Soloist Spotlight: Nick Hudson

It is often said that the brass band world is a small one; a world in which you can find you have some connection to most people through just a few degrees of separation. The same is also true of The Salvation Army world. Starting talking to someone who has significant connections to both worlds and you’ll be amazed what you discover. Due to significant geographical separation I wasn’t expecting such a connection would come up, when I sat down to interview Nick Hudson. Sure enough though, it didn't take long for me to discover that as a boy growing up in Sheffield, he'd often have tea round my Aunt’s house. Small world indeed.

Aside from being something of a long-lost family friend, Nick Hudson is first and foremost one of the finest trombone players the UK has produced, and one of the most recognisable names in the banding movement since he burst onto the scene as the 14 year old Principal Trombone of Fodens. A music teacher by profession, Nick currently balances his teaching and music career in Warwick and the North of England, with home life in South Devon, having relocated to the area in early 2024. I caught up with him to discuss his time at Fodens, life as a soloist, and what the future holds for him in the South West.

Early Playing Career

Nick grew up in The Salvation Army in Sheffield and, like so many brass musicians, learned to play thanks to family members. “I started playing the cornet when I was seven years old,” Nick recalls. “Like many players, my initial training was with my Father and then through the ranks of The Salvation Army Young People’s Band. My Father was a fine trombone player and the decision was made that I was useless on cornet so they moved me to trombone! I think the aim was that my Dad would teach me; he was terrific”. Making his name as a trombone player though, wasn’t always the first thing on Nick’s mind. He explains “Dad had a very stressful job, but even so, he made sure he sat down with me every night after he came home from work, for a minimum of half an hours practice together. Believe it or not, I was a pretty nifty footballer and I used to find these sessions a bit of an inconvenience as they stopped me from being out with my mates, playing footie”.

The early part of his playing career was spent playing mostly with Salvation Army bands. "My family lived in Sheffield for some time, before relocating to Cheshire for my Fathers’ job. I played briefly with Warrington Salvation Army Band”. This move proved to be a turning point for Nick, as he fell foul of The Salvation Army’s regulations of the time. “The Band Sergeant Major gave me the ultimatum: 'It’s one or the other lad, you can’t play in an outside band as well as The Corps Band'. So I jumped ship”.

Fodens

Nick’s big break came in 1983 when, aged just 14, he was appointed Principal Trombone at Fodens Band. “I had a good pal, Gavin Woods, who is a fine tuba player” remembers Nick. “He and I played in the Cheshire Youth Brass Band together but in addition, he was one of the tuba players at Fodens. Gavin said the band were on the lookout for a new principal trombone and asked if I was interested. An audition was arranged and I popped over to Sandbach, extremely nervous, expecting to suffer a gruelling session with Maestro Howard Snell”. But Nick’s fears proved unfounded as “it was far from a gruelling session, Howard was hugely professional, friendly and incredibly informative. I was lucky enough to get the job and started when the band was still called Foden Motor Works Band”. The move was the start of a hugely successful career in music. “The experience was life changing” Nick says. “It’s only when you get older and look back on things that you fully realise what an opportunity this was. To study with Howard Snell three or four times a week, and to play and perform with players way beyond your own ability. Boy was it a learning curve for a 14 year old!”

Post Fodens

Nick remained at Fodens for 15 years before moving north to join the Leyland Band. “This was a very enjoyable spell with who I call my second Dad, the late, great, Richard Evans. I then went to YBS for a spell and finally Faireys”. After relocating to the Midlands in 2016 Nick linked up with Desford. “They are very much a project band so they get together to prepare for a contest or a tour. That was good fun as I was able to play for my old 2nd Trombone player at Fodens, Michael Fowles. A real treat”. Things are a bit more relaxed these days and “I just pop in and out when needed. I recently played with Grimethorpe at The Open and enjoy nipping in and out as and when needed”.

Orchestral playing

Away from brass bands, Nick is a well known orchestral trombonist, performing with some of the finest ensembles in the country. “I currently play with a very fine orchestra based in Sheffield, The Brigantes” he explains. “They too are a project group but are full of pro players from the north. They play some terrific repertoire so it’s a joy to be involved. It’s also a real treat to play alongside my mates Gareth Beckwith on Bass Trombone and Chris Gomersall on Tenor. Boy can those lads play!" So what then, does Nick see as the differences between orchestral and brass band playing, and which is his preference? “I’ve done a huge amount of brass banding over the years so at the moment the orchestral playing is quite exciting” he says. “The way you need to play in an orchestra is totally different to brass banding, and the role of the trombone section within an orchestra varies greatly. I get a buzz out of playing all the big repertoire”. What, then, are the challenges that orchestral playing presents that brass bands don’t? “First of all”, he says, “in brass bands the instrument is on your face for the vast majority of the time, which can be a good thing. However orchestrally you can be sat for twenty minutes and not play a note. Then you have to come in with a pianissimo high entry from nowhere. With the delicacy of a flute or violin. Control, tone quality, balance, projection are all much more obvious in an orchestral setting than in a band. Because the volume is considerable in bands, sometimes we can get away with murder.”

