April 2, 1:20 a.m.
About 35 people scream at the top of their lungs inside The Hog Wallow Pub by the mouth of Big Cottonwood Canyon.
They are cheering deliriously for another encore from a local band called Quadraphonic.
Though the band features talented musicians on percussion, bass, keyboards and guitar, one gets the impression that the crowd’s impromptu chants of “one more” are due in large part to the impressive horn players. There is just something about the way they play together.
One would gather they were brothers by listening to them, but they look almost nothing alike. There is something about their sound that indicates that their connection is on another level. The Chisholm brothers, Joe on trombone and Dave on trumpet, grabbed the audience’s attention that night, and held it through three sets and two encores.
The Chisholm brothers were born in Alaska. In 1987, the family moved to Minnesota, where their father Dan pursued his career as an electrician. About five years after that, the family moved to Salt Lake City. It was here that the brothers slowly established names for themselves as musicians, composers and songwriters.
They began their music training while very young. They were influenced by their father’s love for music, especially jazz.
“I remember coming home and him putting on a Miles Davis record and lying with my head by the speakers and vibing with it the whole way through,” Joe Chisholm said.
It was through these kinds of experiences that they both began to appreciate music.
Joe Chisholm, who is a year and a half older than Dave Chisholm, composed his first piece in the fourth grade. Dave Chisholm bloomed later, and they both began to make music their focus while attending Highland High School.
Dave Chisholm can pinpoint the moment when he realized he wanted to make music a central part of his life. He was in St. George with his older brother, who was playing in the All-State Jazz Band. He heard a speaker stress the importance of learning other musicians’ solos. Dave Chisholm then went back to the hotel room and began learning a Wynton Marsalis solo.
“I realized that I could kind of do what he was doing,” Dave Chisholm explains. “In my head, it sounded just as good as what he was doing, even though it wasn’t. But that was the moment.”
From that time forward, the brothers began forming their own bands and practicing their instruments passionately.
After high school, Joe and Dave Chisholm chose to pursue their musical educations at the U. They have played in several of the U’s big bands and jazz ensembles. Here they have received training in composing and music theory. This is where the band SLAJO (Salt Lake Alternative Jazz Orchestra) came together and where the Chisholms began to earn the attention and praise of the U music department.
“In the three universities I have taught at, they are the finest I have seen,” said Robert Walzel, the chairperson of the U’s music department and current conductor of the U Jazz Ensemble.
Their talents have also been recognized with honors. On April 22, Dave Chisholm will receive the award for Outstanding Fine Arts Senior. He was nominated for this award by faculty. Not only was Dave Chisholm nominated on account of his musical abilities, but also his scholastic achievements.
“They have established the bar for excellence,” Walzel said. “The fact that they are brothers makes it even more extraordinary.”
Though being brothers could be a very easy marketing tool, Joe Chisholm and Dave Chisholm do not want to exploit it.
“We want to make our own impact without always being ‘those two brothers,'” Dave Chisholm explains.
However, being in many of the same bands and playing together so much has helped them form a musical bond. They are well versed in each other’s tendencies. This is important, especially when it comes to improvisation.
“We know each other well musically,” Joe Chisholm said. “I know where he’s going and he knows where I’m going…he is definitely the one I know best.”
Similarities in their musical styles are present, of course, but differences are also very apparent. Though they are equally talented, Dave Chisholm makes his presence felt more immediately. In the practice room, Dave Chisholm’s sensitivity to the music is remarkable. It is not uncommon for him to stop the band if he hears a problem. He can also be heard telling members of the band to ‘bring out’ or ‘cut out’ certain parts of a solo.
“He puts high demands on the people around him,” said Joe Chisholm. “In most of his bands, he has that leader role. But he has the intelligence to back it up. He knows what he’s talking about and he has put in a lot of work.”
Joe Chisholm further defines their different approaches to leading.
“[Dave Chisholm] is a little bit more sensitive as far as what is going on in the music. If he doesn’t like what’s happening, it really affects him, and he is going to want to change it. Whereas if I’m in a band where something is happening that I don’t like, I’ll just let it evolve over time into something I like better.”
Walzel says that Joe Chisholm does his leading by “sitting down and doing his job.” He went on to say that Joe Chisholm leads by example and is always prepared.
The Chisholms have gained their musical reputation through their boldness. In the last couple years, they have played with such jazz and funk notables as Paquito De Rivera, Robert Walters, Karl Denson, Stanton Moore, Charlie Hunter and Mike Clark. Dave Chisholm even had the honor to play with the man he imi tated long ago, Wynton Marsalis.
“I was shaking for a while after that,” said Dave Chisholm.
Their success is also due in large part to their work ethic. During a recent SLAJO practice, the band was negotiating the tempo of a certain piece. Dave Chisholm questioned whether he would be able to keep up with a faster tempo since his part was already fast and complicated. He finally decided, “give me a tempo and if I can’t do it, I’ll work on it.”
Another reason for their success is their charismatic stage presence, whether it’s Dave Chisholm throwing his hands up to count for the band and signal transition or Joe Chisholm coolly nodding his head to the beat.
The Chisholms are also branching out in new directions. Dave Chisholm has begun his first excursion into the world of pop music. He has arrived at a provocative blend of styles. His new band, Six Sided Box, features an electric trumpet and is currently Dave Chisholm’s favorite flavor. Joe Chisholm has also just finished recording tracks for an electronic album that is due out soon under the band name Moth Fu. Joe Chisholm also continues to play with his avant garde jazz band Uncle Captain and a slew of other bands.