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Posts Tagged ‘Saxophone’

Have you played trumpet, trombone or saxophone in the past and have the desire to play again? If so, you are not alone. Millions of people over the last 50 years have participated in band or school jazz groups while in high school or college, but for one reason or another lacked the opportunities to continue performing after they entered the work force and began raising families.Very few musicians who play a musical instrument well will ever make a living at it, but that does not mean you should quit and sell your horn on eBay! Forming a community big band or small jazz group may be a the best excuse for dusting off that old instrument and beginning a regular practice and performing routine once again. A community jazz group not only offers local musicians a creative outlet, but it also offers members of your local community a chance to hear big band music performed on a regular basis.The first step in starting your local community band is to identify the size of group you would like to assemble. Jazz groups can range in size from a trio to a full big band. The size of your group will most likely depend on the availability of musicians in your area. If you live in a sparsely populated area, the task of finding available (or any) musicians could turn out to be a rough task. Every reasonably populated city or town, however, should be able to produce enough musicians to outfit a small or medium sized jazz group or even a big band.Local Musicians UnionThe first place to look for available musicians should be the local musicians union membership. The local union will have a list of all members of the union, both professional and non-professional. If you are a member yourself, you should receive a directory of all other musicians who are members. This directory will contain all contact information for every member of the union. Don’t be afraid to approach or contact the best musicians in your area when putting your band together. Good musicians like to peform in groups (paying or non-paying) that are top notch in quality. You will have a better chance of putting together a better band if you go after the best players first.ReferralsOnce you have contacted a handful of skilled players in each section of your band, ask those same players for referrals of other musicians they would like to have in their section. For example, Joe is the best lead trumpet player in your area and he agrees to come to rehearsal and play in the band. Immediately after getting Joe’s positive response, ask him if he knows other trumpet players that he would recommend. Invariably, the musicians you ask for referrals will always give you names of other top players in town. When calling these new “prospects” always mention that “Joe” (or whoever the referal came from) told you to call. Mention that they were referred to you as one of the best players in town. This approach will not only help break the ice when calling but it will give you credibility at the same time. Use this referral tactic with all sections of the band that need to be filled – trumpets, trombones, saxes and rhythm section. Referrals are a powerful way to put together a highly skilled ensemble.CraigslistThe popular website Craigslist may help you pull musicians “out of the woodwork” as well. Place an ad under the music categories to find any spots that need to be filled within your band. Make your ad specific to the type of player you are trying to reach. Don’t simply put: bass player wanted. Be specific as to the type of music you will be performing and the level of musician you are looking for. Always audition musicians that respond to classified ads, and do not promise anything until you have made sure they perform to a level that you are seeking. The world is full of instrument “owners” who think they can play!Starting and organizing a community big band or jazz group can be a rewarding endeavor for both musician and listeners. The monetary compensation will never be great, but the emotional and esthetic rewards will more than make up for it.

Jazz is an American art form whose roots date back to the mid-19th century slave songs and chants. The early 20th century saw the art form blossom as instrumental music in the southern United States, mainly along the Mississippi river and specifically New Orleans, Louisiana.Early instrumental jazz combos of New Orleans varied in instrumentation. More often than not, these early jazz groups generally consisted of trumpet, clarinet, trombone, tuba and drums. This instrumentation became what is known as the “dixieland” combo, making its way up the Mississippi river to Chicago where the music became popularized by jazz greats such as Louis Armstrong.Dixieland combos can be thought of as groups that play “polyphonic” improvisational music. Each instrument is independent of every other instrument, with each player creating separate musical improvisations based on known melodies, or “tunes” of the day.The players of these early jazz combos each had a separate role within the group. The trumpet player was depended upon to state the melody of the song, while the clarinet would improvise complex lines above him. The trombonists role was to improvise or “fill in” the middle register with lines and notes that were essential to the chord changes of the song itself. The tuba player (or bass player) generally laid down root notes (and 5ths) of each chord on beats 1 and 3 of each measure. The tuba served as the harmonic anchor for the group. Lastly, it was the drummers role to keep everyone together by keeping a steady beat throughout the entirety of the song.As jazz music developed throughout the 1940s and 1950s, jazz combo instrumentation began to become more standardized. The jazz “quintet” and “sextet” became very popular during this time. The quintet consisted of trumpet and alto (or tenor) sax as the main melodic instruments while the rhythm section (piano, bass and drums) took care of rhythm and harmony. The sextet added a trombone to form what essentially was a three horn front line, with rhythm section accompaniment. The extra melodic instrument of the sextet made it possible for the horns to add more harmonic depth to the sound of the group. Each instrument had a role not only as a melodic voice, but also as an integral component of the harmonic structure as well.Modern jazz combos consist of a variety of instrumentation – 4, 5 horn combos are common place. As the group grows in size however, the name “combo” is replaced by “band” or “little big band”. The jazz combo has provided a musical and creative outlet for countless musicians over the last 100 years. The jazz combo continues to provide jazz musicians the opportunity to work together to make music not only as a group but also to develop their own voice as individual jazz improvisers. It is, and probably always will be, the perfect vehicle for learning the art of jazz improvisation.