The Other Side Of The Bell - A Trumpet Podcast

This episode of The Other Side of the Bell, featuring trumpeter performer and recording artist Johnny Thirkell, is brought to you by Bob Reeves Brass.

This episode also appears as a video episode on our YouTube channel, you can find it here:

"Johnny Thirkell trumpet interview"
 
Find the expanded show notes, transcript and more photos here:
https://bobreeves.com/blog/johnny-thirkell-trumpet-interview-the-other-side-of-the-bell-149
 
About Johnny Thirkell:
In a long and varied career, Johnny Thirkell has an impressive record of achievements and unparalleled experience as a trumpet player, producer and latterly as a tech entrepreneur. 
Upon leaving Leeds College of Music, he studied trumpet in New York with the great Carmine Caruso before embarking on a playing career which would see him perform in many genres of music at the highest level. From the B.B.C. Radio Orchestra through the Buddy Rich & Gil Evans Orchestras, and on in to the Rock & Pop industry, Johnny established himself as a versatile and adaptable musician of the highest calibre.​
A measure of his success lies in the fact that his trumpet playing featured on at least 1 album in the UK album chart, continuously, without a break for over 13 years, and at one point he was playing on 11 of the top 50 albums in a single week. 
He has performed on over 6000 recordings, more than 100 top ten albums and 38 US & UK No.1 records, including the recent BTS global smash "Dynamite."
​
A natural progression along the way was into record production, and he has produced (or co-produced) over 250 commercial releases, and co-written many of the songs. Indeed, he has had over 500 songs published, including songs for artists as diverse as The Spice Girls (he co-wrote their early songs), Odyssey & The Three Degrees. 
In recent years he has focused on building and selling a number of businesses in the music and technology space. Johnny also enjoys employing his communication skills and experience through writing and speaking, and is the Founder of Elite Music Camps - offering week-long residential music courses taught by some of the finest musicians in the world.
 
Episode Links:
Buy the book, Blown It, Johnny's stories from his amazing life!
Website: johnnythirkell.com
Elite Music Camps:  elitemusiccamps.com

Instagram: (@johnnythirkell)
Facebook: (@johnnythirkell)
 
Bob Reeves Brass Upcoming Events and Appearances:
Texas Music Educators Association Conference, Feb. 11-14, San Antonio, Texas
https://trumpetmouthpiece.com/products/tmea-valve-alignment-special
Dylan Music, Feb. 26-28, Woodbridge, New Jersey
[email protected]

National Trumpet Festival, March 20-22, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA
https://trumpetmouthpiece.com/products/national-trumpet-competition-valve-alignment-special

Metropolitan Music, April 10-11, Seattle, WA
https://metropolitan-music.com

Arkansas Trumpet Day, April 18th, Arkansas State University, Jonesboro, AR
 
Podcast Credits:
"A Room with a View" - composed and performed by Howie Shear
Podcast Host - John Snell
Cover Photo Credit - Johnny Thirkell
Blog Photo Credits - David Harrison
Audio Engineer - Ted Cragg

This episode of The Other Side of the Bell is brought to you by Bob Reeves Brass. Makers of the finest handcrafted #trumpet, #trombone & #frenchhorn mouthpieces since 1968.
Visit https://bobreeves.com to find your next mouthpiece and trumpet accessory! 

This episode also appears as a video episode on our YouTube channel, you can find it here:

"The Other Side of the Bell Holiday Special 2025!"
Find the expanded show notes, transcript and more photos here:
https://bobreeves.com/blog/holiday-special-john-snell-and-friends-the-other-side-of-the-bell-148
 
John gets some good friends together to toast the end of one year, and the start of the next: it's our 2025 Holiday Special - perhaps the first annual? It was a lot of fun, so we might just start a new trend!
 
Eric Baker, Mike Zonshine, Kenny Rampton, Liesl Whitaker and the voice of Vinnie Ciesielski are here to share some highlights of the year, musical and otherwise, and things to look forward to in the new year.
 
Join us for a rousing conversation on such diverse topics as:
Eric sharing his trick for playing a great horse neiiighhh on the trumpet, perhaps the bane of trumpet players' existence over the holidays.

Mike's recent outdoor concert in Los Angeles, playing arrangements by none other than Keith Snell, John's dad.

Kenny's holiday menu, centered around the Big Green Egg, might be a small reflection of a mid-life crisis?

Liesl sharing some holiday family traditions in the Whitaker/Rampton household.

And a great update from the voice of Vinnie - he talks about his new Christmas album, the inspiring sight of hearing kindergarteners talk about Miles Davis and Dizzy Gillespie, and the story behind the recording itself: forced at the last minute to go from a first-class studio to recording remotely. But they pulled it off in less than 30 days, just in time for Black Friday!
 
There's a great shout out to Will Leathers, some fantastic trivia, everyone's favorite holiday songs to play, and some poignant and heartful wishes for the new year.
 
