James Martin Self (born August 20, 1943) is an American

tubist This is a list of tuba players with articles on Wikipedia. See also *Lists of musicians This is a list of lists of musicians. Genre The following are lists of musicians by style or music genre. 0–9 * List of 1970s Christian pop artist ...

and composer from Los Angeles. Self has performed extensively in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the wor ...

and internationally as a soloist, chamber musician, orchestral tubist, and, most notably, as a studio musician in the Los Angeles movie studios having appeared on over 1500 soundtracks. He is also known for his association with the

Pasadena Symphony Pasadena ( ) is a city in Los Angeles County, California, northeast of downtown Los Angeles. It is the most populous city and the primary cultural center of the San Gabriel Valley. Old Pasadena is the city's original commercial district. Its ...

, the Pacific Symphony, the

Los Angeles Opera The Los Angeles Opera is an American opera company in Los Angeles, California. It is the fourth-largest opera company in the United States. The company's home base is the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, part of the Los Angeles Music Center. Leadersh ...

and the

Hollywood Bowl Orchestra The Hollywood Bowl Orchestra (HBO) is a symphony orchestra which is managed by the Los Angeles Philharmonic Association and plays the vast majority of its performances at the Hollywood Bowl. John Mauceri led the orchestra from its founding in 1990 ...

Childhood, education, and early career

James Martin Self was born on August 20, 1943, in

Franklin, Pennsylvania Franklin is a city and the county seat of Venango County, Pennsylvania. The population was 6,097 in the 2020 census. Franklin is part of the Oil City, PA Micropolitan Statistical Area. Franklin is known for its three-day autumn festival in Oc ...

, the third youngest of four siblings born to Helen Louise (née Martin, 1907–1980) and James Warren "Pete" Self (1906–1959), and grew up in neighboring Oil City, Pennsylvania. His father, James, worked as an assistant production manager at the

Worthington Corporation The Worthington Corporation was a diversified American manufacturer that had its roots in Worthington and Baker, a steam pump manufacturer founded in 1845. In 1967 it merged with Studebaker and Wagner Electric to form Studebaker-Worthington. This ...

and was a softball and baseball player. His mother, Helen, was a member of his hometown's First Baptist Church. His older brother, William, worked as an electrical engineer. After graduating from Oil City High School in 1961, Self went to

Indiana State College Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP) is a public research university in Indiana County, Pennsylvania. As of fall 2021, the university enrolled 7,044 undergraduates and 1,865 postgraduates, for a total enrollment of 9,009 students. The uni ...

(now known as Indiana University of Pennsylvania). He studied under trumpeter William Becker, whom he considered a "a father figure and a kind of soul mate". In 1965, he earned his bachelor's degree in music education. After graduation, Self joined the

United States Army Band The United States Army Band, also known as "Pershing's Own", is the premier musical organization of the United States Army, founded in 1922. There are currently nine official performing ensembles in the unit: The U.S. Army Concert Band, The U.S. A ...

. The concert band tuba section included Leo Hurst, Bob Pallansch, Dan Perantoni, Chester Schmitz, and Paul Scott. During his time with the US Army Band, Self earned a Master of Music in Tuba Performance from

Catholic University of America The Catholic University of America (CUA) is a private Roman Catholic research university in Washington, D.C. It is a pontifical university of the Catholic Church in the United States and the only institution of higher education founded by U. ...

and studied with Harvey Phillips. Self left the Army Band in 1967. He was offered the position of Assistant Professor of Tuba and the

University of Tennessee The University of Tennessee (officially The University of Tennessee, Knoxville; or UT Knoxville; UTK; or UT) is a public land-grant research university in Knoxville, Tennessee. Founded in 1794, two years before Tennessee became the 16th state ...

in 1969. In 1971, while still working at the University of Tennessee, Self began working on a Doctor of Musical Arts degree at the

University of Southern California , mottoeng = "Let whoever earns the palm bear it" , religious_affiliation = Nonsectarian—historically Methodist , established = , accreditation = WSCUC , type = Private research university , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $8. ...

. At USC he studied under Tommy Johnson.

Los Angeles

Studio career

Self has performed on the Los Angeles studios since 1974. In this time he has recorded over 1500 soundtracks for motion pictures and television. One of Self's most notable soundtrack credits is his performance on

Close Encounters of the Third Kind ''Close Encounters of the Third Kind'' is a 1977 American science fiction film written and directed by Steven Spielberg, starring Richard Dreyfuss, Melinda Dillon, Teri Garr, Bob Balaban, Cary Guffey, and François Truffaut. It tells the story ...

