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Alan Raph
Alan Raph
Born	July 3, 1933; New York City, New York, U.S.
Died	December 8, 2023 (aged 90); Danbury, Connecticut, U.S.
Genres	Jazz, classical, commercial
Occupation(s)	Musician, composer, arranger, conductor
Instrument(s)	Trombone, tuba, keyboard
Years active	1955–2023

Alan Raph (July 3, 1933 – December 8, 2023) was an American bass trombonist, composer, arranger, and conductor who founded and conducted the Danbury Brass Band. He recorded with many well-known musicians including Quincy Jones, Philip Glass, Peter Nero, John Pizzarelli and Bob Brookmeyer for television, movies, and ballet.^[1] He was for many years on first call with most New York City recording studios.

Background

Alan Raph was born in New York City to Marion McGuire and Ted Raph.^[2] His maternal grandparents were Irish. His grandfather Mathew A. McGuire was born in Ballyhaunis, Mayo, Ireland.^[3] His paternal grandparents were born in Russia and emigrated to the United States in 1893.^[4] His paternal grandfather Nachman Raffiewitz (anglicized as Nathan Raph) was Jewish, from near Nezhin, Ukraine, Russia.^[5] His father Ted was a jazz trombonist in the 1920s and 1930s. Raph married Theresa Capp on October 5, 1957.^[6] and had two children. In 1978 he married musician Mary Ann O'Connor and had a child. ^[7]^[8]^[9]

Raph died in a traffic incident on December 8, 2023, at the age of 90.^[10]^[11]

Education

Alan graduated from New York University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Music Education. He then studied at Teachers College Columbia University where he received a Masters of Arts degree. He has studied privately with Nadia Boulanger, John Mehegan, Simon Karasick, and Gabriel Masson.^[1]^[11]

Professional career

Alan was a professor at the Teachers College of Columbia University in New York City, as well as instructor and associate professor at Queens College of the City University of New York.^[1] He got his start in the 1955 when he was hired by Les Elgart, whose orchestra played dance band music. ^[11]

Alan was a charter member of the American Symphony Orchestra for which he played the bass trombone. He was for many years the bass trombone and tuba player on first call with most New York City recording studios.^[12]^[10] He was the editor of the Arban Method for Trombone, originally written by Charles Randall and Simone Mantia, and re-published in 2013.^[13]^[14] He performed under the direction of Leopold Stokowski with the Gerry Mulligan Concert Jazz Band and the Chamber Brass Players. As a freelance trombonist, he recorded albums with artists including Quincy Jones, Don Sebesky, Philip Glass, the NBC Opera Company, Eugene Ormandy, Paul Whiteman and his Palais Royale Orchestra, the Ballet Bolshoi Theatre, Diana Ross, Lena Horne and Mel Torme. He toured with Frankie Avalon to Bermuda.^[11]

Alan also recorded music for many movies and television shows including Sesame Street, The Cosby Show, Name That Tune, The Godfather, The Producers, Midnight Cowboy, Hamburger Hill, Bananas, Kundun, Fog of War, Secret Window, and Taking Lives.^[1]^[12]^[11] He founded the Danbury Brass Band in 1983. The ensemble is composed of trumpets, cornets, French horns, trombones, euphoniums, and tubas. He composed and arranged many pieces for the band and continued as its music director and conductor until his death. ^[15]^[16]^[17] The band has performed abroad in Australia, Bermuda, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand.^[18]

Alan composed for the Joffrey Ballet Company. He also arranged several songs for the Broadway musical Rockabye Hamlet (1976). Alan was a member of ASCAP.^[1]^[16]

Alan was known for his low range playing.^[19] He was awarded the Most Valuable Player award by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences.^[12]

Compositions

Works for wind band

Variations on a Theme by Handel, for trombone and band
Fantasy on a Theme by Purcell, for flute and band

Ballets

Trinity, premiered in 1970 by the Joffrey Ballet Company
Sacred Grove on Mt. Tamalpais, premiered in 1971 by the Joffrey Ballet Company

Chamber music

Burlesque, for trombone ensemble (ca. 1956, per the composer)

