Posts tagged "trombone"

The first major project in this semester's jazz arranging class was a simple, 8-bar melody orchestration for brass and rhythm section—all told, no more than 15 seconds of music. The idea was to give us an opportunity to hear how we're doing before applying what we know to a full-length big band chart. The project was due on Monday, and we recorded them all live in a two-hour demo session Wednesday afternoon (I got to play in the trombone section, which was both fun and repetitive).

In keeping with tradition, I thought I'd post a recording of my project, along with a few comments. To tell you the truth, before I heard it out loud with the right instrumentation, I thought I had done a pretty good job. Once I did hear it, it still wasn't terrible—but there are a few things I wish I had done differently. Here, to begin with, is the recording:

Just Friends, 8-Bar brass orchestration

And, for reference, the score:

And now, some comments:

1. In bars 4-6, I decided to go with unison trumpets supported by trombones in density (one of several stock techniques we've been learning). I do like the effect, but the trombone harmonies I decided on are extremely plain. If I did this exercise again, I'd probably change the chord on beat 3 of bar 5 to add some extra color. Either that, or have the trombone chord slide up a half step and then back down again with the trumpet lead.
2. The trombone rhythms in 4-6 are completely out of sync with the trumpets. If nothing else, move both half notes back one eighth note to line them up with the trumpets, and take out that silly punch on beat 1 of bar 6 (the rhythm section can handle the setup for beat 2 just fine on its own).
3. I'm also not a fan of my trombone lead lines; I chose them more with regard to their intervallic relationship with the lead trumpet than for their own melodic integrity. I'm especially unhappy with beats 1-2 of bar 6, where the lead trombone actually moves down a third at a key climax of the passage—it just doesn't seem to fit. Either of the above two corrections, however, would seem to fix this problem by keeping the intensity relatively high until after bar 6.

So, hopefully by writing this down I will have solidified these particular lessons in my head, and might be able to avoid them on my full big band chart. That's due in April, so if you follow along, I imagine you'll get to find out if I succeed or not.

This past month's ITA Journal included an article titled "What's on your iPod?" The article featured the must-have playlists of several high-profile trombonists, and I think I'm going to be referring back to it frequently as I expand my music library over the next several months.

In the spirit of that article, though I am a much, much lower-profile trombonist than anyone featured in it, I thought I'd share a few of the albums I've been listening to lately. Here goes:

Of these, I'd like to call special attention to two: Jiggs Whigham and Wolfgang Kohler's Two-Too and Joshua Redman's Back East.

The former (Two-Too) is an excellent example of what I love about the trombone: it sings. Whigham has been one of my favorite trombonists for a long time (I even play his signature trombone), in no small part because his melodies are all so convincing. Oftentimes improvisers (myself included) sound like they're just stringing together a battery of go-to licks; Whigham, however, always seems to be relaxedly composing beautiful new ideas. He really highlights the vocal qualities of the trombone, and this album's duet format helps that shine through even more than usual.

Redman's album (Back East) shares a lot of the same qualities, though it's quite a bit more adventurous on the arranging side of things. The artist has taken great pains to refresh several old standards with playful new rhythms (including a lilting 7/8 rendition of East of the Sun), but never loses track of the heart and soul of the original when doing so. His sense of time and groove are impeccable (see especially The Surrey With the Fringe on Top), and his improvisations unique and engaging.

So that's what I'm listening to these days. It's kind of nice to be hearing new music again; ironically, I'm doing a lot more listening now that I'm not a full-time music student …I have (a bit) more money to spend on it, and a lot more time to listen (since I'm in front of a computer all day). No complaints here, though—I love music, and if I get to hear more of it, that's a wonderful thing.

Hope you enjoy these albums as much as I do.

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Well, my first semester of jazz arranging at UNT is drawing to a close; it's been a great experience, and I'm looking forward to doing some big band writing next semester. I feel like I've learned a heck of a lot, and gotten over some of the hurdles that usually get in my way when I want to write something. So that's good, right?

Anyway, I thought I'd go ahead and post a couple of the better recordings; one of the nice things about studying at UNT is that there are plenty of musicians available that can read your charts down for you without any trouble. These recordings are mostly performed by my fellow class members; I haven't listed them here, but if you're one of them and you'd like me to list your name, just say so in the comments (and feel free to link to your own website as well).

I'm not terribly proud of my own playing on these, but that's not what they're for anyway …this is about the writing, and I think I did OK on that front. Here goes:

• Sax Soli for Joy Spring
• Circular (original composition)
• The More I See You

Tonight Jamie and I went to see the One O'Clock Lab Band's fall concert, with guest artist John Mosca, trombonist and co-leader of the Village Vanguard jazz orchestra. I don't think I'd been to a One O'Clock concert since I graduated a few years back, which is odd given how much I like jazz, and how close we've lived to UNT this whole time. But no matter; it was an excellent concert, and I hope to keep going back.

It did put some things in perspective as far as my playing goes—if tonight's trombone section is any indicator, I probably shouldn't have ever been in the band myself. Don't get me wrong, I can play the trombone…but I think I was never quite disciplined enough to play as cleanly and effectively as these guys did.

Since I am taking jazz classes again, I'm hoping to improve; once I get started with lessons and ensemble playing again I'm sure some of it will come back to me…but not without a good bit more shedding than I did last time around. Here's hoping for a better sense of discipline in the semesters to come.