James Martin Self (born August 20, 1943) is an American

tubist This is a list of tuba players with articles on Wikipedia. See also *Lists of musicians This is a list of lists of musicians. Genre The following are lists of musicians by style or music genre. 0–9 * List of 1970s Christian pop artist ...

and composer from Los Angeles. Self has performed extensively in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

and internationally as a soloist, chamber musician, orchestral tubist, and, most notably, as a studio musician in the Los Angeles movie studios having appeared on over 1500 soundtracks. He is also known for his association with the Pasadena Symphony, the

Pacific Symphony The Pacific Symphony is a symphony orchestra located in Orange County, California. The orchestra performs at the Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall as a part of the Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa, California. From 1987 to 201 ...

, the Los Angeles Opera and the

Hollywood Bowl Orchestra The Hollywood Bowl Orchestra (HBO) is a symphony orchestra which is managed by the Los Angeles Philharmonic Association and plays the vast majority of its performances at the Hollywood Bowl. John Mauceri led the orchestra from its founding in 1990 ...

Childhood, education, and early career

James Martin Self was born on August 20, 1943, in

Franklin, Pennsylvania Franklin is a city and the county seat of Venango County, Pennsylvania. The population was 6,097 in the 2020 census. Franklin is part of the Oil City, PA Micropolitan Statistical Area. Franklin is known for its three-day autumn festival in Oc ...

, the third youngest of four siblings born to Helen Louise (née Martin, 1907–1980) and James Warren "Pete" Self (1906–1959), and grew up in neighboring Oil City, Pennsylvania. His father, James, worked as an assistant production manager at the

Worthington Corporation The Worthington Corporation was a diversified American manufacturer that had its roots in Worthington and Baker, a steam pump manufacturer founded in 1845. In 1967 it merged with Studebaker and Wagner Electric to form Studebaker-Worthington. This ...

and was a softball and baseball player. His mother, Helen, was a member of his hometown's First Baptist Church. His older brother, William, worked as an electrical engineer. After graduating from Oil City High School in 1961, Self went to Indiana State College (now known as Indiana University of Pennsylvania). He studied under trumpeter William Becker, whom he considered a "a father figure and a kind of soul mate". In 1965, he earned his bachelor's degree in music education. After graduation, Self joined the

United States Army Band The United States Army Band, also known as "Pershing's Own", is the premier musical organization of the United States Army, founded in 1922. There are currently nine official performing ensembles in the unit: The U.S. Army Concert Band, The U.S. A ...

. The concert band tuba section included Leo Hurst, Bob Pallansch, Dan Perantoni, Chester Schmitz, and Paul Scott. During his time with the US Army Band, Self earned a Master of Music in Tuba Performance from Catholic University of America and studied with

Harvey Phillips Harvey Gene Phillips, Sr. (December 2, 1929 – October 20, 2010) was an American tuba player. He served as the Distinguished Professor of the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University, Bloomington (from 1971 to 1994) and was dedicated advocate ...

. Self left the Army Band in 1967. He was offered the position of Assistant Professor of Tuba and the

University of Tennessee The University of Tennessee (officially The University of Tennessee, Knoxville; or UT Knoxville; UTK; or UT) is a public land-grant research university in Knoxville, Tennessee. Founded in 1794, two years before Tennessee became the 16th state ...

in 1969. In 1971, while still working at the University of Tennessee, Self began working on a Doctor of Musical Arts degree at the

University of Southern California , mottoeng = "Let whoever earns the palm bear it" , religious_affiliation = Nonsectarian—historically Methodist , established = , accreditation = WSCUC , type = Private research university , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $8.1 ...

. At USC he studied under Tommy Johnson.

Los Angeles

Studio career

Self has performed on the Los Angeles studios since 1974. In this time he has recorded over 1500 soundtracks for motion pictures and television. One of Self's most notable soundtrack credits is his performance on

Close Encounters of the Third Kind ''Close Encounters of the Third Kind'' is a 1977 American science fiction film written and directed by Steven Spielberg, starring Richard Dreyfuss, Melinda Dillon, Teri Garr, Bob Balaban, Cary Guffey, and François Truffaut. It tells the story ...

. His performance was featured as the "voice of the mothership." Self can be heard as a soloist in such films as Jurassic Park, Home Alone I&II, Casper, Batteries Not Included,

Sleepless in Seattle ''Sleepless in Seattle'' is a 1993 American romantic comedy-drama film directed by Nora Ephron, from a screenplay she wrote with David S. Ward and Jeff Arch. Starring Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan, the film follows a journalist (Ryan) who, despite ...

, and Dennis the Menace. Jim Self has been the first call tubist for such notable film composers as John Williams, James Newton Howard,

John Debney John Cardon Debney (born August 18, 1956) is an American composer and conductor of film, television, and video game scores. His work encompasses a variety of mediums and genres including comedy, horror, thriller, and action-adventure. He is a l ...

and

James Horner James Roy Horner (August 14, 1953 – June 22, 2015) was an American composer. He was known for the integration of choral and electronic elements, and for his frequent use of motifs associated with Celtic music. Horner's first film score was in ...

. Self often doubles on cimbasso for soundtrack work, particularly since the late 1990s.

Orchestral performances

Jim Self holds principal tuba positions with the

(1991–present), Pasadena Symphony (1975-present),

(1986–present), Los Angeles Opera (1986–present), and Opera Pacific (1987-2008). In his opera orchestra performances he plays the cimbasso when required. Self is also a frequent substitute tubist with the Los Angeles Philharmonic.

Teaching

Jim Self has taught at the University of Southern California since 1976. At USC Self teaches tuba and coaches brass chamber music. Self taught at the University of Tennessee from 1969-1975. He has also taught at such festivals as Music Academy of the West and the Henry Mancini Institute.

Compositions

Self has published over 50 solo, chamber, and symphonic works. In 2008 the Pacific Symphony performed his composition, ''Tour de Force: Episodes for Orchestra.'' The 13 minute work has also been transcribed for wind ensemble and was co-premiered by the USC Thornton Wind Ensemble under the direction of

H. Robert Reynolds H. Robert Reynolds is an American musician, conductor and academic. He is currently the principal conductor of the Wind Ensemble at the USC Thornton School of Music, Thornton School of Music at the University of Southern California, where he ho ...

and the IUP Wind Ensemble under the direction of

Jack Stamp Jack Stamp (born March 5, 1954 in College Park, Maryland) is a North American wind ensemble conductor and composer. He has approximately sixty compositions available from Neil A. Kjos Music Company, including his most well-known piece, Gavorkn ...

Awards

Harvey Phillips Award (ITEA), 2010 Roger Bobo Award for Excellence in Recording (ITEA), 2008 - InnerPlay Lifetime Achievement Award (ITEA), 2008 Distinguished Alumni Award, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, 2003 Most Valuable Player Award (Tuba), National Association of Recording Arts and Sciences, 1983, 1985, 1986, 1987 President, International Tuba Euphonium Association, 1979-1981 International Tuba Euphonium Association

Solo/chamber/jazz discography

References

External links

www.bassethoundmusic.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Self, Jim 1943 births Living people American tubists Indiana University of Pennsylvania alumni Musicians from Pennsylvania Musicians from Los Angeles USC Thornton School of Music alumni USC Thornton School of Music faculty University of Tennessee faculty 21st-century tubists 20th-century tubists