Soloist

Away from ensemble playing Nick is widely regarded as one of the finest trombone soloists in the UK and over the years has performed countless times. “I have so many memories,” Nick reflects. “I’ve been a guest soloist at the Royal Albert Hall on four separate occasions, have been invited as guest soloist all over the world and made umpteen solo recordings and broadcasts, the list is endless. I’ve been very lucky indeed”. Giving so many performances naturally means Nick has also performed many different solos. “I thoroughly enjoyed giving the premiere of Wilfred Heaton’s Trombone Concerto back in the 90’s. This magnum opus is thirty minutes long and was broadcast live on BBC Radio 3. Nerve wracking, but so rewarding” he remembers, “I also enjoy playing a piece the Philip Wilby composed for me, White Knuckle Ride. This was also given as a premiere at the Royal Albert Hall as part of the National Brass Band Championship Gala Concert series”. So what is it like to work as a soloist? “They say you’re only as good as your last performance, and that is so right” he answers, when asked if he has ever felt pressure being recognised as a world class player and a well known figure in banding. “Something I have noticed in brass banding is a lot of thought and conversations are based around ‘who is the best: "such and such was better than such and such today", "Did you hear such and such split that note"’… there is a lot of unnecessary negativity around contesting and some people seem to want to remember only the splits or the poor performances. Yes, I know there are a lot of exceptions but it does put pressure on you. You’re expected to play well. If you do that's ok. If you don't, it's big news”. So how does one cope with the pressure? “Somehow you need try and block it out, Nick explains. “I just try and remember that if you split a note, nobody is going to die, it’s not the end of the world, life goes on. Worse things can happen".

Performing as a soloist isn’t just confined to being on a stage, and like others Nick has recorded a number of CD’s over the years, including two of my personal favourites Two of a Mind and Comrades. “I released an album back in the early noughties called New Horizons which is probably my favourite” he says. “It contains a huge variety of repertoire from jazz combination stuff, church organ repertoire, brass band, and a composition with Simone Rebello on marimba. That was really good fun to do and I must admit, I’m quite proud of it”. A lot of hard work goes into producing a solo album, and it can bring pressure of its own. “It’s a mammoth undertaking” Nick states, “Not only the practising and preparation part, you have the concept, the idea behind what you want the album to say, getting people to agree to be involved, contracts, organising venues and schedules and other logistics - it can be a nightmare! Whilst most people could record a CD at home nowadays, the logistics when you involve ensembles and other personnel can be a bit of a challenge”.

Devon

These days Nick is a resident of South Devon, having moved to the area early last year. “My wife was offered the job as Director of Music in a lovely private school nearby” he explains. “Emma has understandably wanted to be close to her family, she’s a Taunton lass, so we made the decision to relocate here to be close to her Mum, Dad and Sister”. It’s fair to say that banding is not quite the same in Devon as it is in Yorkshire, with just one band from the county ever reaching the Championship Section and Nick is having to adapt to this new change of pace. “Has it affected my performing? Yes it has” he says. “The vast majority of my playing work is up north and moving down here has made logistics a little more challenging. I just need to add an extra four hours onto the journey!” He has, however, wasted no time in making his mark in the South West, setting up two ensembles; a brass quintet Wessex Brass and trombone quartet Down Low Bones. “These were ideas that I had prior to moving down here, although there are challenges getting the groups off the ground”. But things are progressing very slowly, and the trombone quartet had its first concert on 2nd October 2024 in Exeter. “I certainly don’t wish to upset anyone here, far from it, but I have noticed a difference in approach to attitudes to brass playing down here, and by that I mean commitment and the will to work at something to bring it to a high standard. This sounds more dramatic than I intend, but for any ensemble to be first class everyone has to give 100%, to the project, and to personal ensemble preparation. Sometimes I question whether or not it’s the same as our friends up north. Nothing good is achieved without effort and dedication. Playing is more a hobby and social activity down here. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that whatsoever, in fact I love the way it brings everyone together, but having been used to a much more intense approach it’s come as a bit of a shock. I apologise if this has niggled your local readers but it is something I have noticed since I’ve been down here”. Nick’s presence in the area has been to the benefit of some though and he has already made his first solo performance, joining the Torquay based Bay Brass for their Tenth Anniversary concert and workshop in October 2024. He hopes to be able to increase this visibility and contribute to the music scene in the area. “It’d be lovely to get more involved in teaching”, he says. “I thoroughly enjoy teaching, at all levels, and it would be nice to get more involved with the community players around here”.

A Bit of Fun

If you could commission any composer, past or present, to write a solo for you, who would it be and why?

Edward Elgar. I absolutely love his music and have read umpteen books about him. He was a completely self taught composer, and a trombone player too. Wow, he could have composed something terrific for the instrument.

If you could play any non-brass instrument, what would it be and why?

Cello. The most beautiful sounding instrument (next to the trombone!) I’ve heard. It produces such a fabulous noise.

If you could play one performance, in any venue, under any conductor and accompanied by any ensemble from history what would you play and where and who would you choose?

It’d be sat in the ‘bone section of a big band, Quincy Jones directing, accompanying Frank Sinatra in Madison Square Garden when he was at the height of his comeback. I just love that genre of music.