was on the SuperCruise and so was AC/DC cover band Dirty Deeds. They got me up to play the Bon Scott bagpipe part on Trumpet.
Bands in the Round Concert
I’ve been lucky to play Repiano, 1st and 2nd cornet parts with the Sydney Congress Hall Band and Friends for the Salvation Army. There have been several great concerts of challenging music.
I performed on Repiano Cornet for this clip for Bands in the Round.
Ah Hum, Adelaide Festival
The roots of Ah Hum’s music and some of the musicians are directly from South America and the band also includes Nepalese, Japanese, European Aussies. This show was produced for the Adelaide Fringe Festival and was performed in the Spiegeltent for one night only. It was an amazing night and one of the most enjoyable performances I have ever done. Video by Patrick Stapleton.
Monkey Spanner
Here is Monkey Spanner Ska Band playing Baggy Trousers.
Highway Hotel Melbourne Cup Celebrations
A great day and night for Melbourne Cup with Maverick and Ali.
Catching up with a friend on Favorite Things
I don’t often get to see my good friend Alain Valodze. As an experiment he sent me some guitar audio. I spliced it up and added some trumpet to it, for some LoFi fun. I enjoyed doing it and it's another way we can get together even when we are apart.
Dino Jag Plays Amy Winehouse
When I performed on Cruise and Groove, as well as Rock the Boat it was with the Dino Jag Trio. Here is a video of a local performance of “Rehab” by Amy Winehouse
Retrospective Compilation
Here is a compilation of performance snippets from over the last few years.
Retrospective Compilation Two
Here are some more performance snippets from over the last few years.
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Improvisation
I love playing all sorts of shows, though many of them are centred around improvised music (Jazz and DJ sessions). These gigs are a particular challenge as creating music on the spot has to add to what’s going on around.
You don’t usually know what track a DJ is going to play. You have to make up a line or solo that fits in with the music and seems part of, or an extra part of it. You have to take chances, work with the mood of the room and the crowd. It’s different from improvisation with a jazz group, where the same sort of things apply, though you might know the changes, tune or have rehearsed.
Either way I can hear the key of the tunes. Like public speaking I already have some things I might know how to say (play), though when the topic (the tune or style) changes, I’m able to say something new.
I can emulate things going on in the track. I can improvise solos in appropriate spots or create new melodies. I can make repeated sections. Sometimes there are moments where special things happen. Sometimes by design, sometimes out of the ether. I do this in real time adjusting to the show, using experience to know when and what to play.
It’s important to stay in tune with the energy of the crowd and adjust your playing in response.
Walking out in front of a large crowd and not having a clue how it’s going to turn out is scary and exciting. When it all comes together it’s a really amazing feeling.
I use a TC Helicon Voicelive Touch 2 effects unit. I have regular presets, reverbs, delays, flanger, doubling and looping. Working in conjunction with variations, mutes and techniques with my trumpet and flute.
How it started
The opportunity had arisen for my brother and I to learn at primary school. He played the trombone and I played the trumpet. Dad was keen for this as he played both trumpet and trombone.
My Dad had played trumpet in the Air Force band. He loved Jazz Music and introduced me to his ever growing collection of jazz recordings. We’d sit and listen to lots of great stuff. He’d drink whiskey and coke, while we listened.
As school went on I played in the school bands, local concert bands, big bands and youth orchestra. I studied music and while that was going on had joined a rock band at 17 and got a whole other set of education.
We played a lot of support gigs for touring bands and my trumpet teacher at the time got me horn section gigs with many of the touring acts that would come through. He had incredible lead chops and I was a very reliable backup. Sometimes we’d get to go on tours interstate.
There were opera orchestra gigs, horn sections, shows and many other things that trumpets are in.
I wrote music for plays, songs, recorded in studios, did some musical direction, arranging and composition. I’ve led bands and been a member of them.
