Information page for the 2014 North Carolina Central Region Jazz Ensemble A Band
Hi everyone!
I am really looking forward to meeting you all in February and having a chance to work on some fun music together. I thought that I would put a little web page together for us, so that I can share some information with you. Feel free to look around my site to learn more about me, hear me play, and other stuff. I have a number of handouts that you can check out under the Teaching tab, for instance.
More importantly, I wanted to share some thoughts on the music I have chosen for us to work on. Once we have a chance to play together a little, I might decide to change a tune or two, and I'll have some other music with me, but we're going to start with this set:
1. Time After Time, arr. Don Schamber. This is NOT the 80s Cyndi Lauper tune! It's an old standard, and this is a cool chart. There is some open solo space at the beginning of the chart for trumpet and/or piano, and we'll figure that out later. Altos, if you genuinely play flute, bring them and play the little flute stuff at the beginning. If not, play it on alto (transpose down). The melody of the tune appears in the tenors and trombones at 65. Saxes, at 97, there's a nice soli for you to play, so please look it over if you have a moment. To everyone -- I change this chart at measure 137. Drums will play a decresendo-ing fill into 137, and the rhythm section will LAY OUT (not play). Horns play alone until measure 144, where drums play a big fill into the shout chorus at 145. The rest of the chart plays itself. We'll work this out. It's a cool effect. There are lots of YouTube videos of this chart to check out.
2. The Dance of Denial, composed by Michael Mossman. We will play around with the road map of this one, but I'll take care of that when I see you in person. There's LOTS of solo space on this, and the changes aren't that complicated. It's a cool line over a Latin groove with a 2-3 clave. We'll spend time on the solo aspect of this tune, so be ready to play! Again, lots of YouTube videos to check out on this chart.
3. After You've Gone, arr. Mark Taylor. This is a slow swing ballad. There's a trumpet solo in the middle, but we pretty much will play the ink on this one. Brass, pay careful attention to the music from 45 to the end. It's a big, slow, swinging shout chorus. The key to this chart will be to think in triplets as much as possible. Drums, I believe you're on brushes the whole way. Again, plenty of YouTube here.
4. Two Seconds to Midnight, composed by Alan Baylock. I know you'll love this one. Check out THIS recording by Alan's band. This is a funky hang for the rhythm section. Lots of effects in the guitar, so bring your stuff! Please be CERTAIN to listen to this before we get together, particularly rhythm section! Drums -- you've got a couple different groove gears on this one. There's a trombone solo written, but we can open this one up, too! It's just playing over F7(#9), which can go lots of different ways. There's a shredding guitar solo too!
5. Things Ain't What They Used To Be, arr. Dave Lalama. This is a blues in F, so we can open it way up, too. Trombones, watch the triplet figures before 13. Totally ghost the Fs in parentheses, and it'll be easier. I'll show you the ending when we get together. Lead trumpet, no need to worry about the extra octave. If you've really got it, cool. Otherwise, don't worry about it at all. Drummer, it's a shuffle, so dig in. Woody Herman's band playing it mostly like it appears right here.
If you have any questions for me, email me at Matt.Olson@furman.edu.
Now if you'll do me a favor, and fill out the form below, I'd appreciate knowing a little about each of you! Thanks for reading -- see you soon!!!
Sincerely,
Matt Olson
Furman University
I am really looking forward to meeting you all in February and having a chance to work on some fun music together. I thought that I would put a little web page together for us, so that I can share some information with you. Feel free to look around my site to learn more about me, hear me play, and other stuff. I have a number of handouts that you can check out under the Teaching tab, for instance.
More importantly, I wanted to share some thoughts on the music I have chosen for us to work on. Once we have a chance to play together a little, I might decide to change a tune or two, and I'll have some other music with me, but we're going to start with this set:
1. Time After Time, arr. Don Schamber. This is NOT the 80s Cyndi Lauper tune! It's an old standard, and this is a cool chart. There is some open solo space at the beginning of the chart for trumpet and/or piano, and we'll figure that out later. Altos, if you genuinely play flute, bring them and play the little flute stuff at the beginning. If not, play it on alto (transpose down). The melody of the tune appears in the tenors and trombones at 65. Saxes, at 97, there's a nice soli for you to play, so please look it over if you have a moment. To everyone -- I change this chart at measure 137. Drums will play a decresendo-ing fill into 137, and the rhythm section will LAY OUT (not play). Horns play alone until measure 144, where drums play a big fill into the shout chorus at 145. The rest of the chart plays itself. We'll work this out. It's a cool effect. There are lots of YouTube videos of this chart to check out.
2. The Dance of Denial, composed by Michael Mossman. We will play around with the road map of this one, but I'll take care of that when I see you in person. There's LOTS of solo space on this, and the changes aren't that complicated. It's a cool line over a Latin groove with a 2-3 clave. We'll spend time on the solo aspect of this tune, so be ready to play! Again, lots of YouTube videos to check out on this chart.
3. After You've Gone, arr. Mark Taylor. This is a slow swing ballad. There's a trumpet solo in the middle, but we pretty much will play the ink on this one. Brass, pay careful attention to the music from 45 to the end. It's a big, slow, swinging shout chorus. The key to this chart will be to think in triplets as much as possible. Drums, I believe you're on brushes the whole way. Again, plenty of YouTube here.
4. Two Seconds to Midnight, composed by Alan Baylock. I know you'll love this one. Check out THIS recording by Alan's band. This is a funky hang for the rhythm section. Lots of effects in the guitar, so bring your stuff! Please be CERTAIN to listen to this before we get together, particularly rhythm section! Drums -- you've got a couple different groove gears on this one. There's a trombone solo written, but we can open this one up, too! It's just playing over F7(#9), which can go lots of different ways. There's a shredding guitar solo too!
5. Things Ain't What They Used To Be, arr. Dave Lalama. This is a blues in F, so we can open it way up, too. Trombones, watch the triplet figures before 13. Totally ghost the Fs in parentheses, and it'll be easier. I'll show you the ending when we get together. Lead trumpet, no need to worry about the extra octave. If you've really got it, cool. Otherwise, don't worry about it at all. Drummer, it's a shuffle, so dig in. Woody Herman's band playing it mostly like it appears right here.
If you have any questions for me, email me at Matt.Olson@furman.edu.
Now if you'll do me a favor, and fill out the form below, I'd appreciate knowing a little about each of you! Thanks for reading -- see you soon!!!
Sincerely,
Matt Olson
Furman University