SEARCHING FOR JAZZ ENSEMBLE LITERATURE.
HOW DO YOU FIND WHAT YOU NEED?
There is no shortage of jazz material out there!!!??? When you ask how much of it is good, how much of it suits your tastes, your educational goals, emphasizes the strengths of the band, hides the weaknesses, fits your programming needs, and your budget....... it then becomes a totally different issue. There are simply too many criteria involved. If you don’t spend the time searching for music, your budget will be gone (assuming you have a budget for jazz music......) and you will still be seeking charts for the next concert or festival.
The large majority of what we do as directors revolves around the necessity of having interesting, challenging, diverse and appropriate arrangements. When the music is less than inspiring, rehearsals are also less than exciting. Have you had that great feeling of having a two hour rehearsal pass as if it was only ten minutes. It won’t happen without great music.
Would it be fair to say, that people who make the selection of quality repertoire a priority almost always direct the top notch band? Perhaps that is stretching it a little! Would it be fair to say that the best bands are directed by people who are dedicated, and hard working? Maybe that is enough, but perhaps there also has to be some talent, as well as the skill to motivate. There is however no question that the best performances involve dedicated preparation, motivated teaching , and organized rehearsals, but the one common denominator still has to be great music, with variety, teaching and programming in mind.
Those people with the best bands ask questions, go to festivals, concerts and conferences to hear repertoire, they bring in clinicians, check out recordings, attend reading sessions, learn the history of the various bands, and listen to the publishers new music samplers.
PEDAGOGY
Look for musically sound arrangements which also incorporate the various fundamental skills you are trying to develop in your ensemble. Most of these aspects can be placed into two categories: sound and time.
In the sound category, look to develop a good jazz sound (use recordings for reference).Work on balance, blend, intonation, phrasing and dynamics. Look for a slow to medium swing tune with an ensemble soli section. Ears are often very neglected in the teaching of music. It becomes such a habit to simply match the dots on the page with fingerings and that is the end of it. The jazz tradition is an aural tradition, try teaching some simple blues riffs by ear. You will be surprised how much better balance, blend, and intonation become when the ears are cleaned out and working.
In the time category, look for charts which will develop technique, articulation, range, phrasing, keys, sight reading, time signatures, and control at fast tempos.
Don’t forget to give some information about the form of the tune, some history, also arranging and compositional aspects. Above all, don’t forget to have them use their ears!
PROGRAMMING
Part of the process of learning is to set, and hopefully achieve goals. One of the most obvious goals, is that of performing a concert. It could be anything from a concert for students at school, to a festival performance. Music must be selected to suit the occasion as well as the type and age of the audience. Programming can also be combined with pedagogy. Look for tunes to fit the following categories:
various Latin rhythms (from slow bossa to fast samba), ballads, rock, funk, time charts (odd meters), waltzes, pop tunes, burners, nostalgia tunes, medleys, production numbers, bebop tunes, section or solo features, plus slow through fast swing.
TASTE
This area is open for major discussion. We all have personal preferences, likes and dislikes. These all come into play when we are choosing music for our ensembles. Personal taste aside, you must choose music that is appropriate to the function. Maybe we can divide music into categories, something like: Nostalgia (big band swing era music), classic music (which is not nostalgia) such as the Nestico arrangements from the 1960’s Basie Band, dated tunes (music from Saturday Night Fever comes to mind), pop tunes, cutting edge tunes, concert jazz tunes, just plain bad tunes.
You may particularly like the music of a certain band or a certain composer/arranger. You may also be interested in trying to emulate the sound of a particular band. The Basie Band is a good model. We must still remember that one of our obligations as educators is to give students a sense of the tradition of various bands, jazz styles and sounds.
WRITERS/ARRANGERS
In every area of music there are particular people with whom you associate quality. When you talk Basie swing, you usually can’t go wrong with Sammy Nestico or Bill Holman charts. If you are looking for a good swinger, chances are that if Sammy arranged it, the results will likely be good. Get to know the people who write the way you hear, and the way you want your band to sound. There are many writers to avoid, many to use. You have to make up your mind.
BUDGET
This applies not only to the dollar value, but also the value of your time. If unlimited funds were available you could order hundreds of charts and decide later which ones you wanted to use. Reality is such that funds are very limited, and so we have to make the most of our music buying dollar. The time you spend auditioning new music will pay dividends in the performances of your ensembles and you will make fewer mistakes ordering charts that are useless to your group. At the same time you will develop your tastes further, and perhaps start to create a musical direction for your group.
SPECIFICS
Look for ranges in the brass, especially lead trumpet. Know what his/her comfortable range is, and don’t push it too far. It is better to perform something that is within the physical capabilities of students. With this being the case rehearsal time can be devoted to playing with fabulous style. Does it need doubles? If so, are your saxes able to cover the parts. Perhaps you want to choose a tune requiring doubles to get your saxes working on flute and clarinet. What are the rhythm section requirements? Can they handle that particular style and tempo?
Many publishers will assign a difficulty grading to the chart. Sometimes the levels are given as grades (fitting the International Association of Jazz Educators scale of grades one through six), and sometimes it is simply listed as easy, medium, medium advanced, etc. You need to become familiar with the grading systems in relation to the abilities and level of your ensembles.
Rarely trust the blurb about a new chart when the publisher wrote it (or take it with a pound of salt). Remember, they are trying to sell you something. There is no substitute for a recording. Trust your ears, and tastes, as well as the recommendations of people you consider to have good musical judgment.
There are many publishing companies with excellent websites, giving information on the music and also provide the opportunity to hear samples of music online. A couple you might want to visit: www.sierramusic.com also www.kendormusic.com These are just a couple from a long list. See what you can find.
There will be charts you will choose to perform, and charts that are a challenge, not necessarily to be performed. You should also have some charts simply for fun.
CONCLUSION
Plan your library. Know what you have and where it is weak. Know the strengths and weaknesses of your ensemble. It is also true, that the more time you spend looking for music, the better your jazz groups will sound. You will spend less money and make fewer mistakes in purchasing. There is also the added benefit of learning the tunes from the recordings. In this way you will know the styles of the various tunes you have purchased, you will understand what the composer/arranger has intended and it will also make rehearsal time much more efficient and effective. You will ultimately teach better, and therefore have better sounding ensembles.
Good luck and good hunting!
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