For this volume on low brass instruments in its "Dictionaries for the Modern Musician" series, Rowman & Littlefield turned to Douglas Yeo, a leading US trombone performer/scholar. Formerly bass trombonist of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Yeo currently teaches trombone at Wheaton College. Like other titles in the series, e.g., Elisa Koehler's Dictionary for the Modern Trumpet Player, this slender volume provides brief, well-researched entries covering myriad aspects of the history and playing techniques of the instruments along with brief biographies of individuals deemed to have "significantly changed the path of [an] instrument's performance, pedagogy, repertoire, research, or manufacturing" (p. 2). Yeo made a particular effort to highlight women, African Americans, and persons of color who contributed in important ways to low brass. No photos are included, but excellent illustrations created by Lennie Peterson, an award-winning artist and educator and a professional trombonist, enhance many entries. All in all, a fine overview of low brass instruments that will be valuable to novices and professionals alike. Essential. Lower-division undergraduates through faculty and professionals; general readers.

Choice Reviews

This excellent reference book by Doug Yeo provides exactly what the title promises; it is a dictionary, and the words, names and phrases are carefully topical, giving enough insight into peripheral topics (e.g. serpents and ophicleides) to be of certain interest to players of the titular instruments without causing bloat.

The Serpent Newsletter

This is an excellent first step for reference or research. There are exhaustive references to outside sources for further study and the 13-page bibliography is perhaps the most comprehensive resource available. This is one of the books that should be on every teacher’s shelf and in every academic library.

International Trombone Association Journal

Not simply a re-telling of past voices, but strong, new stories and insight, this book presents an honest look at past societal missteps and biases, and provides a way forward for reconciliation, as an example of how musicians today can honor our past while recognizing a better future.

Joanna Ross Hersey, professor of tuba and euphonium, University of North Carolina-Pembroke; president, International Women's Brass Conference

Douglas Yeo has hit a home run by crafting the most comprehensive one-volume compendium of information near and dear to low brass performers, teachers, and enthusiasts. His knowledge, experience, and expertise on the subjects are nonpareil.

Nathaniel Brickens, professor of trombone, University of Texas-Austin; past president, International Trombone Association

An Illustrated Dictionary for the Modern Trombone, Euphonium, and Tuba Player is grounded, comprehensive, and easily digestible throughout. Particularly notable is Yeo’s head-on approach to recognizing areas and individuals previously neglected by general scholarship.

Byron Pillow, manager of media & design, National Music Museum, University of South Dakota-Vermillion