The Trumpets by Jeremy Law
In all of Brentwood School’s 450 year history, the loud and extremely talented trumpet section of the Big Band is one of the best things to come out of it. At present it consists of eight of us, ranging in age from second years through to us upper sixth formers.
I myself started taking trumpet lessons at the tender age of nine (eight years ago!) at the Prep School. I have always liked playing the trumpet (arguably the best instrument ever created since the dawn of time), but my playing and enjoyment really took off when I started to get seriously involved with school music, in particular with the Big Band in the fourth year. The high standard and type of music really appealed to me, along with the amazing sense of fun that goes with performing in the frequent BB concerts. I’ve been hooked on jazz ever since. Since joining the band I have improved a lot and have somehow managed to land the daunting yet exciting job of playing First Trumpet, and I really look forward to my last year with the band.
The trumpet section, like the whole Band, has changed considerably over the years; with recent talented additions in the form of Rebecca Toft, who has joined the school for the Sixth Form, and Gideon Odubayo who has joined the band recently from lower down the school, I hope they get as much out of the band as I have. The old hands back for a second, third (or more!) year in the section are James stock, Alicia Spinks, James Maguire, Katie Johnston and our youngest member Ollie Farrant. The combined sound is fantastic and I’m proud to be a part of it. The high standard of our section is reflected in the Big Band repertoire, which is sometimes demanding, but always fun to play. My preference is for the older jazz such as the Glenn Miller style, but the recent additions to the pad of modern jazz-funk pieces are brilliant too.
I’d also just like to mention our conductor/director David Pickthall who has been fantastic for all the time I’ve been in the Band. Also, some of the older trumpeters (who’ve now left), Gareth French and Tim Hughes who were an inspiration and helped me really get into the music. Finally, I hope the audiences and other band members enjoy taking part and listening as much as I do, and that the band goes on to even greater things in the future.
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