WHAT A WORKSHOP YEAR WE ARE GOING TO HAVE!

GEOFF. DAVE. STEVE T, THIS IS FOR YOU

Good teacher Dave Frank. Not so happy about his playing - he comes from the Lennie Tristano school "The More Notes the Better" school. Classically trained, can't you tell? 

Complex subject, playing outside, but he proposes some simple solutions.  I like the first one based on semi-tone patterns. Play 2/3 notes, same again but outside, then back to the key. It sounds good and not too strange to my ear. 

Forget the 1^st 5mins of the video. His jazz solo on piano, not part of the main theme. Actually the demo starts at 8mins.  

How about if we pick a Blues, do it in F and you three each use some of these ideas in your solos.
Yeah, let's go for it.

VIC, FRANK, STEVE G, STEVE D, THIS IS FOR YOU NOW.

Have a quick look at the video, but I’d like to ask you to do something different.

How about if I ask you to play repeated short patterns in your solos over the Blues sequence. Maybe select a bit from the tune, see what it sounds like. Lets use Billie's Bounce.

That is our starting exercise chaps, what do you think?

We can repeat it later with Blues in different keys, then modal, Milestones?

SONGS
If you workshop folks don't mind I'd like to put some of the old band songs in front of you -  this will give the band a bit of a work out on them before we do a series of 5 concerts in June.

So next Sunday can we do;
(concert keys)
Billie's Bounce in F
A Foggy Day  in Eb
Afternoon in Paris in C
Alfies Theme in C
All Blues in G

I'll circulate the BIAB tracks.
John

Jazz Smugglers in Sussex
For the moment we are full, until someone drops out. There are about 10 of us each week.

This site is to help the Jazz smugglers workshop group and provide informtion about the following weeks work. We will be working on widening our range of playing styles as individuals, working together in a band, and practising the more difficult things. You need to be able to read.

If you have a Facebook account can you LIKE our band page on Facebook please, 
FACEBOOK JAZZ SMUGGLERS SUSSEX BAND 
and LIKE our workshop page as well.
FACEBOOK JAZZ SMUGGLERS WORKSHOP SUSSEX

In this blog We will produce tips for jazz piano, and jazz guitar together with jazz saxophone. We will cover jazz chords, jazz guitar chords, and we will deal with jazz scales. We will cover jazz songs. This site is all about jazz improvisation. you can sign up directly to this blog site as a FOLLOWER, bottom rh side panel, you'll get all the posts.

WHAT IS IT WITH BLUES BANDS?

I've emailed seven of them inviting them to do a gig in the Festival of Chichester. One messed me about from the off, didn't read the instructions, saucy reply so I cancelled it. Another put in silly demands so I cancelled them as well. I'm sweetness and light to deal with so long as people are polite and behave sensibly. But when a relationship breaks down early on then my years tell me that it will only get worse in the future. So I chop it out fast. The first loss is the best loss.

Of the other five two replied. One sensibly, saying they'd rather not which is fine. The other never finished it off properly. Hope people don't say this about Jazz Smugglers...
John

The Jazz Smugglers bands in Sussex
Jazz Smugglers workshop, Chichester, Sussex


For the moment we are full, until someone drops out. There are about 10 of us each week.

This site is to help the Jazz smugglers workshop group and provide information about the following weeks work. We will be working on widening our range of playing styles as individuals, working together in a band, and practising the more difficult things. You need to be able to read.

If you have a Facebook account can you LIKE our band page on Facebook please, 
FACEBOOK JAZZ SMUGGLERS SUSSEX BAND 
and LIKE our workshop page as well.
FACEBOOK JAZZ SMUGGLERS WORKSHOP BOSHAM



In this blog We will produce tips for jazz piano, and jazz guitar together with jazz saxophone. We will cover jazz chords, jazz guitar chords, and we will deal with jazz scales. We will cover jazz songs. This site is all about jazz improvisation. you can sign up directly to this blog site as a FOLLOWER, bottom rh side panel, you'll get all the posts.

START AGAIN ON JANUARY 5TH LADS SHALL WE?

HAPPY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE

Oscar Petersen, "I'll be home for Christmas"
See? Jazz does not have to be complicated.


