Q: What is that trombone with all the extra tubing and valves?
A: That would be the bass trombone. The extra tubing helps it play in the lower register, making it the bass voice in the ensemble. The bass trombone also has a larger mouthpiece, bell, and bore size. The other trombones in No Bones About It are tenor trombones.
Q: What is the history of the trombones and the trombone quartet?
A: Trombones themselves have been in existence since the 14th Century, although they had the indelicate name of "sackbut." Soprano, alto, tenor, and bass trombones were pictured and described by Michael Praetorius in his Syntagma Musicum (Treatise of Music) in 1618. Original music for four trombones was written by such Baroque composers as Daniel Speer and Heinrich Schutz. Trombones were also used in sacred music and often served as melodic support for choral writing in the church. Since then, the trombone has become an integral part of the orchestra, concert bands, and jazz groups, small and large.
Q: What is the origin of the phrase, "no bones about it?"
A: To "make no bones about it," means to do something in a straightforward or unapologetic manner. According to Christine Ammer's book "Have a Nice Day - No Problem," a dandy dictionary of clichés, "make no bones about it" is such an ancient phrase, dating to at least 1548, that its origins cannot be accurately traced. As is usual in such cases, however, there are theories. It may have originally arisen as a metaphor, referring to someone who did not make a fuss if bones turned up in his or her soup or stew. Or it may be based on "bones" being a very old slang term for dice. Someone who "made no bones" would be a player who simply cast the dice when his turn came, omitting all the mystical little rituals gamblers often develop to conjure up good luck in a game.
Q: What about the word, "eclectic?"
A: Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary defines eclectic as 1) selecting what appears to be the best in various doctrines, methods, or styles. 2) composed of elements drawn from various sources. At No Bones About It, we hope to select music that is the best of various styles, and collectively, we are definitely "composed of elements drawn from various sources.
Q: When is your next recording coming out, now that you have done Bonehenge?
A: Although we don't know a definite release date, we hope to be working on an album of Christmas music.
Q: Does one have to have a beard and glasses to play in No Bones About It?
A: No, women and beardless men have appeared with us from time to time.
Q: Your group seems to have a fairly cavalier attitude.
A: That is partly genetic, partly by design. The group philosopy has always been to make sure that our audience is having a good time, as well as the group. Make no mistake, we take our music and our performances very seriously. We just don't take ourselves too seriously. There is nothing more tedious than a bunch of stuffy musicians.
Q: What's with the "Instrument of Death"?
A: For some twisted reason, many of the famous operas have death scenes in them that are either foretold or accentuated by trombones at the moment of execution (no pun intended). One of our personal favorites is in the last act of Puccini's La Boheme, where Mimi dies of tuberculosis. When her lover Rodulfo realizes that Mimi has checked out, as it were, he cries "Mimi!", which is punctuated by a big D minor chord played by, you guessed it, the trombones.