Pedagogical works

Bel Canto Vocalises for Bass Trombone
Beyond Boundaries
Diversified Trombone Etudes
Arban Trombone
Melodious Etudes
Recital Pieces for Unaccompanied Trombone
The Double Valve Bass Trombone
Trombonisms

Media

Publications

Dance Band Reading and Interpretation, Alfred Music Publishers, 2002. 44 p., ISBN 978-0-757-92625-9
"Le" Trombone, AR Publishing Co., 1983. ISBN 978-0-9705815-0-1
Trombonisms, Carl Fischer, Inc., 1983. ISBN 978-0825803420
"Les" Brass, AR Publishing Co., 1984. ISBN 978-0970581518
"L" Orchestra, AR Publishing Co., 1986. ISBN 978-0970581525

Discography

With J. J. Johnson

Goodies (RCA Victor, 1965)

With Lee Konitz

Chicago 'n All That Jazz (Groove Merchant, 1975)

With Gerry Mulligan

Walk on the Water (DRG, 1980)
The Concert Jazz Band

With Jerome Richardson

Groove Merchant (Verve, 1968)

Bibliography

Michael Cuscuna, Michel Ruppli: The Blue Note label : a discography, Revised and expanded edition, Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press, 2001, 913 p.
de:Wolfgang Suppan, de:Armin Suppan: Das Neue Lexikon des Blasmusikwesens, 4. Auflage, Freiburg-Tiengen, Blasmusikverlag Schulz GmbH, 1994, ISBN 3-923058-07-1
Michel Ruppli, Ed Novitsky: The Mercury labels : a discography, Vol. V: record and artist indexes, Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press, 1993, 882 p.
E. Ruth Anderson: Contemporary American composers - A biographical dictionary, Second edition, Boston: G. K. Hall, 1982, 578 p., ISBN 978-0-816-18223-7
Jaques Cattell Press: ASCAP biographical dictionary of composers, authors and publishers, Fourth edition, New York: R. R. Bowker, 1980, 589 p., ISBN 0-835212-83-1

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e "Alan Raph". Trombone Page of the World. September 16, 2015. Retrieved 31 July 2016.
^ New York, New York, Births, 1910-1965 Ancestry.com
^ 1891 England, Wales & Scotland Census
^ 1910 United States Federal Census. Hyde Park Town, Norfolk, Massachusetts. 16 April 1910. Enumeration District 112, Sheet 3
^ Register of births, marriages, deaths, 1901-1905
^ 'Marriage Licenses' The South Bend Tribune 8 Oct 1957, Page 27
^ 1959-77 Connecticut Marriage File, Hartford, Connecticut: Connecticut Department of Public Health
^ "Alan Raph interview 1 of 8". YouTube. 5 September 2009. Retrieved 31 July 2016.
^ Ahrens, Jane (August 19, 2014). "FI School Music Students Receive the Gift of Instruments".
^ ^a ^b "Alan Raph Obituary (2023) - New Haven, CT - The News-Times". Legacy.com.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Fenster, Jordan Nathaniel (16 December 2023). "CT jazz trombonist who played with some of music's best known names dies at 90". CT Insider. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
^ ^a ^b ^c "Alan Raph". Kendor Music Inc. Retrieved 1 August 2016.
^ "Method for Trombone". www.carlfischer.com.
^ Randall, Charles L., (Jean Baptist) Arban's Famous Method for Slide Trombone, Carl Fischer, New York, 1936 (reprinted as "Arban's Famous Method for Slide Trombone, Valve Trombone and Baritone" into the 21st century)
^ "The Palace Danbury". Retrieved 1 August 2016.
^ ^a ^b Stribula, Jan (14 February 2013). "Danbury Brass Band parties the night away". NewsTimes. Retrieved 2016-05-02.
^ Ct), News-Times (September 15, 2004). "Danbury Brass Band makes music Down Under". The News-Times. Retrieved 1 August 2016.
^ "Alan Raph". Archived from the original on January 17, 2010. Retrieved September 23, 2016.
^ "Beyond Boundaries". Retrieved 1 August 2016.