Slightly smaller group to-night with Vic ill, Paul tied up with Christmas and Steve T with high paying gigs.
But we had a newcomer to-night who did extremely well, Frank, and last week's newcomer Steve, both on tenor. Dave played the bass lines.

We started with an exercise playing LOVER in F and in G. this is the get us going on all keys.

BLUE MOON 16’s then 8’s with a hand over. Then 4’s. Play tune + embellish+ harmony. 1 to lead harmony others to copy. Stabs and long notes. A quote. Silence. Arpeggios? Alt chords on 7’s

Long notes and stabs. Geoff sand Dave used diminished scales and played outside on the 7 chords.

CANTALOUPE and CHAMELEON. finally we had a go at the Miles Davis song FOUR. Not the easiest of changes for newcomers to the group.

John

The Jazz Smugglers bands in Sussex

The Jazz Smugglers workshop, Bosham, Sussex

For the moment we are full, until someone drops out. There are about 10 of us each week.

This site is to help the Jazz smugglers workshop group and provide informtion about the following weeks work. We will be working on widening our range of playing styles as individuals, working together in a band, and practising the more difficult things. You need to be able to read.

If you have a Facebook account can you LIKE our band page on Facebook please,
FACEBOOK JAZZ SMUGGLERS SUSSEX BAND 

and LIKE our workshop page as well.
FACEBOOK JAZZ SMUGGLERS WORKSHOP BOSHAM

In this blog We will produce tips for jazz piano, and jazz guitar together with jazz saxophone. We will cover jazz chords, jazz guitar chords, and we will deal with jazz scales. We will cover jazz songs. This site is all about jazz improvisation. you can sign up directly to this blog site as a FOLLOWER, bottom rh side panel, you'll get all the posts.

LAST NIGHT EVERYONE WAS A HERO. PARTICUARLY VIC AND BOB

Listen to the start of this version of Chameleon. That could be our Paul playing. Too many extreme words are used to describe jazz. I'm not going to go over the top, just describe it in a modest way.

Its awesome


Maynard Ferguson band 1974.

LAST NIGHT
We experimented with all sorts of ways of playing together last night. We focussed on simple blues songs so didn't have to bother much with changes. We had great results from everyone absolutely everyone.

Vic and Bob got to play something together which they have never done before, and I'm not sure you can hear it on any other jazz band.

Vic started experimenting with implying the root note, breaking the time on bass. He and Bob on kit then started to play a rhythmic line in unison. Vic led and Bob copied. I've never heard this before anywhere and it sounded effective. Must work on that boys - it can be built into a routine. They added improvised breaks by signalling to each other - pity the keyboard chap wasn't watching. Very effective tension added.

Paul is a really nice jazz player with ideas all of his own. He is not afraid of playing a long note, or stabbbing short repeated ones, and just leaving space. It gives his solos an original quality. We were asking for this kind of thing and Paul met all of the brief. Paul will often play the unexpected, and that grabs attention.

Geoff used a chromatic note and held it in one of his solos. It worked, we all said so. He also has a very distinctive sound of his own when he solos, he is quiet and relaxed and fully in control. To make us smile, he put in an unexpected quote. Very effective.

New player Steve had a fearsome introduction and held his own with everyone. Billies Bounce is not the easiest song to read if you've never heard it before, and Steve went for it, and embellished it cleverly. The piece was badly scored on the chart, so he just improvised over it and came back to the tune. Not many people could do that at a first workshop. It is a fearsome coming to these things for the first time.

NEXT SUNDAY THE LAST THIS YEAR. We'll do some more of last weeks, but over a regular 11 V song this time. We'll probably use Blue Moon as our practise piece for this. Step it up a gear from Blues.

Bring Cantaloupe, Chameleon, Love for Sale and Lover in G and F concert.

John

The Jazz Smugglers bands in Sussex
http://www.jazzenthusiasts.com/jazzsmugglersband.html

The Jazz Smugglers workshop, Bosham, Sussex
http://www.jazzenthusiasts.com/jazzsmugglersworkshop.html


For the moment we are full, until someone drops out. There are about 10 of us each week.

This site is to help the Jazz smugglers workshop group and provide informtion about the following weeks work. We will be working on widening our range of playing styles as individuals, working together in a band, and practising the more difficult things. You need to be able to read.

