Malcolm Mcnab : the “Crème De La Crème ” of Studio Musicians by Giovanni Santos
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Reprints from the International Trumpet Guild ® Journal to promote communications among trumpet players around the world and to improve the artistic level of performance, teaching, and literature associated with the trumpet MALCOLM MCNAB : THE “CRÈME DE LA CRÈME ” OF STUDIO MUSICIANS BY GIOVANNI SANTOS June 2015 • Page 7 The International Trumpet Guild ® (ITG) is the copyright owner of all data contained in this file. ITG gives the individual end-user the right to: • Download and retain an electronic copy of this file on a single workstation that you own • Transmit an unaltered copy of this file to any single individual end-user, so long as no fee, whether direct or indirect is charged • Print a single copy of pages of this file • Quote fair use passages of this file in not-for-profit research papers as long as the ITGJ, date, and page number are cited as the source. 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MALCOLM MCNAB : THE “CRÈME DE LA CRÈME ” OF STUDIO MUSICIANS BY GIOVANNI SANTOS have played on over a thousand motion picture sound chops, and I had heard that he was the guy to learn the James tracks with Malc; the one that stands out the most to me Stamp exercises from. I called up Malcolm and expressed my frus - was Summersby . All day long, Malc had solo after solo of trations with the trumpet and told him I was ready to quit. He octave lip slurs. He never missed, and all of us in the section were talked me off the cliff and said, “Come over and I’ll show you sooooo thrilled he was playing first. Truly amazing bit of virtuoso what has worked for me all these years.” playing. He truly is the best ever in the motion picture biz. These “Stamp” lessons saved my trumpet-playing career, and I —Rick Baptist am forever grateful. I remind him of this every time I see him. Of course I heard about Malcolm McNab as soon as I moved to Fast forward now a few years, and I finally had my chance to sit LA in 1987 . He was not a household name outside of LA , but I was next to him on the movie score to Finding Nemo . I also just to quickly find out why he is a household name in the LA studios. recently had the chance to actually hire him (imagine that) to I was able to see and hear him in the studios, as an observer just play first trumpet, and I played third trumpet next to him on the moving to town, by following my second cousin, studio guitarist recent movie score I was contracting called Need For Speed . Tommy Tedesco, around. Wow! I had never heard a trumpet There were some real hard trumpet and brass cues, but what an played so beautifully and perfectly before. Around 1998 , I took opportunity to hear them played by the master, Malcolm McNab. some lessons with Malcolm as I was having problems with my —Chris Tedesco Santos: Who were the most influential people in your life as a young trumpet player? McNab: When I was about eight or nine years old, my father, Boyd McNab, took out an old, rather beat- up trumpet and played it. It said “Henry Purcell” on the bell, and it seemed to know only two selections: I Don’t Want to Set the World on Fire and At Sundown . That is when I got it in my mind, I guess, “That looks like fun!” In about the fourth or fifth grade, I found out that a teacher from Garvey Junior High School was coming to our Fern Elementary School to test the students who wanted to play instruments. That’s when they decide which instrument would suit you. I found out years later how lucky I was that I didn’t have that virtuoso tuba player who really loved to teach, but who, when he had enough trumpets for the band, would turn the valves around for the rest of the trumpet candidates. Of course, when they took a big breath to blow into the trumpet, they almost blew their eyes out trying to make a sound. He would console them and say something like, “You have no aptitude for trumpet. Here! Try this tuba!” It happens that they seem to have lots of talent on the tuba. They blew very hard and a little flatulence sang from the bell. “I told you; you are a natural on tuba!” Am I blessed or what? I am sure there were some surprised parents at home that night. It was for the better good. The band now had the correct balance of instruments. It was my good fortune to be auditioned by a wonder - ful teacher, Edwin K. Roberts, director of the Garvey Junior High band. Mr. Roberts could play all of the band instruments pretty well. He helped me get a good start. I went to Garvey Junior High for three years and then went to Mark Keppel High School in Alhambra, California, where the band director was Dennis Kozlow, primarily a flute player, who could also teach all instru - ments. He would come to my house while I was still in © 2015 International Trumpet Guild June 2015 / ITG Journal 7 junior high and give me lessons. Once at Mark Keppel, I got teachers: Robert DiVall (principal trumpet, Los Angeles Phil - busy playing in all of the groups: concert band, orchestra harmonic), John Clyman (first trumpet, 20th Century Fox (which Mr. Kozlow allowed me to conduct occasionally), Dix - studios), and Jimmy Stamp. He had helped me as much as he ieland band, pep band, and in the orchestra pit for school could, and now it was time to find another teacher. I could not shows and musicals. imagine anyone any When I was fourteen, I auditioned for “He programmed the Brandenburg No. 2 better or more kind the Alhambra PTA Scholarship and won than Walt Laursen. It $100 worth of trumpet lessons. I found before I knew what a piccolo trumpet was then that I met Walter R. Laursen and his trumpet studio James George Stamp. in Pasadena. Mr. Laursen was one of the was. I just borrowed one and played Jimmy Stamp was most generous people I had ever met. He along with different recordings until I not only generous, was a huge influence on me, both musi - but he was also such a cally and personally. He and his wonder - could get through it comfortably.” kind man. He could ful wife, Jan, never had children of their present the proper own, but in his role as music director of the Pasadena Boy’s approach to playing the trumpet without really saying that Club Band, he was dedicated to taking care of countless young much. Playing along with him was something special. I began people who already had many challenges in their lives. to realize that when you left his studio, you were not only He did make me cry! He made me feel very guilty when I warmed up, but you also could feel the correct approach with - did not practice or did not practice correctly. What a musical out trying to think about what he had said. Later, I realized approach he had on the trumpet! He studied with Herbert L. that it is all about pitch center. He was indeed the most influ - Clarke in Long Beach when he was young man. I was intro - ential teacher I had. duced to the music and recordings of Rafael Méndez. He became my idol, and I wanted to learn all of his music. I followed him around like a puppy dog. Mr. Laursen did three things for me that I feel helped me enormously. After teaching me some orchestral excerpts and how to transpose, he brought me along with him into the Pasadena Symphony when I was just fourteen. This is where I learned so much music and met Richard Lert. Richard Lert came to Hollywood in the early 1930s when his wife, nov - elist Vicky Baum, was called to make her novel Grand Hotel into a motion picture. They stayed, and, after appearing at the Hollywood Bowl, he began conduct - ing the Pasadena Symphony, a community orchestra in a suburb of Los Angeles. During that period, I played there with Lester Remsen and Chuck Brady. Chuck was working with Igor Stravinsky and Robert Craft on the recording of L’histoire during the time I was playing with him in Pasadena. I idolized Brady. He had such a natural, relaxed sound. I eventually became first trumpet and librarian for Lert.