. His performance was featured as the "voice of the mothership." Self can be heard as a soloist in such films as

Jurassic Park ''Jurassic Park'', later also referred to as ''Jurassic World'', is an American science fiction media franchise created by Michael Crichton and centered on a disastrous attempt to create a theme park of cloned dinosaurs. It began in 1990 whe ...

, Home Alone I&II, Casper, Batteries Not Included,

Sleepless in Seattle ''Sleepless in Seattle'' is a 1993 American romantic comedy-drama film directed by Nora Ephron, from a screenplay she wrote with David S. Ward and Jeff Arch. Starring Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan, the film follows a journalist (Ryan) who, despite ...

, and Dennis the Menace. Jim Self has been the first call tubist for such notable film composers as

John Williams John Towner Williams (born February 8, 1932)Nylund, Rob (15 November 2022)Classic Connection review '' WBOI'' ("For the second time this year, the Fort Wayne Philharmonic honored American composer, conductor, and arranger John Williams, who w ...

James Newton Howard James Newton Howard (born June 9, 1951) is an American film composer, music producer and keyboardist. He has scored over 100 films and is the recipient of a Grammy Award, an Emmy Award, and nine nominations for Academy Awards. His film scores i ...

John Debney John Cardon Debney (born August 18, 1956) is an American composer and conductor of film, television, and video game scores. His work encompasses a variety of mediums and genres including comedy, horror, thriller, and action-adventure. He is a ...

and

James Horner James Roy Horner (August 14, 1953 – June 22, 2015) was an American composer. He was known for the integration of choral and electronic elements, and for his frequent use of motifs associated with Celtic music. Horner's first film score was i ...

. Self often doubles on

cimbasso The cimbasso is a low brass instrument that developed from the upright serpent over the course of the 19th century in Italian opera orchestras, to cover the same range as a tuba or contrabass trombone. The modern instrument has four to six rota ...

for soundtrack work, particularly since the late 1990s.

Orchestral performances

Jim Self holds principal tuba positions with the

(1991–present),

(1975-present), Pacific Symphony (1986–present),

(1986–present), and

Opera Pacific Opera Pacific was an opera company located in the Orange County, California, United States city of Santa Ana. It operated for 22 seasons before closing in 2008 after several seasons of deepening financial difficulties. History The first seaso ...

(1987-2008). In his opera orchestra performances he plays the cimbasso when required. Self is also a frequent substitute tubist with the

Los Angeles Philharmonic The Los Angeles Philharmonic, commonly referred to as the LA Phil, is an American orchestra based in Los Angeles, California. It has a regular season of concerts from October through June at the Walt Disney Concert Hall, and a summer season at th ...

Teaching

Jim Self has taught at the University of Southern California since 1976. At USC Self teaches tuba and coaches brass chamber music. Self taught at the University of Tennessee from 1969-1975. He has also taught at such festivals as Music Academy of the West and the Henry Mancini Institute.

Compositions

Self has published over 50 solo, chamber, and symphonic works. In 2008 the Pacific Symphony performed his composition, ''Tour de Force: Episodes for Orchestra.'' The 13 minute work has also been transcribed for wind ensemble and was co-premiered by the USC Thornton Wind Ensemble under the direction of H. Robert Reynolds and the IUP Wind Ensemble under the direction of Jack Stamp.

Awards

Harvey Phillips Award (ITEA), 2010 Roger Bobo Award for Excellence in Recording (ITEA), 2008 - InnerPlay Lifetime Achievement Award (ITEA), 2008 Distinguished Alumni Award, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, 2003 Most Valuable Player Award (Tuba), National Association of Recording Arts and Sciences, 1983, 1985, 1986, 1987 President,

International Tuba Euphonium Association The International Tuba Euphonium Association (ITEA), founded in 1973 as the Tubists Universal Brotherhood Association (TUBA), is an international organization dedicated to performers, teachers and friends of the tuba and euphonium. The first asso ...

, 1979-1981

Solo/chamber/jazz discography

References

External links

www.bassethoundmusic.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Self, Jim 1943 births Living people American tubists Indiana University of Pennsylvania alumni Musicians from Pennsylvania Musicians from Los Angeles USC Thornton School of Music alumni USC Thornton School of Music faculty University of Tennessee faculty 21st-century tubists 20th-century tubists