If you have a Facebook account can you LIKE our band page on Facebook please, 
FACEBOOK JAZZ SMUGGLERS SUSSEX BAND 
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Jazz-Smugglers-band/203722132977929?ref=hl
and LIKE our workshop page as well.
FACEBOOK JAZZ SMUGGLERS WORKSHOP BOSHAM
https://www.facebook.com/pages/JAZZ-Smugglers-workshop-to-help-your-Jazz-playing/275919089138712?ref=hl


In this blog We will produce tips for jazz piano, and jazz guitar together with jazz saxophone. We will cover jazz chords, jazz guitar chords, and we will deal with jazz scales. We will cover jazz songs. This site is all about jazz improvisation. you can sign up directly to this blog site as a FOLLOWER, bottom rh side panel, you'll get all the posts.

IN JAZZ LESS IS SO MUCH MORE

Who ever said you need to cram the solo full of notes?

Notice that these people are all composer arrangers. That makes a big difference. They are concerned with the total sound, firm lines, beautiful note choices.

Miles Davis, "Nature Boy". Great line up. Charlie Mingus on Bass, and Milt Jackson on vibes.




This is John Lewis. With Milt Jackson and Percy Heath on bass. MJQ



Watermelon Man Miles Davis with Herbie Hancock, Al Foster, Kenny Garrett, Bill Evans


Horace Silver on keys, really simple. Trumpeter keeps it fairly simple and rhythmic. The sax player starts ok ends up rushing everything. He loves playing outside. Ok for a while but I can't stand it for long. Sorry old fashioned melodic playing for me. I apologise. (Ps Tell me, which one sounds most musical to you?)




The Jazz Smugglers bands in Sussex
The Jazz Smugglers workshop, Bosham, Sussex

For the moment we are full, until someone drops out. There are about 10 of us each week.

This site is to help the Jazz smugglers workshop group and provide informtion about the following weeks work. We will be working on widening our range of playing styles as individuals, working together in a band, and practising the more difficult things. You need to be able to read.

In this blog We will produce tips for jazz piano, and jazz guitar together with jazz saxophone. We will cover jazz chords, jazz guitar chords, and we will deal with jazz scales. We will cover jazz songs. This site is all about jazz improvisation. you can sign up directly to this blog site as a FOLLOWER, bottom rh side panel, you'll get all the posts.

DUETS. LAST NIGHT WAS SPLENDID. CONGRATS EVERYONE

Andrew and Geoff came in early to try out some sax duets. Brilliant, I don't know how they manage to read that well. Straight off, very difficult piece, called The Jazz Police, and one other. This is the Big Phat band version of it. I like the two saxes.



In the workshop we played Cantaloupe Island. 2 saxes paired off, also a sax and trumpet. Each played a duet but agreed who was going to do what beforehand.

While two were playing the other two worked out their arrangement. I thought it sounded fantstic, really good. We must do it again in the workshop and on stage.

We learnt from it as well. We learnt that we can do simple arrangements on the fly, with one setting up the theme and the others copying. We also found a nice way of harmonising with a semi-tone side-slip. Andrew suggested harmonising with each one settling on a new note each time - was it every 4 bars, Andrew?

That worked well.

Andrew, can we do The Jazz Police in June - good punchy song and rhythm, can we work out a band intro, then you two with maybe just bass and drums behind you? Then let Dave do a solo on it, you two harmonising and the band plays out last 8/16. That would tie in the band, and get you two featured. It might need a lot of practice nearer the date.

Then you both can do that other duet you liked, separately on its own. What do you think?

REHEARSAL PLUS WORKSHOP NEXT SUNDAY
Can we have a Smugglers rehearsal next Sunday at 6.00 please? We have a gig the following week with a lot of new songs, and some without arrangements.

Perhaps we can do Maria's songs first so that she can slip away.

Workshop, would you guys mind joining in with us on the band songs at 7.00 You know most of them anyway. You can come in at 6 if you want. This is a gig you could play but neither of you is free.

Here is what we have arranged for the song list so far. I'm taking the Dec 7th song list, the new ones.
Where I have marked them EARLY these are for Maria at 6.00. She does get tired if she stays long on a Sunday.

