Around ten years ago I sat down to transcribe the first track off Bill Holman's first major self-led big band album "In a Jazz Orbit," and before I knew it I had written out all 9 tracks. I had been listening to that record over and over for years and ...
Capable of sweeping string-like passages supporting a vocalist, punchy full-spread voicings that can rival the cannon shots of the brass section, and blistering unison and soli lines, the saxophone section is arguably the most versatile section in the big band. And on top of that section, the lead alto sets ...
As someone who is a working instrumentalist and a working arranger, one of the biggest problems I see with nearly every band today is a book full of ill-fitting orchestrations. A band playing a chart that doesn't fit them is like a person wearing a suit that isn't their size. ...
Communication is a critical component of the success of a big band, and without, a band can easily crash and burn, or at the least, waste a lot of time and goodwill. Difference between "jazz" and a "jazz orchestra" “Jazz” implies improvisation and spontanaeity. This is often true in the ...
For the first installment in the “What’s The Point Of” series, we’ll look at the lead trumpet of a jazz orchestra. A typical big band has around 17 musicians and each one brings to the table with them a distinct voice and a lifetime of unique experience. Every single note ...
Al Porcino died two weeks ago at the age of 88. I never met him, but he is still a definitive part of my own lead playing. Al Porcino might be the greatest lead trumpet player the world has known. At least one of the top guys, along with Snooky ...
For two weeks in September 1948, the Miles Davis Nonet, a semi-informal group of young jazz musicians coming of age in the early days of bebop, played a live set, about an hour or so long, of newly-composed music that would ultimately be a significant contribution to the evolution of ...