Thank you to all our viewers and listeners for a great year, it's been a pleasure to bring you more episodes of The Other Side of the Bell in 2025, and we'll keep up the production in 2026.
 
And don't forget to check out our partner podcasts, The Trombone Corner and The Horn Signal, including our Trombone Corner Holiday Episode, with John, co-host Noah Gladstone, and special guests Jay Friedman and Michael Dease
The Trombone Corner Holiday Episode

 
Episode Guest Links:
Eric Baker, Trumpets Mic'd Up
Mike Zonshine
Liesl Whitaker
Kenny Rampton
Vinnie Ciesieulski

 
Bob Reeves Brass Upcoming Events and Appearances:
Trumpet Festival of the Southeast, Jan. 17, 2026, Kennesaw State University, Georgia

Texas Music Educators Association Conference, Feb. 11-14 2026, San Antonio, Texas

Dylan Music, Feb. 26-28, Woodbridge, New Jersey

 
Podcast Credits:
"A Room with a View" - composed and performed by Howie Shear
Podcast Host - John Snell
Audio Engineer - Ted Cragg

This episode of The Other Side of the Bell, featuring trumpeter performer and recording artist Paul Litteral, is brought to you by Bob Reeves Brass.

This episode also appears as a video episode on our YouTube channel, you can find it here:

"Paul Litteral trumpet interview"
 
Find the expanded show notes, transcript and more photos here:
https://bobreeves.com/blog/paul-litteral-trumpet-interview-the-other-side-of-the-bell-147
 
About Paul Litteral:
Hollywood Paul Litteral began to build his career playing in Broadway hits such as The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, A Chorus Line and Chess.
In 1978, Paul and saxophonist Arno Hecht founded the well-known group called the Uptown Horns. As their visibility increased, the band was recruited for rock and roll gigs and played many of New York's most famous clubs.
Paul and the Uptown Horns went on their first rock and roll tour with the J. Geils Band in 1981 and that led to many other opportunities including engagements with The Rolling Stones, Robert Plant, Tom Waits, Joe Cocker, James Brown, Pat Benatar, and Ray Charles. The band lists recording credits on over 150 albums including James Brown's Grammy Award winning "Living in America" and tracks for Joe Cocker, Albert Collins, Bonnie Raitt, Robert Palmer, Lou Reed and REM.
In addition to continuing to play music, he began writing and found critical success with Hoboken to Hollywood, which earned him the 2011 Ovation Award for Musical Direction. Paul was also awarded Best Musical Direction by Stage Scene LA for Louis & Keely: Live' at the Sahara, which had a record run, playing to sold out audiences at the Geffen Playhouse.
"Hollywood" Paul earned his nickname back in the 1980's due to his prodigious knowledge of film lore. Though his extensive contributions to the LA music scene have also helped add to that fabulous moniker.
Paul's fame is within the world of Rock and Roll. On his latest album, "The Litteral Truth," he brings us a collection of songs that inspired his personal musical development. The Brecker Brothers, Edgar Winter and Steely Dan are a few of the artists we cover on the record, and revisiting these great cuts and reinterpreting them was a joyous excursion for all involved.
Paul is a fun and talented man, and his records are spreading the joy of knowing him.
-Bill Bodine
 
Episode Links:
Outrageous 8 Records

Find the albums here: The Litteral Truth
Legacy

Instagram (@paullitteralmusic)
YouTube channel
The Other Side of the Bell Episode #92 - Paul Litteral (first appearance)
 
Bob Reeves Brass Upcoming Events and Appearances:
Trumpet Festival of the Southeast, Jan. 17, 2026, Kennesaw State University, Georgia

Texas Music Educators Association Conference, Feb. 11-14 2026, San Antonio, Texas

Dylan Music, Feb. 26-28, Woodbridge, New Jersey

 
Podcast Credits:
"A Room with a View" - composed and performed by Howie Shear
Podcast Host - John Snell
Cover Photo Credit - Paul Litteral
Audio Engineer - Ted Cragg

This episode of The Other Side of the Bell, featuring legendary trumpeter and horn arranger Jerry Hey, is brought to you by Bob Reeves Brass.

This episode also appears as a video episode on our YouTube channel, you can find it here:

"Jerry Hey trumpet interview"
 
Find the expanded show notes, transcript and more photos here:
https://bobreeves.com/blog/jerry-hey-trumpet-interview-the-other-side-of-the-bell-146
 
