On 1977, bourgeoning musician and musical educator Tim Zimmerman was having trouble motivating his class of Detroit area middle school students in their musical studies. He asked a church if they would mind hosting a performance of young brass musicians, and the church agreed. The King’s Brass was born.
Now, 34 years later, Tim Zimmerman and the King’s Brass consists of Zimmerman and eight other professional musicians who tour the country offering a variety of music, all showcasing the power of brass. The ensemble’s next stop on the map is Grace Baptist Church in Santa Maria on June 10.
“We perform for a church congregation,” Zimmerman said, “so we do stuff for kids to the elderly. We always do something for the kids because they are the next generation of brass players. We also do a lot of audience participation, with people singing along and things like that.”
Zimmerman explained that the group is a gospel brass ensemble that performs spiritual selections and only performs in churches. The musicians do play community concerts in parks and other venues when sponsored by a church.
“We hope, when we perform, that people focus on God. That’s really the point of what we do,” he said, “All music is a gift from God, no matter what kind of music it is.”
The ensemble comes ready with a cornucopia of musical selections and styles; they can perform a Gabrieli or Handel piece with care, hymns are artfully interpreted, patriotic marches are performed with gusto, and jazz standards are belted powerfully.
The ensemble consists of three trumpets (including Zimmerman), three trombones, a tuba, a keyboard, and percussion. The trumpeters play instruments that vary in size from piccolo trumpet to flugelhorn. The flugelhorn, Zimmerman explained, is the lowest register trumpet that yields a more “mellow” sound.
The group also uses techniques in brass performance that have been around hundreds of years, such as antiphony. Antiphony refers to a basic call-and-response technique used by church congregations, but when applied to brass music, it refers to splitting an ensemble in two, sending them to opposite sides of a performance hall.
“It started in Venice in the Renaissance,” Zimmerman said. “It started in a church where they had three balconies, and this man Gabrieli put a brass band in each balcony, and he wrote many antiphonal pieces.
“It’s a wonderful feeling and sound,” he added, “It’s like you are surrounded by the music, and especially with brass.”
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Besides being devoted musicians, Christians, and performers, the members of the King’s Brass and Zimmerman himself are also composers. Except for the classical selections, the music is arranged and composed by the group.
“Just like Bach would take a church hymn and then write a composition on top of it, that is really our motto,” Zimmerman said. “We say, ‘Not just variation, but composition,’ and that’s what our goal has been.”
What’s remarkable about the group’s achievement is the fact that all of the members live in separate states. The ensemble lets in members according to talent and devotion, not geography. They make use of online resources, scoring their selections with sheet music programs and sending the files via e-mail to their colleagues.
When it comes time to tour, all nine members meet for an intensive five-day rehearsal, and then they hit the road. Performing around 150 concerts a year across the country, Tim Zimmerman and the Kings Brass are a seasoned group of performers who are truly devoted to their art and their message.
“This is full time for me; this is all I do,” Zimmerman said. “I used to teach college, but I stopped so I could do King’s Brass full time. When you can do what you love and support yourself, it’s a wonderful thing.”
An Eclectic quintet
The Eclectic5—featuring Catalina McIsaac, Kate Busaro, Chris A. Bowman, Mark Carrillo, and Heather Levine—present their debut concert featuring singing, piano, organ, trumpet, and flute, all melding into styles of jazz, Broadway, opera, Americana, originals, spirituals, and classical selections June 12 at 4 p.m. at St. Mary’s Episcopal Church, 2800 Harris Grade Road, Lompoc. Free. More info: 294-8240.
Central City Swing
The Central City Swing Jazz Big Band invites any and all to “Swing Into Summer” with their jazz concert on June 14 at 7:30 p.m. at Unity Chapel of Light, 1165 Stubblefield Road, Orcutt. More info: 937-3025 or rossmayfield@juno.com.
Rock in the park
The City of Solvang presents free live music in Solvang Park featuring the Pryor Baird Band performing live on June 15 from 5 to 8 p.m. at Solvang Park, Mission Drive and First Street, in Solvang. More info: (209) 610-8187 or pryorbairdband@att.net.
Music at the Maverick
The Maverick Saloon in Santa Ynez hosts country band Brant Vogel and Hell Bent Band on June 10 at 8:30 p.m., followed by Late Night with DJPJ at 11:30 p.m. “Old Santa Ynez Day Celebration” is June 11 and features an outdoor music festival, with performances by The Alliance and Winchester Rebels. Brant Vogel and the Hell Bent Band perform at 8:30 p.m., followed by Late Night with DJPJ at 11:30 p.m. Tickets are available at talesfromthetavern.com or 688-0383.
Contact Calendar Editor Joe Payne at jpayne@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Jun 9-16, 2011.