Freelance musician with !UP rootsgivesnew meaning to term 'top brass'

• EDITOR'S NOTE: You may not have heard of Jim Self, butyou've heard his work. Oh, yes, you have - unless you've beenliving under a rock. In a cave. On Mars. Self, a graduate ofIndiana University of Pennsylvania,is a professional freelancemusician now living in Los Angeles. He teaches here and thereand has played tuba for more than 1,400 movies ranging from"Close Encounters of the Third Kind" to "Avatar." Gazette staffwriter Chauncey Ross recently chatted with Self about his careerand his understated brass instrument.

Question: You're a professor - isthat your main thing?

Answer: No, I'm a performer as atuba player. I guess I'm what theycall a freelancer. I play in studiosin the movie business and I alsoplay classical, I play in the L.A.Opera, I play in the Pacific Sym-phony, the Pasadena Symphonyand the Hol1ywood Bowl Orches-tra: Teaching is part time. I do justlike nine hours a week at USe.

Question: You've got a full plate.What's on the schedule today?

Answer: I have to look to tell you:(Pauses) It's a motion picture ...it's a movie called "Grownups." Ihave no idea whether it's a come-dy or something. It's at Fox Stu-dios and the composer is RupertGregson Williams. Just (recentlyopened) is a movie called "Avatar,"which you probably heard about,a James Cameron movie. I did lotsof work over the last severalmonths playing tuba on thatmovie.'

Question: When our readers go

see that in the theater, which partshould they listen for and knowit's you?

Answer: It's a huge orchestra,there's a million sounds going on.There's a couple little minor tubasolos. I can't tell you where thetuba would stand out; it's just apart of the orchestra.

Question: When was the firsttime you picked up and played atuba?

Answer: I was a guitar player as ayoung boy, starting age 9, and Iwas in junior high school, age 13,and they needed a tuba player inthe band. The band director -this is in Oil City - asked me toplay on tuba. Since I had a littlemusical training, I picked it uppretty quick. I just sort of fell intoit.

When 1was thinking of what todo for my life, I was going to be amusic teacher. So I went to IUP tobe a band director and as a tuba

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Jim Self,at a glance

Job: A performer andfreelance tuba player

Age: 66Family: Wife Jamie, four adult

stepchildren and twostepgrandchild ren

Residence: Los AngelesWhere I grew up: Oil CityHobby: FlyingFavorite foods: Pasta, steakFoods I refuse to eat: Fish,

broccoliFavorite movie: The

"Godfather" moviesLast book head: "The Rest is

Noise," by Alex RossFavorite way to spend a day:

I just get up and do things

Pet peeve: People who don'tdo what they say they will do ordon't finish what they start

People who most inspiredme: IUP professors CharlieDavis, William Becker and DanDeCicco

Continued from Page 1major. One thing led to anoth-er, you know.

Question: And now you're inLos Angeles.

Answer: I left IUP in '65 and Iwas lucky enough to get intothe U.S. Army Band in Wash-ington, D.C. This was duringthe Vietnam War time, so I waslucky to get that assignment.And I got my master's degreewhile I was there, at CatholicUniversity. And then I spentfour years in Washington, and Igot a job as a professor at theUniversity of Tennessee. And Itaught there for five years.

In the summers I startedcoming to USC in Los Angelesto get a doctor's degree.. And eventually I had to do aresidency. I took a year withoutpayoff my job at Tennessee,and finished my doctorate andI just never went back. I startedworking here, started gettingstudio work and started teach-ing in the area. And things justgot better and better.

Question: Is being a tuba play-er competitive?

Answer: There are way toomany players for the numberof jobs. I don't know if "fierce"is the word. But there is com-petition, like in any other field,where there's qualified peoplebut not enough jobs.

Question: In your list of cred-its, you mention "Close En-counters." How memorable or the instrument, that you en-was that job? counter that you would like to.

