Tennessee Bassoon Quartet
Encyclopedia
The Tennessee Bassoon Quartet, formed in 1985, consists of bassoonists Keith McClelland, James Lotz, James Lassen and Michael Benjamin. The four, from Knoxville and Oak Ridge, Tennessee
, formed the group to provide additional performance opportunities for their bassoon
talents. They have performed primarily in Tennessee
, North Carolina
, and Kentucky
with a repertoire that includes Renaissance music
, jazz
, Gilbert and Sullivan
, Saint-Saëns
, and Scott Joplin
.
The Tennessee Bassoon Quartet performed on the Grammy Award
winning PDQ Bach recording Music for an Awful Lot of Winds and Percussion
.
since 1972. Currently a member of the Knoxville Symphony Woodwind Quintet, McClelland has been a member of Windstrum, a bassoon/guitar duo; Lyric Chamberwinds, Smoky Mountain Chamber Players, and the Tennessee Bassoon Quartet. He is also professor of bassoon at the University of Tennessee
in Knoxville.
James Lotz is principal bassoonist with the Bryan Symphony Orchestra. He is a member of the Cumberland Quintet and of the Nashville Chamber Orchestra, and serves on the faculty of the Sewanee Summer Music Festival. He has been the principal bassoonist of the Chattanooga Symphony Orchestra and the Jaap Schroeder Chamber Orchestra as well as a member of the Bridgeport Symphony, Norwalk Symphony, Connecticut Grand Opera, Knoxville Symphony, Breckenridge Music Festival and the Mexico City Philharmonic. He is an active studio musician in Nashville
, and has participated in numerous commercial recordings for PDQ Bach, Matchbox 20 and Alan Jackson
, as well as recordings of classical chamber music
, orchestral music and movie soundtracks. His principal teachers include Keith McClelland, William Winstead, Arthur Weisberg and Stephen Maxym.
James Lassen has been co-principal bassoonist of the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra
since 1996. He is a respected bassoonist in symphonic and jazz circles and is also active as a composer. He was born in Montana
, but has roots in Scandinavia
. He has also held bassoon positions with orchestras in Santiago, Chile
and Louisiana
. He has performed with jazz greats Ellis Marsalis
, Charles Neville
, Steve Masakowski and Bobby McFerrin
.
Michael Benjamin is a member of the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra.
Oak Ridge, Tennessee
Oak Ridge is a city in Anderson and Roane counties in the eastern part of the U.S. state of Tennessee, about west of Knoxville. Oak Ridge's population was 27,387 at the 2000 census...
, formed the group to provide additional performance opportunities for their bassoon
Bassoon
The bassoon is a woodwind instrument in the double reed family that typically plays music written in the bass and tenor registers, and occasionally higher. Appearing in its modern form in the 19th century, the bassoon figures prominently in orchestral, concert band and chamber music literature...
talents. They have performed primarily in Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
, North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
, and Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
with a repertoire that includes Renaissance music
Renaissance music
Renaissance music is European music written during the Renaissance. Defining the beginning of the musical era is difficult, given that its defining characteristics were adopted only gradually; musicologists have placed its beginnings from as early as 1300 to as late as the 1470s.Literally meaning...
, jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
, Gilbert and Sullivan
Gilbert and Sullivan
Gilbert and Sullivan refers to the Victorian-era theatrical partnership of the librettist W. S. Gilbert and the composer Arthur Sullivan . The two men collaborated on fourteen comic operas between 1871 and 1896, of which H.M.S...
, Saint-Saëns
Camille Saint-Saëns
Charles-Camille Saint-Saëns was a French Late-Romantic composer, organist, conductor, and pianist. He is known especially for The Carnival of the Animals, Danse macabre, Samson and Delilah, Piano Concerto No. 2, Cello Concerto No. 1, Havanaise, Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso, and his Symphony...
, and Scott Joplin
Scott Joplin
Scott Joplin was an American composer and pianist. Joplin achieved fame for his ragtime compositions, and was later dubbed "The King of Ragtime". During his brief career, Joplin wrote 44 original ragtime pieces, one ragtime ballet, and two operas...
.
