Minnesota Brass soloist stays busy, keeps wailing
by Paul Mordorski
"I plan to die at age 105 while playing a triple high C."
--Roger Grupp, Minnesota Brass soloist
Roger Grupp has played with Minnesota Brass, Inc. Senior Drum and Bugle Corps of the Twin Cities and St. Paul, MN, for 29 seasons, playing baritone for a long time and now wailing on soprano solos.
This year, Grupp was inducted into the DCA Hall of Fame as an Associate Member.
"It was quite an honor to be introduced by Colonel Truman Crawford," said Grupp.
Grupp was the DCA soloist of the year in 1993 and was featured on the 1993 DCI broadcast. He has been named Minnesota Brass horn player of the year on several occasions, and was the recipient of Minnesota Brass Inc.'s most distinguished award, the Brassy, in 1979.
Throughout Grupp's career as MBI soloist, there have been other soloists who have pushed and complimented him. Greg Hilliard, DCA soloist of the year in 1989, and Grupp worked on the challenge of playing high notes in Blues in the Night, in 1988 and 1989. Frank Minear, Stan Kenton band alumnus and DCA soloist of the year, played duets with Grupp on Suite for Jazz Orchestra in 1991. Currently, Grupp's soloist counterpart is Henry Wadsworth, a member of MBI since 1981, except for two years in the early 90's when he marched in the DCA champion Bushwackers.
Wadsworth and Grupp have shared solos since 1986, and work well together.
"Henry is a heck of a blower," Grupp said, "and I often struggle to keep up with him. We seem to balance each other and play high notes in tune very well. We're not Centorino and Price, but we make a very good team."
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