Alan Raph (born July 3, 1933, in New York City ) is a bass trombonist, composer, arranger, and conductor who founded and conducts the Danbury Brass Band. He has recorded with many popular musicians and for television, movies, and ballet. He was for many years on first call with most New York City recording studios.

Life

Raph was born in New York City to Marion McGuire and Ted Raph. His father was a jazz trombonist in the 1920s and 1930s. Raph married Theresa Capp on October 5, 1957. They had two children. In 1978 he married musician Mary Ann O'Connor, with whom he had a son.

Education

Raph graduated from New York University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Music Education. He then studied at Teachers College Columbia University where he received a Masters of Arts degree. He has studied privately with Nadia Boulanger, John Mehegan, Simon Karasick, and Gabriel Masson.

Professional career

He was a charter member of the

American Symphony Orchestra The American Symphony Orchestra is a New York-based American orchestra founded in 1962 by Leopold Stokowski whose mission is to demystify orchestral music and make it accessible and affordable for all audiences. Leon Botstein is the orchestra's m ...

for which he played the bass trombone. He was for many years the bass trombone player on first call with most New York City recording studios. He has performed under the direction of Leopold Stokowski, with the

Gerry Mulligan Concert Jazz Band Gerald Joseph Mulligan (April 6, 1927 – January 20, 1996), also known as Jeru, was an American jazz saxophonist, clarinetist, composer and arranger. Though primarily known as one of the leading jazz baritone saxophonists—playing the instrum ...

and the Chamber Brass Players. As a freelance trombonist, he has recorded albums with artists including Quincy Jones, Don Sebesky,

Philip Glass Philip Glass (born January 31, 1937) is an American composer and pianist. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential composers of the late 20th century. Glass's work has been associated with minimal music, minimalism, being built up fr ...

, the

NBC Opera Company The NBC Opera Theatre (sometimes mistakenly spelled NBC Opera Theater and sometimes referred to as the NBC Opera Company) was an American opera company operated by the National Broadcasting Company from 1949 to 1964. The company was established spe ...

, Eugene Ormandy, Paul Whiteman and his Palais Royale Orchestra, the Ballet Bolshoi Theatre,

Diana Ross Diana Ross (born March 26, 1944) is an American singer and actress. She rose to fame as the lead singer of the vocal group the Supremes, who became Motown's most successful act during the 1960s and one of the world's best-selling girl groups o ...

Lena Horne Lena Mary Calhoun Horne (June 30, 1917 – May 9, 2010) was an American dancer, actress, singer, and civil rights activist. Horne's career spanned more than seventy years, appearing in film, television, and theatre. Horne joined the chorus of th ...

and Mel Torme. He has also recorded music for many movies and television shows including '' Sesame Street'', '' The Cosby Show'', '' Name That Tune'', '' The Godfather'', '' The Producers'', '' Midnight Cowboy'', '' Hamburger Hill'', '' Bananas'', '' Kundun'', '' Fog of War'', '' Secret Window'', and '' Taking Lives''. He was a professor at the Teachers College of Columbia University in New York City, as well as instructor and associate professor at

Queens College of the City University of New York Queens College (QC) is a public college in the Queens borough of New York City. It is part of the City University of New York system. Its 80-acre campus is primarily located in Flushing, Queens. It has a student body representing more than 170 ...

. He is the founder, music director, and conductor of the Danbury Brass Band, for which he has composed and arranged many pieces. The ensemble is composed of trumpets,

cornet The cornet (, ) is a brass instrument similar to the trumpet but distinguished from it by its conical bore, more compact shape, and mellower tone quality. The most common cornet is a transposing instrument in B, though there is also a sopr ...

s, French horns, trombones, euphoniums, and tubas. The band has performed abroad in Australia, Bermuda, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. He has composed for the

Joffrey Ballet Company The Joffrey Ballet is one of the premier dance companies and training institutions in the world today. Located in Chicago, Illinois, the Joffrey regularly performs classical and contemporary ballets during its annual performance season at Lyric ...

. He also arranged several songs for the Broadway musical

Rockabye Hamlet Rockabye may refer to: * ''Rockabye'' (1932 film), starring Constance Bennett and Joel McCrea * ''Rockabye'' (1986 film), starring Jimmy Smits and Valerie Bertinelli * "Rockabye" (song), a 2016 song by Clean Bandit featuring Sean Paul and Anne-Marie ...

(1976). Raph is a member of

ASCAP The American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) () is an American not-for-profit performance-rights organization (PRO) that collectively licenses the public performance rights of its members' musical works to venues, broadca ...

