Bill,
As an engineer, and one who made college expenses by playing in a
15-piece "big band", I have to admit you are correct, for many of us. I
learned to play most of the woodwinds while in high school, with a
minimum of instruction. If the part was written, I could usually do
fine with it. But, in a dance band, I stuck to a supporting role in
most cases. The 1st Alto and 2nd Tenor parts, along with the solo
trumpet parts, often called for a passage of "interpretive music".
These guys were marketing and business students who just let it flow.
When I was first in the college orchestra, we had a piano player from
the Mississippi delta area who could really play jazz. I was content to
play my part and take home a few bucks to get me through the next week.
By the 1950-51 college year, the 5-piece combos began to cut into our
fraternity dance business, and it was all downhill for big bands from
that point on. I stuck to engineering.
Jim Nichols
Tullahoma, TN USA
On 7/6/2015 4:22 PM, Bill Pearce wrote:
Ken, of course you don't get jazz, you're an engineer. Jazz represents
the refutation of all the principles you have had since at least
college. Engineers are focused, organized people who live by rules
constantly and faithfully without exception. I have had a great
interest in jazz since Jr. High, and my father, an engineer, could
never understand it. His favorites were Glenn Miller and Lawrence
Welk, now that's engineer music.
Jazz musicians, OTOH, improvise. They enter a solo with only the
slightest thought of what they will do, and will often do things that
surprise even themselves. Not engineers!
-----Original Message----- From: ChrisB
Sent: Monday, July 06, 2015 1:03 PM
To: Olympus Camera Discussion
Subject: Re: [OM] PESO: bad photo? - just print it big
I agree, Ken. And whatever they play, your daughters will surely
benefit from the performances and their bands in many different ways.
My younger son had a band for several years (“Heroes of a Ghost Town”)
and although it was never a big name, he loved the experience of
public performance. And it did him, someone who suffers from
dyslexia, a power of good in gaining him confidence and self-esteem.
It also got him his first long-term job, as a creative with Apple.
Chris
On 6 Jul 2015, at 17:05, Ken Norton <ken@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
I’m afraid that I don’t get jazz. I’ve listened to many pieces by
several
famous and well-regarded artists and neither understand nor like
jazz any
better.
It depends on so many factors. My daughters have been involved in
high-school jazz competition for the past four years or so. I will
admit that about 3/4 of the songs leave me cold, but it's that 1/4 you
live for. When they nail it, it's a thing of beauty. I'm not slamming
the bands themselves, but the music itself is a yawner.
DD#1 is heading off to college and the college she's going to doesn't
have a jazz band. She's a little bummed about that, but she's looking
forward to playing bass in other style bands. DD#2 has one year left
of high-school and will likely participate in all the state and
regional invitationals as she's one of the best jazz piano players in
the state right now on the high-school level. They both were involved
in the state invitational this year and got major solo parts on
extremely complex pieces.
But that bands that compete in high-school and college follow the "big
band" style of instrumentation and presentation. Professional jazz
bands are usually small 5-piece type of club performers that are
extremely talented musicians playing horrible music.
Or some variation of the Grateful Dead.
--
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