Hello! This week let's spend some time checking out a couple of large jazz ensembles. Let's start with the big band that really serves as the model for school jazz bands today - the Count Basie Orchestra. Here's a live performance from 1981, on Duke Ellington's "In a Mellow Tone."
Pay attention to the overall dynamics of the band through this performance. There are spots when the band is whisper-quiet, and of course there are spots where the band is playing so strongly you'd think the walls are shaking. I think one of the keys to making your big band sound great is the ability to play super-soft as well as super-strong. Can your band play the quiet stuff just as well as the shout choruses? And dig that saxophone soli!
From the same performance, here's Sweet Georgia Brown - it's the same arrangement by Sammy Nestico that many of you may have played with your own groups. Listen to the horn soli starting at 2:20, right after the tenor solo...can you hear how the horns are really punching the dynamics up as the line goes higher, and putting a little decrescendo on the line as it goes lower? And check out how the band doesn't sound like it's at full volume through here - that "power on demand" is saved for the horn punches behind the little solo breaks, first with unison saxes and then with the Count himself a bit later.
In a big band, it's not always necessary to play at full volume in a shout chorus. The most important thing is to make sure the melody line swings - that it's played cleanly in every part, that everyone in the sections follows the lead players, and that the lead players know enough about jazz phrasing to shape those lines just like the players in Basie's band.
And now let's listen to the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra. Named for their weekly venue in New York City, the famous Village Vanguard jazz club, the VJO is arguably the model for many college, university, and pro bands. The VJO's book of charts includes pieces from the greatest big band writers in the world, including Thad Jones, Bob Brookmeyer, Bill Holman, and Jim McNeely to name a few. You need to know your stuff to make your band sound like the VJO!
Here's the band at the Hague Jazz Festival in 2008, performing Herbie Hancock's tune Eye of the Hurricane. Listen to the difference between the two tenor soloists - that's Ivan Renta up first, followed by one of my favorite tenor players, Rich Perry. Renta goes straight into some very driving work, with streams of long phrases; Perry starts off a lot more obliquely, with out-of-time phrases - the rhythm section plays a little more outside at first, in support of the mood he wants to set. The ensemble stuff is strong throughout - you can tell this chart isn't meant to be subtle.
And then there's Mean What You Say, an original tune by Thad Jones, one of the founders of the band back in 1965. Solos are by Michael Weiss (piano), Scott Wendholt (trumpet), and Ralph LaLama (tenor). Check out the out chorus (starting at 9:20) - same emphasis on making the melody line swing as I mentioned before, only the VJO is at full volume here because the chart calls for it.
You can hear more of the VJO on its YouTube channel or website. Check it out!
Sunday, November 27, 2011
Sunday, November 13, 2011
Appointment in Ghana - Jackie McLean
Hello! Let's check out another all-star group including Jackie McLean on alto, Woody Shaw on trumpet, McCoy Tyner on piano, Cecil McBee on bass, and Jack DeJohnette on drums. The tune is McLean's hard bopper "Appointment in Ghana."
Check out the differences between the soloists: on this recording, McLean and Shaw tend to play shorter phrases (mostly 4 bars or less, a few longer than that) and to reuse little melodic bits within each phrase. Did you catch how Shaw starts his solo with the last little fragment of McLean's solo (at about 2:45-2:55 or so) and runs with that phrase for awhile?
McBee plays busy lines for most of his two choruses, but anchors each chorus by just playing the harmony in the last few bars each time, with longer note values for contrast. Tyner plays shorter phrases like McLean and Shaw before him - but listen to his trademark left-hand chording, which almost never stops, driving the harmony to new places and providing lots of energy upon which to build his melody lines.
Pro jazz players have learned enough different things to play during a solo that they can choose whatever is right for the current moment. For example, a soloist might choose to use many notes in a short span, or to use only a few notes in the same amount of time for a different effect. Or it could be to stay in a low register for a length of time, and to leave that register only after the end of the first section or chorus. A player might play "outside" only after deciding there's no more "inside" left to explore.
There are literally a gazillion choices to make! And those choices help determine your musical signature or personality. But when you're a young player who's still learning this music, how do you decide what to do?
John Moak is a tremendously gifted trombonist I know in the Portland OR area. We were on a jazz festival gig, and I asked him what advice he gives to young soloists trying to decide what to play during a solo. John asks them, "What's your plan?" In other words, what are you going to do during your solo? Are you going to play 2-bar phrases or 4-bar phrases? when you want to "peak" with the most intensity - how will you do that? Are you hip enough to the harmony of the tune that you'll know when to play certain notes that work really well - or maybe notes that will create dissonance because you want that dissonance? John thinks young players should at least have an idea of what to do in a specific solo before playing it.
I agree with John - it's absolutely OK to plan this sort of thing if you're young and still learning this music. As I've said earlier, it takes a fair amount of time to learn all the ropes, and the more listening and copying you do on a consistent basis, the quicker you'll get there.
For example, you might choose to use the blues scale for a blues solo, but use only 4-bar phrases that start on different notes each time. You might decide to play all your phrases in a specific rhythmic pattern. Anything you can think of that you can execute consistently and on purpose is fair game. Remember, one of the goals of soloing is for every note you play to be a note that you meant. Great solos don't happen by accident!
