European Tuba Trio
Ensemble
Anthony Caillet › euphonium | Sérgio Carolino › tuba | François Thuillier › tuba
Founded in 2005, the European Tuba Trio brings together three musicians who share a deep passion for jazz and improvised music. Anthony Caillet, Sérgio Carolino, and François Thuillier exchange individual virtuosity for a bold and provocative cocktail of original music. The trio’s instrumentation consists of a euphonium (tenor tuba) and two tubas (bass and contrabass).
The group is known for its exceptional dynamism, ranging from minimalist pianissimos to explosive bursts of funk energy.
Their debut album, Jeudi 26, self-released in 2006, received widespread critical acclaim from international jazz publications and specialists, and is now in its second edition.
The trio has performed on many prestigious stages, including:
Casa da Música and Hot Five Jazz & Blues Club in Porto;
Valado de Frades Jazz Festival;
Hot Club de Portugal in Lisbon;
Hot Club de Lyon and Duc des Lombards in Paris;
International Tuba and Euphonium Competition in Tours;
Le Petit Faucheux Theatre in Tours;
Cities such as Avignon, Metz, Reims, Nice, Saint-Étienne, Châlon-sur-Saône, and Rouen (France);
Linz, Austria, during the ITEC – International Tuba and Euphonium Conference;
Kymi Brass Festival in Kouvola, Finland, organized by the North Kymi Music Institute.
As a soloist trio, they performed at Casa da Música’s Sala Suggia with the Portuguese Symphonic Band (BSP), under the baton of renowned Valencian conductor José Rafael Pascual-Vilaplana, giving the Iberian premiere of Trois Mousses de Terre, a concerto for jazz tuba trio and wind band by French pianist and composer Franck Steckar. The piece was specially written for and dedicated to the European Tuba Trio. They also performed this work with the Ardèche Regional Wind Orchestra in Valence and with the Conservatoire de Musique d’Amiens Wind Orchestra in Amiens, in April of this year.
The trio also appeared as soloists with the ESMAE Big Band, under the musical direction of Paulo Perfeito, both at ESMAE and at Casa da Música in Porto, as well as at the Valado de Frades Jazz Festival, where they premiered Heavy Artillery, a composition by Paulo Perfeito for three jazz tubas and big band.
Currently, the group is preparing their second album and celebrating their 20th anniversary, with concerts scheduled in France and Portugal.
The European Tuba Trio uses the “Sergio Carolino’s Toadstool” mute, designed by Carolino and handcrafted by Austrian mute maker Johannes Schlipfinger – Special Models – Schlipf Mutes.