. Raph is known for his low range playing. He was awarded the Most Valuable Player award by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences.

Compositions

Works for wind band

* ''Variations on a Theme by Handel,'' for trombone and band * ''Fantasy on a Theme by Purcell,'' for flute and band

Ballets

* ''Trinity'', premiered in 1970 by the Joffrey Ballet Company * ''Sacred Grove on Mt. Tamalpais'', premiered in 1971 by the Joffrey Ballet Company

Chamber music

* ''Burlesque,'' for trombone ensemble (ca. 1956, per the composer)

Pedagogical works

* ''Bel Canto Vocalises for Bass Trombone'' * ''Beyond Boundaries'' * ''Diversified Trombone Etudes'' * ''Arban Trombone'' * ''Melodious Etudes'' * ''Recital Pieces for Unaccompanied Trombone'' * ''The Double Valve Bass Trombone'' * ''Trombonisms''

Media

Alan Raph: trombone tips - warmups

Alan Raph: trombone tips - high notes

Alan Raph: trombone tips - Bumble Bee

Alan Raph: trombone tips - very low notes

Alan Raph: trombone tips - The Bartok glissando

Alan Raph: trombone tips - staccato & legato

Alan Raph: trombone tips - double (& triple) tonguing

Alan Raph: trombone tips - Reading jazz notation

Publications

* ''Dance Band Reading and Interpretation'', Alfred Music Publishers, 2002. 44 p., * ''"Le" Trombone'', AR Publishing Co., 1983. * ''Trombonisms'', Carl Fischer, Inc., 1983. * ''"Les" Brass'', AR Publishing Co., 1984. * ''"L" Orchestra'', AR Publishing Co., 1986.

Discography

With

J. J. Johnson J.J. Johnson (January 22, 1924 – February 4, 2001), born James Louis Johnson and also known as Jay Jay Johnson, was an American jazz trombonist, composer and arranger. Johnson was one of the earliest trombonists to embrace bebop. Biograph ...

*'' Goodies'' (RCA Victor, 1965) With

Lee Konitz Leon Konitz (October 13, 1927 – April 15, 2020) was an American composer and alto saxophonist. He performed successfully in a wide range of jazz styles, including bebop, cool jazz, and avant-garde jazz. Konitz's association with the cool jazz ...

*''

Chicago 'n All That Jazz ''Chicago 'n All That Jazz'' (subtitled ''Big Band Jazz of the Broadway Musical'') is an album by American jazz saxophonist Lee Konitz performing John Kander and Fred Ebb's songs from the Broadway musical ''Chicago'' recorded in 1975 and release ...

'' (Groove Merchant, 1975) With Gerry Mulligan *'' Walk on the Water'' (DRG, 1980) *''The Concert Jazz Band'' With Jerome Richardson *''

Groove Merchant Groove Merchant was an American jazz and R&B record label during the 1970s. It was run by producer Sonny Lester and distributed by Pickwick Records. Notable artists included Chick Corea, O'Donel Levy, Buddy Rich, Jimmy McGriff, Lonnie Smith and ...

'' (Verve, 1968)

Bibliography

* Michael Cuscuna, Michel Ruppli: ''The Blue Note label : a discography'', Revised and expanded edition, Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press, 2001, 913 p. * :de:Wolfgang Suppan, :de:Armin Suppan: ''Das Neue Lexikon des Blasmusikwesens'', 4. Auflage, Freiburg-Tiengen, Blasmusikverlag Schulz GmbH, 1994, * Michel Ruppli, Ed Novitsky: ''The Mercury labels : a discography'', Vol. V: record and artist indexes, Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press, 1993, 882 p. *

E. Ruth Anderson Elsie Ruth Anderson (23 June 1907, Newport, Rhode Island – 24 November 1989, Boston, Massachusetts) was an American musicologist, weather observer, and editor. Biography Anderson attended the New England Conservatory of Music from 1924 to ...

: ''Contemporary American composers - A biographical dictionary'', Second edition, Boston: G. K. Hall, 1982, 578 p., * Jaques Cattell Press: ''ASCAP biographical dictionary of composers, authors and publishers'', Fourth edition, New York: R. R. Bowker, 1980, 589 p.,

References

External links

Official homepage

Conn-Selmer Artist's Page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Raph, Alan 1933 births American jazz trombonists Male trombonists American jazz composers Living people Musicians from New York City New York University alumni Teachers College, Columbia University alumni Teachers College, Columbia University faculty Jazz musicians from New York (state) 21st-century trombonists American male jazz composers 21st-century American male musicians