Jim Shearer - Cloud Bowling with Claude Bolling: Music for Tuba and Jazz Trio (2023)

Why attempt playing the famous Suite for Flute and Jazz Piano Trio on the tuba? To quote the often-repeated phrase by George Mallory when asked why he was the first to attempt a climb of Mount Everest: “Because it’s there.” Serious solo literature has only been available for the tuba since the 1950s, when composers including Paul Hindemith and Ralph Vaughan Williams began writing for the instrument. Given that relatively short amount of time, tubists are often forced to borrow from the works of other instruments if they want to enjoy the style of a given composer who never got around to writing for the tuba, such as Claude Bolling, or who were, sadly, already dead before the tuba was even invented. The attempt here, with modesty, is to show that the tuba is capable of being an agile solo instrument that can handle the same complexity of repertory created for any other instrument.

Claude Bolling’s Suite for Flute and Jazz Piano Trio was written in 1973 for Jean-Pierre Rampal, a noted classical flutist of the day. Rampal and Bolling later recorded the work, and that recording spent almost two years at the top of the Billboard classical chart, where it continued to hold a successful place in the top 100 for over 10 years. The recording also won the 1975 Grammy Award for Best Chamber Music Performance.

Cloud Bowling (2021) was composed for Jim Shearer, to be premiered alongside Claude Bolling’s Suite for Flute and Jazz Piano Trio, rearranged for tuba. Taking inspiration from Bolling’s suite, Cloud Bowling is comprised of seven movements that blend jazz and classical styles and performance practices. The composition contains references to seminal jazz composers, along with a more progressive compositional approach offering ample amounts of space for improvisation.