The Tennessee Bassoon Quartet performed on the Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
winning PDQ Bach recording Music for an Awful Lot of Winds and Percussion
Music for an Awful Lot of Winds and Percussion
Music for an Awful Lot of Winds and Percussion was released in 1992 by Telarc Records. The album contains one piece by Professor Peter Schickele writing under his own name and several pieces by him as P. D. Q. Bach....
.
Members
Keith McClelland has been principal bassoonist with the Knoxville Symphony OrchestraKnoxville Symphony Orchestra
The Knoxville Symphony Orchestra is a professional orchestra in Knoxville, Tennessee.The orchestra was established in 1935 and is the oldest continuing orchestra in the southeastern United States. The founding conductor was Bertha Walburn Clark, who led the group until 1946...
since 1972. Currently a member of the Knoxville Symphony Woodwind Quintet, McClelland has been a member of Windstrum, a bassoon/guitar duo; Lyric Chamberwinds, Smoky Mountain Chamber Players, and the Tennessee Bassoon Quartet. He is also professor of bassoon at the University of Tennessee
University of Tennessee
The University of Tennessee is a public land-grant university headquartered at Knoxville, Tennessee, United States...
in Knoxville.
James Lotz is principal bassoonist with the Bryan Symphony Orchestra. He is a member of the Cumberland Quintet and of the Nashville Chamber Orchestra, and serves on the faculty of the Sewanee Summer Music Festival. He has been the principal bassoonist of the Chattanooga Symphony Orchestra and the Jaap Schroeder Chamber Orchestra as well as a member of the Bridgeport Symphony, Norwalk Symphony, Connecticut Grand Opera, Knoxville Symphony, Breckenridge Music Festival and the Mexico City Philharmonic. He is an active studio musician in Nashville
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
, and has participated in numerous commercial recordings for PDQ Bach, Matchbox 20 and Alan Jackson
Alan Jackson
Alan Eugene Jackson is an American country music singer, known for blending traditional honky tonk and mainstream country sounds and penning many of his own hits. He has recorded 13 studio albums, 3 Greatest Hits albums, 2 Holiday albums, 1 Gospel album and several compilations, all on the Arista...
, as well as recordings of classical chamber music
Chamber music
Chamber music is a form of classical music, written for a small group of instruments which traditionally could be accommodated in a palace chamber. Most broadly, it includes any art music that is performed by a small number of performers with one performer to a part...
, orchestral music and movie soundtracks. His principal teachers include Keith McClelland, William Winstead, Arthur Weisberg and Stephen Maxym.
James Lassen has been co-principal bassoonist of the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra
Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra
The Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra is one of the world's oldest orchestral institutions. It performs some 110 concerts a year, and is based at the 1,500-seat Grieg Hall in Bergen, Norway.-History:...
since 1996. He is a respected bassoonist in symphonic and jazz circles and is also active as a composer. He was born in Montana
Montana
Montana is a state in the Western United States. The western third of Montana contains numerous mountain ranges. Smaller, "island ranges" are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name,...
, but has roots in Scandinavia
Scandinavia
Scandinavia is a cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic region in northern Europe that includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, characterized by their common ethno-cultural heritage and language. Modern Norway and Sweden proper are situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula,...
. He has also held bassoon positions with orchestras in Santiago, Chile
Santiago, Chile
Santiago , also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital and largest city of Chile, and the center of its largest conurbation . It is located in the country's central valley, at an elevation of above mean sea level...
and Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
. He has performed with jazz greats Ellis Marsalis
Ellis Marsalis
Ellis Marsalis is the name of two people, father and son:*Ellis Marsalis, Sr., New Orleans, Louisiana businessman*Ellis Marsalis, Jr., jazz pianist...
, Charles Neville
Charles Neville
Charles Neville or Nevill may refer to:*Charles Neville, 6th Earl of Westmorland*Charles Neville of the R&B group, The Neville Brothers*Charles William Nevill, British Member of Parliament for Carmarthen, 1874–1876...
, Steve Masakowski and Bobby McFerrin
Bobby McFerrin
Robert "Bobby" McFerrin, Jr. is an American vocalist and conductor. He is best known for his 1988 hit song "Don't Worry, Be Happy". He is a ten-time Grammy Award winner.-Life:...
.
Michael Benjamin is a member of the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra.