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Goodbye to an Old Friend: Harvey Phillips (1929-2010)

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Almost everyone in the tuba-euphonium world surely knows about Harvey Phillips. He has had health battles in recent times and passed away this week. He was an inspiration to countless tuba players and other musicians, including me. Here is what Wikipedia has to say about Mr. Phillips:


"Mr. Phillips is highly-regarded in the musician and tuba communities because his efforts have brought the tuba to a much wider audience and helped to free it from its unfortunate popular image of a slow, oafish instrument. He played many different forms of music in his career, showing many new possibilities for the tuba, and encouraging many younger players to become soloists and take the instrument in new directions. His creation of TubaChristmas has inspired others to create festivals for the tuba, and he has helped to build a brother/sisterhood among tuba players. Along with William Bell and Arnold Jacobs, Mr. Phillips is considered legendary among tubists.


"In 2007, Mr Phillips was inducted into the Classical Music Hall of Fame, the only wind instrument player to receive the prestigious honor. Other inductees of the year were Yo-Yo Ma, Donald Martino and the Cleveland Orchestra."



There is also a nice announcement on the Facebook page for Indiana University: Harvey Phillips.


While he was a tubist, even we who play its little brother, the euphonium, owe Harvey a big thanks. Here is a post on that subject: Thanks, Harvey, from a You-PHONE-ee-um Player


One of my fondest memories of my days in The U.S. Coast Guard Band was from a couple of decades ago when we performed at Indiana U and had the pleasure of accompanying Harvey on three pieces. These were recorded on our portable cassette system, so the sound is not great, but the performances are. You can hear them via the links below.


Up a Lazy River


Stardust


Riverboat Shuffle

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