The Ill-advised Trombone Duet can be traced back to Doug and Kevin’s collegiate career at Northern Illinois University. As a brash, young student, Doug threw caution to the wind and pushed the accepted limits of how far two trombones could go in duet literature. Early on, most likely the Spring semester of 1997, Doug penned three duets for which manuscripts survive. All three arrangements are classic rock gems, thus providing the genesis for pop-culture relevance in the art form.

As they are presented in the manuscript book, the first two duets follow a theme & variations format. Variations on an Iron Butterfly Theme in D Minor: a duet for two of anything is based on “In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida”, while the second piece, Frank & Stein Variations in C Minor: another rock duet explores the “Frankenstein” theme by Edgar Winter. Both pieces take many liberties with style and harmony, and although the arrangements are not masterfully written, they seems to be a strong first step.

The third and final “collegiate duet” is a direct transcription of Carry On Wayward Son by Kansas. The full arrangement features the complete melody from the song with the foundation harmonies suggested in the 2nd part. While some chords are mis-transcribed, the overall feel and structure of the piece is true to the original. Doug finally mastered the genre here, adhering to the principle “less is more” by limiting his own interpretations.

Eight years later in 2005, the two would return to the art form with the regular feature titled the “Ill-Advised Trombone Duet”. The idea was first suggested by Kevin during pre-production on June 18 when the two attended a performance by Neil Diamond impersonator Denny Diamond. (Denny Diamond is not considered the inspiration for the idea, however.) The trombone duets have been the number one attraction for musician-listeners of the Brood ever since.

The first Strange Brood trombone duet centered on recent pop-culture phenomenon Gwen Stefani and her Fiddler on the Roof inspired “Rich Girl”. While the duet was brief, it succeeded in entertaining audiences of all walks of life. Since that seminal manuscript was performed on the show, arrangements have gotten increasingly complex and increasingly popular.

Throughout the duet catalog, a few general observations can be made. Kevin prefers recent hits as source material while Doug tends to arrange classic songs from the 1970’s and 80’s. Kevin’s style adds much humor by juxtaposing seemingly irrelevant themes with more digestable material. Doug likes to focus on counterpoint and harmony as a source of interest in his arrangements. Any collaboration with Mike features his polished musicianship and often finds him doubling on other instruments like clarinet and flute.

A few notable highlights in the catalog include a trombone duet with harpsichord accompaniment on “Tiny Dancer”, the first trombone-tenor saxophone duet on “Song for the Dumped”, and the well-executed “Wherever I May Roam” by Metalllica. Despite this rich history, the three moderators have only performed two trios together: episode 100’s much-lauded “Scenes from an Italian Restaurant” and Queen’s “Fat Bottom Girls”. Strange Brood has also featured other ensembles, including trombone quartets and a brass sextet.

“We try not to limit ourselves to exclusively duets,” founder Doug says. “If it’s a pop tune in the spirit of renegade arranging, we’ll put it on the show.” This open-mindedness continues to help the show present cutting-edge performances in a unique genre of music.

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Chronologial Listing of episodes and duets:
001 June 22 - “Rich Girl/If I Were a Rich Man” download the sheet music
002 June 29 - “Play That Funky Music”
003 July 6 - “Sk8er Boi”
004 July 12 - “Axel F” download the sheet music
005 July 21 - “Pour Some Sugar on my slide”
007 July 28 - “Livin’ on a Prayer” download the sheet music
009 August 4 - “Tiny Dancer” with harpsichord
011 August 11 - “Song for the Dumped”
013 August 17 - “Basket Case” download the sheet music
015 August 25 - “Ring of Fire” download the sheet music
017 September 1 - “Wherever I May Roam” download the sheet music
019 Septemebr 7 - “Sweet Child O Mine”
021 Septemebr 15 - “This Love” download the sheet music
023 September 22 - “Raindrops Keep Falling on my Brickhouse”
025 September 28 - “Mr. Roboto” (tenor sax)
027 October 5 - “Beautiful”
029 October 15 - “Everlong” download the sheet music
031 October 19 - “Superstition” (tenor sax)
033 October 26 - “Tecmo Super Bowl highlights” download the sheet music
035 November 3 - “Michael Jackson: Beat It, Thriller” (tenor sax)
037 November 10 - “The Impression That I Get”
039 November 17 - “Police vs. Under the Sea” (tenor sax)
041 November 23 - “Crazy Train” arr. Pan Man
043 November 30 - “I Believe in a Thing Called Love”
045 December 8 - “I’m Toxic as I Wander” (tenor sax)
047 December 14 - “God Rest Ye Merry, Roadhouse” (tenor sax)
049 December 22 - “Nutcracker Suite” (trombone quartet)
___ December 30 - “God Rest Ye Funky, Gentlemen” (trombone quartet)
054 January 4 - “Charlie Brown Christmas medley” (trombone quartet)
056 January 12 - “Take On the Danger Zone” (tenor sax)
060 January 26 - “Walk Like an Egyptian”
062 February 1 - “Carry On Wayward Son” performed by Max Mellman
065 February 9 - “Beverly Hills” (tenor sax)
069 February 23 - “Sports Medley: Olympics, Football” (tenor sax)
071 March 2 - “Kashmir/Feed the Birds” (tenor sax)
079 March 30 - “Clocks” (tenor sax)
081 April 6 - “Right Now, You Really Got Me” (tenor sax)
084 April 20 - “Carry On Wayward Son” (brass sextet)
086 April 27 - “Come On Eileen” download the sheet music
092 May 25 - “Don’t Stop Me Now” (tenor sax)
094 June 8 - “Sell Out” performed by Max Mellman
096 June 15 - “Then the Morning Comes”
098 June 22 - “Sugar We’re Going Down” download the sheet music
100 June 29 “Scenes From an Italian Restaurant” download the sheet music
102 July 05 “Hard to Handle the Armed Forces”
105 July 13 - “Pearly Patch Kids”
107 July 19 - “Jungle Rider” (trio w/ cowbell)
110 July 26 - “Fat Bottomed Girls (trio)”
115 August 09 - “Variations on an Iron Butterfly Theme”
118 August 18 - “Bone of Constant Sorrow”
122 September 2 - “Nursery Business”
127 January XX - “Crazy Friend Like Me”