SOON existing arrangement
SPOOKY  V     EARLY  arrangement to do
I REMEMBER YOU V existing arrangement EARLY (for Maria)
WAVE Arrangement to do
NIGHT AND DAY V existing arrangement
CARAVAN existing arrangement
I THOUGHT ABOUT YOU V existing arrangement
FEEL LIKE MAKING LOVE V   EARLY  Funk.intro Fm piano 4 bars.
IT COULD HAPPEN TO YOU V  EARLY  arrangement to do
LULLABY OF BIRDLAND  Dave Straight in. Guitar melody . Solos:  Piano, - with drum fills mimicking rhythms of lead or comp ,
CHAMELEON we know it but I have not written it down
SO WHAT (BLUE SKIES V) V  EARLY  Funk Intro 8 bars Use me riff gtr with bass line. 8 bar gtr riff between solos, Solos Blue skies vocal
DINDI V  Vocal and Bass 8 last 8 bars as intro out of time.
A FOGGY DAY IN LONDON TOWN V existing arrangement
MY FUNNY VALENTINE V existing arrangement
WHAT ARE YOU DOING FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE V EARLY  Intro last 16 bar unaccom Maria vocal rythmn soft backing. Coda guitar with arpeggios
EXTRA
SUMMERTIME existing arrangement

John

The Jazz Smugglers in East Sussex

Jazz Smugglers workshop, near Chichester, East Sussex


We need another front line workshopper please. If you know of anyone in West sussex.

This site is to help the Jazz smugglers workshop group and provide informtion about the following weeks work. We will be working on widening our range of playing styles as individuals, working together in a band, and practising the more difficult things. You need to be able to read.

If you have a Facebook account can you LIKE our band page on Facebook please, 
JAZZ SMUGGLERS BAND Facebook 

and LIKE our workshop page as well.
THE JAZZ WORKSHOP AT CHICHESTER Facebook

In this blog We will produce tips for jazz piano, and jazz guitar together with jazz saxophone. We will cover jazz chords, jazz guitar chords, and we will deal with jazz scales. We will cover jazz songs. This site is all about jazz improvisation. you can sign up directly to this blog site as a FOLLOWER, bottom rh side panel, you'll get all the posts.

JAZZ DUET SOLOS THIS COMING SUNDAY

You all MUST MUST listen to this. Andrew would you and Geoff be willing to try out something like this on Sunday at 6.00 until 7.00. It needs thinking through beforehand if you are willing. What I have in mind is finding interesting ways of playing off each other, maybe even partly arranged as this is. It has some melody in it, some arrangement in it and soloing. Let's try something different before we all die. Up to you two guys.




THIS COMING SUNDAY
I'm going to ask each of you to cook up a Duet with a partner over a Love for Sale in Eb (con), and again over a new song, this one, Cantaloupe Island.




Bob could you please look at some of the other Cantaloupe videos on YouTube for drumming ideas. In some it is almost a drum feature. This is another good one for example

Have a look at this one boys. The drummer is hitting the 2 beat, the bass is playing broken time, and the guitar is almost as good as Dave.





DUET SOLOS THIS COMING SUNDAY
Here are the simpler options for two people soloing together.

Player A Tune and Tune embellish
Player B
Fills
Harmony
Improv
Ensemble
Exchanges 4,2,1/feed each other/Q+A

We had a thin turnout yesterday - very good reasons, like number 11 buses they all came at once. Thank you very much Paul for staying, you were really helpful. The rhythm section did new stuff and it worked! Excellent Bob and Vic. Bob copied Pauls lines, Vic took charge of breaks, Bob also hit things very successfully, and Vic broke the timing on the bass. It all sounded good.

John
The Love God


The Jazz Smugglers bands in Sussex
The Jazz Smugglers workshop, Bosham, Sussex

WE NEED TWO NEW FRONT LINE PLAYERS.

This site is to help the Jazz smugglers workshop group and provide informtion about the following weeks work. We will be working on widening our range of playing styles as individuals, working together in a band, and practising the more difficult things. You need to be able to read.


In this blog We will produce tips for jazz piano, and jazz guitar together with jazz saxophone. We will cover jazz chords, jazz guitar chords, and we will deal with jazz scales. We will cover jazz songs. This site is all about jazz improvisation. you can sign up directly to this blog site as a FOLLOWER, bottom rh side panel, you'll get all the posts.