Houston, Tx Tuba Christmas...

You may have heard of Tuba Christmas. It's a world wide event begun in 1974 by Harvey Phillips in honor of his mentor, tuba player William Bell who was born on Christmas Day 1902. I participated in the Houston Tuba Christmas which was held at Hughes Landing Band Shell in the Woodlands. It was my first Tuba Christmas. 

Maybe you can pick me out in the photo. I have the only bell front concert tuba. 

That bell front concert tuba usually gets me in trouble for playing too loud. I sat close to the sousaphones so they could maybe take some of the blame. I noted in the music book we played from there were some notes on professional integrity, personal values, and dressing and behaving to represent the event well. 

My wife was quite surprised that this was a pretty subdued performance. Living with my tuba playing for 29 years now she has come to expect over the top larger than life activities to be the norm for this instrument. Maybe that's just me. It would have been that way, anyway. 

There's me in the center.  

The music was mostly Christmas hymns of a religious nature and even some Advent pieces. All were arranged in a four part harmony, 1st and 2nd euphonium and 1st and second tuba. You could play any part you wanted. There was a brief morning rehearsal and I took second tuba since it was in the lower register and with such short exposure to the music I was basically sight reading and did not want to be making failed stabs at the high notes. 

I wore my ugly Christmas suit that I wear for drum and tuba performances. I expected a bunch of guys in similar outfits but other than the guy below in a kilt, a few crazy sweaters and hats and some decorated horns it was a pretty nondescript bunch. 

I always say dress like you are with the band and play to the room.    

The guy in the center of the photo caught my eye. The director always tells you to watch him so the group stays together. This guy is a bit off kilter for keeping the leader in line of sight but maybe his peripheral vision is a strength. 

Back in high school marching band there are a lot of opportunities where the band marches right up the stands during a halftime performance playing fight songs or glorious fanfares right into the faces of the crowd. As tuba players we always loved these moments when you could hit soft flesh with maximum tone and as high school boys we often described this experience of sound pouring forth from our horns onto people in scatological terms. This guy probably knows what I'm talking about. 

Pink is good. They make all kind of plastic horns these days and while a plastic tuba does not seen to be a bargain compared to the price of an older used horn it would be lighter for an old guy to carry around.  

Ages of the participants ranged from 9 to 67 I think. Here's the 9 year old center of the photo with his dad. After the morning rehearsal concluded there was a piano in the church hall we were using to organize. I did not here this kid's euphonium playing but he sat down to the piano and sounded just like Jelly Roll Morton. I judged him a prodigy. Young girl in the upper left on euphonium sat behind me at rehearsal. I did hear her horn playing and she is a heck of a player.   

Thanks to Miguel for the photos. Thanks to my family, Cathy, Mary, Miguel, Ezra and Morgan for all coming out to see the old man play. Sorry Ali and Parker got stuck in the Santa picture line since I think Parker might be owning the most maniacal baby in the tuba photo for the time being.  

Miguel holds Ezra as he has that "There's Pop Pop" moment.