Check out the differences between the soloists: on this recording, McLean and Shaw tend to play shorter phrases (mostly 4 bars or less, a few longer than that) and to reuse little melodic bits within each phrase. Did you catch how Shaw starts his solo with the last little fragment of McLean's solo (at about 2:45-2:55 or so) and runs with that phrase for awhile?
McBee plays busy lines for most of his two choruses, but anchors each chorus by just playing the harmony in the last few bars each time, with longer note values for contrast. Tyner plays shorter phrases like McLean and Shaw before him - but listen to his trademark left-hand chording, which almost never stops, driving the harmony to new places and providing lots of energy upon which to build his melody lines.
Pro jazz players have learned enough different things to play during a solo that they can choose whatever is right for the current moment. For example, a soloist might choose to use many notes in a short span, or to use only a few notes in the same amount of time for a different effect. Or it could be to stay in a low register for a length of time, and to leave that register only after the end of the first section or chorus. A player might play "outside" only after deciding there's no more "inside" left to explore.
There are literally a gazillion choices to make! And those choices help determine your musical signature or personality. But when you're a young player who's still learning this music, how do you decide what to do?
John Moak is a tremendously gifted trombonist I know in the Portland OR area. We were on a jazz festival gig, and I asked him what advice he gives to young soloists trying to decide what to play during a solo. John asks them, "What's your plan?" In other words, what are you going to do during your solo? Are you going to play 2-bar phrases or 4-bar phrases? when you want to "peak" with the most intensity - how will you do that? Are you hip enough to the harmony of the tune that you'll know when to play certain notes that work really well - or maybe notes that will create dissonance because you want that dissonance? John thinks young players should at least have an idea of what to do in a specific solo before playing it.
I agree with John - it's absolutely OK to plan this sort of thing if you're young and still learning this music. As I've said earlier, it takes a fair amount of time to learn all the ropes, and the more listening and copying you do on a consistent basis, the quicker you'll get there.
For example, you might choose to use the blues scale for a blues solo, but use only 4-bar phrases that start on different notes each time. You might decide to play all your phrases in a specific rhythmic pattern. Anything you can think of that you can execute consistently and on purpose is fair game. Remember, one of the goals of soloing is for every note you play to be a note that you meant. Great solos don't happen by accident!
Sunday, November 6, 2011
Carl Fontana - Trombone Master
Hello! Tonight let's dig into some Carl Fontana on the standard tune "I Thought About You." Personnel in the trio includes Pim Jacobs (piano), Ruud Jacobs (bass), and Peter Ypma (drums).
Fontana, who passed away in 2003, spent most of his pro career playing in Las Vegas house orchestras - not a bad way to make a living - and didn't start recording as a leader until the mid-80s. But he already had a reputation as a trombonist's trombonist, with unmatched technique and inventive playing. Listen to how fluid Fontana's playing is on this medium-tempo swing tune. Even when he's in the midst of double-time passages, there's no wasted motion. Did you catch his quote from "Peter and the Wolf"?
"I Thought About You" is a great example of a jazz standard. A standard is a tune that you're expected to know by heart as part of the tradition of being a jazz player. And that includes the melody and harmony, and maybe even someone's famous interpretation of the tune that has become the most accepted way to perform the tune. There's not really an official "list" of all the standards you should know, but there are certainly at least two or three hundred that most pro jazz musicians can play from memory. Some players know four or five times more tunes than that!
If you don't have access to a working jazz trio all the time (I sure don't!), then a good way to learn standards is to check the various Jamey Aebersold play-along recordings. I think the Aebersold Vol. 1 book does include a basic list of some standards to get you started. As part of your practice regimen, you should try to learn at least three or four standards a month. Most tunes aren't difficult to commit to memory, but of course it helps to play them as often as you can. If you have trouble deciding where to begin - an easy problem to have - please email me for suggestions, or ask your jazz band director. Get started!
Fontana, who passed away in 2003, spent most of his pro career playing in Las Vegas house orchestras - not a bad way to make a living - and didn't start recording as a leader until the mid-80s. But he already had a reputation as a trombonist's trombonist, with unmatched technique and inventive playing. Listen to how fluid Fontana's playing is on this medium-tempo swing tune. Even when he's in the midst of double-time passages, there's no wasted motion. Did you catch his quote from "Peter and the Wolf"?
"I Thought About You" is a great example of a jazz standard. A standard is a tune that you're expected to know by heart as part of the tradition of being a jazz player. And that includes the melody and harmony, and maybe even someone's famous interpretation of the tune that has become the most accepted way to perform the tune. There's not really an official "list" of all the standards you should know, but there are certainly at least two or three hundred that most pro jazz musicians can play from memory. Some players know four or five times more tunes than that!
If you don't have access to a working jazz trio all the time (I sure don't!), then a good way to learn standards is to check the various Jamey Aebersold play-along recordings. I think the Aebersold Vol. 1 book does include a basic list of some standards to get you started. As part of your practice regimen, you should try to learn at least three or four standards a month. Most tunes aren't difficult to commit to memory, but of course it helps to play them as often as you can. If you have trouble deciding where to begin - an easy problem to have - please email me for suggestions, or ask your jazz band director. Get started!
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