Long-time readers of this blog may remember the name Tom McCaslin. He was one of our group of five euphoniums and tubas who played on A Prairie Home Companion a few years ago. He has just come out with a brilliant tuba CD called Inside Out. On it there is is tremendous variety of original tuba music. His playing will leave you breathless during several passages, and some of the music is so difficult you may find yourself thinking, "How did the composer even notate that?!" One of Tom's ideas on this CD was to use music that of very high quality but is not widely played yet. There are also some fine electronic effects in many places. Between those and the extreme tuba ranges used, this CD will challenge your speaker system. Special note should be made of the excellent piano work by Gail Novak!

The titles include:
1. Pilafian, Relentless Grooves II: Armenia mvt 1, Liberation
2. Pilafian, Relentless Grooves II: Armenia mvt 2, Identity
3. Pilafian, Relentless Grooves II: Armenia mvt 3, Lament
4. Pilafian, Relentless Grooves II: Armenia mvt 4, Kef Time
5. Salgueiro, cONCERTO fOR tUBA, mvt 1, dEPTHS
6. Salgueiro, cONCERTO fOR tUBA, mvt 2, bEATING
7. Salgueiro, cONCERTO fOR tUBA, mvt 3, cADENZA
8. Salgueiro, cONCERTO fOR tUBA, mvt 4, fANTASY
9. Salgueiro, cONCERTO fOR tUBA, mvt 5, fIREWORKS
10. Zappa, Outside Now Again, mvt 1, Original
11. Zappa, Outside Now Again, mvt 2, With Effects
12. Filas, Sonate, mvt 1, Moderato
13. Filas, Sonate, mvt 2, Allegro agitato
14. Thuillier, Rebellion
15. Raum, Tribute

Here is a brief excerpt from the publisher's literature:
Tom McCaslin has performed with the Auckland Philharmonia, Minnesota Orchestra, Detroit Symphony, and Boston Symphony Orchestra. He has presented recitals in the U.S.A., Canada, Switzerland, and Australia. The legendary tuba virtuoso Roger Bobo has called him "a great tubist" and has written that "the repertoire on this CD is the most interesting that there's been in a very long time. The CD is a winner. I predict it will be a big seller."

You can find this CD on the Tuba-Euphonium Store:

Tom McCaslin Tuba CD, Inside Out

Tom McCaslin enjoys a wide-ranging career as a soloist, teacher, and performer. He has presented recitals in the USA, Canada, new Zealand, Switzerland, and Australia. He also recorded for the Canadian Broadcast Company (CBC), National Public Radio (NPR), and performed on A Prairie Home Companion with Garrison, Keillor. In 2008 he was a featured artist at the International Tuba and Euphonium Conference held in Cincinnati, Ohio, and in 2009 was heard at the U.S. Army Tuba Euphonium conference.

Raised in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada Tom McCaslin began his musical training on the trombone at the age of nine and switched to the tuba three years later. Tom has performed with the Minnesota Orchestra, the Detroit Symphony, the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the Winnipeg Symphony, the Ann Arbor Symphony, the New Mexico Symphony, the Santa Fe Symphony, and the Regina Symphony Orchestra. Tom holds a Licentiate in Music Performance from McGill University and a Master's degree in Music Performance at Arizona State University. Tom's principal teachers include John Griffiths, Fritz Kaenzig, Roger Bobo, Dennis Miller, Floyd Cooley and Samuel Pilafian.

In 2006 he was acting principal Tuba in the Auckland Philharmonia. In 2003 Tom became the first tuba player to return three summers to the prestigious Tanglewood Music Center, the summer training center for the Boston Symphony. As a soloist, Tom has been a semi-finalist in the Markneukirchen world instrumental competition, a two-time finalist in the Montreal Symphony's concerto competition, a finalist in the National Canadian Music Festival, the winner of both the Saskatchewan Music Festival's Brass division and the Arizona State University's Concerto competition.

Currently Tom is Assistant Professor of Tuba and Euphonium at East Carolina University in Greenville, North Carolina.