Kyle Gordon & Tiffany Johns: Lossafunk!

Lossafunk! was written for Kyle Gordon's Masters recital at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music. The title comes from the fact that Tiffany and Kyle could not determine whether the piece had Lotsa Funk, or was at a Loss for Funk.

Kyle Gordon is the bass trombonist in The U.S. Army Band “Pershing’s Own” Concert Band. Prior to this position, he was the bass trombonist of the Houston Grand Opera, a position he held for 5 seasons. Kyle received his Master of Music in trombone performance from the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music where he was awarded the Performer’s Certificate recognizing his outstanding work as a solo performer and was the winner of the brass concerto competition. His teachers included M. Dee Stewart, Dr. Graydon McGrannahan, and Jared Rodin. Prior to his studies at Indiana University, Kyle received a bachelor’s degree in K-12 Instrumental and Vocal Music Education from Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa. He has additional studies in early music and bass sackbut. Kyle has served as a freelance educator and has taught as adjunct faculty at both Drake University and Lonestar Community College. He can be heard on recordings with the U.S. Army Band, as well as Drake University’s Wind Symphony. He is a member of Pi Kappa Lambda, Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, and was the recipient of the James M. Cox Memorial Scholarship for young music educators.

Tiffany Johns is a multi-instrumentalist brass player and synthesist from Los Angeles, California who holds two degrees (BM Bass Trombone and Euphonium Performance, MM Jazz Composition) from the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, where she was taught by M. Dee Stewart, Carl Lenthe, Wayne Wallace, and Brent Wallarab. Regularly performing and recording across the country in a wide variety of styles including classical, jazz, Latin jazz/salsa, funk/soul/R&B, and Dixieland, Tiffany has accumulated a diverse portfolio of styles, idioms, and instruments. Tiffany has performed and recorded with a number of world-renowned artists, including Bernard Purdie, Bootsy Collins, Fred Wesley, and Randy Brecker. She can be heard on several albums on multiple instruments, including two that were Grammy-nominated. In addition to performing and recording, Tiffany is an active composer and Emmy award-winning arranger. She has had both arrangements and compositions performed by the Capital Wind Symphony, Northwestern University Brass Ensemble, Eastman Brass Guild, Indiana University Brent Wallarab Jazz Ensemble, Indiana University Latin Jazz Ensemble, Indiana University Brass Choir, Indiana University Trombone Choir, and Brass of Peace. A septet arrangement of hers was commissioned and performed twice for the Indiana Bicentennial.