Answer: Well, it's unique be- get to clarify if you have the op-cause there were just four mu- portunity?sicians and the tuba was very Answer: Well, that it's some-prominent as the voice of the what thought of as a comicalmother ship. It was just one of instrument. Along with that,those things that I just sort of you probably ascribe negativestumbled into. I've done al- or pejorative things to it be-

ast 1,500 movies and there cause it's funny and big andare hundreds of them that were comical, but it's not. It's a seri-good. ous instrument, and it's a

I've had solos in lots of beautiful instrument in theovies. One, the "Dennis the hands of a good player. Theenace" movie that was tuba is not _ Imean _ we take

hown recently on cable, with a certain amount of hits with italter Matthau, is just loaded as being a funny thing, butith tuba solos. I have so many we're serious.erformances allover the Question: Can I ask if you'veorld and I have albums, 10 of ever met Martin Mull? Aboutem at the moment. I've had a 30 years ago, he got some

usy, fruitful life as a musician. mileage out of a piece calledQuestion: It seems a lot of "Dueling Tubas."eople think of a tuba as just a Answer: Oh, yeah. That was. d of happy, maybe a funny just a joke. And that's the kindnstrument. of thing that perpetuates the

Answer: It is portrayed that stereotype. And even on myyay frequently, but it is a lot of own albums, I've done a little. gs. It's definitely a serious of that myself. I mean, I'm notstrument. There are as many a snob about it. I've had basseteat artists on it as there aren all instruments. Most of the hounds howling on my al-

bums.ime it's just an instrument in- Question: I was going to aske orchestra, but as a solo in- about that. YourWeb domain is

trument it's been used in a lot bassethoundmusic.com. Howf comic, comedic things and do you figure basset houndartoons .... I play jazz on the into this?ba, which is really a passion c--~----'---~-- _

fmine.

Question: Of the work you'vedone, what would you say arethe most vivid mental picturesyou have created with tubamusic?

Answer: I'm proudest when Ithink of my albums, becausethey're unique, they're solois-tic, they're mine. I've com-posed some music and impro-vised.

Most of them are jazz al-bums, although there's a cou-ple of classic albums. I'm veryproud of those.

I'm an embarrassment ofriches, I guess. My most ecstat-ic moments as a musician areimprovising and jazz. I don'tthink there's any time I getcloser to the world, in the senseof God ... than when I'm play-ingjazz. I'm not a religious per-son, but I have a oneness withthe world when I'm in that po-sition.

Question: Jazz - I wouldn'tpicture a tuba as a componentof a basic jazz group

Answer: In the old days, itused to be played as the bassinstrument for Dixieland, butthese days, it's extremely rare.Maybe that's my identity in thisworld, somewhat as being ajazz tuba player, because it'ssomewhat unique.

Question: Are there any mis-conceptions about tuba music,

Answer: Well; I've had dogs formany, many years, bassethounds, and I just call my littlecompany where I sell musicand my CDs and things, I call itBasset Hound Music. I just hadthe dogs and I kind of lovethose long-eared things. Andwe're getting a new one nextmonth, a new basset hound.

Question: How many doesthat make for you then?

Answer: We don't have anyothers right now, the last onedied, but I've had as many asthree at a time, usually one ortwo, over the last 30 or 40 years.

Question: Your Web site alsomentioned you've receivedsome awards. The Most Valu-able Player for Tuba by Nation-al Academy of Recording Artsand Sciences. What would youconsider the most prestigious,or the most flattering or hum-bling award or the one thatyou're most proud of?

Answer: Well, (in 2008) I gotthe lifetime achievementaward from the InternationalTuba Euphonium Associatiop;-the ITEA.And that's, to be rec-ognized by your peers, just likegetting an Academy Award,very few people get that andI'm honored.

I also got a lifetime achieve-ment award at 1UP, a Distin- r:guished Alumni Award. I wasvery, 'very proud of tha~d'hat was 2003. I'~ite-active.here, I try to support themusic school and try to be agood alumnus.

Question: How often do youget back to western Pennsylva-nia?

Answer: I get there fairlyoften. Iwas there in Septemberbecause a piece of mine wasplayed by the wind ensemblewith Jack Stamp, called "Tourde Force."

And the new tuba teacherthere is my former studentZach Collins. And I have step-family up in Oil City so I try togo visit them. I get back everyyear or two. I try to stay con-nected.

Question: What do you thinkof the changes they've made. atIUP lately?

Answer: I think they're great,especially. the music depart-ment. They need a concerthail, a recital hall, though. Theyhad Fisher Hall redone, but it'sway too big for recitals. Theyneed another addition to themusic building but that's goingto take some time and money.• NEXT WEEK: Cathy Homer, ofStrongstown, has a long trackrecord as a dedicated caregiver-to /JUmans'and a wide variety ofanimals .• EDITOR'S NOTE: Do you knowsomeone who would be a greatsubject for the Monday Q&A? If so,please call Jason Levan at (724)465-5555, ext. 270,