Posted by Bob Joles on April 01, 2001 at 11:10:55:
In Reply to: Re: Tubas in the Movies posted by chrisswid on April 01, 2001 at 09:36:48:
Okay, here are the players, so get out your score cards. Tommy Johnson is the "mother ship" during the "musical language" sequence. Jim Self is the "mother ship" when the window breaks.
I started studying with Tommy when he was finishing the recording sessions for Close Encounters. He showed me the original part for the "conversation" between the "mother ship" and the "synthesizer." It was so complex (John Williams was trying to match musical runs to the flashing lights) that J.W. had to rewrite the cue. The rewritten cue starts off (just like the first cue) as a duet for oboe and tuba and by the end becomes 3 seperate oboe lines, 1 Euphonium, 1 F tuba and a CC tuba line that is doubled an octave lower electronically. Tommy and the oboe player over-dubbed all the lines.
As an aside about Tommy, he has recorded more then 2,300 movie sound tracks and TV shows in his amazing career. He is one of the true giants of the tuba world. He is a kind and generous teacher. I've had the pleasure of studying with him and later working with him in the studios - I'm a music copyist and session librarian here in Hollywood.
I have also had the great pleasure to hear Jim Self work in the studios. He has a pretty hefty list of credits to his name as well. Jim is a great teacher and player in his own right too. He also let me play a few notes on "Monica" at his home studio one day not too long ago. I have never played a tuba that responded so easily before in every register. What an amazing horn… I wish I had one!
I feel quite lucky to call both of these great tuba giants my friend.
Cheers,
Bob