Original Big Band Charts

Gandalfe

Gandalfe

Striving to play the changes in a melodic way.
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Microsoft occasionally makes CDs of original music performed by employees to sell with the proceeds going to charity. I'd luv to get the Microsoft Jazz Band doing a Basie'esque chart or something? Anyone got anything to contribute? We'd list you as the composer.

(Yes, this is a hail mary pass...)

(Testing edit option change on main server...)
 
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More information please about the band's instrumentation -- especially, sax section doubles -- and soloists. Are you looking for mostly mainstream big band stuff or is the band open to trying more contemporary & creative music?

Thanks, Roger
 
The Right One

I sent one just yesterday, let the band try it and see what they think.
 
Roger: The MJB band is the best band I play with. It's a standard 17 musician (5,4,4,4) plus a female vocalist. All the saxes play clarinet and some flute, but none well enough to solo. Here's a recording of the MJB: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MfFhfNUQ6Ks (It was a static camera and I really need to find a camera man in the near future.)

Aaron: I hope to try it with the PCBB once you get to version 2.0 with any necessary changes made. :)

All: I want to find that killer original chart, work it up, and do some studio time to record it for the Web site and the annual charity drive CD.
 
An original has been sent to your email. It's something "different" however it should be easy to play.

Roger
 
If the soprano sax is a problem for your band, a trumpet could be used instead.
 
Can you take a chart for next week? I just saw the thread and need to get your email address for sending pdfs (PM soon to be sent).
 
Gandalfe,

Please send an email and let me know how it goes in giving it a rundown.

By the way, I often encourage folks who are playing my stuff to use what I've notated as a point of departure. First try it as written. Then, if you get creative ideas for how you can give the music a more personal expression of your band and your players, by all means feel empowered to be creative with it. After all, this is jazz...not a concert band piece. Hee hee

Hope it works for you.

Roger
 
Gandalfe, I forgot to mention that in my chart everyone has changes for the solo section, and the solo isn't assigned to any one part in particular. The saxes have backgrounds while the brass can rest their chops.
 
So we tried Michael's piece and the band liked it a lot. Next practice (we only do two practices before the gig) I hope to get Roger's chart in. One of the saxes who was gonna play clarinet didn't bring the instrument last night. I want to record Michael's piece at the next practice too.

Lance, at the very least. :cool:
 
Gandalfe,

I have an arrangement of Cotton Tail that I wrote for my 10-piece band. It's one that I especially like. It has some Ellington-Strayhorn touches. However, one of the things that's distinctive about it is I took fragments of several Lester Young solos (transcribed by Tim Price) and stiched them together to form a 32-bar ensemble chorous. It starts at the bottom end of the ensemble, with the tuba & bass, and progressively works its way up to a full-ensemble shout. I intentionally used Lester phrases that are outrageously funny and harmonically out-of-the-box. Whenever I hear this chart played I cannot help but laugh out loud.

However, I'm not sure if the instrumentation will work for your band.

The chart is scored for:

trumpet
reed I -- clarinet, soprano sax double
reed II -- soprano sax
reed III -- bari
bass clarinet
tuba
5-string electric viola
guitar
bass
drums

I can rescore the viola part for guitar. Then, piano can cover the original guitar part.

I've thought about reworking this chart for a conventional big band. However, I cannot help but think it would lose the qualities that make it unique and special. The tone colors and textures of this instrumentation are extremely cool!

Please let me know what you think.

Roger
 
Roger, does your viola have an added F string on the bottom or an E string on the top?
 
C string on the bottom.

The usual string tuning is G-D-A-E like a violin with an added low C string like the lowest string on a viola.

Roger
 
I'm glad to hear that the band liked my tune. I'd love to get a copy of the recording. The drummer at my rehearsal last night gave me some advice about improving the notation on their part, so I'll send you a revised copy once I fix it up.

Roger, your Cottontail arrangement sounds like a lot of fun. I'm trying to figure out how a piano-less big band I'm in could accomplish the viola double. Would it work with two guitars instead?
 
Roger, can a bass bone double the tuba part? Don't know what I'd about the viola part. But I have a killer bass guy who can and does play frankenstein guitar/bass thangs (top two string bass, bottom four guitar) who could probably figure something out.
 
If your vocalist is up to the challenge, get a copy of Big Time form Lushlife Music. It is a kick-ass, no holds barred female vocalist showpiece, with spectacular brass and sax lines throughout.

(It was apparently written expressly for Linda Eder. There is a free recording of the chart accessible through the Lushlife Music web site, so your singer can check it out first before you buy. The cost delivered is about $45.00, depending on the current exchange rate.)

There is a lead clarinet part that is pretty showy and has an extreme range (up to G4; I sort of fumble my way upwards in that direction and lip the hell out of whatever note I obtain in the process).

My two girl singers have worked up a technique whereby they "trade verses" throughout the song with all sorts of cute stage business, rounding on the audience for the choruses. Wonderful bit of crowd engagement, the sort of thing I sometimes have trouble getting vocalists to do.

My group likes this chart so much that we bumped Les Brown's Sweet Georgia Brown out of one of the set closer spots. A high complement there.
 
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