About Jerry Hey:
Jerry Hey is one of the defining trumpet voices and horn arrangers in modern popular music. Born in Dixon, Illinois, into a deeply musical family, he honed his craft with Charlie Geyer and later at Indiana University under legendary pedagogue William Adam. After an early run co-founding the jazz-fusion band Seawind in Hawaii, Hey moved to Los Angeles in the mid-1970s and quickly became a first-call session player and arranger.
From there, his sound is heard on a staggering number of iconic recordings. Hey's horn writing and trumpet playing helped shape Michael Jackson's Off the Wall and Thriller albums, and his long association with Quincy Jones produced landmark work for Earth, Wind & Fire, George Benson, Al Jarreau, Patti Austin, Barbra Streisand, Toto, and countless others. A six-time Grammy winner, he has been recognized repeatedly for his instrumental and vocal arrangements, as well as his contributions to major film and television scores, including Flashdance, The Color Purple, the Back to the Future trilogy, Forrest Gump, and Dreamgirls.
Most recently, Hey has opened his personal archives in Notes From The Past 50 Years, a 250-page collection of pop excerpts spanning his studio career. The book gathers more than 200 of his favorite licks, along with personal stories and rare photos that trace his path from early days in Los Angeles to his most iconic sessions—including a few lesser-known musical gems.
Equally at home leading a horn section, crafting a string chart, or delivering a lyrical flugelhorn solo, Hey remains a benchmark for precision, style, and imagination in the studio, with an influence that continues to shape how artists, arrangers, and producers think about horn sections today.
 
Episode Links:
Website: www.heyhorns.com

Instagram (@heyhorns)
Jerry Hey playlist
The Other Side of the Bell Episode #15 - William "Bill" Adam Tribute
The Other Side of the Bell Episode #22 - Jerry Hey
 
Podcast Credits:
"A Room with a View" - composed and performed by Howie Shear
Podcast Host - John Snell
Cover Photo Credit - Jerry Hey/Megan Noller
Audio Engineer - Ted Cragg

This episode of The Other Side of the Bell, featuring classical trumpeter and soloist Imogen Whitehead, is brought to you by Bob Reeves Brass.

This episode also appears as a video episode on our YouTube channel, you can find it here:

"Imogen Whitehead trumpet interview"
 
Find the expanded show notes, transcript and more photos here:
https://bobreeves.com/blog/imogen-whitehead-trumpet-interview-the-other-side-of-the-bell-145/
 
About Imogen Whitehead:
British trumpeter Imogen Whitehead is in demand across the UK and internationally, enjoying an increasingly diverse career as a soloist, chamber musician, and orchestral principal.
A passionate advocate for new music, Imogen serves on the International Trumpet Guild's 'New Works' committee and has premiered numerous works by composers such as Sally Beamish and Stephen Dodgson. Many of these are featured on her recently released debut solo album, Connection. As a particular champion of the flugelhorn – an instrument often overlooked in the classical sphere – Imogen is dedicated to raising its solo profile through new commissions and arrangements. Her most recent commission, Ennui by Noah Max (for flugelhorn and piano), was supported by the Vaughan Williams Foundation and premiered in June 2025.
Recent and upcoming highlights include concerto performances with Britten Sinfonia of Barry Mills' Trumpet Concerto (world premiere, July 2025) and Hummel's Trumpet Concerto (May 2025), the latter also featuring live on BBC Radio 3's In Tune. Imogen launched her solo album at London's iconic St Martin-in-the-Fields (May 2025), with further recitals at Proms at St Jude's (June 2025) and Wimbledon International Music Festival (November 2025).
In addition to her position as Principal Trumpet with Britten Sinfonia, Imogen performs regularly as Guest Principal Trumpet with other leading orchestras internationally. In March 2025, she toured Germany and Belgium with Aurora Orchestra and Abel Selaocoe and next season joins the London Symphony Orchestra for a European tour. In recent years, she has performed in London's West End and played on major film soundtracks including Maestro and Saltburn.
Imogen is currently Artist-in-Residence with St Martin's Voices and a member of the acclaimed wind and brass collective, Neoteric Ensemble. She is deeply committed to music education, community engagement, and equal opportunity, serving as an Associate and Mentor for GALSI (Gender and the Large and Shiny Instruments), an initiative promoting gender equality in brass and percussion. She is also involved in Britten Sinfonia's pioneering outreach work, has worked with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra's 'Resound' education and community programme, and regularly leads masterclasses at conservatoires across the UK. Based in South West London, Imogen also volunteers as a befriender through the Wimbledon Guild.
An alumna of the Royal Academy of Music, Imogen studied with professors including Mark David and Gareth Small and subsequently studied privately with Norwegian soloist Tine Thing Helseth. In April 2025, Imogen was awarded Associateship of the Royal Academy of Music (ARAM).
 
Episode Links:
imogenwhiteheadtrumpet.com

Connection: Imogen's debut solo album
GALSI: Gender and the Large and Shiny Instruments (www.largeandshiny.com)
Imogen on Instagram (@imogen_trumpet)
on YouTube (@imogentrumpet)
on TikTok (@imogentrumpet)
'To Stay Open' by Charlotte Harding, outdoor performance on YouTube

 
Podcast Credits:
"A Room with a View" - composed and performed by Howie Shear
Podcast Host - John Snell
Cover Photo Credit - Matthew Johnson Photographer
Audio Engineer - Ted Cragg